51 Bloody Training!
"ARRRGGG?! M-Mummy!"
Screams echoed as Gray left his place…
Bloodshot eyes, body splashed with blood from the earlier haunting, and gloomy aura from being so fucking tired. At that moment, he had long stopped looking like a human being!
"Goddamn students! I should have reapplied to be a student back then! I would only have my handsome self to worry about!" he grumbled as he rushed through the Academy.
Even now, he could see the SOS Lizzy had sent to the Mage Club:
— SupacomputaGirl: "Help! They won't let us in. What should we do?!"
— WeAreLegion: "I'm on my fucking way. Don't you dare move!"
— Little Apple: "Where are you guys going? Can I come?"
It didn't take him long to arrive and figure out the issue. At the Mess Hall's back entrance, there was now a confrontation, Zhang jiggling with fury!
"What do you mean screw Teacher Gale?!"
"Eh, I'll say it, and I'll repeat it, screw him!"
"You bastard! Who do you think you—"
But before he could continue, Gray appeared. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he utterly stopped his rage and momentum as he turned toward the other guy.
"Screw Teacher Gale, was it? Well, I understand. He's really handsome, after all. Still, is now the time and place to tell us about your crush?" Gray utterly trolled the man.
The guy, a being of white with an even whiter chef hat, froze from the sudden interruption before trembling mightily.
"T-That's not what I meant! Also, who the hell are you, a beggar?! There's no way any of you are making it inside my kitchen!"
"Oh? But I'm pretty sure Lizzy here properly received permission beforehand."
That's when she took out a certificate that gave them the right to use this place for training as long as they simply cooked. But even seeing this…
"Tch— That's only because we thought she meant Teacher Eagleye!"
"So it's your mistake? That settles it. Go in, all of you!"
Gray was utterly disrespecting him! The Chef didn't even hesitate, circulating his Mana as he prepared to teach them all a lesson. He'd beat those arrogant kids and—
"Here, catch!"
Gray simply threw his Teacher Badge over.
Seeing this, the man stopped yet lost none of his animosity. This bastard!
He was using a Teacher's authority against him! It probably was that useless Teacher Gale's Badge, right? Still, he couldn't ignore it either.
As for Gray himself being a Teacher? As if! There was no way this trash-looking fellow was anyone important! Thus, he growled as he finally relented.
"F-Fine, his students can go in, but not you! I'll be damned if a beggar enters our kitchen! We have strict rules for salubrity, and even a Badge won't be enough!"
"Fair enough— Have fun, you guys! Ah, but before I forget, Zhang, did you take the Pills?" Gray had barely asked that the latter's entire being shook with dread.
That's when he fished something out of his robes.
Green Pills that emitted an aromatic scent. Hell, just sniffing their odor was enough to make the poor student's stomach rumble mightily: Titan's Appetite Pills!
A single one was enough to transform a serene monk into a Ravenous Ghost!
It was a little thing Gray had gotten from the Alchemy Department. The whole bottle? 200 Obsidian Coins! They were rather cheap because not many needed them.
All they did → Make one Hungry!
Seeing this, the man by the side felt cold sweat down his back.
This was freaking Fatty Zhang, the man who was banned from the Mess Hall already for stealing so much food! And now he'd be in his kitchen after having taken this thing?!
"NOOO FUCKING WAYYYY! —"
"Shhh—As far as you're concerned, it doesn't change a thing. Don't worry; you'll be reimbursed for every dish eaten, double the value, alright?"
Then he turned to his student…
"Now, Zhang, listen up. If you eat anything in there, anything at all, you'll be kicked from being a Personal Disciple, alright? Don't disappoint me!"
The poor fellow looked as if the whole world was crumbling. Then, he went inside the kitchen with the resolve to die. Hell, his stomach was already rumbling like a war machine!
The others quickly followed suit, except one student that Gray stopped.
"Lizzy, one last thing before you go. Here, grab this…"
"T-Teacher, your Badge?! I can't! What if—"
"You got this! Just follow the plan."
On that note, he happily left, more than eager to crash down. Only two days were left before the Welcoming Ceremony, aka the Survival Game.
Today → Training by themselves
Tomorrow → Direct Training with him
He'd be damned if they failed even the first goddamn test they took! Back home, Gray slumbered, his head filled with countless plans and his dreams with victorious students.
