"Doesn't that mean what?" Professor Brighton's voice snapped me out of my reverie
Only did I realize that sound was enhanced within the auditorium to make it possible for everyone to hear anyone from anywhere. Everyone glanced at me with curious eyes—they were probably wondering what was going on in the mind of the most talented student of the year.
"Death. Isn't death part of life?" I shoved my shock aside and spoke boldly.
Professor Brighton frowned at my response and put on his glasses before giving my figure a good look.
"Derek Blackwood… Now I understand the reason for your unique take on death. I sympathize with the loss of your family." He shook his head with a sad look that pissed me off.
I leaned forward and narrowed my eyes.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, almost in a threatening tone.
But Professor Brighton wasn't moved by my tough act. I would say nothing could move with that kind of eye.
"It means you experienced a terrible tragedy which broke you. That's the only reason you would view the death of a person as a trivial matter." He didn't back away, and I didn't push the matter any further, but the atmosphere was already tense.
Professor Brighton said nothing more about it and began walking up the stairs while he spoke.
"The life of a mage is not as glamorous and beautiful as many paint it out to be. Who here knows the recorded average life expectancy of a normal civilian as to a mage?" Professor Brighton asked, leaving me wondering if this man came here to discourage us.
There was no response, just glances exchanged.
"On average, peasants have a life expectancy of 60 years as compared to the 25 years life expectancy of a mage."
Buzz!
Faces twisted with frowns and disbelief which made the professor scoff.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm simply want you to be aware of what you are getting into and prepare for it. That is the only way you can survive." Professor Brighton said those words as he walked up the stairs and looked in my direction.
He turned and began walking down before he continued speaking.
"This brings us to today's topic. What is strong enough to kill talented youths like you in the hundreds for the past four decades of my life. Does anyone have an answer?" Professor Brighton asked again, and once again, there was silence.
"The Knoll and their monster horde," I answered, drawing Professor Brighton's attention.
He seemed surprised I knew about the Knolls, and a small smile spread on his face for the first time today.
"And what do you know about the Knolls and their monster horde?" Professor Brighton's dull voice had a rare tinge of interest in it.
However, I shook my head and offered a sad smile; "All I know is they are not of this world and they have a strong resistance to magic. I could barely find any information on them back home."
Professor Brighton's smile only widened and he nodded understandably. However before he could speak, a familiar mocking tone echoed from the top left corner of the auditorium.
"Of course, you can barely find any information on it; you lived your entire life in a village." Leo Emberfall scoffed and a few giggles followed.
I glanced in his direction, and as expected, 9 other students sat around him—ass-kissing the future king of this kingdom. It was funny how seven angels of death hung around them.
Out of the nine noble houses of Loth Kingdom, Leo Emberfall included, only 3 won't experience loss in the next three years.
Why would I have a beef with dead people?
"From what I heard, Derek Blackwood only joined the Blackwood family six months ago. You, on the other hand, have lived as the crown prince for 15 years, yet you know nothing about the danger that threatens your kingdom. Don't you think you should be ashamed, your highness?"
Buzz!
I was shaken, not expecting the killer response to come from Professor Brighton. Leo's face turned red, fury burning in his eyes but he just looked away and didn't talk back.
Wait a minute, what the hell am I missing here?
Who the hell is this old professor?
"Just like Young Master Derek said, the Knolls are aliens with natural resistance to this world's magic. A trait monsters from their world possess as well." Professor Brighton continued his lecture. "If we just had to deal with magic-resistant beings with a couple of normal creatures, we wouldn't have been pushed back hard."
"Are you trying to say the monsters are the real problem and not the Knolls?" a low, feminine voice rang from the front row—it was Lucy.
Glancing at her directly for the second time, I noticed something—she's pretty. Clear skin, too clear for a peasant with delicate features like her pointy nose, plump lips, and emerald eyes.
Her gaze was strangely deep and enchanting.
"That is correct and incorrect. The monsters are the main problem, but they are only a problem because they are coordinated by the Knolls. You can think of them as nomadic herders." Professor Brighton explained further. "And their control over these monsters is much scarier than you can ever imagine."
I raised my hand as a thought crossed my mind and Professor Brighton responded with a nod.
"Why are they called monsters?" I asked. "We have beasts, which are the everyday beasts we see around us. Then there are magic beasts, beasts with an aptitude for magic. So why are they called monsters instead of beasts?"
Only now did a full-blown grin spread on Professor Brighton's face, twisting until it turned sinister.
"Because that's the only words to describe them. Those things are abominations of nature, creatures birthed from mistakes! They shouldn't even exist!" He hissed.
To everyone, the Professor was a crazy man for smiling while saying something so horrifying but I saw something different. This wasn't a smile but a mask to hide the fear–he reeked of it.
But this made me twice as curious as before.
Just what the hell are the Knolls and these monsters?
Apparently, high resistance against magic was just one of the many things a Knoll could do. According to Professor Brighton, the Knolls were at least 8ft tall with unique animal features, granting them the abilities of those creatures.
