"How should we protect our auxiliary spirit masters on the battlefield, first of all—"
"Gulp… gulp… gulp…"
Inside Tiandou Royal Academy, the sound of steady drinking echoed through the classroom.
At the front, Teacher Qin Ming was busy sketching out battle formations on the chalkboard. The corner of his mouth twitched as the gurgling sounds came again from behind him. Blue veins appeared on his forehead before he finally snapped.
"Lucien! Drinking is not allowed during class!"
The classroom instantly fell silent. Countless heads turned to the back corner, where a figure sat lazily with a long sword strapped to his back and a wine jar tilted to his lips.
"Man, Teacher Qin Ming must have a death wish."
"Has he forgotten what happened to the last teacher? That guy got chased and beaten down three whole streets."
"It's over… the teacher's going to get clobbered again!"
Murmurs filled the room. Every student felt tense as they watched the academy's infamous class overlord casually drink under the teacher's nose.
"Gulp, gulp—hic!"
Lucien blinked drunkenly, his gaze hazy. "Huh? What are you babbling on about?"
Qin Ming's throat went dry. "I–I was saying… drinking is bad for your health. You're still young… you should focus on studying!"
Too late. Far too sloppy. He immediately regretted it.
This boy was a true alcoholic. The very day he'd joined Tiandou Royal Academy, he'd shown up drunk to register. From that day forward, no one had ever seen him sober.
And yet, his strength was terrifying.
At only eight years old, Lucien had beaten down the academy's top disciple. Now, nearly twelve, no one knew how strong he had grown. Youngest in the advanced class, the youngest in the entire academy… and still untouchable.
"Not drink? How's that possible?" Lucien scoffed, raising the jar again.
"Gulp, gulp…"
[Ding! Detected slight inebriation — first spirit ring age +10]
"Gulp, gulp…"
[Ding! Detected excellent health — second spirit ring age +10]
"Gulp, gulp…"
Yes—Lucien was not an ordinary student. He was a traverser, someone from another life. The moment his Martial Soul awakened at six years old, he also awakened a strange system—the Bacchus System.
The rule was simple: drink alcohol, and grow stronger.
Jar after jar emptied as the liquid poured down his throat.
"Hic… Already gone?" He shook the empty jug, then reached into his Soul Guidance Device, pulling out another. Empty. Then another. Empty again. On and on.
Qin Ming's face darkened. "This kid can really put it away…"
In just half a day, Lucien had gone through more than a dozen large jars.
"Um… Lucien, I—I have some wine here."
A soft, sweet voice spoke. A girl with short silver-gray hair stood up, holding a jar with both hands.
Lucien's eyes lit up when he saw it. He took the jar without hesitation and poured it straight down his throat.
"Gulp, gulp…"
"Heh… What's your name, girl? Drink with me sometime?"
"Y–Ye Lingling." Her gaze flickered nervously. "My name's Ye Lingling."
"Lingling, huh? Cute name. Tonight, I'll invite you for another drink!"
"Tonight?" She pouted faintly. "Lucien… Big Brother, but we already ate together yesterday. And the day before… and the day before that too…" Her voice trailed off into a whisper.
Lucien slapped his thigh with a laugh. "So that's how it is! Well then… tonight, as usual!"
Before anyone realized it, he'd wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders. Ye Lingling squeaked, her face turning bright red as the entire class stared at the scene.
"Lucien!"
A table slammed. Standing up from his seat, golden-haired Yu Tianheng glared furiously. "It's bad enough you drink through class, now you're harassing female classmates? As class monitor, I won't let this slide!"
The students stiffened. Everyone knew this wasn't about justice—Yu Tianheng had long been nursing grudges against Lucien.
Four years ago, Lucien had stolen Dugu Yan from right under his nose. Not only that, but he pummeled him senseless.
More recently, when Yu Tianheng thought he'd have a chance with Ye Lingling, Lucien once again appeared… and dragged him out for a night of drinking.
And now, this. Public humiliation.
Yu Tianheng couldn't take it anymore.
"Which bastard are you?" Lucien sneered, stroking Ye Lingling's flushed cheek. "Don't interrupt me while I'm drinking with a beauty. Or do you want me to beat you too?"
"You… you bastard!"
Spirit power flared. Three bright spirit rings rose from Yu Tianheng's body, circling fiercely. His steps shook the classroom floor as he charged forward.
The entire class felt the temperature drop. Even Qin Ming broke into a sweat—his heart hammering.
Yufeng whispered, "The captain's crazy challenging Lucien!"
Oslo muttered, "Didn't he just hit rank thirty-nine? Now he thinks he's untouchable?"
Shimo shook his head. "Last breakthrough, same thing. He still got flattened."
No one doubted Lucien's monstrous talent. Since the founding of Tiandou Royal Academy, there had never been a genius like him. While Yu Tianheng was considered elite, facing Lucien… it was like a candle before the sun.
"Not good!" Qin Ming braced himself, ready to intervene at any cost. If Yu Tianheng—the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—was killed here, the consequences would be catastrophic.
But his heart trembled.
"Hah… let's see if you can take one punch," Lucien murmured coldly.
One second, he was still holding Ye Lingling close.
The next, he vanished.
Boom!
His fist came down like a hammer, smashing Yu Tianheng's world apart. In an instant, Yu's body flipped upside down—head hitting the ground, feet flailing in the air. The nearby table shattered into splinters.
Lucien pulled back, ready to punch again.
"W–wait!" Yu Tianheng panicked, fumbling inside his Soul Guidance Device and hastily offering up a precious jar of fine wine with both hands.
Lucien sniffed the air, then grinned. "Good wine."
He snatched it without hesitation. "For the sake of this jar, I'll let you off today."
His system chimed again:
[Ding! High-quality wine detected — rewards are correspondingly increased!]
The class gasped in unison.
One punch. Just one punch—and Yu Tianheng, with three spirit rings blazing, was already down.
How frightening was Lucien's strength?
Even Qin Ming shuddered. When Lucien first entered the academy, he had already crushed the top disciple while using nothing more than raw physical power and a mere pair of spirit rings.
What terrified him wasn't just the boy's strength. It was the longsword strapped across his back—a sword few had ever seen drawn.
Now, Lucien was even stronger than before… and he hadn't even needed the blade.
"Gulp, gulp…"
The classroom returned to silence as Lucien staggered back to his seat with flushed cheeks, raising the jar again for another long drink.
[Ding! Host has reached full drunken state — Soul Power level +1]