Why the Professors Are Calling

Kael clicked his tongue inwardly as he continued running. The screams of the female students ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠filled the open field, but he didn't lose his pace. By the time they passed the fourth and fifth laps, the girls controlled by the bandage magic began moving in increasingly grotesque ways. Their desperate screams grew even louder.

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

"Aaaaaagh! Agh! Aaaaaagh!"

The field was so filled with nothing but screams that it was impossible to tell whether this was a physical education class or a torture chamber.

Kael, who finished the ten laps first, paused to catch his breath.

"Haa… haa…."

"Haa… haa… S-Sister… I'm… so tired…."

When he glanced to the side, he saw that the Ring and Ming sisters had also completed all ten laps.

"Haa… haa… haa… Hngh!"

"Haa… haa… haa… I can't… anymore…."

Elenora stood there, barely holding herself upright after finishing the ten laps. In contrast, Irina had collapsed on the spot, too exhausted to care about maintaining her dignity. Both Elenora's brilliant golden hair and Irina's pink hair were drenched in sweat.

While Elenora and Irina had managed to complete all ten laps, not all of their followers were so fortunate.

"Kyaaaaah!"

"It hurts! Save meeee!"

Irina's followers, Marina and Yuliana, had joined the ranks of screaming girls whose bodies were locked in place by the bandages after reaching only seven laps. Elenora's followers fared no better.

Elenora and Irina, who had forced themselves to eat the coarse black bread, had avoided joining that hellish chorus. But the fate of her followers who hadn't eaten it was truly miserable.

After barely managing to finish the ten laps, Professor Galen's recovery magic washed over the screaming girls. Their torn muscles and twisted joints healed instantly, returning to normal. However, it couldn't heal the deep trauma carved into their minds.

"Hwaaaaaang!"

"No, no! Why do I have to suffer like this here?"

"Hwaaang! Please let me out!"

Sobs like those of children burst out from all directions. Yet Professor Galen seemed to enjoy their reactions.

"Haha! From now on, you'll have physical training class every single morning, so look forward to it!"

At Galen's words, fear flickered in both Elenora's and Irina's eyes. They had only barely survived thanks to forcing down the coarse black bread and building up their stamina beforehand. If they hadn't eaten it, they might have ended up in that same chorus.

With this, the option of not eating coarse black bread had completely vanished for the academy students.

"Alright, well done! Since today is the first day, there are no afternoon classes! Make sure to eat a hearty lunch and rest well!"

With that, the morning classes ended, and it was lunchtime. However, the cafeteria was filled with the students' despair as they faced the coarse black bread before them. Even the swordsmanship department students looked completely out of it—apparently, many of them had experienced a hell comparable to the magic department.

"What? Your first class was with Professor Galen too?"

"Yeah. You magic department guys only had to run ten laps. We had to run twenty!"

It seemed the swordsmanship students had gone through hell from their very first class. The students who had been competitively sharing their misfortunes quickly shifted the topic to Kael.

"But seriously, what the hell is up with Kael Aberwin? Why do all the professors show him such blatant favoritism?"

"Exactly. Even that bast— I mean, Professor Galen only let Kael rest. He forced everyone else to run with bandage magic!"

"That bandage… it was pure hell. I never realized how painful it is to have your body forced to move against your will."

"I heard Kael is as important as the professors' own lives. What kind of ability does he even have?"

Kael sat there calmly even as he overheard their conversation. He picked up the coarse black bread with his hand. He had no intention of eating it, but the reason he carried it around was to make them misunderstand.

If I walk around with black bread in hand, they'll assume I've eaten it.

Leaving behind the cafeteria's despairing atmosphere, Kael approached the Ring and Ming sisters and greeted them lightly.

"Ring, Ming. I'm heading back to my room now."

Ring looked up at him, offered a gentle smile, and stood from her seat.

"Yes, Kael-nim. Thank you so much for today. Thanks to you, I was able to finish the classes safely."

