Dragon Clan: Avoid the College Entrance Examination to Slay the Dragon

Chapter 37 The first lesson of school

Finger's hair almost exploded. "Junior brother, I shouldn't have let you call me. Why are we both late for the first class?"

He glanced at his watch and suddenly screamed, "It's over! One minute left!" He turned and shouted to Gu Yi behind him, "Hurry up and use your spiritual power to think of a solution!"

Gu Yi staggered after him, clearly not fully awake yet. "Even if I use it, I'll still be late. I can only slow down by twenty times now."

"It's over!" Finger said desperately, "This is the principal's class! I'm going to fail again."

-

In the warm light streaming down from the classroom's dome, the teakwood desks shone with a gentle sheen. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the podium—an elderly man with neatly combed silver-gray hair was gently polishing a brass pocket watch with a suede glove. His upright figure was framed by a sophisticated peak-lapel suit, and a dragon emblem was faintly visible beneath his dark red scarf.

"Dear classmate Su," he put the pocket watch into his vest pocket, a smile glittering in his icy blue eyes, "please report the sign-in results."

"Reporting to the principal, there were ninety-seven people who were supposed to be present, but only ninety-five were present." Su Yuqing stood up swiftly. "Those absent are Finger von Frings and Gu Yi."

The classroom was filled with whispers of discussion. Everyone knew that Gilbert Jean Ange's "Genealogy and History of the Dragon Family" never waited for anyone, and everyone also knew that no one dared to be late for his class.

Angre nodded and said, "Thank you, Su. We won't wait any longer and will start the class right away."

He turned to the crowd and said, "Good morning, everyone! I am Hilbert Jean Angers, the current president of Kassel Academy and your teacher for this class."

"As you can see, this course is called 'Dragon Family Genealogy and History.'" He held up the half-foot-thick tome on the podium. "Today we'll start with the Four Great Kings..."

"boom!"

The door slammed heavily against the wall, and a figure fell and rolled into the classroom.

"Damn it, can't you push it gently?" Gu Yi's curse was particularly clear.

"Don't dream. There's no way you can sneak out of a classroom like this." Finkel responded. He stood up straight with messy blond hair and bowed ninety degrees to the podium. "I'm so sorry, Dean! We're late!"

A loud laugh rang out.

Gu Yi, who had walked in later, froze in his tracks. Beneath his disheveled hair, his amber eyes still shone with sleep. After a moment's hesitation, he finally stood up straight. "Sorry I'm late."

The laughter suddenly became louder.

Ange tapped the podium lightly, and the classroom became quiet instantly.

"Fingal von Frings." Ange raised his eyebrows in an elegant arc. "If my memory serves me correctly, is this the third time you've taken my course again?"

Finkel maintained a ninety-degree bow, his hair almost brushing the teak floor. "Your memory is amazing. It's indeed the third time, but it's also the last time!"

"I hope so. Come and get your and Gu Yi's textbooks."

"Okay, Principal!" Finkel stood up like a spring, with a flattering smile filled with relief at having survived the disaster. He trotted over to take the book.

"Hello, Gu Yi." Ange turned to the boy standing upright, his ice-blue pupils rippling with strange ripples, "This is the first time we meet. Are you adapting well in the academy?
"Thank you for your concern, Principal. I am adapting well." Gu Yi nodded slightly. He thought the old man in front of him was very handsome.

"You are indeed well-suited." The old man tapped the bronze emblem on the tome with his fingertips. "Freedom Day has knocked down three student union leaders. No freshman has ever done that since Freedom Day was founded."

There was a whisper of discussion coming from below, and everyone's eyes were focused on the blond boy sitting in the front row, surrounded by a group of men in black.

The young man said nothing. His icy blue eyes swept across the podium and crossed his long legs wrapped in tailored trousers.

Gu Yi was a little embarrassed. "I accidentally entered the crossfire zone that day. I have already apologized to the seniors."

"I've already criticized Guderian." Ange smoothed the wrinkles on the front of his suit. "I believe you've also received your 3e exam results. I'm very pleased that the academy has another S-level student. I wish you all the best in the next four years. Now, you and Finger should sit down."

He paused and added, "I hope you won't be late again. Although you are an excellent student, I still have to punish you."

"Thank you, Principal. I accept the punishment." Gu Yi and Finkel sat in the back row together.