According to him, there are Knolls with dog-like snouts capable of tracking enemies tens of kilometers away. There were some with snake scales and venomous claws and fangs. He even claimed the leaders of the Knoll were blessed with features of a dragon, and to make things worse, these nomads practiced martial styles that suited their inner beasts.
The diversity of these people is endless, even more diverse than the tens and hundreds of elements and magic pathways to explore.
This is what Professor Brighton referred to as beast cultivation.
So what the world was up against were basically giants on steroids with super animal capabilities. Imagine meeting a giant wearing an exoskeleton with hundreds of his monster horde mindlessly matching coward. To make matters worse, they are highly resistant to magic so you and your fellow mages hurl hundreds of spells at them but they just keep coming, matching through your attacks like it's nothing.
The more the professor spoke about them the quieter the class became. Even the bastard prince had turned pale with fright as the professor recounted his encounter with a Knoll.
Knolls could forge beast totems. These were carved bones or relics infused with monster essence. These enhance the wielder or act as summoning catalysts, allowing them to summon a horde at will no matter how far they have formed the horde
As he was done with his explanation, Professor Brighton said the words that left everyone dreadful.
"Why don't we go see what a knoll looks like?"
We left the class and took our carriages to the nearest training ground. It was an elevated stage of about sixty meters in length and width. At the four cardinal points were pillars with golden sigils carved into them.
Golden chains were bound to each pillar, trailing down to the center where a hulking being was chained. Walking up the stairs, the Knolls figure was slowly getting unveiled.
Its skin was dark grey and it had a silky smooth waist-length hair fluttering in the wind. Its body was bare and muscular, its nether regions covered by a piece of cloth tied around its waist.
This thing was built to fight!
Only after climbing the stage did I get a better view. The crystal black eyes, tusk, and snout reminded me of a boar. His body was covered with bruises while it knelt on the floor with its head lowered.
Even on its knees, it was as big as us. On its feet, I suspected this Knoll would be over 10 feet tall.
"Scary." A red-haired chubby boy with freckles said. An angel of death clung to him like a leech, it was clear he barely had a year to live.
His name was the only one I kept to heart during the entrance exam, mostly because William informed me of his identity even before I got here.
He was Luthor Ashford, 3rd son of the current Patriarch of the Ashford family. The bastards that killed my parents and put me through hell.
After lying that I would marry his granddaughters, he revealed the plan to get my revenge, just as he promised. In six months, I will get the opportunity to kill Luthor during the magic academy ranking exam, and in two years, we will get the opportunity to eradicate the Ashford family and take over their lands during the Noble House Games.
All I had to do was prepare myself and wait.
Professor Brighton approached the Knoll as he pulled out what I could only describe as a pocket-sized grimoire, which he flung into the air and hung in mid-air, flipping open rapidly.
"From the heavens above, I invoke the storm's fury!
Let the skies tremble, let the earth break!
Lightning unchained, descend in wrath—Stormcaller's Judgment!"
As the professor chanted, the clouds turned dark—crackling with lightning as they converged above the Knoll. And then the first bolt came crashing down with a thundering roar.
The bolt of lightning had completely engulfed the Knoll, blinding everyone temporarily with its dazzling light. When the harsh light faded, I opened my eyes, and there it was, still kneeling but with a frown.
There was no cry of pain, no groan, no scream, just silent anger directed at all of us. Steam escaped his body while its breathing got a bit forced, but that was it.
"This thing is intelligent," I said as I approached it.
Professor Brighton prevented me from approaching any further with a wave of his hand. I frowned but did not argue; instead, I ordered my shadow to move, and it did.
My shadow thickened as tendrils sprang forward with pointy edges only to break like a twig on the exposed chest of the Knoll.
"You said they have magic protection, not immunity." I frowned and the professor chuckled.
"Have you heard of the term origin spells?" Professor Brighton asked and I nodded decisively.
"To hunt down a witch, we had a priest help us with a tracking spell," I responded with a nod.
Professor Brighton's eyes widened with slight surprise, and then he shot a resentful glare at the nobles and Prince Leo, who separated themselves from the rest of the class.
They chattered amongst themselves, barely paying attention.
"Origin spells are the only form of magic known to obliterate these monsters effortlessly because it follows steps and rituals that connect the spell to the world energy, which magic beasts and spirit realm cultivators have access to. Magic fueled by mana can only slowly chip away at their defense. Even the weakest Knoll has a 90% chance of coming out victorious in a fight against five peak mortal realm experts. That is how badly we are outclassed." Professor Brighton's voice was lone, deep, and—genuine.
This was not just random speculation. This was the reality of life in this world.
Professor Brighton turned to address the entire class, but I kept looking at the Knoll, whose gaze was also fixated on me. We locked eyes and maintained eye contact while the professor spoke.
"For this month, I will teach you how to fight these monsters before your first expedition beyond the walls. If you want to make it back, I suggest you pay attention and put in the work like your life depends on it—because it does."