"Haha, look at the expressions on all of your faces!" After the girl was dragged inside by two soldiers, Teacher Havin glanced around, taking in the students' reactions before showing a sneer.
"I've already told you, this is a mutant. Yet, some of you still look sympathetic and even disapproving."
"What are you sympathizing with?" Havin grabbed the golden-haired girl held by the soldiers in front of him, pulling her up by her hair without hesitation. "And who exactly are you upset with?"
This rough treatment made the girl, whose pale face already looked weak, struggle painfully, her large eyes filling with tears. She looked quite pitiful.
Seeing the beautiful girl treated like this, a few of the teenage boys, fueled by a sudden sense of justice, couldn't contain themselves. One of them immediately stood up.
"Teacher, I know mutants are our enemies, but even so, we should show them respect. What you're doing is abuse and humiliation."
"And what do you suggest?" Havin sneered at the pimpled-faced student, his disdain evident. "Should I untie her, give her the freedom to move around, and treat her like a guest?"
"Of course not. But you could restrain her differently and allow her a limited amount of freedom." Despite the expression on his teacher's face, the student forced himself to respond.
"Alright, you lust-driven pig, sit down and shut up." Havin's impatience was clear. He pointed at the student and addressed the whole class.
"See this? This is the danger of mutants. Because they look just like humans when they're not fighting, some of their females can stir up sympathy among you fools who think only about mating, leading you to lower your guard."
Havin shook the beautiful, tearful mutant girl in his grip. "Every year, the Federation loses a large number of star-armored soldiers who are killed and eaten by mutants like this."
"Pig, do you know what would happen if you encountered this mutant outside of a controlled environment?" Havin looked directly at the embarrassed student who had stood up earlier, sneering as he continued. "You would be about ninety percent likely to get lured to a hotel by this mutant. You'd think you were in for a wonderful encounter, but instead, she'd kill you mercilessly and devour you down to the bone."
Havin looked back at the student, who now seemed embarrassed, a mocking expression on his face. "If you're lucky, maybe you'll get to enjoy it before you die, becoming nothing more than food for a mutant."
As soon as Havin finished, the room erupted in low laughter. The students who had initially felt a surge of justice now bowed their heads in embarrassment, especially the student who had spoken up; he looked like he wanted to hide under his desk.
"Yes, what is it?" As the laughter settled, Havin noticed a black-haired boy in the front row with his hand raised.
"I want to know how to identify mutants." Muria stood up and asked, pointing at the golden-haired girl in Havin's grip. "The mutant you're holding doesn't look any different from a normal human girl."
"Are you suggesting I'm holding a human girl?" Havin smiled, his face, marred by three long scars, looked particularly menacing.
"Of course," Muria nodded slightly. "Because so far, I haven't seen anything on her that would differentiate her from a human."
"Interesting. So, you doubt my words?" Havin squinted at Muria, who looked back calmly.
"Based on what you said, I'll never trust anyone I don't know well. I'll question everyone around me, wondering if they're actually mutants in disguise. I won't believe anyone anymore."
Muria continued with a steady expression, "Not only do I doubt that the one you're holding is human, but I also question whether you, yourself, might be a mutant disguised as a human."
"You… not bad!" Rather than getting angry, Havin looked at Muria with approval. "Let me show you how to tell a mutant apart."
"Crack!"
A horrifying scene unfolded in the classroom. Havin released the golden-haired girl, then grabbed her head with one hand and her neck with the other, twisting her head 360 degrees, spinning it around and then back.
"Ah—!" This gruesome sight caused several students to cry out in shock. It was too bloody to witness.
"Accelerated healing!" Muria observed the mutant girl in Havin's grip. Though her neck should have been broken, her head remained firmly attached to her shoulders.
The girl's neck, bloodied from the violent twisting, was healing at a visibly fast pace. In just a few seconds, apart from a bit of blood on her neck, there was no sign she had been injured.
"This is one of the abilities mutants have that humans lack. They can repair their injuries by consuming energy from their bodies," Havin explained. Then, he drew a small knife, slicing his wrist lightly so that blood seeped out, filling the air with a faint metallic scent.
In an instant, the mutant girl's demeanor changed. Her whites turned pitch-black, her blue irises becoming blood-red.
Her body trembled, her breathing grew ragged, and her throat moved convulsively as she fixated on Havin's bleeding wrist. She bit down hard on the metal gag in her mouth, which creaked under the strain.
"She's a ghoul-type mutant, known for their insatiable craving for human flesh and blood. Just the scent of blood can provoke them. However, this trick only works on low-level ghouls who can't control their urges. For higher-level ones, you'll need different methods to identify them."
Havin continued explaining ghoul mutants, leaving the students wide-eyed with curiosity. The government had kept this knowledge under wraps, so this was their first exposure to such information.
Most of their families hadn't told them either. After all, no parent with a sound mind would tell their child, "Anyone around you could be a man-eating monster."
"What's the weak point of these creatures?" Muria pressed on, addressing the soldierly-looking teacher.
"Low-level ghouls have fewer vulnerabilities than humans, but their heads and hearts are still fatal points. For higher-level ghouls, those areas aren't enough. Even if you destroy their hearts and brains, they won't die."
"So if we encounter one of these creatures without weaknesses, how should we kill it?" A girl with a ponytail in the front row raised her hand. Muria recognized her as his neighbor, Hillman.
"Simple. Use star-armor weapons to completely obliterate the ghoul's body, leaving no trace of flesh or blood." Without waiting for Havin to answer, Muria responded to his neighbor, "Even to regenerate, they need a part of their body left intact. Destroy everything, and they won't survive. There's no need to even ask this—it's obvious."
"You…" Hillman scowled at Muria's response, clenching her fists and making a small punching motion. "Just wait until combat class, Jerros Douglas!"
...
"Quite a tough man for someone so conservative," Muria muttered as he got into the car Susan had sent to bring him home.
"What's bothering you?"
"In today's mutant class, the teacher brought a ghoul for a live demonstration. I wanted him to release it so we could observe its attack style, but he refused." Muria voiced his frustration.
"As your teacher, he's responsible for your safety. He wouldn't risk an incident, no matter which student it happened to," Susan replied, chuckling at Muria's complaints.
"Fair enough. I'll find a ghoul to study on my own when I get the chance."
"Ghouls aren't that easy to find!" Susan assumed he was joking and didn't take his words seriously.
As the car approached the villa area, Muria's gaze shifted to a new restaurant that had opened across the street. Its logo was a curled-up golden dragon.
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