"If fat people like you, who can't even stand or speak without gasping for air, are considered the elite, then our empire truly is on the brink of collapse."
It wasn't a lie—Zaroth felt incredible, insulting a noble straight to his face. From another point of view, he had merely defended his honor against discrimination.
"You!" the angry fat man continued. "You dare insult the son of a—"
"That's enough!" the professor shouted, his voice cutting through the commotion. He stared directly at the noble, who nearly toppled over under the sudden pressure.
"Not only did you interrupt my lecture, but you dare to speak of status, despite knowing it's prohibited in this academy? See me after the lecture is over."
"Y-yes, sir," the noble responded , quickly sitting on his seat.
"And you!" The professor turned his gaze to Zaroth, who, unlike the noble, met his eyes without flinching. Zaroth interrupted before the professor could continue.
"All I did was protect my honor… or is that also prohibited?"
Slightly surprised by the first-year commoner's unwavering confidence, the professor sighed. "Refrain from speaking in my class."
With that, the lecture began, and no one dared interrupt again unless it was to ask a question.
"So, as you all know, there are countless classes in this world," the professor said, writing on the whiteboard,
Knight
Mage
"We divide them into two broad categories. Knights focus on their physical prowess, using magic to enhance their abilities, while mages prioritize magical firepower, often at the expense of physical capabilities.
This doesn't mean you can't become proficient in both areas, but some paths will be more challenging than others."
He glanced around the room before continuing. "Now, can someone tell me why classes are useless on their own?"
"Because without a blessing from the gods, we are just vessels, sir!" a timid-looking boy with glasses answered.
"That's correct. Without a blessing, your class is effectively worthless. The class determines your potential as a vessel, while the blessing grants you actual power.
Depending on the god who blesses you, your abilities will differ. For example, a person with the Healer class might heal injuries if blessed by the God of Life. But if blessed by the God of Nature, they might heal plants instead."
He raised his voice before continuing, "However, keep in mind this is only at the beginning. As you grow stronger, new opportunities will become available—even beyond the boundaries of your class. For example, a mage could train with a sword and develop knight-like abilities if they put in the effort!"
'Huh, neat,' Zaroth thought. 'If I can learn any abilities, which should I choose? Taming mythical beasts would put me at the pinnacle of beast tamers… but learning knight skills might cover my weaknesses.'
"Now let's talk about influential figures—or what you might call heroes."
The mood in the room lifted as the professor began recounting tales of legendary heroes and their deeds: a monk, an archer, a healer, an elementalist, and many others. Zaroth was surprised to learn about countless classes he hadn't known existed.
The professor's face darkened for a moment before he added, "Of course, there have been others—individuals we don't worship as heroes but rather the opposite. Take, for example, the Legendary Beast Master."
At the mention of that name, the classroom fell into a heavy silence, the air growing tense and suffocating.
Zaroth wanted to ask for an explanation but reconsidered, thinking it unwise to remind the professor of his presence after the earlier fiasco.
"Could you remind us of the incident?" a boy with black hair and white eyes asked.
"Sure, if you wish," the professor said, taking a deep breath before continuing.
"We're short on time, so I'll summarize. A century ago, a man was discovered with an incredible gift—the ability to tame legendary creatures. As you all know, legendary beasts are among the strongest, surpassed only by mythical beasts.
At first, everything was wonderful. He quickly became famous, earning glory and admiration. But as time passed, humanity discovered a horrifying truth about beast masters.
A beast, once tamed, isn't completely harmless— specially toward its master. At lower levels, this might not pose a problem. But at higher levels, a beast, despite being tamed, gains a degree of consciousness and begins communicating with its master—particularly if the first beast they tame is of legendary rank.
This communication slowly drove him insane. In the end, the Legendary Beast Master succumbed to the influence of his tamed beasts and went on a rampage, destroying an entire continent.
Since then, anyone found taming a first creature stronger than Rare rank has been executed to prevent such an incident from happening again."
Zaroth listened intently, his face growing grimmer with each word. If a Legendary Beast Master had succumbed to his tamed beasts, what about him—someone capable of taming mythical beasts?
He wanted to ask Luna for reassurance, to hear that she didn't plan to corrupt him or manipulate him in any way. But in his mind, there was nothing.
Luna was silent, and Zaroth was too afraid to ask.
Trying to distract himself, a thought came to Zaroth's mind—the chairwoman, Elysia. If she hadn't figured out that he was a mythical beast master, she must be under the assumption that he had tamed at least an Epic beast, and yet she hadn't executed him.
Maybe he was truly lucky to have stumbled upon her first. Zaroth suddenly began to view Elysia in a new light—a person he could trust. She had placed her faith in him… and yet he was scared to ask his beast a simple question? Pathetic!
'Luna,' Zaroth began a conversation through their mental connection.
'Yes?' she responded, her tone as carefree as ever.
'Do you plan to manipulate me in any way?' Before she could answer, he added, 'I order you to tell me only the truth from now on.'
There was silence for a moment before she replied.
'Yes, I do. And I've already begun.'
For some reason, Zaroth wasn't surprised by her answer.
'Does it involve me getting stronger so we can kill the gods?' he asked.
'Pretty much. But unlike that 'legendary beast master' who tamed living beasts, you resurrected me from the dead. Considering that I'm forever indebted to you, I will never do anything that could cause you harm.'
'I see... well, I can't blame you, and it's not like I don't share the same goal. But I'm curious—'
Luna interrupted him, answering his question before he could even ask it.
'No, Zaroth, I didn't lie. If you want us to sleep together, your heart really needs to become stronger, or you'll die.'
"Damn it! I really wish you'd lied about that!" Zaroth muttered under his breath.
As the lecture ended, Zaroth wondered, 'If that legendary beast master could destroy an entire continent, what would I be able to achieve at my peak?'
'You… we would kill the gods, of course!' Luna answered immediately, making him curve his lips into a pleasant smile.
He got up from his seat, intending to leave. It wasn't like any of the nobles would want to talk to a commoner like him…
Or at least that's what he thought, until—
"Hello."
A male voice called out, drawing Zaroth's attention. He turned his head to see the black-haired, white-eyed man who had asked the professor about the legendary beast master.
The man extended his right hand for a handshake. "My name is Zack. What's yours?"