Chapter 602: Problem students

I make my way to the garden where we first appeared to meet the others at the scheduled time. Exactly a day has passed since we split, and I’ve already gathered a little bit of information. Well, most of it comes from stuff I’ve managed to overhear or notice on my own. It’s not like I actually talked to anyone.

Tess appears first, holding Biscuit in her arms, apparently having decided to stay with her for a while. The corgi is probably protecting her while acting as emotional support. Even though he's only awake for one or two hours a day with the food coma he keeps falling into, she doesn’t seem to mind.

"I only have ten minutes before I have to go guard that girl again," she says right away.

“Someone interesting?” I ask.

“Human girl, a bit older than Izzy. Extremely bratty. Descendant of a powerful family with ties to one of the Champions of this planet.”

“That’s all?”

“You don’t think that’s enough? Nat, there are currently 9 Champions on this planet, and an Absolute living somewhere in seclusion. Even having ties to a single Champion means a lot.”

“Huh, I would’ve expected more from a planet at this stage of development. Didn’t Eladore have more?”

“I think Eladore had somewhere around 20, even though the Mind Mage Emperor called his Champions Paragons instead. But I wouldn’t use Eladore as my standard. Plus, sometime in the last 50 years, there were some wars that culled their numbers, so that’s it.”

I nod and notice Maya making her way over to us, so we wait. She’s dressed in the same gray clothes as Tess and, when she finally reaches us, lets out a long sigh.

“Fuck, I hate that girl. Can I smack her?” She groans, clearly complaining about her ward.

“Why not? Do it,” I say.

“Absolutely not, don’t do that,” Tess answers at the same time.

Maya sighs again. “But I want to. That little brat keeps talking shit just because she has some rare trait and her fiancé happens to be a Champion’s disciple who’s supposedly next in line to become one himself.”

“What trait?” I ask.

Maya looks me up and down. “Damn, these clothes really suit you. Why the hell do you dress so lazily most of the time? Such a waste. And it’s some sort of powerful physique or something; that little shit keeps blabbering about it but never goes into the details. Also, I spoke to Sophie and she won’t be able to join us. She said Izzy and Lily won’t either, because they’re in class.”

“Heyoo,” Dennis calls as he and Aaron come out from behind the fruit trees to join us. Even after just a day, their uniforms look messy as if they were only half-awake when they dressed themselves. They’re both grinning like they don’t have a care in the world. Which honestly makes me think those of us with student roles might be enjoying this place the most.

“Kim won’t be coming, he’s got class,” Aaron adds before stopping.

Dennis shakes his head. “He seems like he’s way too into this place. He started studying right away. What a nerd.”

I interrupt before they can fully rant. “So, I guess no one managed to locate the Ruler Candidate.”

“No way,” Dennis says right away. “We asked sneakily, but people just laughed at us, they even called us stupid for thinking something as ridiculous as a Ruler Candidate could even exist.”

“Kim said he was going to check out the library. But he also asked some old professor about random stuff, then started theorizing and sneaking in questions about the candidate thing. He asked if there was any chance of something like a Ruler candidate. That old guy nearly choked on his tongue and said that in his 400 years or so, he’d never once heard of a Ruler Candidate.”

“Well, that makes for a more interesting setting, doesn’t it? It’s even possible that the person we’re looking for is one of the current Rulers,” Tess muses.

Maya crosses her arms over her chest. “So in the real version of this world, someone else was acting as the Ruler candidate’s guardian and now that person has been removed so that we could step into the role?”

“Possibly.”

“It could at least tell us who the candidate is.”

“But the system is an asshole.”

“I know Nat, damn it.”

“Don’t forget.”

“I haven’t, and I won’t,” Maya promises. “So the candidate could be one of the students. Some of them are ten, while others are in their twenties, and no one even knows what the criteria are. Or… damn it, it could be one of the professors, or even some random animal.”

