System, please just shut up

…One month ago…

Professor Selene hummed a happy tune, gliding through the halls of classroom block A.

Today was a good day, a new episode of her favorite series had just dropped, and she was in a rush to start it.

She chuckled, passing by other classrooms where lectures were in full swing.

She was incredibly lucky.

Unlike her colleagues, who wrestled with mandatory courses like Mana Theory or Weapon Diagnostics, she taught something far less important: Myrralogy.

Despite the grand name, it was essentially World Knowledge—a class covering geography, politics, and common facts about their continent and world.

The thing was, most of it was common sense. There wasn't any seventeen-year-old alive who didn't know the name of their own damn continent.

For that very reason, her class was never compulsory, and she rarely had students.

Foreign exchange students were the only exception, but they were as rare as dragons.

This year, as expected, the new batch showed zero interest. Any other professor might have felt dejected, but Selene wasn't "any other professor." She didn't care. In fact, she found it rather advantageous.

Like now, for instance. She was deliberately late, heading to an empty classroom to immerse herself in a new book while her colleagues cracked their heads in front of thousands of students.

And at the end of the day, they'd all receive the same salary.

What was there to be mad about?

♪ ♪ ♪

She increased her pace, eager to begin.

When she arrived at the classroom via the lecturer's door, she didn't bother glancing at the seating areas.

There was no need, no chance anyone was there.

She immediately went to her desk and sat down with practiced grace. From her bag, she carefully retrieved a book titled: "The Duke's Demonic Pact and My Desire for Donuts: Forbidden Love Saga."

She placed it gently on the table, adjusted her seat until she was perfectly comfortable, and took a deep breath.

Opening the first page, she immediately became lost.

She scanned the lines, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "...The Duke's gaze, molten blue, burned through me, searing away the last vestiges of my resolve. His pact with the ancient demons had wrapped his soul, yes, but in his touch..."

Time ceased to exist. She was utterly immersed.

"Uhm, Professor, is the class canceled for today?"

Selene, jolted from her literary trance, slowly raised her head in annoyance.

A student sat in the first seat of the first row, head resting on his hands, staring at her with a tired expression plastered across his face.

She stood up, clearly a little surprised."You... How did you get in here?"

The boy looked confused, as he pointed at the main door. "Through the doors."

She stood there, frozen awkwardly for a few seconds, then wearily asked, "And what do you want?"

At her question, he straightened his posture and smiled. "I'm here for Myrralogy, Professor."

"..."

******

…Present…

The academy grounds were utterly silent today.

Classrooms were brimming, but students were quiet, heads bowed over the papers in front of them.

…

Question 7: A standard mana crystal generates 3 units of pure mana per second. A Novice mage can channel mana at the rate of 0.8 units per second, while a Master can channel 1.5 units per second. If a mana crystal has a maximum capacity of 500 units before it overflows how long can a Master channel from a full crystal before it needs to be vented, assuming no mana is being drawn.

…

Every student in various classes battled with complex symbols and theories.

But in one particularly empty classroom, a vast space with thousands of rows of seats yet only two occupants, a lone student sat focused on his paper, writing intently.

The professor, meanwhile, was focused on her book.

…

Question 9: What are the names of the seven kingdoms of Vel'harin (Titles included) and their areas of specialization?

…

Kael smiled as he read the next question.

His pen moved with precision, without a hint of doubt. The ink flowed with a scholar's elegance as he scribbled down the information.

…

* Darkhold: Martial arts, Close combat weaponry, Knighthood

* Title: The Iron Crown

* VelTherin: Magic, Elements, Runes

* Title: Kingdom of Light and Law

* Thessaria: Alchemy, Medicine, Toxin, Healing

* Title: Garden of Needles

* Kandros: Trade, Business, Politics, Contracts

* Title: The Golden Ledger

* Vuldaren: Smithing, Weapon and Armor Enchantment, Mechanisms

* Title: The Eternal Forge

* Calvenyr: Nature, Beast-taming, Survivalism

* Title: The Kingdom of Claw and Bond

* Ormere: Seers, Memory, Prophecy

* Title: The Silent Kingdom

…

He finished and stared down at his work with satisfaction.

After one month of attending class every week without fail, he finally had basic knowledge of where he was and where he could go.

It was still basic, and there was still a lot to learn, but at least now he wouldn't be lost in the middle of conversations.

Meanwhile, Selene glanced up from her book.

Kael, her only student, had been writing for over an hour, yet he wasn't done.

When he first popped into her life that day, she'd assumed he was just bored, looking to pass time, and would eventually stop coming.

She couldn't have been more wrong. He kept coming, every class, and on time.

But that wasn't the baffling part. It was the fact that he was genuinely trying to learn.

He kept asking questions and taking notes on random, common stuff, so much so that she began wondering if this was a prank from one of her colleagues.

She even asked him one day, and his answer was, "I have amnesia." Which she knew was total bullshit.

"Are you done?" she asked when she saw he had stopped writing.

"Yes, Professor." He stood up, walked to her desk, dropped his paper there, then said, "See you next week, Professor," and vanished towards the door in a sprint.

Selene picked up his script, her eyes scanning the answers.

They were correct... all of them.

Which was totally normal, a five-year-old could ace this.

But still…

She stared at the empty seat he'd left behind, then sighed and went back to her book.

"...and with one bite of the infernal donut, the Duke sealed not only his fate—but her cravings."