Chapter 21 : Chapter 21
Chapter 21 : Truth
Professor Sinclair was sitting with his feet on the classroom desk.
With his fingers interlocked behind his head, he quietly watched the last students hurriedly taking their seats.
Once the door closed and the lights dimmed, Sinclair pressed a device held in his hand.
On the screen, slides with questions written on them began to play one after another.
Sinclair let out a deep sigh and pointed at the screen.
“Originally, today’s class was supposed to be about our history. How numerous humanity was before the portals opened, how much territory we lost, meaning the ‘Red Zone’… stuff like that.”
He dropped the device he was holding onto the desk with a clatter, wearing a heavy expression.
“Instead of listing useless numbers, I’ll tell you something that might actually be important.”
He crossed his arms, leaned forward, and looked straight at the students.
“Bastion. Anyone heard of it?”
His voice was calm, but Sal could feel the anger dwelling in his eyes.
Several people raised their hands, and Sinclair nodded.
“When the world started collapsing and we were on the brink of being completely pushed back, something called the Bastion Program was announced. It was a kind of exit ticket only for the super-rich.”
Sinclair pointed upward with his finger.
“It meant shooting themselves into space to stay safe.”
He slammed his hand on the desk. Thud.
“People still make jokes like that these days. Saying Bastion is ruling the Earth. Since half of you seem to be hearing that name for the first time, its influence has almost disappeared, they say… but they are still threatening existences. Does anyone know why?”
One student cautiously raised a hand. Sinclair nodded and gestured for them to speak.
“Is it because there are people loyal to them here too?”
Sinclair smiled and waved his palm from side to side.
“Almost correct. The real reason Bastion is a threat to us is that they still control a majority of our media signals. And they are pushing their propaganda to the public.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Do you know what’s even more serious? Most of the retrieval guilds we rely on right now are receiving funding from Bastion. Why is this dangerous?”
Another person raised a hand, and Sinclair induced an answer with a nod.
“Because retrieval guilds are only retrieving wealthy areas, not areas that would be helpful to refugees.”
Sinclair smiled at the student and nodded.
“Half correct. Do you know how much money is being spent to guard each of those grand mansions Bastion will use later? Empty mansions where no one knows who will return or when.”
He shook his head as if disappointed with those taking the class.
“The Prowler attack yesterday was an absolutely necessary lesson. You have grown up watching only media created by guys who don’t even live on this land all your lives. Brainwashed with words of hope called salvation and a bright future. Is there any fan of Valor here?”
Sal raised his hand. Looking around, almost everyone was raising their hands. The Veritas Guild and Guildmaster Valor were existences that accompanied their childhoods. He was known as a hero who executed monsters and protected the weak.
But Sinclair didn’t show any smile.
“Then, anyone who knew Valor wasn’t a real person?”
Only a few raised their hands.
Sal was surprised to see Divinity raising her hand.
Sinclair pointed to her, and Divinity started explaining.
“The places shown on broadcast didn’t match the registered safe zones. And the Veritas Guild wasn’t registered with the United Guild Alliance.”
Sinclair nodded and passed the question to another student.
“It was broadcast that Valor executed a monster horde in our sector… but in reality, nothing like that happened. The place shown on broadcast was also an old appearance destroyed decades ago.”
“Right. They are all fabricated videos.”
Sinclair shook his head in disgust.
“If you want to know about portals, monsters, dungeons, and towers, discard every concept you’ve known until now.”
He walked out in front of the desk, leaned on it, and continued.
“Now, let’s start with portals. A portal is a hole suddenly pierced in the sky. It can appear anywhere, and is generally a door leading to another world.”
Sinclair’s tone was somewhat sarcastic yet serious.
“Then what about dungeons? A dungeon is the territory of powerful monsters. Usually full of traps or various loot. Sometimes, the monster itself is the dungeon. But let’s talk about that later.”
“You must have heard the term Dungeon Portal. It means a portal that closes only when specific conditions are met. Usually, killing the monster is the condition.”
The tone was plain, but Sinclair increased his speed and continued listing information.
“What’s left is… ah, the Tower.”
He lifted his head and said.
“A Tower is a structure where dungeons are stacked in layers. There is one monster on each floor, and you must defeat it to go up to the next floor. It’s a structure favored by heroes or adventurers, but never underestimate it.”
Sinclair leaned his body on the desk and lowered his voice.
“This introductory lecture is simple. You will learn the types of monsters you will encounter in each region, and learn how to deal with those monsters as a team. And at the end of the semester…”
The corners of his mouth curled up like a beast eyeing its prey. Sal immediately recalled the Prowler class yesterday and stiffened.
