NOVEL WEB Chapter 1: What a Loser Looks Like.
Dorian Ashford, a 35-year-old man, hadn't achieved much success in life. However, he enjoyed his job as a teacher at a highly esteemed institute known for its academic excellence, where only the best students attended.
On July 31, 2024, he was assigned as the teacher in charge of Class 1-A, known for having somewhat troublesome students, some of whom come from very wealthy families.
The teacher entered the classroom and introduced himself:
"My name is Dorian Ashford, and from today, I will be your new teacher. I understand that this class has a reputation for being troublesome and problematic, but I get it; you're just going through a difficult age. However, I believe we can help each other improve."
Despite the professor's kind introduction, the students mostly ignored him.
One of the students, named James, approached him.
(James Carter, 14 years old, has short red hair. He likes to be direct and was the vice president of his class in elementary school. He is currently the captain of the soccer team.)
"Professor Dorian, I suggest you take out the book and give us something to study, because the last teacher did the same thing as you, and it didn't go well for him. He ended up quitting. In fact, Felicia's dad hired him as a driver, and now we see him every morning when he brings Felicia to school."
"Don't talk about me behind my back," Felicia said, arms crossed, as she stood near the professor.
(Felicia Ashcroft, 14 years old, She has pink hair in pigtails., green eyes, and a sharp gaze. She is the only daughter of the owner of a famous pharmacy chain. She is very spoiled and usually gets what she wants.)
"I understand your concern, and I'll keep it in mind," said Professor Dorian Ashford, sighing.
Meanwhile, in another world where magic and the medieval era were common, something disastrous was happening.
In the kingdom of Gracia, the sound of galloping knights in fine armor and strong horses echoed through the streets, rushing towards the outskirts of the kingdom as quickly as possible.
"Captain Han, may I make a request?" asked a soldier as he galloped close to the captain of the glorious army of the kingdom of Gracia.
"This isn't the time for that, but if it's something simple, just tell me," the captain replied, his eyes focused on the two large gates opening in front of them.
"The wave of monsters is larger than last year's, and that year I lost my brother in the waves," the soldier said, with a sad but determined look.
"I remember your brother; he was a great soldier. It's unfortunate that you had to come and fight, but I hope you understand that we don't have many soldiers left because of the waves. Thanks to people like your brother, the kingdom survives," the captain said, with pride in his eyes.
"I understand that. It's just that my younger sister is all I have. Our parents died when we were little, and she only has me. So, if anything happens to me, please make sure the money gets to her," the soldier said with a sad look.
"I understand what you're saying, and I'll honor your request, but don't think I'll let you die. Let's give it our all, and then you can invite me to dinner at your place," the captain said with a big smile.
The kingdom of Gracia is located on the Rocky Continent, which has three other kingdoms: the Kingdom of Gracia, inhabited by humans; the Beastman Kingdom, called the Kingdom of the Claw; and the Green Kingdom, inhabited by elves. Although they share the same continent, the three kingdoms don't get along well, and slavery is permitted in all of them except the elven kingdom. There are other continents, but they are inhabited by demons, who sometimes come out to hunt humans, beastmen, and elves.
Back on Earth.
"Professor, can you repeat that again?" asked a student named Isabella "Bella" Moretti.
(Bella, 14 years old, is very troublesome and likes to mock teachers. She is the daughter of a mafia boss and has two friends out of convenience, Lucia Carbone and Sofia Carbone, both 14 years old and sisters. The Carbone family isn't as powerful as the Moretti family, which is why they follow Isabella.)
"This is the fifth time I have to explain this," the professor thought, feeling a bit tired.
And so the first day of classes ended. Some students left early, and others completely ignored him. Very few really listened, and among those few was a student in charge of the class, Emma Caldwell.
(Emma Caldwell, 14 years old, has long black hair, blue eyes, and an athletic build. She participates in the gymnastics club and is the class president. Her demeanor is more mature despite her age.)
"It was a good class, Professor Bennett. Honestly, the other teachers who have come here just get angry right away, and many of them don't last the first day. Because of that, we're behind in our subjects. I know my classmates don't help much, but they're really quite uncontrollable," Emma said as she said goodbye to the professor.
Upon arriving at his apartment, Professor Dorian Ashford sat on his couch and turned on the television. Despite an important news story about the disappearance of students from a certain school, Dorian had no interest in the content; he just wanted to hear people's voices on TV, perhaps to not feel so alone. And here's the truth about why the professor endures his students' treatment: the truth is simple, he doesn't care, nothing matters to him anymore.
