Chapter 5: How Dare You Morally Coerce Me?


    Erica’s attempts to make things difficult for Viktor were entirely expected. Viktor quickly realized this and had no intention of taking it lying down.


    Just then, the bell rang, and Viktor smiled at her. "If you have any questions, we can discuss them in the next ss."


    He had finished teaching, and his performance had been quite satisfactory—at least, no one could find any fault with it. There was no need to create additionalplications at this point.


    However, Erica wasn’t about to let him off so easily. She pressed on, unrelenting: "As far as I know, when a student asks a question, the professor is obliged to answer."


    "Of course, if you’re just a gold-ted professor here to put on a show, then you don’t have to answer me."


    Her aggressive stance didn’t draw any disapproval from those around them; instead, it only heightened their anticipation of how Viktor would respond.


    "How rude."


    Viktor sighed, rubbing his forehead. In a ce filled with "insiders," his grudge with Erica was well-known. Everyone knew about his scandal involving the young girl, and naturally, they were eager to see the conflict between the two unfold.


    After all, catching this drama firsthand could provide the material for tomorrow’s headlines.


    But Viktor wasn’t about to let these people have their way; otherwise, he would be the newughingstock of the academy and society.


    Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. However, he also wasn’t willing to let Erica make him lose face in front of so many people. At the very least, she deserved a small lesson.


    Facing Erica’s questioning, Viktor didn’t back down. His expression darkened, and he tapped the table in front of him, enunciating each word clearly: "This is my ssroom, and my rules apply here. I make the decisions."


    "And if you think you can use the title of ''professor'' to morally coerce me, you’d better give up on that idea."


    Viktor raised his head, his cold gazeced with disdain. "I refuse to answer you."


    With that, he was about to leave the ssroom, but as soon as he took a step, the surroundings started to blur, shes of blue light streaking across his vision.


    When he regained his bearings, he found himself back at the podium.


    Viktor focused his gaze and noticed a faintly glowing blue magic circle beneath him.


    "A teleportation array..."


    "I didn’t expect her to set something like this at the door."


    Erica stood before him, her face a mixture of pride and contempt, as if she was trying to provoke a look of panic or fear from Viktor for her own amusement.


    She then addressed him, "This is the question I wanted to ask."


    "If Professor Viktor cannot answer, you won’t be able to leave."


    The onlookers were stunned by what they had just witnessed, their eyes wide in shock.


    What the hell?


    Was that... teleportation magic!?


    "A student at the Royal Magic Academy can secretly set up a teleportation array?"


    "Is this the power of the academy’s top students? A Second-Order Mage is this formidable?"


    "To set up teleportation magic so mysteriously and quickly?"


    "This level of magical proficiency is terrifying!"


    Viktor had avoided answering directly because he had inherited Viktor''s level and magic but not his knowledge. He knew how to use magic but didn’t understand its principles—much like knowing how to use a lighter without understanding how it produces fire.


    Unexpectedly, Erica had stumbled upon his weak spot.


    Vega’s voice echoed in his mind: "Do as I say."


    Hearing Vega’s voice, Viktor felt his confidence surge, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.


    "Well then, I’ll add an extra lesson."


    Pointing at the dismantling sequence of the teleportation magic, he addressed Erica from the podium:


    "All you need to do is disrupt the weak links between the various small formations. It’s quite simple."


    He then extended his finger and began inscribing a series of runes. The runes instantly connected with the core of the magic array, their glowing lines reaching out to the smaller formations.


    The array began to destabilize, its light fading.


    Erica’s face grew tense as she saw her teleportation array being effortlessly unraveled by Viktor. Sweat started to bead on her forehead.


    She could clearly feel the weakening connection between herself and the array. No matter how much magic she poured into it, she couldn’t slow down the array’s copse.


    She was already too weak to sustain it, and the connection was entirely severed.


    Viktor snapped his fingers, and a hairpin from Erica’s head suddenly flew into his hand.


    "I’ll borrow your hairpin for a bit."


