“Good morning, Professor Luca!” Melissa greeted with a warm smile and a wave.
Fred scratched his bald head and said, “They asked me to stand by and assist you with today’s lesson.”
Luca felt a bit helpless inside. However, he understood that Fred and Melissa were worried he might mess up his first teaching experience, so they came to support him. Even though he didn’t actually need it, there was no way to explain that, so he simply thanked them.
After that, Luca and the three of them made their way to the teaching building.
At Red Maple Academy, each grade had its own teaching building. Luca’s class, the first-year class one, was located in the building directly facing the academy’s main gate. He was already quite familiar with the layout and structure, so he wouldn’t have trouble finding the classroom.
Although it wasn’t yet class time, there were already many students and teachers on campus.
Whenever they encountered Luca and the others on the way, people would stop and greet them. Their curious gazes would quickly fall on Luca.
In Red Maple Academy, there was hardly anyone who didn’t recognize this young instructor.
Luca paid no attention to the stares.
Before long, they arrived at first-year class one.
Several students were already in the classroom, engrossed in their books.
The arrival of the group drew the attention of quite a few students.
Upon noticing Luca, the expressions of the students in the classroom varied.
Some looked curious, after all, Luca had taken the same assessment day as them, and now he had become their instructor. The contrast was almost surreal.
Others looked less than friendly, such as Rogge.
Although it had been a few days since the assessment ended, that didn’t mean he had forgotten the grudge from that day. On the contrary, he hated Luca even more now.
If it weren’t for Luca, he would not only have claimed the title of top newcomer but also enjoyed the admiration and attention of everyone.
He would have received the Cloudwing Airship his father promised him.
But now, he was stuck buried in books with these idiots, preparing for exams.
All of this was thanks to Luca.
Another notable gaze came from Kassna.
“Professor Luca, it’s been a while!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up with surprise.
After waiting so long, she was finally going to have Luca’s class.
She had even been so excited the night before that she couldn’t sleep!
Pierce had told her about Luca’s achievements in Pure River Town.
Previously, she could hardly believe that someone could slay a high-level undead mage while being at the intermediate level!
This only deepened Kassna’s admiration for Luca.
Her idol truly was extraordinary!
Looking at Kassna’s fervent expression, Luca couldn’t help but think of his own followers.
This girl was quite interesting!
Fred and Melissa, listening to the conversation between the two students, were somewhat surprised.
They hadn’t expected that there would be someone in the class who had a good impression of Luca.
However, why was it this little girl Kassna?
Both felt a bit of a headache and discreetly glanced at the boys in the class.
Sure enough, they saw a group of guys with fiery eyes, glaring hatefully at Luca.
As the most beautiful girl in this cohort, Kassna had many admirers; it was rumored that in just a few days, she had already received dozens of love letters…
Luca didn’t pay much attention to the gazes around him.
As time passed, when Kassna returned to her seat, the students in the classroom had mostly arrived.
“DONG——!”
With a resounding chime from the academy’s bell tower, Luca’s first class officially began.
At that moment, Melissa also walked into the classroom.
Standing beside Luca, she addressed the students seriously, “I believe many of you already know who this instructor is, but I still want to introduce him. This is Professor Luca, who will be responsible for teaching you the practical combat course.
“I hope you do not underestimate Professor Luca because of his age. His strength displayed during the trials is something everyone has witnessed. I hope you will study practical knowledge diligently under him and not cause him any trouble.”
Melissa’s last statement was clearly a warning.
The classroom fell silent for a moment.
Only a few scattered claps echoed in the room.
Although many students who hadn’t met the assessment requirements were successfully admitted to Red Maple Academy because of Luca, the students in first-year class one were the most outstanding among this cohort.
Luca’s early conclusion of the assessment only brought them disadvantages, not benefits.
Naturally, these students didn’t hold a good impression of Luca.
But not entirely;
In the classroom, there was a red-haired girl who clapped so enthusiastically that she seemed to be worth ten people.
It was Kassna.
At this moment, she was looking at Luca with starry eyes, cheering loudly, “Welcome, Professor Luca!”
Luca felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Was this girl coming over just to give him trouble?
Fratis, who had been silent all this time, couldn’t help but chuckle quietly, finding the girl’s candidness charming.
Indeed, upon hearing Kassna’s words, many students looked at Luca with even more hostility.
Especially Rogge, whose eyes seemed to be ready to spit fire.
