"...?"
Hearing what Professor Jane had just said, the students widened their eyes and looked at each other in confusion.
An external instructor? Isn't this a first?
Don't tell me she's not Professor Jane.
Wait.
Is someone actually brave enough to impersonate Professor Jane?
How cheeky...cough, cough.
I mean, how brave.
Author: Sparkle, get out of my narration.
"Come in."
At Jane's gesture, a middle-aged man stepped up to the podium.
He wore a big, friendly smile and was dressed in practical work clothes filled with pockets.
"Let me introduce Hunter Edward Buckbec," Jane said.
"He may be unfamiliar to some of you, but he is a legendary figure in the field. He has discovered over twenty ancient ruins and is considered one of the top-tier treasure hunters."
Applause immediately broke out across the classroom.
Rick, in particular, was pounding on his desk in excitement.
"Crazy! Whoa! No way, is that the treasure hunter Edward? Professor Jane's recruitment level is just...!"
"Is he that amazing?" Meilyn asked with a slightly unimpressed expression, and Rick turned to her with a shocked face.
"Hey! How could you not know Edward? That's just plain common sense failure!"
"I'm asking who he is."
"Uwaaah!"
Edward, now standing at the podium, gave a slightly nervous smile before speaking.
"Ah, um. Nice to meet you. You're the first-years from Kizen, right?"
"Yes!"
The students answered in unison.
"Ohoho! The day I get to lecture at Kizen is finally here! I must've really made it, huh? Actually, the only reason I've come this far is all thanks to my father. I was born into unfortunate circumstances, but..."
Ahem.
Jane, standing behind him with her arms crossed, let out a small cough.
Edward flinched and immediately straightened his posture.
"Ah, yes! Let's skip the small talk and get started! I take pride in having traveled across every corner of the Dark Alliance's territory. Well, to be precise, I've roamed the entire continent. Even the Holy Federation's territory, sneaking in here and there..."
"Hunter Edward."
"Ah! Sorry, Vice-Chancellor! Hahaha! In short, I'm a survival expert. I may not have powerful jet-black magic like all of you, but the weak have their own ways to survive, and that is through meticulous preparation! Alright, alright."
Still talking energetically, Edward pulled out the materials he had prepared from his bag and began pinning them onto the chalkboard.
The materials showed various monsters and types of flora found on the island, illustrated with diagrams and charts.
The teaching assistants moved around the classroom, handing out copies to the students.
"The location of your exam is an island we call 'Kera Island'," Edward said while glancing around the room.
"It's a restricted area under Kizen's control, but there are several other islands nearby. I've explored all of them, and based on that experience, I was able to estimate the types of flora and monsters you're likely to encounter on Kera Island."
Although he still looked a bit nervous standing in front of a Kizen class and occasionally glanced back at Jane, the moment he started talking about his field, his demeanor changed completely.
He spoke with confidence.
Edible plants found on Kera Island. Inedible plants.
Monsters that could not be eaten, and monsters that could.
Which parts were safe to consume, and how they should be prepared.
He continued with explanations about the weather and climate, terrain hazards, tidal patterns, behaviors that could attract monsters, and even methods to repel wild snakes.
Even the noble students who had been leaning back with disinterested expressions slowly leaned forward, becoming fully absorbed in the lecture.
It was only natural.
This was knowledge they would need in just two days.
The sound of quills scratching across paper filled the classroom as students hurriedly took notes.
"Yes! That concludes my explanation. Thank you for listening! Any questions?"
Hands shot up all around the room.
As Edward continued answering questions one by one, Group 8 started chatting among themselves.
"Even though I already learned some survival skills, learning directly from an expert really feels different!" Cindy said, clearly impressed.
"Urghh… but listening to all this just makes me realize that the day of the island survival is really getting closer…" Claudia said, her expression turning slightly troubled.
"Umm… I really don't want to do this… should I just find a small cave or a hole and sleep?" Merida said in a quiet, almost serious tone.
Meanwhile, Knox remained silent, thinking to himself.
Hmm, collecting points from monsters sounds troublesome. Should I just ask Igris and Beru? But… this island survival evaluation is being supervised live by Kizen's staff. It's broadcasted directly to their control room. I don't want Igris and Beru to get spotted…
He let out a small breath.
"Sigh… should I just defeat other students along the way and rob them?" Knox muttered, resting his hand on his chin.
His voice was low.
Yet somehow, a number of students nearby suddenly shivered.
A strange chill ran through the room, as if something unseen had just locked onto them, like prey being marked by a predator.
It felt as if a giant beast had begun hunting.
As if a sword of Damocles was quietly hanging above their heads.
Then, Knox suddenly noticed Simon looking unusually serious, his eyes fixed intently on one of the creatures shown in the copied materials.
"Hmm? Ahaa~," Knox thought.
Now that I remember, Pier should have spotted a familiar face… Bigkrum. One of the Ancient Undead from the former Seventh Legion.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Jane clapped her hands once and returned to the podium.