    Erica was stunned, watching helplessly as her hairpin was taken.


    Her teleportation magic had been hijacked.


    The others continued to stretch their necks, eager to watch the unfolding drama. The dimmed teleportation array began to glow again, but it seemed to be under Viktor’s control.


    He started casually teleporting objects around the room—one moment, a flowerpot from the window was transported to the podium, and the next, the clock on the wall was shifted to the ceiling.


    It seemed as though Viktor could freely teleport anything within the room at will.


    Finally, he decided to give Erica a new seat, teleporting her from the front row to the very back.


    Having made his point, Viktor performed a few more actions with a series of runes, restoring the teleportation array to its original state.


    He gently ced Erica’s hairpin on the podium and addressed her at the back of the ssroom:


    "Alright, you can try activating it again."


    Erica red at him with a resentful look, attempting to activate the array once more.


    The hairpin on the podium suddenly disappeared, neither returning to Erica nor being transferred to Viktor.


    Viktor maintained his poker face and said nonchntly, "Congrattions, your hairpin has been teleported to another dimension."


    Erica was left dumbfounded, no matter how she tried to manipte the array, the hairpin never returned.


    Viktor, not yet finished, continued speaking: "There’s another way to solve this array."


    He snapped his fingers, and the magical hand on his right hand emitted six beams of light, simultaneously forming six magic arrays in the air.


    The crowd gasped in amazement: "Multi-casting? Six spells at once?"


    "How is this possible?"


    "Nothing’s impossible. Viktor is a Third-Order Mage!"


    "The showdown between the genius professor and the genius student of the Royal Magic Academy—this is totally worth it!"


    Viktor waved his hand, ignoring their praises, and calmly said, "You can simply suppress it."


    With that, the magical hand gently squeezed the air, causing the six arrays to glow simultaneously.


    Boom!


    Under the immense magical pressure, a crack appeared in the teleportation array, and then it vanished.


    Erica’s hairpin was gone for good. She lowered her head, her body trembling slightly.


    It was impossible to tell what expression she had on her face.


    Viktor chuckled softly and turned to leave.


    "Erica, remember, this is the answer from your teacher, along with a small lesson."


    "Your teacher is busy and likes to end ss on time."


    He didn’t care what repercussions might follow and walked straight out of the ssroom.


    As soon as he stepped outside, a wave of chatter erupted behind him, but that was no longer his concern.


    ...


    Viktor returned to his office, passing the time. When the final bell of the day rang, he thought of the library and decided to see if there was anything new to discover.


    He teleported directly from the Mage Tower to the library, and the sight before him was just as he remembered it from the game.


    He randomly picked up a book and began flipping through it when a dialog box suddenly appeared before him:


    [Do you wish to learn First-Order Magic: Rolling Fireball?]


    [Required Materials: meflower, Habika Feather]


    This exined why Viktor had purchased so many materials. They could be used not only for crafting items but also for learning magic in the library.


    Learning magic naturally cost money, but Viktor, being a lord, was wealthy and didn’t mind the expense at all.


    This was a loophole in the game.


    The materials required could only be obtained by defeating neutral monsters outside.


    But Viktor could simply buy them in bulk thanks to his wealth.


    Seeing that it was still early, Viktor went on a learning spree in the library, mastering many of the basic spells avable on the first floor.


    He continued until he exhausted all his materials and half of the money in his pocket.


    By the end, he had learned nearly everything there was to learn.


    As the evening approached, the golden light of dusk filtered into the library, casting a yellow hue on the floor.


    Though it was gettingte, a sudden, incongruous light shone from deep within the library.


    It seemed he wasn’t the only one ''studying'' hard in the library.


    Curious to see who it was, Viktor followed the light.


    When he saw who it was, he was slightly taken aback.


    "Henie?"


    It was his assistant, who was currently seated at a desk, pen in hand, writing furiously.


    He could even hear her muttering under her breath.


    "Tomorrow, I’ll have Professor Viktor lecture on this topic..."