2
Chapter 2
Academy classes are divided into S, A, B, C, D, E, and F Class based on mana capacity, regardless of grade.
Professors are in charge of S and A Class,
teachers handle B and C Class,
and assistants rotate through D and E Class.
F Class is mostly left to self-study.
They say there's no room to deal with students who lack talent.
It's not a lack of room; they've just given up.
Assigning a novice teacher like me to F Class is nothing more than performative administration.
A mere gesture to show they've put in a minimum effort for F Class.
'Nobody actually expects anything to change.'
Anyone else would have given up long ago and looked for a different career.
After all, the only difference between F Class and an ordinary person is the experience of awakening.
To put it bluntly, they are just ordinary people who can perceive their own mana.
But if it's me, I can certainly make them grow.
I possess knowledge gained firsthand from the war.
Exactly how to train to achieve specific growth.
And the correct way to accumulate mana.
I even know who the most prominent figures are in every field.
There is no better place than the Academy to put this knowledge to use.
The rejuvenated body felt foreign, and a profound sense of incongruity lingered in the empty Mana Storage.
'Well, how bad could it be? It'll work out somehow.'
Enoch composed himself and flung open the door to F Class.
All he saw was an empty classroom.
Dust had piled up thick on the desks, and the blackboard was completely blank.
The sounds of other classes drifted in through the window.
The sound of students laughing,
the sound of magic being cast,
and the voices of instructors guiding their students.
Only this classroom was silent.
"What? Did I come to the wrong room?"
No matter where he looked, the nameplate clearly read F Class.
Just then, someone tugged on his robe from behind.
Enoch naturally turned his head toward the touch.
"Um... w-who are you?"
The one pulling his robe was a girl with ash-brown hair tied in a low braid.
Unkempt bangs partially veiled her eyes.
Her voice was small, but her posture as she looked up at Enoch was straight.
"What? What's this? Who's standing in front of our class?"
A boy with curly orange hair and puppy-like brown eyes had suddenly appeared beside her.
The boy scanned Enoch from head to toe with curiosity, his eyes sparkling.
Enoch sensed immediately that the children behind him were the students of F Class.
"Oh... hello?"
#
After a brief greeting, Enoch stood at the podium while the two F Class students sat side by side in their chairs.
"Wow! Does that mean we finally get a teacher? Not an assistant, but a real teacher?!"
The boy, who was jumping for joy and couldn't even sit in his chair, was named Benny Finch.
Beside him, a girl named Edelyn hung her head shyly but watched Enoch intently.
"Are you two the only ones in F Class?"
"Yes! All our other classmates dropped out!"
Benny spoke brightly.
As if he were talking about the weather.
"T-the seniors who were here... they all quit too. They said there was n-no future at the Academy."
Edelyn's voice remained low.
Her bangs hid her expression from view.
Benny might have sounded cheerful, but this was the reality of F Class.
Students who deserved a fair education had been completely cast aside under the guise of level-based learning.
In the end, only these two remained in a classroom that no one had visited for six months.
"Thank you for telling me, Benny Finch."
"You can just call me Benny!"
"Right. I've got it. Now stop jumping and please take a seat."
Edelyn tugged on the hem of Benny's clothes.
Benny reluctantly sat in his chair, though he kept shaking his legs.
"So, what do we learn first? I'm so bored after six months of self-study."
"What did you usually do during your self-study time?"
"I-I borrowed books from the library and read them."
"I trained! I picked up branches nearby and swung them around! I did great, right? Right?"
So they basically just killed time.
Of course, how could these children be blamed?
This result was inevitable since they were neglected and taught absolutely nothing.
'But why did they stay here after being neglected for six months? At this point, the Academy is practically pushing them out the door.'
While those thoughts lingered, Enoch looked back and forth between the two children.
Benny was excitedly stomping his feet, and Edelyn was quietly waiting for her teacher's words.
The fact that they hadn't given up on the Academy.
That alone made these children seem different.
"Then today, let's see what your level is."
Benny jumped out of his chair in excitement and took a stance.
"I'm ready!"
Edelyn was also feeling interested.
He could tell even without seeing her face.
Her hands resting neatly on her lap and her slightly tilted head gave it away.
"Shall we head to the training ground then?"
#
Following Enoch's lead, they headed toward the Back Hill Clearing of the Academy.
"Wow~ I didn't know a place like this existed!"
'Well, that's because this is where my past self used to take naps.'
He had wanted to use the actual training ground, but he was kicked out because B Class was in session.
A snake-like teacher had scanned him from head to toe and said:
"F Class may use the facilities after the other classes have ended."
Then the teacher shut the door in his face.
I protested, but the B Class teacher didn't even pretend to listen.
'Even for F Class, this level of disregard is insane. Something's off. Does he have a grudge against me?'
