Teacher Career Day One (Part 2)

Watching Yu Xiaoya walk into the classroom, Hals quickly followed close behind.

Hals was somewhat curious—this was his first time seeing what a classroom looked like. Even in the countless missions he had carried out before, he had never had the chance to enter one. Compared to battlefields filled with corpses and the stench of blood, a classroom was still far too unfamiliar.

Hals entered the classroom about two seconds after Yu Xiaoya. As soon as he stepped inside, his bizarre long robe immediately caught everyone's attention. No, not everyone—when Hals habitually swept his gaze across the room to gather information, a similarly strange girl briefly caught his eye, but only for a moment.

The reason was simple: while everyone else's eyes were fixed on Hals, only this girl—whose thick, long bangs covered her face—lifted her head for a glance before quickly lowering it again.

Hals made a mental note of this girl, then promptly dismissed it and walked over to stand beside Yu Xiaoya.

Yu Xiaoya's peripheral vision caught Hals taking his position, and she spoke in a cool, flat voice: "A brief introduction—this is your future homeroom teacher. He will be responsible for leading you from now on." After a short pause, she stepped back two paces, yielding the front to Hals. "Now, please let your new teacher say a few words and arrange the agenda."

Hals, slightly dazed, took a second to realize it was his turn to speak.

He swept his gaze across the classroom. The face hidden beneath the hood was shrouded in dim shadows, sending a chill through the hearts of these mostly fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boys and girls.

Seeing the classroom dead silent, Hals nodded in satisfaction and rasped, "My name is Yu Hun. Call me whatever you like—teacher, or just my name, it doesn't matter. But from now on, you can only and must follow my teaching orders. If you have a problem, you have exactly one chance to bring it up now."

At Hals's words, the classroom erupted in murmurs. The students looked at each other, expressions mostly displeased. After exchanging glances, a boy with a sturdy build that didn't fit a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old stood up.

The boy had fair skin, sharp eyebrows like swords, and eyes that seemed to hold starlight, giving him a rather elegant and striking appearance.

A hint of pride and arrogance showed in his brows and eyes. He stood up, coughed twice to clear his throat, and then spoke: "Greetings, Sir Yu Hun." He paused briefly, as if waiting for Hals to return the courtesy, but after a long moment with no reaction from Hals, his hands clenched under the desk, and a flicker of displeasure crossed his face.

When he spoke again, there was far less respect in his tone: "Sir, if you want us to obey you in everything, you should at least give us a reason. Without one, what if you're just a useless teacher leading us to ruin?"

Having delivered his barbed speech, the boy felt secretly pleased. Watching the shocked and admiring looks from the girls around him, he thought he must look very cool right now. As for offending the teacher?

Ha. The boy curled his lip in disdain. He was the one with the highest soul power in this class, the closest to becoming a Soul King. Even in the whole school, he ranked among the notable names. The teacher should be trying to win him over, not the other way around. Ha.

"Name?" A hoarse, low voice sounded in the boy's ear.

"Lu Renjia." The boy lifted his chin slightly, smug inside. Was this praise? Was he about to recruit me?

"Good. I now announce that you are expelled from this class. Please contact the senior teacher to arrange a transfer or withdrawal."

Lu Renjia's smile froze on his face. Did I hear that wrong?

Gone was his earlier calm composure; Lu Renjia suddenly looked flustered: "Ha, haha, you're joking, right? You must be joking."

Ignoring Lu Renjia, who was growing frantic, Hals turned to Yu Xiaoya: "Any problem with that, Director?"

Yu Xiaoya nodded, her expression as still as still water: "No problem. I'm only here to handle issues; class affairs are your decision."

With Yu Xiaoya's confirmation, Hals turned back to look at the boy, whose forehead was now beaded with sweat, and said in a completely flat tone: "You heard her. Pack your things."

Lu Renjia's expression was panicked, but inside he was furious. How dare he?

"Do you know who I am? I'm the strongest in this class. Without me, this class is nothing."

Hals said nothing. The rest of the students dared not speak either.

After a long silence, Lu Renjia finally exploded: "Fine. You want me to leave? Alright." He swept his gaze over his classmates and said angrily, "I don't want to stay in this class anyway. With a teacher like this, this class is doomed. Anyone coming with me?"

As he spoke, Lu Renjia looked at the girls and boys who usually admired him. But whoever met his gaze either turned away or deeply lowered their heads.

Lu Renjia's body trembled with rage. He raised a shaking finger and pointed at those classmates: "Fine. Fine. Just you wait." He turned to Hals, a trace of venom in his eyes: "Fine. You all humiliate me. I'm telling you, thirty years east, thirty years west—don't bully a youth..."

Before he could finish, Hals, who had been standing at the podium, suddenly appeared beside him without warning. He grabbed the back of Lu Renjia's neck and hurled him straight out the window. A loud crash followed by a scream rang out, and Hals was already back in his original spot.

"Too much talking."

Dead silence.

The remaining students of Advanced Class Nine either stared at Hals in shock or timidly lowered their heads to avoid the sword-like gaze shooting from beneath his hood.

"One more question." The hoarse, dark voice rang out. "Anyone going with him?"

No one spoke.

Hals turned to Yu Xiaoya: "All clear, Director. You can go handle your business. I'll take it from here."

Yu Xiaoya was still a bit stunned. She really hadn't expected Hals to handle things this way, but she managed to maintain her cool expression and nodded: "Alright, I'll go then. Do as you see fit."

Lowering her voice slightly, she quietly said to Hals: "Just don't go too far."

With an almost imperceptible nod, Hals watched Yu Xiaoya leave the classroom.

When the door clicked shut behind her, Hals turned and silently looked at the seated students.

After a long pause, Hals finally spoke in a low voice: "I know you're confused, maybe even angry or scared. That's fine. I'll give you an explanation."

His voice was hoarse but had softened a bit: "My class doesn't need troublemakers. I only need students who can perfectly carry out my tasks."

"You're all here to learn soul master knowledge, to grow stronger. But in my view, the essence of a soul master is still a machine of violence. If you're here for a comfortable life, you don't need this school at all. And a machine of violence... kills."

He paused, glancing at the students below. Seemingly frightened by the word "kill," almost all of them wished they could bury their heads under their desks like ostriches—except for that one girl Hals had noticed earlier.

"Maybe you don't know me, but I can tell you this: this is my first time being a teacher, my first time teaching anyone. But my previous profession was killing. The people I've killed might be several times more than the people you know."

A chill settled over the students' hearts. Killing... what kind of teacher was this?

Ignoring the students' state, Hals continued: "I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm telling you that killing—I'm a professional at it. I will train you into efficient killing machines. That is also what it means to grow stronger."

No one made a sound. Hals nodded, a satisfied expression appearing on his face beneath the hood.

"Good. Now, I'm issuing my first order. I don't care if you had a class monitor before. I'm appointing a new one."

Hals's gaze fixed on that girl. His lips parted: "The girl in the last row, second from the right—you are the new class monitor!"