Chapter 251

“That’s unreasonable, Professor Sedgen!”

“Yeah! It’s the first-years who were recommended for expulsion, so why do we have to leave the academy too?”

“There was no such thing when we were first-years!”

Protests erupted from all directions.

And understandably so.

Even as second-years, students still didn’t have room to breathe in their department lives.

The lower and middle-tier students were still struggling just to stay afloat.

And now they were being asked to mentor the first-years?

It didn’t end with just being a mentor either.

If the first-year they were responsible for received an expulsion recommendation at the end of the first semester, they would be penalized by being forced to leave the academy as well.

It was an outrageously unfair policy.

Eliza sat at the very back of the lecture hall, filing her nails as if she couldn’t care less.

Around her sat students from the Summoning Department who followed her.

It was a sharp contrast to Abad and Duran sitting in the very front row.

In truth, Duran’s arrogance was the only issue—he was a top student who took classes seriously.

And Abad went without saying.

On the other hand, Eliza was notorious for being inattentive in class despite her grades.

Of course, inattentive didn’t mean she skipped class altogether.

But whenever she deemed the content unnecessary or already known, she often openly slacked off or did other things.

She was doing the same now.

After finishing her nail care, Eliza covered her mouth and yawned with an indifferent look on her face.

‘Lumene is wasting its time again.’

Survivors will survive, no matter what.

Whether it’s due to talent or effort.

‘Will anything really change just because we’re mentoring them?’

Mocking the situation inwardly, Eliza crossed her legs and glanced at the [Noble] student seated up front.

It was Carr, the lowest-ranked [Noble] student in terms of grades.

Abad and Duran had high praise for him and were the first to bring him into their dormitory, but Eliza still didn’t think he belonged in [Noble].

“This is the worst kind of assignment for you, yet you seem oddly calm. Have you already given up?”

Eliza said with a chuckle.

“…….”

Carr didn’t respond.

“Hey. You.”

“…….”

“Carr Thomas.”

“Huh?”

Only when she called his name did Carr turn around.

He looked up at her wide-eyed, as if he hadn’t expected her to call him.

“You were talking to me?”

“Yes. Feel honored.”

“Wow. What’s going on?”

“I just found it strange you weren’t reacting to an assignment that clearly puts you at a disadvantage.”

“You called me just to ask that?”

For most students, that would have been an irritating comment, but Carr brushed it off with a smirk.

‘As expected of Leo Plov’s best friend. Shameless just like him.’

Eliza made a bored expression.

“Sure, it’s a really bad assignment for me. But my grades are always hanging by a thread anyway.”

Carr shrugged.

“And while our school may hit us with assignments out of nowhere, they don’t just screw us over without leaving a way out.”

Carr grinned.

“So you’re saying there’s a way for you too?”

“You know what they say—crisis is an opportunity.”

“Hmm.”

Eliza narrowed her eyes.

“Second-years. You’re not being very elegant. You should at least listen until the end.”

Sedgen wagged his finger with a tsk-tsk.

The complaining students paused.

“No one’s forcing you to be mentors to the first-years.”

Sedgen smiled faintly.

“Those who don’t want to be mentors don’t have to. Becoming a mentor is entirely optional.”

With those words, the students’ dissatisfaction settled down.

Watching them, Sedgen smiled meaningfully.

“However—”

Sedgen swept his gaze over the second-years and continued.

“Students who become mentors will receive benefits.”

“Benefits?”

“What kind?”

“Are we getting extra credit or something?”

The students began murmuring.

“This year’s first-years will not be expelled under any circumstances until the end of the first semester. Whether they stay or not will be decided after the final exams.”

The entire second-year class’s jaws dropped.

From their first year on, every student in second through fifth year had endured survival competition from the very beginning.

But now the new first-years were exempt?

From a second-year’s perspective, that was a massive advantage.

Sedgen spread his arms wide.

