In the isolated counseling room, Shun, Rylan, and Edric stood before their homeroom teacher. She sat with quiet authority, short hair framing a face attractive enough to draw lingering glances. Steam curled from the cup of tea in her hands. At the peak of Shepherd stage, her mere presence pressed down on anyone weaker like an invisible mountain.
"What did the three of you do?" Her voice carried clear displeasure.
Rylan studied the ceiling as if it held the secrets of the universe. Edric polished his glasses with a specialized cloth that materialized from thin air—likely pulled from his inventory. Shun met her golden eyes without flinching.
"Nothing much," Shun said calmly. "Just helped some brats get a grip on reality."
She didn't reply at first, only stared a moment longer. Then, without breaking eye contact:
"You drew weapons on fellow students with clear intent to kill. Is that correct?"
"They started it," Shun answered. Edric and Rylan gave subtle nods.
"Regardless, it was uncalled for."
"No disrespect, ma'am," Shun said evenly, "but if we'd settled it with fists, a few teeth might have grown wings. Theirs."
She released a fraction of her peak Shepherd presence. Fear exploded in their chests and surged toward their knees, urging them to buckle. They endured, faces remaining unbothered.
Slowly, she pulled the crushing aura back. "The three of you are strong and talented—I'll admit that. The school will do everything possible to nurture you into powerful hunters who will aid humanity's future."
Her tone sharpened. "However, keep this up and you risk expulsion. That reflects on me as your teacher. My competence will be questioned. I have no desire to see my career endangered because three jesters decided to play justice in broad daylight." She paused, a faint smile touching her lips. "At night, however… that would be different."
Shun read between the lines instantly. *Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't blow back on me.*
"Ma'am, your heart is quite rotten."
"Thank you."
*That wasn't praise.*
In the brief silence that followed, Rylan asked, "What's going to happen to us?"
She glanced down at her tablet, fingers dancing across the screen. "Since this is your first offense, I'll let you off with a warning. Just be more careful next time." She swiped upward.
Their smartwatches buzzed in unison. A school warning had been issued. The display showed three bars: one blank, one yellow, one red. Beside them glowed the word "Advised" with "0/3" next to it.
Every student wore one of these watches—nanotech that merged with the skin. A drop of mana could summon it back into view. It granted access to classrooms, the cafeteria, even the toilets.
"Ma'am, what do the three bars mean?" Rylan asked.
"Three warnings and you're expelled. You'll be required to join the war immediately—it's in the contract you signed upon enrollment. Trying to run?" She gave a thin smile. "Good luck with that."
Rylan stared at the watch for a long moment, expression unreadable.
"Behave, and you won't be expelled. Unless you prefer fighting on a battlefield crawling with Shepherds and Refinance. Though I doubt any of you would last ten minutes."
The earlier comment still lingered. She clearly wanted them to act with care—visible care.
The three friends exchanged silent glances. They understood.
"If you truly wish to settle differences permanently," she continued, "invite your enemies to the Stage and resolve it there."
"The Stage?" Rylan tilted his head.
She rested her chin on her palm and chuckled. "This is the first time I've seen a student so utterly clueless about one of the greatest schools—even the six races envy it. A jester truly suits you."
She tapped her tablet. A holographic projection bloomed in the air, showing various angles of a vast, empty white room.
"That looks familiar," Shun murmured.
"Of course. Teachers use it for special classes. You've been inside, so I'll skip the long explanation."
Students called it Creative Mode. Inside, the controller could reshape the space at will—mountains, complex terrain, even replicas of active battlefields—formed in seconds. The room ran on advanced illusion and spatial magic, limited only by imagination.
Their teacher lectured on the Stage for nearly twenty minutes before handing each of them a plain card with a scannable code.
"Scan it if you want the information stored directly in your mind. The code also contains additional details. Do as you wish."
After absorbing the flood of new data, they returned the cards.
"This thing is useful in more ways than one," Shun muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"My, what a surprise." Their teacher flashed an intrigued smile. "The new genius of Adapta just learned something."
