Nox's POV.
It has been 11 days since I took those brats out of the academy. In that time, these brats have barely improved their survival skills. I try to limit my interference to what's strictly necessary, but I've had to save their asses multiple times now.
After saving brat nr. 2 and 3 from that baby spider, I let them struggle for a while in the cobweb made from the second strongest spider silk I've encountered so far. The reason why it falls into second place is because of the weakness brat nr 2 discovered. That it was insanely flammable. I had to fight off an entire hoard of house sized spiders while those idiots ran further up the mountain, making it even harder to keep them alive. Do those idiots have any idea how fast these critters can move? And they actually believed they managed to outrun them on their own.
I had to kill any number of predators while they slept out in the open like slabs of meat just waiting to be eaten by the first, tiger or giant snake to pass by. At least I got to see those brats throw up after trying to eat the poop organ of the poor injured leopard they found. But the absolute dumbest thing they did this entire trip was eat those damn berries.
Those dumbasses got so high that if not for the surprisingly high nutritional contents, they would have surely starved to death by know. I had to slaughter an entire village of savage cannibals, just because those brats couldn't stop singing and dancing in front of the village gate in the middle of the night. I felt no remorse for the diarrhea they suffered from the sudden chemical changes in their bodies caused by the sudden lack of drug berries. Though I wish it didn't attract so many predators.
Oh crap! That idiot brat nr 3 just fell off a cliff while I wasn't looking. I had to heal his broken body at the bottom of a ravine, while those other two were chilling in that giant snake's cave. It seems to be hibernating so as long as they stay quiet and don't approach it, they should be fine. I am starting to think, teaching three kids at once might have been a bit too ambitious of me, I can't even fathom how the other professors manage to teach double digit amounts of these brats. Truly, I have yet to grasp their level of mastery.
After healing brat nr. 3, I told him to climb back up on his own as a test of courage. I had to heal him multiple times as he kept slipping and falling back down. It took longer than usual, since my core was still not in the best condition, but eventually he made it back up. He made a loud cry of victory as if climbing that dumb cliff was supposed to be difficult. Wanting to cut myself some slack I told him where to find the other two. It would be easier to look after them if they were all together.
Unfortunately, that meathead brat nr. 3 started yelling as soon as he found the other brats, waking up that overgrown lizard in the process. And it started chasing after them. I think I'll have to cut this field trip short since they obviously can't handle this place just yet.
"RUN!!"
"TEACHER GET OUT OF THE WAY!! WE GOT TO GO!!"
The brats were screaming at me to flee as I passed them.
"Sit!" I said as the overgrown lizard tried to swallow me whole. I then activated the enchantments on my body to grab onto its fangs and stop it in its tracks.
"I SAID SIT!!" I then forced its mouth shut as I kicked its head upwards. Pushing it up on its hindlegs and tail.
"Good! Now lay down!" I said, as that giant snake like lizard prepared something that looked an awful lot like a dragon's breath.
"I SAID! LAY DOWN, NOW!" I yelled as I pulled out my magic gun and fired an incineration beam straight through its light-based breath attack and incinerated its head, causing its headless body to fall to the ground.
"Good boy!" I said as I gave it a pat on the scales.
I turned to look at the brats who for some reason looked stunned. I don't really get why they look so surprised. The 'Gale Burst' Blackbeard used was just about as strong as that breath attack.
"HOLY CRAP! YOU KILLED A DRAGON!?"
"OUR BOSS IS A DRAGON SLAYER!" The brats yelled.
"What are you talking about! That was just some big snake!" The thing I just killed looked nothing like the dragons I have seen in the past. At best it was just a sub-species of a dragon. Although I have slain one in the past, there is no way this group of dumbasses would know about that.
"NO WAY! THAT WAS A DRAGON! A REAL FLIPPIN DRAGON! JUST LOOK AT IT!"
"Are you blind? A dragon is much shorter and beefier than this anorexic little drake!"
The trio looked at each other in confusion as brat nr. 2 spoke up.
"Boss? What do you think a dragon looks like exactly?"
I pulled out one of my old monsterology books and flipped to the page about dragons, showing off a drawing of a short lizard, with a long tail and large wings.
"This is what a dragon looks like you nincompoops!"
"Uh, boss?"
"What is it brat nr. 2?"
"Is this what dragons look like on the magic continent?"
"Yeah! Wait?" Just then I remembered how long ago the magic continent split off from the other continents. In that time, it wouldn't be strange for some species to mutate a little in order to adapt to the changes in the environment.
"Wow! That thing looks weird! How does it move around with those clumsy looking flappers?"
As the trio was engrossing themselves in my old scribbles, I was panicking inside. I may not have known what they looked like over here, but I sure as hell know what it means to slay one. Dragons, regardless of which continent they're on, are considered to be near or at the top of the food chain.
