Chapter 329: It''s Time To D-D-D-Duel


    ?


    Monday arrived, and it was time for Emir''s second, but technically third, ss.


    Students awaited his arrival in a ssroom different from the usual, as they were told to do


    So.


    The room in question was the third type he saw during his tour through the Academy.


    It was a marvel of technology created by Technomancers and Arcanists who made them capable of expanding and transforming themselves.


    Emir had the capability toprehend the intricacies of the science behind it, but he couldn''t bother wasting all that time and energy trying to understand something that had nothing to do with him.


    So, like the train, he simply chalked it up as Magitek.


    Now, it was obvious to all in the ss that their professor had something exciting nned because of the ss they were in, so they grouped up and began to chatter, guessing what it could be while still mentioning the rumors ofst Thursday.


    "So... what do you think it''ll be, Sofia?


    Surrounded by girls she cared not for, Sofia ignored them and stared straight ahead, as if unbothered by all the noise.


    But if one could see her truth, they''d know that she was the most excited one out of the lot; she, alongside many other ''named,'' saw Emir fighting that gooey monstrosity named Felix.


    She was right. The report was right. He truly wasn''t like the other professors. He was a killer. "H-how about we ask him?"


    "You mean him? The fucking Reaper?! No, do you want me to get cursed?"


    "Stop being a pussy and ask him—"


    "You do it then."


    As those two ''unnamed'' boys argued, one of the trio gained a little courage and used his brain, asking Elijah''s only friend instead.


    "H-hey, hey, Aria, can you ask Elijah for me? He''s his little brother, isn''t he?"


    "Ask him yourself, you fuckface."


    Giving him a ssic "Humph," she pped the air with her twin tails as she snapped her head towards Elijah, who stood beside her.


    Whispering, she asked:


    "You know?"


    It appeared that she too was curious.


    "No, he told me nothing..."


    Yet Elijah was useless, as Emir never divulged what was unneeded.


    "But even if he did, I ain''t saying shit to-"


    "You guys better shut the fuck up! That impure bastard was just showing off!"


    Max''s words drowned out Elijah''s, and they stunned most for many different reasons, with only a few people in the crowd nodding at what he said, mainly Arthur and Quinn, both wanting to hate on him for reasons simr.


    Hate and envy.


    "You bastard-!"


    Brrring!


    Before Elijah could go wild, Max was again saved by the bell, as Emir entered the room right on time, halting everyone into silence.


    His aura was on another level, and they were reminded of that.


    Along with their silence came the transformation of the ssroom they stood in.


    Once a clear, minimalistic ssroom, turned into arge arena, dotted with uniform tforms in the shape of a square, each separated by a small path of white in between.


    Overseeing all of the tforms was a floating throne, made of nothing but ck, a few meters off the ground.


    Whoosh!


    A few students blinked and saw their professor sitting on that very throne as if he wasn''t standing next to them a moment before.


    Not needing to be told, they congregated towards him and stood in ranks, knowing that he liked things to be orderly.


    Emir smiled.


    "Thank you all foring to my second ss... As you can see, I''ve prepared a little dueling arena for you, but before we begin, I wish to know, teach, and show you a few things."


    He paused for a moment, eyeing all those in the ssroom, then dropped from his throne,nding softly on the ground.


    "Girls that tread a melee-based path, a specialist of close range, please step up."


    None moved at his words; they stayed still, too still, almost as if they didn''t even want to be mistaken for a specialist of that type; their eyes locked on his.


    "Good... I''ve expected nothing less from the students of the Academy."


    Subtle gasps resounded from most, yet they shut themselves up quickly, afraid of getting a penalty. But it was a reaction that he didn''t reprimand them for; because it was the first time that heplimented any student since his arrival, he expected such a scene.


    Snickering, he said:


    "Males are physically stronger. Females are physically weaker. Biology remains even when one ascends the hierarchy. Yes, no matter if you dislike it or not, it''s a fact that would never change, even when one''s a high-ranking Celestial."


    "To make this easy on those stupid of you, if a dude and chick both became Brawlers then the dude would win ten out of ten times. The girl could have more skill, a better mentality, h h, it could be whatever... But it wouldn''t change the result."


    "The guy will simply be stronger, and in a fight between green Brawlers, one solid punch would be the end of it."


    Emir slowed his words as he looked around, noticing questioning gazes from his students.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Now, why am I saying this?"


    That question brightened up most of them.


