"If you came here to receive universal recognition and respect, if you want to live a luxurious and carefree life, then I have to disappoint you. You've come to the wrong place. From here come people capable of changing the world and protecting ordinary people. If there are those among you whom I just spoke of, then the university can immediately issue you a diploma and a recommendation letter; you can leave and live the life you dream of. No need to waste the university's resources; leave them for others. We most want to teach and help those whose hearts desire to change the world!"
Principal Xiao was trying to instruct his future students with his usual speech; as far as I know, he says practically the same thing every year. After the induction, we were settled in dormitories, with six people per room from different departments. There was one Light magician, second Fire, third Lightning, fourth Earth, fifth Ice, and me—Shadow. Except for the Ice magician, the others were from clans and looked at us like dirt, not even introducing themselves. The Ice magician was named Yi Bin; he turned out to be a normal guy, a year older than me and wanting to break through to Intermediate this year.
A hundred people of varying strength entered the Shadow department, from second-third tier Basic level to three Intermediate Magicians: me, Bai Do Hee from the Bai Clan, and Jiang Xi Liao from the Jiang Clan. What's funniest is that I was first on the list, with the two clan members behind me. Besides our hundred, there were many students from other years. You can study in the preliminary campus for three additional years, after which you either break through to Intermediate and move to the main campus, or you are expelled with a certificate stating you attended the Mingzhu University preliminary course, without the right to re-enroll.
The first lesson was conducted by Yi Long, our dean, and most annoyingly, the bastard appointed me class monitor; now I had to be responsible for a bunch of teenagers with huge egos.
Then the old geezer announced to everyone at the very first lesson:
"Li Kai, you've received an internship invitation from the Magic Court; head there immediately after classes. That's all; you have half an hour left to get to know each other. Monitor, come to the teacher's room after the lesson."
When Dean Yi left us, I sat looking at the empty podium. Ideally, I should now stand behind it, deliver some speech, and start performing my duties as monitor. But I didn't want any of this. Couldn't the geezer have asked me first whether I wanted it or not?
Nevertheless, standing up and heading for the podium—everyone's eyes were too expressive—I thought about what could be gained from this position. First is certainly reputation. Only the strongest become monitors. Second is connections, both among teachers and other monitors. But reputation must be backed up. I didn't want to get involved anywhere, but since these cards were dealt to me, I'll play them.
Approaching the board first, I wrote my number. Then I stood behind the podium.
"Alright, my name is Li Kai and I am your monitor. First, raise your hands those who are in their second or third year here."
Almost two-thirds raised their hands.
"Okay. Is there anyone among you who wants to be my deputy, knows the campus and teachers, and will tell me the past year's curriculum?"
Initially they looked at each other timidly, but gradually a debate began to flare up. Two leaders emerged: one guy from a clan, supported by fellow clan members. The second was a girl from the common folk. Everyone else was for her. The noise kept rising and it was time to end it.
"Quiet!" After my shout, the hall went silent. Everyone looked at me in surprise. "You two, come here."
The girl timidly and the guy with a self-confident smile started descending.
"Stop." They stopped in surprise. I looked at the guy. "I don't like you. Sit back down and wipe that smirk off; you're already annoying me."
"And you, come here," I looked at the girl.
"How dare you mock me? I am from the Wei Clan and I—"
He didn't get to finish; I interrupted him.
"I don't care. You couldn't even break through in a year with your clan's help, so sit down and shut up."
The girl timidly approached the podium and stood behind my shoulder. I scanned the hall and began speaking.
"My phone number is on the board. If you have problems you can't solve yourself, call me. Мои распоряжения выполняются вовремя и без подстав. If anyone purposefully ruins my life, I'll break their legs. I'll have plenty of business besides monitor duties, so my deputy will handle the main work. Now she will tell you the plan of classes and events from last year; surely it won't change much this year. So, the floor is yours."
"Hello, my name is So Hee and I'll be studying at the Shadow department for the second year..."
The girl talked while I compared events I remembered from the original with last year. Mo Fan will only enroll next year, of course, but this way I'll have two samples for comparison. What I understood: the competition with the Summoning department is held every year. And they've never managed to win. At the end of the year, there will be an assessment, but only magicians who reached the Intermediate level will be admitted; all others will stay for a second year or be expelled. Between these two events there will only be study and cultivation.
After So Hee's speech, I announced the lesson finished and everyone began to disperse. Forming a group, a company led by Bai Do Hee approached me. He looked at me contemptuously and said:
"Even though you became monitor, I don't care and don't dare tell me what to do or I'll destroy you with my magic."
