"Teacher, are you alr— WHAT THE HELL?!"
There was something very wrong with the scene.
The "Tyrant" on the ground coughing blood, a naked Teacher Gale peacefully towering over him?! Seeing this, Lizzy couldn't help but blush in incomprehension.
A fight? It didn't seem like one, and neither seemed to have any injuries. Then, how?! But just as she was bewildered, Zhang guffawed.
"Tyrant? How arrogant! Even Teacher Mei couldn't win against Teacher's mighty rod!" His eyes shone with boundless admiration… yet another had been tricked!
"W-Wait? Zhang, you know what happened?! Was it—"
But before they could gossip anymore. Gray gestured to them… while mumbling?! It was so low that they could barely make it out, but as they did, they gasped, impressed.
1. First, they had to call a medic "for the bunnies"
2. Second, he was already starting a lecture?!
What a role model! Even now, he was Teaching?!
Little did they know that Gray was inwardly freaking out. If he stopped, the effects of [S-Rank Invincible Teacher!] would instantly end, and he'd be PEPSI!
But that wasn't all… he had a terrifying presentiment.
All damage nullified as long as he was teaching his Class? Wouldn't it end if he went too far from his Classroom?! He sure wouldn't test it right now! Thus, he'd keep teaching.
As for the topic? The very battle that had just happened!
"The earlier events are a perfect example of strategy overcoming might. The students? They were so numerous, but they lacked unity. As for the crux of it all? It was…"
He quickly summarized all the classroom events, their eyes turning as wide as saucers from every plan Gray described.
Exploiting the students' weaknesses.
Leading the bunnies through an ever-changing battlefield.
Surprising their opponents at every goddamn turn and always being a move ahead!
"Do you understand now? Those were all simple plans, but the key was adapting them all to the right situation. Lose your cool, and you'll lose the fight. Do you all understand?"
Simple plans?! Their teacher had happily described an all-encompassing web of deception and trickery… then bloody called it simple?! They wanted to protest!
But just as they were going insane, there was a disturbance...
"P-Please don't eat me! I'm going, I'm going!"
It seemed like Teddy was back, a shivering medic in tow. The latter could barely keep his lunch down: blood everywhere, unconscious students, and a Rampaging Bear behind?!
At this moment, he felt like crying.
Why?! Why was it that anytime something went wrong, it was under his watch?! First, Teacher Gale disappearing, then his disciple, and now this?! This guy was a bad luck charm!
In any case, as the Hospital had seen a Rampaging Bear with a sign around its neck that said "NEED MEDIC ASAP!" they had instantly sent him as a sacrifice.
But before he could truly despair…
"Bun! Bun! Bun!"
Exhausted Bunnies lined up before him, ready for treatment. Seeing them, the poor guy wasn't sure whether to be terrified or terrifyingly awed. They looked so cute and lovable!
Still, they were tiny, so they didn't take long to heal. Thus, he turned toward the unconscious students. But a voice interrupted just as his hands glowed the green of healing magic.
"Leave them be. Pain is good for memory. Come here instead…"
It came from the courtyard?! The medic went forward, but as he saw the crumbled man on the ground, his eyes almost fell off his sockets. "T-Tyrant?!"— Just in time for Gray to grin.
"Students, ALWAYS remember that proper recovery is of the utmost importance…"
A half-naked man with his face covered lectured. Seeing this, the medic hesitatingly rushed to the Tyrant's side… only to be stopped?! The bandaged man, what did he want?
"Now, sometimes injuries aren't always visible. Remember this too…"
A-Ah?! As the man pointed at his stomach, the medic shivered. Did he have a hidden injury?! He had been so eager to check the guy on the ground that he had totally missed it!
Approaching the half-naked man, he put his hands on his flesh and…. Nothing. No matter how he checked, the man seemed completely healthy? And that's when it got weird.
"Use lots of healing magic, and make sure to rub it in."
"Yes, just like that… use both hands."
"Hmm, better be safe than sorry."
"…."
"…."
"…."
Better be safe than sorry? What freaking sorry?! By now, the man had even grabbed both the poor medic's glowing hands and was… rubbing his own abs with them?!
'Why me?!' The medic felt like crying but didn't even dare. Behind him was still that dreadful bear. Then, on the side were Teacher Gale's students, the latter even taking notes?!
What. The. Fuck!
— +1 PTSDed Medic! —
Seeing all that healing magic, Gray finally gave his lecturing tone a rest. And that's when he felt it. — BAM! CRUNCH! SO PAINFUL!
His insides seemingly passed through a meat grinder!
He felt every organ inside him rupture and heal over and over, the medic working his magic!
As Gray groaned in pain, a certain medic shivered even more. What the heck?! First, the rubbing all over, and now he was even groaning?! Or had that been a moan?!
That's when Gray grinned, putting his hand on the man's shoulder.
"Brother, you totally saved me! What's your name?"
"T-That, Luke, you can call me Luke, Sir!"
"Well then, Luke, I am your fath—cough. If you need anything, come find me, alright? Actually, do you want to become Teacher Gale's student? I see a bright future ahead of you!"
W-What the hell?! A bright future? Teacher Gale?! Was this guy trying to praise him or curse him? But as if that wasn't enough, the man kept going.
"Picture it. Your own medical hut right in the classroom. How amazing would that be! You'd go from medic to mighty Doctor! Think about it, won't you?"
"T-Thanks?! Y-Yes, I'll definitely consider it!"
"Hehe, you do that!"
As the man left, Gray chuckled, eyes burning with desire. With a medic 24/7, wouldn't he be pretty much invincible against regular students? Then he wouldn't have to fear being bullied!
But that would be for later…
There was barely more than a day before the Welcoming Ceremony, and they were running out of time. He clicked his tongue.
"Initially, I wanted to train in the Hunting Grounds, but…"
He had a goddamn mess to fix here and terrified bystanders outside his place. No, with so many eyes watching, he'd simply improvise and do it here!
Luckily, he had a huge backyard, too...
"Zhang, Lizzy, tell me. What do you think your chances are in the upcoming Challenge?"
"T-Teacher, I'd say… bad? This Event includes all First Years from Rank 1 to 3. Zhang's Rank 2, but me and Ajax are barely Rank 1. Besides, Teacher made some enemies and…"
"Tch— Lizzy, we're Teacher Gale's students! Admitting defeat? NEVER!"
Lizzy was realist, Zhang was just hoping for the best… and Ajax was still gone for some reason. Still, Gray actually smiled:
"You're right, Lizzy. The current you would get obliterated…"
He walked a few steps, his back toward them, as if pondering the world's mysteries.
"I'll promise you two things. First, in the next 24 hours, you'll wish you were dead…" But then he turned around, his smile becoming a devilish grin.
"Second, survive this, and THEY will wish for death instead!"
GASP?! At that moment, they finally understood. Barely passing? NOPE! Their teacher saw way farther than they had ever had.
As for what'd follow? They'd forever remember it fondly, the training so gruesome they cried blood, and many times at that!
Oh, but they weren't the only ones having fun, either. A certain "Tyrant" joined them…
"You bastard, I'll find you!" "ARGGG! What the fuck?! My leg, I can't feel my leg!" "Cough! Can't breathe—" "NOOO! Stay away, you crazy assholes!" "P-Please, just let me leave!" "I'm sowwyyyy!"
It was really lots and lots of fun, and the more Gray saw of it, the more he grinned.
His weak students? They were ready…