Watching his homeroom teacher cover her face, Yan Yi’s heart instantly sank. Had something gone wrong? There couldn’t be a rule against picking locks, right?

Liette lowered her hand, her expression bleak as she gestured for Yan Yi to go back to sleep. Then, like a soul adrift, she swayed unsteadily toward the podium.

Yan Yi watched her, utterly baffled. He had no idea his three seniors had just saved him. *Why would picking a lock make this teacher look utterly broken? Unless…*

*"Are all the teachers at this weird academy total weirdos?"*

*Yeah. Definitely. Gotta watch out for her.*

Slumped over the lectern, Liette remained oblivious to being branded a "weirdo teacher" by her equally weird student. Had she known, even her legendary resilience might’ve snapped—and she’d probably vaporize the entire campus with a catastrophic spell.

Her eyes hollow, Liette mourned the loss of her cheerful mood. The thought of backbreaking labor ahead drained all joy from meeting her new class. She lifted her face from the desk, chin tilted toward Yan Yi—only to find his seat empty.

She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and spotted a red-haired boy sleeping soundly in his place.

*Right. This student has that absurdly powerful "Presence Concealment" magic.*

*If he causes trouble later… no one would even know it was him. That’d make my life easier, right? Yeah. Perfect.*

Then reality crashed back. *Wait—why am I assuming he’ll cause trouble? I’m a teacher! I should guide lost lambs!* (Failed three times.) *I must never give up!* (Failed three times.) *I must fight for their future!* (Failed three times…)

*"Uuuuh…"* The resilient teacher finally stopped lying to herself and buried her face in her arms with a sigh.

…

New students trickled in, confused by the creature radiating "whatever, I give up" energy on the podium. Too wary to approach, they scattered to empty seats.

Liette watched these bright-faced youths. Her heart should’ve lifted—but it didn’t. As the 9 a.m. bell chimed, she slowly rose. Simultaneously, Yan Yi stirred awake.

"I’m your homeroom teacher, Liette. I look forward to guiding you this year."

She forced a smile, her emerald hair and eyes radiating natural warmth.

"Woaaah! She’s gorgeous!"

Boys and girls alike cheered. Her earlier despair had kept them at bay; now, many boys regretted not approaching sooner.

"Settle down, everyone. Let’s start with self-introductions—from the left."

Relief washed over Liette. *Finally, real teaching.* Yan Yi, however, frowned. *Is she really this bipolar? Hopeless despair one minute, radiant the next… Does she have multiple personalities?*

He silently added "*crazy*" and "*dangerous*" to his mental file on her.

Yan Yi tuned out the introductions—they meant nothing to him. But just as he plotted how to skip his turn, a voice cut through his indifference:

"I am Luris Aite, sole daughter of the Aite family…"

*Shit!* Yan Yi nearly leapt from his seat. Every instinct screamed *run and hide*—but he locked eyes with Liette on the podium.

Her emerald gaze held a faint, ominous glint. That smile felt less like warmth and more like a threat.

Cold sweat beaded on his brow. When his turn came, Luris’s furious glare and Liette’s icy smile pressed down on him like mountains.

"I-I-I’m Yan Yi! That’s it!"

The words tumbled out before his brain engaged. *Idiot! That’s just asking for trouble!*

Disapproving murmurs rippled through the class. Luris’s anger shifted to amused curiosity; Liette’s eyes deepened with suspicion. Yan Yi realized staying asleep would’ve been wiser.

Ignoring the stares, he flopped face-down on his desk.

*Screw it. Whatever happens, happens.*

The class frowned. Liette’s smile stayed fixed, but internally, she groaned.

*Not just weird—he’s shameless too. This one’s going to be unstoppable.*

Bracing for another year of being trampled by students, she took a deep breath.

"Due to our unique admissions process, we’ll assess your ranks today. Come up one by one—in the same order."

She pulled a crystal sphere from her bag—only ten centimeters wide. Transparent and smooth, it glowed with nine colors (black to violet) to measure Mana levels from F to SSS.

"You’ve all seen these before. I’ll demonstrate."

Liette placed her palm on the sphere. It blazed orange, flickering toward crimson.

*Class A peak—just a hair from Class S.* Students exchanged awed glances. This beautiful teacher wasn’t just a pretty face; she was a genius.

"First student, please."

The boy who’d introduced himself first approached nervously. His palm met the sphere—it glowed cyan.

*Class D. Weak D.* Liette noted it down. "Can you cast mid-tier spells?"

He shook his head. Commoners rarely accessed such magic.

"Ever fought a Class D Magical Beast?"

"Yes. I can defeat an adult Wind Hound head-on."

Liette marked "D-" on her sheet. "Report to the Assessment Zone this afternoon. They’ll assign tasks matching your rank."

*(Central Magic Academy’s Assessment Zone handled all rank certifications—even for teachers.)*

Most students ranked D. A few were E. One stood out as C.

Then came Luris. Her hand on the sphere turned it green—solid Class C.

"Mid-tier spells?"

"Yes. And one high-tier spell."

Gasps filled the room. Even Liette paused. Noble families hoarded high-tier magic, but mastering it before Class A was nearly impossible.

She nodded, impressed. "C+."

Luris spun dramatically back to her seat, shooting Yan Yi a smug glance.

*Great,* he thought bitterly. *Just great.*

All eyes turned to the last student: Yan Yi. The class leaned in, curious how bizarre this weirdo truly was. Luris focused intently—she’d never sensed his Mana, not even when he moved. *He must specialize in hiding power. He can’t actually be stronger than me.*

Liette’s pulse quickened. Her past three students had been disasters—but undeniably brilliant. *Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin… and weirdness too.*

She swallowed hard as Yan Yi approached. His steady steps radiated an arrogance that pressed against even her Class A peak aura. *This one… might be even more terrifying (read: weird) than the last three.*

Yan Yi stopped before her. Slowly, he extended his hand. A bead of sweat traced Liette’s temple.

*How strong is he? Class B? Class A like me?*

His palm settled lightly on the sphere. His face remained utterly indifferent—as if the test meant nothing. Liette braced for crimson light…

Silence.

The sphere stayed perfectly clear.

Eyes widened. Students strained until their vision blurred. Still—nothing.

Liette’s eye twitched. She stared at Yan Yi’s "told you so" expression, fighting the urge to blast him with a spell. Her voice came out strained:

"Your skill tree is so skewed… you have no magical aptitude whatsoever?!"