Chapter 495: Helping Juniors 2

Our class—it wasn’t like any of the other S-Classes around the academy.

We were the only Class S without a complete roster of ten officially ranked students.

Right now, there were only eight of us who held the official ranking title… which, by academy standards, was already considered incomplete.

Sooner or later, that was bound to change.

The dynamic of our class was shifting.

Once the announcement for the two missing slots finally came, the structure—and maybe even the atmosphere—of the class would probably take a new turn.

In the game, this situation never even happened.

Class S was always a full set.

No vacancies. No slow selections. A deviation from the expected path.

That’s why with all the delays so far it made me curious.

Who from Class A was going to be selected?

Who had the specs, skills, and maybe the background, to fill the gap?

Though to be fair… the gap between what made an S-rank and what qualified as anything below it—especially for second-years—was massive.

The academy couldn’t just pick a decent Class A student and throw them into the deep end. They had to be sure.

That’s probably why the announcement was taking longer than usual.

’it’s such a shame…’

The twins.

Their sudden disappearance…

It was more than just a loss to our class.

It was a loss to the entire academy.

And for me as well… as they were key people I invested early on as well.

No one really talked about it anymore—probably because most had already accepted that they were gone for good. But I never got the chance to fully investigate what really happened to them.

I wanted to.

But things kept happening.

One arc led to another.

And before I knew it, I had my hands full with everything else.

Still, after spending more time around Liyana, and the people who were constantly around her…

I had a pretty good idea of what might’ve happened.

The timing.

The silence.

The way Liyana kept those two quite shadowy like maids close but out of sight.

I couldn’t confirm it yet.

I couldn’t act on anything.

Not yet.

But if my instincts were right…

If those two shadows really were them—even if it was just a small chance—

Then that was enough for now.

“Hey bud,” Kagami leaned over and nudged me with his elbow, nodding toward the door. “Your boy’s here.”

“Boy?” I echoed, raising a brow.

I followed his gaze—and sure enough, I spotted the person he was talking about.

I couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle.

Calling him my boy was a bit much… but knowing how weirdly obsessed he was with me—not just him, but even my clone version back during that whole mess—it wasn’t the most inaccurate thing either.

In fact, that title felt both painfully wrong and awkwardly true at the same time.

Lucas entered with his usual presence—brimming with heroic energy like he was walking in slow motion with background music only he could hear.

A protagonist’s entrance, through and through.

[Skill: True Sight]

[Activated]

I casually scanned him.

His exact specs were still locked behind a higher resistance—probably due to the nature of his awakened divinity—but I didn’t need numbers to tell.

He got stronger.

Much stronger.

The way his mana expanded from his body… it wasn’t chaotic like an amateur overflowing with power. It was calm. Controlled. Settled.

His aura had matured.

His mana pool had nearly doubled since the last time I saw him.

Even that subtle leak of divinity—it had thickened, more refined now, almost dense enough to distort the air around him if he focused.

His sword—the Holy Sword sealed in layers—was no longer what it used to be.

I could tell just by looking at the way it shimmered at his side.

He had unlocked at least a few forms now.

Whatever Evelyn did with him during the winter break, it clearly worked.

She must’ve run him through multiple training simulations or scenarios without informing me.

Typical clone behavior.

Still… I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

Not annoyed—just mildly envious.

Lucas had it easy, in a sense.

This world was built for his growth.

Scripted for his fate.

The hero’s path was practically designed to carry him forward as long as he kept walking.

So yeah, his rise made sense.

Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Our eyes eventually locked.

He spotted me.

And then—

“Rilley!!”

He smiled and waved at me, grinning like an overenthusiastic golden retriever that had just spotted its favorite chew toy.

I blinked slowly.

Seriously, I don’t remember us being that close.

But I guess technically… we were friends.

He approached casually, hands in his pockets, a warm and slightly awkward smile on his face.

“Long time no see, Riley. Kagami. Seo,” Lucas greeted us in order, polite as always.

“Yeah…” I replied halfheartedly.

Seo, true to her usual demeanor, simply glanced at him and gave a short nod before looking away again.

Kagami, though, grinned and leaned back in his seat. “Long time no see as well, Lucas… So—where’s your girl?”

Lucas stiffened, ever so slightly. “Haha… Janica might be running a bit late today—”

“Take your seats.”

Cutting clean through the conversation was a sharp, calm voice from the front.

Our attention naturally shifted there—and I blinked.

Standing in front of the class was our new homeroom professor. Unexpectedly, it was none other than Professor Yuki.

That was… strange.

In the game, Professor Yuki was a recurring character only assigned to guide first-year students in the early phase. Seeing her step into a second-year Class S role was something I hadn’t anticipated.

She looked more refined now—still wearing her usual kimono-style instructor uniform, but with a more composed, slightly authoritative air.

Like someone who’d taken on more responsibility lately.

But that wasn’t the part that caught me off guard.

It was the person walking just behind her.

Janica.

Her signature red hair was tied back into a neater style—loose enough to flow, but tidy enough to fit the current mood.

Her green eyes, always vibrant and full of mischief before, looked… muted. A little darker. A little duller.

She walked without saying anything. No cheerful smile. No exaggerated greeting.

Just quiet steps toward her seat.

She gave us a few subtle glances in passing—but it was clear her gaze lingered on Lucas the longest.

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

That wasn’t the vision I had imagined between those two.

