"Good morning, Princess Seraphine."
"Greetings, Princess."
"Princess, please accept my humble respects."
.
.
.
The young woman with long silver hair and violet eyes merely raised her hand in response.
Boring.
She knew perfectly well that these greetings were nothing more than formalities. None of these so-called classmates were truly overflowing with devotion toward her.
After all, a third princess and the daughter of a concubine… no one wanted to risk being associated with her. Alliances, rumors, power plays — all of it already mattered more to them than their studies.
Children who should be worrying about exams were already thinking like courtiers.
A faint, ironic chuckle escaped her lips as she unpacked her belongings with well-practiced ease.
Taking the hint, the other students stopped hovering around her and returned to their respective seats.
"I do enjoy the quiet of this class…" she murmured, a barely concealed smirk tugging at her lips.
At the Imperial Academy of Valdoria, anyone was free to attend whichever lectures they desired — provided they could afford the fees set by the professors for their sessions.
Students thus designed their own academic paths over the course of three years, at the end of which they would take the certification exam.
Seated in the back rows of the lecture hall, the princess had a clear view of the entire room.
"To think that that scum Varok's class… is the most popular in the Academy. I truly worry for this country's future."
Every seat was filled to capacity, and there were only two reasons for that.
The classes were free.
And the dark elf professor merely read a book, allowing the students to do absolutely whatever they pleased in the meantime.
And this year, because of recent events, he would never set foot here again… yet his class still officially existed, and he remained a professor — at least until the end of the academic year.
"Monthly vacation at the elf's place before entering the workforce…" the princess recited, repeating the joke students had been using since last year.
Brushing aside those pointless thoughts, she opened her book.
If a princess with resources like hers had chosen "vacation at the elf's," it meant she believed there were things more important than studying now.
And for her, that was the political storm soon to sweep across the entire Empire.
I'm no different from these children, am I? …Haha.
However—
Vrack.
The classroom door burst open.
Woah.
What the—
…
…
The students were stunned, and the princess narrowed her eyes slightly, perplexed.
Before anyone could understand what was happening, a deep voice echoed throughout the room.
"Seraphina Vel'kor, Adrian Solcrest, Lucian Ashvale… you are the only ones permitted to attend this class. Everyone else, leave my classroom."
A man — or rather, an elf — appeared in the doorway.
His clothes were simple and worn, still bearing the marks of a long stay in the forest.
Without hurrying, he crossed the room and headed toward the podium.
"What?"
"Huh? Is that Varok?"
"Yeah, it's him… I almost didn't recognize him dressed like that."
"Wasn't he supposed to have left the Empire?"
"What the hell is that bastard doing here?"
"And what did he just say?"
…
Hostile murmurs — no, perfectly audible insults — erupted throughout the hall.
Seraphina Vel'kor, however, remained still, merely surprised to hear her name called out of nowhere.
"Disgusting…" she murmured, that faint, nearly invisible smirk tugging at her lips.
In her eyes, Varok was a wretched existence, the very antithesis of her ideals ever since his vices had been exposed.
She had never acted against him.
Not out of compassion — but because he had already destroyed himself.
He was destined to disappear from the imperial political stage; there was no need to grant him even the slightest importance.
But defying all predictions, he was in fact still in the empire.
"It almost sounds like he's asking to be killed…"
I suppose my plans will have to change.
With that thought, she lowered her gaze to her notes and refocused, refusing to pay any further attention to what was unfolding around her.
The commotion continued for a few more seconds, but once he reached the podium, the professor shouted at the top of his lungs, freezing the students who were still talking.
"I'll repeat myself one last time. Anyone whose name I did not call will leave this room now… unless you're prepared to pay 100 gold for this session."
A brief silence.
Then he added, his voice even colder:
"In two minutes, anyone still present without having paid will see their academic score reduced by twenty points."
Huh…
This time, the element of surprise had faded.
Everyone had fully understood what the elf had just said.
"What the hell is this lunatic talking about?"
"Man, I'm out."
"Haha, 100 gold for him to read a textbook? Seriously?"
"Why does the Academy keep trash like him…"
"It's the entire continent that's rotten. He should already be in prison."
