In a round room filled with weird and mysterious objects, many students were talking excitedly. The events of last night had turned into a little legend, being discussed throughout the academy. The issue about Marcus had been swiftly forgotten. After all, the only thing worth remembering about the incident was the hideous condition his body was found in. Students died all the time on missions. It was the incidents that followed that had taken place in the hearts of the students.

The strange human figure that suppressed Professor Sorsha and the subsequent events regarding Willem were eye-opener to many of the viewers. Even the fourth and fifth-year students, who were famous throughout the kingdom, shuddered when they remembered the scene of sky splitting apart at Willem’s words. Everyone who was eligible to take missions hurried to get stronger.

‘Why do I even want to get stronger?’ In the classroom, Mehr was sitting rather absentmindedly thinking over a question that had suddenly popped up in his mind yesternight. He couldn’t understand why he would think over such a stupid question. It was obvious to get stronger. It had always been an instinct to him, to surpass whoever stood above him.

Many thoughts swirled in his mind when he noticed a plump man entering the classroom. The chatter instantly subsided and the excitement in the student’s eyes turned to awe. Their hearts were filled with respect as soon as they saw Willem.

“Professor Willem, what colour is your Heavenly Mana Orb?” One of the students excitedly asked.

The Heavenly Mana Orb stages started from red, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and lastly purple. Every stage represented their power and the influence they had over mana. It was said that a purple Heavenly Mana Orb could help a human move the oceans itself. Most of the students in the first-year class were on the red stage while only a handful of them were at the second stage, Orange Heavenly Mana Orb.

“Haha.” Willem chuckled at the question he had received as soon as he entered the class. He was wearing a long white robe with the Academy’s insignia over his heart. He was carrying a thick book under his right hand as he smiled at everyone present in the room.

“Do you all believe what I did last night was real?” Willem asked.

The question made everyone cock their heads. They couldn’t understand what Willem meant by his question. The students’ reactions made Willem chuckle. He kept the book on the podium and faced the class.

“What I did last night was nothing more than a party trick. Do you all really believe that I’m stronger than the King and his Royal Knights?”

What Willem said was indeed true. Before last night’s incident, no one had really imagined Willem to be powerful. Thus, the spectacle he created was a massive surprise to everyone. The giggling pranking professor who had a strange habit of mumbling under his breath turned out to be stronger than their King. But now he was saying that it was a mere party trick. The students just sat there with their faces scrunched at his explanation.

“Not everything you see is real, brats. Take that as a lesson and let’s start our class today.” Willem raised his hand and snapped his fingers softly. A calming wave passed by everyone and their minds turned tranquil. All the previous thoughts disappeared and only their focus turned to Willem’s words.

Even the unwanted thought that was pestering Mehr disappeared with a poof. His eyes turned sharp again as he felt a calmness wash over him.

“I will be teaching you about Artifacts. I don’t want any unnecessary thoughts plaguing your mind during the session. If anyone feels even a little bit disinterested, tell me immediately. Artifacts require your unbroken and unwavering focus. Is that clear?”

Everyone nodded at Willem’s words.

“Can anyone answer a question of mine? What should you do if you find a strange object and identify it as an artifact?” Willem asked the class.

Nora instantly raised her hand, her eyebrows raised as if signalling the professor to pick her. Willem looked at the only raised hand in the room and nodded while smiling.

“If we find a strange object which we perceive to be an artifact, we should turn back and run for our life. The best alternative would, of course, be to never even come in contact with the artifacts.” Nora answered fluently without fumbling; her words leaving her mouth like a marksman’s arrow.

“Correct, Miss Nora. I will be sure to add some credits to your score.” Willem nodded. “And who can tell me the reason for this danger?”

Nora raised her hand yet again. Willem looked at her and chuckled, “Well, I can’t keep giving you credits. I shall answer it myself.”