A few years ago, after graduating, Dorian got a well-paid job as a programmer. At that company, he met a beautiful woman who became his wife, and he loved her for over five years; they even managed to buy a house together. But not everything was happiness. One day, after returning from work, he found his wife with his boss in their own home. Dorian was shocked; the boss, a burly man, said, "You'd better leave and come back in two hours; I'm not finished yet."
Dorian looked at his wife in bed, but she just looked away. For some reason, Dorian obeyed his boss and left his own house, sitting on the sidewalk. A couple of hours later, his boss left the house, approached him, and said, "It's your fault for arriving early; you should have taken the overtime I suggested." After that, the boss left. Dorian looked at his house and saw his wife waving goodbye to his boss; she then went inside without looking at him. Upon entering the house, he saw his wife, angry, saying, "I had these papers prepared; they're for the divorce, and the house is mine." Dorian took a pen and signed them, and that very night he left what he thought was a home. After that, he rented a small apartment and started working as a teacher.
Currently, Dorian works all day, taking every overtime shift he can, just to come home and fall asleep on the couch with the TV on. Since that terrible incident, he's been terrified of sleeping alone in his own bed.
In a luxurious house in the city center, Felicia Ashcroft is taking a bubble bath in an opulent bathroom.
"That professor will be my new toy," the girl thought with a big smile on her face.
"Miss, I've brought your change of clothes," said the voice of an older man.
"Alright, you can come in and leave them by the bathtub," the girl said with a mischievous smile.
"Miss, you know I can't do that. Last time you made me come in, you told me to do it with my eyes covered. After that, I slipped and hit my head, and your father almost fired me," the man said, frightened.
"Ah, you're so boring! And to think you used to be a teacher, you were more fun then. Fine, tell one of the maids to bring them," Felicia said, slightly annoyed.
"Thank you, I'll do it immediately," said the former teacher.
Meanwhile, in the city streets at a nightlife spot:
"Look at those three girls, they're so beautiful. One's a stunner, and those twin girls are very pretty too," murmured people in the crowd.
"How annoying, we should give them what they deserve," Sofia Carbone said.
(Sofia Carbone, 14 years old, is a devoted follower of Bella. She is generally very explosive in stressful situations. She has short pink hair and purple eyes.)
"Sister, just ignore them. Last time you got Bella into trouble," Lucia Carbone said, looking at her sister with annoyance.
(Lucia Carbone, 14 years old, is a devoted follower of Bella. She is calmer and always tries to stop her sister in stressful situations. She has short purple hair and pink eyes.)
"It's true, even though we have important families, it doesn't exempt us from having to attend classes. So we shouldn't be visiting these places at this hour. For now, we won't make any trouble," Isabella Moretti said.
At that moment, three classmates appeared in front of them.
"Well, look who we have here, the girl who plays at being a mafia adult and her two minions. Isn't it too late to be playing around here?" Marcos said.
(Marcos Torres, 15 years old, has short dyed blonde hair, blue eyes, and wears dark glasses. He is the son of the city's mayor and likes to break the rules.)
"Watch what you say, scum," Sofia said with a look of hatred.
"It looks like this kitty has claws. Why don't you tell your minions not to interfere when I'm talking?" Marcos said, pointing his finger at Bella.
"Don't provoke me. Do you think I'm afraid of your father, the mayor? He's just another corrupt man in this shitty world. Let's go, girls, don't let their stupidity rub off on you," Isabella said, somewhat annoyed.
Both girls followed her and left the place, leaving Marcos defeated in his own game of words.
"It seems like they respect you less and less. Why don't you change your strategy and just confess?" Carlos said, putting a hand on his shoulder and whispering in his ear.
(Carlos Castillo, 14 years old, has very short green hair. He is the son of the police chief, lazy and addicted to shooting games.)
"Don't talk nonsense. She's just another prey, and don't interfere in my affairs," Marcos responded, somewhat furious.
Alongside them was Gabriel, who only accompanied the other two. He doesn't like getting involved in problematic matters, but is forced to do so by Marcos, as the mayor gave him a scholarship, which allows him to study at that school.
(Gabriel Ramírez, 14 years old, short white hair, red eyes, always wears a wool hat. Very dedicated to his studies. He only lives with his mother and his little brother, and he receives a scholarship thanks to his efforts.)
The next day, at 6:30 am, Dorian woke up on his couch, headed to the bathroom, and took a shower. Then, he put on clean clothes and went to work. On the way, he stopped at a café, where he ordered a coffee and a slice of buttered toast. The girl who served him was very kind. After breakfast, he thanked her and left.