As for what happened while he slept…
Blood! Blood everywhere! So much goddamn blood! The nice, peaceful kitchen had turned into a bloodbath, Academy Cooks trembling in various corners.
"T-They're mad!"
"What's wrong with them?!"
"Whose students are those?!"
This wasn't the first time a Mage Student came to the kitchens to experience what it as like. A humbling and fun experience, they'd play around a bit and never be back.
Not THOSE students!
First, Fatty Zhang. The cooks instantly recognized him as the villain that kept raiding their storages! But today, he was even scarier, he looked like a ravenous demon from hell!
"Hungryyyy! So damn hungryyyyy! ARGGG, It all looks so tasty! I wanna eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! — NO! Teacher Gale said no! COOK! COOK! COOK!" He looked utterly mad and demonic!
Heck, he looked at the poor cooks as if they were more meat than humans. He should have been the worst, right? Not even!
Second, there was a weird monk-like guy. If Fatty Zhang was outwardly terrifying, this one was calm, composed, and downright insane! He was VERY motivated to cook!
VERY MOTIVATED!
Every second, the cooks felt like crying. Brother, you're supposed to say something when you almost chop your finger! Not just go, 'Sorry for the mess, I'll do better'.
As for convincing him to take a damn break? That was even more impossible. His teacher had told him to cook, and so he would cook! They felt themselves descend into insanity.
Yet, amidst those madman, there was a ray of hope: the third student. A cute pink-haired girl and an utter angel. Well behaved, kind, and overall a real sunshine.
As she approached one of the cooks, gently tugging on his sleeve, the latter couldn't help but feel himself young again.
"E-Excuse me, mister cook, but…."
"Hehe, what is it, young one? Can this uncle do anything for you?"
"T-This… There should be a chicken shipment arriving soon. When it does, can you warn me? T-Teacher asked us to practice k-killing…"
She was so cute that she even stuttered on killing, what a gentle girl! As for the the chicken thing? Her Teacher had obviously pranked her: this was a kitchen, not a slaughterhouse!
The meat would obviously come pre-processed and—
— Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! —
No, this couldn't be. He must be imagining things. There was no way that…
— Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! —
— Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! —
— Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! —
Chickens?! Whole ass chickens?! Amidst a shellshocked kitchen, a certain pink-haired girl took charge of things, just like Teacher had ordered. It was time to start the slaughter.
Ah, there was one last thing she had to do. She suddenly drew something on the wall, nodding at her handiwork.
"Power wins fight? No, viciousness does! KILL!"
— Teacher Gale, sometime yesterday.
What kind of quote was that?! No, seriously, what the hell?! But either case, his students took it to heart— And that's when the slaughter began:
Chicken → Bloody mess + A Little meat
Chicken → Bloody mess + Some of the meat
Chicken → Bloody mess + Most of the original meat
The students killed, and killed, and killed some more, actually getting good in the process. But most importantly, they didn't even bat an eye at the sight of blood anymore.
It kept going until the Head-Cook really couldn't take it anymore.
"GET OUT! Get the hell out! Badge, no badge. Promise, no promise. I don't give a damn anymore. Get the hell out of my kitchen! I'll—"
That's when the cute pink-haired girl… or bloody red by now, gently tugged at his sleeve too, giving him a note. On it were only a few words:
"If you receive this note, it means you've asked my students to leave. Let's settle this properly: with a cookout! Lizzy will represent us. Or are you too chicken? Pun intended."
It was even signed… Handsome Teacher Gale?!
They had heard the rumors, but only now did they understand how shameless that new teacher really was! Reading this, the man instantly started laughing.
"Pfftt— As if there would be any point in doing that at—" but this time again, he was interrupted by yet another cute tugging and note.
"Let her cook — Signed Teacher Gale!"
"Y-You, how many goddamn notes do you have?!"
The cook rhetorically exclaimed. But then, his shock turned to bafflement, confusion, and sheer dread. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with this Teacher?!
Lizzy was now taking countless notes—not just dozens, but hundreds. When had he even taken the time to give all this to her?! Hehe, back when he had been teaching, of course!
Still a challenge, was it? Lizzy cutely raised her fist...