“It wouldn’t make sense for mentors to be kicked out halfway through either, would it? So, those who become mentors will also be exempt from expulsion recommendations, no matter what grades they get, until the final exams are over!”

“Gasp!”

“Th-that’s…!”

It was a shocking benefit.

Especially for the lower-tier students—it was enough to make their eyes light up.

Celia raised her hand.

“Professor, does that mean mentors get to stay at school as long as their mentees don’t get expelled?”

“No. That could interfere with personal growth, so that’s not the case. Mentors will still receive an expulsion recommendation if they don’t pass the final exam cutoff.”

It was only a deferment.

Still, it was an incredible opportunity.

By guiding their mentees and focusing on the finals, as long as they met the cutoff, they could remain in Lumene.

Even mid-tier students looked tempted.

They had already survived one year at Lumene.

Letting their guard down just because they were no longer first-years would be a mistake.

Many had been expelled after getting caught off guard in their first year.

“And you’ll receive additional points depending on how much your mentees grow.”

Sedgen looked around at the second-years.

“It’s not just for the first-years. Guiding your juniors will also benefit you.”

This system hadn’t existed when the current second-years were first-years.

‘Definitely the influence of the new principal.’

It was unlikely a principal would implement such a drastic curriculum alone.

It had clearly been decided after many faculty meetings.

“How are mentors and mentees matched?”

This time, Abad raised his hand and asked.

“I plan to leave that to the students.”

Sedgen crossed his arms.

“You can ask a first-year to be your mentee, and if they accept, the relationship is formed. The reverse is also true.”

In other words, whether first- or second-year, if both sides agreed, the mentor-mentee relationship was formed.

The students’ eyes sparkled.

‘It’s a free-for-all!’

Naturally, the stronger the mentee, the better your chances.

“Hmm.”

Eliza made an indifferent expression as she listened.

“Looks like you were right.”

Carr grinned at her remark.

“Just as Abad said. You’re quick-witted with things like this.”

Eliza lost interest in the assignment soon after.

If it wasn’t mandatory, she had no reason to care.

Even if it affected her grades, there was no telling how much.

‘Better to focus on training than waste time on first-years.’

It was exactly as Eliza thought.

Someone at her level wouldn’t gain much from it.

“Eliza, what do you think about this assignment?”

“I don’t care.”

She answered bluntly to her followers’ cautious question.

At her words, the other Noble students from the Summoning Department looked relieved.

The Summoning Department had fewer students than the Knight and Magic Departments.

So if someone like Eliza wasn’t interested in mentoring, it increased their chances of getting a stronger junior as a mentee.

‘Walden must not care about this assignment either!’

The Summoning students celebrated inwardly.

Then Leo raised his hand.

“What is it?”

“There are more first-years than second-years. Can one student mentor multiple juniors?”

“Yes.”

There were clearly fewer second-years.

It made sense that one student could take on multiple first-years.

“What happens in that case? If even one of them gets an expulsion recommendation, does the mentor get expelled too?”

“That would be too harsh. In such cases, Professor Harrid will determine your status based on your mentees’ final results.”

At the mention of Lumene’s Wailing Wall, the second-years gulped.

But it also reassured them that they’d be judged fairly.

‘Knowing Professor Harrid, if you took on three and two failed, he wouldn’t automatically expel you.’

‘He’d probably look at how much each student had grown.’

‘Depending on the abilities of the mentees, taking on more might be an advantage—though you shouldn’t do it recklessly.’

Students organized their thoughts internally.

Meanwhile, Sedgen concluded.

“Mentor selection will be conducted over the next week.”

Sedgen smiled.

“I hope you’ll be great seniors to your juniors. That’s all.”

—

After being given a massive assignment that would determine the fate of their first semester—

The second-years returned to their dormitories.

That was the end of the day’s class.

The assignment had officially begun.

Since it had come so suddenly, students were being given some time to prepare.

In the [Glory] dormitory lounge, discussions were already heating up.

“So who should we pick?”

“It’s hard to just go by entrance exam scores or popularity.”

