SRS 101

“Good heavens…”

Those were the only words he could say. Yohan was rooted in place, stunned, as his hands trembled while opening the drawer. He had harbored suspicion ever since he saw the lock open, and as expected, empty eggshells lay scattered at the back of the drawer. The divine beast of Fantasiademia, the creature he had been forced to take from the headmaster’s office, had hatched.

But how?

He had kept it tucked away at the bottom of the drawer like a fragile treasure. He never even peeked inside, fearing that a mere word might wake it, or a meal might force it to hatch, or a simple touch might grant it a self. How could it have woken up on its own?

Perhaps it was the type of creature that simply hatched when its time came?

No, that couldn’t be right. If that were the case, it wouldn’t have remained in its egg for so long according to the headmaster.

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Yohan’s mind, but one thing was clear.

The divine beast of Fantasiademia was awake, and it was currently on his bed.

Yohan turned his head. The creature tilted its round face, looking quite confused itself. It scurried across the mattress with tiny steps before reaching the edge. Moments later, the little thing lost its battle with gravity and tumbled off the bed, which was far too vast for its small stature.

“Whoa!”

Yohan rushed toward the falling creature without thinking. After tumbling down from such a height, the beast blinked for a moment before it began to cry piteously. A high-pitched, fragile pi-pi echoed in Yohan’s ears. Panicked, he clumsily tried to comfort it, using the tip of his index finger to gently stroke its head.

“Don’t cry.”

Pi-pi-pi.

“…I’m sorry.”

Regardless of its title as the divine beast of Fantasiademia, it was still just a newborn. It was so small and delicate that he should’ve cared for it properly. He felt it was only right to apologize for his coldness and for letting it get hurt. As Yohan apologized with a worried frown, the creature stopped crying. Its large eyes, still brimming with tears, gazed up at him. Soon, the beast rubbed its head against his finger and beamed with joy.

“…That’s strange.”

He was bewildered that the creature acted so familiar with him when he hadn’t done a single thing for it.

If this were a matter of imprinting, he couldn’t have been the first thing it saw when the drawer opened.

Suhyeok’s desk was right in front of that drawer, so Yohan couldn’t understand why it was being so affectionate toward him. The only clue he had was the headmaster’s whisper from that day: that the divine beast of Fantasiademia had made its choice.

Could it have recognized him from inside the egg?

The feat wasn’t entirely impossible for a divine beast. Feeling conflicted, Yohan looked at the creature, then picked it up with both hands and stood.

If anyone discovered the beast had hatched, Room 304 would be turned upside down, and the professors would undoubtedly swarm him.

This wasn’t just any creature; it was a Fantasiademia’s divine beast.

To avoid a massive scene, Yohan decided he had no choice but to move under the cover of the early dawn.

He took a deep breath and left a note on his desk, stating he had woken up early and was heading out for a meeting with the headmaster. Then, he slipped out of the dormitory with the divine beast in tow.

“Orr.”

–Prrrff!

Yohan headed toward the Griffin Hall and opened the stall where his griffin was kept. When he called the name, a sleek, yellow griffin rushed out to greet him, but the animal suddenly froze mid-nuzzle.

Prff?

The griffin tilted its head back and forth before it began to circle Yohan. It sniffed the air, its nostrils repeatedly twitching. Yohan realized the cause of this strange behavior and reached into his coat.

He had been keeping the tiny beast tucked against his chest to protect it from the harsh morning wind. Now, the little creature poked its head out.

The newborn beast and the winged creature locked eyes. They stared at one another in silence.

Pi!

The tiny bird in Yohan’s arms chirped with surprising bravado. The griffin jumped back in shock. It glanced between Yohan and the small beast before it grew timid and flopped face-down onto the ground.

Yohan watched in confusion as his griffin began to prostrate itself. He knelt on one knee and stroked the divine beast.

“Orr, what’s wrong?”

The griffin whimpered, looking completely defeated. Yohan tried to soothe it, worried it might be sick, but Orr only flailed with its tail against the floor. For some reason, the griffin looked at Yohan with resentful eyes. That sorrowful gaze made Yohan break into a cold sweat.

Is it because of this little one?

The divine beast was the only possible reason, so Yohan looked down. The creature, which had just shouted so boldly at the griffin, now met Yohan’s gaze with an innocent face.

“Hmm…”

The divine beast was still smaller than the palm of his hand.

Yohan found it hard to believe this tiny thing could threaten a griffin twice its size. He cleared his throat, shook his head, and focused on calming Orr down.

“I need to head to the headmaster’s office. Will you take me there?”

Yohan affectionately scratched the griffin’s chin as he made his request. The beast seemed to cheer up at the gesture. It slowly rose and allowed Yohan to mount. Together, they left the Griffin Hall and soared into the sky above Fantasiademia. Yohan moved at a cautious pace while he retraced his path from memory. Fortunately, he had a good memory, and he reached the building housing the headmaster’s office without losing his way.

