The classroom was filled with the sound of chatter.
Noah sat calmly while eating some light snacks. As he ate the peanuts, they made a soft crunching sound. It wasn't too loud—barely audible.
Noah took out his phone and started scrolling through the academy guidelines.
They were extensive.
He thought they might come in handy. If he knew the academy's rules, he could avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
With his other hand, he picked up another peanut and tossed it into his mouth.
Bad habits die hard.
Noah had a habit of eating during lectures at his university, sitting in the back rows while munching on snacks he had brought in his bag.
"This is so long... I'm already bored reading all of this."
Just then, a sharp voice echoed loudly throughout the classroom.
"Attention!"
Instinctively, Noah put his phone back into his storage ring.
His gaze shifted forward.
Standing behind the podium was a breathtaking beauty.
She had long, light-blue hair that flowed freely down her back like a waterfall, reaching her waist.
Her eyes were a beautiful violet, as clear as crystals. Her skin was fair. She stood tall, around six feet two inches. Her face was mature and exceptionally beautiful. A small mole rested beneath the corner of her left eye.
Her figure...
Noah had no words to describe it.
She wore a tailored charcoal blazer that fit her dangerously voluptuous figure perfectly. The fabric was woven with faint silver threads that shimmered only when mana brushed against them.
Beneath it was a high-collared ivory blouse, buttoned neatly to the top. The collar was fastened with a small sapphire brooch engraved with a subtle amplification rune.
Her sleek black skirt fell just below her knees.
She wore seamless dark stockings that disappeared into polished leather ankle boots with modest heels.
Noah hadn't even noticed when she had entered.
Everyone was surprised by her sudden appearance, and within seconds, the classroom fell completely silent.
Noah stopped chewing for a moment, mesmerized by her beauty.
It was as though she had appeared out of thin air. Most of the students looked shocked, clearly having failed to sense her presence.
However, a few students showed no surprise at all.
They remained calm, as if they had sensed her arrival beforehand.
Some students tried to whisper quietly, but the instructor suddenly raised her hand and struck the podium with her palm.
Bang!
A visible ripple of mana burst outward from the impact. The shockwave swept across the classroom in an instant.
The air trembled.
The desks vibrated slightly.
Every student froze as the atmosphere changed abruptly.
Noah's eyes widened in shock as he felt the wave pass over him. It wasn't harmful, but the pressure behind it was overwhelming.
He instinctively leaned back slightly in his seat.
However, a few students remained completely unaffected, sitting calmly as though nothing had happened.
Noah noticed them.
'So these are the monstrous ones... even I can feel that they are too strong.'
The woman's cold violet eyes swept across the classroom.
"My name is Morgana Celestine," she said calmly, her voice strict and merciless. "I will be your head instructor."
She paused briefly.
"I am an S-Rank Hero. Currently at the Astral Core Level—Low."
A faint murmur almost rose once again, but her gaze alone silenced the entire class.
She held a high-ranking position in the kingdom's army. Even among S-Rank Heroes, she was considered exceptionally powerful.
Morgana scanned the classroom once more.
"The fact that almost all of you failed to sense my presence," she said coldly, "is pathetic."
Her gaze lingered briefly on the few students who hadn't reacted to her arrival.
"Except for a handful."
Her tone remained emotionless.
Sharp as a blade.
"From today onward, you will learn what true discipline is."
After finishing her brief introduction, she took out a sleek tablet device.
"I will now take attendance," she said.
"When I call your name, come forward and scan your ID on this device. Your rank information will be added to your card."
The classroom remained completely silent.
She began calling names, announcing each student's academy rank before their name.
"Mark Burgermus! Academy Rank 1987!"
"Present, Ma'am."
He walked to the front, scanned his ID, and returned to his seat.
"Amisha Loudricks! Academy Rank 1857! Come forward!"
"Present!"
At the sound of her name, Amisha rose from her seat and walked toward the podium.
A faint trace of tension lingered on her face.
Perhaps she was worried about her unusually low rank.
But what she didn't know was that the rankings at the beginning of the year held very little real meaning.
After the monthly examinations, those rankings could change completely, Noah thought as he looked ahead.
Morgana resumed taking attendance.
"Noah Eldritch! Academy Rank 1786!"
"Coming!" he replied.
Noah quietly swallowed the remaining peanuts in his mouth.
He stood up calmly and walked toward the podium.
As he approached Morgana, he could feel her presence more clearly.
It was suffocating.
He took out his ID card and placed it on the tablet.
A faint light scanned it.
He picked it up again. A slight change appeared in Morgana's expression when she saw his name.
It was subtle, but noticeable. Naturally, it was because of his bad reputation.
Noah maintained a calm expression.
Honestly, he didn't care about his reputation. "Thank you," he said politely.
Then he turned around and returned to his seat.
The attendance continued.
"Ken Takeane! Academy Rank 1122!"
"Present!"
"Steven Hawking! Academy Rank 1289!"
"Here!"
While Noah tapped his ID card, information appeared on it.
Name: Noah Eldritch
Academy Ranking: 1786/2000
Rank: Dormant (High)
Potential: Refined Core (High)
Class: A-1
"Isaac Newtella! Academy Rank 756!"
"Present!"
One after another, students stood as their names and ranks were called.
Morgana continued the roll call steadily, her voice firm and unhurried.
"Marina Lumineth! Academy Rank 124!"
"Yes!"
Finally, Noah noticed someone from another race.
Marina was an elf with long blond hair.
She wasn't the only one.
There were a few others as well, including some beastmen.
However, their numbers were very small. Although this class had hundreds of students, only around ten of them belonged to other races.
The academy was open to the entire world. A few years ago, it had begun accepting students from other races.
Everyone except demons.
As always, demons were the villains of this world.
"Elijah Noctis! Academy Rank 115!"
"Yes!"
She continued calling names.
"Ophelia Thornveil! Academy Rank 29!"
"Present, Ma'am!"
Murmurs spread throughout the classroom once again as a top-thirty rank was announced.
Morgana, however, remained completely unimpressed.
Unlike the students, she placed little faith in these initial rankings.
From experience, she knew how unreliable they were at this stage.
"Lyria Sunweave! Academy Rank 13!"
"Okay!"
Gradually, the attendance reached the highest-ranked students.
"Leonard Valtier! Academy Rank 11!"
As expected, the main characters occupied the top positions.
Then Morgana called,
"Arisha Willow! Academy Rank 9!"
The violet-haired beauty walked forward and scanned her ID.
Then came another name.
"Kael Nightfall! Academy Rank 2!"
Here he was.
The protagonist's rival.
A young man with short black hair and dark gray eyes.
'Well, the other top-ranked students must be in different classes. But our class has Ranks 9, 2, and 1. Three students within the top ten. Nice!'
Noah had already expected the protagonist to be in his class.
Finally, Morgana called the top rank.
"Damien Ashworth! Academy Rank 1!"
No reply.
No one stood up.
She called again.
"Damien Ashworth!"
Still silence.
Her eyes grew colder.
She called his name a third time, louder.
Just as she was about to call again...
The classroom door suddenly burst open.
Bang!
A handsome young man stood at the entrance.
He had black hair and hazel eyes. He was tall and well-built. His chest rose and fell rapidly, as though he had run all the way there.
"I'm... sorry for being late," he said, slightly out of breath.
And just like that...
The true protagonist had arrived.
Noah watched him.
'There he is... the protagonist. Well, I guess it's normal for the protagonist to be late on the first day.'