Baddie Distribution System
Chapter 62: Magic Lesson

Chapter 62: Magic Lesson

"Good morning, class. I know most of you already know who I am, but I’ll reintroduce myself. My name is Dora, a proud teacher and elite soldier of the empire. I welcome all of you to the academy and sincerely hope you survive... and graduate," Dora said with a stoic expression as murmurs rippled through the classroom.

"Silence!" she barked. "Some people don’t make it to graduation. The path to becoming an elite soldier is a brutal one, filled with challenges. If you think you can sit here and yap your way through it, I promise you—you won’t survive the second year!"

Immediately, the entire room went quiet.

Then, Dora let out a sharp whistle, and an elite soldier stepped into the room, one with only a single arm.

"Julius here was once a student just like you. He graduated not long ago. Do you know how he lost his arm?" Dora paused, her eyes scanning the students. "It happened during a duel. The Yearly Tournament between the coalition of races. It’s a savage competition where even our best magical defenses sometimes fail to protect the participants. Julius had his arm severed by an opponent who used dark magic. Not even the top-tier healers in the empire could regenerate it."

Gasps and shocked whispers swept through the class. Awe and disbelief were etched on everyone’s faces.

Then, Dapper raised his hand.

Seeing him, Dora narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Go on."

"May we know what the tournament is really about, and which race was responsible for severing Sir Julius’ arm?" Dapper asked.

"That’s a fair question. The Yearly Tournament is, in essence, a political power play, a competition to determine which race has the strongest elite soldiers. While there are rules forbidding killing, the battles are often brutal. As for which race was responsible for Julius’ injury... that’s not my place to say. It could have been anyone. Rather than pointing fingers, focus on surviving and making it to the next tournament," Dora replied, signaling for Julius to leave.

Next, she picked up her levitating tablet and tapped on it.

"Today’s lesson will cover the basics of magic. So, what is magic? Magic is the very foundation of our world, born directly from Mana. Every system tied to mana—Combatant abilities, Craftsman skills, even mutations, ultimately stems from it. But it’s magic that acts as the central thread connecting them all. While many of you may understand magic on a surface level, most are unaware of its varied aptitudes."

"For example, there is light magic and dark magic. Light magic, the most common and flexible, stands in direct contrast to dark magic, essentially its inversion. Necromancy is one such dark magic, used to summon undead, Eldritchs, or something even worse. In Julius’ case, the spell used was dark magic, one that worked in reverse of healing magic. That’s why every attempt to regenerate his arm only worsened the condition. Sadly, the empire has few dark magic users, most of whom are already corrupted by their powers. We still don’t understand the full reason why, which is why dark magic is under intense research. Still, that doesn’t diminish light magic. It remains the most popular and versatile form of magic to this day."

Silence hung heavy in the classroom. Everyone was deeply absorbed in Dora’s teachings. Her words painted vivid images in their minds, even without using the smart board at the front of the class.

"Furthermore, aside from the two major types of magic, there are sub-divisions within them. These were categorized based on the unique conditions given to each magician by their system. For example, some magicians can only weave Mana, they can’t chant. Those who weave Mana specialize in crafting spells and creating magic scrolls, as the same principles apply. Others excel in potion-making; they’re known as alchemists and are highly valued by the empire. Then, there are versatile mages who dabble in every area, though they aren’t necessarily experts in any. Think of them as a jack-of-all-trades. I, for example, am a versatile mage," Dora said, puffing her chest with pride, though she quickly composed herself after catching the odd looks from her students.

The lesson went on for another hour, during which each student received a tablet similar to Dora’s. These tablets recorded the lessons but only when the student was actively paying attention. The restriction was designed to maintain fairness and discourage slacking.

Once the class ended, everyone exited the hall, and Dapper regrouped with Shinro and Riley.

"What’s going on with you today, man? You look kinda down," Shinro said, stepping to Dapper’s left while Riley walked on his right.

"Me? Looking down? That’s odd..." Dapper muttered.

"He’s right though. I thought it had something to do with the rumors going around about you," Riley added.

"Wait, what rumors? Now I’m lost..." Dapper scratched his head, visibly confused.

"Hehe, you’ve gained quite the reputation. You’re now known as the snake tamer," Shinro said with a teasing grin. Riley giggled mischievously, which only deepened Dapper’s confusion.