“They’ll probably be someone weaker than us,” Tess theorizes. “Most of us are over level 250, and we seem to be well above the average level of Hell difficulty attendees. So the average level of attendees coming to this floor could be level 230, meaning that the Ruler candidate is likely weaker than that. There’s also the possibility that it’s a “fake” Ruler Candidate, kind of like how Myrra was a “fake” Champion Candidate on the fourth floor.”

“A weak Ruler Candidate,” Dennis says with an amused tone. “Aren’t the strongest Absolutes generally capable of destroying an entire planet, like complete destruction, not just whatever life happens to be on the surface? Wouldn’t a Ruler be capable of more?”

“Not necessarily,” Tess disagrees. “We know that the original Lissandra had a habit of killing Rulers, so the difference between a weak Ruler and a powerful Absolute probably isn’t all that big.”

“So you become Ruler just for a fancy title?” he asks.

I answer this time, “Chances are that the 4th stage of a subclass is reserved for a single person in the entire system. With it comes some access and the ability to slightly interfere with the system, tutorial, Beyond, and stuff. Maybe you get some fancy unique passive tied to that 4th stage as the only person in the universe, or maybe an active skill.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Or maybe you get your own kingdom. The system’s declaring you a Ruler, isn’t it? A Ruler needs something to rule over,” Aaron interrupts.

For a moment I want to disagree, but as I think about it, it makes a bit of sense. Maybe instead of a kingdom, you get some sort of extremely powerful domain?

“Whatever it is, search carefully. Don’t let your guard down. We know the start of the floors is usually the safest, but there’s always the possibility that one of us dies in a stroke of bad luck, so keep that in mind and don’t push too hard. It’s okay for you to sit back and enjoy your school life a little,” Tess warns him.

“You bet I will! Aaron and I already found a bunch of cool guys. I mean, they are a bit snobbish, but they’re otherwise fun guys.”

Seeming lost deep in thought, Aaron says, “It makes me wonder how things are going to look on Earth once some time passes. People here would proudly walk around, telling you that some Lord Champion passed a mile or two from them. So, how important will we be if Nat becomes an Absolute? You think my kids will be as snobby as these guys, talking about the time their dad was in the same group as the Mana Daddy Absolute?”

“First,” I say, and they turn to me, “possibly yes, give it a few decades. Second, say Mana Daddy one more time and I will make sure to spill all the details about a certain ‘Miss Tutorial’ magazine you guys have been working on with Brainiac and Lootenant.”

“Yo, yo, yo! Let’s all just calm down,” Dennis sputters, interrupting me as soon as he can, and pulling himself closer to me, with his hands on my suit, almost as if he intends to shake me. “It was just a joke, hehe. No need to be petty.”

“He is the Ruler of Pettiness,” Aaron whispers. “You shouldn’t forget that.”

“Oh, come on,” Dennis smiles and looks up at me. “Me and Nat are buddies, right?”

I stay quiet, which seems to make him even more nervous.

Good.

Tess, from somewhere behind Dennis, says, “I’ve also heard some rumors about this planet’s Absolute. Supposedly, before going into seclusion, he left behind a powerful weapon, and no one knows who has it now.”

“What weapon?” I ask, ignoring Dennis.

“I don’t know yet. But apparently, it’s strong enough to kill even a Champion.”

“Could the Ruler Candidate have it?” Maya joins the conversation.

I think for a moment. “Maybe? Assuming the Absolute knew about the candidate and left it for them. Or maybe it has nothing to do with that. I’ll try to ask about the weapon too, but I have to go now. I won’t be able to join you tomorrow, so we can meet the day after that.”

“Sure,” Tess agrees, and the others say their goodbyes.

Before leaving, I make sure to poke the sleeping Biscuit’s belly.

Of course, Professor Elian’s office is much nicer than mine. It has more windows, letting in more natural light. The defenses here are also likely to be better than those one could find in some fortresses. Part of me wonders if it is something he’s made himself or if it’s a product of the Academy.

