Chapter 259: The Wild One

That day, Sierra got a front-row seat to what it truly meant to be ruthlessly roasted—and finally understood why her seniors were so afraid of Professor Martin. For an entire hour, he unleashed a barrage of criticism—sharp, brutal, and never once repeating himself. Autumn and the others looked like they were about to spiral into depression, while Professor Martin was still going strong, full of energy.

When Sierra saw her turn coming, she instinctively took a few steps back. Unfortunately, Professor Martin caught it. His brows shot up. “What are you backing up for? Let me see what you’ve been working on.”

Sierra opened her research and analysis from the past few days, fully bracing herself for the worst. She was mentally prepared to be torn apart like everyone else. But after scanning her work, the old man glanced up at her. Sierra pressed her lips together, steeling herself.

Then the old man opened his mouth and said, “Not bad. Way better than the piles of crap they handed me.” Autumn and the others were speechless. Seriously? That’s some next-level double standard.

Erwin clearly wasn’t happy. Professor Martin caught the look and didn’t hold back. He called Erwin over and slammed the data in front of him. “Not convinced? Look at her work. Now look at yours. You still think you have the right to complain? She’s only been here a few days. How long have you been under me? She didn’t even have a proper foundation when she started. And you? How many years have you been at this?”

Sierra thought to herself, Is he trying to get me publicly executed? Her relationship with this cold senior had just started warming up. Now it looked like they were about to hit the reset button.

But surprisingly, Erwin, though arrogant, wasn’t deaf to reason. He carefully went over Sierra’s analysis. A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes. By the time he finished, the indignation was gone. To be fair, he couldn’t have pulled off this kind of work in such a short time—not even if he’d worked around the clock. And Sierra? She’d been leaving work on time in those first few days.

So this is the difference between a genius and a top student, he thought. He glanced at Sierra again. There was envy in his eyes, but not an ounce of jealousy. After a moment, he muttered, “Hmph. Don’t get too cocky. I’ll beat you next time.”

He had barely finished speaking when Professor Martin smacked him on the head. “You want to talk tough? Then you’d better have the skills to back it up! The rest of you, get over here.”

Autumn and the others gathered around. Professor Martin started breaking down their mistakes and flawed thinking. Sierra stood off to the side, listening carefully and soaking it all in. This is the difference a real mentor makes.

Before, when her seniors pointed things out, she’d feel like something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint what. Now, listening to the professor, everything clicked.

Professor Martin’s temper was fierce, but no one dared say a word. Sierra was about to leave too, but the professor called her back. “Tell me your thought process.”

Sierra explained how she approached the problem step by step. When she finished, she felt a little nervous—her methods were all over the place and completely unorthodox. But the professor didn’t criticize her. He didn’t say anything negative at all. Instead, he said, “Everything comes from practice. You’re different from them. You’ve been forging your own path from the start, so stick with it. I’ve got too many rules around here—might end up boxing you in.”