Chapter 79: Dropping Like Flies
Cassandra remained the most gorgeous woman Leonard had ever seen, looking exactly as she had the last time they met.
The scholars all around held their breath. Not even the most famous models they had seen in magazines and on TV could hold a candle to their new teacher.
"It was so worth coming here!"
"So angels do exist after all..."
Even the women were impressed, with some considering approaching Cassandra after the lecture to ask about her beauty routine and for any tips.
Meanwhile, Leonard’s mind went blank as he stared at Miranda, who calmly walked beside Cassandra.
Sensing his gaze, she met his stare, then smiled warmly and waved in his direction.
’Is she teasing me now? How is she in the academy, and why didn’t I know anything about that? I’ll have to ask her later...’ He thought.
Cassandra’s cloud stopped and descended, allowing her to step off.
"Hello, scholars. Most of you know that I am Cassandra, and I will be in charge of the Rune Manipulation course. This should be the first specialized course you have attended this year, so let me remind you that scholars from every grade are permitted to attend."
Her words were melodious, like music to the students’ ears, almost putting them to sleep.
"With the introduction out of the way, let me be frank. Unless the Class you possess has any connection to runes, you will have an extremely difficult time." She warned.
"Although it fills my heart with joy to see the lecture hall filled to its maximum capacity, by the end of today’s lecture, half of you will never return, and some may even faint. As for those who persist, only 10% will manage to pass the course."
While her tone didn’t change, the scholars shivered, realizing just how serious she was from the look in her eyes.
"I am not naive enough to think that any of you have chosen a Class that has anything to do with runes. Most likely, most of you didn’t even get the option. Regardless, if you are truly serious about pursuing this after today’s lecture, I advise you to either undergo Class Change as soon as possible or expect hell."
Some exchanged glances, gossiping among themselves. While Cassandra was indeed beautiful beyond belief, they had never heard a professor so straightforwardly suggest changing their Class just to be able to keep up with the subject.
"How bad could it be?" William puffed out his chest, eager to make a positive impression.
"Before we begin, I’d like to introduce you to my assistant, Miranda, who might appear in different lectures from time to time." Cassandra gestured to her side. "She has recently been appointed by the academy, but don’t hesitate to speak to her if you need any help."
"Now that I look at her, she’s a bombshell in her own right!" William remarked. "With an assistant and a teacher like this, there’s no way I’m dropping out! Just having them by my side is more than enough motivation!"
Leonard’s eyebrow twitched. He decided to omit the fact that he and Miranda had lived together for years at this point, at least for now.
With a clap of her hands, Cassandra silenced the chatter.
"To briefly explain what runes are used for. Think of them as Skills or spells with different purposes that can be applied to yourself or objects. For example, by drawing a few sigils, you can make your weapon sharper or your legs faster."
With the basics out of the way, Cassandra drew a giant sigil and made it hover in the air, visible to every scholar.
"To start off lightly, we are going with the easiest sigil, which represents heat, the basis for many runes." She explained calmly.
"Observe carefully, study it, and try to copy it onto the canvases that have been provided before you. Don’t forget to infuse your Mana into the pen throughout the entire process. To those who manage to replicate at least half of it, I will take you on as my apprentices, no questions asked."
The mention of becoming an apprentice on the very first day shocked the scholars!
Being taken on as an apprentice meant they would be personally taught by Cassandra in private!
Many scholars began to fill their minds with determination. Filled to the brim with resolve, they all peered into the hovering sigil, eager to uncover its secrets.
For a second, the lecture hall fell deathly silent, as if there weren’t more than a hundred scholars present for this lecture alone.
Then the first sound came. A pained scream erupted from a scholar part of the Intermediate grade.
"My head! It’s about to burst! It hurts!" He cried in pain, clutching his head as he was assailed by a pounding headache.
He was soon joined by others. Shouts, yells, and weeping resonated throughout the hall as if they were in the middle of a battle rather than a lecture room.
"I—I can’t take it anymore!" One girl cried helplessly before slowly stumbling out of the hall.
Less than a minute into the lecture, there was already a scholar who had given up.
Gradually, the number climbed. Taken by surprise at the difficulty of merely staring into the sigil and the pain they experienced, the scholars made their exit as quickly as they could.
Cassandra had risen once more on her puffy cloud. She crossed one leg over the other as she watched the familiar spectacle that unfolded every year.
"That’s why I mentioned that without a Class connected to runes, you would have a hard time. Heck, even if you had one, it would still be a hellish process."
There wasn’t a hint of surprise in her tone. Becoming a master of runes was a long journey that could break even the strongest of people. By the fourth year, there were hardly any scholars left who were still being taught by her, and even they were barely scraping by.
That was why, before this year started, she had gone into the Middle Sector, offering her usually expensive services for cheap in the hope of igniting the passion of potential apprentices.
That had been the time when Leonard met her and obtained his Dimensional Storage skill.
"Guys... I fear this is too much." Winston’s face had turned pale, and he was out of breath.
"Nonsense! I—I... can go on..." William was in even worse condition. His whole body was trembling, and his head remained lowered, unable to lift his gaze toward the sigil out of fear.
Leonard was doing the best of the three, but even that wasn’t much. His eyes were beginning to redden as he forced himself to remain steady.
’This is too much. I can’t make sense of what I’m looking at... Cassandra was right. Forcing the learning process without the proper Class simply won’t work.’ Leonard thought dejectedly.
Out of curiosity, he glanced at the accessible Classes the system showed him.
To his surprise, he found what he was looking for. The Class was called Runesmith.
However, to obtain it, he had to spend 9,000 Evolution Points, which would deplete almost his entire reserve!
’This is insane. Why is the class so expensive? With so many Evolution Points, I could upgrade so many things already in my arsenal...’
Leonard clenched his fists.
If the price was so unbelievably high, it was logical to assume that becoming a Runesmith would grant him even greater benefits than he suspected. After all, the simple Dimensional Storage skill he possessed had saved him many times by now.
"So be it!"
[You have gained a new Class, Runesmith!]
His eyes locked onto the sigil.
"Let’s try it again!"