Ryan was walking through the grand corridor toward Classroom Zero when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind. When he looked back, he saw another man with black curly hair and deep black eyes, wrapped in the cloak of a professor. Ryan recognized him from the memory; his name was Professor Cassian Umbra, another genius who used to be Ryan's classmate. His family, The Nightfall Dynasty, had feuds with Ryan's family in the past.
During their academy days, Ryan's talent always overshadowed Cassian's. Ryan had even managed to get him punished back then, protecting Sophia. But when Ryan's family perished and he lost all his backings, Cassian struck. With the help of the Nightfall Dynasty, they caused a series of misunderstandings that destroyed Ryan's reputation, and Cassian was one of the key people who caused Ryan's demotion.
Today, he came to ridicule Ryan as he moved to Class Zero.
"Well, if it isn't the great Professor Lumos," Cassian said with a mocking grin. "Heard you got demoted to Class Zero. Quite a fitting class for someone like you. But as your old friend and colleague, I won't mind helping you out a little. As long as you are willing to kowtow in front of me and agree to work as my assistant, I will use my family's influence to get you out of this predicament."
"It's alright, Lord Umbra, you don't have to lower your hand for the humble me," Ryan replied with a calm smile. "All students deserve to learn. The students from Class Zero are no different. I will try my best to guide them."
"Please reconsider, Lord Lumos, I was just suggesting what's best for you," Cassian replied with a practiced smile. But deep down, he was fuming. He hated Ryan to his core and wanted to kill him. He also wanted to take Sophia away. But as long as Ryan was a professor, he couldn't do anything to him. If Ryan became his assistant, however, Cassian could give him impossible tasks, and when Ryan inevitably failed, he would fire him for incompetency. Ryan, now without the Luminous Empire's backing, would become a nobody if he lost his academy status. Cassian could then use him any way he wanted, even threatening Sophia into submission. He had heard that Ryan became a drunkard with no hope left, so he thought it would be easy to manipulate him now. But he was wrong.
Cassian turned back and started walking. "Know your place, you nobody."
Ryan didn't bother with him now. He knew no one could mortally hurt another inside the Academy without the Headmaster's permission. He turned and continued walking toward Class Zero.
In a corner of a forgotten corridor of The Grand Scriptorium lay a wooden door. Ryan was standing in front of it right now. It was just a normal wooden door without any runes or precious metal, a stark contrast to the glamour of the rest of the palace. It was the door to Class Zero.
"Well, let's start with something," Ryan muttered.
He pushed open the door. Inside was a dilapidated room, spider cobwebs latticed the corners, the whiteboard was coated in a thick film of dust, and the few wooden desks looked ready to collapse, held together by sheer magical neglect.. Inside, two girls were sitting there. There were supposed to be twenty students in Class Zero, but only two were attending the class today. Ryan sighed.
He went forward, sat on the chair, and took out a book from the subspace. It contained all the data on the students. "Good morning, everyone. I am your new professor. My name is Ryan Lumos; you can call me Professor Ryan. Now, each of you start introducing yourselves."
"Starting from you," Ryan said, pointing at a young girl sitting in the rightmost corner of the room. She was a girl with regal beauty and aristocratic features. She had short, cascading crimson hair, and her eyes looked like a fine cut of midnight obsidian. Her figure was subtly curvy, defined by a full, high chest and a lean waist. She was wearing a mage's robe of deep scarlet and a choker set with a shiny, emerald-cut green gem. She looked annoyed, with irritation visible in her eyes.
"No, why should I? You will also leave anyway, like all the previous professors we had."
"No, I won't, young lady," Ryan replied with a genuine smile but simultaneously released the absolute aura of a Grand Magus.
The girls were shocked. All their previous teachers were at best a Senior Mage or equivalent. Why would someone as capable as Ryan come to them, the biggest failures? Still, a glimmer of hope shone in their eyes. Maybe, just maybe, this time they could learn something.
The red-haired girl was a little shaken. "My name is Seraphina Ignis. I am a Flame Mage. I am from the Ignelina Empire in the west."
Ryan nodded and opened the book in his hand. Her information was noted: Seraphina Ignis, an Arch-Magus level Fire Mage. She is the 13th princess of the Ignelina Empire, a domineering force in the western hemisphere. She has an immense amount of mana, almost ten times that of a normal person of her rank. But this causes her to lose control of her magic whenever she tries to use a spell. Thus, she was marked as a useless witch who can't use her mana and transferred to Class Zero. Ryan looked at her; a hint of sadness could be seen in the young girl's eyes behind her domineering personality.
"Sit. Now, the next person."
Another young girl with a petite and fragile body looked nervously at Ryan. She seemed as fragile as the stone walls of Class Zero. Her shyness was truly visible as she was tucked against the wall, as if trying to disappear. Her hair was a startling shade of pale silver-white, tied back with a dark, frayed ribbon. Her complexion was porcelain pale, almost translucent. She had a pair of misty gray eyes that were darting around, conveying her timidness, but there was also a deep hint of kindness in those eyes. She wore a dark gray robe with a cute skull around her waist. She wore a large velvet beret of violet color, with an indigo ribbon tied to it, giving her an overall gothic look. Her fragile, doll-like body, which seemed like it had just stepped into adulthood, was a stark contrast to Seraphina. Her frame was slight, and her chest possessed a modest, graceful curve.
"My name is Amaryllis Shade. I... I am a Necromancer. I am from the Silent Veil Guild."
Ryan smiled and opened the book in his hand. Amaryllis Shade was the fifth child and the only daughter of the Guild Master of the Silent Veil Guild, an ancient guild of dark arts that is stronger than many empires. While Amaryllis had an extremely powerful affinity for Necromancy, her own timid nature prevents her from capitalizing on it. Not to mention, with a general prejudice against dark arts, it was normal for a Necromancer to be ridiculed, but with her shy nature, she couldn't bear the pressure. This led her to Class Zero.
Ryan leaned back. He genuinely wanted to help these two girls, but he had no idea how he could do so. Suddenly, the artifact in his hand started vibrating. He looked at the pen; it was glowing, and a blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
[CONGRATULATIONS HOST]
The Pen of the Logos is now active. Great Sage Logos was a wandering sage who, throughout a journey that took epochs, wrote down all the knowledge of Faelon. Holding this pen allows you to access this knowledge. Your task is to pass it down as a teacher. Good luck, Host.
Ryan was taken aback, but suddenly a smile crept onto his mouth. Finally, his reincarnation golden finger was here. Now he could help these girls while also reaching a new height of power. He looked at the two girls sitting at their desks. He stood up and walked toward the whiteboard.
"Let the lessons begin."