CHAPTER 38 — The Classes (2)
The sun hung high in the sky.
Warm and Bright.
A perfect day but not so perfect—
Ughhhhh....
A collective groan rippled across the field as soon as instructor Valeria announced the continuation of lessons, and the students who had just barely survived the earlier exercises, now sat slumped on the ground like defeated soldiers after a lost war.
A few of them had already fallen flat on their backs, staring at the sky as if questioning their life choices, while others clutched their heads in silent despair, their earlier enthusiasm completely drained.
"Ahhh… no more lessons…" one student whimpered dramatically, dragging his voice as if even speaking required effort.
"Just how long is she going to keep going?"
Another muttered, his shoulders sagging as though invisible weights had been tied to them.
Rowan, on the other hand, sat quietly among them with his head lowered, his lips curled into a strangely calm smile while a single exaggerated tear slid down his cheek as if he was mourning something deeply personal.
'Did bhaiya also go through this…?'
He wondered, his thoughts carrying both curiosity and a hint of tragic imagination, as if he were picturing his brother suffering the same fate under this academy's ruthless system.
Before the collective despair could deepen any further, instructor Valeria returned, her presence immediately shifting the atmosphere as she walked toward them with firm, deliberate steps, carrying a small metal cage in one hand.
Without any ceremony, she placed it on the table with a sharp thud, the sound cutting through the murmurs and forcing the students' attention back to her.
"Stop acting like this is the end of your lives,"
She said coldly, her sharp amber eyes sweeping across the exhausted group, her long orange hair swaying slightly behind her like a flicker of controlled flame.
"If you want to perform even decently during the joint class training—and more importantly, if you don't want to embarrass yourselves in front of other classes—then you better start taking these lessons seriously."
Rowan's brows lifted slightly at her words, a faint spark of curiosity breaking through his fatigue.
'Joint classes…?' he thought, the idea of interacting with other classes immediately stirring interest, though he had no idea what that would entail.
Clap!
The sharp sound of her palms colliding snapped every wandering mind back into place, forcing even the most exhausted students to sit upright almost instinctively.
"The next lesson," she continued, her voice steady and commanding, "is about perception—specifically, the perception of spirits."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Rowan froze.
'Spirits…?'
The color slowly drained from his face as his mind betrayed him, his thoughts spiraled immediately in a different direction.
'Wait… does she mean those spirits…?'
Unpleasant images flashed through his mind—distorted figures, hollow eyes, grotesque forms lurking just beyond sight— Watching from a place unseen— creatures whispered about in stories meant to unsettle children and warn them about the unknown.
Valeria continued, completely unaware—or perhaps completely unconcerned—about the storm she had just created in his head.
"As you all should already know," she said calmly, "Spirit magic is primarily used by Curserers and Heretics. Though both's methods of spirit magic are quite different."
She looked at the crowd of students as she continued.
"We will talk about Curserers some other day, Right now let's focus on Heretics—those you commonly refer to as Dark Mages,"
She explained, her tone neither fearful nor dramatic, but factual. "They form contracts with spirits, bending them to their will, and use that borrowed power to wreak destruction."
Her gaze hardened slightly.
"These spirits are not naturally visible to ordinary eyes. A non-mage could stand inches away from one and remain completely unaware of its presence."
A pause stretched as she let the weight of that idea settle.
"But—"
Her voice sharpened just slightly.
"Mages have developed methods to perceive what others cannot."
She closed her eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
A luminous blue ring formed around her pupils, glowing faintly yet unmistakably, giving her gaze an almost otherworldly sharpness.
"This," she said, her voice steady, "is known as Aether Sight."
The glow intensified for a moment before stabilizing.
The students leaned forward instinctively.
"Just as you gather mana in your hands to form spells,"
She continued, her voice lowering slightly as if emphasizing precision,
"You can instead direct that mana toward your eyes, enhancing your perception and allowing you to see what is normally hidden. like the flow of mana… and the presence of spirits within it."
She looked across the students, her glowing gaze passing over each of them.
"Without Aether Sight, the spirits would not be visible to you."
The blue ring slowly faded from her eyes as she gestured toward the cage beside her.
"Now try it," she said. "There is a spirit inside this cage. Tell me what you see."
The students immediately leaned forward, their earlier exhaustion momentarily forgotten as curiosity took over, and one by one, they began attempting to gather mana around their eyes.
Rowan, however, squinted instinctively, leaning forward like someone trying to read distant text.
"Don't squint," Valeria snapped instantly, her tone sharp enough to make him flinch. "I told you to gather mana, not to play squint-squint like a blind crow."