"You will clear one floor of a Tower as a team. Without my help.”
***
If Sal could go back to the past, he would have gone back to the night before and slept first.
No matter how effective premium coffee was, it was insufficient to follow Sinclair’s class.
After announcing the shocking content regarding the final exam, Sinclair poured out explanations about the characteristics, personalities, weaknesses, etc., of twenty most commonly encountered monster species.
It was somewhat comforting that Sal wasn’t the only one having a mental breakdown.
Most students also had faces stricken with shock and fear.
Especially the classification called High-Rank Monsters was unforgettable.
Sinclair called them Lords.
The explanation was that they could take human form, could even speak, and above all, were cunning and dangerous.
‘It’s shocking that Prowlers are only the second weakest grade.’
No matter how strong he became, let alone a Lord, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to properly defeat even a single Prowler.
Sal shook his head as he left the lecture room with his classmates.
There was a short break until the next class, and Sal was calculating how much he could sleep if he sprinted back to his room.
“Sal!”
But Divinity stopped him.
Her gaze was fixed on Sal’s new shirt, and Sal intuitively knew a bomb of questions would pour out soon.
“Did you make this?”
Divinity admired as if exhaling and swept the silver mesh with her finger. Then she looked up at Sal’s face and asked.
“Wow, but your condition right now is no joke? Did something happen?”
Like caring for an elderly person, Divinity linked arms with Sal and led him to a rest area with benches and lounge chairs nearby.
“Tell me everything. What is this shirt, its functions? Are those runes? How long did it take to make?”
Questions poured out.
Literally poured out simultaneously.
Sal found it overwhelming even to just follow them all.
The effect of the coffee was gradually disappearing too, and he was so tired he didn't know when he might collapse.
“Made it all night. Haven’t decided on a name yet….”
Sal answered a few of her questions with difficulty.
“Learned engraving and runes too, and figured out how to combine them to complement each other with my eyes to make it.”
As Sal’s words became twisted, Divinity’s eyes narrowed.
Sal thought it was because she didn’t understand.
“This is for defense… combined with blunt resistance, a counterattack effect also occurs.”
Sal tried to smile while focusing on the rune with his blurry mind.
But he increasingly couldn’t remember what roles the other runes played, and started feeling something was strange.
This wasn’t simple fatigue.
Sal raised his head to ask her for help, and at that moment, saw Divinity’s two eyes turning white.
He thought he saw her grimace for a moment, and seeing her expression made Sal anxious.
When he didn't know how much time had passed, Divinity blinked and looked at Sal.
It was a sympathetic expression.
“You have to go to the workshop right now. I’ll take notes for the next class. Don’t worry… okay?”
Before moving, she scanned the shirt once more and shook her head.
“Let’s go. I’ll go with you.”
Sal nodded and got up.
He didn’t even have the energy to ask what she saw.
The best he could do right now was just walk following her.
***
As Sal walked between the benches crossing the workshop, a whistle sound rang out.
From afar, Upgrade had her finger to her mouth, preparing to whistle once more.
She was the first to notice Sal’s new shirt.
Soon, other regular crafters also all got up from their desks and flocked to see it up close.
Divinity had already left for the next class, and Sal couldn't even remember what she had said to him.
He almost passed his own desk.
Upgrade grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
“Shows that you pulled your first all-nighter! We can help—”
Her words cut off midway. Staring piercingly at Sal’s reinforced uniform, she traced the silver mesh with her fingertips and examined the engravings one by one.
After a moment, she rubbed and examined Sal’s shirt turning it this way and that, then her eyes went wide.
“Is this real? Francis!”
Rune expert Francis ran over with an excited face.
“Restoration work again?”
Upgrade took a step back and gestured as if pointing at Sal’s uniform.
“I don’t understand. These guys look like they’re all working at once.”
Her gaze turned to Sal’s face again. He had eyes that looked like he would collapse any moment. Upgrade frowned and shook her head.
“Wait, Francis.”
She blocked his hand trying to look at the shirt more closely.
“Sal, take off the shirt.”
Sal tried, but his arms didn’t listen at all. He looked down at his arms with a blank face. It was the first time his body didn’t move this much due to fatigue.
Upgrade spat out a curse and tried to help him take it off herself.
The moment she grabbed the shirt, one of the runes flashed.
Sal watched blankly as Upgrade was flung hard onto a bench by the recoil.
The anger rising on her face was terrifying.
“Uh, sorry…”
Sal fainted right there.