Super in the Shadows

The best classes have colorful students, magical tests, and world-destroying teachers. This one is no exception. ENJOY!

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“Ow, ow, my poor butt!”

A half-naked girl cutely exclaimed.

Her fall had been so sudden that she was still stunned. A second earlier, she had been lying in ambush next to the classroom door, and then something had rammed her ass?!

She hurriedly turned her head and found herself staring...

A young man with hair and eyes of onyx, a calm composure, and a smile that instantly melted her defenses. Not only that, but he was even giving her a slightly concerned look.

“Hey there, you okay?”

“YES!!!!!”

She was! But that didn’t matter right now. No, all that mattered was that he had sneaked up on her, which should have been impossible since she had been waiting in ambush in a cul-de-sac!

Her curious green eyes scanned him whole…

Warper?! Psychic?! Or could he actually be a Vanisher just like her?!

And as her gaze settled on him, Jack, too, observed her. Innocent eyes, a lively black ponytail, a cute T-shirt, and exercise bloomers in full display. In fact, he couldn't take his eyes off...

"This... mind if I touch?!"

He shamelessly asked, and yet she beamed with joy.

Ah?! An opportunity! Her eyes glowing “schemingly,” she instantly resolved to agree. First, she’d let him cop a feel, and then she’d start her interrogation. Hehe, she was one hell of a genius!

She slowly redressed herself with a large smirk.

“Go on! Touch all you want!”

With her blessing, Jack went all out. He rubbed, he pinched, and he even poked! It was so soft, so supple, and so full of Mana! He simply couldn't stop himself, his fingers playing with the hem of her shirt, one made of freaking SHIMMERSILK!

“It’s my first time seeing one so close. Can you…”

She gave him an understanding smile as she activated her ability. Mana coursed through her body, collided with the shirt, and then— POOF! Everything disappeared, girl and clothes!

“As expected of Shimmersilk, no delay whatsoever!”

He immersed himself in the vision, feeling like a new world had just opened. Shimmersilk: a material that was used to make invisibility cloaks, and it was the most fantastical thing ever!

Still, he couldn't help but inwardly praise the girl. T-shirt and bloomers? She could have saved a fortune by going the bikini armor route, but she hadn't. Ah, and now she was cutely pouting.

"Your turn now. Spill the beans. How did you sneak up on me?!”

It was only fair that he tell her. But as he gazed at her cute dimples, he couldn’t help but feel like teasing her a bit. He shrugged: “How, you ask? If you mean Quirk, I didn’t even need to use any.”

“What?! Impossible! I’ve been super careful!”

“Oh? Is that so? Wanna bet?”

“Bet? SURE!”

Wait, she actually wanted to bet?! She even resolutely took out a Mana Crystal, her thoughts obvious. With such stakes, he’d be forced to tell her. With this, he’d have to— He simply pocketed it?!

Jack didn't hesitate, grabbing the thing as his heart thumped crazily.

Oh god, a Mana Crystal! This thing was worth 5,000 credits alone! It was the equivalent of six months of rent and would have taken him years to save up. Thank Heaven for naive rich girls!

Chuckling, he playfully shrugged.

“I really didn’t use any ability. Look over there…”

He gently led her a few meters away. Soon, what initially looked like an impasse turned out to have a tiny, dark, and barely noticeable maintenance entrance?! Seeing this, she gasped.

“Wait, so you just bumped into me?! You didn’t sneak up at all? Does that mean it was all a coincidence?” And just like that, her Mana Crystal was gone!

As they walked back toward the classroom, she seemed so pitiful. How many snacks had she just lost?! No, it was better if she didn’t think about it. Instead, she forcefully changed the topic.

“By the way, did you hear the rumors?! This new year’s already crazy…”

1. Professor Flintlock will teach 101 for the first time in 10 years!

2. A devil was seen chasing two soon-to-be-dead freshmen!

3. There’s even a new student who’s… QUIRKLESS!

“No way?! As in, no power?!”

“Unbelievable, right!!!”

