Gray opened his door… and there was a stray!
Fluffy black hair, an air of gloominess, inhuman dark eyes, and tiny paws clenched on a grimoire. This was a girl that reminded him of a cat for some reason.
"T-Teacher Gale? I-Is it true?"
"You'll have to be more specific. Is it true that I'm handsome? Yes. Is it true that I'm still alive? As you can see. Is it true that my upcoming class is gonna be a banger? Hell yeah!"
"I-Is it true that you're cursed?! T-That day at the Mana-Testing Facility…"
"Hey, do I look cursed to you? I'm alive and kicking!"
"Oh…"
Why did she bloody look disappointed?! Had she come here to wish him dead first thing in the morning?! Now, she even looked unsure of how to proceed, twiddling her thumbs.
"In any case, our meeting today has to be fate! How about you become my student?"
"T-That, I'd have to think about it. C-Can you give me 20 minutes?"
"Sure? Talk to you in 20 minutes, then!"
What a strange girl! Oh well, with a mere thought, Gray entered the Library realm, a peaceful pond welcoming him. If he hurried, he'd have time for one catch! But as he took a step…
[Obtained 3 Fishing Attempts! Nearby Lure Detected!]
[Activate Cursed Lure? Increases Soul Rarity!]
Cursed Lure?! Yet, it boosted the Soul Rarity? It would have probably been a trap if this was a game, but he wasn't so sure anymore.
"My power's called Library of Heaven's Souls, wouldn't be surprising if it's related to necromancy. Then maybe the cursed part is just a good thing overall?"
"Better try it once, I guess… Activate!"
[Ding! Cursed Lure Chosen! Current Boost: 17%!]
[Reminder: Move Closer to Lure for Better Boost Value!]
"Closer to the Lure? What does that even mean— gasp!"
He had barely opened his eyes when his greedy gaze landed on the nearby student. It was HER! Was she actually cursed?! Was this why she had been disappointed earlier?!
At that moment, her entire being shivered. W-What was up with this Teacher?! First, their meeting being "Fate", then him just dozing off, and now this predatory look?!
"The Cursed thing before, that was the official version. To be clear, I'm so cursed that the Headmaster almost lost his mind. Not to brag, but I'm more cursed than toothpaste pasta!
"…?!?"
"How about this? Become my Disciple, and I'll do something about that curse of yours. What do you say? Ah, but in the meantime, you'll have to do everything I tell you, okay?"
At this moment, she couldn't help but cover her chest with both hands! But if he could really cure her, then… She nodded her head with the assurance of a timid goth mouse.
"Good! Great, even! Now, let's get started. Stay there, and don't move no matter what!"
Gray got as physically close to her as possible without them touching, and then, with a huge grin… he went back to the Library Realm!
[Ding! Cursed Lure Chosen! Current Boost: 83%!]
"Now that's more like it! Time to fish!"
He couldn't help but feel the excitement. Wouldn't this mean that he could grow stronger quickly as long as he collected students with special constitutions/curses?!
Become a Teacher to keep his pitiful life? → Also good enough motivation, but…
Become a Teacher to become the GOAT → Positive reinforcement!
But his mood wasn't the only drastic difference.
"What's up with the souls today?!"
Usually, they would be peacefully swimming, but why did they all seem… depressed?! In fact, had it not been for the current, they would have thrown themselves at him to die!
Thus, he was quickly done with his three fishing attempts in a record time. As for the results…
[Ding! Obtained Loaded Dice!]
[Tool of Legendary Gambler Cash-Money who died as he lived: drunk in a casino! Crush it to obtain his life-threatening bad luck temporarily! *PS: It feels EVIL!]
Life-threatening bad luck?! That sounded BAD! As for having someone else crush it, that probably wouldn't be that easy with the EVIL aura it oozed! Still, he kept going…
[Ding! New Memory: Gloomy Headpats!]
[A man had a depressed wife: I'm fine, she'd always lie. Heartbroken, he created this technique to SEE all her problems! That day, he killed himself! *PS: User Suicide 99% Assured!]