Rowan's face twisted into an awkward, almost comedic expression as he straightened slightly, embarrassed.
Taking a breath, he tried again.
Around him, faint blue rings began forming around the pupils of other students, some brighter than others, some unstable and flickering as they struggled to maintain control.
Watching them, Rowan took a breath and attempted the same, guiding mana toward his eyes as carefully as he could.
Rowan focused, pulling mana upward toward his eyes, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of energy shifting through a pathway he had barely explored before.
Slowly—very slowly—a dim blue ring formed around his pupils.
It wasn't as sharp or stable as the instructor's, nor as clear as some of the other students, but it was there.
His eyes widened slightly.
Before he could examine further—
Clap!
"Enough," Valeria said, reclaiming control of the moment. "Now tell me what you see."
Her gaze swept across the group before settling on one student.
"You," she pointed. "Stand up and describe the spirit."
The boy stood hesitantly, his shoulders stiff, his eyes flickering between the cage and the instructor.
"Ah… um… Miss…" he stammered, clearly struggling.
"Speak clearly,"
she said, her tone calm but pressuring.
Valeria began pacing slowly in front of them.
The student swallowed.
"I can… see something," he admitted, forcing confidence into his voice. "But I… I don't know how to describe it."
Valeria raised an eyebrow.
"I-It's true…" he muttered weakly.
She shifted her attention.
"You. Next."
Another student stood abruptly, his shoulders jerking upward in panic, his eyes darting around as if searching for an answer in the air itself.
"Miss, I—"
Before he could continue, Rowan leaned forward again, tilting his head slightly as he tried to focus harder, adjusting his angle as if that alone would reveal something clearer.
Valeria's gaze snapped toward him.
"Hey. You—squinty."
Rowan froze and snapped upright.
He looked around instinctively.
"I'm talking to you."
He pointed at himself.
"…Me?"
"Yes. You."
Rowan stood slowly, his movements stiff with uncertainty.
"Tell me," she said, her arms crossing as her fingers tapped lightly against her upper arm,
"what does the spirit look like?"
Rowan leaned forward again, his eyes straining despite the earlier warning.
his mind was racing.
Rowan's lips curled awkwardly.
His eyes searched.
Focused and Strained.
And in that metallic cage Rowan saw—
Nothing.
'Why is there nothing…?' Rowan wondered.
There was nothing inside the cage.
No distortion.
No presence.
No spirit.
A flicker of doubt crept in.
'Am I doing something wrong…?'
He glanced briefly at the others, noticing the glowing rings around their eyes.
'No… I'm doing the same thing… then why can't I see anything…?'
Valeria watched him silently, her arms crossed, fingers tapping lightly against her sleeve.
"Are you going to answer," she said her voice cutting through his thoughts.
"or just keep staring like a statue?"
Rowan swallowed and inhaled deeply.
"…Miss," he said finally, his voice steady despite the uncertainty.
"There is no spirit in that cage."
Silence.
A heavy, stretched silence fell over the entire group.
Rowan felt it immediately.
'…Did I mess up?'
He braced himself.
Prepared for correction.
Or worse—
Humiliation.
"Sit down."
Valeria said her tone was calm.
Too calm.
Rowan blinked once, then quickly sat down, his heart pounding harder than before.
She turned back to the others.
"So," she said, her tone unchanged, "you can see a spirit in this cage?"
"Y-Yes, Miss," one replied uncertainly.
"Then describe it."
"I—Miss, I—"
The student hesitated.
The instructor simply watched.
The student was still hesitant, visibly shaken under her gaze, which remained calm—but carried an unsettling pressure.
Then Finally—
"…I can't see anything," he admitted, lowering his head.
Instructor Valeria nodded.
"The reason you cannot see any spirit," she said, pausing deliberately, "is because there is no spirit in this cage."
The reaction was immediate.
"What—?"
Even Rowan's eyes widened again.
Valeria shrugged lightly.
"There isn't."
A student protested, confusion clear in his voice.
"But you said—"
Her voice rose—not in anger, but in clarity.
"You need to learn to question what you are told."
Her gaze swept across the entire class.
"Most of you saw nothing. Yet instead of questioning the situation, you questioned yourselves."
She paused.
"That is your mistake."
Her tone softened slightly—but remained firm.
"In this world, not everything you hear—or even see—is the truth."
She looked back at the student.
"Understand that."
He nodded slowly.
"…Yes, Miss."
"Sit."
Valeria reached into her coat and pulled out a small, spherical object, its surface faintly shimmering as if something within it was alive.
"Now," she said, holding it out, "this is a proper containment vessel."
She rotated it slightly between her fingers.