Hearing Jack’s “disbelief,” she shone with pride. See how well-informed she was? It was kinda cute. Still, as they entered the classroom, he forced himself to focus.

< Support 101 — Introduction Course! >

Good thing he was ready for a second later… VROOOMMM! A bowling ball suddenly flew at his face, and as he barely dodged it, the thing created an imprint in a nearby wall. CRASH!

Damn! A little bit to the left, and he would have suffered! Then, as he glanced at the scene, he couldn't help but stare. Why did it feel like he had entered a zoo?! It was truly chaotic...

“You dumbass, stop using your quirk!”

“What?! You’ve been using yours this whole time!”

“Mine’s taking notes, not bursting skulls open, idiot!

“Taking notes?! The class hasn’t even started! What notes!”

….

A duo was quarreling, one guy with a bowling ball flying back to him, and his partner, a girl with a flaming quill, actively burning a notebook with flaming doodles.

And yet, they were amongst the most normal ones! In one fell swoop, Jack saw a LOT of strange students all minding their business in the weirdest ways.

- A talking dog in a corner?!

- A student moonwalking on the ceiling?!

- A sentient boom-box emitting glowing music notes.

- A tiny girl the size of an eraser breakdancing to the music

- A web-spitting young guy using his power to draw dicks on the blackboard.

….

No matter where he looked, it was madness! And he had barely entered when Invisible Girl's melodious voice resounded behind him.

“Hehe, pretty cool, right? Welcome to 101, friend!”

But she had barely introduced that a walking billboard appeared!

It was the most colorful youngster. Brand clothes, brand accessories, and even brand hair! As soon as he arrived, he gave a snicker at their duo, mainly focusing on her.

“Clara, don’t tell me you’ve picked up a stray again?!”

“What do you mean, a stray? He’s clearly human!”

“Yes, but look at him. He smells of broke!”

Then again, he wasn't wrong, and Jack's appearance was simple, to say the least.

Old black jeans that had seen better times, a casual hoody that only had comfort going for it, and sneakers that one would have gotten at a garbage sale. It made the walking billboard sneer.

“His entire outfit's less than 40 credits! I bet he can’t even afford soda…”

“No way, he totally can! He even owns a Magic Crystal!”

“One that you gave him, right? I heard.”

The man playfully pointed to his ears, pointy ones that seemed to quiver, giving him an elf-like appearance. But the grin that followed looked more goblin-ish as he spat out.

“Can’t win a bet if you can’t afford the buy-in: that makes it invalid! Clara, I’m saying this for your own good, but you better get your crystal back and ditch him. Who knows, he might even be Quirkless!”

Hearing this, she stilled for a moment. But then she gave the most innocent and gentle smile as she came to a realization. “Ah, he really looks broke! That means… he needs it more than me!”

“Y-You, you’re just going to give it away anyway?!”

“So what if I am? Humph!”

Completely ignoring the wanna-be troublemaker, she turned back to Jack, happily leading the way to a desk by the window. “Come! You sit right there! That's the perfect spot for sure!”

She enthusiastically took a seat next to him, her eyes gleaming.

“Yes, this is it! I knew this would work out well!”

“What exactly? Might I ask…”

She gave a low laugh, raising imaginary glasses and crossing her arms on her ample chest smugly. “Everyone knows, main characters sit by the window!” She happily chippered.

Seeing this, Jack found himself at a loss. What made him a main character in her eyes? Apparently, he looked dark and brooding, and the earlier events could have only been fate.

Strange girl, not that he minded her happiness.

“See, it makes perfect sense!”

She would have kept explaining, but before she could, they were suddenly interrupted by something crazy. Before the students’ shell-shocked eyes, there was now… a weird floating box?!

[Ding! Welcome to Legendary-U!]

[Classes Now Starting Get Ready! ^_^v]

[Prosper And Further Humanity’s Legacy!]

The effect was instantaneous. Countless students waved their hands through the floating translucent boxes and even more exclaimed in shock.

“Wait. Isn’t that the voice of the world?!”

“Doesn’t it just appear when a Quirk forms?!”

