The second lecture hall felt completely different from Catherine Vale's class.
Where her classroom carried sharp tension and suffocating pressure—
This one felt old.
Not outdated.
Experienced.
The massive lecture chamber smelled faintly of old paper, wood polish, and burned mana crystals. Sunlight filtered through the tall arched windows near the ceiling while students slowly filled the seats with noticeably less energy than before.
Apparently getting spiritually dismantled by Catherine Vale drained morale universally.
Meanwhile, I sat near the middle rows while half-listening to nearby conversations.
Most students were still discussing the earlier lecture.
"Miss Catherine was terrifying…"
"Did you feel that pressure from the flame?"
"I thought I was gonna die."
"Same."
Reasonable reactions.
That woman casually threatened psychological damage as a teaching method.
Then—
Clack.
A wooden cane struck the floor once.
The noise wasn't loud.
Yet somehow the entire lecture hall quieted instantly.
An old man slowly walked toward the center platform.
Tall.
Thin.
Sharp-featured.
His silver hair was combed neatly backward while a long dark-green academy coat rested over his shoulders like a military cape.
One of his eyes remained closed beneath an ugly scar stretching from forehead to cheek.
The other eye—
Golden.
Bright enough to feel unnatural.
Professor Gideon Graves.
One of Imperial Academy's oldest surviving combat scholars.
And according to the novel—
An absolute monster.
Most students only knew him as a retired veteran and Corrupted Zone specialist.
But in reality?
This old man once personally survived three Gate Calamities.
Something even many top-ranked awakeners failed to accomplish.
The terrifying part was—
He wasn't famous because he won.
He was famous because he survived.
Which in this world honestly mattered more.
Professor Graves slowly set several thick books onto the desk before glancing across the lecture hall.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Unlike Catherine's cold intimidation—
His presence felt heavy.
Like standing before someone who had witnessed too many people die.
"Sit properly," the old man said calmly.
Every student straightened instantly.
No mana pressure.
No threats.
Yet nobody dared ignore him.
Professor Graves tapped the cane lightly against the floor again.
"Today's lecture concerns Corrupted Zones."
Several students visibly became more attentive immediately.
Of course they did.
Corrupted Zones were one of the biggest reasons Imperial Academy existed in the first place.
Because no matter how advanced civilization became—
Humanity was still losing territory.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Constantly.
The old professor turned toward the board behind him.
A massive map of the continent appeared through mana projection.
Several areas glowed red.
Some covered entire countries.
"Most of you," Graves began evenly, "understand Corrupted Zones incorrectly."
His golden eye scanned the room.
"You believe they are simply areas with high monster activity."
A pause.
"That assumption is why inexperienced awakeners die."
The room became quieter.
Professor Graves pointed his cane toward one glowing red region near the northern continent.
"Corrupted Zones are locations where reality itself has become unstable."
Ah.
Straight to the important part.
No wonder this old man survived so long.
He skipped unnecessary nonsense immediately.
"Mana density rises abnormally."
"Environmental laws begin changing."
"Native wildlife mutates."
"Monsters reproduce faster."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"The land itself becomes hostile to human existence."
Several first-year students looked uneasy now.
"The lowest classification is [E-Class Corrupted Zone]."
The map shifted.
Several smaller red marks appeared.
"Manageable."
"Usually requires local military response only."
Then more regions appeared.
"[D-Class]."
"Monster populations become sustainable."
"[C-Class]."
"Permanent corruption begins forming."
The map darkened further.
"[B-Class]."
"Entire cities become uninhabitable."
Some students swallowed nervously.
Then—
Professor Graves pointed toward the darkest regions on the map.
The ones practically stained black.
"[S+Class] and above."
Silence filled the lecture hall.
Even the air felt heavier somehow.
The old man's expression remained emotionless.
"Those are regions humanity no longer controls."
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone understood what that meant.
The professor slowly looked across the room.
"Do you know why the Solhaven Empire maintains mandatory military contracts for high-ranking awakeners?"
No response.
Professor Graves answered anyway.
"Because if those zones expand unchecked—"
Tap.
His cane struck the floor once.
"—entire nations disappear."
The room became dead silent.
Meanwhile, I quietly leaned back in my seat.
Because unlike most students here—
I knew he wasn't exaggerating.
The future got far worse.
Much worse.
These current Corrupted Zones?
They were nothing compared to what would come after the Gates fully destabilized ten years later.
Professor Graves suddenly narrowed his eye slightly.
"Mr. Valtor. It's good to see you return after your long vacation. I hope you won't do anything that won't put you in the same spot."
Ah.
Damn it. Again with that!
Several students immediately turned toward me, some giggling quietly while others looked curious with various other negative emotions.
"What is the survival rate of first-time awakener teams entering an unmanaged [C-Class Corrupted Zone]?"
Without waiting for my response, he went ahead and asked the question.
Well—
The question itself was easy.
I remembered this from the novel.
"Roughly thirty-two percent," I answered calmly.
A few students looked surprised.
Professor Graves stared at me for a moment before nodding once.
"Correct."
Murmurs spread quietly through the hall.
Apparently nobody expected Damian Valtor to know academic information voluntarily.
The professor continued without comment.
"And do you know why the rate is so low?"
"Overconfidence," I answered immediately.
This time the old man's visible eye sharpened slightly.
"Explain."
The classroom attention shifted toward me completely now.
I resisted the urge to fake my death immediately.
Still—
I answered calmly.
"Most awakeners overestimate combat ability and underestimate environmental instability."
Several students frowned thoughtfully.
So I continued.
"Monsters aren't the only threat inside Corrupted Zones."
I pointed lightly toward the projected map.
"Mana poisoning."
"Terrain distortion."
"Mental corruption."
"Supply collapse."
"Loss of communication."
"Visibility anomalies."
"Sleep deprivation."
"Internal team panic."
Professor Graves watched silently.
Meanwhile, more students slowly became attentive.
"Most inexperienced teams focus entirely on fighting monsters," I continued.
"But statistically speaking, environmental factors kill nearly as many people as direct combat does."
Silence.
Then—
Professor Graves nodded slowly.
"Correct again."
The room erupted into much louder murmurs now.
Meanwhile, Kevin glanced toward me briefly with narrowed eyes.
Suspicious again.
Professor Graves tapped his cane once more.
"Remember this carefully."
His voice became colder.
"The strongest awakeners are not the ones who kill best."
A pause.
"They are the ones who return alive."
That sentence hit differently coming from him.
Because unlike most professors—
Gideon Graves had buried enough people to mean it literally.
The lecture continued for another hour afterward.
Corrupted Zone classifications.
Monster migration patterns.
Emergency protocols.
Gate instability signs.
And after the lecture finally ended, lunch break arrived.
Professor Graves exited the hall slowly while students immediately began standing up and talking again before heading toward the cafeteria.
Leon was already gone.
Probably continuing whatever mysterious side-character mission he always seemed to be doing.
As for me?
I was just about to leave too when I noticed a folded piece of paper sitting on my desk.
"...Hm?"
I picked it up carefully.
The handwriting was messy.
Aggressive.
Almost like the writer pressed the pen hard enough to stab through the paper itself.
—Why the fuck are you here?
I stared at the note for several silent seconds.
Then sighed deeply.
"...Finally."
The bullying arc officially resumed.
I was almost impressed by their dedication.