"Spirits cannot be held in ordinary cages. And that's why the Alchemy city invented Specialized artifacts that can hold them, and most of them are restricted due to their potential misuse. However, the academy maintains a limited number for research purposes."
She extended the sphere toward them.
"Activate Aether Sight again and focus on this."
Rowan leaned forward once more, gathering mana around his eyes as the faint blue ring formed again.
This time—
He saw it.
At first, it was blurry like a distortion.
Then slowly—
A shape emerged.
It resembled a bird.
But not entirely.
Its form was fluid, its body shifting like water held together by invisible force, its wings flowing rather than feathered, leaving faint ripples with each subtle movement.
It didn't look alive in the usual sense.
It looked… elemental.
Like water given form.
"Is that a pigeon?" one student blurted.
"No, that's clearly a sparrow."
"Are you blind? That's a myna."
Within seconds, the class erupted into noise.
Rowan stared blankly at them.
Voices erupted around him as the class descended into chaotic debate, each student convinced of their own interpretation.
Soon the class went from describing the spirit to guessing the bird.
Even Valeria's face went dull, her earlier sharp intensity fading into silent disappointment as she watched the chaos unfold.
The sun shone brightly overhead, casting long, warm light across the training ground.
The sunlight continued to pour over the training ground, warm and steady, completely indifferent to the noisy confusion unfolding below.
And just like that—
With noise replacing the discipline.
And the rising chatter of students arguing over a spirit they barely understood—
The lesson came to an end.
---
Ughhh... Mhhmm...
Rowan collapsed face-first onto the cafeteria table, his arms hanging lifelessly from the sides like his soul had already left his body hours ago.
Sighhhh
A long, dramatic sigh escaped his mouth.
"Are the lessons here always this exhausting...?"
The Grand Aetherion cafeteria buzzed with life around him. Hundreds of students filled the massive hall, their voices blending together beneath the tall vaulted ceiling.
Long crystal chandeliers floated overhead, gently rotating while spreading warm golden light across the polished silver-white floor.
The walls were decorated with moving magical murals.
One showed ancient mages battling colossal monsters beneath a storm-filled sky.
Another displayed a mage standing atop a mountain while countless glowing sphere circled around him like stars.
Even the cafeteria itself looked more luxurious than most noble banquet halls.
At the far end of the hall, giant arched windows allowed sunlight to pour inside, illuminating rows of students seated around long darkwood tables.
The smell of roasted meat, fresh bread, seasonings, and rich fragrance of dishes filled the air.
Meanwhile—
Rowan looked like he had survived a war.
"Already getting fed up?"
Ritvik spoke casually while sipping orenge juice from a rounded crystal cup. His posture remained relaxed as usual, though the faint bruises around his jaw and neck from yesterday's battle still remained visible.
Rowan slowly opened one eye and glanced at him.
"I think the instructor is getting too hard on us," he muttered tiredly. "I literally saw students from other classes roaming around the academy while we were out there suffering under the sun."
Ritvik remained silent for a moment, calmly taking another sip from his drink as if Rowan's suffering meant absolutely nothing to him.
Rowan turned his head toward the other side of the table.
"What do you think...?"
A brief pause followed before he spoke again.
"Sarina."
Sarina sat quietly beside them, elegantly eating from her plate while listening to the conversation. Unlike Rowan, whose uniform looked slightly messy after training, Sarina still appeared perfectly composed.
The black-and-gold uniform of Grand Aetherion fit her perfectly.
Her long black hair flowed neatly behind her shoulders, and her calm dark-gray eyes reflected the sunlight entering through the windows. Even while eating, her movements carried a strange grace and composure that naturally drew attention.
"Yeah," she answered calmly. "Miss Valeria is definitely being stricter on Class B than necessary."
Ritvik immediately turned toward her.
"You're seriously siding with him?"
"I'm just saying what I feel."
Both of them lowered their voices slightly, almost whispering to each other.
"Aww, come on, Ritvik." Rowan suddenly straightened up from the table and pointed at him dramatically. "I'm sure even you know how terrible this is for everyone."
Ritvik continued eating quietly, pretending not to hear him.
Unfortunately for him—
Rowan's stare refused to leave his face.
The pressure of that gaze slowly became unbearable.
Finally, Ritvik let out a sigh.
"Yeah... I agree."
Rowan instantly lit up.
"See? I knew it—"
"But."
Ritvik's single word cut Rowan off instantly.
"It's probably because she's frustrated after her performance in the Instructor Examinations and her demotion from Class A to Class B."
Rowan froze mid-motion.
"Wait... Instructor examinations?" he repeated blankly. "And Miss Valeria used to teach Class A?"
