Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"Wah… I promise I won't do it again, Professor! Please, just one chance, I swear, never again!"

One of the hardest parts of Adrian's job was this.

Punishing students.

And for something so trivial too, like trying to copy a classmate's answers during an exam.

She was being escorted out, her voice breaking as she begged him.

Adrian shut his emotions down, forcing his heart to harden. He didn't turn around. If he did, he knew he might waver.

Thak.

The door closed.

Only then did he exhale, her voice fading into silence behind it.

Taking another breath, he addressed the room, "Even if your intentions aren't to cheat or disturb others, any movement or whisper will not be tolerated. Be mindful of that."

The students lowered their heads further, completely focused on their papers.

Adrian stood among the invigilators overseeing the second-year written exams.

As an instructor, it was his duty to uphold the rules without exception.

So despite what he felt, he held no regret for what he had done.

He moved through the classroom, his gaze sweeping sharply across every row, missing not even the slightest movement. There were two other invigilators present, but Adrian was the one who paced the most during exams.

He did sympathize with students who stumbled at such a crucial stage of their journey. But if he chose to overlook it, the honest ones would suffer, sometimes even getting dragged into mistakes they never made.

So his stance remained firm.

Rules had to be upheld.

Order had to be maintained.

Soon, he reached Sylvie's desk. A brief glance at her paper made him almost sigh in quiet admiration.

Her handwriting was elegant, each answer structured neatly and explained with clarity.

Papers like these… always earned a smile from those who assess them.

Then he moved ahead and reached Allen's desk.

His handwriting was rough, uneven in places, but the answers themselves were sharp and precise. Adrian could already tell the boy would score well.

And with his physical ability on top of that, his overall standing would be solid.

Then, he walked further, his gaze settling on the paper of the student council president and his former fiancée, Olivia.

Unlike Sylvie, her handwriting wasn't elegant, but it was pleasant to the eyes. Her answers were a bit lengthy, yet they covered the core of each topic well. Overall, she would score good marks, befitting someone in her position.

Soon, these students would be regarded as seniors on campus.

Canonically, in his third year, Allen fights Nytharos, and the story draws to its conclusion. But now, things had changed.

For the protagonist, the main villain of this world was still the Fallen God, someone deeply tied to the history that shaped everything. But Adrian knew better. Nytharos might only be a pawn in this game. He wasn't the real threat.

Still, Adrian wouldn't interfere with Allen's path. He already had too many things to focus on, starting with the liberation of Nytharos from that deep-sea prison.

If a deity was locked there, then the guardian protecting it had to be powerful. Adrian took pride in his armaments, but he didn't know if they would be enough to defeat something even stronger than Nytharos.

When it came to core sorcery, Nytharos had already outclassed Adrian. And this guardian would likely be an ancient creature as well, meaning Adrian should expect overwhelming sorcery and bloodshed.

Without assessing the opponent, he couldn't determine whether he was prepared or not. But he wasn't foolish enough to rush in unprepared either.

So, for starters, he would build a fifth-grade armament today. After that, he would revisit Valor for further training.

Just two visits to the man had already improved his magic control and physical prowess significantly.

Valor was the kind of teacher who taught without explaining, forcing Adrian to understand the purpose behind each lesson on his own.

So yes, he needed to prepare, and fast. Just like Elana, Adrian knew those wretched beings could use someone else to strike at him.

TRNG

A sharp bell chime signaled everyone to stop.

Adrian sighed as he realized he had been too lost in thought to properly monitor the class.

Regardless, he moved to the back and began collecting the papers, starting there since those students had received them first.

Many were still writing when he took their sheets. Some groaned, some gasped, and others, like Sylvie, simply sat there, her hands nowhere near the desk.

Adrian and the other two teachers gathered all the papers before dismissing the students one by one.

Soon, chatter filled the room as they discussed the questions and second-guessed their answers.

The other two teachers handed their stacks to Adrian, and after exchanging brief nods, they left the classroom.

Adrian was organizing the papers when he noticed three people approaching him. He looked up and saw they were the same students whose sheets he had briefly reviewed during the exam.

Sylvie was the first to speak. "Thank you, Professor… for being there when I needed help the most. Truly, if not for our conversation, I might not have performed nearly as well as I did."

Adrian let out a faint chuckle. "You sound confident about your performance."

Sylvie tilted her head. "Learned from you, sir. Never doubt my knowledge."

Adrian nodded, a satisfied smile forming on his face.

Then Allen added, "Hopefully, we score enough to get into your class this year, Professor."

Adrian was in charge of Class 3-1, and admission required consistently strong performance throughout the year.

Looking at their confident expressions, he had a strong feeling they might just make it.

Nodding, he said, "Well then, I hope to see you soon."

….

Leaving the classroom, Adrian headed toward the staff room.

On his way, he came across the same girl who had been crying outside the class the entire time, the one caught cheating earlier.

Adrian sighed. "There's no point standing here, Diana. You'll have to try again next year." Naturally, without clearing the written exam, she wouldn't be promoted to the third year.

Diana hiccupped before speaking. "Professor… if I don't pass this year, I'll be expelled."

Adrian frowned, recalling last year's results. Right, she had already repeated once. Failing again would mean expulsion.

His expression hardened. "You made the same mistake last year too, didn't you? How can you be this careless?"

Diana lowered her head and dropped to her knees. "I… I wanted to score well. But I didn't know half the answers, sir. Please… just give me one last chance. Professor… if I get expelled, my father will burn me alive. Just one chance, I swear I'll do anything you say."

Adrian pressed his fingers to his brow. He was cornered.

Just then, a familiar voice cut in. "One week. In seven days, I will personally take your test. If you fail, you pack your bags and leave immediately."

Diana looked up, her eyes widening as she saw the headmistress walking toward them.

Adrian's expression turned complicated, but before he could speak, Diana shot to her feet. "Understood! I will do my best." And with that, she sprinted away.

Adrian shook his head. "You didn't have to help me…" Though he said that, he was genuinely grateful to Ariana for giving the girl another chance. If she had been expelled, all three of her years would have gone to waste.

Ariana grinned as she stepped closer. "Well, you can file a complaint in my office if you want."

Adrian narrowed his eyes…hmm, so his lover was in the mood to get scolded , huh?