Ming's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes sparkled as she added,

"That's right, Kael-nim. Because of you, the professors looked after us too… We were really fortunate."

Deep trust and goodwill toward Kael were clearly visible on both sisters' faces. It felt like if he suggested going to bed right now, they would steel themselves and gladly offer their bodies. Having been rescued and cared for in a place with nowhere else to turn, his presence must have left an enormous impression on them in an instant.

"Kael-nim, shall we follow you back to your quarters? You said you wanted to hear our story," Ring asked cautiously.

Kael smiled and shook his head at her words.

"No, it's fine. You've had a tough day, so rest well. The story can wait until tomorrow. Focus on recovering first. Tomorrow's classes will be hard too."

Deep down, he wanted to give the Ring and Ming sisters something to eat. He wondered how brightly their faces would light up if he gave them warm lunch boxes or sweet snacks. But he couldn't do that.

The professors haven't spread the rumors yet. If I reveal my ability to Ring and Ming now, it'll throw off my plans. I can't give the professors any excuses.

Kael shook the coarse black bread in his hand and said,

"Then I'll head to my quarters now. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, Kael-nim. Please rest well."

"Rest well, Kael-nim."

The Ring and Ming sisters nodded in unison as they bid him farewell.

After leaving the cafeteria with their goodbyes, Kael returned straight to his quarters. The coarse black bread in his hand still looked rough and tasteless.

No need to actually eat this.

He could just get rid of it. With that thought, he tossed the bread onto the desk ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and purchased a lunch box.

A day had passed, granting him another 2000 points. On top of that, he'd received constant praise from the professors since morning for serving strawberry jam, and the praise during class had also counted toward his EXP. Even now, the compliments kept coming in steadily.

It looked like the Shop Window would soon reach Level 3.

If I hand out some cheese or butter around dinner time, I should hit Level 3 pretty quickly.

Even at Level 2, there were already quite a few items available. He was already excited to see how much further it would expand at Level 3.

It'll probably reach hypermarket level, right?

The daily points supplied would increase significantly as well. Seeing his growing point total, Kael felt a sense of satisfaction and decided to have lunch.

Buying fresh ingredients and cooking them himself wasn't impossible, but it seemed like too much hassle.

Let's just eat a lunch box and relax.

With that in mind, Kael ordered a lunch box.

A lunch box appeared on the desk. It started with an appetizer of Oriental sauce and salad, followed by a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠soft-boiled egg, hambak steak, stir-fried kimchi, sausage slices, mashed potatoes, and a mix of beans, carrots, and corn as mixed vegetables. Finally, there was white rice.

Kael picked up the provided chopsticks and took a bite of the hambak steak first.

"Mmm! Meat really hits the spot after exercise!"

Although the salad was meant to be the appetizer, he ate the hambak steak and salad together. Having just finished exercising, he was craving meat. After devouring all the side dishes and emptying the lunch box completely, he still felt some hunger lingering.

"Hmm, must be because I ran ten laps. I'm still a bit peckish."

He bought six convenience store dumplings for 2 points to finish his meal. They were just frozen dumplings being heated up, but they tasted plenty good. After polishing off all six dumplings, he finally felt properly full.

"Dispose of it."

After cleaning up all the trash, Kael was about to take a short rest. He first lay down on the soft bed. That's when a sudden bell rang. Someone was calling for him from outside.

"Ah, who is it now?"

He'd been trying to rest, but it looked like that wasn't happening. Less than five minutes after lying down, Kael got up and went to the door. Through the magic mirror attached to it, he saw Professor Lucia standing outside.

What does she want?

When Kael opened the door, Professor Lucia immediately called out to him urgently.

"Kael, I'm sorry to bother you right after you've finished eating, but could you come with me? There's something I really need to ask of you. The headmaster and all the professors have gathered."

Kael nodded.

"Understood, Professor."

Kael speculated that perhaps one of the professors had revealed his ability to a student. But looking at Lucia's expression, while she seemed urgent, that didn't appear to be the reason.

What on earth is going on?