In the classroom, Marcos arrived very early along with Carlos and Gabriel. At the moment, it was just the three of them.
"Why did you make us come so early? Don't you know that, because of you, I'm sleepy?" Carlos said while yawning.
"Speak for yourself. I've been up since five in the morning," Gabriel said while looking out the window at the courtyard.
"Don't worry, this will be worth it. Look what I brought," Marcos said, showing them some small metal pieces.
"Nails? They're small nails. And what did you bring them for?" Carlos asked.
"They're surely to bother the new teacher," Gabriel replied with a sigh.
"Don't ruin the surprise, Gabriel. But yes, they're to put on the teacher's chair. Once he sits, he'll scream in pain and run away from here," Marcos said with a smile on his face.
"Interesting, but what if he notices them before sitting down? You hadn't thought of that, had you?" Carlos asked.
"Well, in that case, Gabriel will have to distract him so he doesn't notice," Marcos said.
"Wait, why me? Don't involve me in such dangerous things," Gabriel complained.
"Don't worry. If you're afraid of getting caught and losing your scholarship, I'll tell my father to change their mind. He has a lot of power here," Marcos said with great pride.
Gabriel simply bowed his head and, with clenched teeth, responded that he would do it.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office:
"Come in, it's good that you're early," the principal said to Dorian.
"Excuse me, I'll sit down. I was told you wanted to speak with me, sir," Dorian said humbly.
"Yes, I called you in, but I'll be brief. It's about the class you're in charge of. The mayor called me and asked how it's possible that his son doesn't have a homeroom teacher, but I told him we assigned one yesterday. So, I'm asking you not to mess this up. The mayor is a big contributor to this institution. Also, there's the Ashcroft family. They placed their daughter here. If they find out there's no assigned teacher for their daughter Felicia Ashcroft's class, they might withdraw her, and that's just losses for me... I mean, for the institution. Well, you understand. When you came here asking for a job, I took you in on the condition that you wouldn't be paid for extra hours, but you still take extra hours and I appreciate that. But if you leave that class, I'll have no choice but to let you go. I hope you understand how serious this is."
After that, Dorian headed to his classroom. The students were already seated. At that moment, a student approached and stopped him.
"Professor Dorian, be careful. It looks like Carlos and Marcos are up to something. They're laughing and brought a camera to record. I don't know what they have planned, but be careful," Emma told the teacher before he entered the classroom.
"Thank you for your concern," the teacher said with a slight smile and a distant look.
Next to the teacher's desk was Gabriel, standing right next to the chair, obstructing the view of the nails placed there.
"What's wrong, Gabriel? Do you need help with something?" the teacher asked.
Gabriel, looking at the floor, got very close to his ear and whispered:
"I'm sorry, professor, but I can't continue with this. Someone put nails on your chair. I hope you can avoid them, but please don't tell on me, or I'll be in trouble," Gabriel said quickly and in a low voice.
Dorian understood the situation immediately. He also knew that Gabriel was on a scholarship and followed Marcos' orders, the mayor's son. So, the teacher made a decision.
Without caring about the consequences, he sat on that chair with nails.
Dorian Ashford, feeling the sharp pain from the nails in his thigh, began the class firmly.
“Guys, we’re starting the lesson. Please open your math books to page 20,” he said as he sat in the chair with the nails.
A sharp pain shot through him, but he didn’t show any reaction. As the minutes passed, the pain intensified, but he continued the class without interruption.
“I’m recording, but this is really boring. It’s lost its fun,” Carlos said, looking at Marcos with disappointment.
“That damn teacher. He must’ve seen the nails and taken them out before sitting down. It was Gabriel who told him, wasn’t it? You warned him!” Marcos yelled at Gabriel, visibly enraged.
Gabriel ignored him, which only made Marcos angrier. He got up from his seat, grabbed Gabriel by his clothes, and pushed him against the wall.
“You ruined my plan, didn’t you?!” Marcos shouted loudly.
The entire class focused on the confrontation. At that moment, Dorian stood up with difficulty.
“I’m sorry, but I need to go to the nurse’s office. Please continue with the exercises I assigned,” Dorian said as he left the classroom.
In the hallway, James, another student, saw blood on the floor.
“Why is there blood here?” he asked in surprise.
Emma immediately got up and checked the teacher’s chair. Upon seeing the nails, she understood what had happened.