“The school managed to control it?! Impressive!”

…

They couldn’t believe their eyes, ginormous grins appearing on their faces as collective ecstasy overwhelmed them. Yet, it was different for Jack. He couldn't help but sigh as his box flickered.

[Error! Error! Host is not a Super: Canceling!]

[Error! Error! Host is not a Super: Canceling!]

[Error! Error! Host is not a Super: Canceling!]

The error message stayed for a second, and then it all disappeared. It was as if the universe itself was trying to scorn him, something his current surroundings made even more glaring.

And that's when it began...

The entire class started AH and OH-ing, their eyes gleaming with hope as they stared at mid-air, their mouth open in o shapes as if goldfishes. Whatever they were seeing had to be worth it.

“Wait, so Professor Flintlock’s the one who added all of this?! As expected of a teacher who taught seniors for years, he’s not normal! Is that the class plan? Awesome!”

Class plan? Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Was that teacher wise or foolish?

Could he be trying to reveal him as a fake before class started? Also, why would a senior teacher suddenly instruct a beginner class? It was because of him, right?

Actually, what if this was a test he was supposed to pass? With a playful grin, Jack resolutely stared at mid-air, and then he started AH and OH-ing, just like his colleagues, blending right in.

In fact, he was so focused that he totally missed the door opening.

Soon, a man clad in a long, dark gray trench coat entered. Fingerless gloves, a suave but authoritative aura, and, most importantly, eagle-like gray eyes that swept the room.

‘Little lost sheep, where are you?’

The man playfully mused.

So what if the Administration hadn’t given him the students' info yet? He knew for sure there was one Quirkless loser in here, and he’d quickly figure out who it was!

He just had to see which one hadn’t received a message from the System. He just had to single out the one confused black sheep among them.

Thus, he swept his gaze across the room and—

‘What the fuck is this?!’

He couldn’t help but swear. They were all as intently looking at mid-air. His first look gave him absolutely nothing. But chuckling, he suddenly thought of a good prank, Malikor style.

WHOOSH! As he snapped his fingers…

“Ah?! It’s glitching out?! What’s happening?!”

Countless confused and scared screams resounded, and many fell off their chairs. All of a sudden, a devil projection had appeared right in their faces and scared them silly!

In fact, a certain Invisible Girl found herself on the ground ass up again.

“W-What was that?! Was that a devil? So SCARY!”

“Devil? That's actually a Malikor.”

Jack shook his head, still as cool as a cucumber. Whatever they had seen, he hadn’t, but he could easily imagine it. The teacher had clearly stolen that one student’s prank!

The latter was in front even more confused…

One student hadn’t fallen for the jump scare, but it was also the one who had called out the true nature of the vision?! This made no sense!

Or actually, could it be that he was the one who had gotten pranked?! What if every student actually had a quirk? What if it had just been bait to make him teach 101 instead?!

Countless thoughts swirled in his head, and yet he had a job to do.

“Everyone, welcome to 101 Support!”

“Now, there’s one thing I feel I need to make very clear for you all. At Legendary-U, there are two programs: Battle and Support. Many will tell you the former is harder. They’re dumb.”

He glanced all over the class, seemingly staring into the soul of each and every student, only a few glancing back without shivering. He continued, his eyes resting on Jack.

“In fact, Support is much harder! Can anyone tell me why?”

Many hands rose. He ignored them all. His eyes stayed on Jack, the only one who had never faltered. The teacher didn’t care about the other; he wanted HIS answer.

Seeing this, Jack shrugged…

“Can’t swim without getting wet.”

“Can’t swim without getting wet… is that your final answer?” The Teacher was already frowning. Seeing this, a certain Invisible Girl started discretely scribbling possible answers.

Jack could see her trying to show him her notebook. He could also vividly feel the others’ stares as if they were looking at a complete retard. Yet, he still didn’t give a damn.

“Final answer.” He shrugged once more.

“That so? GREAT!” The teacher even started laughing?!

“As a support, you’ll be working for the government, for guilds, or even in the private sector, but whatever happens, you’ll work with Supers! Get ready to get wet, metaphorically speaking!”