"Arena. Now," I said and headed for the classroom exit. I suspected something like this might happen. By making me monitor, the dean set me up. China is a very class-based country. Magic clan representatives stand a level above ordinary magicians and might perceive submitting to me as an insult.
But what magicians value most is strength. I just need to win a couple of duels to be reckoned with.
We came to the arena with our entire class. The duty teacher turned on the protective dome and gave the count for the start of the match.
As soon as the gong sounded, my opponent tried to form a Shadow Nebula, but I interrupted him with the Spirit element. While he stood lost, my spike pierced his shadow. My opponent's second element was Ice magic; he tried to send a freeze at me, but he was no match for a magician with a second spiritual boundary in star formation speed. The stars obeyed me much better and my constellations formed almost instantly.
Slowly I approached the pinned opponent and simply, without fuss, punched him in the stomach, cancelling the spell.
Bai Do Hee fell to the ground in a fetal position. My physical strength was many times higher than an ordinary Intermediate Magician's, but I didn't strike with full force. Only to cause pain.
Squatting next to him, I brought our faces close, holding him by the collar.
"If you cause me a single problem, I'll send you to the infirmary beaten to a pulp every time I see you. Be a good boy and everything will be fine. Do you understand me?"
"Yes. Sorry!"
"Alright. Get well and restrain your lackeys; for every one of their screw-ups, I'll hold you responsible."
***
Leaving him lying on the ground, I went to the arena exit. My classmates began to boisterously congratulate me on the victory, admiring my second element and asking to be looked after. To all their statements I nodded with a kind smile and replied with standard phrases. Breaking away from them, I headed to Dean Yi.
The jerk was sitting there, contentedly sipping tea.
"Handled the clan members?"
"Yes, beat Bai Do Hee in the arena."
"Excellent. I hope his grandfather comes here with complaints so I can rub his nose in it."
"You don't like him or all clans in general?"
"The latter. You should know how much blood they sucked from me before I became dean. Tea?"
"Please."
Dean Yi Long was a fierce opponent of the clan system; there's surely something personal there, but he didn't tell me. He was also a fierce supporter of Principal Xiao, as he didn't let clan influence seep into the university. No wonder he appointed me—the only non-clan Intermediate—as monitor. Но мне эти разборки нафиг не упёрлись, лишь бы не лезли.
After my demonstration, no one bothered me further, and I calmly continued my studies. At the Magic Court I also just studied; my mentor hadn't arrived yet, and I shouldn't be overloaded for a couple of weeks.
The week before the competition with the Summoning department passed in study and cultivation. Almost the entire campus came to the competition today; many wanted to demonstrate their abilities and earn extra resources.
There were five summoners in total. The first was a kid with an armored rhino who managed to scatter fifteen people before being overwhelmed. It was well-armored but not very fast, which decided everything.
The second guy summoned a snow wolf, knocking out ten, but then an Intermediate Wind Magician faced him and launched the beast into the sky. The judges stopped the fight there.
Third was a girl with a lizard, a low Servant; she was knocked out by the first group.
The fourth summoned a forest cat; it was very fast and snapped up twenty people like seeds. My classmates boisterously asked to show how cool the Shadow department is, so I agreed to catch this cat.
Passing those who hesitated at the entrance, I scanned them.
"You, Lightning magician, and you, Fire magician, follow me."
Initially they looked in bewilderment, but my companions from the department quickly ran up and explained something, after which they followed me, satisfied.
Entering the arena together, I just walked toward the beast. It stood for a bit, then quickly maneuvering, ran toward me. But I was already much faster than an ordinary magician. The beast made its final jump but froze in the air, not reaching me by just a couple of meters because its shadow was pierced by a Shadow Spike. Standing for a couple of seconds looking at the beast, I turned and went back. Passing the quietly standing guys, I told them:
"It's yours."
I didn't have to ask twice, and the guys, quickly forming magic, attacked the forest cat.
A Light Shield appeared before the beast, and the judge announced our victory.
The satisfied guys caught up with me.
"That was cool!" the Lightning magician exclaimed.
"You really are the 'Dark Prince'! Handled it so easily!"
I stumbled. What? What freaking Dark Prince?
"What freaking Dark Prince?"
"Well... That's your nickname? Head of the Dark department who brutally beats everyone who disagrees with his position, protégé of Dean Yi Long. Future Magic Court judge!"
I found no words to answer. This is some kind of surrealism. What nicknames? What titles? Who even comes up with all this? What nonsense?
