The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character-Chapter 71: Introductory Monster Ecology [1]

Today was Friday.

More specifically, Friday, April 5th, 2050—at least, in this fictional world I found myself living in.

After a quick round of morning attendance handled by Professor Lena during homeroom, the first official class of the day began.

And this one was a big deal.

"Good morning, everyone," the man at the front said, stepping into the room with confidence and a warm smile. "I’m Ethan Caldwell, and I’ll be your instructor for Introductory Monster Ecology this semester."

He looked straight out of a magazine—well-fitted blazer, light stubble that somehow made him even more charming, and a voice that carried just enough authority without losing its friendliness.

The reaction was immediate.

Just like how the male students had drooled over Professor Lena, the female students collectively leaned forward in their seats, eyes sparkling.

Ethan Caldwell was the picture of a model educator. Calm, composed, and—judging by the small waves and smiles directed his way—already halfway to being a campus heartthrob.

"It might only be for one semester," he continued, clasping his hands in front of him, "but I’m genuinely excited and honored to be working with such talented young cadets."

He even bowed slightly, like some kind of well-mannered prince.

In the original novel, he’d been described exactly like this—a supportive teacher, the kind who students could approach for anything from monster theories to personal life crises. He never lost his cool, even when chaos unfolded around him.

Honestly, he was one of the few adults in the original timeline who didn’t suck.

"For today, since it’s our first meeting," he said, stepping around the podium with ease, "we’ll keep things simple with a relaxed Q&A session. How does that sound?" freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Most of the students nodded eagerly. A few enthusiastic cheers even came from the back.

I leaned back in my seat, arms crossed, watching the room through half-lidded eyes like I had all the time in the world.

Then came a voice, loud and overly eager.

"I’ll go first, Professor!"

Of course. Who else could it be?

None other than Buttcheeks herself—Keira.

Apparently, she was also attending this class. Great.

Professor Ethan, standing at the front with an approachable smile, nodded politely. "Sure, go ahead."

Keira’s eyes sparkled. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

...

There was a brief pause.

Professor Ethan blinked at her like he couldn’t quite process what he’d just heard. Then his lips curled into an awkward, forced smile.

Yeah, man. I feel your pain. She’s... something else.

"Well," he said, chuckling softly, "I would’ve preferred a question related to today’s topic—monsters—but since this is our first class, let’s consider this a warm-up to build rapport."

He cleared his throat.

"No, I don’t have a girlfriend at the moment."

"KYAA~!"

Keira squealed like a teenage fangirl, and the girls seated around her echoed with similar reactions.

The whole section suddenly felt like it had transformed into some idol fan meet instead of a monsterology lecture.

I, on the other hand, was quietly dying inside from secondhand embarrassment.

And the worst part?

Professor Ethan scratched his cheek with that ’troubled but charming’ smile—the one people use when they pretend to be flustered, but deep down, they’re eating up the attention.

Disgusting.

I could almost hear him internally saying, "Oh nooo, don’t admire me so much~" as he secretly flexed his jawline.

Eventually, he raised a hand to calm them.

"Well, now that your curiosity’s satisfied," he said, "let’s stick to topic-related questions only from this point forward."

"Aww~!"

A chorus of disappointed groans followed.

But to my dismay, he wasn’t done.

Professor Ethan scanned the room, then pointed... directly at me.

"You there. The student with the bored expression," he said with a grin. "Your turn. And remember—it has to be about the lesson."

Awesome.

Now all eyes were on me.

I sighed and sat up straighter. "...I get what monsters and villains are, but what’s the actual difference between monsters and beasts?"

Professor Ethan’s eyes lit up. "Ah, now that’s a good question. I knew I picked the right student."

He turned and began writing on the board in bold strokes.

"Let me break it down for everyone—because this is a distinction most people don’t think about, but it’s crucial."

He was in full lecture mode now, and the room shifted back to focus.

Professor Ethan tapped the chalk once on the board and began writing two words side by side.

Beasts | Monsters

"These two terms often get thrown around like they’re the same thing—but they’re not."

He underlined both words and turned back to us.

"Let’s start with beasts. Beasts are essentially animals. They might be big, dangerous, or even mutated—but their instincts are still based on survival, territory, hunger, and fear. They don’t scheme. They don’t enjoy cruelty. If you leave them alone, there’s a good chance they’ll leave you alone too."

He drew a rough sketch of a bear on the board, labeling it ’Example: Forest Grizzly’.

"In short: Beasts are natural. Dangerous, yes—but not evil."

Then he moved over to the second word.

"Now, monsters... monsters are a different story."

He tapped his chalk under the word monsters, his tone shifting ever so slightly—more serious.

"Monsters are unnatural. They’re corrupted. Twisted by magic, curses, forbidden alchemy, or worse. Some were beasts once—others, even people."

He began drawing a rough humanoid figure with spiked limbs and an eyeless face.

"Unlike beasts, monsters will go out of their way to cause harm. They’re aggressive not because of instinct—but because of hatred, madness, or some dark purpose. They don’t just kill to eat. They kill to destroy."

He glanced around the room, eyes sharp.

"A beast might attack a village if it’s starving or feels threatened."

"A monster will burn that village to ash just because it can."

The class went quiet. Even Buttcheeks.

Good.

"Any questions so far?" Ethan asked, tone lighter now.

I shook my head slightly, but others looked visibly more interested.

Professor Ethan nodded, clearly pleased.

"Alright, then let’s move on to the classifications, because you’ll need to know the difference if you ever want to survive outside the safe zones."

He turned back to the board, and the lesson continued—at least for now—without anyone asking about his relationship status.

I, on the other hand just looked at his back nothing but blank expression.

After all, he was the first villain that would Ryen face in the Velcrest Academy when officially main quest begans.