Chapter 36 - 36 - Acting is indeed needed atleast sometimes, I guess.
Chapter 36: Chapter 36 - Acting is indeed needed atleast sometimes, I guess.
Zeph POV
I'm seated in the classroom, surrounded by students who seem to understand everything the professor is saying.
Valeriana, in particular, is answering questions like she's got a direct line to the gods of knowledge. Meanwhile, I'm here, unable to grasp a single concept.
To make matters worse, the Professor Adriannel has bestowed upon me the impossible task of achieving the first rank in this class.
How on earth am I going to pull that off? I can't help but regret all those days I spent happily bunking college lectures.
As I drift into thoughts of impending academic doom, I suddenly hear a voice that snaps me back to reality.
"Student Zephyr," he addresses me, "I assume you've absorbed all this knowledge effortlessly, so kindly enlighten us. What is the intricate relationship between human energy and mana?"
It's a familiar situation: when you don't know the answer but still have a mouth to speak, and that's exactly what I did.
"A person's soul is a type of energy created by their consciousness. The more self-realization they have, the stronger their soul becomes. Take, for example, the great archmage Riannel. He was said to possess the power to leave his body without dying, making him an invincible figure. Here, mana in the surrounding environment responds to the consciousness of the body. It's manipulated by aligning the frequency of mana around oneself with their soul. That's the relationship between human energy and the mana energy around us"I confidently declare.
The classroom falls into stunned silence, and I feel the collective gaze of everyone boring into me. I started chanting mantra.
I can't help but chuckle internally. 'Like hell am I going to let you read my mind now, especially after I just made a mockery of the professor.'
But the real question here is, what will the professor do next? Will he:
1. Tell everyone that the great archmage doesn't possess such powers, ruining my epic storytelling?
2. Or claim that I'm entirely wrong, casting doubt on Archmage ? I mean, who's going to believe a professor over a legendary archmage?
In this crazy world, nothing is as complicated as it seems. Sometimes, you just need to roll with it, even if you're making stuff up as you go along. And that's exactly what I did.
Professor response isn't what I expected. Instead of opting for either of the choices I had in mind, he goes for a third option.
"You can sit, student, but be focused in class, or next time your bluffing won't save you," he says with a serious face.
'Wait, did he just choose a third option?' I wonder. It seems that using the same college techniques here won't work. He's onto me, and he's not buying my archmage-powered soul theory.
Whatever atleast I suppose I did manage to capture the attention of my dear target, even if it meant making a mockery of myself. I glanced towards the Third Princess, also known as Alora Vi Vendal.
She's the most innocent and caring character one could encounter in the first volume of the novel, setting her apart from the rest of the nobles. She's almost like a Saintess, at least until one reads the second volume, that is.
In my opinion, in this world, a person awakens an ability similar to their own personality or relationships, at least from what I've known so far. It's a theory that can help one make educated guesses about others' abilities.
Princess Alora is a prime example of this, as her ability is called ?NeuroGrim?. Of course, like its name suggests, it's dangerous. It allows her to produce a special worm called the Grim Worm, which has the capability to kill someone.
However, the real issue is Alora herself, as she has full control over these worms. This gives her the power to manipulate and control others by injecting them with the worms, effectively holding their lives in her hands. She can inflict unbearable pain on them, forcing their submission.
So, why do I want her attention, to the point of acting foolish in the entire class? The answer is simple: I want her Grim Worm.
With my physical strength, which I believe will rival that of a professor in this academy within a year, I can form a formidable force. But what I lack is loyalty from those I intend to recruit into my army.
Unlike some naive protagonists, I don't plan to let my newfound strength go to my head. In my eyes, this world is vast and full of opportunities.
I don't intend to act as if I'm invincible; instead, I see this world as something I can expand my influence over to the point of covering it entirely.