The Smiling Death

Chapter 471: Forming A Team For Missions

"Hello, everyone."

With a gentle smile, the woman standing at the front of the classroom introduced herself.

"My name is Jolene Scott. I will be your new instructor for your second year."

She had long dirty gray color hair tied in loose ponytail.

Her eyes slowly explored the classroom, moving over all the students present.

Eventually, her gaze stopped on Amon.

He was sitting beside Marcus, looking tired and completely unexcited.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, and also, your friend Amon Vale has come back. He went missing after the first-year first-semester exam, but now he is back. Welcome back, Amon."

Many students immediately turned toward Amon.

Some looked surprised.

Some looked curious.

Others looked relieved.

After all, most of them remembered him.

Amon simply gave a small nod and replied calmly,

"Thank you, Professor."

Jolene nodded before continuing.

"Okay, so before starting today’s lecture, I need to tell you all some important things."

Immediately, the classroom became quieter.

Everyone focused their attention on her.

"Unlike your first year, where you were taught theory, practical training, sparring, and examinations, this year you will have something new that is compulsory."

The moment she said that, curiosity appeared on many students’ faces.

Some began whispering quietly among themselves.

"What is it?"

"Something new?"

"I wonder what she means."

Seeing their reactions, a slight curve appeared on Jolene’s lips.

"It’s missions."

The entire classroom became attentive.

"Many people from outside the Academy and the city send requests to us. Similar to requests from the Adventurers Guild. However, these people donate whatever they can to the Academy in exchange for assistance. No matter how small the donation may be, there are many requests."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"The requests may include monster subjugation near villages, escorting individuals, locating missing items, gathering resources, and many other tasks."

Several students immediately became excited. Especially those who had always wanted real-world experience.

Jolene continued speaking. "You will have to complete four missions during your entire second year."

She raised four fingers.

"Two missions each semester."

Some students nodded seriously.

"However, if you choose difficult missions, then depending on the danger level, you may only need to complete one mission per semester."

That immediately attracted attention. A few students exchanged interested glances.

"You are also allowed to form your own groups."

She continued. "The group size limit is between four and six students."

A few students immediately began looking around the classroom. Some were already thinking about potential teammates.

"If some students are unable to join a team, they will be assigned their own teams."

She looked around the room once again.

Then she asked, "Does everyone understand?"

"YES!!"

The students answered in unison.

Amon also joined them.

"Yes."

Unlike many others, he already knew about this. Last year he had gone on a mission with Senior Selena. That memory immediately resurfaced in his mind.

The mission, the death of so many people and the battle and the deaths of his seniors.

Senior Jareth and Vixra.

Amon quietly sighed. He pushed those thoughts aside. No matter how much he thought about it, nothing would change.

However, there was another thing bothering him.

His luck had always been terrible whenever it involved leaving the Academy.

Every single time. Something bad always seemed to happen.

The portal and the island. The countless dangerous situations. Now he once again needed to go on missions.

Combined with his hangover, his mood worsened slightly.

’Hopefully there won’t be another disaster.’

He thought silently while rubbing his forehead.

Meanwhile, Jolene continued speaking.

"You will be able to select missions after two weeks."

Many students nodded.

"For now, focus on forming your groups."

She smiled lightly.

"Party, team, squad. Call it whatever you like."

A few students chuckled.

"Once your group is formed, register it with me."

After making sure everyone understood, Jolene moved on.

"Now, we shall begin today’s lecture."

The students immediately sat straighter.

"I will be teaching you magic spell theory."

She turned toward the board.

"This year your focus will shift toward Master Rank spell theory."

Several students became excited.

Master Rank.

That was something many of them were striving toward.

Jolene glanced around the classroom.

"I can already see that some of you have reached Master Rank."

Her eyes contained genuine admiration.

"That’s really amazing."

Several students instinctively looked toward Seraphina.

Others looked toward Arnold.

A few glanced toward Marcus.

And some looked at Amon.

"It’s my first time seeing a class with so many Master Rank students at the start of the second year."

Amon thought about her words. It was true. Several students had already broken through.

Amon himself had reached Master Rank. So had Seraphina, Arnold and Marcus. Only those four had successfully advanced so far.

Eliana and Aisha had not broken through yet.

At first glance, four students might seem like a small number. However, that wasn’t actually true. Most students were still at the peak of Mana Initiate.

Reaching Master Rank before the second year was considered exceptional.

By the end of the first semester, many more students would likely break through.

Soon, the lecture properly began.

Jolene explained various concepts regarding Master Rank magic.

She taught them how mana control changed after advancement.

She explained how different elemental affinities required different approaches. She described common mistakes made while learning Master Rank spells.

She also taught them how to stabilize complex spell structures and improve mana circulation efficiency.

The students listened carefully. Some took notes.Others asked questions. Amon listened as well despite his hangover.

The information was still useful. After a considerable amount of time passed, the lecture finally came to an end.

Jolene gathered her materials.

Before leaving, she looked at the class one final time.

A warm smile appeared on her face.

"You are second-year students now."

Several students straightened their backs unconsciously.

"You have juniors now."

A few students exchanged amused looks.

Some even seemed proud.

"So treat them well."

Many students laughed quietly.

"We will, Professor!"

One student shouted.

Jolene chuckled softly.

"Good."

Then she left the classroom.

The moment the door closed behind her, conversations immediately started throughout the room.

Marcus stretched slightly.

Eliana began discussing possible mission teams with Seraphina.

Amon, however, suddenly became much more energetic.

His tired eyes lit up.

A dangerous thought had appeared in his mind. A grin slowly spread across his face. Now he was excited.

He suddenly wanted the lunch break to arrive as quickly as possible. After all... They were second-year students now.

Which meant there were brand-new first-year students in the Academy.

And Amon suddenly felt very interested in seeing his juniors.

After that, they had Monster Knowledge class.