As Dan stepped outside the classroom, he felt the coolness of air wash over him.

The breeze blew his dark brown hair, causing it to dance violently before finally calming down. He closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing the instant chill that assailed his body at that moment, but quickly acclimated.

‘The classrooms here have Runes that regulate their internal temperature, providing an environment that’s conducive for everyone to learn.’ He smiled to himself. ‘So, coming out after spending two hours in such a space could cause a bit of backlash if one isn’t used to it.’

Most students would only feel this slight discomfort within their first week, but they would get used to it very quickly.

Dan shifted his thoughts from that and focused on the urgent matter he urgently had to attend to at the moment.

‘My next course begins very soon—in about ten minutes, if I’m not mistaken.’

However, not only was the hall different from their main classroom, but it was a new building that didn’t exist back when he was Head Instructor of the Academy.

In essence… a strange concept for him.

‘I didn’t get enough time to study the school grounds yesterday and this morning due to all my preparations, but I can’t throw it off any longer. The sooner I refresh my memory and adapt to this new era, the better it’ll be for me.’

Despite his time rapidly running out, Dan remained calm and assessed his situation.

‘Every Course has a thirty-minute break before the next Course—whether Major or Minor. This is to allow the student to rest and prepare for their next class.’ He slowly nodded, opening his eyes. ‘It also accounts for the time it would take for the students to reach their next class… which shouldn’t be very far, since it has to remain within the Year 1 ecosystem.’

Every Year had their specific spot within the Academy Grounds, which meant there would hardly be any interaction between any of them during study sessions. Each Year also had their respective libraries—though there was a Grand Library that existed at the center of the Academy for much more advanced studies.

Year 1 Students didn’t need to go that far, though, considering they were merely dealing with basic stuff.

‘Considering everything thus far… I suppose there’s only one solution.’ He narrowed his eyes as he smiled to himself.

In swift motion, he hurriedly moved his body and approached a nearby staff who was patrolling the grounds.

“Hello, sir… I’m looking for the Martial Arts Ground.” He smiled at the man he approached, who also returned his smile and promptly directed him.

He bowed in thanks, politely leaving for the location he was directed to.

‘When one doesn’t understand something, the most time-saving solution is to ask someone who does.’ Dan smiled, walking in the direction he was shown.

There was no shame in admitting one’s ignorance. In fact, it was a sign of maturity and courage, and he was glad to see Lyla Raeven exhibit both.

‘A lot of students naively assume they can’t afford to present themselves as inferior—especially during their first weeks in school. This prevents them from taking advantage of the several resources that exist here… most of them being fellow students like themselves.’ Dan sighed, shaking his head as he remembered his days as an Instructor.

He had seen these things play out in numerous ways.

‘Since she was a noble, I half expected her to reject my help, but she impressed me.’ This caused him to nod in satisfaction. ‘She’s a proper student!’

A student was someone willing to learn.

This learning could come from Instructors, books, or fellow students like them. The Academy existed as a way to provide all of these components, fostering the most organic and well-rounded growth a person could have.

It was unfortunate that most people didn’t see things this way.

‘They’re still young, though. In time, many of them will bend and adapt. Those who can’t will break and be left behind…’

Unless a student had exceptional talent, they couldn’t survive by themselves in the Academy.

‘I have great hopes for you, though, Lyla…’ Dan still wasn’t sure if she would take his counsel and ditch her attempts to decipher their Instructor’s jargon.

After all, it would take a leap of faith to trust a fellow student while neglecting the work given to them by an Instructor. However, Dan really hoped she would see past the surface and take his words to heart.

‘Instructors don’t have much power in the Academy anyway—especially when it involves the student. In fact, it's the opposite.’

Students held a lot of power and autonomy in the Imperial Magus Academy.

They were the prime focus here.

‘As such, unless an assignment is graded—which must be stated before the assignment is given—it isn’t compulsory to do it.’ He smiled. ‘Besides, according to the academic calendar, grading shouldn’t be happening so soon. We students need some time to adjust and absorb more knowledge before we are tested on what we learned.’

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It was foolhardy for an Instructor to test a student when they were yet to learn anything.

‘Since the school calendar and academic curriculum haven’t changed much since I died, I can only assume that the Instructor’s guide is the same—or at least very similar. If that’s the case, then there should be no problem skipping the assignment.’

Based on what he observed from the Senior Lecturer, Dan was very sure that the man wouldn’t even read their submissions.

Why did they need to waste their time on something worthless?

‘During the General Assembly, and even when I first arrived here for the Exams, I was able to see a lot of the fine Instructors that this Academy has. It appears to me that this man is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to the current staff that have been employed. He’s also a Senior Lecturer, so that makes it difficult for him to be let go.’ Still, that didn’t explain his overly impudent behavior.

‘Could it be that there are no other Runecrafters of his level that could replace him if he messes up? If that’s the case, I can see why he’s being so carefree.’

