Despite my eagerness to accept Professor Anlor's challenge, the slight anxiousness within me did not fade, and the look on the professor's face had made that feeling even worse.
Professor Anlor's expression remained exactly as it was before I had accepted. That annoying, thin, polished smile of his, crooked to the point where I expected he probably knew what my answer was going to be, and that my confidence had merely entered a realm he had prepared.
At least the rest of the room had reacted more honestly. There were whispers that flowed through the class like wind carrying dry leaves in autumn. Some students looked relieved that I had been picked on, some looked at me with irritation as if I had personally just gambled away their sleep for the next term on a coin toss, some nobles looked entertained, and though they were few in numbers, there were at least a handful of students who believed there was a possibility of escaping additional work.
I didn't know whether to feel grateful or pressured.
Luckily, I had Taron, who was sitting beside me, to reaffirm the nature of this situation, as he leaned closer without taking his eyes off Professor Anlor.
"You know," he whispered, barely, "when I said that the question he gave was unfair, I was hoping he would, you know, stop being so unfair."
"You shouldn't have gotten your hopes up."
"Yeah, I can see that now."
Professor Anlor raised one of his hands, causing the room to quieten down immediately.
"Since our 'attentive' student has accepted," he said, his voice smooth enough to sound almost generous, "allow me to clarify the conditions so that there is no confusion. I will ask five questions. The questions will concern the introductory principles of Anti-Beast Tactics, specifically in relation to certain Aethren classification, their behaviour, and any appropriate response patterns."
He turned slowly as he addressed the entire class.
"However, I want to make it clear. No one is permitted to assist him and no whispered hints. No written messages slid under the table. No gestures. No signals. No conveniently dropped notes or coincidental coughing."
A few students stiffened, while Professor Anlor's eyes narrowed faintly.
"Anyone caught assisting him will receive an appropriate disciplinary action. Should the act be severe enough, removal from this elective may follow."
Then his gaze returned to me.
"As for cheating," he continued, "if our 'attentitive' student is found to have used any prohibited method of gaining additional aid, he will be expelled from Aetherion Academy."
The room froze.
Even Taron stopped smiling.
For a heartbeat, I thought I had misheard him.
Expelled.
Not punished.
Not failed.
'Expelled.'
"Damn. I didn't think he'd go this far." I heard Taron mumble in slight anger.
It was clear that he intentionally made this an unusual warning. It was clearly a lethal blade wrapped in formality.
I didn't want to make my slight nervousness obvious, so I kept my face still, but the thought began to settle coldly in my chest. Professor Anlor had not just directly challenged me, in front of everyone. He successfully built a trap for everyone to witness.
The Codex pulsed faintly.
[THREAT CONDITION DETECTED]
[PUNISHMENT SEVERITY: DISPROPORTIONATE]
[RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN COMPOSURE]
'Yep, trying my best here, Codex.'
[OBSERVATION: USER HEART RATE ELEVATED]
'Yeah, Yeah. I know. You think you can just give me some time to catch my breath?'
[ACCEPTABLE REQUEST]
Professor Anlor folded his hands behind his back. "Are you ready?"
I looked at him and then at the rows of students who were now staring at me like I was either their salvation or the reason they would spend the rest of the term writing reports until their fingers went numb.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I said. "Since you didn't really give me time to prepare."
A few students let out quiet, nervous laughs.
Taron's shoulders shook once beside me.
I continued before common sense could stop me.
"Oh! Unless you need more time to make the questions, Professor. You formed them rather quickly."
That comment managed to make Professor Anlor gather himself before replying immediately.
His expression became sharper. The sudden change caused several students to quickly lower their gaze as if eye contact with any hint of humour might incriminate them. Even Taron covered his mouth with one hand... but not fast enough to hide that smile of his, which was breaking across his face.
As Professor Anlor looked across the room, any faint semblance of laughter died instantly.
Then he looked back at me.
"How confident."
"I've been told that it can make a big difference in situations like these."
