Chapter 211 — Training The Mafia I
6 min read ·
Emmanuel Langsten looked troubled despite recognizing the logic.
"But the way he phrased it... ’professors are paid to teach, not act special.’ That’s deliberately insulting to get an emotional reaction."
Seraphina spoke quietly from her position.
"It’s also true. Many professors here do act like teaching is beneath them. Like students should be grateful just for their presence."
"..."
An uncomfortable silence followed that observation.
Admond Ashford’s voice cut through again, louder and angrier.
"I don’t have TIME to teach stupid commoners! My research is far more valuable than babysitting talentless children who’ll never amount to anything!"
"..."
The entire staff room went silent.
Every professor turned to look at Admond with varying expressions – shock, disgust and anger.
The commoner professors’ faces went cold, their eyes showing barely controlled fury.
’Did he just... did he actually say that out loud?’
Salazar Blackwood broke the tension with his eccentric laugh.
"Well! The kid was always smart, haha! The Imperial families tried to suppress him by pressuring us not to guide him. Now he’s showing his edge toward us professors in return. I love it! Perfect revenge!"
His black eyes sparkled with genuine amusement.
Emmanuel Langsten frowned.
"What are you being so happy for? He’s not your disciple anymore. Your family forced you to sever that relationship."
Salazar’s smile vanished immediately, replaced by visible regret and frustration toward his own family circumstances.
His hands clenched involuntarily.
’If only I’d fought harder against the pressure. If only I’d maintained that relationship.’
Seraphina’s voice cut through the various emotional reactions, her S+ rank presence making everyone pay attention.
"Ever since I arrived at this Academy, I’ve observed the state of things. The corruption, the bias and the wasted potential. All these changes Damian is implementing? I welcome them completely."
Her violet eyes swept across the assembled faculty.
"The Federation sent me here to guide students for what’s coming. To maximize their chances of surviving the future. These reforms serve that purpose. They make students stronger, better prepared and more unified."
Silence spread again as every professor’s face became serious. Even Admond became serious.
Because they all knew what she meant.
Troublesome times were approaching. The talent surge this year wasn’t random. And when catastrophe came, they’d need every student as capable as possible.
Not just the Nobles... Everyone.
****
[Academy Forest - Behind Campus - Afternoon]
Damian led his Mafia students through the eastern gate, past the boundary wards – which he never really noticed before, into the dense forest that most students viewed with fear.
More than thirty students followed him, all wearing combat gear, all carrying weapons, their expressions mixing nervousness with determination.
They walked in silence until reaching a clearing where the trees opened enough to see sky, but the sounds of beasts echoed from deeper within.
Damian stopped and turned to face them.
"Enter the forest. Just like the first time I protected you during fights with gangs in Tranquil City, I’ll protect you while you face beasts here."
His crimson eyes swept across each face.
"But understand – this is real combat. These beasts want to kill you. They don’t negotiate, don’t show mercy and don’t hesitate."
He pointed toward the darker sections of forest.
"Go. Hunt and get stronger!"
The students moved forward, breaking into practiced groups, their formation showing months of combat experience in city streets.
Damian jumped onto Kuro’s back, the raven expanding to carry his weight, both of them rising into the air to observe from above.
****
[Forest Combat - Various Encounters]
The first beast to attack was a D rank Shadow Wolf – black fur blending with forest darkness, fangs dripping with venom.
"ROAR!"
It lunged at Marcus, who seemed half-drunk despite the danger.
But his movements told a different story.
Marcus swayed like he was about to fall, and the wolf’s bite missed by inches.
His fist came up in a devastating uppercut enhanced by his weapon art – Drunken Fury, which made his unpredictable movements even more chaotic and powerful.
BAM
The wolf’s jaw shattered, its body flying backward to crash into a tree.
Selena appeared from the beast’s blind spot like a ghost, her twin daggers finding the spine with surgical precision.
First kill confirmed!
****
Ronan faced a D rank Stone Bear – massive and armored with rock-like hide, strong enough to crush bones.
His bare hands should have been useless against that defense.
But his innate Brute Strength skill activated, muscles swelling, and his weapon art Titan’s Fury made his already large frame grow even larger, power multiplying.
He caught the bear’s charging attack with his hands, boots digging into earth, then lifted the entire beast and slammed it into the ground with earth-shaking force.
BOOM.
The impact created a crater, the bear’s armor cracking.
Ronan’s fist came down like a hammer, finishing it.
SPLASH
****
Lysa Morwen stood fifty meters back, her bow drawn, her innate Sensory skill showing her every beast’s location through the trees.
Her weapon art Piercing Gale wrapped her arrows in compressed wind, making them faster and more penetrating than any normal shot.
Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.
Three arrows found three different beasts – all headshots, all instant kills – before the creatures even knew she was there.
She generated another Aura arrow calmly, scanning for the next target.
****
Edrin commanded the overall battle from a central position, his innate Tactical skill processing multiple combat scenarios simultaneously.
"Rio, shield left! A wolf pack is approaching!"
Rio responded instantly, his shield growing larger through his weapon art – Fortress Guardian, which could expand his defensive equipment and create barriers.
The wolves crashed against an impromptu wall, stunned.
"Selena, finish them!"
Twin daggers flashed, and wolves fell.
"Lysa, wyvern in the trees, twenty degrees northeast!"
Arrow already flying before he finished speaking.
Edrin’s twin swords moved in perfect rhythm, his personal combat synchronized with his commands, making the group fight like a professional military unit rather than students.
****
Zavier Wells fought with controlled fury, his spear – a simple but well-crafted weapon – moving with deadly precision.
His weapon art Storm Piercer created concentrated points of rotating energy at his spear tip, letting him penetrate defenses that should have blocked such attacks.
He faced a D rank Razor Boar, its tusks capable of cutting through steel.
But Zavier didn’t dodge and didn’t retreat.
His spear met the charge head-on, Storm Piercer activated, the rotating energy boring through the boar’s armored skull like it was made of paper.
The beast dropped dead mid-charge, momentum carrying its corpse past Zavier, who stood unmoved.
His eyes were cold, empty of the nervousness that used to define him.
’Kill them all!’
****
Ariana Sterling was poetry in motion.
Her evolved Spatial skill let her create micro-portals for movement, appearing and disappearing across the battlefield like a phantom.
She used a katana now – elegant, sharp and perfectly suited to her fighting style.
Her weapon art Void Edge channeled spatial energy along the blade, making her cuts extend beyond the physical metal, slicing through space itself.
Three beasts surrounded her position.
She walked forward calmly, her katana already in cutting position, her body flowing through them like water.
One step... Two steps... Three steps...
She stopped on the other side of the beasts and clicked her katana shut into its scabbard.
Click.
Only then did the cuts appear – dimensional slashes that had already severed the beasts at impossible angles, their bodies falling apart in pieces, blood spraying.
Her face showed nothing. No satisfaction or disgust. Just cold efficiency.
She’d learned from her traumas – From nearly being raped and from watching her family almost die.
Never be weak again! Never hesitate! Never show mercy to those who would destroy you!