Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Academy Points
╔══════════════════════╗
║ ◀ QUEST COMPLETE ◀ ║
║ "Enter the European All-Star Academy" ║
║ Objective 1: Pass exams — COMPLETE ║
║ Objective 2: Enroll and begin classes — COMPLETE ║
║ REWARDS: ║
║ ├─ EXP: +1,500 ║
║ ├─ System Credits: +2,000 SC ║
║ └─ SPELL ACQUIRED: ║
║ ◀ BLOOD CLONE ◀ ║
║ Rank: A-Rank ║
║ Note: Creates a solid blood construct that mirrors the host’s appearance and can ║
║ Can fight independently for 60 seconds before dissolving. ║ ╚════════════════════════╝
╔═════════════════╗
║ SYSTEM LEVEL: 8 ║
║ EXP: 9,150 / 20,000 ║
║ SYSTEM CREDITS: 8,600 SC ║
╚═════════════════╝
He dismissed the notifications and slipped out of bed.
4:00 AM.
Lucian stood in the backyard of the Havenford house, barefoot on the cold grass, silver hair loose around his shoulders. The air was cold and still. The pre-dawn darkness was absolute.
He dropped to the grass and started.
Push-ups. One. Two. Three. His arms burned. Ten. Twenty. Fifty. One hundred.
One.
He moved to sit-ups. Faster. Harder. His abs burned like acid. Fifty. One hundred. Two hundred.
Two.
Squats. Deep, heavy, controlled. His thighs screamed. Fifty. One hundred. Two hundred.
Three.
He went inside, pulled on shorts, and picked up the Sword of Aikis.
The Basic Sword Mastery Manual’s knowledge lived in his muscle memory now. He moved through the forms — basic cuts, thrusts, parries, footwork patterns — each one flowing into the next like water. The sword hummed in his grip, starsteel singing as it cut through the cold morning air.
Four.
He changed into a sweater and stepped outside into the pre-dawn darkness. He ran.
Through Havenford’s empty streets. Past the closed shops and sleeping buildings. Past the outer walls of the academy. Through the east gate, where a tired guard barely glanced at him before waving him through.
He ran for two hours.
When he returned to the house at 6:15 AM, his sweater was soaked with sweat. His legs burned.
The system pulsed.
╔══════════════════════╗
║ PHYSICAL TRAINING COMPLETE ║
║ +2 Strength: 228 → 230 ║
║ +1 Agility: 80 → 81 ║
║ +1 Dexterity: 47 → 48 ║
║ NOTE: Gains apply in combat regardless of sealed stats. ║ ╚═══════════════════════╝
Small gains. But small gains compounded.
He showered, dressed in his uniform, and woke Clara on his way out.
"I’m heading to class."
Clara mumbled something unintelligible and pulled a pillow over her head.
The Combat Department building was a fortress of stone and mana-steel. Massive training halls with mana-absorbing barriers. Weapon racks lining every corridor. The walls were lined with weapon mounts and portraits of famous alumni. The air smelled like sweat and weapon oil.
Lucian found his classroom on the second floor. The door read: CLASS B — PROFESSOR VASILEV
He entered.
The room was a large rectangle with tiered seating for twenty students. Students were still filing in, talking, laughing, comparing rankings. Lucian took a seat near the middle — not the front, not the back. Invisible. Forgettable.
Other students filtered in. Some glanced at his silver hair with curiosity. Most didn’t look at all.
Julian wasn’t in this class. He’d been assigned to Class D.
Clara was in Class A, one floor up.
Ryan was in the Research Department across campus.
Rose was in the Support Department on the other side of the academy.
They’d been split up.
At exactly 8:00 AM, a woman walked in.
The room fell silent.
She was stunning. Tall, with long dark hair tied in a loose braid that fell over one shoulder. Her uniform was standard — white with bronze trim — but she wore it like a model wearing a burlap sack. High cheekbones. Full lips and dark eyes.
Every male student in the room sat up straighter.
"Sit down."
Everyone sat.
She walked to the front and set her tablet on the podium. Her name appeared on the screen behind her:
PROFESSOR ELENA VASILEV
Peak Core Realm | C-Rank Shadow Blade | Combat Department, Class B
"I am Professor Vasilev," she said, her voice cool and measured. "I will be your homeroom teacher for the next year. You will obey my rules or you will suffer. Are there questions?"
No one spoke.
"Good."
She tapped her tablet, and the screen behind her changed to show a detailed table.
"This is the point system. Memorize it."
