Jax sprinted through the cobblestone streets like a man possessed, his lungs burning, his legs screaming in protest.

'Why the fuck is this island so big?! Who designed this shit?!'

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the massive academy gates came into view. Towering iron bars adorned with intricate runes, flanked by two stone guard towers.

And standing directly in his path were two academy guards.

Both were dwarves. Short, stocky, armed with enchanted spears that crackled with faint blue energy.

Jax skidded to a halt in front of them, panting like a dog.

"Move," he gasped. "Professor. Late. Class."

The first guard, a grizzled dwarf with a braided beard, crossed his arms.

"Professor?" he said, his tone dripping with disbelief. "You?"

The second guard, younger but no less skeptical, squinted at Jax.

"You look like a student who got lost on the way to the tavern," he said.

Jax straightened up, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I'm Professor Jax Rayne. Sword Combat instructor. Now let me through before I'm even later than I already am."

The first guard snorted. "Professor Jax Rayne? Never heard of you."

"That's because I was hired yesterday, you glorified doorstop."

The second guard's hand tightened on his spear. "Watch your mouth, boy."

Jax's patience, already thinner than rice paper, snapped.

"Listen, Shorty and Shorty Junior," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I don't have time for this bureaucratic bullshit. Either you let me through right now, or I'm using you as my dummy in class today. My students need live targets to practice their spells on. I'm thinking... fireball to the ass?"

The guards exchanged glances.

"Are you threatening us?" the first guard growled.

"Threatening? No, no." Jax grinned, his eyes cold. "I'm making you a promise. You keep me here one more minute, and I'll make sure your next shift is in the infirmary. With third-degree burns. On your rectum."

The second guard's face went pale.

Someone was watching Jax.

Kessiri Talli'nah, the academy's catfolk Combat Theory professor, had been passing by on her way to the main building. Her sharp feline ears had picked up the commotion at the gate.

Curious, she ducked behind a stone pillar, her tail flicking with amusement as she listened.

'Oh, this is good,' she thought, stifling a laugh. 'A new professor? Already making enemies? I like him.'

Jax, meanwhile, was just getting started.

"You know what?" he said, stepping closer to the guards. "Forget the fireball. I'll just tell my students you volunteered for dissection practice. We'll start with your kneecaps. Then your elbows. Then, if you're still conscious, we'll move on to your ribs. One. By. One."

The first guard's face twisted in anger. "You can't—"

"Can't what? Speak? Threaten? Exist?" Jax's grin widened. "I'm a professor now, you fungus-bearded fuck. I outrank you. So unless you want me to file a formal complaint about you obstructing faculty, I suggest you step aside."

Kessiri had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

'He's insane. Absolutely insane. I love it.'

Kessiri composed herself, straightening her uniform and stepping out from behind the pillar. She approached the gate with the confident stride of someone who owned the place.

"Gentlemen," she said smoothly, her voice carrying effortless authority. "Is there a problem here?"

The guards immediately straightened, their expressions shifting from anger to respect.

"Professor Talli'nah," the first guard said. "This... person claims to be a new faculty member. But we have no record—"

"He's telling the truth," Kessiri interrupted, her golden eyes flicking to Jax. "Professor Jax Rayne. Hired yesterday by Headmistress Lysandra herself. Now let him through."

The guards hesitated, then stepped aside. The threats echoing in their ears.

Jax exhaled in relief.

"Thanks, Professor, uh..." He squinted at her, his brain scrambling. "Miss? Mrs.? Lady?"

Kessiri raised an eyebrow.

Jax's face twisted in frustration recalling her name. "Fuck it. Thank you, whoever you are."

And with that, he bolted past the guards and sprinted toward the main building.

Kessiri watched him go, her lips curling into an amused smile.

'What an interesting human.'

But then, to her surprise, Jax turned around mid-sprint and started running back toward her.

Kessiri's ears flattened. 'Wait. What's he—'

Jax skidded to a stop in front of her, breathing hard.

"Where's the Headmistress's office?"

Kessiri blinked. "Third floor, west wing, last door on the left."

"Thanks, Lady Whatever."

He was gone again.

Kessiri glanced at her watch. 10:30 AM.

'He's half an hour late to meet Lysandra. On his first day.'

She shook her head, chuckling softly.

'He's got guts. Or a death wish. Probably both. May the gods have mercy on him.'

Jax burst through the doors of the Headmistress's office without knocking.

Lysandra sat behind her desk, her violet eyes cold as ice.

"Professor Rayne," she said, her voice dangerously calm. "You were supposed to be here at nine."

Jax, still panting, straightened up and gave her his best innocent smile.

"I can explain—"

"Save it." Lysandra stood, her presence filling the room. "Your class started thirty minutes ago. If you waste any more of my time, I'll—"

"I'll go right now!" Jax blurted.

Lysandra's eye twitched. "We still have paperwork to—"

"Later! We'll do it later! I promise!"

Before she could respond, Jax turned and bolted out of the office.

Lysandra stood there, staring at the empty doorway.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

'I already regret hiring him.'

Jax sprinted down the hallways, his shoes squeaking on the polished marble floors. Students stared at him as he passed, whispering to each other.

Finally, he found the classroom. Room 1-A.

He paused outside the door, catching his breath.

'Alright, Jax. First impression. Make it count.'

He pushed the door open.

Forty pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

The classroom was large, tiered seating rising toward the back. The students were a mix of races: humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin, even a few dragonkin.

And they were all beautiful.

Not just attractive. Stunningly beautiful. Like someone had hand-picked the academy's most photogenic students and crammed them into one room.

Jax's eyes swept across the crowd. A silver-haired elf girl with ethereal features. A muscular dragonkin boy with golden scales. A petite human girl with porcelain skin and emerald eyes.

'Holy shit. This place is a modeling agency disguised as a school.'

But the beauty didn't mask the hostility.

The air was thick with judgment. Suspicious glances. Whispered insults.

"Who the hell is this?"

"Is he a student?"

"He looks homeless."

"Why is he standing at the teacher's desk?"

Jax ignored them, walking to the front of the room. He set his sword down on the desk with a loud thunk.

Then he turned to face them, his expression cold.

And then, a notification appeared in his vision.

[NEW QUEST: HUMILIATE A STUDENT]

[OBJECTIVE: Assert dominance by publicly humiliating one student in front of the class.]

[REWARD: Resolve +5]

Jax's lips curled into a slow, devilish grin.

'Oh, System. You read my mind.'

He cracked his knuckles.

"Alright, you beautiful little shits," he said, his voice echoing through the silent room. "Let's have some fun."

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