Chapter 30 : Chapter 30
Chapter 30 : Reprieve
"Are you serious?"
Sal asked in shock, but Divinity, still unable to suppress her laughter, continued her explanation.
"I'm telling you! In my vision, you were out cold as soon as it started! But I don't know exactly what changed or what the catalyst was... Something shifted right as the fight began, and suddenly I see you leaping into the air!"
Divinity burst into laughter again and raised her hand to mimic the scene.
"That move where you jump into the sky and slam down with your elbows!"
Shaking her head side to side and looking at Sal again, Divinity spoke as if she couldn't believe it.
"Seriously, you looked like you were possessed or something!"
Divinity's match had been a completely one-sided victory, but watching it, Sal had blinked twice in disbelief.
It seemed she was hiding just as much as Sal was.
The image of Divinity knocking her opponent out cold instantly with a 540-degree spinning hook kick was still vivid in Sal's mind.
Even the sight of her returning to her seat and smiling brightly at him across the gym.
"Aren't you going to talk about those martial arts skills?"
Sal asked her as her laughter subsided, but Divinity shrugged and changed the subject again.
"Shall we meet at Survival Class after the break? I'm going to skip lunch and shower first. I feel like the gym smell is stuck all over me."
She even shivered for effect, and Sal shook his head with a confused expression.
"My next class is Administration? I didn't know classes were split during orientation week."
"Ah, then... see you at the party! Victoria invited me, and when she said you were coming, I said I'd go too."
Divinity paused for a moment, then asked.
"Ah, that's okay, right?"
Sal smiled and shook his head as if to say not to worry.
"Yeah, Victoria is a bit difficult. She teased me earlier too... and I have no idea how to talk to her."
At that, Divinity's eyes sparkled, and the corners of her mouth turned up.
"Ah, now I think I know what that vision was about! See you later then!"
"What? What vision?"
"Bye!!"
"Divinity!"
Divinity burst into laughter again and disappeared toward the dormitory.
Sal couldn't shake the feeling that she was laughing about something involving him.
Sal stood in the lobby outside the gym, debating whether to go to his next classroom early or grab something to eat.
In the end, he surrendered to hunger and headed to the cafeteria near the dormitory.
He had heard that the reports written during combat class would be reviewed by Professor Rust and then delivered to each student.
Honestly, Sal didn't expect much from the content.
His fight had been entirely a result of fear and panic.
He recalled the various matches that had taken place during combat class.
Most students seemed to have received some form of formal martial arts training.
There were close-quarters combat styles that slammed opponents into the ground, as well as flashy moves like Divinity's kicks.
Victoria's fight was the most confusing of them all.
Her opponent had tapped the floor and surrendered as soon as it started.
Had she threatened him before the fight? Or was there something about Victoria that he didn't know yet?
Sal suddenly stopped walking, shook his head, and cursed inwardly.
'Why do I keep thinking about Victoria?'
The thought crossed his mind that going to the party tonight might be a mistake.
Hannah, Divinity, and Victoria—all three gathering in one space?
Sal didn't want to get entangled in such complicated emotional lines.
Shaking off his thoughts, Sal finally came to one conclusion.
"Let's just eat."
***
Walking into the Administration classroom, Sal was relieved to find there was no cage in the room.
Of course, it was obvious there wouldn't be one in an administration class, but he was genuinely grateful that his body wouldn't suffer anymore today.
As other students streamed in, Sal looked around and realized that most were faces he had never seen before.
'Did I walk into the wrong lecture hall?'
He walked along the connected corridor-like aisle that made up the lecture hall.
On the podium, there was a large screen, a desk, and a single empty chair.
This classroom wasn't structured with desks spaced apart like the workshop or terminal room.
Instead, screens were embedded into the surface of a curved wooden structure, which resembled semicircular stairs rising toward the ceiling in tiers.
Sal walked up the stairs and entered an empty aisle, only then realizing that seats were assigned, causing his anxiety to spike.
In one corner, a group of staff members in white uniforms were gathered, but they were engrossed in conversation with each other rather than helping the students.
A few students who asked for help were waved away, and one relatively kind staff member pointed toward the wall.
Following the gesture, Sal saw a notice posted on the wall indicating the students' seating arrangement.
Even with Sal's exceptional eyes, there was a limit to reading small print from that distance.
He sighed and decided to go down the stairs to check the seating chart himself.
But before he had taken even two steps, a sharp whistle sounded from behind him.
It was quiet enough that most wouldn't hear, but it was sufficient to catch his attention.
Turning around, he saw Kane sitting in a chair, gesturing for Sal to take a seat near the aisle.
The seat was two spaces in from the aisle, so Sal turned and moved toward it.
Seeing the name 'Sal' written on the desk screen there, Sal turned his head to thank Kane, but paused when he saw crutches leaning against the desk.
"I heard you were hurt. Is it any better?"
Sal asked, but instead of answering, Kane pushed the crutches under the desk, a faint trace of pain flitting across his face in the process.
