Akira’s brief introduction to the history of World War III was incredibly beneficial for the Ascendants.
The memories provided by Infinity Reincarnation were minimal, containing only basic information regarding the background of their new identities without including specific knowledge about the world itself.
“Now, let’s see how far you understand the world.” Akira began the Q&A session with a challenging tone.
“Can anyone explain the primary trigger that caused World War III to break out and wipe out two-thirds of the human population?” “I can!” Having always been a model student in her original world, Yukino reflexively raised her hand.
“Very well, answer.” After Akira gave the signal, Yukino stood up gracefully.
She brushed her long black hair back, crossed her arms over her chest, and answered with complete confidence.
“The cause of war?
It’s simple, Sensei.
It was the pinnacle of human ignorance and intellectual laziness.” Akira’s mouth twitched at that misplaced philosophical answer, while Yuuta could only facepalm from his seat in the back.
However, Yukino didn’t care.
To her, war was a manifestation of the weakness of human character—those incapable of thinking independently.
“Most people lack the courage to stand on their own two feet or face bitter reality.
Instead, they choose to hide within groups, nurturing a collective ego and blaming others for their own inadequacies.” Being a proud loner, she viewed war as a byproduct of the “herd mentality” she so despised.
“War happens because humans are too weak to be honest with themselves.
They wrap their greed and fear in beautiful words like ‘justice’ or ‘ideology.’ In reality, it’s just a cowardly way to avoid personal responsibility.
If every individual had the self-respect to be truly independent and stopped clinging to the false illusion of ‘mutual understanding,’ such illogical conflicts would never exist.” For Yukino, anything that couldn’t be solved with sharp logic and honesty was a disgusting failure of character.
“…” The classroom instantly fell into a haunting silence.
The ten native students stared at Yukino as if she were a mental patient who had just escaped, while the Ascendants felt the speech was far too chuunibyou.
“Wrong answer.
Sit down, Yukinoshita.” Akira said flatly, without emotion.
However, Yukino did not immediately obey.
She remained standing tall, challenging the teacher’s eyes.
“Kudou-sensei.
Could you explain where my error lies?
As a teacher, you should instruct based on objective truth, not because of personal feelings that disagree with my opinion.” Yukino was indeed used to debating anyone regardless of status.
However, she forgot that her situation was no longer the same.
It wasn’t clear why protagonists in other fanfictions always tolerated her, but Akira certainly wouldn’t offer a shred of tolerance.
He was deeply concerned that the other students would be tainted by this distorted ideology of “righteousness,” which was extremely dangerous in the era of World War III.
“Enough, Yukinoshita.
Don’t make me repeat myself.
Sit.” Akira commanded with a tone that began to carry a threat.
“Hmph!” Yukino snorted in annoyance, then sat down with a small huff that showed her dissatisfaction.
Akira scanned the room once more.
“Does any other student know the correct answer?” Many students raised their hands, and this time Akira chose Yuuta.
Yuuta stood up calmly, providing an answer that stood in stark contrast to Yukino’s philosophical rhetoric.
“Resources.” “Exactly.
That is the correct answer.” Akira showed his appreciation through his gaze.
He signaled Yuuta to sit back down and began to explain with a much more serious tone while displaying various infographics on the electronic board.
“The primary cause of this war isn’t ideology; it is the struggle over extremely limited resources, especially the global food shortage.
Global food reserves were completely destroyed by climate disasters, which eventually forced nations to invade other territories to secure the remaining arable land.” Akira zoomed in on an image showing cities that had been reduced to rubble.
“The large-scale use of conventional weapons in efforts to defend or seize these resources only worsened the Earth’s already unstable condition.
Many of the world’s major cities were destroyed, vital infrastructure paralyzed, and humans were forced into a brutal survival mode.
We fight to eat, not to debate self-honesty.” Akira’s cold and pragmatic explanation made the classroom atmosphere even heavier, leaving Yukino in deep contemplation.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆ The next subject was Magic Theory, a crucial foundation for anyone wishing to survive this era.
Whether it was arranged by the Infinity Reincarnation system or just a coincidence that basic magic materials were taught intensively in the 4th grade, either way, this session truly helped the Ascendants understand the world they had been sent to.
Without this understanding, they were merely ordinary humans waiting for death in the middle of a futuristic battlefield.
What is magic?
In this world, magic is not a product of miracles from the heavens, the result of fervent prayer, or a dark contract with demons.
At the dawn of the late 21st century, humanity stopped viewing magic as superstition or occultism.
Through the discovery of Psion Particles—substantial particles that manifest human will and thought—magic was officially recognized as an established branch of technology.
Magic is the result of manipulating Eidos (Information Structures) that make up everything in this world.
By changing the information on an object’s Eidos, a Magician can alter physical phenomena instantly.
A Magician no longer recites long ancient spells under the moonlight or draws complex transmutation circles.
They use a CAD (Casting Assistant Device), a modern computing device that functions like a processor.
This device converts the user’s intent into a Magic Sequence within milliseconds, allowing the magical phenomenon to manifest.
As the world was ravaged by the prolonged World War III, natural resources depleted, and nuclear weapons became a mass suicide threat that no one would choose due to the risk of total planetary destruction.
Amidst the ruins of civilization, humanity found a new determination: Magic.
Not as a beautiful art, but as a branch of applied science for military interests.
In this cruel era, Magicians are no longer viewed fully as human beings.
They are humanoid weapons.
A nation’s victory is no longer determined by the number of tanks or fighter jets they possess, but by how many high-quality Magicians can be deployed to the front lines.
They are independent combat units capable of deflecting bullets with mere thought, freezing entire enemy battalions in seconds, and destroying the sturdiest fortifications without firing a single bullet.
In the eyes of generals and high-ranking officials, Magicians are merely organic components of a weapons system—subjects of genetic experimentation forced beyond their biological limits for national supremacy.
They are state property whose value is measured by combat effectiveness.
Just like the previous lesson, the classroom atmosphere heated up again.
With all the idealism and humanitarian principles she brought from her peaceful world, Yukino once again entered a heated debate with the instructor.
She could not agree—and in fact felt disgusted—by the concept of humans being considered weapons or inanimate objects that could be produced.
“Treating humans as weapons components is an insult to the dignity of life itself!” Yukino stated coldly.
“Science should be used to advance civilization, not to reduce human existence to mere killing machines!” Yukino’s behavior of constantly defying teacher authority was viewed very negatively.
After class ended, the teachers gathered in their office.
The main topic of their discussion was no longer the curriculum, but a student named Yukinoshita Yukino.
“That girl…
her thoughts are extremely distorted.
In an era like this, having thoughts like those is the same as inviting the entire country to surrender to the enemy.” The magic theory teacher complained while massaging his temples.
“Correct.
If left alone, she could infect the mentality of the other students.” Akira added, still annoyed by the earlier incident.
“We’ve agreed to immediately send her for intensive psychological counseling.
If standard indoctrination doesn’t work, we may have to recommend a harsher evaluation.”