Hear Me Out

Suye turned to look at Hote beside him.

That massive body stood on the ground like a huge water tank, his head drooping as saliva dripped like a little waterfall, while snores resembling a beast's roar rumbled from him.

Even a Pig Goblin would be scared to death if it heard that, right? On the other side, Jimmy helplessly poked Hote in the waist.

"Hulu... huh?" Hote jolted awake and looked around with bloodshot eyes. When he realized he had fallen asleep, his face reddened, and he began chuckling foolishly.

Niedern did not mind. He said, "Who just saw the Realm Barrier and Divine Light? Raise your hand."

Suye looked around and saw nine students raise their hands. Three of his six desk-mates had done him proud: Pallas, Rolon, and Lake had all raised their hands.

Suye wanted to raise his hand too, but he noticed that all nine students who had raised their hands had excellent grades. Besides, he had encountered rather a lot of Divine Light, so he decided to play it safe for now and say nothing until next time.

Niedern stared at Suye.

Suye was puzzled. Why is he looking at me?

Niedern shifted his gaze away and slowly said, "I know some students may have doubts about meditation and were afraid to raise their hands, but that's all right. You'll gradually become familiar with it. Also, the ring I'm wearing can sense whether anyone has approached Divine Light."

"This ring can even do that?" Suye thought.

Niedern said, "All right. Let's return to the classroom together first. I have an announcement to make concerning Suye's punishment."

All the students turned curiously toward Suye. Some gloated, while others looked deeply sympathetic.

When Horton and several students from the fourth desk heard this, they immediately revealed satisfied smiles.

"Hang in there!" Hote lightly patted Suye on the shoulder. Suye, who had just been about to stand, collapsed helplessly back onto the ground.

Hote gave an awkward smile and hurriedly reached out to pull Suye up.

Jimmy walked over with a smile and said, "Don't be afraid. Teacher Niedern is actually a very good person. He'll probably only give you a minor punishment."

"I think Suye is in for a lot of trouble," Albert whispered from the side.

The group walked back to the classroom. Suye deliberately stayed at the very back. When he finally entered, he did not return to his seat, but instead stood before the Magic Blackboard, facing all the students.

Horton and the others secretly mocked him, but their voices were much quieter than before, causing several nearby students to snicker.

Suye wore an utterly unconcerned expression, the standard look of a poor student.

Niedern coughed lightly and said, "Since Student Suye was late on the very first day of school, creating an extremely bad influence and violating the spirit of Plato Academy, I hereby announce that for the next year, before going home every day, he must collect from each subject teacher the material that should be reviewed from that day's lessons, as well as the material that should be previewed for the next day's lessons. He will write it on the blackboard to remind his classmates. Suye."

Suye immediately said, "I accept Teacher Niedern's punishment. I guarantee that I'll complete the task every day and never be late again."

"Very good. Go write it."

Suye immediately picked up the Goose Feather magic pen, stood where he was, and began writing on the blackboard.

Crooked, clumsy Greek Script appeared on the blackboard, making many students laugh.

At first, Niedern slightly furrowed his brows, but he soon discovered that although Suye's writing was poor, each stroke was steady and deliberate. He instead gave a slight nod.

Clumsy effort was better than clever indulgence.

Before long, Suye had written down everything that needed to be previewed for all of the next day's lessons.

After finishing, Suye continued staring at it for quite some time, then unconsciously nodded.

Some students could not help laughing again.

"Go back," Niedern said.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Suye returned with a beaming smile.

However, a few of the better students looked at Suye thoughtfully.

As soon as Suye sat down, he received a Magic Letter from his top student desk-mate, Lake.

"Was this punishment something you requested yourself, or was it Teacher Niedern's idea?"

"Of course it was Teacher Niedern's idea," Suye quickly replied.

"Then can you give this opportunity to me?" Lake's second letter arrived soon after.

"What kind of person do you take me for, Suye? How could I let you take my punishment for me? Am I the kind of person who would sell out a comrade and classmate for my own sake? Don't worry. As long as I, Suye, am here, I absolutely won't let you suffer this kind of punishment! You came second last term and were overtaken by Rolon. You can't waste time like this anymore. Listen to my advice: stop overthinking things and spend your time studying. Catch up to Rolon. Keep it up!"

"..." Lake's reply consisted of only one line of ellipses.

Hote asked in a low voice, "I remember now. You went to the teachers' office earlier just for this?"

"Yeah."

At that moment, the bell signaling the end of classes rang.

Many students were eager to leave, preparing to get up, but one sentence from Niedern shattered their beautiful dreams.

"We still have another half a lesson today."

The students' faces filled with despair.

Niedern continued, "As is customary, every second-year student must answer one question on their first day, after which each desk will discuss it. Now, everyone open your Magic Books and open the page for sending me letters. After I ask the question, you must write down your answer and send it to me within three seconds. In other words, whatever thought appears in your mind first after I ask the question, write that down. Even if it isn't an answer, even if it's an insult. Understood?"

"Understood..." the students replied listlessly.

A cold smile suddenly appeared on Niedern's face. He said, "Now for the important part. If anyone fails to provide an answer within three seconds, you will fail this year outright! Don't think that earning a Silver Medal will save you. Even if you become the dean, it will still count as a failure this year."

For some reason, many students shuddered. Teacher Niedern rarely issued threats.

"I know you're all harboring hopes of getting lucky, but I can tell you this: nine years ago, a noble genius warrior was one second late finishing and was deemed to have failed. His grandfather couldn't tolerate the stain and came to the academy to cause a scene. His grandfather was a Saint Realm Warrior. You can guess what happened to him. He became food for the Sea Magic Beast in the Sea Demon Fountain."

Suye's expression changed. Only then did he remember that the pool and its sculptures were merely decorations. The core within it was a magical Sea Magic Beast.

"Stay away from that pool in the future..." Suye's back turned cold.

Niedern swept his gaze across the class and asked, "Do you understand now?"

"Understood." This time, the reply was much louder than before.

"Did you not eat? I can't hear you."

"UNDERSTOOD!" the students roared.

Suye had no choice but to shout along. Even the noble Rolon, who rarely spoke, joined in. Only Pallas kept her mouth shut.

"Very good! Now everyone focus. After I finish asking the question, I'll count. When I reach three, everything will be over!"

The atmosphere in the classroom grew tense as everyone stared fixedly at the Magic Books before them.

"All right. Here is the question: Plato, the dean, orders you to climb Mount Olympus. What will you do? One! Two..."

Almost none of the students dared think too much. They immediately wrote down their answers and sent them.

When Suye heard the question, he froze for a moment. Two thoughts had appeared in his mind almost simultaneously, but he then realized that his first thought was too radical, so he chose to answer with the second.

"Find a way to climb it." As soon as Suye finished writing, he sent it.