    "It''s to emphasize the importance of your strengths and weaknesses, both physically and in


    your specializations."


    "When fighting, follow the way your specialization taught you to fight. You could learn martial arts and self-defense techniques, but never make them the center point of your


    fighting style."


    "They are for surprise attacks, maybe ast-case scenario, but not something you unt... keep your cards hidden. Of course, this advice is mostly for thedies, it''s more lenient for the men, though it still applies, especially, and obviously so, for the ones with the melee-based paths I mentioned, to them, learning martial arts is a must."


    He paused once more, detecting a hint of annoyance in some of the girls'' faces, so he


    rhetorically asked:


    "It''s quite unfair, no?"


    "Yes Sir!"


    They agreed, and his smile widened as his gaze searched for someone in the crowd.


    "Well, that''s too bad; you''ve been dealt your cards, you can only y them..."


    And while his words flowed, his eyesnded on Quinn, a half-cyborg.


    "Unless you be a metalhead, of course. Then you''d have the best of both worlds-a body stronger than most of those on your level and a more lenient path."


    Sensing some frustration build up at his revtion of the hard truth, he soothed them:


    "But it isn''t all bad... You see, one of the methods to rank up that I''ve hidden from you favors


    thedies, so if you''ve added that to your arsenal, most of the boys next to you would eat your


    dust."


    Emir, unknowingly to them, was mentioning the Embodiment method, as it was better suited for women, who were gically and socially more intertwined with their emotions. Generally speaking, they were more knowledgeable about maniption than their male counterparts, and that was a factor as well.


    Exceptions existed of course, but they were outliers, Emir was one of them.


    "I''ll be telling him this..."


    "Hehe~ I knew it!"


    "Top three though, that sounds impossible."


    "True."


    "Shuushhhhhh... Quite. You guys want a penalty?"


    All of the girls quietened down with Ava''s reminder, and showed a smile; even Sofia, small as


    it was, seemed that she was thrilled to learn about this method her professor kept teasing.


    And to quell that excitement, she raised her hand, wanting to ask a question.


    He nodded, giving her permission.


    "Firstly, do you use this method as well, Professor? And secondly, I watched your ''fight'' and I


    can''t help but question how your abilities were used so."


    Emir let her question marinate for a moment, allowing the students a chance to form their


    own answer, and then said:


    "I do use all four methods of course, and no one, not even Principal Amon, can match me at


    the fourth method, for I am special in that regard. Now about my abilities, yes, they were the


    same ones you know, but I''ve adjusted them on the fly." bbergasted, she raised her hand once more, and seeing him nod, she said:


    "But that''s impossible! Every adjustment takes a long time, any mistake with the pathing


    might lead the ability to backfire."


    His smile turned into a grin as he let out augh.


    "As I said, I''m special in that regard, but you can still copy my footsteps; I can show you an


    example. Here, look."


    Emir created a tform and jumped atop it so all could see, then looked at an ''unnamed''


    student in the front.


    "Point somewhere."


    The student flinched, looked behind him, then looked back at his professor, finally realizing


    that it was him being called, so with trembling hands, he did as he was told, pointing a small distance away from him.


    Emir nodded as another Aether construct materialized.


    "sh Step."


    He disappeared and reappeared on the same tform his student once pointed at.


    "This..."


    "Just how?"


    "That should be impossible!"


    "Right? I''ve only seen fixed variations..."


    "My dad won''t believe me if I tell him this."


    "Max, do you "


    "Shut up, that''s nothing."


    "You shut up, always trying to find fault in something faultless."


    "Elijah, just ignore him."


    Not all realized what he did, and some began to bicker, but most reacted strongly as they saw


    his example. It seemed true, the student he picked randomly chose a spot, and their professor adjusted the


    ability, which sent the user a kilometer away in a certain direction, decreasing said distance to


    a few tens of meters.


    "Now..."


    Emir''s words returned the silence.


    "...Don''t think you can copy what I did, it''s impossible, so instead, I''ll teach you how to do something simr. ''You'' being those top three in our ss today."


    Their excitement grew even more as the students were shown proof of something they had


    never heard of before, wanting to acquire it by any means necessary. Even Max, contrary to how he acted, was in on the hype, never mind Arthur and Quinn, the quiet ones.


    "BUT!"


    Emir, who appeared to like ying with his students'' emotions, killed that hype and said: "Let me demonstrate a few things... Elijah, go to the first tform."