"Fraud! Absolute fraud!"
An enraged shout echoed through the academy grounds, followed by frantic footsteps slapping against the bluestone pavement as someone fled in panic.
Zeus chased after them for a few steps before stopping, spreading his hands helplessly. "I'm not a con artist! I'm a legitimate academy instructor! I only wanted to recruit you as my student!" he protested loudly. "And was it really necessary to add the word great? You make it sound as though I've committed some unforgivable crime…"
As his complaints faded into muttering, a cold reminder surfaced in his mind—the director's warning from earlier that day.
"This is already the seventeenth one. If you still fail to recruit a single student by today, pack your things. You're leaving tomorrow."
Zeus had died that night, in that well.
Or rather, the original owner of this body had.
The soul now inhabiting it did not belong to this world at all. In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary high school teacher. His final memories consisted only of blazing flames—and then nothingness. When he opened his eyes again, he had already arrived in this unfamiliar world.
A world exactly like those described in fantasy novels, where martial cultivation was supreme and strength dictated everything.
At first, he believed he would follow the classic path: reborn as a useless talent, abandoned by his fiancée, then eventually rise up and slap everyone who had wronged him. Reality, however, proved far less cooperative. After arriving here, he discovered that he wasn't a student at all.
He was a teacher.
And not just any teacher—he was the most miserable instructor in the entire academy.
Other teachers' classrooms were always filled to the brim, so crowded that students had to stand. His own classroom, on the other hand, was eternally empty. On the rare occasions when he managed to lure a few students in, they quickly branded him a swindler and fled in terror.
The reason was painfully simple. Setting aside the fact that the body's former owner had been the weakest teacher on campus and utterly incapable of identifying talent, the true disaster lay elsewhere.
He had once misled a student so badly that the student's cultivation went berserk.
In the academy, that was the equivalent of having a dead patient under your name.
From that moment on, his reputation plummeted into the abyss. Teachers looked down on him, students avoided him, and newcomers treated his classroom as though it were cursed, terrified they might meet the same fate if they entered.
With a terrible record and no students to speak of, he ranked dead last in the Teacher Bar Examination the previous year. Worse still, he had achieved something unprecedented in academy history—a perfect zero.
Crushed by despair, the original owner of this body had turned to alcohol to numb his misery. In the end, he drank himself to death, unknowingly creating the opportunity for Zeus to take his place.
At the beginning of the new term, the academy issued its final ultimatum: if he failed to recruit even a single student this year, his position as a teacher would be permanently revoked.
Today alone, seventeen new students had passed by his classroom.
And every single one of them had fled the instant they heard his name, like young girls running from a suspicious uncle, disappearing as fast as their legs could carry them.
"It seems I'll have to trick at least one of them," Zeus muttered bitterly.
As he was still pondering his options, a small head appeared hesitantly at the classroom entrance. The girl standing there wore a confused expression, clearly unsure.
"Um… may I ask if this is Teacher Syra Mor's classroom?"
She had a delicate appearance and a soft, pleasant voice.
Teacher Syra Mor was the academy's star instructor. His classes were perpetually packed, and countless students enrolled in Starforge Academy solely because of his reputation.
"I'll take her," Zeus thought instantly, his eyes lighting up like a hunter spotting prey.
Drawing upon every "wise master" pose he remembered from his previous life, he calmly sat back in his chair, adopting the demeanor of a profound expert. "You want to become his student?" he asked mildly.
The girl nodded eagerly, admiration shining in her dark eyes. "I've heard Teacher Syra Mor is the most incredible instructor in the academy. Every student he teaches is exceptional. Being part of his class would be an honor!"
Zeus smiled faintly. "Fame does not always reflect truth. Teachers are like shoes—what matters is whether they fit. Even the best lectures are useless if the teachings don't align with your cultivation path. In fact, forcing incompatible methods could cause stagnation—or even regression. On the other hand, a lesser-known teacher whose theories harmonize with you could help you advance rapidly."
The girl hesitated, clearly shaken. "That… makes sense. My elder brother has said similar things before." She frowned slightly. "But I don't know which lessons would suit me best."
Seeing her uncertainty, Zeus knew she was hooked. Several great thinkers from his previous world flashed through his mind as he put on a troubled expression. "Our meeting today may well be fate. I am also an instructor here. Allow me to examine your aptitude and temperament, and I can recommend a suitable teacher for you."
"I'll trouble you then, sir!" the girl said happily, nodding without hesitation.
"Show me your cultivation," Zeus said, eyes half-lidded as if utterly unconcerned.
"Yes!"
A powerful shockwave rippled through the room as she unleashed a punch. Spiritual energy surged around her body in controlled waves, gathering tightly instead of dispersing. The strength was concealed but formidable—clear evidence of an excellent foundation.
Zeus nodded solemnly. "You train diligently and possess solid fundamentals. Your talent is exceptional. You are a rare genius."
In truth, he was simply imitating fortune tellers from his old world. His statements were deliberately vague yet flattering, impossible to refute and strangely convincing.
"Especially your legs," he continued confidently. "They move like a coiled dragon. Each step carries tremendous force, like raging tides. With enough effort, your future will be limitless—"
"Teacher," the girl interrupted cautiously, suspicion creeping into her eyes, "my leg is injured. The physician said it's practically crippled…"
Zeus' face instantly flushed red.
Injured…
Damn it.
She was about to realize he was a fraud.
And this was going to end very badly.