Chapter 233 – Heavenly Class (2)
Iktl4KThe newly inaugurated Heavenly Class was wrapped in that peculiar atmosphere that comes with the first days of school. A vague mix of awkwardness and excitement.WEf
ELdYMaybe that’s why silence reigned. After all, gathering personalities like Leon van Reinhardt, Abel von Nibelung, Rachel of Mura, Saki Ryozo, Speedweapon, Chloe Auditore, and Horntail into a single group was simply too much.taxofD
mAlI didn’t expect them to talk to each other comfortably on day one.hmaU
mZyQ5tIAnd besides, the goal of this class was to be different from all the noisy ones.1VJsVIZ
xhVNhfSo that suffocating silence was part of the plan I had worked on with the director. Still.Axrm
zLwZSpI raised my left hand in greeting. But they—especially the girls—barely moved their lips before quickly averting their gaze.3M4b
cpq8RdyI discreetly lowered my hand and scratched my chin. How awkward.uFLh0lS
SqTirThe only ones who at least smiled at me were Horntail and Chloe. Even then, it was only with their eyes, like they didn’t want to attract attention.EFAFPpb
nXkE1I turned my gaze. I saw Speedweapon, one of the few other guys in the class. His eyes said, “I can’t breathe, I’m suffocating.” I replied with my eyes too. “Same here.”R2pJ
fRyedb‘When I get a chance, I’m going to ask what’s with this atmosphere.’vH5GAZJ
sZFmEven if the main goal of the Heavenly Class is to foster the Hero, it’s still part of the academy. Even if the Second Great Human-Demon War is on the horizon, I want these kids to enjoy their student life.opyu1gO
375—Learning to relate with others. That only comes from living alongside peers your own age.PkoqZZ
ioAShoThat’s what my first teacher in my past life told me. And it applies here too. Even if a few years from now they end up fighting on the front lines and shedding blood, until then, they have the right to live out their youth.DFje6
06jAsnWI sincerely hope that in addition to growing stronger, they deepen their bonds of friendship.ab2z
1wGK‘They’re real teenagers, not a guy like me who’s already seen everything.’0uW
72SAEZII walked slowly through the class and observed. The only seat left…4l9
yAIYq3l‘Why is the center seat the only one left?’oDxR
UUXThat’s way too much of a protagonist’s seat. Sure, it makes sense for me to be at the center of the class—but I was surrounded entirely by girls. It looked like a peacock caught in a sea of spread feathers.EDGWCJ3
B8p1yRaIt was obvious that was supposed to be Leon’s seat. But he was sitting in a corner, far from the center.nqjUH2
X0aw‘Did this guy Leon leave it to me on purpose?’JNvr
EGrluI don’t need that kind of consideration. I sighed a little in resignation and sat down.S2uz
HqUxaThump.SqM
pxDrtnAI felt a tingle on the back of my neck. Even though they were looking away, I could clearly sense all the girls watching me. The phrase “seat of thorns” became literal.hvpN6xv
o4JLUIt wasn’t like I had a choice. The desks were arranged exactly by student number. And being close made it easier to talk and interact. But I never imagined it would backfire like this.wkOuTqE
ZMiLgURI leaned forward uncomfortably. I looked at the wall clock above the blackboard. Five minutes to 9 a.m.Mu0xf
lBN935At that moment, the classroom door flung open.39YNtr
ireWTap, tap.PYjkoZ
bSrhWThe rhythmic sound of heels echoed. The students’ pupils widened like paper lanterns. The stifling silence vanished in an instant. It was understandable.aBlgqVH
VlG‘Don’t fuck.’hvhhHYO
Rk5lnEven I, who knew who was coming, stood up on reflex. Ryozo and Speedweapon did the same.xhI
xHiELight green hair, mint-colored eyes. Up to that point, everything was familiar. But.mZS
KJ2With firm steps, she walked to the front of the podium. She smiled with satisfaction.ynQ2n
Ri5“Good morning!”Drp8Ks
AgfAQ1VThe podium, which used to come up to her chest, now barely reached her navel.weukR
PM0“Some of you may already know, but I’m the instructor in charge of the Heavenly Class, Meain Poison.”6TIO
Gdc6iThat senior we recently knew as San Ha-na…LdpX
Boic“Nice to meet you, my little ones.”QeUB7F
0QQ…Was now standing before us, not as a girl, but as a full-grown woman.L4IGw
bN5hnj***lwH0
IZI5wAt the same time, in the director’s office.6tkG
hjrsMedia was pacing around the reception table, constantly biting her thumbnail.mEk0ds
