Nolan's brow furrowed. "What the hell?"
He swiped at the floating blue screen. It didn't budge.
"Internet connection? You're kidding me. What is this—a game update?"
However, Nolan would immediately knit his brow.
An internet to this magical world.
Could it be his cheat code?
Is it?
He somehow felt excited about it.
What can it do?
Give him endless knowledge?
Suddenly, his thoughts were disturbed.
KNOCK.
A sharp knock echoed from the doorway, making the room fall into silence.
Everyone turned.
Nolan looked up.
The door opened and what greeted was a familiar person.
Standing there, arms crossed and wearing that same smug smile he always wore like armor, was Professor Granfire.
Tall. Impeccable. His silver-flame magecoat shimmered under the light. He carried himself like he owned the place—because most of the time, he did.
Granfire's gaze locked onto Nolan, still sitting behind the desk. He didn't even blink.
With slow, deliberate steps, Granfire entered. The tap of his boots echoed like a countdown.
The room stilled. Not out of fear—but something worse. Admiration. Expectation.
Granfire's smile grew by a fraction. He spoke, voice smooth and cutting.
"As expected. Still stubborn, Nolan."
The classroom seemed to charge with energy.
Students who had ignored Nolan all month were suddenly sitting straighter, eyes shining brightly as if they saw a God.
They turned to Granfire like worshippers seeing a being from heaven descend.
"Good afternoon, Professor Granfire!"
"Thank you for coming, Professor! Are you here to teach us?"
"I can't believe we get to learn from you!"
"It's an honor, sir!"
"I stayed up all night reading your notes, Professor Granfire—I can't wait to learn from you!"
"Please let me prove myself today!"
"I transferred to this class just to meet you!"
"May the mana gods bless this day!"
The praises rolled on. Voices overlapping, hands clapping. A girl even wiped tears from her eyes.
Nolan sat there like a prop in someone else's story. His jaw clenched as he slowly turned to face Granfire.
That damn face.
Nolan tapped his finger sharply against his arm. "Out of all the classrooms in Silver Blade Academy, why mine?"
Granfire's smile never faltered. "Don't take it personally, Nolan. The principal requested it."
Nolan scoffed. "Seriously?"
"Yes." Granfire strolled in like it was already his room. "The principal believes this group of apprentices shows the most promise. But sadly, they've been under the guidance of someone who's… consistently underperformed. So I took you know to make sure their talent won't be wasted."
Nolan's stare hardened.
Granfire's hands folded behind his back as he kept talking, voice smooth and deliberate.
"Let's not ignore the facts. You've been in the Mana Specialist program for almost a month. And in all that time—how many apprentices have you guided to Mana Attunement? How many of them even remembered that it name?"
Nolan's jaw tensed.
"Zero, None, right?" Granfire said flatly. "Not even one…" But he paused, "wait someone remembered you…" and he continued, "you remember your student Alen Vell? He dropped out after claiming his mana 'suffocated' in your classes. There are others too… One transferred, one became a cafeteria worker, and one swore off mana completely."
Students whispered then.
"Was he really that bad of a teacher?"
Some stared at Nolan with confusion.
"For real? Instead of learning, they chose to avoid the path of a knight because of him?"
Some looked scared.
"Well, he never really taught us anything those past few weeks; he had always gone somewhere, leaving us to stare at the blackboard…"
"I see, he's not teaching to avoid everyone from choosing another path…"
Granfire turned to the class, his voice lifting, smooth as a stage actor's.
"Today is the last day of assessments for both Mana Specialist apprentices and student apprentices. The final class before tomorrow's test for these students was a test of willpower. The one that decides whether they graduate or not."
He looked back to Nolan, eyes sharp. "You see why I asked for this room. It's not about you. It's about them. These students deserve a real chance."
Nolan swallowed hard. His stance shifted. "Wait… today's the last day?"
Granfire gave a soft shrug. "Of course. Not my job to remind you of Academy schedules—but I assumed you knew." He paused, a smile twisting just enough to cut.
"Then again… If not a single soul told you, it's not my fault. I suppose you know why no one bothered to tell you."
Nolan didn't need it spelled out.
Of course he knew.
No one cares about him. He's like a socially awkward and unattractive boy who has become invisible to women.
Hearing it out loud, in front of the students, from Granfire's lips… it hit differently.
Nolan clenched his jaw, frustration burning deep, but he said nothing. He wasn't about to give Granfire the satisfaction of watching him snap.
"Well then," Granfire said, stepping beside him. "I think it's best if you step aside. Just for today. Let me take over this session." His voice was smooth, polite—but every word dripped superiority. "After all, we need someone competent in charge."
Nolan's hand twitched at his side.
He glanced at the students. They stared back—waiting, uncertain who to follow.
"I…" Nolan started, but the words died.
He wanted to argue. To push back. But what could he even say? Nolan was about to stand up but–
"Oh, one more thing," Granfire added, lifting a finger casually. "The crystals the students gave you? You'll need to return them. It's only fair. You won't be leading the session, so you shouldn't keep what you didn't earn."
Nolan's eyes widened. Return them?
He looked down.
The crystals were gone.
Vanished the moment he touched them. Absorbed—somehow—by whatever strange system had started whispering Searching for Internet Connection… in his mind.
How was he supposed to explain that?
'Sorry, I can't give them back because an invisible game screen ate them?'
Yeah. That'd go over great.
He froze.
Granfire raised a hand, face full of mock concern. "Of course, if that's a problem, I'm sure the students will understand. Although…" He turned slightly, gesturing to faces around the room.
"That boy—Derek—his family survives on leftover scraps from military waste. The girl beside him? Juna. Her parents sold her old mana tools just to pay tuition. And him, with the worn-out boots? He hasn't had a full meal in a week."
Granfire took a slow step forward, voice cutting deeper with every word.
"That one shares a dorm with five others. And that one walks from the outer town every morning. They saved for those crystals. They trusted the instructor they gave them to."
His gaze locked back on Nolan.
"I'm sure you wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?"
Heat surged through Nolan's chest. Rage. Shame. Frustration. A storm he couldn't stop.
Granfire wasn't just humiliating him—he was trapping him. And this time?
It looked like Nolan really was at fault.
His fists clenched, shaking.
The room was dead quiet.
Then—
Ding!
A translucent screen blinked to life in front of him.
Available Network Found: Silver Blade Academy.
Nolan's breath caught.
The system… had connected?
It really did?
Suddenly, the system screen changed its content.
Ding!
Mission: Use the internet.
Rewards: Unknown.
Failure: The host won't be able to access the internet for 30 days.
Nolan was shocked. "What the...? This… This is a golden finger?" He paused for a moment and continued, "my golden freaking finger?"
Calming himself down, Nolan looked at Granfire and the students, then back to the system. He read the mission again.
After realizing he wasn't under some sort of illusion, Nolan grinned.
"I really have my own golden finger, huh? And my first mission was only to use them using the internet?"
Nolan would crack his neck and confidently said, "Easy."