Gray woke up completely refreshed…
But then, 5 seconds later, he wasn't so refreshed anymore. Wonderful day, nice weather… and a half-naked Fatty Zhang shaking his ass right by his window.
"C'mon, get deep in there!"
"I'm trying, Boss! Please stop jiggling!"
"Uh, be careful! You're gonna stain my pants!"
Gray decisively closed the blinds. ARG his eyes! Were his disciples trying to blind him? Cursing, he exited his abode, the two jerking up in shock as they saw him.
"Ah, Teacher Gale! H-Hope you slept well!"
"Greetings, Teacher!"
But, the more he observed them, the more he felt that something was utterly wrong, and it wasn't just the public display of affection!
Fatty Zhang's ass was full of burns, which explained the current scene. But even Ajax could barely apply the ointment for he too was injured. Heck, he could barely stand straight!
"What the hell happened to you guys?! Didn't I send you to the Library for reconnaissance? How did you end up in this state?!" He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Reporting to Teacher! Some Bastard sullied your honor! But we—"
"Enough."
Never mind, he could totally wrap his head around it. Of course, this blockhead would do something like this! He turned to the more reliable Zhang.
"Just give me a summary."
"Trolls. Ajax fought back, with fists. A big fight and a library on fire. A whole lot more community time to serve. That's about it, Teacher!"
Gray got the gist of it. As valiant as his new disciple was, that was the very thing that made him an incredible loose canon. Guess he didn't just know how to train after all.
"Zhang, get me some wood and rope."
The latter painfully put his pants back up and busied himself, quickly coming back. Taking it all from him, Gray got to work, soon grinning at his work.
It was a VERY questionable sign.
"Here, wear this."
My name is Ajax
I'm an abandoned stray
Luckily, Boss Zhang Picked me up
#Handsome Teacher Gale #Roast Me
As soon as Fatty Zhang saw it, his entire body jiggled. If the Newbie wore this, he'd get absolutely destroyed! What the hell was that?! But Teacher Gale was far from done.
"Now, I want you to head to the Academy Plaza with this sign. But there's a twist. No matter what anyone says, you cannot fight or talk back, understood?"
"YES, TEACHER!"
With the determination of a suicide bomber, Ajax went to accomplish his mission. Seeing this, Zhang suddenly didn't feel that good. What if his teacher punished him for—
"I'll have a task for you too… but before that, have you seen a cute girl about yay high? Pink hair and hiding behind her bangs?"
"Pink hair? Ah?! Teacher, did you recruit her yesterday?! As expected of you! Still, I've been here since the morning and haven't seen anyone at all."
How strange… but then he saw it. The gate to the garden was slightly open. As he stepped through the gates, he found himself in a different world.
Ah, the soft morning dew.
Refreshing, cold, and utterly bloody.
Then there was the bunny crowd reveling in it.
Except there weren't just bunnies. Lizzy was actually there, her entire body shivering while being utterly surrounded by the creatures.
And whenever she tried leaving, a bunny would block her way! They were just menacingly standing there, but under that cute fur of theirs hid an atomic curse power!
"Stand down."
As Gray arrived, everything changed.
The bunnies silently terrorizing the poor girl all broke the circle as they happily hopped his way. Through the Bunny Unity technique, he could feel their emotions.
Intruder → Claiming to be a friend → But was she? → Restrained her to be safe → Awaited Master's return!
They were good bunnies, after all.
"Hehe. Good job, you all!"
Finally returning to life, Lizzy stared at the scene, shell-shocked. The scary beasts that had terrorized her all night long looked so harmless now!
"Now, Zhang, Sera, Ajax, Lizzy, we're just missing one for the dream team. What's the update on the next target? Did that auction thing happen yet or naw?"
"T-That, I'm not sure, Teacher, I'd have to—"
"Go ask your girlfriend. Get us juicy info, or I'm sending you to accompany your junior brother at the Plaza."
"RIGHT AWAY!"
Who cared about burns? He hurriedly rushed away. Sure, he had thick skin, but not THAT thick to stand in the Plaza with a— he couldn't help but shiver.
This left Gray alone with Lizzy…
"Now talk. Spill the beans. Tell me everything!"
"I swear I didn't do anything to make the bunnies mad! I just walked in the garden and—"
"Pfft— Not that. The little guys already told me what happened. No, tell me about yourself. I can guess most of it, but I want YOUR perspective."
Taking a deep breath, she began:
"I was three when it all went wrong. That was the day I learned to read…"
Even younger, she had been an incredible knowledge sponge. Anything she saw or heard, she'd instantly remember.
Literature? 100% comprehension
History? She knew every date
Mathematics? Super easy!
She'd learn anything she touched, and the expectations for her future were higher than the trees in the Hunting Grounds. She was a winner at life! Or so everyone thought...
Mana control? She instantly learned!
Mana gathering? She succeeded instantly!
Forming her Mana Core? Earth-shattering fast!
But when it came to actually filling it up… NO COMMENT!
She'd accumulate tons of Mana, only for it to disappear the next day, everyone in the Luska Clan utterly confused. Or rather, that was until someone finally asked her…
"It's all because of those bad runes in my mind! They're eating all my Mana! Can you tell them to stop so I can train quietly?"
Come again? R-Runes? In her mind? That's when the secret was finally revealed. She actually had a VERY rare power, one that they had never heard of before.
Whenever she would see or hear something, a rune about that object or concept would form inside her mind, the process consuming Mana.
That's how she was able to remember everything so easily! While others dug their memories, she literally just opened the corresponding rune and read it.
That brought her to this day…
"Because of this power, I can't train magic, and after a while, I lose all runes anyway. It's atrocious, I can't turn it off, and I hate it! What should I do, Teacher?!"
"Download more Ram."
"?!?"
Chuckling, Gray suddenly grabbed some stuff. In total, he had a twig, a stick, and a branch. What was he gonna do with that? He laid them all side by side.
"Picture this: You're attacked by a Bloodthirsty Bunny! BUT there's a twist. You have two choices: One, you stand there and die, or two, you grab one of those and fight. GO!"
"GRRRRR!"
"T-Teacher?!"
Lizzy was extremely confused, but she still dashed and grabbed the biggest branch. Then she turned back to the rabbit that was… getting petted?!
"Good instinct. Now, let's try this again. Same exact scenario, but this time you'll start with this. Ready?" He gave her a small twig and then…
"GRRRRR!"
Having a twig didn't change a damn thing. She ran to the branch and got into a defensive position, utterly confused. What was the point of all this?!
That's when Gray gave her a bright smile.
"You power's the twig, and the branch is what it could be."
"W-What?! Then, Teacher, what's the point of the stick?
"Aiming straight for the branch?! You greedy girl!"
Pfft— At that moment, she suddenly felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Crazy power? Dangerous to train? She had always been afraid, but not anymore, not with Teacher Gale.
The latter was now saying even more incomprehensible stuff:
"Your AI chip's rusty and obsolete, but we'll upgrade it and make it shine bright like a diamond!" He even sang the last part for some reason, all the while grinning radiantly.
That smile, that damn smile. Perhaps she really was a greedy girl, but she found herself wanting that smile to remain by her side and—
"TEACHER! Pant. Pant. The auction's happening right now!"
Fatty Zhang suddenly bolted inside the garden in panic! But just as a certain girl frowned, Teacher Gale suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder?!
"Lizzy. I guess it's time for your first mission…"