Ethan frowned the moment the instructor spoke.
What the fuck was with everyone constantly reminding him that he was a low-ranking Guide?
It was beginning to feel like the academy had collectively sworn an oath to mention it at least once every time they saw him.
Still, despite the obvious hostility in the instructor’s tone, Ethan neither argued nor pleaded.
It wasn’t because he didn’t care about the threat hanging over his head. On the contrary, he cared very much. The problem was that, according to the memories he had inherited, pleading would accomplish absolutely nothing. This particular instructor despised Ethan more than any other teacher in the academy. The man had never bothered hiding his bias and had probably been waiting for an opportunity like this to finally "teach him a lesson."
Since begging wouldn’t change a thing, why humiliate himself for no reason? Ethan merely shot the instructor a calm, dismissive glance before asking calmly, "What lesson?"
The instructor’s expression immediately darkened. The hatred in his eyes was so obvious that he didn’t even bother concealing it anymore.
"What lesson?" he repeated mockingly. "You do know that the class you just arrived late to is a Physical Experiment class, don’t you? And today’s session is being used as a practical test."
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.
Okay...
That, he genuinely hadn’t known.
How come?
Seeing the surprise on Ethan’s face, the instructor’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
"You really didn’t know?" he said with an amused scoff. "Not only are you weak, but you’re also unserious? Well, since you couldn’t be bothered to arrive on time for my class, you’ve already missed the group assignments. Every Sentinel has already been paired with a Guide, which means..." His smile widened ever so slightly. "...you have no one to group with."
This time...
Ethan was genuinely worried.
The instructor, however, either failed to notice his growing concern or simply didn’t care.
"And partnering with a Sentinel is a requirement for today’s test," he continued without the slightest hint of sympathy. "Without a partner, you can’t even participate. So unless someone arrives even later than you—which I highly doubt—you’ll simply have to sit there and watch everyone else complete the examination while you receive zero marks"
"..."
What a cold-blooded jerk.
Ethan wanted nothing more than to argue back.
He wanted to ask whether this was really part of the academy’s official punishment system or whether the man was simply abusing his authority.
Unfortunately...
He also knew better than to provoke an instructor. Any argument would only make things worse.
After taking a slow breath to suppress the countless words threatening to spill from his mouth, Ethan forced himself to swallow every complaint.
"...Alright."
Without another word, he walked toward the very last row and chose the seat furthest from everyone else.
His plan was simple. Stay unnoticed. Stay quiet and survive the class.
Unfortunately...
His reputation clearly had other plans.
Even from the back of the room, he could feel eyes drifting toward him every few seconds. Whispers rose and fell throughout the hall, some mocking, others amused, while a handful of students openly stared without bothering to hide it.
At this point, Ethan was beginning to get used to it.
Ignoring them, he shifted his attention back to the instructor, who had begun explaining the details of the practical examination.
Today’s test would take place inside specially secured training rifts maintained by the academy. Each rift contained different types of monsters, varying in both strength and difficulty depending on the level assigned to each team.
Several teams would enter the same Rift simultaneously, though each would operate independently while competing against the others. Every sentinel was to enter alongside their assigned Guide. The objective was simple: eliminate as many monsters as possible before the allocated time expired.
Every defeated monster earned points based on its rank and difficulty, and those points would determine each team’s final score for the examination.
Of course, simply defeating monsters wasn’t enough.
The test also evaluated teamwork between Sentinels and Guides. A Guide’s ability to support, stabilize, and enhance their Sentinel during combat would directly affect the team’s overall performance. Poor coordination could cost valuable points, while exceptional cooperation could push a team far ahead of the others.
As for the reward...
The instructor’s expression turned noticeably more serious.
The team that earned the highest number of points across all participating groups wouldn’t simply receive outstanding test scores. They would also be granted access to one of the academy’s high-grade resource vaults, where they could each select a rare cultivation resource personally approved by the Imperial Academy. Whether it was an advanced mana crystal, high-quality monster core, enhancement serum, or an extremely valuable spiritual herb, the reward was significant enough that even elite students would compete fiercely for first place.
Ethan listened carefully, silently memorizing every rule despite knowing he probably wouldn’t even get the chance to participate.
Just at that moment the heavy training doors slowly opened causing him to instinctively turn his head.
There, walking inside with effortless arrogant confidence and the same graceful composure that seemed to follow him everywhere, was Drey.
Without sparing anyone a glance, Drey walked straight toward the instructor before stopping a respectful distance away.
"Sorry I’m late," he said calmly. "It won’t happen next time."
The moment those words reached Ethan’s ears...
The color instantly drained from his face.
Oh God...
No.
No, please.
Anyone...
Anyone but him.