28 Chapter 27: Teachers and Classroom
[Third Person's Point of View]
In addition to the faint negative energy that permeated his surroundings, August's heightened senses also picked up on large clusters of cursed energy; cursed spirits.
However, this created a dilemma. They were not big enough to serve as his intended targets, forcing him to slowly float higher above the forest and expand his search radius in every direction.
'Hmm, Grade 3.....Grade 2...Grade 4? Tch' He spent a good ten minutes searching the surrounding area with no luck. Right as he was about to explore further into the forest, he felt a strong surge of cursed energy that stopped him in his tracks. He focused his senses on pinpointing the source.
"Grade 1!?"
In a split second, he teleported to the cursed spirit's location and was met with a grotesque sight. Before him stood a massive creature resembling an arthropod, with multiple fleshy limbs protruding from its body.
The bright blue numbers and characters of his newly upgraded Observe quickly updated to display the cursed spirit's information.
[Insect Type Cursed Spirit - Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit - Tier 8]
[CE Reserves- B, Innate Cursed Technique- Hard Shell]
'Atleast it has reserves matching its size' he snorted at the ugly cursed spirit in front of him.
Despite having a Cursed energy reserve that was equivalent to an average High-Class Devil, it was still weaker than a low-grade middle-class in combat.
There were many factors leading to this assessment.
Firstly, it was a commonly held belief that Cursed Energy was significantly weaker than Magical Energy. The reason for this?
No one ever gave a clear or adequate explanation, but this was the general consensus among the supernatural population
And this irritated him to no end.
That's why despite possessing great energy reserves, Curse Spirits were generally a lot weaker than their energy class.
The Innate Technique was the second crucial element. Hard Shell provided a strong defence, making it very hard to defeat. However, despite its effectiveness, Tiers - which evaluated an individual's overall strength - could only give it a rating of eight.
However, even a Grade One cursed spirit had enough power to defeat over three-fourths of the supernatural beings on Earth in a one-on-one battle, so it was no scoffing matter.
The Insect-Type cursed spirit noticed August's floating figure and lunged at him instantly, but soon crashed into a translucent barrier a few meters from its position.
[Infinity Prison]
Inspired by his Aegis of Inifinity, this prison trapped its target in translucent barriers that absorb both magical and physical attacks, even blocking the leakage of esoteric energy from inside to prevent alerting others.
Due to its dual nature, the spell's durability was significantly reduced. Any powerful supernatural being above middle-class could easily destroy it with a single blow, but for the cursed spirit trapped inside, it was an unbreakable prison.
'Now for the finisher'
[Mass Teleport]
The scenery melted together, then sharpened into a claustrophobic alleyway, enclosed by drab grey walls on both sides, making the alley feel even more confined. Trash cans were scattered throughout, filled to the brim with garbage that spilt onto the pavement. The pavement itself was cracked and littered with debris.
Interestingly, this location was not chosen randomly, but a strategic move from August. Located just 5 minutes off Tokyo Metropolitan Minato High School, this abandoned alleyway served as the perfect place for planting evidence.
The translucent swirling barrier around the cursed spirit disappeared as it once again tried to attack the figure standing in front of it, but predictably failed as chains made up of dense rocks appeared out of thin air and tightly wrapped itself around the cursed spirit, pushing it into the pavement.
[Earth Magic: Terra Chains]
The already weathered pavement cracked from the weight of the giant insect-like cursed spirit, but the chains around it held the abomination in its place securely.
Engaging in S&M with a cursed spirit was definitely not part of his to-do list. As the barrier was lifted, an intense surge of negative energy flooded out, previously trapped within its confines. The release of this energy acted as a beacon, drawing the attention of any sorcerer with even minimal sensory abilities.
The ground cracked even more as the cursed spirit struggled to break free to no avail. Just when the 30-second mark passed, the chains miraculously loosened on their own, unleashing the captive entity towards the human target it had been fixated on. This time, it succeeded in reaching its intended victim.
Bam-
A curtain of dust filled the air as the hard and heavy body leapt onto the spot where August had just been standing. The ground beneath it fractured and crumbled, causing the walls of the alleyway to also collapse.
A powerful burst of wind swept away the dust, revealing the cursed spirit's target standing before it with a smug grin on his face, completely unscathed.
Bam- Bam- Bam-
It attempted the manoeuvre multiple times, increasing its speed with each repetition, but the outcome remained frustratingly unchanged.
Just as it crashed to the ground one last time, a new set of rock chains snaked around it, effectively immobilizing its intended victim.
August stood at the same place he was initially, checking his surroundings.
'This much should be enough'
[Amaterasu]
Dark black flames engulfed the cursed spirit and started cooking it alive inside its shell. It tried to break free many times, but the rockchain miraculously remained undamaged from the fire.
The inky-black blaze quickly consumed its target, reducing it to a blackened mass of flesh. In mere moments, it would have been reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes if he didn't turn it off.
After all, ashes cannot serve as proper evidence in this case.
After a cursed spirit is vanquished, their physical form usually disintegrates and their cursed energy fades away. However, the more powerful the spirit, the longer this process takes to complete.
