Finnely Upon reaching a door, Alex knocked. A voice from inside called out, "Come in."
Stepping inside, he found an old man with a curly white mustache seated behind a desk. The principal gestured for him to sit.
"So, you're the person Fafner told me about." The old man scrutinized Alex with a sharp gaze. "I don't see anything special about you, but if he is breaking the rules for you, then you must have some worth."
Alex leaned back slightly, unfazed. "I don't care about worth, nor am I interested in proving mine to anyone."
The principal's expression darkened. "You humans sure are arrogant."
"I'm not arrogant." Alex's tone remained flat. "I simply have my pride, and I don't let anyone trample on it."
The old man scoffed but didn't push further. "Fine. You'll be teaching Class 231. What subject do you plan to teach?"
"I can teach magic," Alex said. "Aura as well, if needed."
The old man sneered. "Confident, aren't you? Then teach them about humans as well. Unlike us, your kind has more experience with aura."
"As you wish."
As Alex turned to leave, the principal spoke again. "The students are undisciplined. If you can, teach them some manners as well. Your teaching hours are from 9 to 11. You can ask for your dorm room at the counter."
After receiving his dorm number and key, Alex found his assigned room—Room 137, located in the second building. It was spacious, with a large bed, bookshelves, and minimal furnishings.
Sitting on the bed, he closed his eyes and began cultivating, his thoughts circling back to what Fafner had told him.
This turned out differently than I expected. Teaching here will already take time away from my cultivation, and on top of that, there's the church.
Fafner had mentioned that his son, the head bishop of the Church of the Dragon God, was committing crimes. The details were vague, but something about it didn't sit right with Alex.
And then there's that woman in the sacred forest…
The dragons had caged her for years, calling her a curse, a calamity even they couldn't kill. Fafner wanted Alex to do it instead.
Why should I kill someone if it doesn't benefit me? Still… if I do, I might find some clues about the artifact.
His thoughts drifted momentarily to Shelly, Lars, and Luck, who had all left without a proper goodbye. Only Mischel had bid him farewell, her composed demeanor standing out from the rest.
"Well-mannered people are rare," he mused.
Alex didn't sleep. As if He never needed to. While he cultivated, allowing his qi to flow and refine, sharpening his control with each breath.
By dawn, he stood, stretching lightly before preparing for his first class.
As he approached Class 231, the noise reached him from the hall—laughter, chatter, loud enough to pierce his ears. The moment he stepped inside, however, silence fell.
Dozens of students, all in their humanoid forms, stared at him.
Then the whispers began.
"Do you know? He's a mere human teacher."
"I heard the king himself appointed him."
"They say he fought in wars as a traveler."
Alex ignored them. Walking to the front, he placed a single finger on the study board and, without turning around, spoke.
"From today onward, I will be teaching you about humans."
More whispers.
"Hah! Does he really think we'd waste time learning about humans? We are the superior race."
Alex continued, unfazed.
"I will also teach you aura. And for your kind information—" his voice darkened, "I am not the type of teacher who tolerates nonsense. If anyone disrupts my lectures, they will fail my class. Even if they pass every other subject, they will repeat my class next year. Again. And again. Until they pass under my terms."
Silence.
The students stared, stunned, as if they had just heard something from a nightmare.
"Choose wisely."
The weight of his words settled in the room. No one dared whisper anymore.
Alex swept his gaze over the students, their expressions ranging from defiance to curiosity—though most still held contempt.
With a flick of his finger, the wooden board behind him cracked. Not from force, but from the sheer pressure of his aura leaking out.
The students flinched.
Alex smirked. Kids are simple.
I barely understand aura myself—just that it's mana fused with emotions. That's all I know, and honestly, I never cared to learn more. I've always relied on instinct. Leon taught me a bit, though… He glanced at the students. I suppose I can at least pass that along.
Turning, he placed his hands behind his back.
"You believe yourselves superior because you are dragons, but strength is not inherited—it is forged."
A student, dressed in short black pants with a red suit, scoffed. "Dragons are born strong. Your kind struggles just to reach where we begin."
Alex didn't respond immediately. Instead, he lifted a piece of chalk and crushed it between his fingers. The dust swirled in the air before vanishing into nothingness.
"The difference between dragons, humans, or anyone else," Alex said coldly, "is that I had to fight for every scrap of power I possess. You have talent, but no experience. That's why I can kill you with ease."
The student's smug expression wavered.
Alex continued. "Aura is the energy that exists within all living beings," he explained, drawing a simple diagram on the board. "It stems from our life force, interacting with the world around us. The stronger the aura, the greater the control one has over their body, weapons, and the environment."
He gestured toward a young dragon in the front row. "You. Show me your aura."
The student hesitated before standing, golden energy flaring around him like fire. The pressure shook the room, but Alex didn't even blink.
"Unfocused," Alex said, unimpressed. "Your aura is wild, leaking energy needlessly. This is why dragons waste so much potential—you rely too much on brute strength."
The student gritted his teeth but remained silent.
Alex raised his hand, and black energy seeped from his fingertips. It didn't explode outward—it compressed, refined, forming a thin, dense layer around his body.
"This is what control looks like. Aura is not about how much you have, but how efficiently you use it."
He pointed at another student. "Attack me."
The young dragon hesitated before lunging forward, claws glowing with energy.
Flick!
Alex lifted a single finger and redirected the attack, sending the student crashing into the floor.
The class fell silent.
The dragon who had scoffed earlier clenched his fists. "Tch… lucky shot."
Alex arched an eyebrow. Still not convinced?
He sighed. "Fine. Let's test something."
His gaze swept the room before landing on the defiant student. "Try compressing your aura into a single point instead of letting it leak everywhere."
The student scoffed but did as told, summoning his aura. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, energy bled out in all directions, unstable.
Alex gave him a flat look. "That's what I thought."
The dragon grit his teeth. "What are you trying to prove?"
"That the"Strength without control is just wasted potential. You think you're superior, but you're nothing more than a blunt blade—dangerous, yet inefficient."