Adapting to the Academy (2)

"...Read and ghosted, huh."

His mind went blank for a moment at this first-time experience in his life.

Vrrr.

The vibration signaling a new message buzzed. Thankfully, it wasn't a ghost after all. Seongjin let out a sigh of relief and checked his phone.

A reply after a whopping ten minutes. Pretty underwhelming content for something he'd waited that long for. Seongjin tapped out a casual response.

What's so wild about that? He considered pressing her on it but let it go. Fair enough, it could be surprising.

And with that, the chat ended. Seongjin closed the messenger app and searched for the Noble Academy academic schedule, his original goal.

September 1st... It's August 16th now, so about two weeks left.

In two weeks, vacation would end, and students would flood back in. Seongjin set his phone down and gazed out the window. The night view from the 2,000-meter-high plateau was spectacular. Below, Novapolis's city center sparkled like the Milky Way, while the academy's modern buildings emitted bright lights from all directions, flaunting their grandeur.

In just two weeks, he'd be down there teaching those students. He'd never professionally taught anyone before and had zero interest, but now that it was right in front of him, he felt a subtle excitement bubbling up.

Wonder who'll be in my class. Heard it's the rude ones. Will Lien take it? She's pretty polite.

He didn't know exactly who his students would be yet, but deep down, he hoped Lien would sign up.

If she does, I'll drill her properly. Already sounds fun.

The corners of Seongjin's mouth curved into a sly arc.

After boiling some instant ramen in the kitchen and scarfing it down, he headed to the bathroom. It was still early evening, but he planned to hit the sack soon. Tomorrow, he'd be touring the academy all day.

And so, his first day at the academy faded into night.

The next day.

I'd finished getting ready for going out and was sitting on the sofa. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd ordered clothes via terminal and changed into them—they really arrived in ten minutes. I straightened my outfit and glanced at the wall clock. 9:55.

Five minutes until the 10 a.m. Iris mentioned. I stood in the middle of the living room, closed my eyes, and focused all my senses on my ears. The world seemed to fade away as a flood of sounds poured in.

The faint hum of the kitchen fridge, water droplets plinking in the sink, the clock's ticking, birds chirping outside, leaves rustling in the wind, insect buzzes, occasional footsteps. Familiar everyday noises.

I filtered out the clutter and zeroed in on the anomalous ones.

Vrrr.

Car engine. Coming up from below.

This was only the second floor, but with focused senses, the engine noise from the road far down was crystal clear.

Demonic Body definitely amps up Super Senses too. Detection range has skyrocketed.

Not just since getting Demonic Body, but as it leveled up, Super Senses improved alongside. At this point, it was like having a biological radar. The downside was the constant barrage of amplified ambient noise, but I could handle that easily. I'd gotten used to it, after all.

Screech.

Thud, thud.

The car seemed to stop, followed by a door opening and human footsteps.

Two people.

The footsteps didn't match one person. I moved to the door ahead of time.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell. I tapped my card to open it.

There stood not yesterday's Iris, but two burly men in suits. They bowed politely upon seeing me.

"Good morning, Special Instructor Han Seongjin. We're here to escort you for the mandatory pre-appointment medical exam and ability assessment."

"Exam? Like a physical checkup?"

"Yes, exactly."

...A physical, huh? Should be fine.

Demonic Body hadn't raised flags at the C City barrier check. This seemed more precise, so it might differ, but I doubted it'd be a big issue. I nodded lightly and followed them.

Descending the stairs, a black car came into view. One man opened the rear door and gestured inside. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pretty lavish treatment.

Do they do this for every professor? Or am I being treated like VIP?

No reason to refuse. I slid into the back passenger seat.

About twenty minutes later, we arrived at a massive cylindrical building some distance from the main academy hall. Its dome ceiling was covered in dense hexagonal patterns.

Looks like a beehive up close.

Following my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠escorts inside, cool AC air hit me along with the sting of disinfectant. The lobby felt far more sterile and mechanical than the main building. We took the central express elevator deep underground. It descended for a while before stopping at B5.