Seeing that he had no intention of answering, Sal didn't pry and simply thanked him for finding his seat.
He didn't know Kane well, and more importantly, it was painfully obvious that Kane didn't want to talk about it right now.
Sal wondered if he could use the thread he recalled from when the healer treated him on Kane.
But he immediately dismissed the thought.
He had only ever used that power to heal his own body and had absolutely no idea how to use it on someone else.
When Sal looked down toward the podium, an imposing figure stood leaning against something that looked like a bladed staff. His smile was a bizarre mix of kindness and menace, and the look in his eyes as he watched the students bustling to find their seats seemed to silently say, 'Aren't you going to sit down quickly?'
He waited for a moment before finally shouting.
"Enough, just sit anywhere for now."
Then he put on a small earpiece and spoke.
"Is this better? Can you all hear me?"
His last words echoed simultaneously from invisible speakers throughout the lecture hall.
"Don't just sit there blankly, answer if you can hear me!"
Sal and the other students answered "Yes!" at different timings, and that alone seemed to satisfy the new professor, who nodded.
Clearing his throat, he put the staff down on the desk and walked slowly toward the nearest aisle.
His dark brown eyes scanned the students one by one as he shook his head in disappointment.
"Raise your hand if you came to Administration to make money."
Most of the students looked at each other in confusion, but Sal raised his hand without hesitation.
Only about ten students reacted immediately like Sal.
"Ah, that's a relief. At least there are a few honest ones!"
The professor laughed as he looked at the students who had raised their hands.
"Then let me ask you. When you think of administration, what usually comes to mind? Just simple office work. People who organize documents and stack up reports when accidents or monster appearances happen. But is that what we do? Absolutely not."
Scanning the students briefly, he continued.
"Administrators are the giants of this industry. Because they are the ones who know the structure of this new world. We provide the standards and systems that others have no choice but to follow. While taking this class, you will learn how to handle being a hero as a business."
'Business?'
"How to manage yourself within a guild, and how to climb to the top. How to negotiate contracts to secure favorable conditions. Even after completing the class, some of you will only grasp a sense of commercial awareness. But with just that sense alone, you will be miles ahead of your peers."
The professor smiled as he saw the students' faces stiffen.
"And if you truly understand and follow what I teach? A few of you might become the next generation of Guild Masters. My name is Jez. I was the representative of the now-disbanded Bastard Guild."
Hearing the professor's name and the Bastard Guild, some students looked surprised.
"Seeing your faces stiffen now, you must have already encountered Sinclair or Lars, right? We were one of the top combat-specialized guilds in the city, and even now, the Reavers Guild is struggling to break the revenue records we set."
The professor laughed heartily, as if genuinely enjoying himself.
"Over the next few months, I'm going to pass on everything I know. Our Bastard Guild even gave up our hero positions to come here. To make you capable of surpassing us. Simply put, it means you have to study your asses off."
As Jez emphasized with a curse, a few students laughed.
"What's in front of you right now is a guide called a Folio. Just opening this will earn you your first ranking in this class. Completing assignments or missions raises your rank, and it goes on like that. Oh, someone's raising their hand already. You want to ask what ranking has to do with administration? Good question."
As the student who raised his hand hesitated, a few more hands went up.
Jez finally slowed his speech and looked at the students with a puzzled expression.
A female student sitting in the front row pointed at her desk and said.
"Folio? What are you talking about?"
Jez looked furious for a moment, then thanked the student.
He immediately turned around, spread his arms wide toward the administrative assistants standing on one side, and glared at them.
"What are you doing standing there right now? You had one job. This isn't even funny. Forget it, I'll do it myself. No, don't move. How am I supposed to teach when you haven't even handed out the textbooks?"
Sneering at the flustered assistants, Jez strode to one side of the room.
Then he lifted a stack of gray binders effortlessly.
The binders had a leather-like texture and looked solid and heavy.
The bewildered assistants approached, trying to make excuses, but Jez waved them away.
"What a great first impression. Students came in to learn about the world of administration, and the first thing they encounter is you lot? Administrators who know neither preparation nor responsibility. Well, let's think positively."
Jez hugged the pile of Folios, walked up the stairs, and threw one into the air.
The binder spun, drawing a large arc, and landed precisely on a desk on the opposite side of the classroom.
The student who received the Folio stared blankly at the binder with a bewildered face.
Jez didn't care at all and continued nagging the administrative assistants.
Sal followed his movements with admiring eyes.
Every time he threw one, the binder reached a student's desk with magical precision.
"Just by taking this one class today, you can build a better career path than these people."
He took the last bundle and climbed the stairs toward where Sal was sitting.
This time, instead of throwing it, he picked one up himself and placed it in front of Sal's desk.
Sal looked at it with surprised eyes.
His name was engraved on the leather cover.
Looking around, Sal realized that Jez had already identified every student.
Jez gave him a wink, then immediately tormented the administrative assistants once more with a thunderous voice.