“You’re a real piece of trash, Marcos! This wasn’t funny at all!” Emma yelled as she ran after the teacher.
Marcos let go of Gabriel and ran to see the chair. Upon arrival, he noticed his plan had succeeded and began laughing to himself.
“Yes, it worked. This is the best prank I’ve ever done!” Marcos said aloud.
But the room was silent. The stares were focused on Marcos, but they weren’t of joy for the supposed prank; they were of disgust. He tried to look at his two friends, but Gabriel sat at his desk with his head down, consumed by guilt. Carlos had left the room. At that moment, Marcos realized he was alone.
“Don’t look at me like that! Isn’t this what everyone wanted? The teacher left. I did it,” Marcos said desperately.
“Left? Did you even listen? Oh, right, you were in ‘ape mode’ trying to hit Gabriel. Well, I’ll tell you. He said he was just going to the nurse’s office. He didn’t leave for good. Your prank was in bad taste, but that’s your level,” Isabella said, looking at him with disdain.
“Bad taste? Don’t say that. We all know you’re all the same. Look at Felicia; she turned the old teacher into her personal servant,” Marcos shouted.
“Don’t drag me into your mess. Besides, don’t compare me to your level, you lowlife. I’ll say it once: my butler earns twenty times more than he did as a teacher and is very happy with his job. So, I’ll repeat, don’t compare me to someone like you. You’re just pathetic,” Felicia said, yawning.
Meanwhile, in the fantasy world.
“Sir, orcs have appeared this time,” said the soldier to the captain.
“How many are there?”
“It seems there are two, but we can't even handle one. We should plan a retreat, sir,” replied the soldier.
“Absolutely not, I’ll have to go myself,” said the captain.
He mounted his steed and headed to the indicated location. Upon arrival, he saw two large orcs, but one had already been defeated.
“Who could have defeated the orc?” asked the captain.
“It was Soldier Cristian, sir,” answered another soldier.
“Well, that gives me less work,” shouted the captain as he swiftly rode towards the second orc.
Just a few meters away, the captain jumped off his horse and, with a great sword, slashed part of the orc's back. The orc turned around and swiftly struck him with a wooden club, sending him crashing into some rocks. The impact destroyed the captain's mana shield and part of his armor, leaving him with concerning wounds. The captain quickly got up and pulled two bottles from a small pouch: a red one to heal his wounds and a blue one to restore his mana. At that moment, his body was enveloped by a mana shield as the orc charged towards him violently. The captain knew that if he failed this attack, it would be the end for him. He activated a special ability called counterattack, which requires waiting for the opponent to launch an attack to counter it. The problem with this ability is that if it fails, the user will receive the full brunt of the enemy's attack, and with an orc, the chances of dying were high.
The captain got into position, with both legs bent and the sword held with both hands. Additionally, the sword had a purple glow due to the skill. The club was heading at high speed towards Captain Han's face, and just as it was about to hit him, the captain activated his skill.
(Counterattack skill: depending on the level, it returns up to 500% of the damage to the attacking enemy)
The captain's counterattack skill was at level 6 out of a maximum of 10 levels, meaning his counterattack would deal 300% extra damage. The skill was successful, and a diagonal purple light sliced through and cut the orc in half, all in an instant.
—Captain, are you okay? It's good you defeated the orc —said a soldier running towards him.
—It wasn't easy. I wonder how a simple soldier managed to defeat the other orc, and where is that soldier? I need to congratulate him —asked Captain Han.
—Well, regarding that, I couldn't report it immediately due to the situation, but that soldier lost his life after defeating the orc. His name was Christian Hollister.
—Did you say Hollister? —asked the captain with amazement and sadness.
—Yes, sir. He also managed to defeat a large number of demons —reported the soldier.
—I see. I will have to bring his body to his only little sister. Where is his body? —asked the captain.
—Regarding that, I'm sorry to say that the demons took it —replied the soldier.
—What do you mean? That is very cruel, those damn demons!
Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Gracia...
Inside the castle, an elderly seer was with the king.
—Elderly woman, tell me how the situation is. Use your foresight to inform me —demanded King Alberto Windsor.
—Yes, your majesty, the crystal sphere shows me too many deaths on both sides, but the worst is over; two large orcs were defeated —commented the old woman.
—Orcs? Are the demons now collaborating with them, or did they simply enslave them? This is new, it hasn't happened before. Continue, old woman, tell me more —said the king, interrupting the old woman.
—Alright, my lord, I will continue. Although there are many losses, victory is in our favor. The demons are beginning to retreat; it is only a matter of hours until the battle ends —said the old woman.
