Chapter 109: The Dean

Zaid didn’t answer right away. He was wondering if he’d found the right person. How could someone so young be the dean of the academy?

’Wasn’t he supposed to be a 70-year-old man with gray hair?’

The young man in front of him laughed when he noticed Zaid’s doubts and did something strange. His body began to change right before Zaid’s eyes. His skin wrinkled, and his shoulder-length hair turned white. He had a long beard that hadn’t been there before.

"Do you recognize me now?" he asked. Even his voice had changed.

"A magician?" Zaid asked, puzzled.

"Haha... You could call me that." The man’s voice and appearance returned to their original form. "Almost no one has seen me in my true form—only people I trust. Sometimes it’s good to have multiple forms. With multiple identities, you can have multiple jobs, and multiple jobs mean more money coming in each month."

Zaid frowned. "Even though I could make more money by holding down several jobs, I’d choose not to have them so I could have a life."

"Do you think having several jobs means not having a life?" The dean found that statement interesting.

"I think we can all agree on that."

"What about the portals?"

"The portals?" Zaid frowned.

"One week inside is one hour outside. Tell me, Zaid, do you think you could get a lot of work done in a single week if you used a portal as your workplace?"

A small jolt ran through Zaid’s body. He... hadn’t thought of that.

"You hadn’t thought of that? Hahaha... Young people these days are really something else. How can they ignore something as great as time dilation?"

Zaid said nothing. He found the whole thing embarrassing.

"Did you call me, Dean?" he asked.

The dean burst out laughing again, seeing that Zaid was trying to avoid the conversation. Even so, he didn’t pursue the subject further.

"Yeah. I heard your room was attacked; it seems your family is looking for you. Do you need any help?"

Zaid raised his eyebrows. "I didn’t know the academy was so kind to its students."

"I think you knew that, but you’ve never seen it in practice. That’s why you came here after your family almost killed you, isn’t it?"

Zaid nodded thoughtfully.

"Besides, what the Zacharys are doing breaks the system’s rules. I don’t think you’re unaware of that," he said again.

"I know. But I also know that the system doesn’t punish anyone. Even if the system’s rules are laid out, they’re nothing more than rules that the system’s followers are trying to impose on the world. But they don’t have enough power to enforce them everywhere, do they? At most, I think you’re a small organization operating in the world’s major centers," Zaid replied.

The answer was so long that even the Dean was taken aback by it. Even Zaid was surprised by his own response.

Where did he get the nerve to criticize an organization that was clearly superior to him?

"Wow, if you knew all that, then why did you come here? Were you looking to get yourself killed or something?" the dean asked with genuine surprise.

Zaid frowned.

’I can’t tell him it was that damn bastard’s fault for manipulating me...’ He sighed.

"I’m sorry, Dean. I got carried away," he said with an apologetic smile. "I don’t think I should bother the Dean with these matters. I’ll take care of them in due time."

The dean nodded thoughtfully. "We’re not as small an organization as you think, Zaid Zachary. The academies of the system are the only organized entity accepted by the system in this world. I think we carry quite a bit of weight," he declared.

Zaid nodded. "I’m sure you carry quite a bit of weight, Dean."

The dean realized that he wasn’t planning to ask for help, so he laughed.

"Well, if you don’t want help, then that’s fine. If there’s anything you want to ask for, just ask. You may have had to deal with some things that the faculty hasn’t seen and has overlooked. I think that guy, Robinson Shawn—he’s an intern—was giving you trouble, wasn’t he? Maybe I should fire him and revoke his graduation for violating the system’s rules..." he said tentatively.

Zaid really thought that would be a good idea. How could they possibly allow Robinson Shawn—someone who had attempted to take the students’ lives—to graduate and then start working as a teacher? There wouldn’t be anyone left in a few years!

However, he couldn’t say that outright. Still, he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass him by.

"Did you hear about the Shawns’ kidnapping recently, Principal?" he asked.

"Kidnapping?" The dean raised his eyebrows. "If it has nothing to do with the academy, I’ll choose not to help you with that."

"One of the students was kidnapped."

Finally, the dean set down his pencil and stared at him. "Details," he said coldly.

"John, a student who was recently admitted to the academy’s hospital. He’s known as a thug; he grew up on the streets. He’s talented and used to work for the Shawns. However, do you remember what happened a while back, in that Rank F dungeon that caused such a media stir?"

The dean nodded. "Where your father came out talking about you."

"Exactly. Actually, the Order showed up there that time to hunt us down. John’s two brothers were killed by Luke Shawn, his former master, and he was seriously injured. When he recovered, he came looking for me because we’d become good friends, but he couldn’t find me."

"And he ran into the Shawns and the Zacharys, didn’t he? I heard they got into a fight in the dorms," said the dean.

He hadn’t misheard, and he hadn’t forgotten anything. He realized that the problem was that someone had deliberately tried to hide the situation from him. They made it seem as if nothing had happened, when the situation was critical.

"He was kidnapped and is being held at Building 13, 87th Street. Shawn’s family... Or at least that’s what I know. If the academic rules are followed..."

"You don’t need to say anything else. John will be back in less than an hour," he said. "If you have anything else to ask for."

Finally, Zaid realized that the dean wasn’t as carefree as he seemed. His gaze had turned dangerous when he heard about the kidnapping. And now there was a slight urgency in his voice that, if not for his S-Rank talent, he wouldn’t have been able to detect.

So he decided to be bold.

"I want to complete missions to speed up my graduation... I wonder if you know the fastest route. No matter how difficult it is, I need to get stronger, too."

"You’re bold. I’m promising to help you with whatever you want as long as you follow the system’s rules, but you’re choosing to ask me for help with dungeons and portals."

"Only someone bold can be strong," Zaid declared.

The dean laughed. "You’re right. I’ll set you on the right path, but I’ll also give you some good advice."

"I’ll take the advice first."

"Make good use of the portals you have access to... Remember that your time is worth more than anyone else’s."