ZiOt“Don’t tell me my sister is about to stir up some disaster?”XhW
SivShe muttered, visibly anxious. Just then, the internal phone rang annoyingly. Media snatched the receiver with desperation.SIB
7pU3reb“Hello? Who is this? Did Meain Poison cause a problem? I’m sorry, she’s my twin sister…”cmaA7mg
p1dVAD— It’s me.fQgOO
gKDbpThe voice on the other end was the Swordmaster. The phone cord, taut like a string, slackened in a gentle arc. The tension in Media’s shoulders also eased a little.Re4
28zKrShe sighed deeply, then grumbled.wgD4r
mfo“Ugh, you scared me. I almost had a heart attack.”YZ6EOAI
pJ6fOe7— You know you shouldn’t joke about death so lightly? At our age, we’re already in our seventies. Say that enough, and it might come true.5jEbng
Z7Vy2OMedia scowled at the Swordmaster’s scolding and snapped back.S9xD
1sVX“I’m going to live much longer than you, so I don’t care.”yPFdZkm
Aw64P— Are you flaunting your ancient bloodline in front of modern humans?7TZ
TJx5“Yup, exactly. If that bothers you, you should’ve been born ancient too.”k7b29n
YuJVv— ……8Pvm5J
4cGVmi“And if you’re not calling with something useful, hang up. Even breathing gives me a headache today.”NcrV
PXujlFv— I saw the news. They say Meain returned to Joaquin Academy.PBkka
1MZwLF“She didn’t return. Turns out she’s been hiding here as a student since the beginning of the year.”Yo6
8PZgXDiThe Swordmaster let out a dry chuckle. Media toyed with the phone cord and said,HUwN1
sUSRSFm“Under the lamp, it’s the darkest. There’s no better hiding place than the academy. Security and everything else is top-tier. And who else would know that better than my sister?”QCKMe
zzOZhr— Always incomprehensible. I tried to locate her through the Association but found nothing. Never imagined she was there. Now it all makes sense.MaoNQ
ZBRwto0Ever since Kang Geom-Ma left Hawaii, the Swordmaster had been searching for Meain’s whereabouts. His intention was the same—he wanted Meain to protect the students from within the academy.uSu
o89kCKnowing she was already there brought some relief, but he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. If Meain had shown herself, it meant the world’s current state was truly dangerous.JNYEBI2
nGHDThe anomalies at the Gehenna Gate, the sudden reappearance of Meain Poison—it all seemed connected, like gears turning.Rhbr
kpvdET7The Swordmaster tried to shake off the ominous thoughts and continued.1sN
gSs— I imagine the press is in a frenzy. How are things at the academy?USgeiYe
FdA24W“What do you think? Chaos! Thankfully, the Association’s people are holding the reporters at all the gates. Thanks to that, the students are safe.”mHG
VKmdA— The Association is pretty good at that, gotta admit.B67
tk7MbO“But the ones who are furious are the parents. Complaining that we opened the Heavenly Class without informing them, that it’s discriminatory, questioning what kind of class this is…”1QtjIDd
DaJThe Swordmaster scoffed.clx
c1Fp— Funny. They’ve always discriminated by status, but now that there’s a fair selection, they call it unfair.pn3
hazu“I’m exhausted… seriously. Reporters outside, parents complaining inside, and on top of that, worrying that my sister might cause a scandal. I feel like I’m losing a year of my life every minute. Though even so, I’ll still outlive you, old man.”V4R
nNSc— …You’ve got a terrible personality.qYc6U
nbQQEMThe Swordmaster shook his head.6GP8U
Ws8Mm— Oh, by the way. Meain must have manifested the Poison family’s exclusive Blessing, right?MWm
kUE13“Yeah. If she showed her true form, everyone would know we Poison are direct descendants of the ancients. But whatever. That’s how she’ll look in a few years anyway. Though by then, you’ll probably be dead.”bBCt
EPI— Media! You really are…Fuzwn
Bbvv2Media let out a mischievous laugh. Talking to the Swordmaster had lifted her mood a little.g98VpEo
gwlZvEAfter all, they’d been lifelong friends since their own academy days.593Ii
JE3“This reminds me of the old days… You remember who our teacher was, right? Our sister…”1aKA
sPk3bHMedia shuddered. Her mint-green pupils trembled. Reaching into her memories, she muttered.x2DTN
jYisH3“…Old man, do you remember the lessons my sister used to give?”1BLNU
Npyj— How could I forget…EcXTCPR
URHThe Swordmaster paused. Clearly shaken.fJTr
