Chapter 69: The ‘Green Witch’ Matilda I
The green-haired woman slowly stood up from her chair.
She leaned lightly against the desk at the front of the classroom and looked around at the students with a gentle smile.
"My name is Matilda."
She had barely introduced herself when a student suddenly shouted, "Wait... are you the Green Witch?"
The classroom fell into pin-drop silence. Everyone turned toward the woman, a hint of anxiety creeping onto their faces.
Matilda blinked at the student. Then she gave an embarrassed smile. "I’d prefer it if you called me Miss Matilda."
She scratched her cheek awkwardly. "But... yes. That’s what most people know me as."
"So the rumors were true..."
"I heard she teaches here, but I never thought she’d be our supervisor."
"Yeah, I also heard she’s insanely strong."
"More than that," another student cut in. "I heard she’s ruthless and merciless against her enemies."
"Both words have the same meaning, dumbass, and more than that, I heard she wiped out an entire monster horde by herself."
"That’s got to be fake. No one can do that alone, but I did hear she turned someone into a frog."
"Now that one’s definitely fake."
The classroom quickly filled with excited chatter.
Matilda clapped her hands to calm the students and continued. "Now then, I’ll be your supervisor until the day you graduate." She paused a little. "Assuming any of you actually graduate."
A few nervous chuckles spread through the room, but Matilda didn’t laugh and kept a straight face. "The reason is simple."
"Even as one of the world’s greatest academies, more than half the students we recruit do not make it to graduation."
The classroom erupted into whispers once again. A student near the front couldn’t hold back and shouted. "So... do they just fail?"
Matilda smiled politely and answered. "Before I answer that, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t shout questions from your seats."
"If you have something to ask, wait until I’ve finished speaking, then raise your hand. Are we clear?"
Her voice remained calm and courteous. But as each word left her mouth, her emerald-green eyes began to glow faintly, and a chill ran down the spines of almost everyone in the classroom.
No one could explain why. For a brief moment, they all felt like helpless prey standing before a monster.
The students immediately nodded. "Good," Matilda said. "Then let me continue."
As the glow faded from her eyes, Marty leaned toward Zac. "Why do I feel like she’s going to eat me alive?"
"Who knows?" Zac shrugged. "Maybe she will."
"Didn’t you always want a girlfriend? Then why not try your luck with her?"
"What? No!" Marty sat up straight. "She’s my teacher. How could I do that?"
A few seconds passed. Then he quietly turned back to Zac. "...Do you think I have a chance?"
Both Zac and Shobin burst into laughter. Inside Zac’s head, the system also sighed.
[Why are you pushing him into an abandoned well when you know he can’t climb back out?]
"I’m just being a wingman for my friend."
[We both know you’re making fun of him.]
"...Fair enough."
"System, I need to know something."
"Miss Matilda just intimidated almost the entire class. But I didn’t feel any aura or mana coming from her. How did she do that?"
[-5 Info Points.]
"You’re really trying to rob me blind, aren’t you? I only have twenty points left."
[Then you shouldn’t have asked a question. As for your answer, you didn’t sense any aura or mana because she wasn’t using either.]
[She was simply projecting her killing intent through her eyes.]
Zac blinked. "That’s possible?"
[Very. The only reason these rookies are still sitting in their seats is because she didn’t mix any bloodlust or hostile emotions into them.]
[Otherwise, most of them would’ve collapsed before they even realized what happened.]
"Can I learn it?"
[Of course. In fact, you will and you should.]
[But don’t get ahead of yourself. There are several steps before you can do something like that. First, you need an intent strong enough to project in the first place.]
Zac silently nodded.
Meanwhile, Matilda continued speaking as she slowly walked across the classroom. She looked at the student who had interrupted her earlier. "As for our impatient student’s question... The answer is both yes and no."
Several students frowned in confusion.
"Every one of you here, including me, was born during a time of relative peace," she continued, walking. "You’ve grown up believing that becoming a Variant means wealth, fame, luxury, and admiration."
She slowly shook her head. "But what most of you don’t realize is the price that comes with those privileges."
"Everything you want comes with responsibility, every reward comes with risk, and every Variant accepts one simple truth."
Her emerald eyes swept across the room. "One day, they may leave home...and never return to the people they love."
The classroom fell silent, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Even Zac sat quietly, listening to every word with a serious expression.
"The moment you become a variant, you begin living between life and death."
Matilda’s voice remained calm.
"Every mission, every battlefield, and every decision you make. They all carry consequences."
Many students unconsciously swallowed, their nervousness becoming visible.
Matilda continued as if she hadn’t noticed. "Once students without the necessary resolve realize what this life truly demands, they abandon the path of becoming a variant and return to ordinary lives."
She paused. "And personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that."
Several students looked up in surprise. "The only unfortunate part is that the academy’s time and resources invested in them are wasted."
Her expression remained unchanged. "But considering what happens when an unqualified person enters a battlefield and gets an entire squad killed... I’d much rather they walk away before they graduate."