“Every artifact contains powers of the Old Gods. They existed in a time long forgotten and the artifacts are just some remnants of those times. The powers of the Old Gods are extremely corrosive and can corrupt anyone they touch. So, whenever you find anything akin to an artifact, you should always report it to respective authorities.”

“However, in very rare cases, some artifacts lose their corrupting powers and become the treasures that people would kill for. I will also be teaching you how to identify such treasure artifacts from the dangerous artifacts and also how to assimilate with them successfully.”

Students solemnly nodded at Willem’s words. Everyone was listening attentively so as not to miss even a single word spoken by the professor.

“But before that, let’s talk about some rewards.” Willem smiled as he looked at three people in the classroom. “Fynn Woodrow, Sirius Frye and Daniel Goodstay. You three were the winners of your respective third trials and some rewards are in order.”

Sirius and Fynn beamed at each other when they heard what Willem said, while Daniel simply nodded. They had been wondering when the rewards would be granted and finally the time had come. Many ideas had popped in their minds regarding the rewards but they couldn’t quite come to a conclusion. They had liked Mehr’s idea the most though.

“Ask the academy to arrange extravagant feasts for us every day.”

Everyone had nodded at the idea excitedly. They were all High Nobles, after all. They had only seen the best quality of dishes all their lives but the academy neglected that. The food provided was quite simple. Well, if any commoner were to see the dishes provided by the academy, they might die due to shock but it definitely paled in comparison to the food that High Nobles were accustomed to.

“You should ask the academy for help in breaking through to the next stage of Heavenly Mana orb.” Adhara had criticised from the side.

“Only people who are imbecile enough to stagnate at such a low stage would ask for help.” Mehr had said while glancing at Adhara.

Sirius gulped when he remembered the day they were discussing such things. Mehr and Adhara looked ready to fight at any moment. Well, that was a natural occurrence but a fight never broke out. They would cut off each other’s words often but remained civil for the most part.

“What are the two options, Professor Willem?” Sirius asked excitedly.

“Well, the first option is a gift from the academy. It would be a low-grade treasure, not at the level of an artifact but still substantial for children like you.” Willem said.

His words created a buzz in the classroom. Many minor Noble Houses kept such treasures with them but they usually ended up being family heirlooms. It was regarded as a great fortune to come across such treasures in life but the three winners were High Nobles. Such treasures held no sway over them. Unless a mid-grade treasure was on the line, they wouldn’t even think twice about it.

“And the second option?” Daniel asked.

“The second option is a gift from me.” Willem smiled while looking at the three people he was addressing. “It will be a High-grade treasure.”

The classroom went silent abruptly. The students’ eyes threatened to pop out as they stared at the smiling face of Willem.

‘A High-grade treasure!!’

Everyone’s heartbeat increased pace as they doubted their ears. High-grade treasures were not even available in every Great House. There were several High Noble Houses that had never owned a High-grade treasure and Professor Willem was just giving it away. Many learned fellows in class looked at the three people enviously. Fynn and Daniel had a grave look on their faces though.

They had almost jumped from their seats when they heard it. However, calmness soon came to them in a moment. A High-grade treasure was like a shining candy in front of a hungry man but it was not without its dangers. If they possessed a treasure of that level, many dangerous eyes would shift in their direction. It was a rose surrounded by poisonous thorns.

“You don’t have to worry about external threats. I will personally assimilate the treasure into your body. No one else will be able to even touch it. I don’t really brag about myself much, but there truly isn’t anyone better than me in handling artifacts.” Willem said softly while craning his neck a bit high, trying to show off a bit. His eccentric comments calmed the mood in the classroom.

“Professor, you are giving away three High-grade treasures. Isn’t that a bit too much?” One of the students asked.

“Hmm? Who said I’m giving three? Do you think I birth treasures in my spare time?” Willem chuckled while looking at Fynn, Sirius and Daniel. His eyes sparkled with a familiar glint and his teeth showed themselves as he smiled widely while raising his hand with his index finger open.

“I’m only giving one, you little brats.”