Ritvik stared at him with tired eyes before rubbing his forehead.
"Seriously... where exactly were you learning magic?" he asked. "In some cave hidden inside mountains?"
Rowan immediately went quiet.
"This is Grand Aetherion."
Ritvik continued while leaning back in his chair.
"Even instructors here have to prove their worth every single year. The academy conducts annual Instructor Evaluations where they are tested in combat ability, mana control, teaching efficiency, tactical understanding, and student performance."
His voice carried clear irritation now.
"The results determine which class they'll teach for that year. The higher your ranking, the higher the class assigned to you."
Ritvik took another sip from his drink before continuing.
"Class S instructors are considered monsters even among elite mages. Most of them are famous across the continent."
"S-Class instructors..." Rowan muttered slowly.
The thought alone sounded absurd to him.
Ritvik continued.
"Meanwhile, instructors with lower rankings get pushed down to lower classes. Miss Valeria used to teach Class A until recently."
"She lost an Instructor Duel during the evaluations," Sarina added calmly while cutting a piece from her food. "After that, she was reassigned to Class B."
"Huh..."
Rowan leaned back slowly.
His mind immediately recalled Valeria's fierce amber eyes and overwhelming presence during class.
Even while standing still, she radiated pressure strong enough to silence an entire classroom.
'Instructor Valeria already feels ridiculously strong...'
Rowan narrowed his eyes slightly.
'Honestly... she feels stronger than Eldric.'
A pause.
'Maybe even stronger than Master Garrick.'
That realization alone made him swallow unconsciously.
'I can't even imagine the kind of monster who defeated her.'
The atmosphere around the table gradually quieted after that.
For a while, all three of them simply focused on eating.
Rowan scooped another spoonful of food into his mouth.
The moment the flavor spread across his tongue, his eyes widened slightly.
The meat was unbelievably tender, and the rich sauce carried a warmth that spread through his body almost instantly.
"This is amazing..." he muttered unconsciously.
Grand Aetherion truly treated its students differently.
Even the cafeteria food felt luxurious.
Rowan slowly savored every bite, refusing to eat too quickly.
After finishing half his meal, he finally leaned back against his chair and looked up toward the ceiling.
Floating crystal lights drifted lazily above the cafeteria while soft magical music echoed faintly through the hall.
'I still can't believe someone actually defeated Instructor Valeria...'
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
'I wonder who that person could be?'
---
Meanwhile—
Inside the Class S lecture hall—
"And that," the instructor said while writing elegant glowing formulas across the blackboard, "is precisely why mana destabilizes when the caster forces elemental conversion before achieving complete alignment with resonance."
The chalk in his hand moved smoothly across the board.
No—
It was hard to even call it chalk.
The silver-white writing instrument released glowing mana trails with every movement, leaving behind floating diagrams and layered spell formations that slowly rotated above the blackboard itself.
The entire classroom looked less like a classroom and more like a royal conference chamber built for the future rulers of the continent.
The lecture hall was enormous.
Rows of elevated blackwood desks stretched upward in a semi-circular formation around the central teaching platform.
Every desk had engraved mana circuits glowing faintly along the edges, while transparent blue screens floated above some tables displaying spell formulas and notes automatically.
The ceiling was impossibly high, supported by giant white pillars etched with ancient signs.
Above those pillars floated countless crystal lamps radiating soft silver light.
The walls themselves were decorated with massive paintings of legendary mages and historical battles.
Even the air inside the classroom felt
different.
Sharper.
Heavier.
Like the room itself carried mana within it.
At the center platform stood the instructor.
"Hmmm..." A girl near the middle row cupped her cheeks dreamily while staring toward the front. "Instructor Aiden is sooo handsome."
She had long wavy brown hair tied loosely behind her shoulders and bright emerald eyes that sparkled every time she looked toward the front of the class. Even the way she leaned across the table looked overly dramatic.
"Yeah, you're right," her friend whispered excitedly beside her. "And he teaches so passionately too."
Unlike her friend, this girl had shorter silver-blonde hair that framed her delicate face neatly. Her violet eyes were practically glowing while staring at the instructor.
"I heard he has consistently ranked first in the Instructor Evaluations and has never once been demoted from Class S."
"Not just that," the brown haired girl added immediately. "My brother told me he was considered the greatest student of his generation when he studied here."
"And now he's one of the strongest mages on the entire continent."
Both girls stared toward the front with sparkling eyes.
"Seriously..." the silver-haired girl whispered dreamily. "Instructor Aiden is exactly what I imagined a legendary mage would look like."
"So refined..."
