Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"What are you doing here?" Clarence asked as he shut the door behind him.

"Argh…" Jett groaned, the pressure bearing down on him like a vice, squeezing his very essence. It felt as if every breath was a battle, and he was on the brink of losing consciousness.

The force was so overwhelming that his vision blurred, and he struggled to stay upright, each second feeling like an eternity.

"You're still conscious? Impressive." Clarence's voice carried a note of admiration. "But I still need to know what you were doing in there."

"I was in my office when I noticed that some very special traps I set in a very specific location had been triggered. I rushed over here as quickly as I could, only to find you emerging from my hidden passage. I suppose it wasn't well concealed if a first-year could find it," Clarence said, his tone dripping with a mix of frustration and curiosity. "Gosh, I thought you were an intruder."

As he spoke, the crushing pressure around Jett eased, allowing him to breathe more freely.

"I stumbled on it by accident. I just happened to pick up the book that unlocks this chamber. The traps were so menacing that I couldn't even get past them," Jett lied, hoping Clarence wouldn't see through his excuse.

"That makes sense. An accident, then. I suppose that hiding spot was a bit too obvious," Clarence mused, trying to piece together the situation.

"Yes, sir, that's exactly what happened," Jett replied, letting out a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, 'He's probably congratulating himself on the complexity of the traps he set down there.'

As the pressure fully dissipated, the atmosphere in the room lightened. The oppressive weight that had suffocated Jett began to lift, replaced by a more relaxed, almost casual air.

The tension eased, and Jett felt the last remnants of fear and discomfort slip away, leaving him with a sense of relief and cautious optimism.

'I did use some really dangerous traps. Lucky for him, he wasn't foolish enough to try to pass through them, even with a bit of Lumix. I might never get another chance like this with Valetta keeping such a close watch on me,' Clarence thought as he scrutinized the seemingly innocent Jett.

"Come to my office tomorrow once you're done with your classes. Let's discuss what happened here," Clarence said, his tone authoritative yet casual.

"I beg your pardon?" Jett replied, his confusion evident.

'Did he really just say that?' Jett's mind raced. 'Why would he want to see me in his office? I've been trying to stay under the radar. What's he really up to?'

"I said we'll talk about this tomorrow in my office. I hope you're not deaf," Clarence repeated, his voice tinged with a hint of irritation. "Entering a place like that without informing a teacher was incredibly reckless, so you'll need to face some form of punishment."

Jett's expression shifted from bewilderment to unease.

His eyes darted around as he tried to process the sudden shift in circumstances. His heart pounded, and a knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach.

The unexpected summons to Clarence's office left him feeling both wary and perplexed.

"Oh… alright," Jett said nervously, his mind whirling. 'This is strange, too strange. Why is he taking such an interest in me? If I hadn't read about him, I'd think he was just fulfilling his role as principal. I need to tread carefully, but it's not like I had a choice: I had to meet him eventually.'

"Is something the matter?" Clarence inquired, his gaze sharp as he observed Jett's troubled expression.

"Not at all, sir. It's just that you seem different from how the seniors describe you," Jett replied, trying to mask his anxiety.

"Oh really? And how do they describe me?" Clarence asked, his curiosity piqued. Despite his efforts to maintain a composed smile, his expression twitched with barely contained irritation.

"An impulsive, lazy shut-in who doesn't seem to care about running his own school: or maybe doesn't know how," Jett said, letting out a sigh inwardly. 'Sorry to all my upperclassmen. Looks like you're the scapegoat for this one.'

"They said what?" Clarence's face darkened, his eyes narrowing into slits. The fury in his gaze was palpable, and for a moment, it seemed as though he was on the brink of an outburst.

To Jett, Clarence's rage resembled a child throwing a tantrum: his anger was intense but oddly childish, as if he was struggling to maintain control over his emotions.

"That's unacceptable," Clarence growled, his voice low and seething. "Those students clearly need to learn a lesson."

*****

The next day, right after class, Jett began his search for Clarence's office.

'I can't believe he just left without teling me where to go. He really is a jerk.' Jett thought as he kept searching.

He asked around, his frustration mounting with each wrong turn. The halls of the academy seemed endless, and every inquiry led him to a new dead end.

Finally, after two hours of navigating the labyrinthine corridors and receiving vague directions, he stumbled upon a well-hidden door marked with Clarence's name.

Jett let out a sigh of relief as he approached the office. The time spent searching had tested his patience, but he now stood before the door, ready to face whatever awaited him inside.

"Well, what took you so long? I've been waiting for a while now," Clarence said as Jett walked in.

The office was vast but in utter disarray.

Books were stacked haphazardly on every available surface, and research papers and arcane artifacts were scattered across the floor.

The room looked like a tornado had hit a library and a laboratory simultaneously.

Amidst the clutter, Jett couldn't help but think, 'I expected it, but it's messier than I anticipated. You could hide a hundred bodies in here and never find them again.'

Jett glanced around, taking in the chaotic scene before turning his attention to Clarence, who sat behind a cluttered desk, his expression a mix of annoyance and impatience at Jett's scrutiny.

"Alright, let's get straight to the point concerning your punishment," Clarence said, regaining his composure.

Jett braced himself, mentally preparing for a punishment that might be more severe than he anticipated.

His mind raced through various possibilities, each more daunting than the last.

"You'll be helping me here as my research assistant," Clarence announced with a wry smile, clearly amused by Jett's uneasy reaction.

"Yes si… huh? Research assistant?" Jett responded, his face a picture of confusion and surprise.

"That's right," Clarence affirmed with a nod. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Umm, well… isn't that more of a privilege than a punishment?" Jett asked, his nervousness evident as he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

"You think of it as a privilege?" Clarence laughed, clearly entertained by Jett's reaction. "Even Valetta considers working with me to be a nightmare."

"I'm just a first year. How could I ever get guidance from the principal without earning it?" Jett said, trying to appear as modest as possible while internally bracing for the hidden catch.

'You Lumix is enough certificate,' Clarence said with a knowing smile, his eyes lingering on Jett's glowing Lumix. Jett tried to suppress it, but the subtle light still caught Clarence's attention. 'You're going to be my unofficial lab rat,' Clarence thought to himself.

"You'll be coming here three times a week. You can choose the days, but you must show up without fail on those days," Clarence warned, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Jett nodded in affirmation, his expression a mix of resignation and unease. He understood the gravity of the situation and knew he had little choice but to comply.

"One more thing," Clarence added with a sigh. "No one should find out about this. I don't want you bragging about it to your friends."

'Who would even do that?' Jett thought, bewildered. 'I don't even want to be here.' He nodded in agreement, though his mind was far from reassured.

"For your first task, organize the books here. I'll be back in an hour," Clarence said, already heading for the door, leaving no room for protest.

"Huh…but I just got here…" Jett tried to offer an excuse, but Clarence was already smiling and shutting the door behind him.

"Bye," Clarence said with a final, dismissive wave.

Left alone, Jett stared at the mess before him. The office was a chaotic labyrinth of books and scrolls.

Stacks of books teetered precariously on every surface, and scrolls were scattered haphazardly across the floor.

The room was a disordered jumble of academic clutter, with barely any space left visible amidst the confusion.

Jett sighed heavily. The sight of the disarrayed office was both overwhelming and discouraging. He had no choice but to start working.

'Let's just get this over with,' he told himself, rolling up his sleeves and stretching to warm up.

As he began to methodically sort through the mess, he couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into.

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That's doesn't really seem right though.

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