Chapter 116: First Class Together...
The morning bell at Ares Academy chimed, signalling the start of the combat theory lecture.
Zen sat at his desk in the third row with his arms crossed over his chest. The simple matte-black iron ring sat snugly on his finger, keeping his Low A-Rank mana locked behind a D-Rank facade.
Usually, the classroom was a noisy, chaotic space filled with students gossiping about dungeons and gear. Today, however, the room was dead silent, save for the sound of frantic, panicked sweating.
And the source of the tension was the layout of Zen’s row.
To his immediate left sat Aria. Aurelia had her desk pushed flush against his, looking immaculate in her gold-trimmed Crown uniform, her amber eyes scanning the classroom like a queen assessing her subjects.
To his immediate right sat Val. Valeria had tilted her chair backward, resting her boots on the edge of her desk. Her academy jacket was unzipped, exposing her collarbone, and her red hair fell in loose strands around her face as she casually tossed a steel dagger in the air, catching it by the hilt over and over.
Directly behind Zen sat Lyna. Lyra was staring at the back of Zen’s head, her long silver hair braided neatly over her shoulder. She was holding a tablet, tracing complex magical equations in the air with her fingers.
In the middle row, Selena sat clutching her silver rosary. Selene’s knuckles were white, and her lips moved in silent, desperate prayer as she stared at Zen’s profile with wide, silver eyes.
And in the far back corner of the room sat Nora. Nyx had pulled her hood up, wearing massive noise-canceling car-earred headphones as she tapped rapidly on a specialized, military-grade laptop, completely ignoring the teacher who had just walked in.
Jax, who sat directly in front of Zen, was visibly trembling with terror. He slowly turned his head, his face pale, and whispered in a shaky voice:
"Zen... what did you do? Did you curse a priestess? Did you steal the Empress’s jewellery? Why is the entire elite transfer squad surrounding you like a firing line?"
"I’m perfectly fine, Jax," Zen said flatly.
"I can’t focus!" Jax hissed, his eyes darting to Val, who was currently glaring at him for speaking to Zen. "Val looks like she’s going to slice my jugular with that dagger if I blink too hard! And the Crown girl is currently writing down my student ID number on a piece of parchment!"
The combat theory professor, a middle-aged B-Rank hunter named Instructor Vance, walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the S-Rank pressure leaking from the suppressed transfer students, and tapped the holographic blackboard.
"Today we are discussing the physics of spatial alignment inside C-Rank Fracture Zones," Vance began. "As you all know, when a dungeon tears open, the local spatial coordinates fold. To calculate the entry vector, you must divide the ambient mana density by the gravitational constant of the rift..."
"Incorrect," Lyra’s quiet, melodic voice cut through the lecture.
The classroom went dead silent.
Instructor Vance blinked, looking at the silver-haired transfer student in the back row. "Excuse me, exchange student Lyna?"
"The equation is outdated by fifty years," Lyra stated calmly, without looking up from her tablet. "It assumes a linear spatial fold. But the Abyssal Trench degradation has corrupted the ley-lines. The correct entry vector requires a non-linear gravity tensor. If you use your formula in a modern C-Rank rift, your vanguard will experience a three-degree spatial shear, severing their legs upon entry."
Instructor Vance’s face turned bright red. "Now see here, young lady! This curriculum is approved by the Ares High Council..."
"I have already ordered the board of directors to update the textbooks," Aurelia interrupted smoothly, her amber eyes flashing with aristocratic disdain. "The Crown Domain’s educational trust has funded a complete replacement of the academy’s library. The new curriculum will be delivered by noon. You will teach from the revised materials, Instructor."
Vance opened his mouth to argue, but the regal authority in Aurelia’s voice made him close it. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
"Theory is a waste of time anyway," Valeria yawned, catching her dagger one last time and slipping it into her boot. Her crimson eyes locked onto Zen’s profile. "The only way to calculate a rift is to march inside and smash the cores. I hope you’re ready for physical combat training this afternoon, Zen. I need a sparring partner."
"I am a D-Rank support, Val," Zen said, tapping his ring. "Sparring with you would be a violation of safety regulations."
"I’ll sign the waiver," Valeria smirked.
Zen ignored them, focusing entirely on the system interface floating in his vision.
He had mapped out the closest C-Rank dungeon in the Ares Domain... the Grave of the Forgotten. It was a standard undead-type Fracture Zone, but the local mana readings indicated a high density of unrefined Void energy.
If I clear it tonight, Zen calculated, the localized Void degradation in this sector will drop by three percent. It’s the first step to stabilizing the regional seal.
—
During the afternoon study hall, Zen tried to slip away to the library to finalize his stream parameters.
He didn’t make it past the courtyard.
Selene stepped out from the shadows of the old academy chapel, her white robes fluttering in the breeze. Blocking his path, she clasped her hands together, her silver eyes filled with a desperate, manic devotion.
"Zen..." she whispered in a trembling voice. "Please. Come with me."
"Selena," Zen said, stopping a few feet away. "I am going to the library."
"No, you must come to the chapel," Selene pleaded, reaching out but not daring to touch him. "The high council has granted the Sanctum permission to run the campus spiritual services. I have established the ’Holy Healing and Meditation Club.’ I... I have prepared a private altar for you. I filtered the air and I purified the stones. If you let me administer the soul-cleansing ritual, your core will stabilise. You won’t need that parasite."
Zen’s eyes narrowed, his dark gaze locking onto her. "I told you, Selene. If you try to interfere with Maya, I will shatter your core."
"I’m not interfering!" she cried, desperate tears gathering in her eyes. "I just... I want to be useful to you. I want to take your pain. She is so weak, she can’t carry your burden. Let me cleanse you! Just five minutes in the chapel, Zen. Please."
She grabbed his wrist, her holy mana pulsing faintly, trying to pull him toward the chapel doors.
Zen didn’t struggle.
Instead, he allowed a fraction of his Low A-Rank logic core to bypass the suppression ring. A dense, invisible wave of gravity slammed onto Selene, freezing her in her tracks.
He walked past her, his hand grasping the chapel door handle.
With a quick twist of his spatial mana, Zen literally sealed the lock, warping the iron mechanism until the door was permanently fused shut.
"The chapel is closed for the semester, Selena," Zen said in a cold, commanding whisper that made her shiver with a submissive thrill. "Go back to class."
Selene sank to her knees against the stone wall, her face flushed, her breathing ragged as she watched him walk away. "Yes... my Emperor," she whispered.
Zen reached his dorm room, shutting the door behind him. He sat at his desk, pulling up his tablet.
A message notification from "Nora" flashed on the screen.
"I’ve already scheduled the stream broadcast for the Grave of the Forgotten dungeon at 8:00 PM," Nyx’s text read, accompanied by a teasing shadow emoji. "I hacked the school network, so the students will get a direct notification on their tablets when you go live. And don’t worry about the chat; I’ve set up the auto-ban filters. Val and Aria have already loaded their credit cards with five million Mana Credits each. They are ready to compete for the VIP sponsor badge. Have fun, Ghost Scrapper."
Zen turned the ring on his finger as a cold, calculated smirk crossed his face.
’Let them donate,’ Zen thought. ’If they want to play at being moderators, let them. As long as the cover holds, I can clear the rifts in peace.’
He booted up the Goddess Eye Network and logged into his Ghost Scrapper account.
The countdown began.
In three hours, he would enter the dungeon. Facing the fight under strict D-Rank suppression would be dangerous, but the stakes were real. But it was exactly what he needed to mask his signature and save the planet.
And the Goddesses would be watching every second of it.