CHAPTER 169: THE GUESTS HAVE ARRIVED

The classroom was filled with the soft scratch–scratch of mana pens gliding across the special parchment. Students leaned forward, brows furrowed, some biting their lips, others muttering under their breath as they tried to maintain steady mana flow.

Zane walked between rows like a silent shadow, hands behind his back, correcting a wrist angle here, adjusting a mana output there, his calm voice drifting lightly across the room.

"Mana is not muscle," he reminded softly. "Don’t force it. Guide it."

Gradually—painfully—triangles began to form on paper. Left hand clockwise. Right hand counter-clockwise. For many students, the shapes looked more like drunk mountain peaks, but after several attempts... they finally managed it.

A small spark of pride flickered through the room.

And as expected, Selene once again finished first.

Her triangles were sharp, clean, and perfectly proportioned—mana distribution smooth enough that even Zane paused beside her desk for a heartbeat longer than usual.

He didn’t praise her aloud, but the faint upward curl at the edge of his lips was more than enough.

Selene’s chest warmed slightly.

Her control is exceptional, Zane thought silently... I can say that she has the best potential in controlling mana if given time and hardwork she can control mana to maximum .

One by one, the rest of the class succeeded. Some barely scraped by, some only after erasing their papers a dozen times, but in the end—they all made it.

Zane clapped once, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Good. Your hands finally understand mana flow, and your minds have begun to separate instinct from direction."

The students straightened unconsciously.

"Now," he continued, eyes sweeping across the class, "we return to the exercise you all failed earlier."

A quiet groan rolled through the room.

The circle-and-square exercise.

The one that humiliated the entire class earlier.

Zane placed a new pair of blank mana papers in front of each student with a flick of his fingers.

"This time," he said, voice calm but firm, "I expect results."

Some felt Pressure while some had excitement and some were soak in fear.

Every emotion flickered across the students’ faces, mixing into a strange heat that filled the room.

But under that pressure... something else stirred.

They all felt some Confidence.

They had passed two of Zane’s exercises—two things they thought were hard some time ago.

If they could do those...

Maybe this one wasn’t unreachable after all.

Selene inhaled deeply, eyes gleaming with determination.

Ron cracked his knuckles.

Lia tightened her ponytail, whispering, "Let’s do this."

Jax—still Jax—grinned. "This time I will do it."

Zane’s eyes softened with a rare warmth as he stepped back.

"Begin."

And the room erupted into the soft hum of mana as the pens touched paper... ready to challenge their minds once again.

Just as the students steadied their breaths—mana pens warmed, paper ready, minds sharpening for the dreaded circle-and-square attempt—a subtle shift washed across the room.

Zane’s expression changed.

Only for a moment.

A tiny flicker of awareness. A faint smile. The kind of smile that said something interesting just arrived.

He lifted his head slightly, as if listening to a distant sound only he could hear.

Then he exhaled softly.

"...Alright, students. Class is dismissed."

A wave of reactions burst instantly.

Half the class sagged in relief, nearly collapsing over their desks.

The other half—mostly the excited ones—groaned loudly.

"Awwww come on! We were just about to try again!"

"We can do it this time!"

Zane raised a hand lightly.

"Hey. I’m not stopping anyone. You’re free to practice the exercise whenever you want."

A pause.

"In fact, you can consider it... today’s assignment."

More groans. A few laughs. A resigned sigh from someone in the back.

Selene blinked.

Lia gave a small smile.

Ron muttered, "...I was actually ready this time."

Jax stretched his arms behind his head."I don’t like homeworks, I prefer to do everything class ."

Zane ignored that.

He grabbed his long grey coat from the chair, slinging it over his shoulders in a single graceful motion.

His eyes, however, weren’t on the students anymore—they were far away. Focused. Sharp.

"All of our guests have arrived," he murmured under his breath, a tone the class could not hear.

"Let’s go and observe them."

With that, he turned and strode out of the classroom, coat fluttering behind him like a shadow slipping into the wind.

The door clicked shut.

Silence.

Then—

Jax leaned back. "Sooo... we doing the assignment or skipping it?"

Selene jabbed him with her pen. "You’re doing it."

And the classroom erupted into chatter as Zane disappeared down the hall—heading toward a meeting that would leave many surprised.

.

.

.

Zane walked down the corridor with lazy steps, hands tucked into his coat pockets, mind drifting far ahead of his pace.

I still have a lot to do...

First, I have to find Jax’s mother. Mess with her a little. See where she is, what she’s doing, what she’s plotting...

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

And then there are today’s guests... new sources of entertainment. Let’s see what kind of toys the other academies brought with them.

