Villainous Instructor at the Academy

I stared at the system message in front of me.

[Introduce yourself as Class C's instructor.]

Seemed easy enough. Except Class C had the worst reputation in the academy. If half the rumors were true, this was going to be a nightmare.

I sighed, grabbed my coat, and headed for the classroom.

__

Class C was shoved into the old part of the academy. The hallways were dim, the walls had cracks, and the door looked like it was barely holding together.

I pushed it open.

The place was a mess.

A huge guy was arm-wrestling someone while another cheered them on. A girl sat on the windowsill flipping a book in her hand. Two students were shouting at each other over a book, and in the corner, someone was asleep like none of this mattered.

No one even looked at me.

I cleared my throat. "Alright, shut up."

Nothing.

I sighed. Figures.

I looked around for the one causing the most trouble. If I dealt with them first, maybe the rest would listen.

That's when I saw him.

A boy with short, platinum-blonde hair and red eyes. He sat right in the center with his feet up on a desk, looking completely relaxed. Unlike the others, he wasn't making noise, but it was clear she ran things here.

I walked up and knocked his boots off the desk.

He looked up, his red eyes amused.

He didn't look annoyed. If anything, he looked entertained.

The room had finally quieted down. People were watching, waiting to see what would happen next.

The kid tilted his head. "You got a problem?"

"Yeah," I said. "Your feet were on the desk."

He smirked. "Didn't think that'd bother you, Professor."

A few chuckles from the others. Someone muttered, "This should be good."

I ignored them. "Name?"

The kid stretched, completely at ease. "Julien."

No last name.

I glanced around. "And the rest of you?"

Silence. They were testing me.

I sighed. "Fine. We'll do it the hard way."

I turned to the board, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote in clear, bold letters:

Lucian Drelmont

The reaction was immediate. The room shifted. A few students sat up straighter. Someone swore under their breath. Even the ones pretending not to care were paying attention now.

So they had heard of me.

Julien leaned back, studying me like I was some rare animal. "Huh. Didn't think you'd show up."

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged. "Rumors."

I crossed my arms. "You believe everything you hear?"

"Depends," he said. "Are the rumors true?"

I smirked. "Which ones?"

That actually got a laugh from someone.

I let the moment sit, then clapped my hands. "Alright, introductions. One by one."

They hesitated.

Then a tall, muscular guy stood up, arms crossed. "Garrick Holt."

One name down.

I nodded. "Next."

Slowly, the rest followed. Some were casual. Some reluctant. A few didn't even try to hide their disinterest.

Julien was the last.

He gave me that same amused look and said, "Julien Ferne"

I waited, but he didn't add anything else.

Fine. That was enough for now.

I leaned against the desk. "Listen up. The academy doesn't care about you or expecting anything, they are looking for a reason to kick you out. And that is exactly why you got a deadbeat professor like me."

When I said that, I heard quiet laughter from the back.

Julien smirked. "So you admit you're a deadbeat?"

I shrugged. "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

That got a few more laughs. Some of them were testing me, but that was fine. Let them. I had no intention of playing the role of a strict, noble instructor. If they wanted to see how far they could push me, I'd let them—right up until the moment they realized they were wasting their time.

I glanced at the students, their postures, the way they reacted. Most were skeptical. A few were openly amused. And then there were the ones watching in silence, waiting to see if I was worth listening to.

Good. At least they were paying attention now.

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back against the desk.

"The way I see it, you've got two options," I said. "You can keep wasting time, messing around, and proving the academy right. Or you can actually try and make something of yourselves. Either way, I still get paid."

A few more chuckles. Some eyes narrowed. I could tell they weren't sure if I was mocking them or telling the truth.

Julien tapped his fingers against the desk. "And if we pick the first option?"

I shrugged. "Then you fail, get expelled, and go back to wherever you came from. Not my problem."

Silence.

I could feel some of them bristling. Good. Let them chew on that.

I stood up straight and stretched. "Anyway, training starts tomorrow at dawn."

That got a few groans. One kid muttered, "What can you even teach us? You are the second professor we got since the semester started."