No teasing.

No playful back-and-forth.

No over-the-top affection that usually made people in the background either roll their eyes or gag.

In fact… she didn’t even say hi.

’Did something happen between them during the vacation?’

I glanced at Lucas.

He smiled faintly, but something about it looked forced.

Whatever happened one thing was pretty clear…

’Looks like our dear protagonist fucked up real bad again.’

…

“Good morning, everyone,” Professor Yuki began, her voice crisp and clear as it echoed throughout the room. “As most of you have already concluded, I will be your class supervisor for this semester.”

She paused, scanning the room with her usual strict, no-nonsense gaze. Her posture was upright, and her hands were clasped neatly in front of her.

“Due to recent and unclassified circumstances,” she continued, “I can’t disclose the exact reason why your previous supervisor will no longer be overseeing this class. I ask that you refrain from speculation and simply focus on your studies. That said, I hope we can all get along for the duration of this term.”

Her words had that distinct mix of politeness and firmness that made it clear she wasn’t asking for cooperation—she was expecting it.

“First of all,” she moved on, “congratulations. Advancing to your second semester as a second year in this academy, especially within Class S, is no easy feat. Given the rigor of our academic and combat curriculum especially last semester, it’s not unusual for at least one or two students to… fail to progress.”

A brief silence lingered in the room after she said that.

Fail to progress—yeah, that was just a polite way of saying perish.

But even if she says all that I think the academy was a bit light with their curriculum last year though.

“But it seems,” she said, this time glancing subtly in my direction, “your class is a little more special than most.”

I leaned back slightly in my chair. Was that supposed to be a compliment?

“I’m sure many of you have a lot of questions,” Professor Yuki continued. “About the curriculum, your advancement, or even the future of your class rankings. But before we get into your upcoming coursework, let’s address something you’ve all been waiting for—your official standings.”

As expected, everyone suddenly straightened up in their seats a little more.

“The semestral rankings were supposed to be updated after the Grand Festival,” she said. “But… due to certain unforeseen incidents, the event had to be postponed indefinitely.”

’Unforeseen incidents, huh?’

I almost scoffed at that.

They really were using every vague term in the book to dodge around what really happened.

I had to give it to the principal though—she knew how to sweep a mess under the rug.

The truth was, the academy took a massive hit last semester.

Between the infiltration of demonic worshippers, the sudden dungeon breaks, and the attack on faculty and students—yeah, things were way beyond “unforeseen.”

There were bodies. Secrets. Corruption. And probably more hush money involved than I could imagine.

But of course, to the public—and the average student—the academy was still the same shining beacon of elite education it had always been.

They had to keep up appearances somehow.

’Did Clara secretly help them perhaps?’

“That’s why…” Professor Yuki continued, her tone unwavering, “there will be a mock battle course a month from now.”

She let the words settle for a moment before dropping the next surprise.

“However, it won’t be the usual one-on-one dueling format you’re all probably expecting. Instead, it will take place in a specially designed battle zone in the forest of monsters created by the academy itself.”

A subtle murmur rippled through the classroom.

“It will be a situational survival-type battle course—essentially, a battle royale… with monsters involved.”

My eyebrow twitched slightly.

Battle royale?

That certainly wasn’t in the game.

Professor Yuki’s gaze swept across the room, catching our varied reactions before she added the real kicker.

“The only rule is simple—there are no allies. Every student will fight alone. The last one standing will be officially recognized as the top rank of Class S.”

The room’s energy shifted instantly.

Some of our classmates looked stunned.

A few excited.

Others anxious. Even Susan sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing in calculation.

As for me and Seo?

We weren’t particularly interested in rankings anymore. At least not in the superficial way others were.

Still… there was something off about the way Yuki phrased it.

Gilbert raised his hand from across the room. “Professor… what do you mean ’a month from now’? Can’t we just duke it out already?”

Professor Yuki shook her head firmly. “That’s where your current curriculum comes into play. A new mandatory training program has been implemented starting this semester. It will last exactly one month—and your performance in it will directly affect your eligibility for the mock battle.”

“A training program?” Susan echoed, her voice a rare presence in classroom discussion. She leaned forward a little, visibly intrigued.

Professor Yuki nodded. “Yes… although calling it a training program might be misleading. It’s not something you’ll receive—it’s something you’ll provide.”

Her next words caught all of us off-guard.

“From now on, all second-year students in Class S and below will be required to mentor a first-year student of equal class rank. That means each of you will be assigned an S-class freshman… and you will be responsible for raising their performance during the next month.”

A sharp wave of surprise swept through the classroom.

Even Kagami, who had been slouching and yawning lazily beside me, sat up straight—his interest finally piqued.

“So… it’s a training course,” Kagami said slowly, “but we’re the instructors?”

Professor Yuki gave a curt nod.

“Precisely. You will serve as their mentors, guides, and sparring partners. You’ll be graded not only on their progress but also your ability to develop them to meet their potential.”

Then she delivered the blow that made the entire class freeze.

“If your assigned freshman fails to meet the expected minimum performance standards by the end of the month, your personal monthly allowance will be slashed by 90%.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Most of us in Class S had grown far too comfortable with the absurdly generous lifestyle the academy provided.

Lavish budgets, elite dorms, unrestricted access to high-end materials—gone in a flash if some random freshman didn’t meet the criteria?

’Isn’t this a bit of a scam?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep