"Today the academy will begin, and it will last for five months. I hope it passes quietly. After all, it's common for there to be terrorist attacks or something like that at academy arcs. The director goes off to do something important, then boom, barriers show from nowhere block the powerful, and the only remaining teacher is a traitor—a classic scenario."
I was expressing my thoughts while wearing the class uniform, white shirt, a black suit with black pants, and a classic red tie.
'They really love black color"
'But to be fair, we're not in a silly novel, right? I mean, it's unlikely I'd encounter a young master Arrogant who will make trouble with MC and dies tragically , or an extremely beautiful girl who'd fight the MC and he will ignore her and she fall in love with him. In reality, there's no MC at all. No MC means no problems. In all the novels I read, in old man place, everyone thinking of killing the Demon King, but let's be realistic—wouldn't killing the MC solve more problems? I mean, he causes bigger issues than the Demon King himself, and maybe he's the reason the Demon King appeared in the first place.'
"Damn it, why am I thinking about things like this when I'm nervous? It's all because of that senile old man's novels. I have to get rid of this bad habit or I'll turn into a foolish nerd. Ugh."
I cleared my mind and looked into the mirror. 'Good, I think…' I hadn't noticed the change in my appearance until now, especially my face.
"My features have become handsome, sharper—maybe due to my Dark Shard trait. My hair has turned an even deeper black, I mean it always black, but now like darkness Under the bed you know? I mean there's no light ever Ugh, why do I use this stupid comparison? Anyway, My hair is long and reaches my shoulders so I tie it back. the problem is my eyes. They've turned completely black, like ink drops. Why has the light vanished from them? They look like a abyss. Wait! Why in the hell am I using the word 'abyss' to describe my eyes? Have I lost my mind finally?" I slapped my cheeks to shake off the cursed thought. I really might have gone completely insane.
'Great. What's worse than a Dark Shard user who's immortal? The answer: a mad immortal Dark Shard user.'
I sighed, trying to clear my mind yet again. I headed for the door, aiming for the main academy hall. I'd been told I must attend, as the director would give a speech to announce the academy's opening.
The hall wasn't far. A massive, overly grand room awaited me, with a platform at the front and a huge screen behind it. The seats were tiered and could easily accommodate a thousand people, yet there were only about a hundred students.
'What a waste of money for a handful of children,' I thought as I walked and sat randomly, waiting for the speech.
Students entered, some causing minor commotion, whispers here and there. They seemed to be nobles, but I didn't lift my head—I didn't want to appear like a creepy weirdo.
Once the hall filled with about 200 students, the director entered and walked calmly to the platform, yet his aura made every student tremble in their seats.
'This old man—is he trying to kill us with his presence? Is he showing off in front of mere children?' I complained internally, trying to stay steady.
When the director reached the platform, the screen turned on and started broadcasting the speech.
"I'll keep it short because I hate long speeches. You are here at the academy to learn survival in the Abyssal World, the unknown world that has been invading our world for 60 years."
The director paused, letting his words weigh heavily over the hall.
"The most important thing you need to know is that the Abyssal World is scarier and more terrifying than you can imagine. One small mistake and you'll find yourself dead without knowing why. So let me advise you: leave your arrogance behind and try to learn as much as possible. It won't matter what family you come from or how wealthy you are, in abyss you are just a sheep waiting to be slaughtered."
Nikolai firmly established his words across the hall. The atmosphere changed; some students straightened and focused, while others began trembling in fear.
'Oh, planting fear in their hearts to force them to develop is a great way. After all, fear is the easiest way to make a person submit. ,' I thought, waiting for his next words.
"I've finished what I needed to say. Now, I declare the start of the 100th session of the academy. You may all proceed to your classrooms."
Nikolai didn't wait for the students, heading to leave.
'Good, it went smoothly,' I thought, watching him exit. As his gaze moved, it met someone else's, and to my surprise, his eyes shifted towards me.
'Damn it. Our gazes met. This old man is clearly toying with me, but what does he want? Is he trying to recruit me? Control me? Or something else? Wait! If I'm not mistaken, he looked at someone else before me. Who was it?' I quickly scanned the room, but most students had left as I tried to understand the director's intentions.