“Thanks, Orr.”

Yohan expressed his gratitude to the griffin as it dropped him off at the bell tower. He instinctively reached out to offer the creature some divine power but stopped himself. He realized a moment too late that they were outside the protective barrier.

“I’ll give you some divine power once we’re back.”

Prff!

Orr didn’t seem particularly bothered. The griffin purred, nudged Yohan affectionately, and then settled down on its belly to wait.

Yohan promised to return quickly. He made sure the tiny divine beast was secure inside his coat before he sought out the headmaster.

He navigated the corridors with newfound familiarity and knocked on the door. Despite it being nearly three in the morning, the massive doors automatically opened to welcome him. Once inside, Yohan was surprised to see the headmaster sitting at his desk, head resting in his hand.

He had never seen the headmaster so focused on his work.

It was a sight so rare he could hardly believe it. He stood still, hesitant to interrupt such rare diligence, but the headmaster noticed him first.

“Student Yohan? You’re here early.”

The headmaster closed the book he was reading. The volume floated into the air and slid back into its place on the bookshelf. Yohan’s eyes followed the book, but his gaze turned icy when he read the title: Cruel and Angelic Teachings.

The title alone suggested it wasn’t exactly a standard educational text. Yohan felt a surge of annoyance, wondering if the man had been using such a book as a guide to torment them. However, the headmaster simply gestured for him to take a seat. Before the man could ask why he had come at such an hour, Yohan reached into his coat.

“…The divine beast has hatched.”

Yohan carefully placed the tiny, dozing creature onto the desk and looked at the headmaster. The man’s hair, which was made of light, flickered and pulsed.

“Ho. It seems the ripple I felt earlier wasn’t a mistake after all.”

The headmaster poked the beast with a fingertip. The creature stomped its tiny feet in a fit of temper. The headmaster chuckled and looked at Yohan.

“Since it’s awake, I should explain what the divine beast of Fantasiademia actually is. The fact that it stayed with you after hatching means it has already chosen you as its master.”

“…So I’m still its master even though it’s hatched?”

“Yes.”

“Even though it’s the divine beast of the school?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Yohan’s questions were hesitant, but the headmaster’s answers were immediate.

“The divine beast of Fantasiademia is a spiritual entity that chooses and follows its own master. We can’t force its choice. It’s also a very sensitive creature. If its master dies or rejects it, the beast suffers. It returns to its egg and sleeps for decades, centuries, or even millennia until a new master appears. Did you intend to abandon it, Student Yohan?”

The headmaster covered the area where his mouth would be and asked the question with feigned innocence. Yohan felt a dull ache behind his eyes and checked on the beast.

“…I didn’t say I was going to abandon it.”

He felt frustrated. Why did refusing an unasked-for responsibility suddenly count as abandonment? The man was a master at twisting words to make others feel like criminals. Yohan seriously wondered if the Nameless One and Serdik Agor had somehow swapped their races.

“Well, that makes this conversation easier. The divine beast of Fantasiademia manages the dimensional gates and strengthens the barriers surrounding this place. In other words, it prevents entities from drifting in or out through anything other than the proper gates. Dimensional beings must use the designated entrances.”

“…I see.”

Yohan nodded, pretending he understood everything even though half of it sounded like gibberish. The headmaster continued.

“Recently, the illusion barrier began to weaken. Eventually, even the dimensional barrier failed, and monsters from other dimensions started crossing over. We suspected it was because the divine beast had been asleep for so long. It seems the beast felt a similar sense of responsibility. It’s quite admirable that it woke up on its own.”

Tap.

The headmaster playfully poked the beast again. He gave it a gentle pat as it chirped in annoyance, then he addressed Yohan.

“Student Yohan.”

His voice was more serious than usual.

Yohan instinctively straightened his back and waited for what came next. The headmaster returned the small creature to Yohan’s arms and made his request.

“I want you to take in the divine beast and reinforce all the barriers. Please, protect the school.”

“……?”

Why was he asking a student to do that?

Yohan understood what the beast’s duty was. If the beast was supposed to protect the barriers, why did he have to protect the school as well?

He sat there, mouth agape at the absurd request. The headmaster snapped his fingers and picked up a pen.

“I can offer academic credits if necessary. Let’s see. Considering the respect due to the master of a divine beast… perhaps this much?”

Scritch-scratch.

The headmaster wrote something on a piece of paper and turned it around for Yohan to see. He looked at the paper, then at the beast perched on the back of his hand.

Pi!

The little creature began a brave journey, scurrying from his hand up toward his shoulder with a cute chirp. Yohan checked the paper one more time, then folded it and tucked it into his coat.

“What do I need to do first?”

The amount of extra credit written on that paper was simply too beautiful to refuse.