Internet Mage Professor-Chapter 105: Magical Water

The silence stretched in the wake of Nolan’s confused glance.

He scanned the room once more, trying to understand why every student was so paralyzed.

Their eyes darted to the door, wide and anxious.

Their bodies remained frozen, half-sitting, half-standing, breaths shallow, as if a ghost had passed through the room and not a simple courier.

Nolan frowned. Is this really that big of a deal? He had just received a normal delivery—well, suddenly, he would feel the air around him freeze.

He was thinking, maybe—just maybe

... it’s normal for him. It was from Earth, after all. But to these students? To people who lived in a world ruled by magic, spiritual beasts, and ancient traditions?

He sighed. Of course. Of course they’d react this way.

One of the students, Thomas, finally spoke, voice cracking under the tension. "T-Teacher Nolan... what was that black thing that came from outside the door? And how did it vanish like that? It looked like... a wraith."

The others nodded rapidly, some hugging themselves as if to shake off lingering cold.

Alina even glanced back toward the doorway, as though the air still carried the trace of something dark and malevolent.

Nolan crossed his arms, his brow twitching.

"That?" he said, tilting his head in thought. What excuse should I use? "That was... uh," and almost immediately, his mind worked as it had been trained to do from lying about last week’s stay in his world.

"A magical delivery agent. Sort of like a transport courier for artifacts, y’know?" he continued, sweating behind his back.

Silence.

Blank stares.

Clearly, the explanation didn’t satisfy them at all.

He cleared his throat and added more confidently, "It’s from a high-security magical delivery company. Their couriers are... special. They’re trained to avoid detection and can come and go in ways that reduce magical interference or interception."

Still, the stares didn’t relent.

Nolan rubbed the back of his neck. He needed something better. Something more convincing.

"There was a problem a few years ago," he said suddenly, making it up on the spot. "People tried to ambush delivery runners to steal the packages. Dangerous stuff, very valuable magical artifacts, all getting stolen in transit. Some of the couriers even got killed. So now, the company had no choice but to enchant their delivery guys with this... protective aura. Makes them look scary on purpose. Think of it as a cloak to scare off thieves."

The students didn’t reply immediately. But something shifted in their expressions. The tension in the air lightened ever so slightly.

"I mean, you wouldn’t try to rob a guy who looked like a demon was clinging to his shadow, right?" Nolan added with a shrug. "It’s smart, really."

There was a murmur. Not loud. Not convincing. But it was a start.

Alina exhaled slowly, hugging her knees. "So it was... meant to look like that?"

Nolan nodded solemnly. "Exactly."

Rhea let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing. "I thought it was some kind of cursed spirit."

"Nah," Nolan said, brushing it off with a half-smile. "Just aggressive corporate branding."

A few nervous chuckles broke out.

Slowly, the room began to breathe again.

The lingering fear in the air dissolved bit by bit like mist in morning sunlight.

Thomas sat back down.

Aiden leaned against the wall with a sigh.

James, the last to relax, lowered his trembling hands and exhaled hard.

The fear didn’t vanish entirely. But the unknown was now dressed in logic, however shaky. And logic was easier to accept than fear.

To redirect their attention further, Nolan clapped his hands. "Alright, since you’re all recovering and not ghost-hunting anymore, grab one of those bottled waters from the box."

He motioned to the package on the floor beside him and kicked it open with his foot. Inside were rows of sleek plastic bottles, their labels faded, clearly Earth-standard. Nothing magical in appearance, no runes or enchantments. Just plain hydration.

The students looked confused.

"Water?" Emily asked, squinting.

"Yes, water," Nolan said. "You’ve trained. You’ve sweated. You’re exhausted. You need to rehydrate."

He bent down, took one bottle for himself, cracked the cap open, and took a long drink. The cool liquid rushed down his throat, smooth and crisp. His eyes widened slightly.

Huh... is this really that thirty-cent brand?

He looked at the bottle in his hand, then back at the students.

The exchange rate was ridiculous—one mana crystal was about a thousand Earth cents.

These bottles cost just a few mana crystals per case. They should’ve tasted like barely filtered tap water.

And yet...

This was clean. Not just clean—refreshing. It tasted like something drawn from a mountain spring in the clouds, chilled in snow, kissed by the wind, and bottled by monks. Nolan took another gulp. His spine tingled slightly.

Is this another system perk?

He stared at the label, still skeptical. The brand was generic. He didn’t recognize it. It didn’t matter. He was thirsty and it worked.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "who cares?"

He kept drinking.

The students watched him curiously. Then one by one, drawn by thirst and curiosity, they followed his lead. Each grabbed a bottle, twisted off the cap, and took a sip.

At first, there was silence.

Then...

They blinked.

Rhea swallowed and raised her brows. "Huh..."

Aiden took a longer drink and closed his eyes. "It’s... good?"

Emily looked down at her bottle, then at Nolan. "Teacher... this isn’t normal water, right?"

Nolan, already halfway through his own bottle, gave a casual shrug. "Magical water."

Their eyes widened.

Nolan elaborated quickly, his voice smooth. "It’s infused through an arcane purification method. The particles are enchanted during bottling. Good for the body, clears mana channels, helps with stamina regeneration. Pretty standard for delivery-class waters." novelbuddy.cσ๓

He didn’t know where any of that came from, but it sounded plausible enough. Besides, these kids were too tired to question him anyway.

The students nodded as if what he said made perfect sense.

"It tastes amazing," Thomas said, then drank more.

"It’s soft," Alina added. "Like... not heavy in the mouth. I don’t feel bloated."

"That’s the magical micro-filtration," Nolan replied instantly.

Then came the moment of realization.

James, who had been quiet, lowered his bottle and stared at it in wonder. "Wait a minute... I feel—"

The others turned toward him.

"I feel... better?" he said slowly, as if testing the idea. "Like, really better. Not just not-thirsty."

He stood up, bottle still in hand.

"I’m right," he said, looking at his arms. "I was exhausted. My legs were cramping earlier. But now—" He jogged in place a little. "I feel fine!"

The others gawked at him.

Rhea quickly took another swig. Alina gulped hers. Aiden slammed down his half-full bottle and stood, bouncing slightly on his toes.

"It’s real," Aiden said. "It’s real. I feel light again!"

The room broke into a frenzy of excitement. Even Emily looked stunned. "What kind of water is this?! It’s better than a low-grade recovery potion!"

Nolan, bottle still raised to his lips, paused. His eyes scanned the room—the cheering, the disbelief, the students bouncing like overcharged batteries.

He frowned slightly, feeling something churn in his gut.

"...fuck," he muttered under his breath.