Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

Arriving in front of the podium, Professor Theo smiled as gazed at all of us. Behind him, a young man calmly placed the professor's stuff down and looked at all the students who had come.

"It's nice to see you all here in the Research Department. It's a pity that only a few of you have joined this department, after all without research we would never be here."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"There are Five hundred students besides you, but you will not meet them yet first all of you need a basic understanding of what's going on here. So For that, this young man will be here to assist you. "

At Theo's words, the young man steps forward.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Samuel Ascal. I am very pleased by your participation in our department, The Research Department."

As he smiled, apart from Isbella, all the girl's faces flushed red in excitement

Rolling my eyes, I rested my head on my right arm and carefully looked at Samual. Though the class may be ignorant about his true nature, I wasn't

After all, As he smiled, apart from Isabella, all the girl's faces flushed red in excitement

Rolling my eyes, I rested my head on my right arm and carefully looked at Samuel. Though the class may be ignorant about his true nature, I wasn't

After all, I didn't enter this department just for Isabella.

Samuel is a fallen human ( a human who has a contract with the Demon ) many incidents will happen in Nova, and he is the one behind them.

But then again, I had no reason to trouble myself by shouting, 'That guy is a fallen human.'

They'd probably glare at me and kick me out of the department.

Wasn't worth it.

In any case, Samul had made a pact with a demon that was part of the Malice clan, a sub-branch of the demon clan of Envy. In exchange for selling his soul to the demon, he gained a very high-rank ability 'Manipulation'. This ability allows the user to see a weak spot in someone's heart, mind, and soul, a very powerful ability indeed.

Currently, he should have his eyes out for Isabella. He will try to make her one of his puppets, this is one of the many reasons that Isabella went crazy in future.

"Alright since my job is done I will be going from here on Samuel take the lead." the professor said as he went out of the classroom.

There was an awkward silence as the professor went out.

Seeing the awkward air; samul took the first step at the podium.

"Since today's just the orientation, we'll only briefly discuss what our department is about."

Hearing his charming voice, the eyes of the female cadets were alrebehavioursng.

"we research and discuss the classification, weaknesses, behaviours, and attributes of monsters. Topics include monster classification, how they behave, where their vital points are, what their attribute is, and how to deal with them efficiently. Not only do we research monsters we also research herbs, rare plants, and what type of herbs that found in dungeons.

As you already know herbs are used I'm making potions, for example [ healing potion] [ mana recovery potion ], [ strength potion ] etc. These are the only few examples I told you there is still much more to search out there in the world."

"It may sound boring and all, but don't worry as that's just the boring part…"

Smiling brightly, Samul looked at everyone in the class. As he was looking his eyes slightly paused on Isabella, who was quietly listening to the lecture.

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed at him. 'You think no one noticed you staring at Isabella?'

Suddenly the hologram image of a monstrous creature flickered to life before us.

"I'll give a quick example. Let's take a look at this monster. As I'm sure you know, it is a man-eating horse," Samuel began, his voice clear and commanding.

The hologram depicted a creature that was both fascinating and terrifying. A monstrous horse with gnarled, jagged teeth, its eyes gleaming with a malevolent hunger. It sent shivers down my spine just looking at it.

Samuel continued his explanation, delving into the intricacies of this peculiar creature. "The man-eating horse is a prime example of a predatory monster in the Etheria ecosystem. They are known for their exceptional speed and agility, making them formidable hunters."

I furrowed my brow, leaning in to listen more intently. This was a crucial part of our training, understanding the creatures we might encounter in our adventures.

"Their primary prey is, as the name suggests, humans. They often lurk near forested areas, waiting for unsuspecting travellers to pass by. With their incredible speed, they can ambush and incapacitate their victims within seconds."

Samuel's words painted a vivid picture in my mind, and I couldn't help but imagine the terror of being hunted by such a creature.

"But here's the interesting part," Samuel continued a hint of excitement in his voice. "Despite their fearsome reputation, man-eating horses can also be tamed and trained."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Taming a man-eating horse sounded like an incredible feat.

"To tame a man-eating horse," Samuel explained, "one needs a deep understanding of their behaviour and psychology. It's a long and arduous process, but those who succeed gain a loyal and incredibly powerful companion."

Samuel's explanation continued. But because it was everything I already knew, I couldn't help but yawn.

"Huma..."

Immediately, Samuel's eyebrows furrowed, and other female cadets sent me attacking glares. I wouldn't be surprised if they attacked me for real if I yawned one more time. Only Isabella kept her eyes on the screen.

"Kuhum."

Samuel let out a dry cough before continuing his explanation.

"Because of its ambiguous attribute and behaviour, the totem scallop's vital point hasn't been discovered...."

***

As the lecture finally came to an end, signalled by the ringing of the bells, I joined the shuffling crowd of students packing up their belongings. Yawning slightly, I made sure to stifle it this time; I had no desire to draw any unwanted attention from Samuel's enthusiastic admirers. Fangirls could be rather relentless.

Moving toward the classroom exit, something caught my attention. Samuel was approaching Isabella, which piqued my curiosity. I couldn't help but pause, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"Junior Isabella," Samuel addressed her.

Isabella seemed somewhat surprised by his approach, and she responded with a hesitant "hm?"

With a sly smile, Samuel retrieved a small black box from his pocket and extended it toward Isabella.

"Here, this is a small gift for entering the research department," he explained.

I couldn't help but wonder about the nature of that gift and what Samuel's intentions were. The events surrounding Samuel and Isabella weren't detailed in the novel, so this interaction remained a mystery to me. Still, it was evident that Samuel had some ulterior motives beyond a simple welcoming gesture.

Isabella accepted the box, her response polite but reserved, and then she left the classroom with it in her possession. The encounter seemed rather anticlimactic, considering the build-up. Samuel maintained his composed demeanour as if this was just another step in his plan.

My interest waned as I exited the classroom. In the grand scheme of things, the minor details of interpersonal relationships within the academy held little significance to me. My primary focus remained on becoming stronger and navigating the main story's plotline.

With that in mind, I decided to head back to my dormitory. A bit of rest wouldn't hurt, and I needed to ensure I didn't push myself too hard in my quest for power.

'Well, not like I care anyways,' I thought, brushing off the encounter between Samuel and Isabella. Minor deviations from the plot were inconsequential, as long as the main story continued on course.

I walked away from the classroom, I went to a nearby vending machine and pulled out a Colla and a cold juice. Looking at their names, I couldn't help but laugh. I named them Coin Cola and Sprite to cold juice. avoid trademark problems, and that was exactly how the names appeared on the cans.

With the Colla and cold juice cans in hand, I stood in front of her as though to block her path. Then, I handed the Colla to her.

"Here."

"...?"

Isabella's face was full of question marks.

"I'm in the same class. Same team and now the same department. Funny coincidence, right?"

"...Do you think I'll drink something like this?"

Isabella's eyebrows furrowed and her lips protruded out as though she was furious. But since it was the reaction I expected, I hit it off casually.

"I just got it from the vending machine."

Isabella was likely attracted to bad boys. Of course, being 'handsome' was a requirement as well.

"Touch it. It's cold."

"I'm fine. You can have it."

"It's your loss then."

Seeing her perfect figure walking away, I popped the cold juice can open.

PsPushGulp, gulp.

Isabella's shoulders twitched at the sound.

But pretending that nothing happened she left.

"she really can't express her emotion very well," I said as I left my apartment.