Involving the darker aspects of their world, the two of them tacitly ceased their conversation at that point. Two days later, Aya Tone returned to his leisurely pace of life. The cult’s activities were merely a minor interlude for him. Although he had effortlessly gained several million, he was now one step closer to his retirement. Yet, classes still had to be taught. And so, he led his adorable students (his temporary laborers) once more into live combat training.
“Stop!”
The moment Fire Wushuang prepared to act, Aya Tone immediately called out. ‘Good heavens, can’t you calm down?’ The guild had only assigned two dungeons. If Fire Wushuang destroyed them both by herself, what would be left for the others to practice on?
While leaving early was indeed appealing, he was, after all, their teacher now. He had to be responsible for every single student.
“I didn’t move.” Fire Wushuang’s body stiffened, her eager hands silently retreating. Still, she stubbornly insisted she hadn’t.
Aya Tone merely chuckled. ‘Don’t think I didn’t see that vine whip peeking out of your pocket.’
“They have defenses cast by Lin Ling and the others; E-rank dungeon monsters can’t harm them.” This was the defensive magic he had specifically instructed Lin Ling and her two companions to cast on everyone upon their arrival. Its power wasn’t overwhelming, but it was just enough to ensure that E-rank monsters couldn’t break through it quickly.
That was sufficient. They were here for practical combat, not a picnic. How could they truly learn without a hint of mortal danger?
No one knew how strong the defensive magic cast by Lin Ling and her companions truly was. It might shatter at a touch, or it might be as solid as a rock. He doubted anyone would be eager to find out. For this very reason, the three girls had been forcibly brought along since morning, serving as the class’s impromptu lifeguards.
If one were to ask what Aya Tone had been doing throughout all this, well, he had plenty of things to do. He had to accept the quests himself; without his S-rank status as collateral, the guild wouldn’t have issued the commissions. This was crucial. And then! Submitting the quests also fell to him, didn’t it? The ores and magic cores collected in the dungeons—someone had to negotiate their value with the guild.
All things considered, he was quite busy. When collecting the money, he also had to constantly guard against someone trying to renege. Ah, well~ Thinking about it, it seemed he truly was the busiest one.
“Alright, pack up. It’s time for you four.”
Lin Ling and her two companions exchanged bewildered glances. ‘Are we still needed today?’ Noticing their gazes, Aya Tone rubbed his nose.
“I found a C-rank resource dungeon for you. You just need to clear out the newly spawned monsters.” He felt a little embarrassed having them four act as mere rescue personnel these past two times without giving them proper training opportunities. At worst, he’d take a small loss; he’d only choose resource dungeons.
He’d just treat it as exploiting a loophole. Last time, Li Jia managed to catch him off guard; it must have been Fire Finch leaking information. So, it was perfectly reasonable for him to exploit a loophole in the contract now, wasn’t it?
“C-rank!?”
The three girls were stunned. While their magical power had indeed increased rapidly due to the binding strength of the Magical Girls, to jump directly past D-rank and face C-rank monsters… would it be… too hasty?
“Yes, C-rank.” Aya Tone showed no indication that they had only been enrolled for less than half a year. A group that manipulated minds certainly couldn’t be viewed with ordinary eyes. Especially Fire Wushuang, a pure cheat; ordinary dungeons truly didn’t warrant her personal intervention.
He glanced at her. Despite her calm expression, he could discern her eagerness, a desire to rush to the C-rank dungeon and plunge into battle immediately.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Back in my day, your teacher here entered an A-rank dungeon directly for my first time.” Recalling those past events, a sigh escaped Aya Tone. If Fire Finch hadn’t discovered him, he might still be struggling for his next meal. Once his five-year term was up, he was determined to make a huge fortune! And then, he would take Aya Jiu and flee far away.
The girls fell silent. ‘But you’re not an ordinary person…’
As the three girls remained silent, tremors emanated from the dungeon. ‘The others must have destroyed the core!’
“Fantastic!”
“Come on, let’s go, let’s go! It’s still early, so let’s finish up quickly and clock out.”
Calling out to everyone, Aya Tone led every single person out of the dungeon, leaving no one behind. After completing the handover with the guarding soldiers, “You all follow Little… Teacher Li back.” Aya Tone instructed the others to return to the academy first, without mentioning any separate training for Lin Ling and her companions.
C-rank dungeons were not something they could handle at their current level. If he revealed it, these geniuses would pester him relentlessly, demanding that he take them along. He simply didn’t have the energy to look after them all. Having said his piece, he hastily departed with the four girls.
The rest of the group watched the bus, their faces etched with despair. In their eyes, it wasn’t a bus at all, but clearly the entrance to hell. If given the choice, they would rather fight for another whole day than endure ten minutes on that bus.
“Students~ it’s time to get on the bus.” Li Huaiming’s gentle voice, to their ears, sounded like the whisper of a demon.
“T-Teacher Li, actually, I have something tonight and need to take leave, so I won’t be returning to school.” Hearing this, the others quickly chimed in, “Exactly! My mom called me home for soup tonight, so I can’t…”
“Can’t what?”
“Eek!!” The boy’s body stiffened as he saw the face suddenly pressed close to his, a shiver running down his spine. His face pale, he stammered, “I-I wonder if Teacher Li could give me a ride?” After uttering these insincere words, he seemed to have expended all his strength.
“Of course, no problem. Are there any other students? Where do you live? I’ll drop you all off.” As Li Huaiming’s gaze swept over them, everyone collectively shook their heads. A classmate beside the boy nudged him, whispering, “Isn’t your home in Mongolia?”
The boy fell silent. Of course, all of the above was just a joke; in the end, everyone was still sent back to the academy. After all… ‘School is my home, right?’ he thought with a smile.
****
On the other side, the departing group hastened towards their destination without pause. After a thirty-minute drive, they finally arrived at a mountain forest far from the city.
“Ah… Am I a minor?” Although his feet were firmly on the ground, Aya Tone’s eyes were vacant, and his swaying steps seemed to be treading on clouds, as if he might miss a step and plummet from the sky at any moment.
“Teacher, don’t be angry. We only said that to get the driver uncle to take us.” Ye Liu quickly offered comfort. Liu Fei chimed in, “Exactly. If we hadn’t said that, we would’ve needed two cars.”
They were already exceeding the capacity by taking one taxi, and it took a lot of persuasion, plus a little extra money (which was the crucial point). Only then did the driver, risking demerit points and fines, agree to take them all. Three people in the back row was already a tight squeeze. So, under the persistent coaxing and pulling of the three girls, Aya Tone was forced to squeeze into the middle.
The entire journey had been an ordeal. The girls’ hands were anything but still, either playfully tousling his hair or subtly brushing against him. All the while, he had to listen to the driver remark, “Your little sister is so cute.” Not only did they not object, but they also chatted happily with the driver.
He had originally wanted to take a separate taxi by himself, but who knew that “dog of a driver” would claim minors couldn’t hail a cab? Aya Tone thought, ‘Heh, your sister!’ (•́へ•́╬)
poor thing.