Chapter 619 - Professor Feran

I look around what used to be my room. All the furniture, all my belongings, even some personal items, are gone. Before I can start to miss them, I remind myself they should be back at the reset and shrug it off.

A variation of an alarm rings, the molten rock glows orange, and heat fills a hole made into the tower. Impressively, some arrays are totally destroyed, even the ones I thought of as more durable.

I let a good part of my mind examine it while the small remainder pulls the remaining heat in as I search for clothes.

There is nothing left of my room, but I notice a hole made into my neighbor's room further down. I step through it, break the already burned cabinet, and find two somewhat unburned pieces of clothing: light brown pants and a long-sleeved black shirt, which I put on. They fit me well enough and, thankfully, do not appear to be women's clothing.

I check my reflection in the cracked mirror nearby, wipe my face with my sleeve, and brush my hair back.

Keeping my mana calm and under the surface as much as possible, I enter my room again and exit to the hallway with my hands in the air.

Three guards stand there, joined by two Professors, and I can feel the pressure of the main array of the Academy, fully activated and ready. Each of these people feels at a level similar to mine.

Without fighting back, I follow them as they lead me away.

***

An hour later, I am in the training hall, said to be able to withstand anyone below Champion level. As rumored, it lies deep underground and stretches at least half a mile in every direction. The inner walls are perfectly smooth and white. There are no arrays or inscriptions. I cannot even see the entrance anymore.

Inside, there is nothing but two wooden chairs. I sit on one, and the Vice Director sits on the other.

Her mana is partially released, and arrays are built around us, most of which I have never even seen before. I cannot even examine them because of the bracelets on my arms and the metal loop placed on my head like a crown. Both are made of light gray metal and do an excellent job of suppressing me.

Other than the Vice Director, there is the Primordial Energies professor, that demon with short white hair and unusually calm mannerisms. The next one is, I guess, the main security officer, both standing behind the Vice Director.

Sitting there, she adjusts her wide-brimmed, pointy hat and says, “So, you were poisoned, cursed, or something similar, and the only way you could keep yourself alive was by using your passive along with, as you put it, 'a shitload of thermal energy,' which caused all the damage to Academy property.”

“Yes,” I confirm.

“Feran, what do you think?” she asks, turning to the demon.

The man takes a moment to answer, and I sense him examining me before he responds in the same clear, calm manner.

“I noticed remnants of thermal energy at the site. I have also been observing him since we arrived, and I do not believe he is lying.”

“Understood.” The Vice Director looks at me again and seems to think deeply before deciding. “I am inclined to believe you, Assistant Professor Gwyn, but at the same time, you have caused a lot of damage to the Academy’s property and its arrays, not to mention how much risk the students and employees in the area were put into.”

I try to say something, but she gestures for me to stay quiet. “Yes, I understand such a reaction is natural when your life is at risk, and due to the kind of attack you were subjected to, you had to deploy extensive measures. But as unfair as it might seem, I cannot allow you to stay in the Academy for now, even if only for the optics.”

“So, I am fired?”

She nods. “You could say that. However, I will ask you to stay here for seven more days before we conduct deeper examinations and possibly have further questions for you.”

“Ask me? So I can refuse?”

“Yes. But if you refuse, we will do it by force.”

“Sounds good. I can stay.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

After that, all three of them leave through a door that opens on one side of the smooth surface. Before passing through, the demon professor looks at me one more time.

Then the door closes, and I am left alone.

***

The first day, out of boredom, I start exercising, jogging around, doing pushups, bodyweight squats, and such. It is funny how, in just a few hours, I get so bored, all because I cannot train the way I usually do.

With the thing on top of my head as if glued to it and the bracelets on my arms, my physical stats are restricted, and so is mana flow, and even primordial energies for some part.

All three of these items are works of art. They are beautifully made, and that beauty is beaten only by the intricate ways they deal with me. Some sort of disruption is likely partially based on void energy and mana interference. I guess that because it is the only thing I currently estimate capable of disrupting mana and primordial energies, but it doesn't feel that powerful. Maybe it relies more on mana-based disruption, and the storage of void energy only supports it?

No one comes to visit me, and I only send a few messages in the Community. Out of boredom, I switch to Easy difficulty. Likely due to that frustration and boredom, I use all of my time there talking to the Easy difficulty guys who are also on the 8th floor.

Funnily enough, they are also in the Academy, but they are all students. Their floor quest is simple: pass an exam that proves they are ready to graduate.

While some from the Easy difficulty who trained and leveled properly on the previous floors could pass it on the first day, others chose to spend weeks or even months in the Academy, especially the younger attendees.

Potato (Easy, Royals) - Noname, should I continue to call you Noname, or can we use your real name?

Noname (Hell, Group 4) - Your nickname sounds familiar. You likely annoyed me somehow for me to remember it. What did you do?

Potato (Easy, Royals) - You will burn me or drop an island on me if I tell you.

