Jax stood at the front of the classroom, basking in the silence like a king surveying his conquered territory.
Draven sat in his seat, fists clenched, jaw tight, hissing under his breath like a deflating balloon.
âBeautiful. Absolutely beautiful.â
Jax glanced at the clock mounted on his podium.
âStill thirty minutes left? This is a two-hour class? Who the fuck designed this torture?â
He needed to kill time. Fast.
"Alright," he announced, clapping his hands together. "Everyone take out a piece of paper."
The students exchanged confused glances.
Jaxâs expression turned serious. Almost frighteningly so.
"I want each of you to write down your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest. Be thorough. Iâll be reviewing each one personally and developing training plans tailored to your needs."
A few students perked up at this. Others looked skeptical.
"This isnât busywork," Jax added, his voice firm. "This is the foundation of your growth. If you canât identify your flaws, you canât fix them. Now write."
Papers rustled. Pens scratched.
Some students wrote with bored expressions. Others took it seriously, brows furrowed in concentration.
And Jax?
He walked to the window, found a comfortable spot on the sill, and promptly fell asleep.
âHwaaahh... perfect.â
The classroom buzzed with quiet activity, but many eyes kept drifting toward the sleeping professor.
Aeliana von Crestia, second princess of the Elven Kingdom, stared at him with narrowed eyes.
âWho is this man?â
She tapped her pen against her paper, mind racing.
âSame age as us. Humiliated a prince with nothing but boredom and basic technique. Thereâs something heâs hiding. Is he some kind of disguised assassin? A plant from the academy to test us?â
Her violet eyes gleamed with suspicion.
âJax Rayne. Iâll be watching you.â
A few seats away, Astrid Ren Aleris gripped her pen so hard it nearly snapped.
Her family owned half the businesses on the academy grounds. She was the richest student here. And this... this nobody had the audacity to act like he owned the place?
âThe previous instructor made the same mistake,â she thought darkly. âActing all high and mighty. And then made the biggest mistake by seeing me with those lustful eyes.â
Her lips curled into a cold smile.
âI killed that pervy one. I swear Iâll kill this one too.â
Beside her, Seris noticed the murderous aura radiating from her friend.
"Cool down, Astrid," she whispered. "Iâm sure this pervert bastard will die on his own. Trust me. You donât need to handle it."
Astridâs grip relaxed slightly. "Fine. But if he crosses me again..."
"Then Iâll help you hide the body."
Seraphina Drakenveil watched the sleeping professor with a different kind of interest entirely.
Her quill hovered over her paper, but her mind was elsewhere.
âHeâs... fascinating.â
The way he moved. The way he spoke. The way he dismantled her brother without even trying.
âI want to know more about him. What makes him tick? Whatâs behind those cold eyes?â
A small smile played on her lips.
âProfessor Jax Rayne... youâve caught my attention.â
Elira Noct Varenis hadnât written a single word.
The vampire girl sat motionless, her crimson eyes fixed on Jaxâs sleeping form.
âHis blood...â
She inhaled deeply, her enhanced senses reaching across the room.
âItâs... wrong. Foreign. Like nothing Iâve ever sensed before. Heâs not fully human. He canât be. What is he?â
Her tongue traced her fangs unconsciously.
âProfessor... I want to taste your blood.â
In the back corner, a petite girl with an impressive chest watched Jax with sparkling eyes.
Lilith was half-demon, half-human. She looked entirely human except for her eyesâred irises with flecks of yellow that marked her heritage.
She was shy. Quiet. Usually invisible.
But right now, she was smiling.
âHeâs funny. And handsome. And he doesnât care about status or bloodlines. He treats everyone the sameâlike garbage.â
She giggled softly, covering her mouth.
âI like him.â
RING!
The bell shattered the silence.
Jaxâs eyes snapped open instantly. He stretched, yawned, and smiled.
"Looks like class is over."
He hopped off the windowsill and headed for the door.
The students stared at him, papers in hand, waiting for instructions.
