They—should we just call them the previous lecture group? Their next moves were executed flawlessly.
It was a method often seen before when factions clashed in power struggles at the Tower.
Sinister yet simple schemes.
First, they spread the rumor far and wide—that the Independent Mage Alliance, once allied with them, had been wiped out by others.
Their target was the so-called “Buyers’ Group,” to which Luciella belonged.
The rumor quickly spread across the entire second floor.
No matter how much the doors were sealed shut, whispers could never be silenced.
A faint sense of unease began to circulate among the students.
While spreading the rumor, the previous lecture group systematically hunted down lone mages who had hidden themselves, avoiding groups.
The hunts were carried out with skill.
After all, the Tower was a familiar place to them.
They also wasted no time in spreading news of their hunts.
Their whispers, carried by magic, filled the second floor.
Their motive for targeting the Buyers’ Group was clear—it had grown into the largest organization in the lecture.
It was a calculated plan to turn them into public enemies and weaken their power as much as possible.
Of course, we could only see this so clearly because we were watching from the screen.
The students likely didn’t grasp the full picture.
Some would doubt the rumors, while others would believe them.
This was a method Jun often used.
They had learned well from him.
But they had overlooked a crucial point.
Luciella and her group remained unfazed despite hearing the rumors.
Instead, they quietly traced the source.
Spells traveled back and forth along the corridors.
I glanced at the mirror beetle.
Inside, Luciella sat deep in thought.
Her calm demeanor, unshaken by excitement, made me nod unconsciously.
Perhaps I should award her extra points for mental resilience.
She only opened her eyes once the source of the rumors became clear.
Upon hearing the truth, she let out a savage grin.
“It seems they think little of us. In that case, we should utterly destroy them.”
The moment their enemy was identified, they moved swiftly. They did not deny the rumors. On the contrary, they acted in a way that seemed to confirm them—ruthlessly.
They stormed through rooms, slaughtering students as they advanced.
They sought only one thing: the complete eradication of those who opposed them.
The previous lecture group was caught off guard.
They had likely not anticipated such a response.
Their plan had only been to cause minor disturbances—just like Jun, they aimed to spread rumors and plant hostility against their targets.
However, overwhelming strength often proved to be the simplest way to shatter any scheme—just as the Buyers’ Group was now demonstrating.
That fact had slipped their minds.
Jun had always prepared multiple escape routes for such scenarios.
In contrast, these people lacked the capability.
Without a focal point, their group collapsed into disarray.
Feeling slightly disappointed, I lowered their scores bit by bit.
The Buyers’ Group relentlessly pursued those who spread the rumors, crushing the previous lecture group with meticulous precision.
They scattered in different directions, but on the confined second floor, they couldn’t get far.
In the end, they all fell—just like Hao, the last one to collapse.
His limp body faded into the air.
With his elimination, the entire previous lecture group was wiped out.
But the Buyers’ Group wasn’t satisfied.
They pushed forward, attacking others as well.
Their movements suggested they had already grasped the situation.
No one stood in their way as they rampaged.
One by one, the number of mages dwindled.
This was no longer a battle—it was a massacre.
***
[Oh, I like this. Watching people being swept away like fallen leaves is quite the sight. Oh, look over there—that one who just got struck by magic and collapsed. That reminds me of fifteen hundred years ago when I ate a monster and ended up with a terrible stomachache. Back then, all I cared about was eating…]
The Fang Necklace chattered on beside me.
He had returned to the lecture hall the moment the fighting began, bound by his promise not to interfere in any way.
Watching the screen, he kept clicking his teeth lightly, as if pleased with the scene unfolding before him.
Time passed, and the situation grew even more chaotic.
The sheer dominance of the Buyers’ Group stirred the observing students into action.
Swordsmen, surviving mages, and various small factions began to move.
They clashed, tangled in a complex web, unleashing their magic against one another.
I continued gathering their words, recording everything onto paper through my wandering puppets.
The Fang Necklace, meanwhile, simply rambled on about the fight.
As the battle progressed, the students’ abilities became clearer.
Having observed them for quite some time, it was easy to form a rough assessment.
Even if not in exact detail, I could determine an average score.