Next to the "5" was "Special Examination and Ability Measurement Wing." Had to be where my check was happening.

The doors opened to dozens of white-coated researchers and bizarre, complex machines crammed everywhere.

"This way, please."

They led me to a room. Inside was an old man with a white beard.

"Good morning, Mr. Han Seongjin. I'm Dr. Elvis, in charge of your examination."

"Nice to meet you. Han Seongjin. But why the exam?"

"It's a mandatory procedure before instructor appointment. The academy must fully assess all faculty for student safety."

First up: physical exam. I stripped off my shirt and stepped into a capsule-like precision scanner. Researchers operated it from outside.

Will Demonic Body get flagged?

A bit tense, but after the laser swept over me with no reaction, it seemed clear. Stepping out, Dr. Elvis and the team stared intently at the monitor as results popped up.

"Muscle density... My god, four times that of a typical body-enhancement superhuman. Bone strength is insanely high too."

"But cellular structure is stable within carbon-based lifeform norms. No risk of rampage. Ideal enhancement."

"Never seen flesh this perfect in person."

"These are numbers you see inspecting high-rank monsters..."

High-rank monsters? They have ranks too?

Didn't know the details, but my body got rave reviews. Next: mental exam. Brainwave scans, hypnosis/brainwashing checks—complicated stuff.

"No anomalies. Mental state extremely stable. No traces of brainwashing or external interference."

No issues here either. Obviously—I'd never tangled with a mental superhuman.

Then a sudden curiosity hit me.

"Do all faculty go through these? Mental ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scans too?"

"Yes. In principle, everyone academy-related—faculty and instructors."

"So no brainwashed traitors, huh. Kinda disappointing."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

I brushed past the weird look from a researcher and followed the doctor out quickly.

"Finally, ability verification. To the measurement area, Mr. Han."

They took me to the largest room: a training ground walled in shiny metal, cameras trained on me. Researchers watched from behind glass, tablets in hand.

"Mr. Han, please demonstrate your abilities."

A training dummy sat before me. Tapping it, it felt solid enough for full power. I pulled up my status window.

Now, how much to show?

Regeneration, Demonic Body's true power, full-body bio-armor—best to hide those. Especially Weak Point Perception; can't quantify it anyway, and it's my ace.

This should suffice.

I inhaled deeply and focused on my left arm.

Shlrk!

As practiced in the dorm, black liquid surged from my elbow down, forming sharp gauntlet armor. Researchers' eyes lit up; machines whirred busily.

"Partial body hardening?"

"A form of mutation. And this too."

I gathered energy in my back and unleashed tentacles.

Shooook!

Ten black tentacles snaked out like vipers. I aimed them at the dummy.

"Oh...!"

"External bio-tissue emission and control."

"Accompanied by physical mutation. Extremely rare type."

Researchers marveled at their monitors. I whipped a few tentacles to crush a nearby steel target effortlessly.

"As you see, it's a body-enhancement ability with mutation. The armor boosts offense and defense; tentacles for multi-target or tricky attacks."

"Excellent. Superb data."

Dr. Elvis flipped through charts, satisfied. This was less than 30% of my power, but it apparently justified the "special instructor" label by academy standards. The visuals alone were perfect for wrangling students.

After a few more demos, exams wrapped. I retracted the armor and tentacles, exiting to Dr. Elvis's polite words.

"Well done, Instructor Han. All results normal."

"Can I head out now?"

"Of course. Welcome officially to the academy."

Leaving his welcome behind, I took the elevator up with my escorts and headed to the black sedan, feeling light. Noon already.

In the car, I said to the front seat, "Mind giving me a tour of the academy? I'd like to sightsee."

"Yes, of course. That's part of our duties."

"Great. Let's grab lunch first. Head to the cafeteria."

"Yes."

Vroom.

The sedan revved forward. Propping my chin, I watched the scenery roll by.

Library after lunch.

The chairman said it held ancient manuals lost to time. What secrets did they hold? Curiosity gnawed already.