I arched a brow. "Second, huh? What happened to the first?"

The kid snorted. "Quit after a week."

A few students grinned. Someone in the back added, "Didn't even last that long. He stopped showing up after the third day."

I smirked. "So what you're saying is, you scared off some poor, underpaid professor, and now you think that makes you impressive?"

That got a reaction. A few of them shifted, and Julien let out a quiet chuckle.

"We didn't scare him off," Julien said. "He just realized teaching us wasn't worth it."

"Right," I drawled. "Guess I'll have to find out for myself, then."

A few students exchanged glances.

I grabbed a piece of chalk and started writing on the board.

Rules for Class C:

1. If you're late, you run. (I don't care if you broke a leg—crawl.)

2. If you skip, don't come back. (I'm not chasing after you.)

3. If you fight, finish it. (But if you break anything important, you fix it.)

4. If you lose, learn. (No whining. No excuses.)

5. If you're going to break the rules, be smart about it. (If you get caught, you're on your own.)

6. If you drag me into your mess, make sure it's worth my time.

Julien read over the list, then leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "Not exactly academy policy, huh, Professor?"

I shrugged. "You think I care?"

That got a few chuckles.

Garrick crossed his arms. "And if we break your rules?"

I gave him a lazy grin. "Then you deal with the consequences."

Silence. Some of them were intrigued, others skeptical. They weren't used to a professor who wasn't trying to rein them in.

Julien tapped his fingers against the desk. "You're either the worst instructor we've had or the most interesting."

"Why not both?" I said.

That got a laugh from a few students.

Good. That was enough for today. They didn't have to like me, but they had to know I wasn't going to waste my time chasing after them. If they wanted to slack off, that was on them. But if they wanted to prove the academy wrong… well, I'd make sure they had the chance.

I grabbed my coat and slung it over my shoulder. "See you all at dawn. Or don't. Up to you."

With that, I walked out, leaving them alone. On my way I checked the system log again. Just to be sure.

<[System Log]>

— Directive Completed: Introduce yourself as Class C's instructor.

— Reward for Completion: Monocle of Evaluation.

A small, silver-rimmed monocle appeared in my hand.

I stared at it. "You've gotta be kidding me."

It looked like something a rich noble would wear at a tea party. Not exactly what I expected. I sighed and checked its description.

__

[Monocle of Evaluation]

Type: Enchanted Artifact

Rank: Instructor-Grade

Effect: Grants the user the ability to assess students and their academic performance.

Primary Functions:

➤ Student Assessment – Displays core attributes, elemental affinity, and combat/magic proficiency.

➤ Hidden Potential Detection – Highlights latent talents that students may not be aware of.

➤ Weakness Analysis – Identifies flaws in spellcasting, physical techniques, or knowledge gaps.

➤ Exam Evaluation – Instantly grades and detects inconsistencies in test answers.

Limitations:

➤ Exclusive to Students & Exams – Cannot be used on other instructors, himself, or outside threats.

➤ No Absolute Predictions – Potential ≠ guaranteed success. Progress depends on the student.

➤ Cognitive Strain – Overuse can cause mental fatigue, headaches, or temporary blindness.

➤ Tamper Resistance – Any attempt to magically alter an exam is immediately exposed.

__

I stared at the description.

So, basically, it was a glorified cheat sheet for grading papers and evaluating students. Not exactly a weapon, but it was useful in its own way.

I sighed and slipped the monocle into my coat pocket. I'd figure out how to use it later. Right now, I had other things to worry about.

Like why Class C had already gone through one professor this semester.

Or why I had the feeling I wouldn't last long if I didn't get my act together.

I left the old building, stepping into the academy courtyard. The sky was starting to darken, and the lamplights flickered to life. Most students were heading back to their dorms, but a few lingered, either training or just wasting time.

I needed to get my hands on the academy's actual records for Class C. The official reports wouldn't tell me much, but there had to be something useful in there.

If I wanted to survive this job, I needed to know exactly what I was dealing with.

I pulled my coat tighter around me and headed toward the faculty archives. If I was lucky, the administration office would still be open.

And if not?

Well, I'd figure something out.