Chapter 126
First class (2)
It was a woman of mediocre height who entered—poised and quiet, yet commanding without effort. She had blonde hair, tied neatly behind her head, and blue, icy eyes that seemed carved from winter itself. She looked around the room with the kind of gaze that silenced thoughts. A descendant of the Beastman, she was very pretty—but there was something severe about her beauty.
She wore glasses with thin black frames and walked with a posture that dared anyone to interrupt her. Her uniform was the standard instructor outfit: a crisp white shirt with the Hope Academy badge stitched over the left breast, and a fitted black skirt that ended just above her knees. She wore no jewelry or makeup.
Even before she spoke, the classroom had quieted a bit.
Then she cleared her throat, sharp and short. "Ahem. Settle down. Class is starting, and I would like quiet when I speak."
The remaining murmurs died immediately. The rustle of movement stopped. All eyes turned to her.
She walked with measured steps to the podium and placed both hands on it before continuing in a calm, clear voice.
"My name is Vanessa Thorne. You may call me Vanessa."
She let the silence hang in the air just a moment longer than expected, then went on. "I'm sure all of you are aware of what this class is about, so I will not waste time going over basics. If you're unclear about anything, consult your personal helper. That's what it's for."
She tapped a hidden button on the underside of the podium, and as if on cue, the small screens that IAM had used earlier lit up before each student—displaying condensed information about the courses and topics.
IAM glanced at his screen. There was a minimalist interface showing a general course outline and a section titled Path Development. He didn't bother to scroll. His attention was on Vanessa.
She continued speaking, not needing to look down once. "What I want to discuss today is improving your Path. Or to put it another way—what makes your Path methods unique." She paused, then added, "As you all know, it is uniqueness that defines a powerful Ascender."
Her fingers moved subtly again beneath the podium. A soft alert sound came from one of the students' desks—a small chime, barely audible.
Vanessa glanced at her own hidden screen and called out, "Lola Swiss."
The girl looked up, clearly surprised. Her brown hair shifted as she blinked rapidly, caught off guard. She hadn't raised her hand. She hadn't done anything. But somehow... the instructor had known her name.
Then she noticed her screen—it had her full name, her Path, even the time she entered the room. The system had scanned her. There was no need for a roll call. The system simply knew.
Lola began to stand, a little flustered, before Vanessa raised a hand and stopped her with a slight shake of her head.
"You need not stand. Sit and answer."
Lola sat quickly, trying to compose herself. "Oh... okay. Sorry. Um... by understanding your Path better than others?"
Vanessa's head tilted slightly, like a scientist disappointed by a hypothesis. "Wrong," she said plainly, without cruelty. "Understanding something better does not mean you understand it more uniquely."
She walked slowly from behind the podium, speaking as she moved.
"Let me give you an example. A blacksmith might know everything about how to make a sword. He could craft it blindfolded. And a swordsman—he might know everything about how to use that sword. The blacksmith understands the sword in one way. The swordsman in another."
She paused again, then looked directly at Lola.
"The sword is the concept. The Path. But the blacksmith and the swordsman both understand it differently. And those differences is what is called uniqueness."
She clasped her hands behind her back.
"Now—who do you think would win in a duel, given the same sword? The blacksmith, who made it? Or the swordsman, who's trained to wield it?"
Lola answered quickly this time. "The swordsman."
"Correct." Vanessa nodded, then added, "So then, you understand—knowing more doesn't mean you can use that knowledge in a unique way. You must learn how to apply your understanding from a position no one else can. That's how you become exceptional. Do you understand now?"
Lola nodded again, firmer this time. "I get it now. Thank you, Ms. Vanessa."
"Good," Vanessa said, walking back to the podium. "Now then..."
She tapped her screen again.
Another student's name lit up.
A moment of silence followed, the student straightening slightly in his seat as the attention shifted to him. He scratched the side of his face, his fingers twitching in thought before he finally spoke up.
"Um… by trying to think of our concept or Paths in a more unique way?" he offered, his tone unsure—half hope, half guess.
Vanessa tilted her head, her expression unreadable for a moment. "Hmm… you are somewhat there…" Her voice dragged the words gently, making it seem like she might give it to him. But then she added, "But no."
The student immediately deflated, his shoulders slumping and his head slowly lowering until his forehead nearly touched the desk.
Vanessa noticed and her tone softened.
"Do not be disappointed," she said, stepping lightly away from the podium and folding her hands behind her back. "Not everyone is expected to know the answer to everything from the beginning. That's why you're here… to learn."
IAM watched her with a shift in perspective. For someone who carried such a calculated and composed air, she had shown more empathy in a single moment than most instructors might in an entire lecture. He found himself thinking of snow—but with sugar dusted over the top. Sweetness without warmth. It was unexpected. And it was oddly comforting.
Then her tone changed again.
"To avoid embarrassing anyone further, let me offer the answer directly," she said. "The most efficient way to make your own Path or concept more unique… is actually by understanding other Paths and concepts in addition to your own."
That statement triggered an audible ripple of confusion. Students shifted in their chairs, eyebrows raised, heads turned slightly to one another, searching for clarity.
Vanessa saw it and continued, smoothly.
"Let me explain. Once you've committed to a Path, yes, it is true that you cannot change it. Your path is your path. Your concept is your concept. That doesn't change. But that does not mean you are forbidden incapable of understanding other Paths."
Her glasses caught a brief glint of light as she turned her head toward a different section of the room.
"I'm sure many of you have heard the phrase, 'If you understand your own Path well enough, you can copy methods from another.' It's something people like to say to sound clever. But it's misleading."
She paused just long enough to make sure the next part landed.
"It's not that understanding your own Path more allows you to copy from others. It's that if you gain enough understanding of another Path, you can—carefully—borrow certain things from it. The key lies in your comprehension—not just of yourself, but also of others."
IAM felt his chest tighten—from possibility.
A light chuckle escaped his lips before he even realized it. There it was. One of the exact reasons he had come to the Academy.
For this—these tiny, hidden pieces of knowledge. The kind that could change a life. The kind no one in the Hold had taught him. Information like this wasn't just valuable. It was rare.
He would've been struggling for months—maybe years—trying to brute force his way through the deadlock of his so-called dead Path. But now, he saw a crack in the wall. A slim, delicate crack that might one day open into something larger. With enough understanding—genuine understanding—perhaps he could find a way to reshape what seemed fixed. He didn't have to escape his Path. He just had to widen it.
Many of the students were staring forward, stunned. A few mouths had quietly fallen opened.
Because this wasn't a throwaway fact.
It was the kind of lesson that could tilt the axis of someone's entire view.
Vanessa calmly adjusted her glasses with one finger, scanning the classroom again. The faintest flicker of something unreadable passed over her face. Her voice, when it returned, was lower.
"Another year," she murmured, al most to herself. "Another class. I wonder what will become of all of you… at the end of this all."