NOVEL NEXT Chap 186: Under Gravity’s Weight.
"What's this?" I bend down to pick up a letter slipped under my door. "Your new class schedule, with love, Susan." I haven't seen her much these days—she's one of the busiest people right before the start of the school year. Susan receives all filtered information from her staff, verifies it herself, and decides whether to approve or reject it.
She doesn't just handle students, teachers, and the opening ceremony; she must also carefully select the most influential students and place them in strategic positions. It's true that she's the highest authority in the school and can expel anyone—no matter if they're the child of a king or an emperor—but she prefers to avoid those situations as much as possible.
Many nobles are selfish or have been raised spoiled in every way, so she has to be careful not to mix water and oil before lighting the fire, or it'll splash everywhere. She wouldn't stop complaining about that during the celebration when I became a substitute teacher. In the middle of that conversation, she asked me some questions, I gave her a few suggestions from my perspective, and she almost hired me as an assistant. I refused immediately.
I might be good at managing people or paperwork—I studied for that at the university for a few years, and it wasn't hard to find unpaid work thanks to my reputation—but I simply don't want to do it right now. It's better to enjoy my life as a student. Being a substitute teacher is already enough.
I open the letter to see how tight my new schedule will be. From what I understand, there are only four to five mandatory courses per year and one or two extracurriculars depending on each student. "One, two, three, four, and five." Four of them I'll attend as a student, and the last one is where I'll be the substitute teacher.
Six hours of Dungeon Incursion II, four hours of Refined Imra Control, four hours of Team Practice III, four hours of Monster Theory III, and finally, five hours of Dual Weapon Guide, the class I'll teach. My schedule is perfectly balanced—starting around seven or eight in the morning and finishing most days by noon. I'll have all afternoon free to read or train on my own.
I read the names again. Each course explains itself, and there's no mystery behind them. Still, I feel a bit nervous about being the substitute teacher. I'm sure many students will refuse to follow my instructions at first.
I let out a long sigh thinking about those situations. There are only two ways to convince them: by proving my superiority or bringing another teacher to verify my strength. For now, I'll discard the latter. Susan is too busy for such a simple role, and Basel surely has his own classes to focus on. A teacher normally teaches five classes.
"I'll just have to prove my strength…" I clasp my hands and silently pray for the poor first soul that dares to disobey. I don't plan to show mercy—it's the only way to make them follow my orders.
I get ready to train in the dome; today's my last fully free day. Tomorrow's the last day of the week and the inauguration of the new school year. I was a bit surprised that they don't hold it on the first day, but according to Areci, it's to ensure classes start smoothly. Tomorrow there'll be a massive ceremony and celebration where everyone can interact freely. I hope to see that blue-haired boy again—the one who seems to have vanished under a rock.
On the control panel, I activate gravity at level 2 along with the second function, which has been updated—it now launches up to twenty needles at once. The gravity already slows down my movements, and the number of needles makes things worse. Luckily, they've implemented a safety collar that protects you from damage; once it detects a certain threshold, all attacks automatically stop.
I want to push every option to the limit, but my cube still has cracks. Over these past days, I've been able to heal it faster each time, though it's still far from fully recovered. It'd be more fun to train without the collar and heal my own wounds while the functions remain active—that would help me improve my regenerative capacity immensely.
"One week…" One more week and I'll be able to heal it completely. The reconstruction speed of the cracks has increased, and my ability is almost at its limit. It'll be ready to rank up just when I finish covering every wound.
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I stand in the middle of the platform. Gravity presses down on my body, making it less efficient. Luckily, I've trained this for years, and at Sapphire Rank, mana flows naturally without damaging my cube. I add Imra to the equation to gain the strength needed to dodge or block most of the needles. My Thundersnow Fangs are ready.
My eyes close as I rely solely on my other senses. The first needle comes from behind, aiming straight for my neck—a slight tilt of my head is enough. Next, my left arm moves to cut the second, following through to intercept the third; I take half a step to dodge the next two, and my right arm slices another in half.
My body begins to dance, every motion in perfect harmony to keep balance and avoid any disadvantage in the next movement. I must accelerate my mind to stay focused and never lose track; with so much information coming from all directions, I can't make unnecessary moves or act without thinking several steps ahead.
The collar activates for the first time after seventy-nine minutes. I've broken my record from the past few days, but that's still not enough. The needles don't deal much damage, and the collar can take many hits, but without it, my body would look like a porcupine by now. When I heal, I can't protect myself with mana—otherwise, the needles won't pierce my natural defenses. Since I'm not tired, I take a spare collar while letting this one recharge.
The second round only lasts seventy-six minutes. I click my tongue in frustration—I hate when I don't see progress. I sit in a corner to rest a little before my last attempt of the day and check my status, which I haven't looked at in a while.
"I've only gained one level in Personal World…" The slow progress disappoints me. Skills at rank IV require enormous training and stimulation to level up. Reaching rank V can take years; it's not just a matter of practice or killing monsters.
I'm overestimating myself if I think I can get any rank V skill before reaching Ruby Rank. The only relatively safe way is when it's offered by the omnipresent voice—and even then, it doesn't guarantee avoiding backlash.
I feel a bit bad for Glia, whose life has revolved around helping me heal my cube and sleep. She says she's fine, and through our bond, I can feel she truly is. Still, I want to give her more freedom—to experience this new city firsthand, not only through my eyes.
The empty skill slot catches my attention. I already have an idea of how to fill it. At first, I thought of a prison-type skill, but I discarded it—it's too situational, only useful under strict conditions, and if I can't meet them, it becomes worthless. If I had spare slots, I'd consider it.
The skill I've been thinking about would enhance my movements with gravity—pushing every part of my body using that invisible force. I'd gain speed, strength, agility, and could move instantly if I'm in danger. It's a skill that would elevate both my combat style and my body to the next level. I can't help but smile imagining that future.
I glance at my arm, the same one that burst open during my spar with Basel days ago. I need to practice to avoid that happening again. That could be my secret weapon in danger—destroying part of my body to win or escape is still victory in my eyes.
I push myself forward with both arms, landing on my feet to resume training under gravity and the two dozen flying needles. All unnecessary thoughts vanish from my mind. Every millisecond not spent in concentration is wasted—I must let my body react as fast as my mind.
Thundersnow makes that possible. My skill keeps me calm, serene, and cold in every situation, while the other part heightens my reaction, speed, and agility. Not only my movements—my mental processes are also sharper.
The first needle comes, followed by the second, third, fourth, and so on until there are hundreds, then thousands. Each one has the same purpose: to trap me, to keep me from escaping. No matter where I move, they follow.
The collar activates. The sound of it reaching its damage limit echoes through the dome. The needles and gravity vanish, leaving me on one side of the platform, sweating and gasping for breath. I open my eyes to check the time.
"Eighty minutes and eight seconds." A smile of satisfaction blooms across my face. I finally surpassed the mark I'd been stuck at these past days. For now, this is the best I can do without fully empowering my body with mana—just using enough to avoid further cracks in my cube.
I slowly let myself fall to the ground, the feeling of achievement filling every fiber of my being, and energy surges back through me, urging for another round.
"That wasn't a good idea." I glance at the clock—it only shows seventy-seven minutes. Without getting discouraged, I stand up and finish drinking the last water bottles I brought—I usually bring at least eight liters per session.
"It's time to go back. At least I managed to break my record before the start of the new school year." I walk through the night streets, filled with people. Laughter and chatter drift through the air—couples sitting on park benches, groups of friends sharing stories about their vacations or making new plans.
These upcoming years at the academy look promising. I'll do my best to grow—and enjoy every moment of it.