They didn't even wait a full hour.
An emergency notice hit Ethan's system interface the moment he returned to the Class V "headquarters" (also known as the haunted janitor's hall with graffiti in three languages and mysterious slime in the vents).
[Urgent Disciplinary Summons]
Ethan Moore, Instructor of Class V, is hereby summoned for a Special Evaluation by the Disciplinary Council.
Time: Now.
Location: Black Tower – Floor 7.
Dress Code: Survival preferred, not guaranteed.
[Note: You are not allowed to bring students, weapons, or backup. Good luck.]
Zeke peeked over Ethan's shoulder. "That… sounds like a trap."
Ember cracked her knuckles. "Want me to set the Council table on fire?"
Carlos offered, "We could send a 'peaceful' message. Like a brick."
Ethan raised a hand, silencing them.
"No," he said. "Let them think I'm alone."
He smiled.
"That's how villains work."
The Black Tower wasn't part of the official Academy map. It was taller than most buildings, but no windows. No banners. Just matte black stone, enchanted with so many sigils that birds avoided flying near it.
Inside, it was cold.
Not temperature-wise—spiritually. Like the building itself didn't believe in happy endings.
Ethan took the stairs two at a time.
On Floor 7, a circular room waited.
Twelve instructors sat around a crescent table, each in a dark robe. One of them, masked, spoke first.
"Ethan Moore. You've broken combat decorum. You've publicly humiliated peers. You've weaponized your students."
Ethan raised a hand. "And I taught them to color inside the lines. You missed that part."
"Silence," another instructor snapped. "You've destabilized the Hero Curriculum. Your 'Class V' is attracting… too much attention."
The masked instructor leaned forward. "We have two options: You disband your class. Or… we disband you."
Ethan didn't flinch.
Instead, he smiled.
"Here's my counter-offer."
He pulled something from his coat.
A scroll.
Not the kind issued by the Academy.
This one pulsed with black and red runes, vibrating with suppressed madness.
"I found this during our last 'training session.' Just lying under the arena," Ethan said casually. "It's a combat license. Signed by the Old Council."
One instructor paled.
"That council was dissolved—"
Ethan unrolled the scroll. Red light filled the room. The walls shook.
The masked one's eyes widened. "That's a Class S override."
Ethan nodded. "Which means... I outrank all of you. At least for today."
The scroll pulsed again.
For a second, none of the instructors moved.
Then one—a woman with steel-grey hair—rose slowly. "This can't be real. The Old Council died with the last war."
"Maybe they did," Ethan said. "But their contracts didn't."
The scroll shimmered, and golden runes etched themselves into the floor beneath Ethan's feet. The air thickened with authority.
[System Alert]
You have triggered a Forbidden Authority Token.
Status: Override Mode – Temporary immunity from institutional judgment.
Duration: 6 hours.
All actions taken under scroll's influence are officially "classified."
New Title Acquired: Rogue Instructor
New Passive: Untouchable Aura – Reduces punishment probability by 70% while mocking authority.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "So. We done threatening me?"
The instructors were silent.
He turned to leave, but paused at the door.
"One more thing," he said.
He tossed a small envelope onto the table.
"That's my official request to register Class V as a 'Special Experimental Division.' Fully legal. Signed with the override."
The masked one finally spoke again, voice low. "You're playing with things you don't understand."
"Good," Ethan said. "That makes two of us."
Back in Class V HQ...
Carlos was teaching Zeke how to flex his biceps without hurting his qi flow.
Ember was practicing flame signatures on the ceiling.
Lira stood at the window, silent as always.
Then—
The door slammed open.
Ethan walked in.
Everyone looked up.
"Well?" Ember asked. "Did they suspend you?"
"Better," Ethan replied.
He pulled a badge from his coat.
Instructor Rank: Black Class. Independent Unit Leader.
Carlos gawked. "That's... the rank they gave the guys in the Cultivation Wars."
Ember whistled. "So we're not just delinquents now. We're armed delinquents with paperwork."
Zeke leaned forward. "So what now, boss?"
Ethan grinned.
"Now, we make this class official. We take the resources they tried to deny us. We rewrite the training manual."
He paused.
"And then we ruin a few destinies."
[System Alert]
Main Questline Updated:
"Villain Curriculum: Stage II – Begin Global Disruption Protocol."
New Side Quest Available: Recruit Elite Student from Rival Academy (0/1)
Warning: High-ranking individuals have marked you as a Wild Variable.
Ethan shut the panel with a smirk.
"Let them watch."
Later that night, Ethan sat alone on the rooftop of Class V headquarters. The city-like glow of Liberty High flickered in the distance—peaceful, structured, blind.
He took a sip of cold spirit tea, then opened his system again.
> [Personal Memoir Log – Unlocked]
Villain Seed Growth: 38%
Mutation Tendency: Irregular
Projected Threat Rating (Academy Index): B-Class
Global Threat Index: Pending...
Note: You have now entered the attention field of external institutions.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"External?"
Just then, a soft chime echoed.
Another message. Not from the Academy. Not from the system.
> [Transmission Request: Origin – Apex Academy North Division]
Recruitment Offer: 'Come test your class against ours. If you win, we talk terms. If you lose… we take your students.'
—Instructor Vega, Head of Combat Integration, Apex North.
Ethan stared at the screen for a moment, then laughed.
"Perfect."
He snapped the screen closed.
Then whispered into the night:
"Let's take this villain act on tour."