Without explaining anything, I sat in my place. About ten people had been hanging around me lately, mostly guys from simple families, but a couple of girls too. They followed me like a tail. Sometimes they were annoying, of course, but I quickly realized their usefulness, sending them on small errands. I thought they wanted to suck up to the monitor, but apparently they considered themselves part of my entourage? A strange world. But understandable in some way. Apparently holding close to the strong is written into the genetic code here, and I was considered the strongest in our department in the preliminary campus.
The fifth student from the Summoning department came out with clear panic on his face. He had about forty more people to defeat, but other departments still had enough Intermediate Magicians who were unlikely to give him the victory.
The guy summoned a six-meter snake, and only one person faced him. The magician summoned two Ice Chains and quickly wrapped the poor animal.
That's how the competition with the Summoning department ended; they lost disastrously and were deprived of their resources.
On the bright side, as one of those who defeated a beast, I was given an extra day of cultivation in the Three-Step Pagoda, but I can only use it at the end of the year. My dean surely tried to get me this specific reward.
***
Tang Yue arrived in Shanghai in mid-October. By then I had already reached the second tier of Intermediate Shadow magic, taken control of the Poison, and moved to the third tier of Basic Spirit.
My mentor was quite pleased with my progress. She handed me a dossier.
"This is Xing Ke, an Intermediate Magician; elements: Plant and Wind. Both presumably at the second-third tier. A maniac who tracks down lone girls, kidnaps them and rapes them, including with the Plant element. Like tentacles. Psychologically unstable. Tomorrow around 5 PM our agent, disguised as his victim, will lead him onto a crowded street. Your goal is a demonstration. The bastard was sentenced to death long ago; you must kill him painfully! This is my request, not an order. If it doesn't work, act according to the situation. As a reward, you'll be given several plants that accelerate Spirit cultivation. You can review this now, then I'll destroy the folder."
I read the dossier. The brief summary didn't convey even half the atrocities he committed against girls; he even kidnapped very young ones. The photo showed a thin, pale youth. One look at him and you immediately understand he was bullied throughout childhood; there's something in the eyes of such people. Girls probably bullied him too, and now he takes revenge on everyone this way. But I have no intention of showing any sympathy; I had a daughter in my past life myself. And I can imagine what the parents of his victims felt. At the mere thought that my little girl could have met such a maniac, rage boiled in my soul. I wanted to torment him... To make him suffer as long as possible... Oh, he will beg me for death.
The next day at 5:10 PM, a young beautiful girl—the one playing the bait—passed by the tree in whose shadow I hid. Following her about fifty meters behind was the person I needed. As he passed by, I attached myself to his shadow.
The goal of this operation is to show the Black Order and the public that I indeed exist. They surely want to leak some misinformation through the identified Black Order agents with Oblivion Insects. Knowing they exist, it won't be hard for a strong Spirit magician to identify them. Tang Zhong surely already found such a person and started his own game, in which I am just a cog.
The bastard reached the shopping center building and fell under the focus of a couple of cameras. Time.
I emerged behind his back and stunned him with Spirit magic. While he was gathering his thoughts, I pinned him with a Shadow Spike so he wouldn't escape with Wind. I used only the first tier so he'd remain conscious.
My opponent tried to summon magic, but I interrupted him again with Spirit magic, approaching slowly. People gathered around us, not understanding what was happening.
I pulled out my ID and showed it to everyone interested.
"Magic Court. Everyone please disperse."
People calmed down. But no one dispersed. On the contrary, everyone watched with interest; some took out phones and started recording.
"Xing Ke, for the murder, rape, and torture of twenty-one girls, six of whom are minors, the Magic Court sentences you to death."
Shock. That's what could be read on the faces of the people around us. They all looked with hatred at the bastard who had been trapped. I think if I had delayed, they would have torn him to pieces themselves.
Xing Ke tried once more to summon magic, but I was faster. The Spirit element hit his mind again. While he couldn't focus, I summoned the Poison element. Ten magical wasps appeared next to me, all carrying acid poison from my second star. I didn't want to kill him quickly with my strongest poison.
My wasps flew up to him one by one, slowly. First I dissolved the bastard's limbs while he squealed wildly. I approached and smashed his junk with a strong kick; the scoundrel started squeaking, and I continued sending wasps to him, slowly dissolving him.
After about five minutes, only a foul-smelling puddle remained of him, and I plunged back into the shadow, disappearing from the scene of the execution. The first, but not the last. If Tang Zhong keeps picking such candidates for me, I'm ready to work for free. In my old world, you just had to go on social media and you'd see so many stories about foul scum you wanted to strangle on the spot that you couldn't sleep half the night. So I don't mind cleaning the world of filth a bit; after all, I and my children still have to live in it.