"How about this, the Arts Department is planning a welcome party, but they've been complaining to me about being short-staffed. Why don't you and Finger go and help out?"

"I agree with the principal!" Finkel suddenly raised his hand, and his golden hair swung in an exaggerated arc with the movement, like a golden retriever that only saw meat bones.

"I agree." Gu Yi raised his hand, then lowered his voice and asked Finger, "Why are you so happy?"

"You don't understand!" Finger hid his face with a book and snickered. "The Arts Department is full of beautiful girls!"

Gu Yi rolled his eyes.

"Let's continue the lecture now," said Ange.

"Everyone knows that the Black King is the leader, emperor, and pinnacle of the Dragon Clan." The principal used chalk to draw three blood-stained lines under the Black King's name. "What about those below the Black King?"

"White King!" The girl in the front row wearing round-frame glasses raised her hand.

"Very good." Ange nodded. "That was the Black King's greatest creation. The Black King bestowed upon it the greatest power and gave it control over the authority of the fifth element, 'Spirit.' It's a pity that it eventually rebelled."

The blackboard trembled, and pieces of writing appeared on it. It was almost instantaneous. Gu Yi's eyes widened. He felt that the principal had activated the spirit of words.

"One-third of the dragon race also joined him in the rebellion. After quelling the rebellion with great difficulty, the Black King nailed the White King to the Sky-reaching Divine Pillar and washed his bones with the water of the icy sea for forty days and nights—until the White King's blood dyed the entire polar ice sheet red. Then he devoured his flesh, turning his bones into ice chips. He melted the ice chips and poured them into the volcano, completely destroying the White King's body and soul."

Everyone listened intently, except for Fingel, who was drawing a turtle on the cover of the tome. "After the White King's rebellion," Ange looked at them, "the Black King seemed to lose interest in ruling. So he created four kings based on the remaining four elements. He assigned them to rule on his behalf in the four corners of the world. These four kings are the King of Sky and Wind, the King of Ocean and Water, the King of Earth and Mountains, and the King of Bronze and Fire."

"headmaster!"

A bony hand suddenly rose from the front row, its slender knuckles gleaming with a cold gleam from the silver rings. A blond youth stood up, his bright golden hair flowing with brilliance. His tailored white shirt was punctuated by his muscular chest. His ocean-blue eyes were like the deepest waves of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and his stern jawline rose and fell with his words.

"What are the names of these four kings?"

"That's a good question, Caesar." Ange's fingertips slid across the blackboard. Before anyone could react, chalk dust had already fallen, and the word 'Norton' emerged as if carved with a knife or an axe.

"For example, the Lord of Bronze and Fire is called Norton in both the ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets and the Frozen Sea Scrolls. But—" he flicked his wrist, and another form appeared in an instant: "We also found the title Constantine in the Dragon Script Vault from the Aurelian era. So it's difficult to determine the exact names of the Dragon Kings. Perhaps their names are very long, or perhaps they have many names."

"Principal, I have a question." Gu Yi raised his hand

"Very good, Gu Yi." Angé's icy blue eyes rippled with approval. "I like students who are not afraid of the stage."

"Has the Dragon King ever awakened?"

"Of course, the Four Great Kings have awakened many times throughout history." The principal tossed and caught the chalk, plaster dust scattering like snow in the beam of light. "The devastating flood of the 24th century BC was the work of the King of Ocean and Water, attempting to restart the era. He activated the annihilating spirit 'Return to the Ruins.'"

There were gasps in the classroom. The Dragon King's power was beyond everyone's imagination. He could actually destroy the entire world with just the power of words.

"Then how did humans survive?" someone asked.

"Of course, they defeated Him. However, history doesn't specifically record how the King of Ocean and Water fell. We only know that during His weakened state after He activated His Word Spirit, someone defeated Him and prevented the destruction of the world."

Ange raised his hand to stop the student from asking questions and continued, "That person is none other than Zusudra, son of Ubartutu, the last monarch of the Flood period as recorded in the Sumerian King List." Ange pulled up a cuneiform rubbing. "This figure, widely considered by scholars to be the prototype of Noah, vanquished the King of the Ocean and Water, sending Him into the next cycle of reincarnation."

"Reincarnation?" Someone was puzzled.

