The next morning, Draco found himself sitting in his usual corner seat in E-Class, acutely aware of the dozens of eyes that kept turning in his direction.
Students who had never bothered to acknowledge his existence before were now stealing glances at him with poorly concealed curiosity.
'I never knew I was that handsome,' he joked inwardly, though his expression remained as neutral as ever.
Of course, Draco knew the real reason behind their sudden interest. News of his awakening had become the first major gossip story circulating through the academy halls.
The tale of the talentless Ashblade heir suddenly manifesting a B-rank Beastmaster talent was too juicy for the rumor mill to ignore.
He could practically hear their thoughts.
'Is it really true? How did someone without any talent suddenly awaken?'
Zephyr perched calmly on his shoulder, seemingly unbothered by the attention. The tiny hummingbird had learned to ignore curious stares, though Draco noticed how the bird's bright eyes occasionally tracked the movement of students who whispered too loudly.
The classroom door opened with a firm push, and conversations immediately died down as their instructor entered.
Miss Ember silenced everyone he moment she stepped into the room.
She was strikingly beautiful, with vibrant red hair that cascaded down her back like flame. Her clear pale face seemed to glow, creating an almost ethereal glow that made her the student's crush. Especially with those cheekbones and almond red eyes.
Despite being an instructor at the academy, Ms. Ember looked to be in her late twenties.
Miss Ember was one of the most talented individuals in the entire academy, staff and students included.
She was a powerful awakener who had made her name as a hunter, venturing into the dangerous rifts that occasionally opened around the world. During her active years, she had cleared numerous realms where hostile beasts emerged to threaten civilian populations.
Her decision to retire from hunting and take up teaching had surprised everyone in the profession. Someone of her caliber could have continued earning enormous sums by tackling the most dangerous rifts, yet she had chosen the relatively quiet life of an academy instructor.
The reason remained a mystery, she had never explained her career change to students or fellow faculty members.
What everyone did know was her fearsome reputation in combat.
Miss Ember possessed an S-rank talent called Burning Fire, a ability so potent that hunters still spoke of it with mixture of awe and terror. Her flames were said to burn everything around her, capable of melting through the toughest beast armor and reducing entire hordes of monsters to ash in minutes.
Miss Ember had come today as a supply teacher, as Instructor Thorne wasn't able to come in.
"Good morning, class," Ember said.
"I trust you've all completed yesterday's reading assignments."
A few students shifted uncomfortably, clearly, not everyone had done their homework.
Ember moved to the front of the classroom and pulled down a large map showing the known world, marked with various symbols and danger zones.
"Today we'll be covering the history of gates and their classification system," she announced.
"This may seem like dry academic material to some of you, but understanding gate mechanics could save your lives once you graduate and encounter them in the field."
Draco settled in for what he suspected would be a tedious lecture.
"Gates first appeared approximately three hundred years ago," Ember began, pointing to various locations on the map.
"Initially, they were small and infrequent – perhaps one or two per year across the entire continent. However, both their frequency and intensity have increased dramatically over time."
She traced her finger along several marked locations.
"Modern classification divides gates into the danger levels of the beast inside of it, from the weakest being a Common-Rank gate, these gates typically contain only common-ranked beasts and can be handled by small teams of newly awakened individuals.
Talking about gates. Your first exam will be in a common-rank rift in a few weeks. So do prepare for that, it will be challenging and many fail."
She kept explaining until she reached the highest known ranking.
Royal-Rank Gates..
"Royal-Rank gates are thankfully rare, new ones appearing perhaps once every year. Whenever they appear, the powerhouses of the human realm always tackle them in time, except a few anomalies that unfortunately led to the death of nearly millions."
The classroom had grown quieter as students began to grasp the true scale of the threats they might face in their futures.
Draco found himself paying closer attention despite his initial expectations of boredom. While the academic presentation was dry, the subject matter itself was undeniably important. Understanding the classification system and historical patterns could indeed prove crucial for survival.
Instructor Ember continued her lecture, detailing the various theories about why gates appeared and what forces might be driving their increasing frequency. Some scholars believed they were natural phenomena, while others suspected they might be artificially created by hostile forces from other dimensions.
As the lesson progressed, Draco became increasingly aware that several students were still stealing glances at him and Zephyr. The novelty of his awakening clearly hadn't worn off yet, and he suspected it would take time before the academy moved on to fresh gossip.
He didn't bother wasting his time worrying about it.
He was planning his next steps toward improving his abilities and uncovering the true potential of both his Dragon Lord talent and Zephyr's hidden SSS-rank capabilities.
Ring-Ring!
The academy bell echoed through the classroom, signaling the end of Ms. Ember's lecture on gates classifications. Students immediately began packing their belongings, eager to escape to their next classes or free periods.
Draco gathered his worn textbooks and prepared to leave, but a familiar voice stopped him just as he reached the door.
"Draco Von Ashblade. Stay behind, I need to talk to you."
He turned to see Ember behind her desk, opening one of her organized folders with practiced efficiency. Her red hair caught the afternoon light as she bent over her paperwork.
The last few stragglers filed out of the classroom, leaving only the instructor and Draco in the suddenly quiet space. Zephyr shifted on his shoulder, chirping softly as if sensing the change in atmosphere.
"Instructor Ember. Do you need me for something?" Draco asked, genuine confusion evident in his voice. He couldn't think of any reason why she would want to speak with him privately.
Ember raised her green eyes from the folder, eyeing him with a steady gaze.
"Need you for something? I don't think so," she replied matter-of-factly.
"Bu—"
"I told you to stay behind for this," she interrupted, pulling a crisp piece of parchment from the folder and extending it toward him.
"What is this?" Draco muttered to himself, accepting the document and scanning its contents.