Internet Mage Professor

Nolan’s fingers drummed furiously against the side of his chair, his eyes glued to the interface window shimmering before him.

The students—Selin, Ruvin, Erik, Calien, and the rest—continued their relentless slaughter of the humanoid octopus creatures. And each time they threw those damned knives, Nolan felt his blood pressure rise just a little higher.

"No, no, no, you little goblin-brained fools!" he shouted at the screen, voice cracking with exasperation. His fists clenched as Selin’s throw arced slightly wide before somehow finding its mark in the beast’s temple. "What was that wrist flick?! Are you trying to impress your friends or kill the damn thing?! Your angle was all wrong—horribly wrong! That’s not how I showed you!"

The blade buried itself into the octopus creature’s head, dropping it in one clean motion.

Nolan scowled harder.

"And you, Ruvin! You call that proper footwork? Your left foot’s too far forward! That stance is trash! Pure trash! If I had a stick, I’d whack you over the head for it right now! And still—still!—you hit it? Unbelievable! The gods are mocking me at this point!"

Ruvin’s blade hit true. The creature collapsed into itself, red sludge soaking into the mossy ground.

"And Calien! Don’t even get me started on you!" Nolan raged, nearly toppling his chair as he leaned closer to the screen. His face was flushed, veins prominent in his forehead.

"Your elbow—too high! Your grip—too loose! That throw was a disgrace to every knife I’ve ever forged! A disgrace to the entire art of knife throwing! If your blade hadn’t hit its mark, I would’ve cheered, just so you’d learn a lesson!"

But again, the kill was clean. The octopus spawn dissolved, leaving behind yet another glimmering mana crystal that one of the attendants scooped up without ceremony.

Nolan felt his hands tremble. His teeth ground together.