Episode 233: A Thousand Classes (2)
The class I entered had a strange atmosphere typical of the beginning of a semester. It was an atmosphere that was awkward yet thrilling.
That’s probably why it was basically quiet. The class members – Leon van Reinhard, Abel von Nibelung, Rachel de Murat, Saki Ryozo, Speed Weapon, Chloe Auditore, and Horntail – were all very unique.
I didn’t expect to have a proper conversation or anything like that from the first day.
‘And the original purpose of opening this class was to separate it from other classes that were causing a lot of trouble.’
This suffocating silence was, after all, what the principal and I had intended. But… … .
I tried to raise my left hand to say hello. But the guys, or more precisely the majority of the girls, just moved their lips. Then they suddenly turned their heads away.
I lowered my raised hand and scratched my chin. It’s dirty, it’s dirty.
But among them, the ones who smiled at me were Horntail and Chloe. But they also seemed to notice and greeted me only with their eyes.
I looked away. I saw Speed Weapon, one of the few men in the class. He spoke to me with his eyes. ‘I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m suffocating.’ I agreed with him with my eyes.
‘I guess I’ll have to ask later why the atmosphere was like this on the first day.’
Although the primary goal is to train warriors, the Cheon class is basically part of the academy. Even though the dark clouds of the Second World War are expected, I want them to enjoy their school life.
-How to meet people and build bonds. That’s something you can only learn by mixing with friends your own age.
This is what my first teacher told me in my previous life. And this applies to everyone here. Even if in a few years, they will be destined to fight and bleed on the front lines. Until then, they are students who have the right to call upon their youth.
My personal hope is that as they grow, their friendship will become stronger.
‘Because they’re real teenagers, different from adults like me who have seen everything.’
I walked slowly and looked around the class. The remaining seats were… … .
‘Why is only the middle seat left?’
He’s really the main character over there. Even though he’s the center of the class, his sons-in-law are female students. It’s like a peacock spreading its tail.
Anyway, anyone can see that this is the seat of the warrior Leon. However, Leon was sitting in a corner away from the center of the class.
‘Leon, did you step aside for me on purpose?’
There’s no need for such consideration, Inma. I was dumbfounded for a moment. I had no choice but to go over to that spot and sit down.
dump.
The back of my head feels prickly. I try to ignore it, but it seems clear that all the other students are looking at me. I can feel the idiom, “a bed of thorns,” on my skin.
But there was no other choice but to do this. The seats were arranged exactly according to the number of people. The garden will continue to be like this anyway, and since we are close to each other, we will be able to talk a lot. But I thought it would come back to poison.
I leaned forward, feeling uncomfortable. Then I checked the wall clock hanging in the center of the upper wall near the blackboard. It was five minutes to nine in the morning. Here, the classroom door opened with a loud bang.
Crack, crack.
The rhythmic sound of footsteps. The cadets’ colorful irises grew as big as lanterns. The suffocating silence was swept away. It was worth it.
‘crazy.’
Even I, who knew exactly who was coming, jumped up. Ryozo and Weapon were the same.
Fresh, light green hair. Mint-colored eyes. These are the features we know about her. However.
She took a refreshing stride and soon stopped at the podium. Then she opened her mouth pleasantly.
“good morning!”
The podium, which would have originally risen to her chest, only reached to her navel.
“As everyone knows, I am the professor in charge of the 1000 class from now on, Mayne Poison.”
Until recently, our senior who was with us under the pseudonym Sanhana… … .
“I ask for your continued support, my children.”
… appeared before us as a girl growing up into an adult.
* * *
At the same time, in the principal’s office.
The media circled around the reception table, biting its thumbnails repeatedly.
“Sister, this isn’t something that’s going to cause an accident, is it?”
She muttered with obvious impatience. At that moment, the intercom rang nervously. Media hurriedly apologized into the receiver.
“Hello, who is it? Did Mayne Poison get into some trouble? I’m sorry that she’s my twin sister.”
-The weather is nice.
The owner of the voice was the swordsman. The telephone line that had been pulled taut suddenly became parabolic. Media’s stiff shoulder muscles also relaxed a little.
She let out a deep sigh and then grumbled.
“Oh, my gosh. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I was going to die.”
-Don’t you know that you shouldn’t talk about death so carelessly? Think about our age. We’re already seventy. If you say such negative things so easily, it could really happen.
Media furrowed her brow at the swordsman’s scolding. She spat out in annoyance.
“I’ve lived several times longer than you, so it doesn’t matter.”
-Are you deceiving modern people by saying that you are an ancient person?!
“Yeah, it’s true that you’re deceiving me. If you feel wronged, you should be reborn as an ancient person too.”
-… … .
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, just hang up. Today, even breathing makes my head hurt.”
-I saw the news. I heard that Man-Rik returned to Joaquin Academy.
“It’s not a return. He’s been hiding since the beginning of this year as a cadet.”
The inspector laughed heartily. Media said, fiddling with the phone line.
“As the saying goes, the darkest place is under the lamp, and there’s no better place to hide than the Academy. Security and everything else are world-class. And the person who knows that best is my older sister.”
-You’re still as unpredictable as ever. I tried to find you through the association, but I couldn’t find you for a while. I didn’t expect you to be at the academy. Well, I guess I understand.
After Kanggeomma left Hawaii, Geomje inquired about Manryuk’s whereabouts. His intentions were the same as Kanggeomma’s. He wanted Manryuk to stay at the academy and protect the students.