"Confidence can be useful," Anlor said. "But don't mistake it for safety. Students often discover that circumstances change much more quickly than they can anticipate."
'That was an ominous statement to make to a first-year in the middle of class.'
Then again, Professor Anlor seemed very comfortable making threatening statements sound educational.
The Professor lifted his hand, and the projection on the wall behind him changed. The image of the Hookhorn Thyrak faded, replaced by a familiar shape.
A boar-like beast with ember-veined fur, a hunched back, and jaws that looked too wide for its skull.
My breath got caught slightly.
Not from fear.
Recognition.
Professor Anlor's first question came calmly.
"First one. An Ember Warg has entered the boundary of an outer settlement and is displaying increased heat output along its jaw and forelimbs. Its movement is direct but uneven, and it repeatedly strikes fixed objects rather than retreating into open terrain. What is the most likely behavioural state, and what is the appropriate first response for a lower-stage mage?"
I stared at the image.
For a moment, I could see it clearly. I was back in the Basin.
There was smoke.
Loud panic.
A vivid scream that cut through the village.
It was the moment I found out. The creature's heat washed over my face as I realised, very quickly, that this world did not care whether I understood its rules yet.
'I can't believe that whole situation came back to be useful in this way.'
The Codex pulsed.
[KNOWN ENCOUNTER IDENTIFIED]
[EMBER WARG]
[LIKELY STATE: INJURED / PROVOKED / TERRITORIAL CONFUSION]
[RECOMMENDED RESPONSE: DISTANCE, DISTRACTION, NON-LINEAR EVASION, AVOID DIRECT OUTPUT ESCALATION]
I exhaled.
"The Ember Warg is likely injured or provoked; it isn't simply hunting," I said. "If it's striking fixed objects instead of moving efficiently through open ground, then it's most likely disoriented, territorial, or reacting to some perceived threat around the settlement. A lower-stage mage should absolutely not try to overpower it directly, particularly if that heat output it's giving off is already increasing. Creating distance, drawing its attention away from any surrounding civilians if possible, avoiding feeding it with obvious direct spellcast that would antagonise it, and using irregular movement or cover to prevent a straight charge. I feel this would be the appropriate response to the situation."
Professor Anlor watched me and stayed silent briefly before responding.
"Correct."
The entire class stayed in silence, shocked as to what they had just seen, well, except one person.
Taron leaned back slightly, a smile returning to his face.
"That's one," he whispered.
I didn't look at him to respond.
The projection changed once again. This time, the image showed a long, low creature covered in rough stone plates. Its forelimbs were thick and clawed, built for digging. Thin Aether lines pulsed along the underside of its body.
I recognised it too.
'The Maze... wait, I remember! That thing was in the second chamber. Hard not to when it tried to come up through the ground and tear off my feet.'
Professor Anlor's eyes narrowed and flicked toward me.
"Next question. A plated burrowing Aethren disturbs earth-related Aether upon its emergence, but the disturbance appears in three separate locations simultaneously. What tactical mistake do most students make, and what should they do instead?"
[KNOWN ENCOUNTER IDENTIFIED]
[MAZE ENTITY: PLATED BURROWER VARIANT]
[TACTICAL PATTERN: FALSE EMERGENCE POINTS]
I almost smiled.
Almost.
"Hm, most students assume one of those disturbances is real, and the others are decoys," I said. "But that's the mistake. Some Aethren of that nature use those disturbances as pressure tests. The key is to read which target reacts first. If the student jumps away from the most obvious point, they may move directly into the actual emerging path. The better response is to avoid committing to a single direction immediately. Make your footing stabilise, reduce any unnecessary Aether output, and watch for the disturbance that changes in response to your movement. A good rule of thumb is to move diagonally rather than backward or in any predictable line."
Professor Anlor's expression did not change. It was beginning to be slightly concerning.
"Correct."
This time, the entire class became louder.
Someone behind me whispered, "How in the world did he know that?"
Another voice answered, "There's no way he studied for this."
'You're right, I didn't. But there's no need for Professor Anlor to know that.'