Warning.

Morning came too soon.

I was used to exhaustion. Late-night gaming sessions and a terrible office job had built up my tolerance for little sleep. But after yesterday, I had hoped for at least a few hours of rest.

No such luck.

A loud knock on my door ruined my morning coffee.

I took a slow sip before answering. "If this isn't important, I'm throwing you out the window."

The door opened.

There I saw one of newly assigned faculty member, a young man with neatly combed brown hair and the kind of nervous energy that suggested he either didn't know what he was getting into or deeply regretted it.

"Professor Drelmont," he greeted, trying to keep his voice steady.

I took another sip of coffee. "You have five seconds before I decide if this conversation is worth my time."

The poor guy swallowed hard. "Professor Halloran wants to talk to you."

I exhaled through my nose. Of course, he did.

Professor Victor Halloran seemed to have made it his life's mission to be an insufferable thorn in my side. I wasn't sure whether he genuinely despised Lucian or just needed someone to look down on, but either way, dealing with him first thing in the morning wasn't my idea of a good start to the day.

I took another slow sip of my coffee, savoring the warmth, before setting the cup down with deliberate ease. "And he couldn't wait until after breakfast?"

The young faculty member shifted awkwardly. "He said it was urgent."

I sighed and stood up, grabbing my coat. "Fine."

The poor guy looked relieved that I wasn't about to throw him out the window. Probably.

We walked through the hall in silence. The faculty section of the academy looked just as fancy as everything else—shiny floors, expensive chandeliers, and walls covered with portraits of old headmasters who looked like they had never smiled in their lives. It was the kind of place built to remind you who was in charge.

We finally reached Halloran's office. The guy knocked before stepping aside.

Inside, Halloran was sitting behind his desk, his usual serious look on his face.

"Drelmont," he said, his tone already full of irritation. "Sit."

I stayed standing.

"You called me here," I said, not wasting time. "Get to the point."

Halloran's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'll be direct. You're unfit to teach here. And being assigned to Class C proves it. If anything, it just shows how little faith the Headmaster has in you."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, you think the Headmaster made a mistake?"

Halloran's eyes narrowed. "Don't twist my words."

I shrugged. "I'm just asking."

He took a deep breath, clearly trying not to lose his cool. "Here's the deal. You can quit now, quietly, or you can keep going and fail. Either way, I'll be watching. And when you mess up, I'll make sure there's no second chance."

I thought about it for a moment, then gave him a small smile. "I appreciate the advice, Halloran. But if you think I'm just going to quit because you said so, you're in for a disappointment."

He clenched his jaw. "So you plan to embarrass yourself even more?"

I shrugged again. "If I do, I'll make sure it bothers you."

His face went tight with anger. "Get out."

"Gladly," I said, walking to the door.

As I left, I could practically feel his glare on my back.

Good. Let him fume.

I had bigger things to worry about.

Like teaching the dumb brats in my class c.

_

The walk back to my office was quiet. The new guy—whatever his name was—had already scurried off somewhere, probably happy to be out of Halloran's blast zone.

Good for him.

I pushed open my office door, stepped inside, and locked it behind me. I needed a moment to think.

Halloran wasn't an idiot. Arrogant? Absolutely. But not dumb. His little stunt wasn't just about trying to get rid of me—it was a warning. He wanted me to know that my position here was fragile, that the academy wasn't going to cut me any slack.

And, honestly? He was right.

I wasn't Lucian Drelmont.

I had no family backing, no connections, and a class full of students who were one bad lesson away from tearing me apart.

I sighed and sat back down, rubbing my temples.

The coffee had gone cold.

Figures.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. I had two options:

1. Play it safe. Keep my head down, avoid attention, and do just enough to keep my job without stepping on any toes.

2. Actually teach these brats something and see what happened.

The first option was smarter. Less risky. Less chance of me ending up jobless—or worse.

The second option, though…

A grin tugged at my lips.

It sounded way more fun.

I reached for a fresh piece of parchment and started scribbling down notes. If I was going to teach, I needed a plan. Not just for surviving Halloran, but for surviving my students.

Especially that group of troublemakers.

Julien, who was just waiting for an excuse to run his mouth.

Mira, who'd probably stab me if I turned my back on her for too long.

Felix, who somehow managed to be both pathetic and unlucky at the same time.

Wallace, who'd probably try to sell my desk for spare parts if he thought he could get away with it.

Leo, the walking complaint department.

Garrick, the human brick wall.

And Cassandra, who… honestly, I still wasn't sure what her deal was.

I sighed again, tapping my quill against the parchment.

Class C was a mess.

But they were my mess.

And if Halloran thought I was going to fail, I was more than happy to disappoint him.

I rolled up my sleeves.

Time to get to work.

__

The classroom was already loud by the time I got there.