In the case of a Grade One cursed spirit, the bare minimum was a few minutes. Enough to serve his purpose. After all, he could feel cursed energy signatures nearing his location.
Nodding in satisfaction with a last look at the scene, he blinked out.
***
The morning sun cast a warm glow over the Tokyo Metropolitan Minato High School, its rays reflecting off the polished windows of the modern facade. The school stood proudly in the heart of Minato, a sign of learning amidst the bustling city life. The entrance was flanked by two cherry blossom trees, now adorned in lush green due to the oncoming summer.
The school's architecture was a harmonious blend of contemporary design and functional elegance, with clean lines and a spacious forecourt that prioritised practicality with a touch of aesthetics blended in.
August walked in through the front gate and entered the building as the voices of the students inside became louder in his ears. Just shy of a ten-minute walk from his place, this school served as a place of extreme interest for him.
The school building was three floors tall, with the principal's office located on the first floor. He knocked on the door before entering, since he already had scheduled an appointment in advance.
"Welcome Blackwood-san" The elderly man, Naozane Hara rose from his desk as the newest addition to the school's teaching faculty stood before him and greeted the midnight-haired man with a warm smile.
Yesterday, August met with the man and they officially sealed the deal for his new job. It turned out that Prof. Yoritoki's recommendation carried a lot of weight than he imagined, and August was able to secure the position without using any underhanded tactics like hypnosis.
"Or shall I call you Blackwood-sensei? Hahaha" The man laughed at his own wicked(?) sense of humour and led them towards the staff room.
"Come, I'll introduce you to the faculty"
*
The morning sun continued to edge towards noon as the door of classroom 1-3 swung open and a middle-aged man stepped inside. He paused in the centre of the room, directly in front of the teacher's podium.
"Good morning sensei!" the class rang out in unison.
"Good morning class. I have an important announcement to share with you all." The students perked up at the statement, and just as if it was planned, the door opened and a dark-haired foreigner entered the room, walking over to the podium as he stood facing the students.
--Gasp
The man was dressed sharply in a slim-fit dress shirt and creme-white chinos, paired with polished brown leather loafers. He exuded an air of confidence and sophistication, his midnight hair perfectly styled.
But it was his eyes that captivated everyone's attention.
In this world, it was not uncommon for people to have eye colours that deviated from the standard hues. Shades of gold, pink, and red were often seen, and even violet eyes, though rare, were not unheard of.
But August's piercing violet eyes were captivating, shining like amethysts in the sunlight and casting a gentle purple aura around him. The class couldn't help but be transfixed by his gaze, filled with wonder and admiration.
Even though his eyes were hidden behind a pair of powerless glasses that he wore to avoid exactly these types of situations, it didn't make much of a difference.
"Ahem" The middle-aged teacher standing at the podium cleared his throat to get the class' attention and continued "Starting today he will be your new English teacher."
With that, he turned towards August, waiting for him to introduce himself to the class.
"Hello everyone. My name is August Blackwood, and I'll be your new English Teacher"
"Kyaaa!!!"
With that, the classroom burst into an excited chatter, the students' faces lighting up with curiosity and anticipation. Some were waving their hands in the air, trying to get the new teacher's attention, while others were shouting in their seats with excitement.
He even picked out phrases such as "Are you single!?", "Sensei, are you from another country?", "Your Japanese is impressive", "Sensei, you're so good-looking!" and even a desperate "Please marry me!!".
This was his third class of the day, and it felt like déjà vu. But even with these children testing his patience all day, he couldn't help but feel content and joyful.
Why?
Because, after months of preparation, his ultimate goal was finally within reach; sitting in front of him.
In the rear of his classroom, a 16-year-old boy with tousled black hair and deep blue eyes slumped in his seat, his body language betraying a lack of confidence. Dark circles under his droopy eyes hinted at sleepless nights.
"You guys, quite down!" The middle-aged teacher banged on his desk, as the loud chatter and questions quietened down.
Smiling softly at the class, August continued, "Unfortunately, I can't answer all of your questions right now. We have limited time, so let's begin with the lesson."
He nodded gratefully to the teacher who left the podium for him and exited the classroom.
"Before we begin," He locked his gaze on the dark silhouette hovering behind the raven-haired boy for a moment before addressing the class. "You may refer to me as sensei or August-sensei. Got it?"
"Hai, August-sensei"
The class responded in unison, their pronunciation of his name causing him to cringe. The Japanese people always struggled with it, butchering it loudly as they exclaimed 'Ōgasuto' with enthusiasm.
"Let's start"
Turning to face the blackboard, his eyes stayed locked on the lines of text floating on the right side of his vision as he wrote.
[Yuta Okkotsu - Cursed Human - Tier 10]
[CE Reserves-SS(Shared), Innate Cursed Technique- Rika, Copy(Unactivated)]
and lastly,
[Rika Orimoto - Vengeful Cursed Spirit - 'Queen of Curses' - Tier 6]
[CE Reserves-SS(Shared), Innate Cursed Technique- Copy(Unactivated)(Shared)]
'As expected of the initial protagonist of the series. Gege should have really gone with him as the main character.'
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Author-san here!!!
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