Reporting for Duty

Stepping into the academy, it wasn't clear if Professor Pempes had let slip some drunken words yesterday, revealing that Hui Dun would be apprenticing under him.

All the students who saw Hui Dun in the academy cast curious glances his way.

Furthermore, some senior students were waiting at the entrance, ready to guide him to the academy's registration office.

"Good morning, Count. I am Fu Linna. Professor Pempes has already informed me of your arrival at the academy. Please follow me."

Fu Linna, who was about to graduate and advance her studies at the Royal Academy, led Hui Dun to the academy's student registration office.

Speaking of which, Hui Dun was ultimately tricked by that old man Pempes. He had originally intended to become Pempes' personal disciple, but now he had become an advanced student at the academy.

However, the fact that Pempes was his master remained unchanged.

When he arrived at the registration office and pushed open the door, he saw the same bald old man Pempes from last night, who had been so drunk he was unconscious.

But at this moment, he showed no signs of a hangover. Instead, he was very excited.

"Hey, Count, welcome to Huidun Academy."

The old man, with a smile on his chubby face, opened his arms and lunged towards Hui Dun for a hug.

"Hello, Professor Pempes."

The two hugged and then separated.

"Alright, don't be so nervous. I know every student feels nervous on their first day of registration, but you are a Count, so you don't need to feel any of that."

Pempes went on with another long rambling, and seeing this, Hui Dun immediately got to the point.

"So, Professor, which class have I been assigned to?"

Hui Dun asked playfully.

"Oh, that. I forgot. I haven't asked what you've learned in magic so far."

Pempes slapped his forehead and chuckled.

Thinking about his learning progress reminded Hui Dun of his mentor, Achilles. He remembered the scene of Achilles sacrificing himself to save him in the final moments.

Hui Dun suppressed the grief in his heart and then recounted his learning progress one by one.

His eagerness to curry favor with this professor this time was not only to leverage his influence and connections but also because he wanted to find a teacher for himself. The previous incident had clearly taught him a lesson.

Even if an enemy set a trap for him with a pile of treasures, as long as he had enough strength, the trap would no longer be a trap.

Only by possessing the power to break through conventions could he truly ascend to that throne.

After listening to Hui Dun's learning progress, Pempes nodded.

It seemed that old fellow Achilles truly cared about this disciple. Since the old guy was gone, and they had been old friends for so many years, he should help him out.

With that thought, the professor, who always seemed to have no ulterior motives, laughed heartily.

"Not bad. Your current learning progress is enough for you to study further at the Royal Academy in the capital. However, if you stay here, you will only be learning by my side."

This was exactly the outcome Hui Dun wanted, and he immediately agreed.

When the two pushed the door open, they saw a group of senior instructors waiting by the entrance.

Seeing the two emerge, these instructors wanted to inquire about which teacher's class the Count would be joining in the future.

They had actually believed the drunken ramblings of Pempes from last night.

However, before they could even speak, Pempes dispelled their hopes.

"Who told you he would be attending classes with those brats? Hui Dun will be studying by my side from now on. If you have nothing else to do, you can all disperse."

Pempes completely retracted his words from last night as if they were nothing. The instructors who had come with anxious hearts felt a chill run down their spines.

However, considering the professor's eccentric personality, they secretly cursed themselves for believing his drunken nonsense.

Just as they were about to leave, Pempes called out to an instructor walking at the very back.

"Hey, you, yes, you. I see you're quite idle. Go to Magic Class One and call... call Brown."

The instructor walking at the back pointed to himself with his finger, then dejectedly accepted the order and left.

After these people left, Pempes grumbled a bit.

"They're always thinking about these unrealistic things. I really don't know how that old fellow Adolf manages the academy. And that kid Brown, his body is a mess. I'm just an unfortunate old man."

Saying this, Pempes shook his head with a troubled expression.

He completely ignored the fact that these instructors were there because he himself had said last night that Hui Dun would become a member of the academy today. These instructors all assumed that once Hui Dun became a student, he would definitely be assigned to a specific class.

Hui Dun, walking beside him, didn't pay attention to his complaints. Instead, he seized on the key phrase about Brown's body being a mess and asked with some curiosity.

"Professor, isn't Brown a genius? I heard he's someone who survived after using Super-class Magic."

Pempes chuckled upon hearing this.

"He is indeed a genius, and he's also the first person I've ever seen in all my years who managed to survive after using Super-class Magic."

"But do you really think using Super-class Magic comes without any side effects? That kid was lucky to not be blown into bloody mist by the magic energy overload.

Now, his body is filled with fragments of magic runes that were burst by the magic power. He's practically a fragile porcelain doll that could shatter at the slightest touch."

As he spoke, Pempes showed a look of regret.

"Alas, though his injuries can be healed, they've ultimately left irreversible scars on his body. His future path in magic will be very difficult."

"Moreover, his identity is also a hurdle. He has the reputation of a genius but not the substance. I'm afraid he won't have an easy time going forward."

Hui Dun, standing nearby, felt a sense of pity for this slave genius who had caught his eye.

However, when he thought about how his own teacher had eventually died from using Super-class Magic, and then saw that Chen Cheng was still alive and well, a wave of emotion washed over him.

Soon, a gust of wind blew past, and then the previously departed mentor was seen, riding the wind, bringing Chen Cheng before Professor Pempes.

After exchanging greetings with Professor Pempes and Hui Dun beside him, the mentor rode the wind away.

Upon seeing Professor Pempes, Chen Cheng immediately lowered his head and bowed:

"Professor."

Professor Pempes nodded, then looked at Chen Cheng and said:

"This, Brown, would you like me, your professor, to remove that collar from your neck?"

Chen Cheng hadn't expected the professor to say something like that right off the bat. He smiled and replied:

"That won't be necessary, Professor, but thank you for your kind offer."

Professor Pempes, taking it as another instance of him speaking too frankly, apologized:

"I just said it offhand; I meant no offense to Baron Kekebor."

His words left Chen Cheng unsure how to respond. He secretly thought that if the professor couldn't speak well, he should say less. Outwardly, he could only stand there awkwardly before Professor Pempes.

"Alright, let's not just stand here, or we'll really end up being stared at like that monkey."

With that, Professor Pempes chuckled heartily, and Chen Cheng and Hui Dun could only offer awkward smiles.

Then, without any visible magic, the scenery before the three shifted, and they found themselves in Professor Pempes's usual magic research room.

The room was meticulously tidy, indicating that someone had cleaned it in Professor Pempes's absence.

The briefcase Professor Pempes had brought back yesterday sat in a corner of the room, while the bookshelves were filled with magic tomes collected by Professor Pempes from various places.

Professor Pempes gave them a brief tour of his magic research room. Beyond this study was a magic laboratory, inside which stood a long table covered with all sorts of unknown magical artifacts.

After a brief introduction, Professor Pempes took several Chaos Magic books from the shelf and handed them to Hui Dun, saying:

"With your current knowledge base, you should be able to understand these books. Read them thoroughly first."

Hui Dun took the thick, brick-like books. As he saw the titles on their covers, he knew that Professor Pempes intended to teach him earnestly.