Dan hated this: the fact that Runecrafting had fallen so low in popularity and prestige.

‘How can only two First Years be studying a Major? This is an anomaly.’ Back in his day, at least thirty percent of the class still had an interest in Runecrafting and chose it as their Major in their First Years.

Of course, about half of them would switch to Spellcasting or flunk out of the Academy by the time they reached the second year, but at least fifteen percent of students remained in the Course until graduation.

‘But what do we have here? A mere four percent? That’s absurdly low!’ He clenched his fist, feeling his emotions get the better of him again.

Ever since he reincarnated, he had been prone to a lot of impulsive emotions, and while his body tried exhibiting signs of anger, frustration, and happiness, among many others, his aged mind always kept everything under control.

As such, even now, his expression remained stoic as he neared his destination.

‘There’s not much I can do about any of this as a student, and there’s definitely nothing a First Year like me can accomplish at the moment.’ He faced the reality of the matter very squarely. ‘But… that doesn’t mean I’ll ignore everything going on.’

Dan simply had to bide his time and keep all of these things in mind.

‘Right now, my primary occupation is acclimating to school and improving myself.’ Reminding himself of this, he felt his anger dissipate.

A refreshing feeling came over him, causing him to sigh a little.

‘I’ll do my best to assist the students who require my assistance and look out for any deviants that may cause any trouble. People like Lyla will prove very valuable in the Magus Community if she’s groomed properly here, but there are some bad eggs who will only cause discord and regression if they aren’t checked now.’

From his experience, there were only two ways to handle such students.

‘Reform or Expulsion.’

Certain students only needed discipline and proper attention and they would turn out well—even contributing greatly to the Magus Community after graduation. Dan knew quite a few of them in his past life, even as classmates.

All they required was guidance and they could be reformed.

However, there were some students who were a bane to the Community—poisonous parasites that would only damage it if allowed to advance further.

‘Some may say it’s too early to judge what a person will be just from their young age, but… I beg to differ.’ From his experience as a student, an Instructor, and Head of Department, he could clearly say that this wasn’t always the case.

Some students were bad eggs that couldn’t be reformed in the slightest.

Of course, initial attempts could be made, but after seeing what kind of people they were… the safest option for everyone would be to remove them.

‘The only way to get rid of poison in a body is to expel it. Purging out toxic contents… uprooting the weeds… all of those are necessary in order to have a good system in place.’

This applied not only to students but also Instructors.

‘Our Runecrafting Instructor seems like he can still be reformed. I might take it upon myself to take him through that. But, there are certain people that can’t be reasoned with.

Whether Student or Instructor… they exist in every generation.

‘And I plan to purge them from this Academy—if I can.’ Dan’s eyes shone with resolve as he arrived in front of the gate that served as the entrance to the Martial Arts Grounds.

All of this was for the sake of the Magus Community, as well as the world at large.

“Looks like I was so deep in thought that the journey just went by in the blink of an eye.” He said to himself, noticing the gate and tall walls that circled the inner compound.

From where he stood outside, he couldn’t see anything happening inside, but he could already feel tension coursing through him as his hand neared the gate’s handle.

‘My next course is Basic Martial Arts Training…’

As expected, he was nervous.

The place stood at the edge of the First Year’s domain, which likely meant that seniors also used the same compound for their advanced Martial Arts Courses.

‘I suppose it makes sense that we’ll be sharing space with them. Even now, it seems Martial Arts isn’t widely acclaimed in the Magus Community.’ A wry smile formed on his face.

During his time as a student, and even an Instructor, there wasn’t even a building allocated to the course. It was a relatively new one, and it took place outdoors.

This discouraged a lot of students from checking it out early, himself included.

‘I ended up regretting it later in life, since I had to go over the basics when I was already much older.’ He sighed. ‘But, well… here I am correcting that mistake!’

He opened the gate and entered the vast compound.

‘Ohhh!’ His eyes widened as he looked at what greeted him as soon as he stepped in.

There was one central building at the furthest end of the compound—like a dojo for learning Martial Arts. It wasn’t very tall, so you couldn’t see it from outside, but it was very wide. However, even aside from the building, the compound itself was very vast.

As he entered, he felt the slight crunch of sand beneath his feet.

‘It’s like a very big sandbox.’ He marveled. ‘Compared to my past life, this is a huge impro—”

“Oi, out of my way!”

A voice suddenly echoed behind him. It was very loud, having a mix of aggression and panic, which made Dan’s reaction that of slight annoyance.

‘What a rude tone…’ He turned to look at the person who spoke, but found two rather interesting things about them.

Firstly… it was a girl—with short red hair that floated as she approached him.

Secondly, well, she was running towards him at breakneck speed. With the rate at which she was speeding, a head-on collision was inevitable.

‘What the he—!’