The teacher who had entered earlier alongside Iliana now stood behind the podium. A thick book rested in his left hand.
He had dark skin and long white hair tied neatly behind his back. One emerald eye swept across the classroom slowly—sharp enough to feel like a blade grazing your skin.
The moment the students recognized him, the classroom jolted to life.
"That's him, right?"
"Of course it's him. Who else could it be?!"
"Man… even as a guy he's hot."
"I knew it. You're gay, Matthew."
"Silence!"
The word cracked through the room like a gunshot. Every murmur died instantly. Even the students who had been napping snapped awake.
He didn't even raise his voice much. Yet the pressure in the room changed immediately. Just standing there was enough to make everyone sit straighter.
Kaelen Noctar.
One of the most popular teachers in Atlas Online—especially among the female players. Ranked 447th among heroes worldwide. Ranked 221st among magicians.
Those numbers might not sound impressive at first.
But there are around 2.5 million heroes across the world. Only 5,000 ever make the global ranking. Magicians are even rarer—about 600,000 in total. Only 1,000 are officially ranked.
Which means the man standing in front of us…
…was already considered a monster.
While he continued introducing himself, I glanced sideways.
Iliana sat perfectly straight beside me. Elegant posture. Hands folded neatly on the desk. Completely silent.
She looked like a porcelain doll placed carefully on display. I kept staring a little longer than I should have.
"Do you have a problem?" Her voice was quiet. Her eyes never left the teacher.
Of course she noticed. Honestly, what did I expect from someone who could probably kill me with a flick of her finger?
"Nothing," I said.
She finally glanced at me once. Just once.
Then her gaze returned to the podium, as if nothing had happened—like I was just another pebble lying on the side of the road.
But that was perfectly in character.
Iliana Vexana von Helena.
A villain built from a single word.
Pride.
Yet because of her origin, she was one of the few villains without another ending besides death. In AO you could change a villain and make them turn into a good person.
But Iliana wasn't one of those characters. She stayed faithful to her origin in the original web novel.
A villainess who couldn't redeem herself.
"You… who are you?" she suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?"
She turned her head slightly. "As the daughter of the House of Fire, it is mandatory for me to remember the names of all students. Even those who failed."
"..." I stayed quiet, wondering if anyone could realistically remember names to that extent.
"And yet… I do not remember you. Not as a student nor as one of the failed applicants. So answer me—who are you?" She fully turned toward me.
My mind went blank as I tried to think of an answer.
Nothing came to mind.
So what… I don't exist or something?
My headache is finally gone, don't add more things for me to think about.
"…And with that, I will not be answering any questions regarding myself." Kaelen's voice cut the interrogation short.
"The moment we meet again, I will be expecting an answer from you." Iliana returned to her original posture.
I was dumbfounded. My mouth hung open while cold sweat formed on my forehead.
"I think I will die just from migraine," I murmured.
◆
"Since this is the first day, we will not be conducting any lessons. Instead, following today's agenda, we will visit the weapon arsenal. There, you will be selecting your main weapon."
The students celebrated in unison. This was something they had been waiting for forever. A hero could only wield a weapon once they reached a certain grade.
Kaelen sighed as he watched the classroom turn upside-down from a single announcement.
◆◆
Kaelen led us to the arsenal located beneath the academy.
"Now you will be granted one hour to decide what will be your main weapon."
The main weapon wasn't something you could choose out of spite. Once you picked it up, that weapon would stay with you until graduation.
And thus I faced my mortal enemy once again.
Decision.
Deciding something wasn't really my cup of tea. I usually ended up regretting it in the end. And now they expect me to choose a weapon from all of these options.
I wandered around the room, looking at the displays in quiet fascination. Then I remembered the most important thing to check before choosing a weapon.
My class and stats.
"Status window," I muttered under my breath, keeping my voice as low as possible.
—————[ Class: Commander ]—————
Stats:
Strength: 8.9 | Dexterity: 7.5
Endurance: 7.8 | Intelligence: 15.8 | Luck: 20
———[Total Base Stat Allocation: 40]———
I had seen those exact stats countless times.
Why?
Because those were Jake's in-game stats. I had played Jake so many times that I already knew how to build him.
Now that I knew my stats, I knew exactly what weapon I should choose.
I walked toward the magic section and picked up a wand.
It was a long, intricately engraved key with faintly glowing runes along its shaft. The teeth shifted slightly, as if adjusting themselves to unlock something unseen.
[Resonator Key | B-Rank]
A wand was designed to be wielded by a mage type class, in this case—summoner. And as a Commander, this was the only weapon that could actually help me fight.
If I chose something like a sword, it would be like fighting a tank with a dull knife. The biggest disadvantage someone could possibly have.
◆
One hour later, after everyone had selected their main weapons, Kaelen dismissed the class. Students immediately scattered in every direction, heading off to do their own things.
But some of us stayed behind.
Myself included.
Another teacher entered the arsenal. He wore the kind of white robe you'd expect from a stereotypical scientist.
"Uh… students who chose summoner-type weapons, please follow me."
That was exactly what I had been waiting for.
The teacher led us into another facility. [The summoning altar] The place where we would form contracts with our familiars.
"I think you already know how this works," he said with a tired voice. "So… take care of yourselves."
Then the students began stepping forward one by one.
"Oh yeah… I almost forgot."
I quickly pulled out the reward I had received from befriending Kahleed.
[D-Rank Equipment Selection Ticket]
I tore it open.
A long list of equipment appeared in front of me, slowly scrolling through countless items I could choose from.
In this world, there were three main power systems.
[Mana | Aura | Divinity]
Each one granted different kinds of abilities.
Now let me tell you one unfortunate thing about the Commander class.
It had none of them. No mana. No aura. No divine power. So you might ask—Why did I pick a wand that required mana in the first place?
Simple.
Even if I didn't have mana, there was still a way around that problem.
"I choose [Graham's First Ring]."
A smooth black ring appeared on my finger. The band twisted once at its center, forming a perfect Mobius strip.
This ring could store mana. Of course, its capacity was limited. But if I wore this I would finally be able to summon my familiar.
◆◆◆
Iliana returned to her dorm shortly after visiting the arsenal. Her weapon of choice had been a spear—the last thing her uncle had taught her. Even now, she still carried those lessons with her.
Her personal maid was already waiting inside the room. The moment Iliana entered, the maid stepped forward and began helping her change out of her uniform.
"…Jane," Iliana called.
"What is it, my lady?" Jane replied, still focused on adjusting Iliana's clothes.
"Find everything you can about the boy who interrupted me in the classroom today."
"Understood."
The boy seemed completely unremarkable.
And yet, everything about him felt wrong. The academy could not possibly make a mistake during the entrance ceremony. An intruder should have been impossible.
Iliana's gaze lowered slightly.
I hope he isn't connected to that "person."
To be continued.