"New genius?" Shun frowned, a bad premonition stirring.
"It hasn't hit the newspapers yet, but several companies already have their eyes on you. Your stage may be lower than most students here, but they're impressed by your affinity for magiteck—especially what you built during your admission interview."
*They were impressed by that?* Shun thought, genuinely surprised. *Did I go overboard?*
What he had presented was an invention that barely cracked the top ten in a brutally competitive magiteck showcase. The original machine that inspired it had ranked near the bottom.
*Why was it considered impressive?* No matter how he turned it over, the reason eluded him. He made a mental note to dial back his future demonstrations.
Ignoring Shun's brief introspection, the teacher continued, "In fact, most companies have their eyes on all three of you."
"Us?" Edric and Rylan knitted their brows in confusion.
Shun had a few guesses but wanted to hear it from her. Despite her questionable morals, her judgment of people was usually reliable.
"Rylan—your ability. Edric—your cunning tactics." She paused, watching with open fascination as Edric's expression shifted subtly. Then her gaze moved to Shun and Rylan. "And the three of you together." She looked pointedly at Edric. "He planned it."
Shun and Rylan turned slowly toward their friend, surprise clear on their faces.
"Seriously? Why?" Rylan asked.
"Of course not," Edric protested. "Why would I want them to target Rylan? You can't seriously believe her. Besides, why would I even want this to happen?"
Shun pinched his chin. Possibilities flashed through his mind at lightning speed until one conclusion settled.
"He can be cunning enough to make the devil jealous," Shun said, "but I doubt this specific outcome was his plan. Too many inconsistencies and coincidences."
Their teacher smiled playfully. "I see. So that's how you want to play it."
Before any of them could respond, she stood and shut off the projection. "That's all from me. I'm excited to see how the three of you grow." She paused, then recited with unexpected emotion:
"O thou who hast possessions, remain happy and thou shalt have a pleasant life."
An awkward silence stretched, seemingly endless.
"Does this mean we can go now?" Rylan asked.
She nodded.
They left without hesitation. The invisible weight lifted from their shoulders the moment the door closed. Whether intentional or not, she had kept her peak Shepherd aura pressing down on them the entire time. It had squeezed the air from their lungs and strained their minds.
They could finally breathe properly again.
"You think those three got the same treatment?" Rylan asked as they walked down the corridor.
"Yes," Edric replied. "This school is older than most of the current companies. Marianne and the mysterious co-founder built it on core values that refuse to fade: favor the talented, treat everyone equally regardless of wealth or strength."
"I have a feeling they're going to vent their frustration on us," Rylan said. "We can fight back, but I don't want more visits to that room or get any closer to expulsion. Any ideas?"
"If they push too far, we push harder," Shun said, the corners of his lips curving. "I'm curious to see what they'll try."
Edric and Rylan exchanged a glance, smiling softly.
"Shun, you're doing that scary smile again," Edric noted.
"Please don't do that in front of the kids," Rylan added. "They might have nightmares for life."
"You two are exaggerating," Shun replied dryly.
"What are you guys doing next?" Rylan checked his watch. "We still have twenty-five minutes before special class."
"I'm heading to the engineering room to research some magiteck with Edric. You joining?"
"I don't know… I don't really understand that stuff."
"Come on, you always refuse. Join us this time—Edric's excited to show you what he's been working on."
Rylan pinched his chin for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, sure."
When they reached the engineering room, thick curtains blocked the windows, plunging the space into darkness. The air hung heavy and humid, like the inside of a car left baking under forty degrees Celsius.
"It's so hot in here," Edric muttered. He flipped the lights and air conditioner on. A soft hum filled the quiet room.
Rylan followed Shun with a clueless expression, watching as he gathered tools and parts from the cabinets.
Once everything was assembled, Edric wheeled over a small trolley carrying a compact machine and positioned it in front of Shun.
He dimmed the lights again. The machine projected a detailed holographic blueprint of a new magiteck device into the air.