Lecture (4)

Chapter 22 – Lecture (4)

"Okay, Miss Emberton. You can ask your question now," Miss Carrington said, extending her hand towards Claudia, giving her the cue to stand and speak.

Claudia stood up and looked around for a bit before finally settling her eyes on the Instructor in front of her.

"I seek clarification, ma."

Miss Carrington slightly raised her eyes. "Clarification on what exactly?"

"You said we are not ready to enter any of the Dungeons. Even Dungeons as weak as the Tier 1 ranks."

Miss Carrington nodded her head in acknowledgement of what the Trainee had said. "Yes. I did."

Claudia continued. "I've heard that at some point in our training, we would be required to clear a dungeon. What kind of dungeon is that then?"

The Instructor let out a boisterous laughter before composing herself. For a second, she had forgotten that we were newbies in this line of work and life and she had seemed to place us on a level where we are not.

After regaining her composure and mentally reassessing the class she was teaching, Miss Carrington cleared the air.

"Yes. You are right," she said. "You will, at some point, be required to clear the dungeon."

She raised a finger to emphasise her next point. "However, those are what we call Dummy Dungeons."

"Dummy Dungeons?" one of the students muttered.

"Dummy-what?"

"What are those?"

"I have no idea," another answered with a shrug.

Tap~ Tap~ Tap~ Tap~!!

The sound of her marker hitting the board resonated throughout the entire classroom as Miss Carrington wrote out the words 'Dummy Dungeon'.

After etching the two words on the board, she turned around and faced the class once again, and with her right thumb pointing at the board, she began to explain.

"Please sit down, Miss Emberton," she instructed Claudia.

I leaned back and relaxed more into my chair, unknowingly yawning just after. I was already mentally exhausted from so much information dump. Imagine learning what you already know from the beginning and having to pretend that you don't know it.

It was quite exhausting.

Instinctively, I looked at Terence's seat and it was still empty.

Miss Carrington had indeed shut him and Otis out of her class for a whole day.

What a way to start the classes!

I breathed a sigh.

One would expect that such a dent in a new Trainee's image in the Cube would warrant some form of scolding from the higher-ups, but they didn't even bat an eyelid.

Otis Vernon and Terence Kenton will be expected to return by the next period like nothing happened some minutes ago. Well, only Terence did return.

As for Otis, his day at learning theories ended the minute he stepped his feet outside the door.

What a guy!

"Just like the name implies, they are Dungeons as well. The only difference is that we create them ourselves and control what goes on inside them. However, for a participant, you will not be able to tell it apart from a real Dungeon. But as for you guys, since you haven't even entered a real one before, you'd know it's not real anyway. That's what a Dummy Dungeon is. Got that?"

"Yes, ma!" the class chorused.

She raised her watch and looked at the time. "I guess that's all for the day. I will see you all next time then."

Miss Carrington turned to the recruit closest to the door and instructed him to call in the two recruits that she had sent out earlier as she continued to pack up her things.

Shortly after the recruit stepped out, he was followed by Terence, who said nothing and moved towards his seat.

His face was expressionless and indifferent. He was not angry to be sent out nor was he happy to be allowed back into the classroom. Simply put, he didn't really care.

For some reason, my nostrils twitched immediately when Terence entered the room. Whether it was the smell of pride or arrogance that oozed from him that caused this, I couldn't tell.

'Not even thankful to be allowed in. What a character,' Miss Carrington thought as he observed Terence returning to his seat before noticing that he walked in alone.

Otis was nowhere to be found.

"Kenton," her voice called out to the blond-haired boy.

Terence, who was just about to adjust his chair to the seat, stopped and leisurely turned towards the Instructor. For the first time, I noticed the vile nature of the future Hero that had gone past me before my admiration towards him in the past.

His eyes sharpened and nearly pierced the Instructor's very soul.

What a cold, devilish gaze from a teenager!

But as expected, the Instructor was unfazed by the kid's subtle tantrum and proceeded to inquire what she had intended to do earlier.

'What a cold gaze for a young man,' Miss Carrington thought. 'This one certainly seems like a standout material. Well, he's a Kenton after all; a bunch of arrogant brats lumped in one family.'

Shrugged off Terence's deathly gaze and aura like it was nothing. "Where is Vernon?" she asked.

Following her question, Terence did not answer for seconds, and just when she was about to speak again.

"He left," Terence finally responded.

"Eh?" Miss Carrington blurted out and blinked a few times.

She found his answer to be unbelievable; and if it was true, Otis' behaviour had become even more ridiculous than the stunt that Terence tried to pull a few seconds again.

"What did you say?" she reiterated.

"He left. He went back to the dormitory," Terence repeated himself with more details this time around.

The Instructor wanted to believe that the Kenton child was lying and was probably in on some stunt with Otis, but the more she looked at Terence, the faster she realised that it was not possible.

Terence's persona and tone of speech were not that of someone who would play such stupid jokes. He was already irritated that he had to miss a period of class; no matter how cool and unbothered he wanted to appear, Miss Carrington could see right through that mask.

—––

Meanwhile, back at the dormitory for the First Year males.

Otis groaned with satisfaction as he adjusted on the toilet seat, holding his tummy and disposing of natural waste.

"Fuck, Otis," he cursed. "I knew I shouldn't have had that milk again."

Kwurruurruru~~!!!

His stomach rumbled violently.

Otis sighed in his heart, knowing he was going to stay in this toilet for a while.

However, he was thankful that his plan of exploiting Terence's situation to get out of the class worked. No way in hell was he going to say he wanted to take a shit.

"Phew."

—––

Author's Note:

The novel has been successfully contracted. Thanks for all the support so far and the continuing ones.

Enjoy.