A second later, he was already drawing on the blackboard. As much as he wanted to use the System, it would be too energy-consuming, especially for a human. As for what he was scribbling…

1. Power — Quirk

2. Knowledge — Studies

3. Common Sense — Life itself

“See all of those elements? Miss one, and you’re screwed! You’ll either be so weak you’ll die from a stray shot, or you’ll soon make a career-ending mistake. You don’t want that!”

Pleased at their attention, he once more glanced at the class. This time, he gave them a reassuring grin. “Now, it’s my job to prepare you all for graduation! It all starts here!”

Something was mesmerizing about his voice…

“Work hard, and this could be you soon.”

That’s when he snapped his fingers.

Endless flames escaped his hands, soon filling the entire classroom. The flames seemed alive, as if ravenous beasts and engulfed everything, turning it all into more flames.

The walls disappeared.

The desks and chairs disappeared.

Even the students themselves disappeared!

All that remained was a world of flames, yet none of it burned?! The students, now looking like flame elementals, gasped as they felt the fire lick their bodies.

Jack especially recognized what this was. A DOMAIN?! Here, Professor Flintlock would be all-powerful. This was his world, his domain, one where he ruled supreme and— Like a mirage, everything returned to normal.

The classroom was back, the walls were back, and the students were back… but still shellshocked. Yet, a second later, cheers erupted out of them.

“Oh my god! What was that?! So insane!”

“I thought I was gonna die, but we’re all fine!”

“So powerful! Are all teachers at the Academy so strong?!”

….

The teacher stood there, proud, but couldn't help but shake his head. If all teachers were as strong as him, Legendary-U would have long taken over the world! No, he was one among the few.

And as for the students' cheers, they would be short-lived...

“Now, with that said. Who’s ready for a Quiz?” He saw their hearts shatter in real time. A quiz, day one?! What kind of torture was this? But then it got even worse.

“Now, don’t worry. You have the full school day, 9 to 5, to complete it. Finish early, and you’re free to explore!” As he cheekily added, their faces went from disappointment to despair.

A full day to fill out a test?! How hard would it be?! They couldn’t help but gulp in apprehension, which got even worse as stacks and stacks of flaming paper appeared.

Was he using his Quirk to make exam papers?! More importantly, weren’t there a few too many pages?! Was he testing them or making them write a damn encyclopedia?!

Seeing this, a certain Invisible Girl turned Jack’s way.

“Gasp! We’re gonna die! We’re so dead!”

“Isn’t that a bit too dramatic?”

“Friend! Once I’m gone, please take care of my babies. Living plushies: they’re the cutest, need to be fed twice daily, and can’t stand horror movies. I’m counting on you, alright!”

“Pfft— As if! Don’t worry, you got this.” Jack encouraged.

But then, a second later, he turned serious. All day was it? Then he’d be free to roam afterward? This sounded so perfect! After all, time in Legendary-U was what he needed the most.

Soon, the Teacher was done distributing…

“Get ready… START!”

As the class read the test, the mood plummeted by a thousand points. What kind of questions were those? Some were so specific that they would have warranted a side-story of their own!

It went from the general role of a Support in a world of Supers to the official FS Ranking with all it entailed, and even the 10 Greater Regions with their calamities, sometimes in way too much detail.

Yet, amidst all the deep frowns, one student was different….

‘I know this! I know that one, too! This one’s easy! This one, I’m not sure: time for some bullshit.’ Jack scribbled so fast that his wrists started hurting, yet he kept going.

Time, time, he needed more time!

This was the perfect opportunity: he couldn't waste it! After the first day, what he had planned would be WAY harder! He kept going even as he felt his fingers about to fall.

His answers were messy and short but also mostly accurate!

At that moment, he was regurgitating years of self-studies. After all, he had always been watching, ever since that day. Ever since that— That’s when it happened once more.

The exam paper started bleeding. LOTS!

A torrent of blood erupted, covering the desks, the walls, the students, and even the stern teacher at the front. Vile, sticky, annoying! And soon, the world turned to red.