The snake-like teacher's face was barely familiar.
Still, for a teacher to kick out students instead of suggesting they share the space...
'I'll definitely throw that snake-faced bastard into the Demon Realm later.'
"Attention."
Benny and Edelyn, who had been looking around, turned their gaze to Enoch.
"Before we check your levels, what types did you awaken as?"
Humans are divided into types upon awakening.
If the body is strengthened, it's the Martial Arts Type,
if a magic circle is engraved in the brain, it's the Magic Type,
those who can heal wounds are the Healing Type,
and those who weaken opponents are the Curse Type.
"I'm Martial Arts Type!"
'Right. I knew that the moment I saw him swinging those branches.'
Nodding as if he'd expected it, Enoch turned to Edelyn.
"I-I'm Magic Type."
"Oh, really? Which magic circles do you know? How many are engraved?"
Having been an Archmage, Enoch felt a bit more interest in Magic Type awakened.
"I know one. Water Ball..."
'Water Ball, huh. Not great, but not bad either.'
Enoch muttered to himself.
He was glad there was a Magic Type student.
'I wonder if she can handle my magical knowledge. Since I have no mana now, I need to pass it on to someone.'
I wonder if this child can handle it.
"Alright. I have a rough idea. I assume you two haven't even started accumulating mana yet?"
"But we are accumulating mana?"
'What? Then why is their mana capacity so pathetic? It's barely any different from that nagging Vice-Principal.'
"Where are you gathering your mana?"
"The dantian!"
"Which dantian specifically?"
"My belly button?"
Benny pointed to his belly button.
Enoch was momentarily speechless.
"Dantians are divided into three. The Upper Dantian in the head, the Middle Dantian in the heart, and the Lower Dantian below the navel. You're talking about the Lower Dantian. But why is a Martial Arts Type gathering mana there?"
"The assistant who was in charge of us for a bit told us to do it that way."
Enoch's head throbbed.
'Exactly which idiot passed on this wrong knowledge... Or is it just that they've always taught it like this in this era?'
The children's gazes turned toward Enoch, who was lost in thought.
Coming back to his senses, Enoch looked at Edelyn.
"I-I was told to carve a Circle into my heart. But it wasn't working..."
'A Circle?????'
A Circle is the act of engraving a mana circuit into the heart.
It was a total bluff created just so they could brag to their juniors about how many Circles they had.
Specifically, Circles have a fatal flaw.
They obstruct the Mana Flow when using magic.
The larger the amount of mana, the worse the interference becomes.
'Luckily, Edelyn has very little mana and couldn't even form a Circle...'
I suppose in this case, having no talent is actually a blessing.
Benny hovered around Enoch, who was lost in thought.
Finally, Enoch spoke.
"Let's stop trying to make a Circle. It won't help you at all."
"A-as I thought, it's because I have no talent."
Edelyn hung her head low.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Flustered, Enoch waved his hands hurriedly.
"No, no, no. Circles are just the wrong way to accumulate mana. They only get in the way when you use magic. It's not a matter of talent. I'll teach you a much better way."
Edelyn lifted her head slightly to look at Enoch.
Her teary eyes were barely visible through her bangs.
"...Really?"
"Of course. I'll help you gather mana much more efficiently than those Circles ever could."
At his confident words, Edelyn gave a small smile.
It was a tiny, cautious smile, but it shone brightly, out of place in the Back Hill Clearing.
Seeing this, Benny kept raising his hand, nearly blocking Enoch's view.
"Teacher, what about me? What about me?! What about me!!"
"I'll teach you too, obviously."
"Yay!"
Benny shouted, pumping his fist.
'At this rate, I'll have to start by teaching these kids how to hold a fork...'
Enoch could already see the hardship awaiting him.
'Still, I should try as best as I can.'
#
The first lesson ended, and the children headed back to the dormitory.
The late afternoon sunlight stretched long across the stone walls.
Benny hopped as he walked, as if trying to avoid stepping on the lines of the shadows.
"I think the new teacher is great. Even if he zones out sometimes."
Benny laughed, seemingly thrilled just to have a teacher for F Class.
Edelyn chuckled and nodded.
"I-I'm also looking forward to what the teacher will tell us in tomorrow's lesson."
"Me too, me too!"
The children laughed as they headed toward their respective dorms.
Their footsteps grew distant, and their voices faded away until they were gone.
Meanwhile, Enoch slumped into his chair, clutching his head.
'One's a Martial Arts Type gathering mana in the Lower Dantian, and the other's a Magic Type trying to carve a Circle...'
Not only had they been neglected for six months, but they had been heading in the completely wrong direction.
Everything had to be overhauled.
"Where on earth do I even start teaching!!!!!!!!"
At Enoch's scream, an assistant passing through the hallway looked at the F Class nameplate with a bewildered expression.