They are alpha predators who are born into the second or third highest ranking of beasts and can even grow into the highest over time. If it gets out, I slew an actual dragon, even if it was a weak one then, forget being treated like a mafia boss, I'll either be treated as a hero, or an evil overlord. And judging by my current reputation and usual luck, it's likely going to be the latter.
"Ehem… Listen up class, it's time for a lesson on magical beasts and their classifications!" I said while drawing their attention away from my old notebook written in a language they don't know how to read.
I snapped my fingers as I manifested my small house from out of my spatial storage. It's got some defensive enchantments put in place, so the beasts around us won't interrupt the lesson. I pulled out my chalkboard as I began listing the different rankings for beasts. Meanwhile, the trio of brats were more focused on slacking off as I could see brat nr. 1 warming up in front of the fireplace. Brat nr. 2 had made himself a cup of tea from what I had stashed away in the pantry. And brat nr. 3 was rubbing his mud-stained body onto the sheets in my bed as he was taking a nap.
After a swift round of bonks from my oh so trusty Pain Stick, the brats finally seemed ready for class.
"So, who here can tell me the different ranks of beasts?"
"Yes. brat nr. 2?"
"There are six danger rankings of magical beasts:
Common
Rare
Unique
Legendary
Mythical
Divine
And their strength rises in that order."
"That is 8 points to brat nr 2."
"Only 8! AAAAAAAHHHHH" He said, while speaking out of turn, earning another round with teacher's assistant Pain Stick, whom I had leant my teaching glasses to.
"That ranking is almost correct, but it's a little bit off. What the actual danger ranking should look like when ranking beasts is this!" I said, as I started listing them down on the chalkboard.
Magical Beast Rank:
Common
Rare
Unique
Legendary
Mythical/Divine
"For you see, my ignorant young students! The Mythical and Divine ranks are, as far as the power level is concerned anyway, one and the same."
"Yes, brat nr. 1."
"Then why are there two of the same rank?"
"Well, there are three answers to that question.
Answer 1: The gods are arrogant pricks who can't stand the idea of being considered on the same level as flesh and blood creatures.
Answer 2: A divine beast, unlike a magic beast who uses regular old elemental energy like the dragon from earlier, use divine energy instead.
Answer 3: The grading system for artifacts follows the one mentioned by brat nr. 2. Hence, people often get them confused and think they are one and the same."
"Yes, brat nr. 3"
"What's the difference between divine energy and elemental energy?"
"Well, divine energy, is essentially just magical energy that's been fermented in willpower. Hence, unlike elemental magic, you don't have to make some complicated spell or enchantment to use it. All you have to do is focus on what you want while shoving as much divine energy into that concept to manifest it. It's essentially a type of wish magic that can do practically anything if you have enough of it. I digress. The reason why mythical beasts and divine beasts are considered to be of the same power rank is because there isn't any sure-fire way to measure their power as mythical beasts are far too powerful to be measured by conventional methods, while divine beasts have an immeasurable factor of unpredictability with the power of divine magic."
"That said, among the various beasts in the world, there are two species you must never let anyone know you've slain, should it come to pass. Can any of you name these creatures?"
"…?"
"Yes, brat nr. 1?"
"We don't know."
"Good. When in class, admitting your ignorance is not shameful, it's smart." I said as I patted brat 1 on the head while looking at the others.
"The answer is, 'Dragons' and 'Phoenixes." I said, revealing the answer, to the confusion of the entire class.
"Yes, brat nr. 3?"
"Isn't being a dragon slayer something good? Isn't it a prestigious title every expert hopes to achieve?" That meathead asked.
"Hell no! Do you think this was the first time I've slain a dragon? I'll tell you what it really means being known as a dragon slayer!" I said, as my angry tone made those brats flinch away, while my blood pressure started rising.
"I became a dragon slayer at the age of 10, and you know what that got me?! My already terrible reputation got worse! Rumors started spreading that some evil little undead with the power of a dragon went around destroying villages and raising countries to the ground! And as a result, self-righteous douchebags from all over the world came knocking at my door to slay me! Entire countries and religious orders felt threatened and started picking fights! I had to run all over the place just cause some assholes went and blabbed about my fancy new title! So, if you don't want me to grab your heads and shove them up your own asses, THEN YOU'LL ZIP IT, AND NEVER TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS!" I yelled at them.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"
"…"
Too scared to speak in the face of my angry ranting, the trio nodded in unison with a frightened look in their eyes.
"Good! Now let's get the hell out of here!" I said as I cheerfully dragged them out of the comfy cabin, and back into the wilderness.
And 5 days later we returned to the academy.