Before the thought could finish, footsteps echoed from ahead.

Seris Velmira appeared, adjusting her glasses with her usual crisp precision.

Though Zane already sensed her approaching long before, he let the moment play out naturally.

"Professor Zane," Seris said, stopping before him, "the guests from the three academies have arrived. Chairman requested your presence in the meeting room."

Zane blinked once, tilting his head.

"Only three? From what I recall, Miss Seris, aren’t there four academies aside from ours?"

Seris nodded.

"Yes, Professor. However, the representative from the Demon Academy—Blackspire Infernium—was unable to attend due to... unspecified reasons. He will either meet our Chairman later, or Chairman Caelum may travel to meet him personally."

Zane paused.

Then he clicked his tongue lightly.

"Blackspire Infernium... really? That name is so corny."

Seris froze mid-step.

"...Professor."

"What?" Zane shrugged. "Sounds like an edgy teenager picked it. I mean ’Infernium’... come on."

Seris sighed softly and turned, gesturing for him to follow.

"Please refrain from saying that in the meeting."

"No promises," Zane replied casually, walking beside her.

As they continued toward the conference hall, Zane’s smile widened just a fraction.

This might be more fun than I thought.

Zane and Seris reached the meeting room.

Inside, Chairman Caelum sat calmly, Vice-Chairman Lucen beside him.

Corvin stood at attention behind them like a silent sentinel.

Lucen looked up the moment the door opened.

"Zane, good. Sit. The three representatives should arrive any moment now."

Zane slid into his chair lazily, crossing one leg over the other.

They’re already standing just outside the room. What are they waiting for?

Ah... introductions. Formality, huh.

Right on cue—

Knock.

The doors opened.

Three figures stepped inside, each one carrying a presence heavy enough to rival Lucen—

but still distinctly below Caelum’s quiet, oppressive authority.

Lucen rose slightly and said,

"Welcome, esteemed guests ."

Zane’s gaze swept over the newcomers... and he couldn’t help raising a brow.

First was a woman—tall, poised, intimidatingly composed.

About six feet tall, sharp black hair tied in a tight braid reaching her waist, skin pale and patterned with faint arcane runes along her hands.

She wore flowing white robes embroidered with golden sigils.

Her eyes were striking—

one piercing red, the other a cool blue, glowing faintly with contrasting mana currents.

She held a wooden staff topped with a floating white cubic crystal.

Second was an elven woman—slender, ethereal, breathtakingly serene.

Long emerald hair cascaded like enchanted vines, and her luminous green eyes carried a swirling black pattern within them.

Her pointed ears were adorned with leaf-shaped jewels.

She wore silken green cloaks woven from living spider silk, shifting as if breathing.

No weapon.

But nature mana clung to her like warm sunlight—alive, watchful.

Third came a dwarf—broad, burly, 4’10", radiating raw strength.

His wild red beard was braided with iron rings, scars mapped his tan skin, and one of his eyes glowed with a faint blue luminescence—it was cybernetic, inscribed with tiny runes.

His armor was fur-trimmed leather fused with runic metal plates,

and tribal beastmen tattoos coiled across his colossal shoulders.

Each of the three radiated a pressure that could crush a normal mage.

Zane leaned back slightly, amused.

Huh.

One with mismatched eyes... one with patterned eyes... one with a glowing mechanical eye.

All three have something going on with their eyes.

His lips curved faintly.

Interesting coincidence... or a deliberate theme?

The room settled into silence as all eyes turned to Caelum—

The meeting was just about to begin.

Caelum opened his mouth to speak—

—but Zane felt a gaze lock onto him.

Not on his face but on his hand.

Zane’s eyes narrowed slightly as the burly dwarf’s glowing cybernetic eye flickered, zooming in on the sleek grey technowatch.

...Hmm.

The dwarf didn’t wait.

Heavy boots thudded across the floor as he walked straight toward Zane, ignoring every other academy head present.

Lucen blinked.

Seris froze mid-adjustment of her glasses.

The dwarf stopped in front of Zane and jabbed a thick finger toward his wrist.

"Hey, kid."

Zane arched an eyebrow.

"What is that device on your wrist?"

The dwarf leaned closer, inspecting the technowatch with fascination burning in his eyes.

"Is that an artifact?"

Zane didn’t reply—just watched him with mild amusement.

Then the dwarf grinned, revealing sharp, metallic-tipped teeth.

"Give it to me."

The room stiffened.

"I’ll pay you."

Zane blinked.

Lucen’s eye twitched.

The elven representative facepalmed.

The heterochromia mage woman sighed deeply.

And Zane... smiled.

This meeting is getting more and more entertaining.