“Professor Melissa, I suspect this person is completely unqualified to teach us!” he suddenly stood up and spoke directly, his gaze fixed on Luca, his words devoid of any politeness or tact.
At the same time, his statement echoed the sentiments of many others.
One by one, students began to rise and question Luca’s teaching abilities.
Seeing this, both Melissa and Fred furrowed their brows.
As they had feared, the worst had happened.
Red Maple Academy was the best school in the Southern Territory, and it was filled with proud and arrogant talents.
Luca was younger than most of the students present.
Having him teach them would undoubtedly stir discontent.
This was also the reason they had come, to prevent Luca from facing too much trouble on his first day of teaching.
Melissa slammed her hand on the desk, creating a dull sound, and angrily reprimanded the leading boy, “Rogge, this is class time, and you need to show respect to the instructor!”
However, Rogge didn’t take her words seriously. He scoffed and replied, “Professor Melissa, I mean no offense!
“But I came to Red Maple Academy to receive guidance from a competent instructor, not to be taught by some nobody trying to gain experience!
“Otherwise, I might as well go home and find my original tutor; why go through the trouble of joining the academy?”
As soon as he said this, many students nodded in agreement.
Many of them came from good families.
If they were to be taught by an inexperienced novice instructor, they might as well learn at home.
Another boy dressed in black stood up and said calmly, “Rogge has a point.
“I know that Professor Luca is quite strong, perhaps even stronger than us, but that doesn’t mean he has the ability to teach us.
“Talent and teaching ability are not directly related, and I hope the academy can assign us a different instructor.”
Luca glanced at the boy; he had seen the student roster and recognized him.
He was Rainer Howard, the second-place finisher in the recent assessment, a top genius with an eighth-level aptitude, well-known even in the talent-rich Red Maple Academy.
Interestingly, this guy seemed to be a distant relative of Sophia…
The class was not entirely against Luca; there were differing opinions.
Kassna slammed her hand on the desk, standing up in anger and saying, “Professor Luca became an instructor based on his strength and passed Principal Orf’s evaluation. Why shouldn’t he be qualified for the position? I disagree with changing instructors!”
In addition to her, several other students also stood up in support of Kassna.
However, they were all female students…
A group of students was arguing fiercely in the classroom, and it seemed the situation was about to spiral out of control.
Melissa furrowed her brows, ready to intervene and call for order.
At that moment, Luca suddenly raised his hand to stop her.
He scanned the students with a smile and said, “Since you all believe I’m unqualified, I’ll give you an opportunity: let me leave this class.”
As soon as he said this, the entire class fell silent, all eyes turning toward him.
Ignoring the hints from Fred and Melissa, Luca stood at the podium and continued, “I’m teaching a practical combat course, so let’s make this a wager.
“We’ll conduct a practical test. There are thirty-six of you in this class, and if any of you can injure me during the practical test, I will personally go to Principal Orf and resign.
“Furthermore, I won’t use any magic runes or skills, and I won’t even use a weapon.
“If you can manage that, I’ll ensure all of you pass this year’s practical assessment and earn your credits with ease!”
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly turned cold, and a powerful aura erupted from him as he declared, “If you can’t do it, then keep your mouths shut! Trash like you have no right to make demands!”
This statement caused an uproar in the room.
Even Fred and Melissa looked at him in shock, unable to believe what they had just heard.
To allow so many practitioners to attack him without using weapons or skills? Wasn’t that asking for trouble?
Even if Luca were a high-level practitioner, it would be nearly impossible to pull that off easily!
Fratis also showed concern in his eyes. freēwebnovel.com
The others felt that Luca might have been provoked, losing a bit of his rationality.
Melissa was about to step in and mediate when Rogge suddenly burst into laughter, saying, “Alright, alright! You said it yourself: if we injure you, you’ll resign and let all of us pass the assessment and earn our credits!”
The other students quickly chimed in, seemingly afraid that Luca might backtrack.
The assessments at Red Maple Academy were notoriously difficult, and completing them was no easy feat.
Especially for these talented individuals, who were often given special consideration.
Now that there was a chance to earn credits easily, how could they let it slip away?
Luca simply smiled knowingly.
With his current physique and attributes, even without using any skills, dealing with a bunch of low to mid-level practitioners wouldn’t take much effort at all.
Let them enjoy their excitement for a few more minutes.
After all, soon enough, they probably wouldn’t be laughing anymore.