A wave of hatred swept through the room, almost tangible.
And yet, despite the insults, the students hurried toward the exit.
Everything that happened inside a classroom was recorded by magical crystals placed in the four corners of the hall.
And if that idiot was telling the truth, the penalties would be very real.
For nobles, it would be little more than an inconvenience.
But for commoners…
that kind of sanction could shatter a career before it even began.
Because despite everything, officially, Varok was still a professor —
and with that title came an authority no one here could afford to ignore.
…
Two minutes passed.
The hall, once packed, was now nearly empty.
Only four people remained…
but one of them was already heading toward the door.
"It must be really convenient having GENESIS as your big sister."
Stopping a few steps from the podium, Lucian Ashvale muttered those words in a cutting tone.
He was one of the names Varok had explicitly called to stay, alongside Seraphina and Adrian.
"Whatever you think you're planning… don't you dare—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
With his hand on the handle, he cast one last look at the dark elf.
But Varok wasn't even looking at him.
No… it was as if he were staring into nothingness.
Tsk.
Lucian looked away, irritated, and left the room without another word.
Clearly, this class did not interest him in the slightest.
Silence fell once more.
Seraphina continued reading calmly, as though nothing held any importance.
Adrian, meanwhile, was sketching, as usual — completely detached from the situation.
However… there was a fourth person left in the room.
Lyra Ashford.
Her name had not been called.
Which left only two possibilities:
either she was willing to accept the penalties,
or she was prepared to pay the 100 gold.
But unlike the other two, she was anything but calm.
Her face was tense, her shoulders stiff, her fingers trembling slightly.
Why the hell did I stay…
Like everyone else, she knew Varok's reputation.
Trash.
A criminal.
A so-called professor incapable of doing anything but read from a manual.
Staying here… was practically academic suicide.
And yet, it was precisely because of those rumors that she had made this decision.
Someone regarded as garbage suddenly shows up and declares his session is worth 100 gold…
when the most prestigious professor in the Academy only charges 15.
Something isn't right…
And Lyra had chosen to bet on that instinct.
"Very well… I assume that if you're still here, it means you're prepared to pay the fee?"
…
Lyra nodded with difficulty.
In her eyes still flickered a faint glimmer of expectation — almost a silent prayer.
Maybe she wasn't wrong.
Maybe there really was something behind all this.
But that hope was crushed in the very next instant.
Before her eyes, the professor calmly opened the metal box resting on the lectern, took out a piece of chalk… and wrote on the blackboard.
[ 1111001 + 11101 = 10010110 ]
The princess let out a faint scoff, not even lifting her eyes from her book.
Adrian, however, paused mid-motion.
His pencil hovered above the page, frozen in place.
Behind his glasses, it was impossible to tell where his gaze was directed.
As for Lyra…
she sank back into her chair.
The full weight of despair crashed down on her shoulders, draining her face of all expression.
That fucking dog.
She understood immediately.
She had lost.
A professor incapable of performing a simple addition properly… she had gambled on someone like that.
And for her, at this stage of her life, a bad gamble was nothing less than a descent into hell.
"Class will begin once one of you manages to justify this result," he said without emotion before walking away to sit among the empty seats the other students had left behind.
Holding the manual in his hand, he began staring at it.
Shit, Lyra cursed inwardly.
.
.
.
[ Moderator Main Quest: Survive Act 1 as the Official Professor ]
[ Administrator Hacking Progress: 0.002% ]
[ Battery: 97% ]
[ Scan: Cooldown ]
I was holding a manual in my hands, but what I was truly seeing now were multiple translucent screens surrounding me.
A translucent screen… like in webtoons… like a game interface.
Hahaha…
I couldn't stop myself from laughing, even though nothing showed on the outside. The ecstasy I felt was almost addictive.
It was only at that moment that I fully realized one thing.
"I fucking did it."
Of course, I still had a long way to go from 0.002% to 100%, but the hardest part had already been done.
So to increase my progress… all I had to do was complete these quests, right?
I shifted my gaze toward the three students still in the room.
"And my first quest is to be… the dark elf professor of the Academy."