The classroom was silent.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on me.
Ms. Clara's sharp gaze felt like a blade pressed against my neck.
Calm down.
Just stay calm.
Panicking wouldn't help. If anything, it would only make things worse.
I slowly straightened in my seat and forced myself to breathe evenly.
"Sorry, Ms. Clara," I said, trying to sound composed. "I was feeling a little dizzy for a moment."
A few quiet laughs came from around the room.
Ms. Clara didn't laugh.
Her sharp eyes studied me for a moment before she tapped the holographic tablet floating beside her.
"Dizzy?"
She swiped the screen once.
A massive holographic display appeared above the classroom.
Names began scrolling down a glowing list.
The students immediately recognized it.
The Entrance Rankings.
My heart sank.
Oh no.
The list stopped.
Right at the very bottom.
A single name glowed brightly.
Rank: 2500 / 2500
A wave of laughter spread through the class.
"Dead last…"
"Seriously?"
"How did someone like that even get admitted?"
I slowly looked up at the floating display.
The name shining at the bottom made my stomach drop.
Chrono
Ms. Clara folded her arms.
"Mr. Chrono."
Her voice carried clearly through the room.
"You are currently ranked 2500 out of 2500 students."
She paused.
"In simpler terms…"
"You are the lowest ranked student in the entire academy."
More snickering echoed through the room.
I clenched my fists under the desk.
Fantastic.
Not only did I transmigrate into a novel…
I became the worst student in the entire academy.
Ms. Clara continued calmly.
"Perhaps your dizziness is related to this unfortunate ranking."
Her sharp eyes locked onto me again.
"But since you seem comfortable ignoring my lecture…"
She turned slightly and the holographic board behind her changed.
A glowing diagram of a human body appeared, streams of energy flowing through it.
"Let's see if the academy made a mistake."
Her gaze hardened.
"Mr. Chrono."
"Explain the fundamental principle of Mana circulation."
The room fell silent again.
Students leaned back in their chairs with amused expressions.
Some were already whispering.
"He's finished."
"No way dead last knows that."
I ignored them and glanced around the classroom.
I glanced around the room.
Near the window sat a boy with blue hair, his posture straight and composed.
Liam Veridian.
One of the famous Veridian twins.
In the novel he was known as a calm prodigy of the sword.
Right now, however, he didn't even look in my direction.
His attention remained on the holographic lecture board as if the situation behind him didn't exist.
It was the same with another student sitting near the front.
Long dark hair.
Cold expression.
Perfect posture.
Vayne Desmund.
Ranked second in the entire academy.
A prodigy of the powerful Desmund House.
She didn't laugh.
She didn't react.
In fact, she didn't even glance back.
To someone like her…
A last ranked student being humiliated wasn't worth acknowledging.
But one person did react.
Sitting beside Liam was a girl with the same striking blue hair.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand.
Her lips curled into a small smile.
Her eyes were shining with amusement.
Nia Veridian.
Unlike her calm brother, Nia loved chaos.
And right now…
Watching the lowest ranked student struggle in front of the entire class seemed to entertain her greatly.
Our eyes met for a brief moment.
Her smile widened slightly.
As if she was thinking—
This might be interesting.
Ms. Clara tapped the desk sharply.
"Mr. Chrono."
Her voice snapped my attention back to the front.
"Well?"
Her sharp eyes narrowed.
"Are you going to answer…?"
The entire classroom waited.
And I suddenly realized something terrifying.
I actually knew the answer.
Because I had read this exact lecture in the novel.
The problem was…
If I answered too well…
I might draw far more attention than an extra should.
For a few seconds, the classroom remained completely silent.
Everyone was waiting.
Most of them with amused expressions.
Some were already whispering.
"Is he even going to try?"
"Dead last probably doesn't even know what mana is."
Ms. Clara's sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
"Mr. Chrono."
Her voice carried a warning now.
"If you cannot answer, simply say so."
I exhaled slowly.
Alright…
Just enough.
Not too much.
Just enough to avoid embarrassing myself.
I slowly stood up from my seat.
Dozens of eyes followed the movement.
"The fundamental principle of mana circulation…" I began.
My voice was calm, though my heart was still beating faster than normal.
"…is the process by which mana flows through the body's internal channels."
The quiet laughter in the classroom began to fade.
"Every person has a natural mana core," I continued, "and from that core, mana spreads through the body through pathways often called mana circuits."
Some students blinked.
A few leaned forward slightly.
"The purpose of mana circulation is to stabilize that flow," I said. "If the mana moves too violently or becomes blocked, it can damage the circuits or even the core itself."
I paused briefly.
Then finished simply.
"So proper control of circulation allows someone to maintain stable mana output for spells, techniques, or reinforcement."
Silence followed my answer.
Not the mocking silence from before.
A different one.
Ms. Clara stared at me for a moment, her expression unreadable.
Finally she spoke.
"…Sit down."
I quietly returned to my seat.
The classroom murmurs slowly returned.
"That was… actually correct."
"Yeah, but it was basic stuff."
"Still better than I expected."
It wasn't a perfect answer.
I had left out plenty of details.
Advanced circulation methods.
Mana compression theory.
The stages of mana refinement.
But it was enough.
Enough to not look completely incompetent.
At the front of the room, Ms. Clara didn't continue the lecture immediately.
Instead, she watched me.
Closely.
Her sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about that answer bothered her.
It wasn't exceptional.
It wasn't detailed.
But there had been no hesitation.
No panic.
Just a calm response.
And that didn't match someone ranked 2500 out of 2500.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
"Mr. Chrono."
The room quieted again.
Several students groaned softly.
"Again?"
"Just let him sit down…"
But Ms. Clara ignored them.
"If your dizziness has passed," she said calmly, "then you won't mind answering another question."
A ripple of anticipation spread across the classroom.
This wasn't over yet.
"What happens when mana circulation becomes unstable during combat?"
Several students immediately smirked.
"Now he's done."
"No way he answers that."
Near the middle of the classroom, a girl with bright blue hair rested her chin on her hand.
Nia Veridian.
Unlike most of the class, she wasn't laughing.
Instead, she looked amused.
The situation seemed far more entertaining to her than the lecture itself.
Meanwhile, her twin brother Liam Veridian didn't react at all.
Nor did Vayne Desmund, the academy's second ranked student.
To them, the humiliation of the last ranked student simply wasn't worth acknowledging.
I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking.
Alright… careful.
I knew the idea.
At least vaguely.
But explaining it properly was another matter.
I slowly stood again.
"If mana circulation becomes unstable…" I began.
My words came out slower this time.
"…then the mana inside the body starts flowing unevenly."
Ms. Clara watched silently.
"That can make the mana circuits… kind of overload," I continued, struggling slightly with the explanation.
"Which might cause internal damage… or make a spell collapse."
A few students raised their eyebrows.
"But it can also make mana leak from the core…" I added.
"…which weakens control and makes it harder to maintain techniques during combat."
Silence followed again.
Ms. Clara stared at me for a few seconds.
Then her expression returned to normal.
"…Close."
She tapped the desk once.
"Your explanation is poorly worded and technically incorrect in several places."
A few students chuckled.
"But the basic idea is correct."
Her attention shifted away from me.
Whatever curiosity she had seemed to fade.
"Sit down."
Relief washed over me as I returned to my seat.
The classroom quickly lost interest.
Students turned back to their holographic screens.
The lecture resumed.
But one person in the room still looked entertained.
Nia Veridian's amused smile hadn't disappeared.
If anything…
It had grown slightly wider.