Nolan's face twisted. "What?"
He waved his hand through the air, trying to clear it. The screen didn't move.
"An internet connection? Are you kidding me? What is this, a game patch?"
KNOCK.
A polite knock on the open door frame silenced the room.
Everyone turned.
Nolan looked up.
There, standing with his arms folded and a smug smile half-tamed beneath a beard too well-groomed to be real, was Professor Granfire.
Tall, polished, wearing a magecoat that shimmered like silver flames. His presence was undeniable. He walked like the room belonged to him because, well, it usually did.
And when he saw Nolan still sitting behind the desk—his desk—he didn't even blink.
Granfire stepped inside, the faint sound of his boots tapping like a countdown.
The room went quiet. Not out of fear—but reverence. Respect. Expectation.
Granfire smiled, just a touch. Then spoke.
"As expected," he said, voice crisp and condescending. "Nolan. A tough nut as ever."
The classroom buzzed with a kind of energy Nolan wasn't used to.
Students who hadn't so much as glanced in his direction before were now sitting up straight, eyes sparkling.
One by one, they turned to the doorway and greeted the man who stepped in like they were seeing a divine beast descend from the heavens.
"Good afternoon, Professor Granfire!"
"Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Professor Granfire!"
"I can't believe we get to learn under the great Granfire!"
"Truly an honor!"
"Professor, I've been following your lecture notes posted in the Hall of Excellence—I couldn't sleep all night just thinking I'd get to learn directly from you!"
"Please let me prove myself, Professor!"
"I—I came here just because I heard you were subbing in this room!"
"May the mana gods bless this day, I never thought I'd get to learn from someone like you!"
They kept going.
Praises like chants.
Voices overlapping with each other, trembling with excitement.
Some even clapped.
One girl had tears in her eyes. Nolan sat there, feeling like a bad actor in the wrong play. He turned his head slowly toward Granfire.
That face.
Nolan's eyes twitched.
"Why," Nolan said, arms crossing, finger tapping sharply against his bicep, "out of all the classrooms in this entire Silver Blade Academy, did you choose mine?"
Granfire offered a calm, disarming smile—his usual patronizing grace. "Don't blame me, Nolan. The principal requested this personally."
Nolan scoffed. "The principal?" His arms dropped. "Seriously?"
"Yes," Granfire said, stepping into the room like he already owned it. "You see, the principal feels this particular batch of apprentices has the most potential. But unfortunately, they were placed under the instruction of someone who has—how shall I say this—been historically… underwhelming."
Nolan narrowed his eyes.
Granfire continued, hands behind his back, voice smooth and echoing, almost enjoying every syllable.
"Let's not forget the records, shall we? You've been in this Mana Specialist program for almost a month. And in that entire time, how many apprentices have you successfully guided to Mana Attunement? None."
Nolan's face tensed.
"Not a single one," Granfire repeated with mock regret. "Not even partial Attunement. There was that one case—Alen Vell, remember? But he dropped out after claiming his mana felt 'choked' in your presence. And the others? Well, one shifted departments, one became a cafeteria assistant, and another swore off mana entirely."
The students around began murmuring, some casting confused glances toward Nolan. Others, pity.
Granfire turned and faced the class, his voice rising theatrically. "Now, this is the final day of the assessment period for both Mana Specialist apprenticeship and Student Mana apprenticeship.
"The final class before the principal's evaluation test tomorrow. A test not of skill, but of willpower—a test that determines whether these fine young apprentices can graduate and move forward."
He looked back to Nolan, eyes gleaming. "Surely you understand, Nolan, why I requested this room. It's not about you. It's about them. These students deserve a chance. A real one."
Nolan's throat tightened. He shifted his weight. "...Huh?" His voice was low. "Wait, this is the last day?"
Granfire turned with a soft shrug. "Well, yes. Not that it's my place to clarify the Academy's schedule to you, but I assumed you were informed." Then, with an expression that was both knowing and cruel, he added, "But I also assume you know why you weren't told."
Nolan knew. Of course he knew.
The principal didn't believe in him. Hell, no one did.
But hearing it out loud, in front of students, from Granfire's lips… It hit him differently.
He clenched his jaw, feeling frustrated, but ultimately said nothing. He wasn't going to give Granfire the satisfaction of watching him crumble.
"Well then," Granfire said, walking up beside him. "I think it's best if you step aside. Just for today. Let me take over this session. Polite, professional request." His tone was calm but reeked of superiority. "After all, we need someone competent at the helm."
Nolan's hand trembled at his side.
He looked at the students again. They were staring, waiting, unsure who to listen to.
"I…" Nolan began, but stopped.
He wanted to shout. To argue. To demand an explanation. But what could he say?
"I should let you know," Granfire added, raising a finger, "the crystals these students gave you? You'll need to return them. It's only fair. You won't be conducting the session, and it wouldn't be right to charge for something you didn't deliver."
Nolan's eyes widened. Return?
He glanced down.
The crystals were gone.
Vanished when he touched them.
Absorbed, maybe—by whatever freak system that suddenly started whispering "Searching for Internet Connection…" in his mind.
How was he supposed to explain that?
'Sorry guys, I can't give the crystals back because some invisible game interface sucked them into a digital void?'
Yeah. That would go well.
He froze.
Granfire raised a hand in mock sympathy. "Of course, if it's a problem, I'm sure the students would understand. Though, a few of them…" He turned, pointing subtly to a few faces in the room.
"That boy—Derek—his family lives off leftover mana scraps from the military refuse bin. And the girl beside him? Juna. Her parents sold her old mana tools just to afford tuition. I believe that one there, with the worn-out boots? He hasn't had a proper meal in a week."
Granfire walked forward, addressing each student slowly. "That one? Shares a dorm with five others. And him? Walks from the outer town every morning. They saved for those magic crystals. They believed in the instructor they were giving them to."
His gaze landed back on Nolan.
"I'm sure you wouldn't want to be the reason they're disappointed, would you?"
Nolan felt heat rush to his face. Rage, shame, frustration—a storm inside. It wasn't just that Granfire was humiliating him. It was that he couldn't fight back.
Because this time?
It looked like he really was at fault.
He clenched his fists so tightly they shook.
The room was silent.
Then—
Ding!
A transparent screen flashed before his eyes again.
Available Network Found: Silver Blade Academy.
Nolan blinked.
His breath caught in his throat.
The system… had connected?
Something shifted in the air.
He didn't know what it meant yet—but somehow, for the first time in a month, it felt like something had finally started.