'Ugh, I lost track, but I can still figure out who it was during classes. After all, we'll go to the same classrooms.'
I stood and followed the other students to the class.
I entered another classroom similar to the previous one, though this one had a professor's desk in the corner and some minor details.
'Where should I sit? First row is usually for diligent students. Also, I should avoid the corner seat . Why? Are you stupid for asking something so obvious? Because troublemakers always sit there. I can imagine it—the MC sits there,trying not to attract attention , and a beautiful girl wonders if she can sit next to him.'
Students are amazed by this.
one said something like:
"Why the gods ask someone from the commoners to sit with them?"
Then a mysterious girl spoke:
"Who is this person? Focusing on his face now, he's handsome. I feel jealous."
'What a ugly scenario. What were the writers thinking when they made this scene?' I mocked internally, sitting in the middle of the last line.
'Best spot. The characters who sit here aren't mentioned anyway,' I laughed silently. Then I heard a voice that snapped me out of my mental ramblings.
"Excuse me, may I sit next to you?"
It was an angelic voice, truly as if the gods themselves were speaking. I looked up at the person who spoke, and I was shocked.
'Beautiful. No, even "beautiful" doesn't suffice.'
I thought, gazing at the girl in front of me: silky white hair glowing as if dispelling darkness, silver eyes , a flawless face radiating purity, A beautiful little nose, slightly chubby cheeks that make you want to caress them, and seductive pink lips.
'Hold on you idiot, don't lose your self for pretty girl '
I regained my focus and talk to the girl.
"Why do you want to sit next to me? There are more than enough seats for all the students," I logically argued. Her response shocked me.
"Well… how should I say this? This seat is not for main characters, so it's best to avoid attention," she said softly, turning her face aside and blushing.
'Oh my god. She thinks like me. And that blush makes her even more amazing. But is she stupid? How could she avoid attention with that face? If I let her sit next to me, many people, especially the jerks, will come closer just because she's there,' I thought, weighing my options.
"I don't own the seat or anything, so what you want, but please don't cause trouble," I said, looking forward. Many students were staring at us and whispering all kinds of things.
'This is the best option after all I would be in a worse situation if I rejected a pretty girl in front of everyone it would give them a clear reason to bully me'
"Thank you, and don't worry, I won't cause any trouble," she bowed in respect and sat beside me.
We sat quietly for a moment until she spoke again.
"Excuse me, may I know your name?"
She looked at me, waiting for my answer.
I turned to her calmly.
"My name is Nox."
"Oh, what a beautiful name! It's derived from Nyx, the Greek goddess of night and darkness. There's also Nox in Roman mythology, right? So you must be from Greece or Italy, am I correct?"
She spoke rapidly, unlike the shy girl she had been moments ago.
'Seems she really knows the history,'
I thought, surprised by her response. After all, I love history too
"No, I'm from Iraq, but my father loved ancient mythology, and I was born at night, so my name is like this," I replied, waiting for her next words.
"That's amazing. Clearly, your father was a cultured man worthy of respect. By the way, my name is Elena," she said, placing her hand on her chest in introduction.
'Looking closely now, she has a beautiful, well-proportioned body with a small waist. What a perfect figure. Damn, stop and focus this is a trap of sorts,' I thought.
"Elena comes from Helen of Greek mythology, right? This name is common in Russia. Judging by your appearance, you're probably Russian, am I right?"
Elena clasped her hands together, her silver eyes glowing.
"Yeah that's right you're smart man" She said with admiration evident in her voice
"Oh, thanks you" I replied, half sarcastic, half serious, watching her smile.
'Wait, doesn't she look like someone? Who was it…'
Before I could finish my thought, the professor finally entered and went to his desk, placing his belongings on it.
"Hello everyone, I'm Silas Ravenhaert. You may call me Professor Silas," Silas said, wearing his same annoying smile, looking at the students.
'Don't mess with me. Why this lunatic professor? Ugh, this academy is going to be hell,' I thought, feeling the weight of the upcoming months.