"I don’t get it. I’ve never liked snakes, not even once. Truth be told, I only like their meat—"

"It’s not about that! Wait—you eat snakes?!" Shinro exclaimed, staring at Dapper like he had grown another head.

"I... mean, yeah. Aren’t you from a village? You’ve probably eaten tons of snakes," Dapper replied casually.

"That’s weird. Snakes are disgusting. No one eats them," Shinro muttered.

’Ah, I must’ve mixed up memories from my past life with this one. I still remember how delicious snake meat was back in the camp. I should try it here, too,’ Dapper thought to himself.

Suddenly, Riley tugged at his sleeve.

"Let’s take a detour through the school marketplace!" she said excitedly, linking her arm with his.

"Hey, stop clinging to him like that. He’s already married, you idiot!" Shinro snapped, clicking her tongue.

"Mhmp, don’t be jealous. Dapper doesn’t mind, right?" Riley asked, turning to him with a grin.

"Sure, I don’t mind," Dapper said with a smile. "Shinro, you seem to like Riley. You could just ask her out, you know?"

"Stupid! I don’t like redheads!"

"And I hate yellow-haired monkeys!" Riley and Shinro barked at each other while Dapper laughed and stepped between them to keep the peace.

"Speaking of the snake tamer... why exactly are there rumors going around about me?" Dapper asked once both of them had settled down.

"T-They’re talking about your thing..." Riley muttered, her cheeks burning red.

Dapper’s face lit up instantly as realization dawned. Instead of getting embarrassed, he just chuckled.

"Well, that explains the weird stares. Anyway, let’s head into the phone store. You need a phone, Shinro," Dapper said.

"B-But I don’t have any money," Shinro mumbled.

"That’s fine. I’ll handle it. Just consider it a kind gesture. After we get the phone, Riley will help you set up a bank account on it. Then you can submit your details and receive this month’s allowance," Dapper explained.

"Thank you so much, Dapper!" Shinro exclaimed, bowing deeply, his head nearly touching the floor before Dapper stopped him.

"No way, I’m helping him after he called me a redhead?" Riley protested.

"Come on..." Dapper nudged her gently.

"Ugh, fine."

The trio entered the store and got Shinro a phone. Afterward, they found a small park where they played around and chatted. As the sky dimmed into evening, Dapper suddenly shot up with urgency.

"I need to get home to handle something. Sorry for leaving you two like this, but it’s really important," Dapper said as he power-walked away from the bench Riley and Shinro were sitting on.

"What’s up with him? That’s kinda strange," Shinro muttered, watching Dapper hurry off.

Just then, a looming shadow fell over them, prompting the two to look up. Their eyes widened in fear, it was a face they recognized. The same figure they saw in the dungeon. A person who had even terrified Dapper.

It was Jack.

The huge scar running down his face was unmistakable, and the thick, pulsing veins along his ripped body were outlined through his tight uniform.

"Hey, aren’t you the two I saw with Dapper in the dungeon?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowing at Shinro and Riley.

"Y-Yes... What do you want?" Shinro replied, trembling in place. Riley, on the other hand, brandished her staff, preparing for a possible fight.

"Oi, relax. I’m not here to cause trouble. I wouldn’t get away with that in front of these soldiers anyway. I just want to know if you saw Dapper. Don’t lie," Jack said with a grin that made their skin crawl.

"He just left," Shinro said quickly.

"Haa... I see. I’ll catch up with him another time," Jack grunted, turning around and walking off.

"Shinro! Why the hell did you tell him Dapper just left?!" Riley snapped.

"That guy already knew Dapper was here. He was baiting us, trying to find a reason to make us his next targets. If we’d fallen into that trap, we’d be suffering until graduation," Shinro explained calmly.

"Bullshit! I could just report him to my mentor!" Riley retorted.

"Mentor? Oh, now I remember... that guy was also picked as a disciple by one of the teachers," Shinro said, then added, "Look, Riley, I wouldn’t advise you to get tangled in Dapper’s problems. He’s a great guy, probably one of the nicest people I’ve met but there’s something off about him. Like... he’s hiding something. Sometimes, I get chills just being around him. That guy can’t be bullied," Shinro finished.

"No way... b-but we saw how scared he was of that guy the other day," Riley argued.

"You probably think I’m talking nonsense because I’m from a village. But there’s a reason I was selected. I’m a lot smarter than I look..." Shinro said with a smirk, flipping a stone in his palm.

Riley’s eyes widened. "D-Don’t tell me you were pretending...?"