But so what?! Jack ignored it all…

‘I just need to write and keep writing.’

He forced himself to focus, grunting. Two times in a day? This had to be a record! But even as the nightmare played, and even as he felt himself drowning in blood, he kept answering.

He scribbled, and scribbled some more, and kept scribbling after that!

Still, many couldn’t help but stare…

“What’s wrong with this guy?”

“Is it me, or he’s about to keel over?!”

“Sweating so much! And what’s with the speed?”

“Too fast. He’s probably skipping a bunch of questions.”

…..

He alone made the class lively, not that he had the brainpower to notice. It even reached a point where the teacher got worried for his sanity. Seriously, what was up with that kid?!

He looked like he was battling a crazed foe…

He was sweating, twitching, and even his teeth were clattering?! And yet, he couldn’t detect any quirk being used either. Was he just stressed? It made no damn sense.

But just as he was about to interrupt…

“Teacher, can I take a break? I need the bathroom.”

Jack mightily raised his hand so high that it seemed about to reach Heaven, half the classroom curiously turning his way. A break? Probably to cheat, right? Yet the teacher didn't mind, waving.

WHOOSH! Tiny symbols flew out of his palm and collided with Jack. Then he felt their grasp. It was like some restriction was trying to take hold of his soul, with the man continuing:

“Repeat after me: I won’t cheat on this exam.”

“I won’t cheat on this exam— GLOW!”

Jack suddenly felt the weird magical glyphs latch on, and just like that, he was good to go, the teacher gesturing for him to leave. What kind of spell was that? The cool kind!

But he didn’t have time to stare. He hurriedly ran out, not actually heading for the bathroom. Instead, he turned toward a certain Maintenance Tunnel, soon facing a deadly wobbling gelatinous cube.

What followed was a wonderful conversation…

“-.-- --- ..- / .- --. .- .. -. ..--.. / ..-. --- --- -.. ..--..”

“.-.. .- - . .-. .-.-.- / .. / --. --- - - .- / --. --- / - .... .-. --- ..- --. ....”

“-... .- - - .-.. . / -.-. --- -- .--. .-.. . -..- ..--.. / -.. --- -. .----. - / -.. .. . .-.-.- / . .-.. ... . / -. --- / ..-. --- --- -.. .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.-”

Anyone seeing this would have doubted their sanity. Could this even be called a conversation? One was wobbling, and another was kicking relentlessly. But then it was soon over.

The slime opened up, and Jack ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He had a clear objective and soon made it to the Battle Complex, arriving at a large gym.

< 101 Battle Training! Current Class: B >

He boldly and shamelessly pushed the door open, entering.

His presence was akin to oil in a pot of boiling water: explosive! On a large and incredibly sturdy-looking fighting stage, a teacher was introducing himself, but he stopped as soon as Jack entered.

All eyes gathered on him, enough of them to make anyone cower. Then, a second later, the teacher threw a whole training dummy right next to him?! CRASH!

“You better have a great reason for interrupting my class!”

“That, I got lost. There was this big slime and—”

“Fine, sit and shut the hell up!”

“YES, SIR!”

Jack happily complied, ignoring the many pitying looks. Then again, so what if the Teacher was mad? It wasn’t his teacher in the first place! No, he eagerly opened his ears wide.

“Now, where was I? Three things matter. Power, technique, and fitness! There’s…” Jack kept listening and resolved not to clear the misunderstanding no matter what.

Jack Bright, still powerless. Successfully infiltrated a Battle Class! He'd learn everything he could, with none the wiser! Or so he thought—

In a certain classroom, a bored Support Teacher grabbed Jack's exam paper.

‘Let’s see how you’re doing so far. Let’s see— DAFUQ?!’ All the questions were answered?!

Focusing, he snapped his fingers, an invisible tendril of fire rushing before his eyes as it followed a trail. Gelatinous cube?! Battle Complex?! Battle Training Class?!

But as he saw what followed, he doubted his eyes. “WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!”

It was pure madness...