This place reeked.
That was my first impression. And I didn't even need a second one, especially after the main door fell off with a single knock.
By any standard—hell, even by slum kidnappers' standards, this place was a worst.
As confused as I was about Arc's standing in the underworld, my attention shifted to two faint, glowing grey lights in the darkness. They weren't bright, but as I focused, it became clear.
Human eyes.
Belonging to a man, who was casually sitting with both legs on the table, smoking his cigarette in the dark.
Weird.
He wasn't doing anything else. Just smoking. Waiting, maybe? As the question passed through my mind, I got my answer.
"You're Asuka, right?" His voice was firm, and heavy, like he was in control of the whole room without moving a muscle.
Those eyes... they reminded me of how wild cats, like leopards, stare into those Netgeo's night cameras.
Intense, alert, and sharp.
Weird example, but that's exactly what those grey eyes brought to mind.
He didn't look like the type who'd appreciate jokes. More like the type who'd slit my throat for saying something unnecessary.
So, I kept it simple. "Yes."
He nodded, then went right back to smoking.
That's when it hit me, smoking!
It has already been over a week since I had one. I used to be addicted back on Earth, but now, I'd been so caught up in surviving that I even forgot cigarettes existed.
Ohh, poor me I really had it tough.
Noticing my stare, the man raised his cigarette, "Want some?"
Chuckle.
A small laugh escaped me. How could I say no?
I walked over and grabbed one from the pack on the table, but my eyes scanned for a lighter. There wasn't one.
Now, most people would ask for it. But out of habit, I bent down and lit my cigarette using the ember of his. A trick I learned from my boss back when I was new. He always did it that way, and I always use to think of it as cool.
It's not, though.
As I exhaled my first drag of smoke, I heard a chuckle.
I glanced at him.
"So, you do have some guts."
"Ah?"
"You stood there frozen. I thought maybe I scared you so bad you'd pissed your pants."
Honestly, if not for my passive skill, I probably would've. But instead, I focused on the question that had been bugging me. "I was just wondering... why would someone sit in the dark and smoke alone like that?"
He let out a small laugh and then stood up, stepping into the dim light. "First, Let me introduce myself. I'm Clark Evans, they call me the left hand of Master Arc. I've been waiting for you."
As he extended his left hand toward me, I noticed something I hadn't before, probably due to the dim light and the heavy, dark clothes he was wearing,
he didn't have a right arm.
Had he lost it in battle?
"Oh, this? It was torn off by your brother."
Wait—what?
Why would Arc rip off his own man's arm?
I couldn't help but feel shocked. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. Could Clark have been the one who betrayed Arc to get revenge later?
"Don't worry, there's no bad blood between us," he said, reading the confusion on my face. "It was during our training years. Master Arc was pretty brutal back then."
Well, that explanation somehow eased the tension.
I felt more relieved than anything. Thank god Arc didn't have time to personally train me... or I'd be in serious trouble.
Clark picked up a lamp from the table and lit it, the faint glow revealing more of the room. He motioned for me to follow. "Come, I'll show you your room for tonight."
"Tonight?" I asked, curious about tomorrow's plan. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
Honestly, I had no clue what Arc had planned for me. Maybe training or a mission? That wouldn't be so bad. It'd give me a chance to adjust to this world... and maybe I will get time to plan on how to deal with that damn Extra.
Clark stopped abruptly and turned to look at me, his expression suddenly dark and serious and with that, my heart skipped a beat, and my blood pressure spiked.
Am I fucked again?
"Nothing much. Just getting you ready to leave for United Academy,"
"What?? But I didn't even take the entrance test!"
"You won't be attending as a student," he replied, his voice low and serious. "You'll be a professor there."
I couldn't help it—I burst out laughing. This had to be a joke, right?
Maybe I was just too tired from the long, hectic day, and I misheard.
"Wait... can you say that again? I think I heard you wrong."
"You didn't," he said, dead plain. "You'll be teaching first-year students... magic engineering."
I couldn't even muster up a frown, just stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
Are they insane?
United Academy?
Is It a joke to you?
That's not just any academy. Its history goes back to before the Human Nation was even formed, to a time when a global human federation—something similar to the United Nations from my world—existed.
The United Academy was established with one goal: to nurture the top human talents, the future pillars of the human race.
Not just of any country, a group, but the entire human race. To even get accepted, you had to be an exceptional genius.
Almost all of the top human figures mentioned in the novel graduated from there. Even the great hero, Sir Helden High, who led humanity during the Agantha War, was once the academy's top cadet.
United Academy is like the world's most prestigious connection hub, with ties to all the top figures in the world. It's an independent organisation, wielding massive influence not just in the Human Nation but across the entire globe.
And they want me, who was literally a slave yesterday,
To teach there? And not just to teach anything, but literally the most difficult thing magic engineering?
Besides, you have to be at least a grandmaster to even think about becoming a professor there, and I'm barely at the intermediate level.
I probably wouldn't even qualify as a student.
This has to be some kind of joke.
Right?