I Want Real Geniuses!

A mountain of bones… with a Fatty Zhang on top?! 

As soon as Gray saw it, his eyes couldn't help but widen. H-Had he really eaten that much meat… alone?! Wouldn't this guy be a Legend in an eating contest?! 

But, while awe was one thing, they had stuff to do… 

— Kick! Kick! Kick! — 

"Wake up, you sleepyhead! Your Teacher needs his #1 Personal Disciple!" With every kick, the fat on his body would jiggle crazily as if it had a life of its own. 

Only then did he hazily open one eye… 

"T-Teacher? Is that really you?"

"Of course! Who else would be that Hands—"

"Hehe, Teacher, you're the best! Even in my dreams you're bringing me snacks!" The latter had such a silly smile as he dived at the cage on Gray's back. 

But that's when the Bunny Legion counterattacked! 

— Curse! Curse! Curse! Curse! Curse! — 

The flying Fatty suddenly lost all momentum as he powerfully crashed to the ground. Only then did his eyes widen in shock. "T-Teacher, is this perhaps… not a dream?!" 

He hurriedly got up, checked the surroundings, and then couldn't take his eyes away from the Ravenous Bunnies. W-What was up with those guys?! 

They stared at him haughtily: 'Don't piss us off, human, or the next curse chain will claim your life!' he was only alive because of the deference they showed Gray. 

That's when Fatty Zhang started rippling all over. 

"H-How?! Ravenous Bunnies are IMPOSSIBLE to tame!" 

"What? But they're so cute! Also, since when are you an expert beast tamer?" 

"I know them because they're REALLY tasty! But I'm not kidding: no one has managed to tame them in the last thousand years! They're…" 

Zhang proceeded to explain it all. Turns out that Ravenous Rabbit had a really bad habit. They'd use their curse nonstop against their enemies until one of them died! 

Yes, that sure would be an issue… 

Bunny chilling in its cage? → Sees someone pass by and starts cursing them!

Bunny cursing for too long? → Just dies like a complete idiot! 

They were far better living time bombs than pets, for sure! 

As for why it was different with Gray? Well, it was probably because their Curses actually helped him! Suicide to harm an enemy? Sure! But suicide to help him? Hell no! 

"So there you have it, Teacher. That means you're amazing! But anyway, how did the Class go? Who won between you and Aldor?" Zhang asked with expectation. 

"Well, about that…."

The more Gray described the earlier events, the lower his student jaw got. Homicidal Teacher? Criminal? Upcoming Trial? Sera in a coma?! He started shivering… 

"S-So much happened?! H-How long have I been asleep?!"

"Few hours? Anyway, we got LOTS of stuff to do!"

"Y-Yes, Teacher!" 

It didn't take long for them to depart, and Gray soon put on his Plague Doctor outfit again. Plague Doctor… with white fluffy bunnies?! What kind of vision was this?! 

Let's just say they took the long way back home, avoiding people as much as possible. Then, before long, Gray stood in his Spirit Garden before an army of Bunnies. 

"Now, you all, listen to me attentively! Here are the rules…" 

A) Leave this place? DEAD!

B) Destroy the Garden? DEAD!

C) Cause trouble in general? DEAD! 

They all gulped hard as they glanced at their new self-proclaimed leader, his eyes glowing as red as theirs. But, he wasn't done, far from it! 

"But, behave and there will be Blood for you all. LOTS of it! Do you understand?" 

Oh, they sure fucking did. As the rabbits cheered before him like he was the Messiah, Gray couldn't help but think how strange this world was. 

Apparently, in this place, Ravenous Bunnies ONLY drank blood. 

Then, as the critters happily hopped around his backyard, Fatty Zhang left after thumping his chest. "Don't worry, Teacher, I know where to get the best information! Be right back!" 

Gray waited, happily petting a few bunnies. Then before long… 

Zhang came back, but he wasn't alone?! No, behind him trailed a smart-looking young lady, one that he instantly recognized. Wasn't this the receptionist from back then? 

But she had barely taken a step in that she froze… 

"R-Ravenous Bunnies?! H-How?!" 

"Aren't they cute?" 

Gray was nonchalantly… petting them?! Hidden expert, hidden expert for sure! At this moment, she almost cheered aloud. She had been so right back then! 

"Teacher Gale, Zhang told me about your current situation, so I've brought with me… this!" She took out what seemed like a diary, one filled to the brim with names!

"D-Don't tell me, those are the names of ALL the new Academy students?"

"Indeed! With this, we can find the best ones!" 

"Good, I need 10 Personal Disciples!" 

"Ah? Two teams, eh? Smart!"

But before she could continue, Gray suddenly stopped her: "Why don't you explain the Team thing to make sure we're all on the same page? Listen well, student Zhang!" 

"Ah, thank you, Teacher, but I know it all. We can proceed!" 

"Explain it for the Bunnies' sake then." 

"A-Ah? Sure! It goes like this…" 

How were evaluations conducted in the Academy? They were as numerous as stars, but one could say there were two main categories: 

Solo Tests → Students purely graded on their own power!

Group Tests → Challenges to be tackled in teams of 5 and requiring cooperation! 

Of course, a Teacher's performance was closely related to that of their Disciples. In fact, they'd choose Champions (5) and Squads (up to 3) to represent their Legacy! 

"Wait, so a Teacher could technically compete with only five students?!" 

"Y-Yes? But that would be stacking the odds against them…" 

Bad odds? Perhaps for another Teacher, but not for him! After all, it had taken him a genocide, willing helpers, and lots of drugs to barely get his hands on a single technique! 

Teach 15 students? → He'd bloody die!

Teaching 5 instead? → Now that was more reasonable! 

As for instructing them without using the Library of Heaven's souls? He was willing, but by the time he mastered the source materials they'd have long graduated! 

Still, if he truly went with 5 students, he couldn't settle for trash! 

"Alright, show me the list of candidates!" 

"Yes, Teacher Gale! How about these?" 

The receptionist gave him a list, but the more he looked, the more he frowned. Weren't those guys way too ordinary?! 

Reliable affinities, but nothing outstanding.

Great potential, but nothing Earth-shattering either. 

None of them had any inkling of a main character aura. 

"Those won't do. Say, aren't there better candidates? Like Sera and Zhang?" 

The two couldn't help but gawk speechless. Sera and Zhang? Good candidates?! One was doomed to die, and the other LITERALLY couldn't be taught anything! He only knew to eat! 

"A-Are you sure, Teacher Gale?" 

"Of course! You should have done that from the start!" 

Nodding, the receptionist handed him another list. And as Gray kept reading, he couldn't help but start laughing. Now, this was more like it! Some of the entries were… 

Godric Managold → Genius and Nephew of Teacher Mei. Still unaffiliated, but will 100% join her faction. Better give up! 

Lizzy Luska → Failure of the wealthy Luska Clan. While her potential is above average, her trash affinity hinders any progress she could make. 

Chad Rockefeller → Great talent, but personality issue. He actually started an auction to determine who would be his Teacher. Still hasn't concluded. 

Gray happily closed the booklet, powerfully declaring. 

"Alright, time to get some new students!" 

"Eh, Teacher, it's already night…" 

A-Already?! Then again… lecture, jail, escape, curses, magical beasts, planning: yep, it checked out! He coughed a few times, heroically declaring once more. 

"Tomorrow, we get new disciples! Dismissed!"