The students heading to the supplementary lecture held in the Spirit Realm were eagerly waiting for their turn to use the Dimensional Gate, trying their best to bloom flowers of hope.
“Did you hear? A fourth-year senior mentioned that 300 years ago, they also attended a supplementary lecture in the Spirit Realm.”
“Really? How did that happen?”
“Professor Sadako was wreaking havoc as one of the Three Great Evils, causing exponential damage across the continent, so they had to dedicate time to stop her!”
Nearby, Titosso’s face flashed with both fear and relief. The fear was directed at Professor Sadako, while the relief came from the fact that they were spared from attendance because Jiang covered for them.
“But do they also call Goblin World the Spirit Realm?”
“Well, it’s the fairy folk’s term. Greedy Goblins. Just look at those spirits, obviously fixated on greed!”
“Is that so?”
“It’s actually an easy ride. As long as you control your greed, you won’t have to worry about getting dragged into unnecessary trouble. Just visit the Fire Spirit Realm. You would have to maintain fire and heat resistance non-stop for 24 hours to avoid heatstroke!”
Got it! We were lucky!
Titosso clenched her fists in joy in secret.
“Oh, it’s our turn.”
Following behind the knowledgeable seniors, Titosso pranced in. Her worry lessened slightly as she stepped on the heels of the seniors who had entered before her.
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
Even with Titosso’s startled apology, the seniors were busy looking around with blank expressions.
“What is this?”
“How did Goblins survive here?”
“Is Goblin World really this terrifying?”
A surface scarred with pits, murky yellow dust swirling in the distance, and a massive whirlwind that spun terrifyingly fast.
In a scene resembling a post-apocalyptic world, devoid of any life force, Titosso froze just like the seniors.
“What are you all doing? The line is blocked. Hurry up and go down!”
Under the instructor’s urging, dazed faces led the way down, where students who had crossed the Dimensional Gate were gazing around with similar expressions.
Titosso let her consciousness drift in the light of the light stand, briefly raised the brightness, and shimmered with light.
━━━
[Illumination] + [Twinkle] + [Wave] + [Detection] + [Flow] + [Projection]
6th Tier Area Detection Technique [Shining Scan]
━━━
Extending her consciousness throughout the range of the emitted light brought Titosso indirect Domain Expansion effects. Observing numerous masters manipulating realms, she discerned that the soil here could not sustain life, and the atmosphere was similarly barren.
Just recently, there had been life force, but it had perished. A massive energy surge struck the dimensional realm, reducing everything to ashes, leading to the loss of even the dimensional barriers that kept the realm stable, resulting in the present desolate state.
“This isn’t Goblin World!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Didn’t we come to Goblin World?!”
The instructor wore an expression of utter disdain.
“If you’re under a lot of stress, early-onset dementia becomes a real concern. It’s said that young dementia trends are rising, and perhaps the younger students are being affected by major incidents? How long has it been since the principal mentioned it? Have you forgotten already? We’re in the Spirit Realm, not Goblin World.”
“But… Goblins can also be seen as spirits!!”
“Now, I’ll clarify it for you, so repeat after me. Goblins are classified as part of the Animal Phylum, Mammal Class, Order Primates, Family Homo, and Species Goblin. Proceed!”
“Goblins are spirits for sure! We’re making our baby spirit!”
“No way, mentally ill academy! The Goblin Moms have already come out. Do you know that stealing gold coins from your pockets in the classroom and puncturing food pouches on the way is due to animal moms like you?”
Titosso, who had unwittingly made herself a target for scorn from the instructor, was now receiving blame for the crimes of a thief squirrel raised by Squirrel Mom Dorothy!
As tears of injustice and sadness welled up in her eyes, Dorothy sprinted over, pushing the instructor aside.
“Instructor, the line is moving! If the professor comes, we’re toast!”
“Ugh, no deductions!”
Once the instructor left, Titosso sniffled.
“Our babies are fairies.”
“Right, right, Goblins are indeed fairies!”
“But it seems halflings and fairies are different…”
“The instructor is just stupid and talking nonsense! If just attending the lecture isn’t enough to earn points, how poorly did they study during their student days for an instructor to have to work? Don’t listen to those who are dumber than Titosso!”
“Hehe… really?”
Dorothy’s desperate persuasion effectively calmed Titosso’s tears.