Julien had his feet on the desk, chatting with Mira, who was pretending to be interested. Felix looked like he was trying to disappear into his chair. Wallace had some sort of half-assembled device on his desk, which probably wasn't legal. Leo was complaining about something—no surprise there. Garrick sat with his arms crossed, looking vaguely unimpressed with everything. And Cassandra… well, she was just sitting there, eerily quiet, like always.

I let the door slam behind me as I walked in.

The room went silent.

Good.

I leaned against my desk, looking them over. "How was yesterday's practice my little future corpses."

Julien grinned. "Oh? We're starting with insults already? You must've missed us."

I crossed my arms. "Miss you? Please. If anything, I was hoping some of you would quit overnight."

Wallace muttered, "I was considering it."

I smirked. "And yet, here you are."

Julien stretched, putting his hands behind his head. "You really think yesterday was that bad? I was expecting something tougher."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Mira shot him a look. "Shut up, Julien."

Julien's grin widened.

I walked over to the chalkboard and casually wrote three words:

Pain. Endurance. Creativity.

I turned back to them. "Since you're all so eager, let's make today more interesting."

Felix immediately looked worried. "Can we not?"

"No," I said flatly.

I let the words sink in before gesturing toward the training dummies at the back of the room. They weren't ordinary dummies, of course. I had made some adjustments. A few runic modifications, some reinforcement spells, and—just for fun—a touch of unpredictability.

"The goal is simple," I continued. "Make it through today's lesson without embarrassing yourselves."

Julien cracked his knuckles. "Sounds easy."

I smirked. "Let's find out."

Then I gestures them to follow me to the training ground, on my way I asked to Leo. "How is your body after that so called one side beatdown(Duel) with that class B noble brat."

Leo groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "You mean the completely unfair, totally rigged, one-sided humiliation? Oh yeah, I'm fantastic."

Julien snorted. "You lasted longer than I thought, though. What was it—two minutes?"

Leo shot him a glare. "Three, thank you very much. Not that it matters when the guy was swinging around enchanted weapons like candy."

I nodded. "So, what did you learn?"

Leo blinked. "Uh... that getting hit hurts?"

Mira sighed. "That you're an idiot."

Felix whispered, "That I never want to fight a noble…"

I rolled my eyes. "Wrong answers. What you should've learned was how much of a gap there is between you and someone trained from birth to kill people like you."

Leo grumbled under his breath but didn't argue.

"Which is why," I continued, "today's lesson is going to focus on survival. Specifically, how to not get your ass handed to you in a fight."

We reached the training ground. The dummies stood in neat rows, waiting for their unfortunate victims.

Felix started to shiver as he saw the dummies, and I grinned and said. "They are not coming to life."

Felix didn't look convinced. He eyed the dummies like they might jump him at any second. "You say that, but considering your track record, I have my doubts."

Julien laughed. "Yeah, after yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if those things suddenly sprouted arms and started throwing punches."

I smirked. "Oh, don't worry. They won't start throwing punches. That part is up to you."

That got their attention.

Mira narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I gestured toward the dummies. "You're going to be hitting them, and I want you to knock them down."

Julien cracked his knuckles. "That's it? Just knock them down? I thought this was supposed to be a challenge."

I gave him a slow smile. "Oh, it is."

Wallace narrowed his eyes. "...What's the catch?"

"There is no catch" I said to them.

Mira, "I don't believe you."

"What? You don't believe your sweet and gentle professor? I'm hurt." I clutched my chest and act like in pain.

Julien snorted. "Right. Next, you'll be telling us you care about our well-being."

I gasped. "I do care. If you all die, who am I supposed to torment?"

Leo muttered, "So we're just entertainment to you."

I gave him a mock-thoughtful nod. "That and free labor."

Mira rolled her eyes. "Can we get on with it?"

I clapped my hands. "Finally, some enthusiasm! Now, enough chit-chat. You all have one job—knock the dummies down."

Felix eyed me warily. "And… that's really it?"

I sighed dramatically. "Do I look like the kind of person who would set you up for failure?"

Wallace, Leo, and Mira all answered at the same time: "Yes."

I grinned. "Smart kids."

Then I stepped back. "Alright, go ahead. Knock them down."

Julien was the first to step forward. He stretched his arms, cracked his knuckles, and grinned. "This'll be easy."

He pulled back his fist and punched the dummy straight in the chest.

Nothing.

The dummy didn't budge.

Julien blinked. "Huh?"

He hit it again—harder this time. Still nothing.

I crossed my arms, watching as the realization dawned on them.

Garrick stepped up next. He was the strongest of the group, so if anyone could knock it down, it would be him. He rolled his shoulders, took a deep breath, and slammed his fist into the dummy with full force.

A dull thud echoed across the training ground.

The dummy didn't move an inch.

Garrick scowled. "What the hell?"

Felix turned to me, looking horrified. "Professor… what did you do?"

I smiled. "Oh, nothing much. Just made things a little more… interesting."