Noname (Hell, Group 4) - How would I? You will likely be done with the tutorial before the third tournament starts.

Potato (Easy, Royals) - They say your priority after returning to Earth is not rebuilding your life, but finding old grudges.

Catsarebetterthandogs (Easy, The Guardians) - Yes, that! Word is you have a list ready for when we get back to Earth.

Catsarebetterthandogs (Easy, The Guardians) - Noname, just beat him up, the guy is a dick. Use that skill to pull a meteor on his head, please.

Noname (Hell, Group 4) - You, be silent, I don't like your name. And you, Potato, Just tell me, damn it.

Potato (Easy, Royals) - I asked you if you knew what ligma is the first time you came to the Community here.

Noname (Hell, Group 4) - That is not even that bad. What kind of monster do you guys take me for?

Potato (Easy, Royals) - I do not want to say.

Noname (Hell, Group 4) - Okay. I will forget about that for now, but from now on, you have to start every sentence while I am in the Community with "I am sorry." I can also tell you some tricks for mana.

Potato (Easy, Royals) - I am sorry! Thank you, that would be great!

I can be quite nice if I want to.

***

On the second day, I am finally able to partially move mana inside my body, just a tiny bit. I also continue doing mental exercises with impossible shapes, choosing the Möbius strip as a starting point.

I modify them slightly so they can be used to train mana similarly to mana orbs. The difference is that I will never be able to materialize them. The other three shapes simply cannot exist in the material world. I think. They will always remain a simulation in my mind, created to torture me and force my brain to work in ways it probably should not.

This day, no one visits either.

I also gave it some thought, and I think it is highly unlikely that whatever tried to kill me would be the one who killed the Champion. There is just no way. As normal as Champions might seem while just walking around with their powers restricted, each of them is a monster in their own way.

All of my Community daily limit went into arguing with the twins, who came up with a modification to one of my weaker evil orbs, to allow them to do some sort of tandem training.

We cannot agree on some parts of it, and later, even Sophie and Min-Jae join in, turning the conversation into a long argument.

***

On the third day, I finally get a feel of it.

Something clacks, and one of the bracelets falls off.

***

On the fourth day, I take the metal loop thing down from my head. On the same day, I create [Mana Crown] over my head and start storing mana there while breaking the bracelets and the metal crown to examine them more closely.

I wait.

***

On the fifth day, I get a visitor. It is the thirteenth day of the loop when the demon Professor enters alone and closes the door behind him. He shows no surprise upon seeing me sitting in the exact middle of the huge training hall, over the broken pieces of the restriction items.

He walks casually for nearly ten minutes before reaching close enough for me to hear without raising his voice or using any other means. He does not hurry at all.

"I would like to extend an apology for leaving you here without any communication. Just a day after you were put here, Champion Dion was found dead on the Academy grounds," the Primordial Energies Professor, Feran, says.

"I am surprised the Academy still stands," I note, not even lifting my head from the broken pieces.

He takes a step closer, the sound barely echoing in the huge room.

"It is something we also do not understand," he confirms. As always, when I hear him, he uses that soothing, controlled, and very undemon-like voice. "Champion Dion was considered one of the five strongest Champions, and he was close to being fully combat-oriented. He was very perceptive as well. Him dying like this should be impossible, even if the Absolute himself was involved."

"I heard rumors about a weapon the Absolute left to someone, capable of killing even a Champion," I say, listening to his steps and following their vibrations.

"Such a weapon is mere rumor. Students like to spread it to entertain themselves. No such thing can exist."

"There were some texts in the library, and some Assistant Professors talked about it," I mention, remembering what Tess and others found.

A few more steps and he reaches a distance of just a few steps away from me.

"Oh, please do not misunderstand. I am sure there are powerful weapons made by our Absolute. Some people call him a bit of a nut or a weirdo, but even for him, to create something like that should be impossible."

"I see," I say, and for the first time look up from the pieces and at the Professor.

He meets my gaze and looks at me.

Finally, I stand up, brush off my pants, kick the pieces away, and take a few steps closer. There are only three steps between us now.

"The others do not know you are here?" I ask.

"They do not," he confirms.

"I see." I slowly roll up the sleeves of my black shirt to my elbows. Then I partially lift the seal on Ignition Heart, and thermal energy floods my body. I adjust the setting on Kinetic Mana Heart, and most of my mana shifts into kinetic energy.

Ever since he entered the room, I have sensed his heartbeat and intent. I sensed it too when he left with the head of security and the Vice Director. Maybe I even sensed it the first time I met him during the first loop.

And finally, he decides to drop that annoying mask.

He takes off his jacket, standing there in a long-sleeved shirt and vest. His red eyes shine brighter than ever as he runs his fingers through his hair, brushing it away from his face and forehead.

The way he looks at me is the one I have been waiting for since the beginning.

"If you wanted to fight, you should have just fucking said so, stupid demon."

***

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