No one can argue with that because deep down, everyone knew she was right.
"But that isn’t the main reason our graduation rate is so low." She looked across the room. "The second reason...is death."
A chill spread through the classroom.
"How can she say that so casually?" Shobin whispered.
Zac glanced at him. "Anything becomes normal after you’ve seen it enough."
Matilda continued. "From your very first year, you’ll be assigned real missions. And by ’real,’ I mean exactly that."
"There will be no simulations, staged exercises, or safety nets. You’ll receive actual missions in the real world."
"That’s why the mortality rate among first-year students is significantly higher than that of second, third, or fourth years."
A collective gasp swept through the classroom. Several students turned pale and others unconsciously clenched their fists.
For those who had imagined academy life to be a walk in the park in spring, it felt like reality had just broken and fallen on their heads.
"Now then, let’s move away from the topic of death and talk about something a little less depressing."
A few students quietly sighed in relief. "Let me explain what your lives will look like over the next year."
She slowly walked across the front of the classroom. "As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be your supervising instructor."
"Other than the personal missions you choose to take, I’ll be accompanying your class during most group activities and missions."
"Whether that’s fortunate or unfortunate depends entirely on your perspective." A few nervous laughs spread through the room. "I’ll take no responsibility for your opinion."
She raised one finger. "During your time at the academy, there are only three mandatory rules. And I strongly suggest you remember every one of them."
"Breaking even a single rule can result in severe punishment, expulsion...or even death."
The classroom instantly fell silent. Someone audibly gulped.
Matilda glanced around the room. "I’m not exaggerating."
"While the academy itself cannot legally execute a student, we maintain close ties with the Variant Association."
"They have... let’s call them specialized teams... responsible for carrying out death sentences."
A gentle smile appeared on her face. "And if your crimes are serious enough, they’ll be more than happy to convince you why your decisions were a mistake."
She chuckled softly. The students, however, thought that smile looked more devilish than friendly.
"Rule number one." She raised her index finger. "Never betray humanity, the academy, or your comrades."
A second finger went up. "Rule number two. Never intentionally kill or deliberately cripple another student or teacher."
"Self-defense is another matter, but if you cross the line, you’ll answer for it."
Then she raised a third finger. "Rule number three. Follow orders."
"When instructions are given during a mission, you follow them. Don’t run off on your own because you think you’re smarter or stronger than everyone else."
Her eyes swept across the classroom. "And never try to be a hero."
She let the silence linger for a few seconds before continuing. "Now, unlike the rules, most classes are completely optional."
"There’s only one mandatory class that every one of you must attend each week." She smiled again. "Which is mine."
"I’ll be teaching one or two sessions every week, and attendance is not optional."
"As for your other classes..." Matilda pointed toward the academy outside the window. "We offer a wide variety of elective courses."
"Specialized weapon classes such as swords, spears, archery, daggers, and many more. We also offer courses in mana control, mana research, alchemy, blacksmithing, healing, and enchanting."
She continued listing them. "There are even subjects like monster ecology, battlefield strategy, the study of ancient ruins, and arrays."
"You can choose whichever interests you."
A student raised his hand, and Matilda nodded for him to answer.
The student stood up. "You said we choose our own classes. Let’s say one student attends a lot of classes and becomes excellent at them, while another skips every optional class. If that’s the case, how will we be ranked? And how are our grades decided?"
"That’s a good question." Matilda motioned for him to sit. "The answer is actually very simple."
"We don’t rank students based on how many classes they attend or how skilled they become in those classes."
The classroom immediately fell silent in confusion. "Attending classes doesn’t earn you academic points."
She waited for the whispers to settle before continuing. "Listen carefully. This isn’t an ordinary university where you’re training to become scholars."
"We’re training variants. Learning something inside a safe classroom doesn’t mean you’re ready for the real world."
"So your grades won’t be determined by the number of classes you attend. They’ll be determined by your missions."
"How many do you complete?
How difficult they are.
And how well you complete them.
Those are the things that determine your academic standing."
Another student raised his hand. "So if missions determine our grades... does that mean we don’t have to attend any optional classes?"
Matilda looked at him for a moment. "That would be one of the most idiotic decisions you could make." Her answer was immediate. "The purpose of these classes isn’t to fill your schedule."
"It’s to make you stronger, more knowledgeable, and most importantly...to increase your chances of surviving in the real world."
Her gaze slowly swept across the classroom. "From what I’ve seen so far..." She raised her voice slightly. "...other than a handful of you, most people in this room couldn’t even complete the lowest-ranked mission."
The classroom froze. A second later, whispers erupted from every direction.
"No way..."
"She’s joking, right?"
"I’ve trained for years."
"She’s just trying to scare us."
Zac remained silent, but inside his head, the system chuckled.
[She’s telling the truth. Other than a handful of students, most of the people here were admitted because of their potential.]
[If they walked into the real world without any experience...Most of them wouldn’t even realize what killed them.]
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