It had been a month since the new semester began, and Liette’s life had settled into a steady rhythm. Her classes were purely theoretical; after covering the mandatory curriculum, the rest were student electives.
Finally free from the headache-inducing role of homeroom teacher, Liette hadn’t even enjoyed a full month of peace before trouble found her again.
A message flashed on her communicator: *Report to the conference room immediately.*
Liette frowned. There were no all-staff meetings scheduled. With no special duties assigned to her, why the summons? A bad feeling prickled her skin. She sighed, said a quick prayer, and headed for the room.
Staring at the conference room door, she nearly turned back. But rent needed paying. Gritting her teeth, she pushed it open.
"Excuse me..."
An invisible weight slammed into her—not magical pressure, but pure dread welling from within.
Nine figures sat around the long table. At its head was the dean of Central Magic Academy, one of humanity’s rare Demon Ascension experts. He gave Liette a polite nod. Even with his mana contained, his presence radiated authority. Flanking him were four figures on each side: two Demon Ascendants, four Demon Summoners, and two SSS Ranks. Some stared blankly; others meditated with closed eyes; a few offered tight smiles.
Every high-ranking official from Central Magic Academy was present—except the perpetually absent Ward.
Liette’s shoulders tensed. *What could these bigwigs possibly want with a mere Class A teacher?*
"Have a seat, Teacher Liette," the dean said gently.
She perched carefully on the chair opposite him. Every pair of eyes locked onto her, scrutinizing her like specimens under glass. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Dean... what’s this about?"
The dean and others exchanged odd glances. The solemn atmosphere evaporated instantly. Rubbing his temples, the dean slid a stapled document across the table. It stopped perfectly before Liette.
Seeing their strange expressions—and the dean’s nod of permission—she picked it up.
*Central Magic Academy: Five Academies Grand Competition Lineup*
*Why show me this?* she wondered, flipping open the cover. The first page explained team selection criteria. Nothing unusual—until she saw the scribbles beneath, in three distinct handwritings.
*"Dean’s office is way too easy to sneak into. How’d I do, guys? But wow—we all got picked."*
The first note. Ridiculous. And painfully familiar handwriting...
The next, in delicate script:
*"Senior’s amazing! I was second to break in... sniff... my ranking’s too low (crying)."*
Liette’s temple throbbed. She massaged it, then forced herself to read the third:
*"Why’d you give the map to the underclassman first? I’m slower?!"*
*Those three idiots.* Panic surged—*Yan Yi must be involved too!* She flipped frantically.
*"Don’t blame me for being slow, Senior. Your titles suck. I fixed them."*
*You broke in twice?!*
*"‘Frost Queen’ beats ‘Rampage Ice,’ but ‘Snack Enthusiast’ suits me better! PS: ‘Phantom’ was cool—why change it to ‘Behind-the-Scenes Worker’? Sick again, Senior?"*
*Yeah. Both of you need therapy.*
*"Agreed. ‘Artist’ fits ‘Explosives’ perfectly. Wait—#1? Never seen them."*
Dread coiled in Liette’s gut. Three more lines followed:
*"Third break-in’s risky. Old man might notice. Last note: I think #1’s a freshman from Teacher Liette’s class."*
*Why write my name?!*
*"Miss Liette! I’ll bring donuts next time. But wow, underclassman’s #1?"*
*"Last one here. Leaving my mark."*
Liette lifted her head slowly, face blank. She stared at the academy’s elite with utter disdain. *Seriously? Three students broke into the dean’s office—three times each! Do you even try?!*
Every high official, including the dean, avoided her gaze.
She flipped to page two. Profile #9: unknown, Class B.
#8... #7...
#6: *Doxin Alva. Rank: B. Title: Phantom (crossed out) → Behind-the-Scenes Worker. Mission Record: Class B...*
#5...
#4: *Shan Keduo. Rank: B. Title: Explosives (crossed out) → Artist. Mission Record: Class B...*
#3: *Lilith Patrick. Rank: B+. Title: Rampage Ice (crossed out) → Frost Queen (crossed out) → Snack Enthusiast. Mission Record: Class A...*
Liette wiped her eyes. Her jaw twitched. *Are you all blind?! How dare you field these lunatics? And Lilith—you call that ‘low ranking’?!*
She sucked in a sharp breath. *Wait—#1 is also my student? Four of them made the list? And an underclassman?! No way—*
Skipping #2 entirely, she flipped to #1.
*#1: Yan Yi. Rank: F. Title: The Last. Mission Record: Eleven Class D, five Class E. Recommender’s Note: "I, Ward, guarantee this. Fight me if you disagree. Beat me, and I’ll back off. Otherwise—#1 stays."*
*Details: Mana: F. Strength: ? Speed: ? ...*
*Heh.*
Liette set the file down gently. She smiled at the silent officials, her expression one of serene enlightenment. "Dean," she said softly, "this academy is doomed."
Unusually, not a single leader objected. They all nodded in grim unison.
"Then, Teacher Liette," the dean sighed, rubbing his brow, "deliver these four badges. The Five Academies Grand Competition is in a month. After three weeks of training, we have one week for position challenges. Tell them to lock in their spots." He handed her badges #1, #3, #4, and #6.
Just the thought of facing those four made her stomach churn. But orders were orders. She bowed stiffly, turned, and left.
Outside, Liette stared at the sky, utterly speechless. *If only she knew the final roster held six of her students—all certified weirdos—her sigh would’ve been twice as heavy.*
"Haaah..."
She trudged toward the library, where chaos undoubtedly waited.
...
Unaware Ward had schemed him onto the roster, Yan Yi sat in the library’s third-floor C-Rank section. His dark red trench coat—zipper and buttons absent—fluttered in the window breeze, revealing rows of test tubes strapped beneath.
After seeing Xiamu injured, Yan Yi had researched medicinal herbs. He’d gathered them during missions with Luris and Interle, grinding them into powders stored in these reinforced tubes. *That’s why I needed Ward to make them sturdy,* he mused.
Meanwhile, armed with the final #1 badge and exhaustion etched on her face, Liette approached the library doors...
