"Black Serpents…" Leo murmured after waking up, the na clinging to his thoughts like a lingering shadow.
"Isn't that the organization I'm supposed to join after graduating from Rodova?" he muttered, clutching his head as he tried his best to steady his breathing.
His heart was still hamring in his chest, the remnants of the horrifying dream refusing to fade.
However, with [Monarch's Indifference] working over-ti, he soon got his grip back, as he started to break-down his dream, trying to extract everything of value that he could from it.
"Noah toyed with those Transcendent level opponents facing him—" Leo recalled, as his mind replayed the fight sequences that he had just observed.
"At the sa tier, Noah was undoubtedly faster, stronger and sharper than his opponents, making it impossible to take him down, unless hundreds of them ganged up on him—" Leo analyzed, as he suddenly realised just how strong Noah really was.
However, no matter how strong he was within his own tier… the gap between realms was an insurmountable wall, even for him.
Against a Monarch, he had been reduced to nothing more than a child struggling to land a single blow.
As that cold, rciless man from the Black Serpents Guild hadn't just defeated him—he had dismantled him, piece by piece.
Leo exhaled, the mory seared into his mind.
It was common knowledge in this world that fighting an opponent a tier higher than oneself was nothing short of suicide.
However, Leo had always assud this was more of a cautionary guideline—a general wisdom rather than an unbreakable rule.
But he had been wrong.
Dead wrong.
Because if a man as monstrously talented as Noah couldn't even land a scratch on an opponent one tier above him…
Then it wasn't just difficult.
It was truly impossible.
—---------
After his ghost sleep episode, Leo grew even more wary of everyone and everything around him, including Muiyan Faye, as he did not like the idea of having to join an organisation that was most likely involved with the murder of his bloodline.
That dream reinforced his desire to keep so things hidden from Faye, in-case soday she did betray him, as Leo stopped feeling completely comfortable around her.
Instead, he felt even more motivated to grow stronger and reach higher tiers of strength, as in the end, his own strength was going to be the only thing that never betrayed him in his hour of need.
—-------------
(Next Day, Rodova Military Academy, Professor David's Class)
Leo was caught off guard when, instead of being unceremoniously thrown out of David's lecture as he had fully expected, he was allowed to stay.
Even more surprisingly, Su Yang was also permitted to sit in.
It was an anomaly— since David never let them attend his class.
And yet, today, in an unexpected turn of events, he seed to be in an oddly good mood.
A slow, deliberate smirk tugged at the professor's lips as he stepped to the center of the lecture hall, hands clasped behind his back.
The room was tense.
No one dared to fidget. No one whispered. No one even breathed too loudly.
Because every student in this room had suffered through one of David's infamous temper tantrums before.
And no one—absolutely no one—wanted to be the one who triggered it today.
Today was the last lecture before the mid-sester assessnts, and David had done the unthinkable—he had invited Su Yang and Leo to sit in on the session.
Not out of generosity.
Not because he had suddenly developed a sense of fairness.
But because he wanted to watch.
To see the exact mont despair settled into their eyes.
To witness their realization of just how truly dood they were.
His gaze swept across the hall, lingering just long enough on each student to ensure they felt the weight of his presence.
Then, with a voice as smooth as polished steel, he began.
"The mid-sester paper for Basics of Magic Theory will be a written test worth 80 marks," he announced, his tone void of sympathy, but laced with undeniable amusent.
At first, the students remained silent. Then, a few murmurs spread through the room—until David raised a single finger, silencing them instantly.
"Let break it down for you."
He turned toward the board and, with a flick of his wrist, a glowing script appeared in the air.
5 questions worth 7 marks each.
6 questions worth 4 marks each.
7 questions worth 3 marks each.
A few students squinted at the distribution. So quickly tried to do the math in their heads, while others waited for the inevitable catch.
David chuckled, a dry, condescending sound. "If you're wondering why there's no question worth 1, 2, or 5 marks—allow to explain."
He turned back to face the class, his grin widening.
"You see, I do not believe in 'partial correctness.' Either you know the answer, or you don't. Either you are competent, or you are not." His voice dripped with amusent. "Therefore, my grading system will be absolute."
A wave of dread rippled through the students.
"If your answer is fully correct, you get the full marks assigned to the question," David continued, pausing for dramatic effect. "If your answer is partially correct—or, heaven forbid, incorrect—then you get absolutely nothing."
Dead silence.
Then, a single groan from sowhere in the back.
David's grin sharpened. "Yes, yes. I know. It's a tragedy, truly. But this is reality. There are no participation trophies in my classroom. There is no amount of daddy's money that can help buy you grace marks, but you're free to try—"
A few students clenched their fists, others glanced at their notes as if cramming last-minute would save them from this academic slaughter.
Leo, watching from the side, exchanged a glance with Su Yang, who simply clutched his head in depression.
Su Yang had visibly lost all hope at this mont, however, as if the exams grading structure was not bad enough already, things got even worse for them, as David wasn't finished just yet.
"To pass," David continued, "one must score at least 50 marks. Anything below that, and you fail the mid-sester exams—losing a substantial portion of your final grade."
A low murmur of panic spread through the class, but David rely clasped his hands behind his back, clearly enjoying the tension in the air.
"Now," he said, leaning slightly forward, his voice dipping into sothing almost conspiratorial.
"I don't expect all of you to pass. In fact—" his smirk widened, "—I'd be shocked if even half of you do."
He said, as he locked eyes specifically with Leo, as a ripple of resentnt passed through the students, but none dared to challenge him.
Because they knew.
They knew that David wasn't just posturing.
That he ant every word coming out of his mouth.
And that when the test papers finally arrived at his desk—he would actually enjoy every single failure, for he was precisely such a sadistic bastard at his core.
"You will have two hours to attempt my test tomorrow, after which every extra minute taken will result in marks deduction.
So go ahead and give it your best—" He said, as he chuckled diabolically, before turning to write today's lecture topic on the board.
"Bending tal Using Magic"
He wrote, and as if his lecture so far was not depressing enough, he doubled down on it by saying, "By the way, this lecture is also counted for your mid sester exam tomorrow…. There may be a seven marker in here–"
To depress the class even more.
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