Chapter 85

Chapter 85

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 85: Contact Reversal – Became A Prospective Graduate Student Obsessed By Professors (2).

Before long, my inbox was flooded with hundreds of emails.

After sorting and filtering the necessary ones, several intriguing subject lines stood out:

Please come to our lab

Graduate School Admission Proposal

Hello, student Aidel, I am a professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Eruyel College……

This was an unfamiliar scenario for me.

Typically, I was the one reaching out to professors, but now the tables had turned. Professors were initiating contact, which was more exhilarating than being summoned to their office after a lecture.

“Heh, hehahahaha.”

The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ is astonished.

‘Orchestra of Mud and Flesh’ is speechless.

The emails continued to accumulate in real time. Reading and responding to each one became a daunting task. Honestly, it was starting to become a nuisance.

The subjects could be just clickbaits. I treated the process like selecting a web novel, scrolling through and scrutinizing each title carefully.

This one is no good; that one is no good.

This is the professor you scooped

That subject line certainly piqued my interest. I opened the email immediately.

The message was brief.

Your research topic overlaps with mine, which led to this unexpected situation. However, I’m not upset. On the contrary, I’m intrigued and would like to scout you, hence my reaching out.

Imagine working with state-of-the-art research facilities and generous funding. Picture your papers being published in top-tier journals and collaborating with colleagues who feel like family. All of this could be yours.

So, please.

We kindly request that you apply to our lab.

Eruyel College – Kallis Stranov

The email was so well-crafted it felt almost venomous.

Now, what do I need to do? I need to respond. I also plan to send a similar reply to a few other notable professors. Their expertise might just help me achieve my ambitions. The thought brought a smile to my face.

But then…

Thud, thud, thud.

“Student, open the door!”

The door rattled under the force of the blows. It was Warden John Whitewood. Apparently, he had decided it was time to evict me from this prison.

“Warden, stay back! I think I’m losing my mind. Aaaah!” I yelled at the top of my lungs while furiously typing on the keyboard.

“Enough with the nonsense, open the door!”

“Warden! Gurrk, Querrk.”

“You bastard!”

The door, equipped with a state-of-the-art locking system, resisted his attempts. I hit the send button on my email and grabbed some of the preserved food I had stashed away.

With that task done, I could focus on something else while waiting for a reply. That something was the administrative work of the prison. After all, since I wasn’t paying rent, it was the least I could do.

“Isn’t this enough? What more do you want from me? I don’t want to die, you know. I’m sick of this! Aaaah!”

Inmate number 888887 was causing a scene again today. Of course, she wasn’t the only unstable person in this prison. I created a spreadsheet to categorize the various types of disturbances that cropped up. Reviewing the timeline, it seemed there had been an increase in severe symptoms among the inmates recently.

The adage goes that the early bird catches the worm, a nod to the rewards of diligence. Professor Kallis embodied this virtue, but her dedication was tinged with a unique sincerity that set her apart from her peers. Even when faced with the ultimate betrayal—a student stealing her thesis—she responded with a grace that bordered on self-deprecation.

It was a humiliating ordeal, but Kallis harbored ambitions and a thirst for revenge that burned intensely within her.

“Richard, just as you abandoned me, I will ensure your favorite student does the same to you. Then, you’ll understand this pain of loss, and you’ll be the one seeking mercy, hehehe!” she mused with a sarcastic laugh.

This grudge stemmed from an incident over a decade ago—an old wound that, logically, should have healed. Yet, love, in its most foolish forms, can defy reason. The embers of a passion never realized continued to smoke, consuming Kallis with a relentless ache.

Her thoughts drifted back to her days in academia, a time marked by a young man’s fervent obsession with research and a young woman’s growing affection for him.

“I like you,” she had declared, her voice a mix of nervousness and resolve. Kallis had been confident in their compatibility—she was attractive, academically proficient, and they shared similar backgrounds. Surely, they were meant to be more than just classmates.

However, the response she received was not what she expected.

“Sorry, I can’t accept your confession.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve decided not to date anyone until I finish my research. Honestly, it feels like a distraction.”

Richard’s rejection, framed as a practical decision, left Kallis bewildered and hurt. Undeterred, she followed him into the physics department. She confessed again, suggesting they do research together.

“Then we can just be research partners,” he suggested.

Her heart sank. Why on earth did things have to be this way? If you’re old enough to enter college, isn’t it reasonable to expect a wedding ring? If he didn’t like her, he could just marry someone else. That would actually be more liberating.

Richard had left the door open until the very end. He was still single, and Kallis also hadn’t been able to marry due to circumstances beyond her control.

“Starting today, I will change this dependent relationship. I’m sorry, Professor Feynman, but you are destined to be my graduate student, Aidel.”

A reply had already arrived. Kallis read the email with a broad smile.

I’m sorry.

“What?”

It seems that I won’t be able to enter the graduate program at all.

Kallis’s eyes lost their focus. This just didn’t make any sense.