"Theoretically, Dragon Kings are immortal. Upon awakening, they immediately create cocoons. After their death, their spirits return to the cocoons and hatch again. After a long period of waiting, they are reborn."

"So, the Black King is also immortal?" Caesar frowned.

"Of course, the Black King will return one day." Ange's voice was calm, as if he was talking about something unrelated to him. "He said it when he fell..."

Everyone heard the shudder deep in their blood, as if the shadow of ancient times was awakening from the principal's chanting.

"When I return to the world, all the traitors will die."

The classroom fell into a dead silence like the deep sea, with only the pendulum of the bronze wall clock cutting through time.

Caesar's crossed legs suddenly dropped, the sound of his custom-made leather shoes tapping against the floor startling the still air. "These words don't sound like they're meant for humans, but rather for dragons."

"That's right, Caesar!" Ange's voice suddenly rose. "How did the Black King fall? Based on all the information we've collected, we can conclude that all the dragons, led by the four great kings, collectively betrayed the Black King and killed him on the throne of heaven!"

Gu Yi was confused. "But according to what Professor Guderian told me during my admissions counseling, the Black King activated the Word Emperor just before his death, forcing all dragons to exterminate humans. Since it was the dragons who killed Him, why would they seek revenge on humans?"

"Gu Yi, Caesar." Ange chuckled. "I'm very glad to have you two students. This class didn't turn into a boring stand-up comedy for me."

The projector switched to a fragmented epic mural: beneath a burning sky, a tiny human was thrusting a spear into a black dragon's reverse scale.

Ange's fingertips traced the charred earth in the mural. "There are many theories about Gu Yi's question. One theory is that humans played a major role in the Black King's downfall, so he hates humans and must destroy them."

"Another possibility..." Ange narrowed his eyes, "Humanity must be exterminated before the Black King can return."

Ange's gaze swept across the utterly silent classroom. Pale fear condensed like mist on every young face. Some tightly grasped the hands of their companions, not daring to breathe.

"It seems I'm getting too engrossed in my lectures." Angers suddenly tapped the podium, and the lights flickered up three times. He slowly adjusted his dark red scarf. "We'll discuss these ultimate questions in subsequent classes."

"Now let's get back to the basics—" Ange pointed to the projected dragon genealogy chart. "We divide the dragon race into several levels, namely the first generation, the second generation, the third generation, and so on. What are the first generation? They are the four kings and other dragon princes that you are all familiar with. They are the supreme beings forged by the Black King himself."

Finger suddenly nudged Gu Yi with his elbow and muttered from behind his upright textbook, "Hey, I've retaken this course three times, and this is the first time I've seen the principal delve so deeply into a taboo topic in the first class. These secrets about the Black King's return are usually revealed at the end of the semester."

Gu Yi withdrew his gaze from the ferocious black dragon totem on the projection screen. He lowered his voice and asked, "Then why did you suddenly change it?"

"Who knows." Finkel suddenly tilted the book at a dangerous angle, revealing the still-dry turtle graffiti on the title page. "Maybe he's uncovered some shocking secret recently, or maybe..."

He glanced meaningfully at the boy's amber pupils, which made Gu Yi a little uneasy. "I don't know, maybe he wants to change his teaching method."

Gu Yi was too lazy to delve into it. He looked at Ange's figure and said, "The principal is really a very handsome old man. Do you know how old he is?"

"A conservative estimate would be around 140 years old?"

"What?" Gu Yi's eyes widened suddenly, and he suppressed his voice, "Over 140 years old? He only looks around 60 or 70!"

"Don't you see what the principal's words are?" Finkel curled his lips. "Time seems to have stopped for him. Even though the principal is so old, he is still the most powerful dragon slayer in the world! Time Zero is simply a preservative. You are also blessed."

"Gu Yi, Finger." Ange tapped the podium, the echo rippling off the domed ceiling. As he turned, his icy blue eyes flickered across the back row where the two men were hiding, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I appreciate your compliments, but you can discuss me after class. I also welcome you to come to the principal's office after class to discuss this with me face to face."

"Sorry, Principal!" they both said in unison.

Finger straightened his back immediately and pretended to concentrate, but a mosquito-like complaint came out from between his teeth: "See, the old monster's hearing is also at the bug level!"

(End of this chapter)