The [Glory] students glanced at Leo, who stood by the window.

“Students like that will want top second-years as mentors.”

“And Leo is All-Class.”

“He can mentor students regardless of department.”

“Ugh. Even if he took just one from each department, that’d be so much work.”

While the [Glory] students were deep in thought—

Leo approached the window, opened it, and reached out his hand.

A tiny red chick came fluttering in.

It was well-known by now that Leo was the Phoenix’s contractor.

So since the start of the second year, Fiora had been strutting around the [Glory] dormitory openly.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

Fiora flapped her wings and demanded something from Leo.

“You’re asking for snacks the moment you arrive?”

Leo let out a baffled laugh and pulled out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, placing it on his palm.

Flap—!

Fiora soared to his hand and delicately pecked the chocolate.

Peck! Peck!

But soon, as if displeased, she kicked the chocolate to the floor.

“You want something better?”

Leo looked bewildered as Fiora suddenly rejected a treat she’d been eating just fine until recently.

“Fiora~”

“Come here! I’ve got something tastier!”

When the [Glory] girls approached with snacks, Fiora dumped Leo without hesitation and flew over.

Chirp—! Chirp—!

Chirping happily as she ate the girls’ snacks, Fiora looked ecstatic.

“She’s so cute!”

“She’s following me so well! Maybe I’ve got talent as a summoner?”

Before they knew it, Fiora had become the mascot of the [Glory] dormitory.

-That pig chick. Ever since those girls started feeding her treats, she’s gotten too picky. She’s a disgrace to Summoned Beasts.

-Pig… pig chick…? Master! Please call me a piglet too!

-Tone it down, Ahti.

Kirran grumbled, Ahti panted, and Elci sighed deeply.

“Leo. Do you have any first-years in mind for mentees?”

Chloe approached and asked.

“Not really. I haven’t gotten to know the first-years yet.”

“That’s true.”

Chloe nodded thoughtfully.

Then Eliana suddenly stood up.

“Ugh! Let’s just go to the first-year classrooms and start talking to them!”

At her words, the [Glory] students all nodded and rose to their feet.

Everyone left the dormitory.

Except Leo.

-Leo.

“What?”

-Let’s pick someone easy to boss around!

Leo chuckled helplessly at Kirran’s suggestion.

* * *

That evening.

The second-years returned from meeting the first-years.

“It’s not easy.”

“Yeah. The ones with some skill are picky, and the ones who aren’t picky have no skill.”

“This assignment’s gonna be tough.”

The [Glory] students looked troubled.

Then—

“Class Rep! Class Rep!”

Eliana approached Leo.

“What is it?”

“Someone’s looking for you.”

“Who?”

“Aina Beidian.”

At Eliana’s words, the [Glory] students gasped.

“Of course Leo gets approached by the first-year rep.”

“Now that you mention it, didn’t she declare at the entrance ceremony that she’d earn Leo’s recognition?”

“She must really admire him.”

Leaving behind the murmuring [Glory] students, Leo stood and walked outside.

When Aina saw him, she bowed her head.

“What is it?”

Leo asked.

Aina looked up and said,

“Leo, please be my mentor.”

Her voice was filled with determination.

“I’m the best among the first-years. If you take me as your mentee, I’m sure I’ll be of help to you too.”

Leo replied calmly.

“I don’t intend to choose my mentees based on who’s the most skilled.”

At that, Aina bristled.

“If not me, then who else deserves to be your mentee?”

“Anyone can be.”

Leo gave a wry smile.

“That’s why I’m going to hold a test.”

“A test?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind of test?”

After a moment of thought, Leo nodded.

“Hmm. Yeah. That’ll do.”

He smiled.

“Any first-year who can land a hit on me even once within the next week—I’ll accept all of them as my mentees.”

At that, Aina bit her lip.

“Starting now?”

“Yeah.”

As he spoke, golden [Aura] erupted from Aina’s body.

Leo looked at her and said,

“I figured you’d be the first.”