It seems they have no intention of releasing me from Alcatraz. All I am allowed to do is exchange emails like this.

Also, I am a student enrolled in the Academia program. Even if I were released, I could not immediately apply to your research lab. If I were a prospective graduate of the college course, I would have already requested an interview with your lab.

Aidel had sent the same email to numerous professors, all of whom were eager to have him. In total, he contacted a staggering 300 professors.

The spirit of determination, reminiscent of a Spartan, seemed to be awakening within the Raniakea Federation thousands of years later.

“That concludes the presentation of the paper authored by myself and my esteemed disciple. Thank you.”

The applause was robust and sustained.

Professor Feynman, overwhelmed by emotion, wiped away tears as he listened to the applause. Aidel was his undiscovered genius, a prodigy akin to a secret weapon. The competition to secure Aidel was fierce, with the acceptance rate at his lab now standing at 300 to 1. Although Aidel was not yet officially a graduate student, there was still a chance he could be recruited by another lab.

‘…But I possess accolades they do not. Aidel reached out to me specifically. I am the only one he approached directly. It is only logical that I become his advisor.’

Hadn’t they already collaborated on two papers? Feynman licked his dry lips, a mix of nervousness and determination in his gaze. To secure Aidel’s future, he would need the support of his colleagues. After all, one does not simply navigate the academic world alone.

Around him, the professors who had attended Feynman’s presentation were now animatedly discussing strategies, seemingly energized as if they had received a buff.

“I’ve proposed it to the Arkia Committee. They are the most respected body in academia, so the government is bound to feel the pressure.”

For context, over half of the scientists present were recipients of the prestigious Arkia Award. Aidel, had he witnessed this gathering, would likely have been overwhelmed to the point of fainting. Fortunately, he was not here.

“We should also reach out to renowned journals, including .”

“Coincidentally, I have the chief editor’s contact information. I’ll attempt to reach out to them.”

“I have a relative in a high political position; I’ll inform them about our situation.”

“We need to rally support from other research institutes and stand united.”

What professors excel at is leveraging their networks. Indeed, with the right connections, almost anything can be accomplished. Whether it’s tarnishing someone’s reputation in both academic and social circles or enhancing it, both can be managed with relative ease.

The actions of the 300-member task force rapidly escalated into a formidable force.

Federal Basic Science Research Team Initiates ‘Free Aidel’ Protests

156 Organizations within the Institute of Advanced Technology Innovation to Strike Next Monday

Arkia Committee Warns, ‘Alcatraz Must Not Misjudge the Nation’s Resolve’ – A Veiled Threat to the Government

The news spread rapidly among the public.

“Do you recall Aidel von Reinhardt, the infamous figure previously mentioned in the news? He has returned, now hailed as an extraordinary genius.”

“The recent accomplishments of Aidel can be summed up in a single phrase: ‘Humanity has secured its right to survive against the threats of the Outer Gods.’ We have now discovered a method to repair the breach in the Ether Belt.”

“Why is this significant? By applying this theory, the notion of peripheral planets will become obsolete. The entirety of humanity’s habitat will be enveloped in ether, making it impenetrable to both incarnations and extraterritorial entities.”

The dissemination of these research findings through the mass media caused a significant stir. Engineering professors scrambled to produce related studies, driven by the potential financial rewards.

Major spacefaring corporations vied to acquire the ‘ether barrier restoration technology.’ The value of Professor Renkel, the pioneer of this technology, soared. Renkel, with a broad grin, meticulously directed all the funds he received—beyond what was needed for actual research—into his bank account.

“Aidel, all this money is yours,” he declared. Renkel, not yet of retirement age, was keenly in need of a brilliant graduate student to assist with his work.

The government’s response was swift and unsettling.

It has been confirmed that Aidel von Reinhardt has relapsed into madness due to the influence of an Outer God, necessitating further recuperation at Alcatraz Sanatorium.

“What did you say?”

“After writing such a paper, being manipulated by an Outer God?”

“That’s nonsense. There’s definitely something more to this. It smells fishy!”

The scholars immediately voiced their protests. However, their objections were silenced when the CCTV footage was released.

First, Video 1:

Heh, heh heeheehee.

Then, Video 2:

Warden, Warden. Grrk, grrkk.

Followed by Video 3:

Air raid alert, haaa, air raid alertoo.

And Video 4:

Gasp, gasp, gaaasp……!

The professors watched each tape with a mixture of confusion and concern. Despite the bizarre content, their analytical minds raced to uncover any inconsistencies or hidden clues. Yet, the footage seemed to only depict sheer madness.

Why are you suddenly assigning me a mission and then acting insane? And why is the penalty for failing pregnancy again? Do you have feelings for me or something?

Finally, the 15th video.

Kallis, who had appeared unresponsive throughout the previous clips, suddenly bolted upright and shouted.

“It’s a fabrication—a government conspiracy. This makes no sense!”