Nox' POV.
It has been 11 days since I took those brats out of the academy. In that time, these brats have barely improved their survival skills. I try to limit my interference to what's strictly necessary, but I've had to save their asses multiple times now.
After saving brat nr. 2 and 3 from that baby spider, I let them struggle for a while in the cobweb made from the second strongest spider silk I've encountered so far. The reason why it falls into second place is because of the weakness brat nr 2 discovered. That it was insanely flammable. I had to fight off an entire hoard of house sized spiders while those idiots ran further up the mountain, making it even harder to keep them alive. Do those idiots have any idea how fast these critters can move? And they actually believed they managed to outrun them on their own.
I had to kill any number of predators while they slept out in the open like slabs of meat just waiting to be eaten by the first, tiger or giant snake to pass by. At least I got to see those brats throw up after trying to eat the poop organ of the poor injured leopard they found. But the absolute dumbest thing they did this entire trip was eat those damn berries.
Those dumbasses got so high that if not for the surprisingly high nutritional contents, they would have surely starved to death by know. I had to slaughter an entire village of savage cannibals, just because those brats couldn't stop singing and dancing in front of the village gate in the middle of the night. I felt no remorse for the diarrhea they suffered from the sudden chemical changes in their bodies caused by the sudden lack of drug berries. Though I wish it didn't attract so many predators.
Oh crap! That idiot brat nr 3 just fell off a cliff while I wasn't looking. I had to heal his broken body at the bottom of a ravine, while those other two were chilling in that giant snake's cave. It seems to be hibernating so as long as they stay quiet and don't approach it, they should be fine. I am starting to think, teaching three kids at once might have been a bit too ambitious of me, I can't even fathom how the other professors manage to teach double digit amounts of these brats. Truly, I have yet to grasp their level of mastery.
After healing brat nr. 3, I told him to climb back up on his own as a test of courage. I had to heal him multiple times as he kept slipping and falling back down. It took longer than usual, since my core was still not in the best condition, but eventually he made it back up. He made a loud cry of victory as if climbing that dumb cliff was supposed to be difficult. Wanting to cut myself some slack I told him where to find the other two. It would be easier to look after them if they were all together.
Unfortunately, that meathead brat nr. 3 started yelling as soon as he found the other brats, waking up that overgrown lizard in the process. And it started chasing after them. I think I'll have to cut this field trip short since they obviously can't handle this place just yet.
"RUN!!"
"TEACHER GET OUT OF THE WAY!! WE GOT TO GO!!"
The brats were screaming at me to flee as I passed them.
"Sit!" I said as the overgrown lizard tried to swallow me whole. I then activated the enchantments on my body to grab onto its fangs and stop it in its tracks.
"I SAID SIT!!" I then forced its mouth shut as I kicked its head upwards. Pushing it up on its hindlegs and tail.
"Good! Now lay down!" I said, as that giant snake like lizard prepared something that looked an awful lot like a dragon's breath.
"I SAID! LAY DOWN, NOW!" I yelled as I pulled out my magic gun and fired an incineration beam straight through its light-based breath attack and incinerated its head, causing its headless body to fall to the ground.
"Good boy!" I said as I gave it a pat on the scales.
I turned to look at the brats who for some reason looked stunned. I don't really get why they look so surprised. The 'Gale Burst' Blackbeard used was just about as strong as that breath attack.
"HOLY CRAP! YOU KILLED A DRAGON!?"
"OUR BOSS IS A DRAGON SLAYER!" The brats yelled.
"What are you talking about! That was just some big snake!" The thing I just killed looked nothing like the dragons I have seen in the past. At best it was just a sub-species of a dragon. Although I have slain one in the past, there is no way this group of dumbasses would know about that.
"NO WAY! THAT WAS A DRAGON! A REAL FLIPPIN DRAGON! JUST LOOK AT IT!"
"Are you blind? A dragon is much shorter and beefier than this anorexic little drake!"
The trio looked at each other in confusion as brat nr. 2 spoke up.
"Boss? What do you think a dragon looks like exactly?"
I pulled out one of my old monsterology books and flipped to the page about dragons, showing off a drawing of a short lizard, with a long tail and large wings.
"This is what a dragon looks like you nincompoops!"
"Uh, boss?"
"What is it brat nr. 2?"
"Is this what dragons look like on the magic continent?"
"Yeah! Wait?" Just then I remembered how long ago the magic continent split off from the other continents. In that time, it wouldn't be strange for some species to mutate a little in order to adapt to the changes in the environment.
"Wow! That thing looks weird! How does it move around with those clumsy looking flappers?"
As the trio was engrossing themselves in my old scribbles, I was panicking inside. I may not have known what they looked like over here, but I sure as hell know what it means to slay one. Dragons, regardless of which continent they're on, are considered to be near or at the top of the food chain.