But he kept walking.
"P-Professor!"
A boy from the front row rushed up to him, holding a stack of papers. "The assignmentsâ"
Jax looked at the papers, then at the boy.
âOh shit. I forgot. That was literally just to waste time.â
He ignored the outstretched hand completely.
"This is lunch time, right?"
The boy blinked. "Y-Yes, butâ"
"Where do I get food? Iâm starving."
"The outskirts of the academy grounds, sir. The city there. We donât have a canteen inside academy."
"Perfect. Thanks."
Jax turned to the class. "Dismissed!"
He started walking again.
BANG!
A dwarf in the back row slammed his hands on his desk and shot to his feet.
"What about the papers?!" he shouted, face red with anger. "We spent thirty minutes on these! Youâre just going to ignore them?!"
Jax stopped.
He turned slowly.
His blood boiled at the sight of the dwarf. Something about dwarves just pissed him off.
"You want to know what to do with your paper?" Jax asked sweetly.
The dwarf nodded angrily.
"Roll it up nice and tight. Then shove it deep inside your ass." He smiled. "Iâve infused it with my magic. Once itâs in there, all your weaknesses will disappear."
The class erupted in laughter.
Jax walked out without looking back.
He made his way to the headmistressâs office with a spring in his step.
Without knocking, he pushed the door open and walked right in.
"Iâm back, Headmistress!"
Lysandra looked up from her desk. Her violet eyes blazed with barely contained fury.
Jax grinned. "Ready for the paperwork?"
She exhaled slowly, clearly fighting the urge to strangle him.
"Sit. Down."
He sat.
She slid a stack of documents across the desk. Contracts, agreements, academy policies.
Jax signed everything without reading a single word.
"The rest of your accommodations will be handled by staff at your mansion," Lysandra said.
Jaxâs eyes lit up. "Mansion? My mansion?"
She ignored his excitement. "Weâve assigned two staff members and a carriage for your use. A driver and an assistant professor. Theyâll be living with you."
Jax nodded along, then frowned. "Wait. No maid?"
Lysandra raised an eyebrow.
"Whoâs going to do my things? Clean my room? Wash my clothes? Cook?"
"Weâll be assigning one," she said flatly.
Jax leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Then give me a beautiful one. An elf chick would be perfect. Long legs, pointed ears, the whole package."
Lysandraâs expression turned to pure disgust.
"Fine," she said coldly. "Youâll get an old woman."
Jax shrugged. "That works just as fine. I always prefer experience."
Lysandraâs eye twitched.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Jax felt it before he saw itâsomething invisible rushing toward him. Fast. Deadly.
His body moved on instinct.
SHING!
His sword was out before he even registered drawing it. The blade sliced through empty air, but he felt it connect with something.
The invisible force dissipated.
Lysandra stared at him, jaw hanging open.
âA human... cut through my shadow hand?â
Jax blinked at his sword, equally confused.
âWait. How did I do that? Did leveling up unlock some kind of hidden perception? Iâll check later. Right now, Iâm too hungry to think.â
Lysandra collected herself, though her eyes remained wide.
"...How was your first day?" she asked, voice strained.
Jax sheathed his sword and smiled brightly.
"Awesome! Iâm sure the students learned a lot. The only thing I didnât like was those guards blocking me at the gate. Otherwise, I wouldâve been perfectly on time."
Lysandra said nothing.
"Oh, speaking of whichâcould I get those academy guards assigned to my mansion? For security?"
"Denied."
"Fine. Then at least give me a big-breasted, curvy milf for my maid."
Her eyes screamed murder.
"Fine, fine!" Jax raised his hands in surrender. "Iâm going, Iâm going!"
He bolted for the door.
Outside, Jax took a deep breath and grinned.
âNow then. Food.â
There was only one place he wanted to eat for the rest of his time here.
Nyaraâs restaurant.
He started walking toward the city, stomach growling.
Behind him, hidden in the shadows of a building, a pair of eyes tracked his every move.
Watching.
Waiting.