—What do you think of the situation, counselor? —asked the king to an old man on his right.
—Yes, my lord. Although we have won this battle, the losses are greater and the number of demons is increasing. Additionally, we must add that they can now tame some monsters, such as the orcs —said the old man with concern.
—Then, what do you recommend? And tell me the truth without beating around the bush, counselor —exclaimed the king.
—If you wish, my king, I will be frank with you. By this time next year, we will all be dead. We won't be able to withstand the next wave of demons, as we have fewer soldiers and the demon army grows larger —explained the counselor.
—I would lie if I said that surprises me, but the truth is I also think the same. I just wanted to confirm it with someone else. Do you have any ideas to avoid that catastrophe? —asked the king very seriously.
—Yes, my lord. There are three options, but they are not easy. The first is to ally with the beastmen and the elves, but it is very difficult since the beastmen hate us due to the fact that in the black market, female slaves of their race are sold at a high price. They were simple villagers, but because of human bandits who took them by force from their villages to sell them to certain corrupt nobles. With the elves, it is even more difficult to negotiate, as they almost never leave the magic forest. Additionally, they have a barrier that prevents any race other than elves from entering; even the strongest demons cannot penetrate it.
—The second option is to flee, save what we can from the kingdom, and migrate beyond the mountains. In those places, demons do not reach, but we would have to abandon the kingdom to its fate. There would be mutinies and thefts, chaos would reign, and finally, the kingdom of Gracia would be lost.
—And the third option is the most reliable but also uncertain, and that is to use an ancient ritual to gain allies. This ritual could be the salvation of the kingdom, but it has its weaknesses —said the counselor.
—Clearly, the third option is our only choice. Explain it well and tell me all the details of this ritual —asked the king with great interest.
—Alright, my king. The first thing to consider is that in a ritual, something valuable must be lost, and depending on how valuable it is, the reward will be even better. In the ritual, a divine entity will appear, which is neither good nor bad, it just watches over and ensures the ritual is fulfilled. The other disadvantage of the ritual is that the beings that are summoned are not very strong, but they possess abilities that will grow over time, and if we are lucky, they can become powerful enough to defeat the demonic waves —said the counselor with a wise aura.
—Are you saying you recommend that we perform the ritual as soon as possible? —asked the king doubtfully.
—Yes, your majesty. This will give the summoned heroes time to train and become stronger, as according to history, the previously summoned heroes were no more powerful than a simple farmer —explained the counselor.
—Do we have everything necessary for the summoning of the heroes? —asked the king.
—Yes, we do. If you allow me, we could start the ritual immediately —responded the counselor.
Back on Earth.
—Professor, how is Professor Dorian? —asked Emma in the infirmary.
—Hello, Emma. Well, he is fine, it's just that he doesn't want to tell me what happened. For now, I put a bandage on him and did the basic treatments, he is not in any danger —said the nurse.
—Where is he? I want to apologize to him, I should have realized the plan of those idiots earlier —said Emma with anger.
—Well, he is on stretcher number 4, behind the curtains. Just don't go now since he... —said the nurse, but she couldn't finish because Emma left quickly.
—Professor, listen to me —said Emma in a loud tone as she opened the curtains that covered the stretcher.
—Is that you, Emma? Wait, I'm not done dressing yet —said the professor a bit nervously.
—Professor, why are you without pants! —shouted Emma while using the palm of her hand to hit the professor, closing her eyes.
"Wait, it's not my fault! You opened without warning," complained the professor as he rubbed his reddened cheek from the slap.
Emma turned very red and quickly left the room.
Upon reaching the classroom, Emma confronted Marcos again.
"This is all your fault; you should be ashamed," said Emma, very furious.
Everyone was looking at Emma, but not because of her outburst. Instead, they were focused on a strange blue light beneath her feet. And not only that, the light turned into a circle with strange writings. That circle was slowly rotating and getting larger.
"What is this? It must be another one of your jokes, Marcos," said Emma.
But the circle with the strange letters began to rise from the soles of her feet upwards, and as it moved up, it made everything it touched disappear. When everyone realized it, only half of the girl's body was visible.
"Where are my feet? I can't see them, but I can feel them," said Emma, very scared.
The circle reached the top of the girl's head and disappeared along with her. After that, similar circles appeared under other students. Panic filled the room, screams of despair echoed everywhere. Some tried to run, but a circle appeared and took them too. Within moments, everyone in that class had disappeared.