Such a powerful force entered the academy on its own. It was reassuring that it aligned with the purpose of the inspection, but it is also true that I am not entirely at ease.
Man-Lik has revealed himself? We can guess that the current situation is not normal.
An anomaly at Gehenna Gate, the sudden appearance of the Manryuk Meaine Poison. The signs are interlocking like clockwork.
The inspector erased the ominous thoughts that were floating around. And then he spoke again.
-Reporters must have been swarming in like a tidal wave. What about the Academy?
“Whatever, it’s a mess. Still, the association staff are standing guard at each entrance and dealing with the reporters. Thanks to that, the cadets aren’t getting hurt.”
-The association certainly does a good job in that regard.
“Instead, the parents are making a fuss. They say that we opened a class without their knowledge. What kind of class is that? It’s discrimination. What kind of class is that?”
The inspector snorted.
-That’s funny. Up until now, we’ve discriminated based on class, but now we’re treating the differences that are right as discrimination.
“Anyway, I’m so tired… Seriously. Outside, reporters are making a fuss, and inside, parents are calling to complain. And that’s not all? I’m worried that my sister might get into trouble. It feels like my lifespan is shortened by a year every minute. Oh, but I’ll still live longer than you.”
-… Jokes are in bad taste.
The inspector shook his head excitedly.
-Oh, come to think of it, Man-Rik must have also manifested the unique protection of the Poison family like you?
“Yeah. If you show up in your true form, it’ll be revealed to the world that Poison is a descendant of the Ancients. Well, it’s a long story. After all, it’s a future that’s a few years away. Oh, by then, it might be a future where you don’t exist!”
-Mediah! You- What the hell!
Media giggled mischievously. She felt better after chatting with the inspector. The two met at the academy and were friends for life.
“But as we talk like this, I’m reminded of the old days… When I think about it, it was my older sister who taught us back then-”
Media’s eyes trembled for a moment. Her green pupils trembled violently. She traced the past with her eyes and soon opened her mouth.
“… Ttaktak, do you remember the lesson you received from my older sister?”
-How could I forget… that… … .
The swordsman made a sound. His teeth were chattering.
-Honestly, I question whether you can even call that a class. The method is so extreme.
“Damn, I forgot! I have to go and stop them now! If I don’t, our kids might end up like you and Changseong, losers of character!”
-You? Why are you leaving me out?
Media ignored the remark. The inspector added with a tired face.
-Stop making a fuss and calm down. Even if you say that, don’t you admit it? Even though Master Meain is eccentric, there is no disagreement that he brings out the maximum potential of his students. He is a natural educator.
“That, that’s… that’s right. To be honest, it was thanks to my sister’s special training that I was able to strengthen all of the Chilseong attributes… but still… … .”
-I know you’re worried about the cadets, but this is a class they need.
The swordsman was silent. His breathing was full of worry. When he thought that his granddaughter would experience this, he felt a sense of emptiness.
-Well… it’s a little, no, a lot sadistic… … .
* * *
Man-lik scanned the classroom and smiled slightly.
“Since you are all famous faces and you probably know each other, I’ll skip the self-introduction. I’m also someone who doesn’t really have anything to introduce myself besides my name, so I’ll skip it! By the way, if you ask me about my first love or anything like that, I can’t answer because I don’t have any! So let’s get straight to class.”
Man-lik turned around. He picked up the chalk and wrote on the board. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the pure white nape of his neck.
“Battle, fierce battle, fight, sparring. There are many words, but in the end, what do you think is the most important thing when it comes to fighting?”
“It’s training and discipline.”
The answer came from the weapon.
“You must improve your basic abilities through constant training and cultivation.”
“Why?”
“Because you can only maximize your skills when you have a healthy mind and body. That’s why the academy’s curriculum focuses more on strength training and practical exercises than on written ones.”
“As expected, weapon.”
Weapon bashfully touched the back of his neck. Thanks to that, Man-lik’s lecture went with the flow.
“That’s right. The ability for us humans to maintain a balance of power with the magic-wielding demons. As the weapon cadet said, it’s in ‘training.’ Demons are born strong and slow to develop, but humans are born weak and have to continually whip themselves.”
The clear tone of voice immediately caught everyone’s attention. The cadets’ eyes were focused on the blackboard.
“Instead, humans can become strong enough through training without consuming resources. However, it is accompanied by pain. Muscles tear and heal, and become stronger, right? The same goes for mental strength. The more you cut it, the more it seems to wear out, but it becomes stronger. The greater the mental shock, the more effective it is. It is called shock therapy.”
The cadets straightened their backs. They listened intently, even forgetting to take notes.
“Increasing strength is something that individuals, not the academy, should work on. Let’s each figure that out on their own. They’re not kids, so it’s a bit much to nag them to exercise right next to you. That’s why our class curriculum will encourage increasing mental strength.”
Leon, who had his arms crossed, asked.
“How do you say that?”
The chalk that had been scratching the blackboard stopped. White rosin powder fell from the tip of the chalk.
Man-lik turned around diagonally and met Leon’s eyes. His mint colored eyes sank deep into the air.
“Do you know what the real deal is when it comes to building mental strength?”
Meain engraved a single letter the size of a door.
『Death』
“You get used to it.”
widely!
She snapped her fingers. The subspace covered the ceiling, walls, and floor of the classroom with a dense purple film.
“From now on, let’s eliminate the fear of death by dying twenty times in subspace every day. Customized learning for each cadet comes next.”
The cadets’ eyes became blank. Man-lik put down the chalk.
“What are you all doing? Don’t push the desks and chairs to the side.”