The puppets of the eliminated students transported their unconscious masters to the infirmary.
Shocked by their ‘deaths,’ they lay motionless as the puppets placed them onto the available beds.
As time passed, the boundaries between groups blurred.
The battlefield devolved into a chaotic free-for-all.
Victory was no longer determined by strategy but by sheer strength.
And amidst the chaos, certain individuals stood out.
With overwhelming power and precise judgment, they dominated the battlefield.
Their ability to turn the tide single-handedly was undeniably breathtaking.
I awarded them generous additional points.
They showcased their abilities, cutting down other mages one by one.
They expended their magic without hesitation—after all, the treasure was worth that much to them.
At the center of it all stood Cassian.
Another mage fell, slashed by her sword.
Satisfied by the sensation, she smiled as she flicked her blade, scattering blood across the floor.
The widespread mayhem was partly her doing.
Without hesitation, she had charged at clustered enemies, and they had crumbled before her sword.
Their magic failed to even graze her.
She meticulously felled one student after another, as if evaluating each of them in turn.
Throughout the process, her body moved in subtly different ways—experimenting with techniques learned in the treasure vault from the Mummy.
I awarded her the highest marks for physical prowess.
There was likely no one among them who could surpass her.
Even Luciella, leader of the Buyers’ Group, eventually became her prey.
It was inevitable—her presence had been striking even from afar.
According to Hwaryoung, Luciella belonged to some noble family.
That much was understandable, given the power she exuded.
To Cassian, she must have seemed like an intriguing opponent.
Amidst the battle, Luciella unleashed devastating flames.
Her scorching inferno consumed dozens of mages and spread wildly in all directions.
It even reached Cassian.
From that moment on, Cassian pursued her relentlessly.
Yet, surprisingly, she never managed to cut Luciella down.
Luciella never engaged her directly, instead evading and stalling for time.
Rather than confronting a troublesome foe, she focused on eliminating others first.
She seemed to view the fight as a point-based competition.
So did the others.
The students unleashed killing intent at one another, and one by one, they fell.
As I watched, time slipped away unnoticed.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the battle.
Only seven remained standing.
Cassian and Luciella were among them.
Cassian smacked her lips, clearly displeased that she had failed to cut Luciella down.
Luciella, in turn, looked at her with an exhausted expression.
From the shadows, the puppets who had hidden during the battle approached and silently led the survivors to the infirmary.
Among the heap of fallen students, they, too, began their slow recovery.
It took roughly an hour for everyone to regain consciousness.
The students returned to the lecture hall.
A lingering air of hostility hung between them. Understandable—after all, just moments ago, they had fought to the death.
Even so, those who had survived until the very end wore satisfied expressions.
Amidst the students, a sharp clattering sound rang out.
Their gazes slowly shifted toward its source.
There, floating in midair, the Fang Necklace was clashing its teeth together.
At the same time, the mirror in front of the students began to spill out words.
***
[Ah, watching people get swept away like fallen leaves—it was truly delightful. Magnificent! I was especially moved by the confidence of those who remained standing at the end! Let’s give them a round of applause in celebration. Come on, everyone, clap!]
With those words, the Fang Necklace clicked its teeth together cheerfully, as if mimicking clapping.
The students hesitated but eventually followed along with awkward applause.
[Hmm, the battle was enjoyable. I was quite fond of all of you. I was so impressed by your dedication that I decided to increase the number of selections. Originally, I was only going to take twenty of you, but now it’ll be thirty-two! You’ve all thoroughly won me over.]
Floating toward the front of the room, the Fang Necklace hovered above the podium, clicking its teeth in what seemed like a grin.
At those words, the long-surviving students showed expressions of joy.
[Now, let’s begin the selection. First up—this one!]
The Fang Necklace descended, landing directly on the head of a student sitting in the front row.
The chosen student stared blankly at the object resting atop their head.
A symbol appeared above them.
After touching it for a moment, the student let out a triumphant shout.
[Wonderful! Seeing such joy makes me happy as well. Now, onto the next one!]
The Fang Necklace leaped into the air and moved to another student’s head.
One by one, it bestowed its mark upon them.
Those chosen were ecstatic, while those overlooked fell into deep despair.