The flavor story didn't bother him too much, but what was up with that 99% suicide rate? Was it because it only ever showed negative emotions? Either way, he still had one left…
[Ding! Cursed Potato!]
[You must give this to someone in the next 24 hours, and they must take it willingly. Otherwise, your dog, relatives, and your first love may all die! You've been warned!]
He barely glanced at that one, his mind stuck on the previous item. Wouldn't it be the perfect tool for a Teacher?! One headpat and he'd know the Students' greatest scars!
Still, there was that 99% suicide rate…
"Argg! I can always learn it and not use it, right? Besides, I freaking survived the gray and cold capitalist world! What's a little curse compared to that? Learn!"
— WHOOSH! WHOOSH! —
Knowledge was suddenly crammed in his head with so much power that he lost his balance. Yet he had barely recovered that he freaking did again as if a masochist!
Even more knowledge entered his brain, this time about certain Heaven-Defying Eyes! They simply changed one's eye color, yet he could already picture countless applications!
"Hehe, I'm on a roll! Now, let's test it all out!"
Gray came back, his soon-to-be disciple jumping in fright. But as he opened his eyes, she almost had a freaking heart attack! W-What was this?! His eyes, they were…
Abyss Black, bloodthirsty red, piercing yellow, divine blue, unfathomable green— They kept switching even now!
"T-Teacher Gale, is this… your Curse?!"
"Shhh. Don't move a muscle."
— Headpat! —
At this moment, she shivered in incomprehension. What the hell was he doing?! Yet, she had heard his command, and she listened.
As for Gray, he didn't just SEE it, he FELT it! Suddenly, he wasn't Gray Gale anymore. He was… Sera Blake?! But it had barely begun that he already felt like vomiting…
He felt himself in the womb…
He saw the crowd welcoming his birth…
The world's cruel, cold air replaced his loving mother's warmth. And that was the last time he'd ever feel that warmth, the smiles turning to disgust.
"D-Demon eyes?! Quick, slay it, slay it…"
Slay it? Cousins? Uncles? Neighbors? They all wanted him dead. All because of those goddamn eyes! Yet, his mother didn't let them; she saved him…
It had been the greatest act of love— just not for his sake.
Mother? She wasn't. She was merely fulfilling her greatest promise.
As for this new life? It was the Demon that had taken her husband. It was the Demon that had stolen her life away. It was that Demon that she'd raise… from a distance.
Friends? None. Family? None. Warmth? None. The only thing he still had left was a single hope. Golden Crow Academy! They'd cleanse the Demon!
Except they hadn't. It wasn't just the eyes. There was a curse, one that could spread by touch, one that would kill him in one, maybe two years.
Students? They were scared.
Teachers? Why teach a dead man…
Headmaster? He was strong but no god.
There was no hope. There was nothing. "Sorry, Dad. I tried, I really tried, but it's pointless…" But amidst the darkness… an even darker darkness appeared!
The Mana-Testing Facility exploded, and out of it came a curse beyond human comprehension. Fear, despair, corruption, it was all that. But to him, it was Hope!
A new Teacher. A talentless one. A cursed one. For the first time in 18 years, a new hope had appeared, and it shone brighter than the fucking sun!
Cursed? He didn't look it one bit. He was grinning as he called himself handsome. Then again, perhaps he was a little…
— GASP! GASP! —
Gray awoke, himself again….
As soon as Hope had appeared, the dream had ended. No gloom, no technique! In fact, had it not been for the scene being a disaster, he probably wouldn't have even seen it.
He glanced at his new student. Sera, Sera Blake. She was trembling under his touch, unsure how to react. It had been too long since she had felt a physical touch, far too long…
"Everything will be alright." That's when he hugged her.
That's also when she broke into tears, years of despair escaping her at once. Was this what family felt like? She could have died happy at this very moment!
As he felt her quiver in his arms, Gray suddenly changed his mind. Renowned and flashy Teacher? There were already enough of those. No, from now on, he'd be the hidden expert.
Accepting the ones rejected by the world, just like him…
[Ding! New Personal Disciple! Sera Blake!]