Of course, that didn’t mean their supplementary lecture in the Spirit Realm would be easy…
“Now that everyone has crossed over, I’ll explain why the principal has asked you to attend this supplementary lecture in this desolate dimension, not Goblin World.”
The overall supervisor of the Spirit Realm’s specialized course was Professor Mahabharata.
The principal’s right hand and a loyal guardian.
“This planet has become a wasteland in the wake of the recent Foundation Workshop Battle, with its attribute powers completely evaporated, leaving behind a barren land without an owner. In other words, depending on who quickly establishes a foothold and claims it, the owner of this land can change easily.”
A land without an owner! A free bonanza!
The students’ eyes widened.
Even in Gift Island, where a single forest that produces lecture materials could lead to fierce turf wars, nations outside the academy often waged land-grabbing wars every few decades.
But here, entire planetary treasures lay sprawled about, and they couldn’t help but drool.
“A planet where cities can be built in abundance!”
With Titosso’s home, Prill, going bankrupt and facing financial strain, she couldn’t help but desire it.
“The mana you use while attending lectures will soon settle as the base mana for this planet. For students aiming to learn Domain Expansion or World Domain, chances to dominate such minor dimensions are incredibly rare.”
“How amazing is this opportunity?”
They recognized it as an opportunity, but a naive question from a lower-grade student who couldn’t gauge its value made Professor Mahabharata burst into laughter.
“Even Spirit Kings would covet this opportunity.”
“Wow!”
“So, while you all are attending lectures, an invasion from another dimension is expected. Specifically, as the density of the protective barrier imbued with the Dragon Principal’s dragon mana continues to thin, the frequency and intensity of the invasions will increase.”
Students who were gawking in awe gradually froze in realization.
It wasn’t something to cheer about after all.
“No need to be too fearful. As long as you quickly follow the pace of the supplementary lecture and are deemed to have properly attended by the professors, you can return to the Middle Realm.”
The supplementary lecture wasn’t some casual come-and-go session.
If they didn’t finish all the lectures in time, they’d suffer through increasingly strong invasions from spirit species, enduring a makeshift special dungeon!
“Of course, if you’re confident in your skills, it wouldn’t be bad to try to endure for longer. The more mana you use, the higher the ratio of your mana puzzle that forms the world, increasing your chances of acquiring Domain Expansion and World Domain.”
It would be easier for them to mindlessly cram and focus on escaping if they were simply tossed into a wretched planet to be tormented with 100% evil.
Yet, they were instead seduced with words that made them question if it was okay to go ahead and lose opportunities for growth.
Even while pretending to be nice and saying common-sense things in front of the students, Professor Mahabharata was essentially still a professor.
Her skill at torturing students under the guise of growth surpassed that of any ordinary professors, making her a master of Hope Torture.
After all, a person wouldn’t be recognized as a solid faculty leader among the esteemed professors if they didn’t have that level of personality.
“Uugh, what should we do? Hurry up and listen and get out? Delay the supplementary and hold on longer? What should we do?”
“Let’s endure as much as we can, and leave with at least one supplementary lecture left open to escape whenever we can.”
Dorothy and Titosso plotted their own ambitious tightrope strategy.
“Now, I will administer a pop quiz to confirm whether you properly attended today’s supplementary lecture. Those who score below the required mark will not receive their attendance certificates, so keep that in mind.”
The students who were cut from the pop quiz now realized that instead of contemplating how long they could endure while attending lectures, they needed to wonder if they could finish the lectures before the spirit invasion got out of hand.
“I’m so jealous of Oknodie and Jiang… Everyone should have to go through this tough ordeal!”
Dorothy began to suspect that Titosso had picked up a terrible temperament from Oknodie since becoming a second-year!
*
As Goblin World received newbie instructors from the Empire and newbie Goblin students, the students attending the supplementary lectures were swept into Terraforming and dimensional invasion defense training in the dimension that had become a wasteland following the recent Foundation Workshop Battle.
Of course, as everyone led busy lives, Oknodie, the architect of both Goblin World and the ruined dimensional realm, wasn’t just sitting around idly.
“Senior Alice. I don’t have to look after Goo today!”
“Why?”
“I’m going to build your body today!”
“…!”
Finally, the day had come for Senior Alice, who had been waiting in the Dark Aptitude Evaluation Hat, to have a physical form.