"So elegant..."
"So charismatic..."
"And somehow he makes impossible topics sound easy."
"You're right," the brown-haired girl nodded repeatedly. "He's literally the definition of a perfect instructor."
Meanwhile—
The actual lecture continued normally.
"Mana circulation," the instructor explained while turning toward the class with a smile, "is not about control alone. It is about allowing mana to flow naturally without disrupting its rhythm—"
But neither girl was actually listening anymore.
Hanngg...♥♥
Both had already entered their own fantasy worlds.
"Kyaaaa~" the brown-haired girl whispered while covering her face. "I wish I existed during his student years so I could've dated him."
"You still can," her friend teased immediately. "Why don't you confess now?"
The girl blinked.
"Should I...?"
"You two should stop daydreaming and focus on the lecture."
A dry voice suddenly came from behind them.
Both girls immediately turned.
A boy sat there casually with one elbow resting against the desk.
His appearance was above average—sharp jawline, short dark-gray hair, and calm black eyes. Not particularly handsome compared to some elites in Class S, but still attractive enough to stand out.
"What is it, big boy?" the brown-haired girl said while narrowing her eyes teasingly.
"Jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous?" the boy replied calmly.
"Hah... just admit it," the silver-haired girl said while turning back dreamily toward the front again.
"You could never become like Instructor Aiden."
"Yeah," the brown haired girl nodded proudly. "Not everyone can become that perfect."
"And honestly," the boy replied casually, "I wouldn't want to either."
The girls frowned slightly.
"And another thing," he continued while pointing toward the front. "That guy teaching right now isn't Instructor Aiden."
Both girls froze.
"What?"
They spoke in complete unison.
"Yeah," the boy nodded casually.
Then he leaned forward slightly and pointed toward another corner of the classroom.
"That guy over there is Instructor Aiden."
The girls followed the direction of his finger.
And then—
Their expressions completely broke.
At the far corner of the lecture hall—
A man was sleeping on a chair.
Not resting.
Not meditating.
Sleeping.
Completely.
His black hair was messy beyond repair, falling wildly over his face. One arm hung lifelessly from the chair while the other rested across his stomach. His breathing was slow and peaceful like he genuinely did not care about the existence of the world around him.
A thin line of drool trailed lazily from the corner of his mouth down to his chin.
Meanwhile—
The actual instructor teaching at the front continued explaining advanced mana theory passionately.
"The one teaching," the boy explained calmly, "is Assistant Instructor Elias."
He pointed toward the sleeping man again.
"And the sleepy disaster over there is Instructor Aiden Lazareth."
The girls stared blankly.
"No way..."
"You're lying."
"That's Instructor Aiden?"
Again—
They said in Perfect unison.
The boy calmly nodded.
"N-No..." the brown-haired girl whispered weakly. "Instructor Aiden was supposed to be handsome."
"I mean..." the silver-haired girl hesitated while staring at the sleeping man. "His face isn't bad but..."
"He was supposed to look refined."
"Elegant."
"Inspiring."
"Powerful."
"Majestic."
"Not..." the brown-haired girl pointed weakly toward the sleeping figure.
"That."
"How can someone like that be Instructor Aiden?"
Both girls turned back toward the boy desperately.
"You're joking... right?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?" he replied flatly.
He pointed again.
"The sleeping one is Instructor Aiden."
"And the one teaching the class is Assistant Instructor Elias."
The girls slowly looked back at the two completely opposite figures again.
One looked like the ideal legendary mage.
The other looked like he hadn't slept properly in years despite literally sleeping right now.
"No..." both girls clutched their heads dramatically.
"This can't be real."
Drrriiiinngggg!!!
The loud ringing bell echoed through the classroom.
"Hnngh...?"
The sleeping instructor slowly opened one eye.
Then the other.
"Hnnnghh..."
Aiden stretched lazily in his chair before rubbing his eyes tiredly.
Meanwhile—
Assistant Instructor Elias closed the book on the desk neatly.
"Alright students," he said politely with a smile. "Today's lecture ends here. Please review everything I taught today and—"
Suddenly—
An arm wrapped around his neck.
"Heyyyy buddy."
Instructor Aiden grinned sleepily while dragging Elias backward.
"Classes are over. Let's go."
Without waiting for permission, he pointed toward the exit and started pulling the exhausted assistant instructor out of the classroom.
"W-Wait— Instructor—"
"Food first. Responsibilities later."
The entire classroom sat frozen.
Absolutely stunned.
Especially the two girls.
Meanwhile—
The boy beside them simply sat there calmly like none of this was surprising in the slightest.
---
CHAPTER ENDS