The classroom for the "Great Magical Beast Magic" class that I arrived at with Artel had quite a unique structure.
It wasn't an ordinary classroom; there was an empty cavity in the center, making it resemble a vast circular theater.
The cadets who had arrived early were sitting sporadically in the tiered seats.
"Welcome! Looks like almost everyone's here now!"
A cheerful voice greeted us from the center of the classroom.
Rough blond hair, sun-tanned healthy skin.
A handsome man with a bright smile.
Worn clothes scarred with scratches here and there, an explorer's hat, and a dagger strapped to his waist.
His entire outfit screamed, "I'm an adventurer!"
He was the professor in charge of today's class.
'Zephyr Storm.'
A professor newly appointed to the academy this year.
A legendary adventurer said to have roamed the continent, exploring countless ruins and hunting magical beasts.
Of course, his reputation was somewhat controversial.
Most of his feats had occurred when he was alone, so there were no witnesses, and due to his characteristically lighthearted demeanor, many doubted his tales.
There were rumors calling him all hype, an exaggerator, or even a fraud.
The cadets' reactions were polarized as well.
Some admired his roguish good looks and flashy adventure stories, while others eyed him suspiciously.
I was rather fond of him.
He was an NPC that players of [Stella Academia] called "Golden Sun" because of his looks, but surprisingly, his alignment was good. Chaotic good, that is.
After Artel and I sat in decent seats, Zephyr roughly took attendance and clapped his hands to gather everyone in the central space.
"Alright, everyone's here! My name is Zephyr Storm! As you all probably know!"
Zephyr shouted in a jovial voice.
"Let me say this upfront: somewhat dangerous things might happen in this class! Sudden magical beast appearances, unexpected mana surges, spacetime disappearances, and other minor accidents! And that's the end of the safety briefing? Now, shall we start the class?!"
The moment he finished his rapid-fire speech, a faint light seeped from the entire floor beneath our feet.
It was a massive hidden magic circle.
"W-Wait a second…!"
Before the cadets could panic and murmur, the magic circle erupted in light.
The next instant.
"..."
It was no longer the classroom scenery.
What spread before us was a scorching sun and endless sand dunes.
A dry, hot wind devoid of any moisture brushed our cheeks, and the soft texture of sand could be felt underfoot.
It was a place that practically begged for ancient Egyptian-style BGM.
"Wh-Where is this…?"
"The desert…?"
The cadets, suddenly dropped in the middle of a desert, looked around in bewilderment.
"Large-scale teleportation magic…!"
Even Artel couldn't hide his shock.
"Whoa. It's really hot."
Meanwhile, I was surveying the surroundings with the interest of a pyramid tourist.
"Now then, everyone! Surprised? Welcome! This is one of the continent's Seven Great Magical Realms, the 'Howling Great Desert'!"
At that moment, Zephyr's cheerful voice echoed through the air, as if savoring the cadets' confusion.
"Pardon? One of the Seven Great Magical Realms?!"
"On the first day?!"
"Is this really okay?"
The cadets cried out in shock, but Zephyr continued undeterred.
"Today, we'll learn Great Magical Beast Magic by hunting the beasts here directly! What's the point of spouting theory all day? You only improve with real clashes!"
He added with a hearty laugh.
"Of course, though it's one of the Seven Great Magical Realms, we've come to the safest outskirts where beasts rarely appear, so no need to worry too much!"
The cadets finally seemed a bit relieved.
But.
No sooner had he finished speaking than wind began to blow from somewhere.
The wind quickly grew fierce enough to make it hard to stand, and the fine sand grains stung like needles against our skin.
"Now, then…"
The moment Zephyr tried to say more, sand from all directions swirled like a storm, obscuring vision.
"Hang on. Why is this happening?"
For the first time, the smile vanished from his ever-relaxed face.
"There shouldn't be sandstorms here normally…"
Unease began to spread among the cadets as well.
"Eek! The wind's too strong!"
"Professor, is this really fine?!"
"Ahem! Everyone, calm down, calm down! It seems like sudden bad weather. Haha… Unfortunately, we'll have to end class early and head back to school!"
Zephyr shouted, forcing a calm voice.
"Because in a desert sandstorm, very powerful magical beasts can appear…"
Woooooong—
Before he could finish, a massive vibration shook the entire ground from beneath our feet.
The sand dunes writhed like enormous waves, and something was approaching us.
"N-No way…"
Zephyr's face turned pale. He stared incredulously at the source of the vibration, then let out a despairing scream.
"Oh no! Everyone! Run awa—!!"
Kwarung! Kwarung! Kwarung!!