Even though he lets me in, he ignores me for a few minutes and continues writing on a sheet of strange blue paper with a pen that leaves a tracery of white lines across the page. Every so often, he adds symbols and inscriptions. In the quiet of the room, the scratch of the pen on the paper actually sounds kind of nice.

Someone else would probably be annoyed by being treated this way, but I use this as an opportunity to examine the room, the professor, and the fancy items lying all around the place.

Only after around five minutes longer does he stop, carefully puts down the paper, and leans back in his chair.

“May I ask something of you, Assistant Professor Gwyn?”

“Sure, please do,” I reply, deciding to be polite until I learn more about this floor.

“There have been rumors about an Underground Dueling Network, so please, if you notice anything odd, make sure to investigate. We’ve also been having problems with certain classrooms taking ranking competitions a bit too seriously. I have been notified that some of the students have been planning to blackmail or even wound their competitors, and that is not something we want in the Academy.”

“I will keep my eyes open.”

“Thank you. Do so, and I’ll forget your breaches of protocol from your first day. Now, I’ve been assigned two students, but I don’t have time for them at the moment, so I’m asking you to supervise them. There may be more coming as well. One of the servants will bring you the documents so you can look them over later. And finally, on an administrative note: the head accountant asked me to find out if you have an account you want your salary sent to, or if you’d prefer to receive it in person on a weekly basis.”

“In person is okay.”

“Understood. You can go then.”

The sound of the pen scratching on the paper sounds again, and the door opens by itself and closes quietly as I leave.

An hour later, I get the documents and, giving them a once over, make my way to the classroom mentioned. I also finally find out that the main specialization of Professor Elian is, It’s his particular combination of the

[Mana Manipulation]

skill and his Mana Wavelength Iris. The man also seems to be a descendant of someone from the First Generation, so there’s apparently a lot of prestige that comes with that.

I even discreetly ask one of the servants about any rumors involving Professor Elian. Whether it’s just the kind of thing people normally speculate about or because of the authority I’ve been given, the servant tells me it’s been theorized that Professor Elian has

[Mana Manipulation]

at a really high level. Apparently, even a Champion was impressed, especially considering Professor Elian’s age.

From what I’ve heard, Champions usually have skills in the 80s, and Absolutes tend to sit somewhere in the 90s. So maybe mid-70s or higher? That would be quite high, especially since his current level feels somewhat similar to mine, around 300.

He might look like he's under 30, which is young, but he could easily be 100 or older.

Thinking of these things, I open the door and step into the small classroom.

It’s a bit later in the day, and the weakening sunlight filters through the windows, casting a warm glow over a dozen tables and smaller blackboards. Even this room carries a certain air of luxury.

Inside the classroom, two students I assume are problem cases wait: a thylarin girl with six arms and a human boy with his guard, a young man standing quietly behind him.

The thylarin girl has the usual pale blue skin, orange eyes, and brown hair. She looks at me with curiosity in her gaze, but sits slightly apart from the boy. The boy, legs crossed, is clearly bored. He has curly brown hair and a noble-looking face.

His human guard stands behind him, dressed in the same gray uniform as Tess. He’s unarmed, but one sleeve of his suit is completely missing, revealing a slim, muscular arm covered in tattooed inscriptions. His long red hair and blue eyes give him an odd presence.

Both the girl and the boy seem to be somewhere around 15 years old.

“Huh, where is Professor Elian?” the boy asks.

I wonder what the protocol is for this. Am I supposed to greet him? Should I be the one to speak first after entering? Was his manner of address rude?

Not knowing, I just shrug it off and move to the desk, sitting on top of it. “Professor Elian is busy and has asked me to take care of this.”

“You?” the boy asks with clear disdain, looking me up and down. “My parents didn’t pay a ridiculous amount of money for me to be taught by an assistant professor. Let’s go, Melo. We’re leaving,” he says to his bodyguard.

It is so cliché, I almost want to laugh. Almost.

I say nothing as he passes by me, and I only speak when he is about to open the door.

“I bet noble ladies’ pets have better

[Mana Manipulation]

than you.”