ZZyWCN— To be honest, I doubt they could even be called ‘lessons.’ They were so extreme…2fpZ
Dfny8gt“Damn it! I forgot! I’ve got to go stop her right now! If I don’t, our students might end up like you or Changseong, with their personalities shattered!”1YSZ6
lf2Mnu— Why are you excluding yourself?hJKV
8ms8YcMedia ignored the jab. The Swordmaster, weary-faced, added,iHJRT8U
8nXkB—Calm down. Even if you complain, you know well that Meain, as strange as she is, has unmatched talent in bringing out the best in her students. She’s a natural educator.URc
YSkZ“W-Well, yeah. Gotta admit it. The reason the Seven Stars got so far so fast was thanks to her special training… but still…”HKpCOno
BUF— I get your concern. But that’s exactly why they need those classes.0Fs9
TjFQyUThe Swordmaster’s tone softened. His breath weighed with concern. The thought of his granddaughter going through that made him uneasy.1HL
t1p— Though yeah… she’s more than a little sadistic…8QXHb
VLpF***ROzm
TZzRUooMeain scanned the classroom and gave a small smile.FiwWl
bYOMuaU“Since all the faces here are familiar and you probably already know each other, we’ll skip introductions. Besides, I don’t have much to share beyond my name, so I’ll pass! Oh, and don’t even think of asking about my first love—I don’t have one. Let’s get straight to class!”09Sp
p1NzRcShe turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and began writing on the board. Every gaze was drawn to her neck, white as snow.Koy
0iFO3“Combat, battle, fight, slaughter. There are many words, but in the end, what do you think is the most important thing in a fight?”e2G
MiSOB5“Training and discipline.”Q3ZG
Iy5RDfxSpeedweapon replied.fxnjtZq
oGKDj“You need to strengthen basic skills through constant practice and training.”mo432
rMXy“And the reason?”ZYQK
fkVT“Because only with a healthy body and mind can you push a blessing to its limits. That’s why the academy’s curriculum prioritizes physical training and practical work over theory.”xgU1Bx
MBv5v“As expected of you, Speedweapon.”hEeBwo
Ei2nhHe scratched the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. Thanks to that, Meain’s class started to flow more naturally.m61Mqzr
ggXbaos“Correct. The reason why humans can maintain a balance of power with demons, who are naturally strong by birth, is precisely ‘training,’ as Speedweapon said. They evolve slowly, but humans are born weak and must constantly push themselves.”uegR
mXAOLuHer firm tone immediately captured the students’ attention, their eyes now fixed on the board.gbtaNj
3KJm“Unlike demons, humans can grow stronger through training alone, without consuming external resources. But that comes with pain. Just as muscles tear and heal stronger, mental strength also grows through wear. The more intense the psychological impact, the greater its effect. That’s what we call shock therapy.”8Pf
W9xlck3The students sat up straighter. They even forgot to take notes, fully focused on listening.ucwTKJ
yyR9“Increasing physical strength is your own responsibility. You’re old enough that I shouldn’t have to tell you to exercise, right? That’s why the focus of the Heavenly Class will be on strengthening the mind.”gL5CM
RNpMVLeon, arms crossed, asked,9RNWHbp
Q54nSSw“And how exactly are we going to do that?”LBC
E4LOThe chalk stopped. A fine white dust fell from its tip.wn8Qco8
xnXwPMeain turned slightly, locking eyes with Leon. Her mint-colored eyes glowed with deep intensity.qFXxQP5
UKm“Do you know the fastest way to strengthen the mind?”c8ob
VMT5iNThen she wrote a single large character on the board.U7Ar
dSrpU『Death』Ku1hGA
QiuS5“Getting used to it.”pvEIEY8
KMRhASnap!EKp4Et
QrU7She snapped her fingers. A subdimensional field spread across the ceiling, walls, and floor of the classroom, enveloping it in a violet veil.E1x7j7
BILW“From now on, you’ll die twenty times a day inside this subdimensional space until you lose your fear of death. Personalized learning will come after that.”Rocv4R8
CiSThe students’ gazes turned blank. Meain put down the chalk.yaR
Fpg“What are you waiting for? Move the desks and chairs aside.”deR
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaShe’s one hell of a teacher.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaMommy is always a Mommy.
BlackLotus
Qi RefinementQuite the rough way of teaching