The Fang Necklace playfully flitted from head to head, seemingly enjoying their reactions.
By the time about twenty students had been chosen, murmurs spread through the room.
Though the selected ones occasionally let out cheers, they soon quieted down, sensing the tense atmosphere.
At the center of that tension stood those who had hardened their expressions, their bodies radiating displeasure through their magic.
Luciella, in particular, scowled deeply as she glared at the Fang Necklace.
The Fang Necklace had not chosen her.
It merely circled around her teasingly before moving on.
The same was true for the others.
None of the final survivors had been selected.
The Fang Necklace continued its game, enjoying itself immensely.
Finally, it landed on Hao’s head.
Hao blinked in confusion—he had clearly not expected to be chosen.
Understandable, given that he had been among the first to fall.
Yes, that was exactly the kind of people the Fang Necklace had chosen.
Those who had crumbled like straw at the beginning of the battle.
After marking Hao, the Fang Necklace returned to the podium, turning slightly as if to smile at the students.
[Oh? Did you think this was a ranking competition? Oh dear, it wasn’t!]
It clicked its teeth gleefully before twirling in front of Luciella’s face.
[Aha, that expression—how satisfying. But I told you from the beginning, didn’t I? I wanted you to fight and then collapse in disgrace! These useless ones are my favorites! Look at them, crawling on the ground in their misery!]
It displayed a scene through the mirror beetle—Hao’s fall, replaying the moment he and his group were engulfed in Luciella’s flames.
He writhed on the ground before vanishing with a wretched scream.
[I’m curious. How far can these weaklings climb if I give them power? Yes, I want to see it for myself! The thought first came to me because it reminded me of my younger days. Ah, I was young back then—barely had two teeth dangling from me…]
The words poured from the mirror once more.
Luciella, after glaring at the Fang Necklace for a moment longer, closed her eyes.
‘That’s why I warned them from the start—think from the treasure’s perspective.’
If efficiency were the goal, then the best choice would have been to distribute power among the top students.
If they were worried about too many of them passing, they could have given it to the mid-ranked students instead.
But the Fang Necklace didn’t care for that.
It simply made its selections based on its own amusement—favoring the ones who had fallen first.
The students must have realized it by now.
Treasures did not think like them.
Desire, curiosity—those were what drove them.
Personal strength, willpower, and talent might serve as reference points, but they were never the deciding factors.
What mattered most was whether or not they piqued the treasure’s interest.
That would be the guiding principle of the lectures to come.
I stepped forward.
Now that the class was ending, it was time to wrap things up.
***
“How was your first lecture? I imagine it was quite entertaining. You should also have a clearer idea of how we’ll be conducting our lessons moving forward. If you weren’t selected, don’t be too disappointed. There are still plenty of treasures eager to meet you.”
With that, I briefly revealed the bulletin board through their mirrors.
Silhouettes of various treasures flickered across the screen.
Seeing that, the students seemed to regain some of their spirits.
“For those who were chosen, please remain in the lecture hall for a while. The rest of you are free to explore the Tower. The third floor will be accessible in two days, so you need not worry about training space. There’s more than enough room for everyone.”
I continued explaining various details before finally concluding the lecture.
One by one, the students gathered their belongings and left.
Some departed the Tower for the city, while others remained to explore.
I headed to Storage Room 2 with my puppets.
That was where the Fang Necklace was.
Opening the door, I let the puppets inside.
The Fang Necklace handed them the pre-prepared tooth fragments, radiating such sinister magic that the puppets staggered under its weight.
Carefully, they sealed the fragments inside containment boxes and carried them out.
I took the boxes and returned to the lecture hall.
The chosen students, still waiting, now brimmed with anticipation.
I handed out the containment boxes.
They held them with reverence.
Some immediately replaced their own teeth with the gifted ones—Hao was among them.
He tested his new teeth and grinned.
A faint, fresh scent emanated from him.
And with that, the lecture concluded.
Most students chose to remain on the second floor.
The third floor wouldn’t open for another two days, and the first floor, with its unsettling statues, was considered unappealing.
‘Though, if you look at them long enough, they’re kind of cute,’ I mused.