They are alpha predators who are born into the second or third highest ranking of beasts and can even grow into the highest over time. If it gets out, I slew an actual dragon, even if it was a weak one then, forget being treated like a mafia boss, I'll either be treated as a hero, or an evil overlord. And judging by my current reputation and usual luck, it's likely going to be the latter.
"Ehem… Listen up class, it's time for a lesson on magical beasts and their classifications!" I said while drawing their attention away from my old notebook written in a language they don't know how to read.
I snapped my fingers as I manifested my small house from out of my spatial storage. It's got some defensive enchantments put in place, so the beasts around us won't interrupt the lesson. I pulled out my chalkboard as I began listing the different rankings for beasts. Meanwhile, the trio of brats were more focused on slacking off as I could see brat nr. 1 warming up in front of the fireplace. Brat nr. 2 had made himself a cup of tea from what I had stashed away in the pantry. And brat nr. 3 was rubbing his mud-stained body onto the sheets in my bed as he was taking a nap.
After a swift round of bonks from my oh so trusty Pain Stick, the brats finally seemed ready for class.
"So, who here can tell me the different ranks of beasts?"
"Yes. brat nr. 2?"
"There are six danger rankings of magical beasts:
Common
Rare
Unique
Legendary
Mythical
Divine
And their strength rises in that order."
"That is 8 points to brat nr 2."
"Only 8! AAAAAAAHHHHH" He said, while speaking out of turn, earning another round with teacher's assistant Pain Stick, whom I had leant my teaching glasses to.
"That ranking is almost correct, but it's a little bit off. What the actual danger ranking should look like when ranking beasts is this!" I said, as I started listing them down on the chalkboard.
Magical Beast Rank:
Common
Rare
Unique
Legendary
Mythical/Divine
"For you see, my ignorant young students! The Mythical and Divine ranks are, as far as the power level is concerned anyway, one and the same."
"Yes, brat nr. 1."
"Then why are there two of the same rank?"
"Well, there are three answers to that question.
Answer 1: The gods are arrogant pricks who can't stand the idea of being considered on the same level as flesh and blood creatures.
Answer 2: A divine beast, unlike a magic beast who uses regular old elemental energy like the dragon from earlier, use divine energy instead.
Answer 3: The grading system for artifacts follows the one mentioned by brat nr. 2. Hence, people often get them confused and think they are one and the same."
"Yes, brat nr. 3"
"What's the difference between divine energy and elemental energy?"
"Well, divine energy, is essentially just magical energy that's been fermented in willpower. Hence, unlike elemental magic, you don't have to make some complicated spell or enchantment to use it. All you have to do is focus on what you want while shoving as much divine energy into that concept to manifest it. It's essentially a type of wish magic that can do practically anything if you have enough of it. I digress. The reason why mythical beasts and divine beasts are considered to be of the same power rank is because there isn't any sure-fire way to measure their power as mythical beasts are far too powerful to be measured by conventional methods, while divine beasts have an immeasurable factor of unpredictability with the power of divine magic."
"That said, among the various beasts in the world, there are two species you must never let anyone know you've slain, should it come to pass. Can any of you name these creatures?"
"…?"
"Yes, brat nr. 1?"
"We don't know."
"Good. When in class, admitting your ignorance is not shameful, it's smart." I said as I patted brat 1 on the head while looking at the others.
"The answer is, 'Dragons' and 'Phoenixes." I said, revealing the answer, to the confusion of the entire class.
"Yes, brat nr. 3?"
"Isn't being a dragon slayer something good? Isn't it a prestigious title every expert hopes to achieve?" That meathead asked.
"Hell no! Do you think this was the first time I've slain a dragon? I'll tell you what it really means being known as a dragon slayer!" I said, as my angry tone made those brats flinch away, while my blood pressure started rising.
"I became a dragon slayer at the age of 10, and you know what that got me?! My already terrible reputation got worse! Rumors started spreading that some evil little undead with the power of a dragon went around destroying villages and raising countries to the ground! And as a result, self-righteous douchebags from all over the world came knocking at my door to slay me! Entire countries and religious orders felt threatened and started picking fights! I had to run all over the place just cause some assholes went and blabbed about my fancy new title! So, if you don't want me to grab your heads and shove them up your own asses, THEN YOU'LL ZIP IT, AND NEVER TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS!" I yelled at them.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"
"…"
Too scared to speak in the face of my angry ranting, the trio nodded in unison with a frightened look in their eyes.
"Good! Now let's get the hell out of here!" I said as I cheerfully dragged them out of the comfy cabin, and back into the wilderness.
And 5 days later we returned to the academy.