"That's all for today. Make sure you prepare properly over the next two days. It would also be wise to familiarize yourselves with the detailed rules and the Tongue Pad's functions. Class dismissed."
"Thank you!"
The students began pouring out of the lecture hall like a receding tide, their voices filling the room as they left.
Rick and a few others clearly wanted to approach Edward for a conversation, maybe even ask for an autograph, but the moment Jane's gaze swept across them, they immediately shrank back, like a whopperflower burrowing into the ground, and quietly walked away.
"All that explanation just made me hungry. Guys, let's go grab something to eat," Knox said as he turned to his group.
***
"Three minutes and twenty-one seconds of meal time remaining."
To Edward, nothing he had ever faced, whether monsters or deadly traps, was more terrifying than the woman standing in front of him, the Vice-Chancellor of Kizen.
Without even tasting his food, Edward had shoveled everything into his mouth and was now following Jane toward the teleportation magic circle.
At this point, it felt less like an escort and more like he was being taken away.
"V-Vice-Chancellor…"
Edward forced a smile.
He figured he should at least try saying something. Surely she would not turn someone into a skeleton just for speaking.
"Five hours! No, just two hours, please! I'm a professional treasure hunter, and I came all the way to the mysterious Roke Mountain. I can't just leave like this…"
Jane glanced at her wristwatch, her expression completely unchanged.
"Roke Mountain is restricted to those without official entry permits from Kizen. Your permit has six minutes and twenty-three seconds remaining, Hunter Edward."
Cold sweat streamed down Edward's face.
How can someone be this inflexible… but still, I can't give up like this.
"T-Then maybe we could extend the permit time a little! Ah, earlier, Professor Bahil mentioned asking me to teach Class B as well…"
At that moment, Jane's eyes sharpened.
Realizing too late that he had said something he should not have, Edward immediately clamped his mouth shut, but the damage had already been done.
Jane gestured toward the teaching assistant behind her.
"Tell Professor Bahil to come to my office immediately."
The assistant stiffened and asked cautiously, "U-Um, may I ask the reason for the summons—"
"Don't ask. Tell him that if he's not there within ten minutes, I'll go to him myself."
At those words, the assistant ran off as if his life depended on it.
Edward's mouth twitched.
At this point, he no longer cared about treasure hunting. All he wanted was to leave this place alive.
After walking for a few more minutes, they arrived at the teleportation magic circle that led back to the continent.
"Is this a joke…"
Unfortunately, the situation was not over yet.
After hearing the report from the teleportation operator, Jane's expression instantly turned cold with anger.
The operator kept bowing repeatedly, like a criminal awaiting judgment.
"You're telling me the magic circle's overload due to the island survival preparation is an excuse?"
"I-I'll fix it immediately!"
"Have the entire teleportation team report to my office by 6 o'clock."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Jane let out a quiet breath before walking toward Edward. She closed her eyes briefly, then gave a slight bow.
"Due to internal maintenance issues, your return will be delayed by approximately ten minutes. On behalf of Kizen, I sincerely apologize."
"Ah, ahahaha… I-It's fine! Really, really fine!"
Seriously? Holding up a guest's departure by ten minutes and reacting like that? Is this what their organizational culture is like?
"I need to inspect the magic circle myself. Please remain here and do not move, Hunter."
With just that sentence, Edward felt like his body had been locked in place.
So this is that rumored thing, the curse of authority?
"A-Alright! Take your time! Haha!"
Jane left to inspect the magic circle.
Once she was gone, Edward let out a long sigh of relief, his legs giving out as he crouched down.
"Hello there!"
A voice suddenly called out to him.
Edward turned his head and saw a male student in a Kizen uniform smiling at him.
"Oh! You're a student from…!"
"I'm from Class A. I attended your lecture earlier. It was a great class."
Edward's confidence immediately returned. He jumped up and pulled out a pen and paper in one swift motion.
"Huhu, great! What was your name again?"
"I'm not here for an autograph. I just had a question about something from your lesson."
Edward's expression fell as he slowly lowered the pen.
Man, what is with this school… professors and students alike are so intense.
"This monster from your materials."
Simon continued, holding out a picture of Bigkrum.
"Do you know anything about it?"
Edward took the photo and examined it carefully, turning it from side to side with a thoughtful look.
"Hmm… this one was included too, huh. I printed everything in bulk, so I didn't check each one individually."
He handed the photo back and shook his head.
"I took the picture because it looked interesting, but I don't know what kind of monster it is either. I've been doing this for thirty years, and I've never seen anything like it."
"…What do you mean by 'interesting'?"
Edward narrowed his eyes slightly as he recalled the moment.
"There was heavy fog that day, so I can't say for sure if I saw it clearly, but that creature suddenly grew in size, massively, and moved across the island. When I hurriedly pulled out my mana camera, it had already shrunk back down."
Simon swallowed.
"How big did it get?"
Edward's expression stiffened.
"Big enough to cover the entire island."