Morning arrived over Aetherial Institute.
Golden sunlight descended from the heavens, illuminating the ancient island that had stood for thousands of years.
The academy's countless towers pierced the sky like stone spears forged by forgotten gods. Silver runes carved into walls and pathways glowed faintly beneath the morning light while magical formations quietly circulated mana throughout the entire island.
Students filled the academy grounds.
Some hurried toward lecture halls.
Others gathered near fountains.
Many practiced swordsmanship or magic before classes began.
The entire academy was waking up.
Meanwhile—
Inside one of the faculty dormitories.
A woman stood before a full-length mirror.
Silence filled the room.
Evelyne stared at her reflection.
Long dark hair flowed down her back like a waterfall of midnight silk.
Her skin appeared flawless beneath the morning light.
The traces of centuries of suffering had disappeared.
Only a mature and breathtaking beauty remained.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties.
Elegant.
Refined.
Dangerously beautiful.
The sort of woman who could attract attention merely by existing.
Her crimson eyes slowly moved toward the outfit she wore.
The official Assistant Professor uniform of Aetherial Institute.
A black academic coat decorated with silver embroidery.
The fabric was luxurious yet practical.
Ancient magical threads had been woven into every layer.
Silver runic patterns decorated the cuffs and collar.
The academy emblem rested proudly above her chest.
A white dress shirt beneath the coat highlighted her graceful figure.
Dark fitted trousers emphasized her long legs.
Leather boots completed the professional appearance.
The outfit transformed her entirely.
Yesterday she had been a former monster trying to understand her new life.
Today she looked every bit the accomplished academic scholar.
Evelyne stared at herself for several moments.
The reflection felt unfamiliar.
Strange.
Almost surreal.
A few months ago she had been hiding within darkness beneath a ruined cliffside manor.
Now she was preparing for her first day as an assistant professor.
Life truly was absurd.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
Then she remembered something.
Kel's face.
His annoying smile.
His ridiculous confidence.
And most importantly—
The mountain of paperwork he mentioned.
The smile instantly vanished.
"...I hope he was exaggerating."
Unfortunately.
A deep part of her soul suspected he was not.
After taking a deep breath, Evelyne opened the dormitory door.
Click.
The hallway beyond was quiet.
At least for two seconds.
Then—
Several passing assistant professors froze.
One professor walking down the corridor nearly walked into a wall.
Another dropped an entire stack of documents.
Papers flew everywhere.
"..."
"..."
The corridor became strangely silent.
Evelyne blinked.
The professors blinked.
Everyone stared.
A moment later.
One elderly professor adjusted his glasses.
Then adjusted them again.
Then a third time.
His eyes widened.
"Good heavens..."
Beside him, a younger professor whispered.
"Who is she?"
"I think she's the new assistant professor."
"The one discovered in the city."
"No way."
"That's her."
"What kind of beauty is that?"
Evelyne heard every word.
Unfortunately.
Her hearing was still far beyond normal humans.
Centuries of surviving as a monster had left behind certain advantages.
She immediately ignored the conversations and began walking.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The sound of her boots echoed through the corridor.
Her posture remained elegant.
Her expression calm.
Yet the effect was devastating.
Every pair of eyes followed her.
Faculty members.
Researchers.
Students delivering documents.
Everyone.
A few younger assistant professors nearly forgot how to breathe.
One male assistant professor subconsciously straightened his collar.
Another fixed his hair.
A third stood frozen like a statue.
Evelyne resisted the urge to sigh.
She simply continued forward.
The academy corridors stretched before her.
Ancient paintings lined the walls.
Massive windows allowed sunlight to pour inside.
Outside, students moved between buildings.
Inside, whispers spread like wildfire.
"Who is she?"
"The new assistant professor."
"She's beautiful."
"No, beautiful isn't enough."
"Then what?"
"She's unreal."
"Do you think she's married?"
"Shut up."
"Do you think she has a boyfriend?"
"Shut up even harder."
The gossip intensified.
By the time Evelyne reached the main faculty building—
The rumors had already begun spreading through half the academy.
Students passing through the courtyard noticed her.
Then stopped.
Then stared.
Then immediately started whispering.
A group of first-year male students nearly tripped over one another.
One grabbed his friend's shoulder.
"DID YOU SEE HER?!"
"I HAVE EYES!"
"WHO IS SHE?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
"THEN FIND OUT!"
Nearby, several female students rolled their eyes.
Yet even they couldn't deny the truth.
The woman walking through the academy possessed extraordinary beauty.
Not the immature beauty of a young girl.
Nor the artificial beauty created through cosmetics.
It was the mature elegance of a woman who had experienced countless storms.
Every movement appeared graceful.
Every expression carried dignity.
Every step attracted attention.
Of course—
No one knew she was actually several centuries old.
That detail remained conveniently hidden.
Meanwhile.
Evelyne continued walking.
