I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Adam's eyes glinted with greed for a second.

"I also want you to mark me present for every class. Tell your colleagues I'll forgive them if they comply. In addition, use your teacher's privileges to borrow books and bring them to me."

This time, his demands would cost them nothing, but he would gain access to varied forging methods and enchantments. Even with Durgrim's soul orb, the academy must have developed fresh approaches over the centuries. And with Elara to supervise everything, he would progress much faster than with the snobbish Moira.

As his words lingered, he noticed Elara draw a deep sigh of relief.

"Your offer doesn't give you many advantages, though. Since you are a student, it is only natural for us to offer you knowledge, you know?"

Elara's soft voice resounded. Pushing herself off the ground, she dusted her clothes and continued.

"You could have asked for monetary compensation or materials."

Nova nodded at her words, tilting her head in confusion. She thought he would rip them off like he usually did.

"I don't need them. And you won't work for free. I'll give you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

His smile widened, curling into his merchant one as he outstretched his palm.

"I'll win the battle monster tournament. I'll help you bet your materials on me against the other arcanists for only fifteen percent of the profits."

A surprised yelp escaped the two women's mouths simultaneously.

Nova because she expected him to ask for fifty at the very minimum.

Elara, because his confidence astounded her.

"Do you have a deck? No. Did you register yourself first?"

Her questions lingered in the air as he stumbled and lowered his palm.

His smile quivered next, and his shoulders shook.

"Don't tell me there is a time limit to register..."

"There is! Today is the last day! I can't believe you didn't know!"

Elara's yell filled the room as she rushed to the door.

"Quick! I'll show you where the club is."

'Shit! I forgot I registered under Julius' name!'

The thought rumbled in his mind. The next second, dust particles glinted as he blurred into motion.

Like a furious gale, he caught up with the teacher in the blink of an eye. Together, they charged through the village and into the academy's main building.

Without a single word, Elara guided him to the second floor.

"Huff, huff. Take your student card out."

Her breath ragged and sweat glistening on her forehead, she gave him instructions and opened the door.

Since classes weren't over yet, only a few students met his eyes.

However, every single one of them recognised him.

"It's him!"

"Did he come to cause trouble?"

He ignored their hushed whispers and spoke.

"I want to register for the tournament. Here is my student's card."

A golden-plated card glinted as he offered them a twitching, warm smile.

A student moved to him and picked up the card before returning the smile. Then, he stamped it with a magical seal and filled out a form to register him in their club.

"For the tournament registration, I'll ask for your full cooperation. We only have twenty minutes before the deadline."

He nodded at the student.

"Register me as a student at Shepard's College. For obvious reasons, I don't want Moira to bask in my glory."

"I can do that. Now, I need a list of your cards. Do remember that changes aren't allowed during the tournament's duration. Of course, there is an exception. After defeating an opponent, you can take one of his and freely add it to your deck."

The student explained, his voice animated and his fingers drumming a lively rhythm on the desk.

"I have my deck here."

He retrieved it from the cardholder he had bought with Zenobia and handed it to the student.

Noting the card's names and types, the dwarf's smile enlarged.

"Oh! You have a ghost card! That's quite rare."

However, his expression crumbled, and his face froze in disbelief the next second.

"Another one? Another? A tier four Dullahan?!"

He yelled, shaking his head and pinching his arm to wake up. There was a worldwide tacit rule with the game. You used the cards you hunted for. You could also buy them, but tier-four ghost cards? The market didn't offer any at all!

When he thought the shock had passed and he would see some ordinary cards, he swallowed the wrong way, coughing.

Elara's eyes enlarged, too. Her shock stamped on her features in black ink, she finally grasped how terrifying Adam was as a fighter.

Before them lay the chimaeras' horrible features. Covered in chitinous carapaces, standing on two legs, and equipped with sharp claws and mandibles, they looked more like nightmarish creatures than magical beasts. Then, they saw the second tier-four card. A human-monkey knight with snake-like veins crisscrossing its protruding muscles.

Finally, they sighed in relief as they saw the last card. Yet, an icy shudder sent them reeling when they noticed the scientist's mad smile.

With a shake of his head to recover, the student confirmed the composition.

"You have eleven evil ghosts, eight hybrids and one human."

Adam nodded before checking the document the student had slid to him. After confirming everything was in order with a quick swipe of his eyes, he signed it.

Now that he completed the registration before the limit, he retrieved his cards and turned to leave.

However, the student called for him.

"Wait! I don't want to overstep my boundaries. But your deck is exceptional, composed of tier-three and four creatures. So why did you include a tier-one scientist in it?"

"Didn't you read his effect?"

A mysterious smirk split his lips as he waved his hand and walked out with Elara.

It was the only card he bothered to read because of its low tier. Yet, it was a terrifying one.

Back in his room, he glanced at the blue-haired teacher.

"You saw the deck. So? Do you accept?"

"Yes! I think you have a chance to reach the top eight with such a powerful lineup!"

She smiled in response, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"Tsk. But not the first place, right?"

He clicked his tongue, annoyed by her reservation.

"Don't come crying if you don't bet on the last juicy matches."

Then, he turned serious.

"Time to fill your part of the agreement. Get me books of the fourth-tier. For the craftsmanship lessons, we'll start tomorrow."

Elara nodded. With determined steps and a steely glint, she left the room to find the other teachers and share his demands with them.