Strongest Existence Becomes Teacher-Chapter 189: Dren Arrived

Mira adjusted her coat one last time, fingers tightening briefly at the cuffs.

The lecture hall was already buzzing—voices overlapping, chairs scraping, the restless energy of students who had heard rumors about today’s guest lecture.

And yet...

Where is Professor Zane...?

Her eyes flicked toward the entrance again. Empty.

He should have been here by now.

She exhaled quietly and stepped into the corridor, boots echoing softly against the metal floor. The forge-scented air felt heavier than usual, like something was pressing down on her chest.

That was when she saw Grom.

He stood near one of the support pillars, arms crossed, beard neatly braided as always—but his eyes were sharp, alert.

"You ready, kid?" he asked.

Mira nodded, forcing a small smile.

"Yeah. As ready as I can be."

Grom glanced past her, then toward the far end of the corridor.

Still no sign of him.

He’s still not here...

For just a heartbeat, an absurd thought crossed Grom’s mind.

Did he run away...?

He scoffed internally.

No. That man? Run away?

He shook his head slightly, grounding himself.

He’s strong. Stronger than he lets on.

If he’s late, it’s because he chose to be.

"Let’s go," Grom said at last.

They walked together toward the lecture hall, the distant murmur growing louder with each step. Mira’s nerves twisted tighter the closer they got, but she straightened her back, lifting her chin.

At the entrance, Grom stopped.

Mira turned to him, confused.

"Aren’t you coming in?"

Grom met her gaze, his expression firm but strangely gentle.

"You’ll handle this alone—for now."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Alone...?"

He nodded once.

"You’re ready. Trust yourself."

Mira swallowed, then nodded back.

"...Okay."

She stepped forward, pushing open the doors.

The lecture hall fell quiet as she entered.

Behind her, Grom remained in the corridor, arms crossed once more, eyes drifting upward as if sensing something far beyond the academy walls.

Show yourself already, she thought.

I know you will not run away.

Mira took a breath, steadied herself, and stepped fully into the role she knew so well.

"Let’s start with something basic," she said, her voice carrying clearly through the hall.

"Mana."

The students quieted, eyes turning toward her.

"As you all know, mana is everywhere," she continued. "In the air you breathe. In the ground you stand on. In every living being in this world."

She raised a finger slightly.

"But not all mana is equal."

She began to pace slowly in front of the hall, boots echoing softly.

"Everyone is born with a different amount of mana. Some are born with more. Some with less. This natural amount is called latent mana."

A few students nodded, others leaned forward.

"Latent mana determines how easily a person can grow," Mira said. "People with high latent mana absorb atmospheric mana more efficiently. Their reserves increase faster. Their growth is smoother."

Her expression softened a little.

"Those born with low latent mana struggle. They need more time, more control, more effort—for the same results."

She paused, letting that sink in.

"Now, there’s another important factor."

She turned slightly, sweeping her gaze across the room.

"Every species has mana with its own nature."

Her tone grew clearer, more confident.

"Elves possess mana closely linked to nature. It flows smoothly, responds to life, growth, and harmony."

A few elven students straightened unconsciously.

"Dwarves," she continued, "have mana that is thick and heavy. Dense. Stable. Perfect for forging, reinforcement, and enduring constructs."

Several dwarven students nodded with pride.

"Beastmen mana is sharp and wild," Mira said. "Explosive, instinctive, suited for combat and sudden bursts of power."

A low murmur rippled through the hall.

She stopped walking.

"And humans," she said.

For a moment, she hesitated—then spoke plainly.

"Human mana has no inherent specialty."

The room grew still.

"In general, human mana has no fixed characteristic. It doesn’t lean toward nature. It isn’t dense like dwarves’. It isn’t wild like beastmen’s."

She looked directly at the students.

"That’s why humans rely so heavily on techniques, spells, and adaptability."

Then she added, carefully,

"Of course, there are exceptions. Some humans are born with special mana traits. But as a whole—human mana has no natural identity."

She let out a small breath.

"And that," Mira said, "is both a weakness... and a potential strength."

Mira was in the middle of her explanation when the floor beneath her feet trembled.

At first it felt like nothing more than a passing vibration, the kind that sometimes occurred when heavy machinery deep within the academy shifted. She paused for a fraction of a second, frowning—then the tremor grew stronger. Desks rattled. The stone walls groaned. A deep, unnatural rumble rolled through the lecture hall, sending a ripple of unease through every student present.

Murmurs spread quickly.

"W-what’s going on...?"

"Is this part of the lecture...?"

Before Mira could answer, a beastman student near the windows suddenly shouted, panic sharp in his voice.

"Look outside—! The sky!!"

Every head turned at once.

Mira turned with them.

High above the Stonefang Combat Forge, suspended in the red-tinged morning sky, floated a lone figure. Distance obscured his features, but the posture was unmistakable—calm, deliberate. In his hand, something gleamed, a sharp, unnatural brilliance that caught the light of the twin suns and reflected it back like a star forged too close.

Confusion swept the hall.

"Who... is that?"

"A flying mage...?"

Mira’s breath caught in her throat. Her vision tunneled, instincts screaming before her mind could catch up.

"...Dren," she whispered.

The moment the name left her lips, the object in the sky flared.

A white beam erupted downward.

It wasn’t flame, lightning, or light—it was raw mana, compressed to a destructive purity. The beam tore through the air, erasing everything in its path. Reinforced stone, enchanted barriers, thick walls—none of it mattered. They dissolved into nothingness as the attack carved its way toward the lecture hall.

"MIRA!!!"

Grom’s roar shook the room.

He lunged toward her, reaching out with all his strength—

But the beam was faster.

It grazed her right side.

Her arm vanished instantly, reduced to drifting particles of light. For a heartbeat, there was no pain—only shock. Then agony crashed into her senses all at once.

"AAARGH—!!"

Mira screamed as her body gave out. Grom caught her before she hit the ground, his hands shaking as blood soaked into his arms.

"Mira... Mira...!"

Above them, the figure descended slowly, still floating, utterly unhurried.

Now close enough to see clearly.

Dren.

His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and in his hands hovered the Heart of the Deep Forge—no longer unstable, no longer sealed. Its casing flowed like liquid metal, iridescent and alive, perfectly containing the infinite mana within.

The Heart was complete. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Dren looked down at the ruined hall, at Grom cradling Mira’s broken body, and smiled.