Ignoring everything.
Ignoring everyone.
Ignoring the countless stares.
After surviving centuries as a monster, she found ordinary gossip almost adorable.
Still...
The attention was exhausting.
As she passed another group of students, she heard more whispers.
"I think I'm in love."
"You saw her for three seconds."
"That's enough."
"You said that yesterday about the librarian."
"That was different."
"How?"
"I forgot the librarian existed."
The surrounding students burst into laughter.
Evelyne nearly smiled.
Nearly.
Eventually she arrived before the Faculty Hall.
The largest administrative building within the academy.
Massive wooden doors stood before her.
Ancient runes glowed faintly across the surface.
She pushed them open.
The moment she entered—
Silence descended.
Dozens of professors occupied the hall.
Conversations stopped.
Pens froze.
Books lowered.
Everyone turned toward her.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere became awkward.
Very awkward.
Evelyne suddenly understood why Kel preferred hiding his identity.
Attention was troublesome.
A middle-aged professor finally recovered first.
"Cough."
He cleared his throat.
Then immediately stood.
"Assistant Professor Evelyne?"
Evelyne nodded politely.
"Yes."
The professor smiled warmly.
"Welcome to Aetherial Institute."
The silence broke.
Soon other professors greeted her.
Some introduced themselves.
Others offered congratulations.
A few clearly wanted to recruit her into research projects already.
After all.
Her magical talent had become famous overnight.
Particularly her mastery of dark magic.
Dark magic specialists were rare.
Extremely rare.
And talented ones were practically extinct.
After several minutes of introductions, Evelyne finally asked the question she came here for.
"Excuse me."
The surrounding professors looked toward her.
"I was informed I would be assisting another professor."
Immediately.
Several expressions became strange.
Some looked amused.
Others looked sympathetic.
One elderly professor outright laughed.
Evelyne frowned.
"Did I say something strange?"
The professors exchanged glances.
Then one finally answered.
"No."
"Then?"
The elderly professor stroked his beard.
"You simply haven't met him yet."
"Him?"
"Professor Aldric."
The moment the name appeared—
Several professors sighed.
Others shook their heads.
One looked toward heaven as though praying.
Evelyne became curious.
"What kind of professor is he?"
Silence.
Then—
"A genius."
"An expert."
"A legend."
"A disaster."
The answers came simultaneously.
Evelyne blinked.
Those descriptions felt contradictory.
The elderly professor laughed.
"You'll understand soon enough."
Before she could ask another question—
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion suddenly echoed somewhere inside the building.
The entire Faculty Hall shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Several professors didn't even react.
Apparently this was normal.
Evelyne stared.
"What was that?"
Another explosion echoed.
BOOM!
A professor calmly sipped tea.
"Professor Aldric."
Evelyne stared harder.
"What?"
A woman professor sighed.
"His laboratory exploded again."
"Again?"
"Again."
"How many times has this happened?"
The woman considered.
"Today?"
"..."
"Three."
Evelyne suddenly had a bad feeling.
A very bad feeling.
Moments later.
The doors at the far end of the hall burst open.
Smoke poured outward.
A tall man stumbled into view.
His white coat was partially burned.
His silver hair looked like it had recently fought a war.
Several scorch marks covered his face.
Yet despite the chaotic appearance—
His eyes burned with brilliance.
The eyes of a true scholar.
The man looked around.
Then immediately spotted Evelyne.
His eyes widened.
"YOU!"
The entire hall froze.
Professor Aldric pointed dramatically.
"You must be my new assistant!"
Evelyne blinked.
"I assume so?"
The professor instantly rushed forward.
His movements were surprisingly fast.
Far too fast.
He grabbed her shoulders.
His eyes sparkled.
"Wonderful!"
"Excellent!"
"Magnificent!"
Evelyne stared.
The professors around them sighed.
Apparently this behavior was normal too.
Professor Aldric continued speaking rapidly.
"Do you know dark magic?"
"Yes."
"Alchemy?"
"Somewhat."
"Biological manipulation?"
A brief pause followed.
Evelyne slowly nodded.
Professor Aldric's eyes began shining brighter than the sun.
Evelyne's bad feeling intensified.
Dangerously.
"Perfect."
The professor grinned.
A grin that looked suspiciously similar to Kel's whenever he was planning something troublesome.
"Assistant Professor Evelyne."
"Yes?"
"How do you feel about impossible research projects?"
The former monster stared silently.
Then she remembered Kel's warning about her new life.
For some reason.
At that moment.
She suddenly missed being a monster.
Far less paperwork.
Far fewer explosions.
And definitely fewer insane professors.
Somewhere across the academy.
Kel sneezed.
Then continued walking toward class without realizing that the peaceful life Evelyne had hoped for had already been completely destroyed.
Her first day as an assistant professor had only just begun.
And somehow...
It was already becoming complicated.