Before his shout ended, a gigantic sand worm burst through the ground.
And it swallowed Professor Zephyr whole, as if he were a mere tiny insect.
"...!"
For a moment, silence as if everything had frozen.
And then.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"I-It's a Death Worm…!"
"Th-The professor…! The professor got eaten!"
Total chaos.
The desert predator, Death Worm.
And among them, the queen specimen boasting an even greater size—the 'Giant Death Worm' had appeared.
The cadets fell into perfect panic at the horrific sight unfolding before them.
Everyone except me.
While all fled…
I remained standing in place.
"What are you doing! Run, Jiron!"
Artel, who was running, turned back and yelled at me.
But I said nothing, simply standing there watching the writhing Giant Death Worm.
Gulp, grrrgl.
Unsated after devouring the professor, the Giant Death Worm set the cadets as its next target.
It charged at me—the closest one—with its massive jaws torn open.
"N-No…!"
Artel desperately hurled ice magic, but it bounced off powerlessly.
The beast's enormous body came crashing down over my head like a torrent.
A grotesque sound.
Hundreds of teeth visible in its gaping maw.
A putrid, sewer-like stench pierced my nose.
"Jiron…!"
"Kyaaaaah—!"
As the cadets screamed, thinking it was all over—
"Stop."
I said that.
And then.
Snap.
As if a pause button had been pressed, the Death Worm's movement halted.
Simultaneously, the raging sandstorm and every single grain of sand froze in midair.
An eerie stillness where everything had unnaturally stopped.
"Huh…?"
"It really stopped?"
The only movements here were.
The cadets stumbling back with dumbfounded expressions.
[Showing leisure by not fleeing even in the face of death]
[This is extremely slothful behavior!]
[Sloth +100!]
[Level up!]
And the message window that appeared before my eyes.
Of course, I hadn't cast time-stop magic or anything.
I'd just uttered the line at the perfect timing.
In other words—
"Ahh—oh dear! We've been found out!"
The timing for the 'show' to end.
Professor Zephyr appeared in the air with a pop!, wearing a regretful expression.
He looked perfectly fine, as if he hadn't just been devoured by the Death Worm.
"It was my ace opening prepared for you all…! And a cadet already figured it out!"
While the cadets were baffled, Zephyr snapped his fingers, and the desert scenery vanished like a mirage, returning us to the original classroom.
The frozen Death Worm and sandstorm were gone without a trace.
"Ta-da—! It wasn't actually a teleportation magic circle, but an illusion magic circle!"
At his words, the cadets sighed in relief.
Some even collapsed on the spot, legs giving out.
Artel, still shaken, placed a hand on his chest and lightly grabbed my sleeve.
"You knew…?"
"Yeah."
"Then say something next time. You scared me…"
"Sorry. It was fun."
"F-Fun…? Sigh, do that twice more and I'll have a heart attack."
"Hahaha! It was pretty convincing, right!? The headmaster even lent his power specially for this class!"
The headmaster. One of the strongest living mages, a monster.
If he'd intervened, this level of illusion was entirely possible.
The professor approached me with a bright smile.
"By the way. Cadet, what's your name?"
"Jiron Airgia."
"Good, Cadet Jiron! How exactly did you see through this being an illusion!"
All the other cadets' gazes turned to me.
The reason was obvious, of course.
'Because I got hit with it once in the game.'
But I couldn't say that.
I recited the correct answer that the professor explained in the game.
"The precursor."
Super casually, though.
"…?"
Question marks appeared on the cadets' faces, and Professor Zephyr asked again with an intrigued look.
"Oh? The precursor, eh, Cadet Jiron. Can you explain in more detail?"
"Hmm, do I have to? It's a hassle…"
"Haha, just once for the other cadets, please!"
Only then did I start explaining, as if begrudgingly.
"When a Death Worm appears for real, the vibrational precursors start much earlier than this. Especially for a Giant Death Worm."
And this was lip service for building favor.
"Plus, I figured the legendary adventurer Professor Zephyr wouldn't go down so helplessly."
"Hahaha! Cadet Jiron! A hundred out of a hundred—no, two hundred!"
Zephyr clapped, looking immensely satisfied.
"I'll give Cadet Jiron a special gift! And everyone. Remember this well. When facing magical beasts, the most important thing isn't the power or strength of your magic."
He scanned the room with a serious expression.
"It's situational awareness and composure. You've probably learned the Death Worm's traits in theory. But in the sudden situation, your reasoning shut down from panic."
At his words, the cadets nodded sheepishly.
At the same time, they began looking at me with eyes tinged with awe.