Earning Points (AP)
Activity Points
Perfect attendance (monthly) 10 AP
Garden Zone mission (Easy) 20-40 AP
Garden Zone mission (Medium) 50-100 AP
Garden Zone mission (Hard) 120-200 AP
School dungeon run 300-500 AP
Winning intra-class challenge 30 AP
Winning inter-class challenge 50 AP
Top 10 in monthly assessment (academy-wide) 100 AP
#1 in class (monthly) 150 AP
#1 in class (Year-wide, academy top 10) 300 AP
Teacher’s special assignment 50-500 AP
She changed the screen.
Spending Points (AP)
Item Cost
Basic Mana Restoration Pill 20 AP
Mid-Grade Mana Restoration Pill 50 AP
High-Grade Mana Restoration Pill 15 AP
Basic Body Tempering Pill 30 AP
Basic Weapon (F-D Rank) 100-300 AP
Cultivation Room Rental (1 hr, Top class) Free
Cultivation Room Rental (1 hr, second class) 5 AP
Cultivation Room Rental (1 hr, third class 10 AP
Cultivation Room Rental(1 hr, fourth class) 15 AP
| Cultivation Room Rental(1 hr, fifth class) 20 AP
Training Room Rental (1 hr, any class) 10 AP
Library Scroll Copy (F-D Rank) 50-200 AP
Library Scroll Copy (C-Rank) 300 AP
Professor Vasilev changed the screen again.
"The first month, training rooms are free for everyone. After that, your class ranking determines cost."
She paused, letting the implications sink in.
"Lower-ranked classes pay more for the same resources as higher-ranked ones. This is by design. If you want cheaper access, climb the rankings."
Her eyes swept the room.
"Class Representatives and Vice Representatives will be decided at the end of the first month based on class rankings. The Rep handles logistics. The Vice Rep handles disputes. Both receive a small AP bonus."
She leaned forward.
"Now. Spell Scrolls."
Another screen appeared.
"Every awakened person can form basic constructs with their ability. A fire user can create fire. A light user can make light blades. But raw talent without structure is like having a body without bones. It moves, but inefficient. A fire user who creates fire arrows through instinct can still create fire arrows. A fire user who reads and absorbs a Fire Arrow scroll doesn’t just create a fire arrow. They create a perfect fire arrow. Better range. Better penetration. More efficient mana consumption. The spell solidifies the form and helps reduce mana consumption."
She wrote on the blackboard:
RAW ABILITY → SPELL (Scroll) → REFINED ABILITY
"Spells are graded just like abilities. F-rank spells are weak but functional. A-rank spells are devastating. S-rank spells can level small cities. But this still depend on your cultivation base. After all, an early Neophyte realm cultivator will not even be able to use a S rank spell."
She turned back to the class.
"Each spell is linked to a specific star in your Star Palace. If you have the corresponding star ignited, the spell becomes more powerful as the star evolves. A Base Level spell from a star one is decent. The same spell from a star five would be devastating. The same spell at star nine — Monarch Level — would be something else entirely."
She paused.
"Scrolls are expensive. F-rank scrolls start at fifty points. C-rank scrolls cost three hundred. But they’re worth it. They take years off the time it would take to comprehend a spell from scratch. Without scrolls, most of you will spend years trying to comprehend what a scroll could teach you in a week."
She picked up her tablet.
"You have been given five hundred Academy Points on your bracelets. That’s your starting capital. Spend it wisely."
"Questions?"
A hand rose in the middle of the room. A nervous boy with freckles.
"Professor, can you ignite stars without scrolls? Through comprehension alone?"
"Yes," Professor Vasilev said. "Those who succeed are called Comprehenders. They tend to become legends. The success rate is less than one percent. Most people need the scrolls."
The boy sat back, looking slightly sick.
Professor Vasilev continued without pity.
"Comprehension is not about intelligence. It’s about connection. Some people meditate on their element for years without a breakthrough. Others feel it in a moment of extreme emotion — fear, rage, grief. The emotion cracks something open. The understanding floods in. The star ignites."
She looked at the class with flat, hard eyes.
"I’ve been teaching for twenty-three years. I’ve seen geniuses who meditated for a decade with no result and average students who ignited their first star in a single night of desperate combat."
She paused.
"The scrolls exist. The cultivation rooms exist. The knowledge is right there, sitting in the library, collecting dust, waiting for someone to claim it."
She turned to the blackboard one final time and wrote:
THE KNOWLEDGE IS FREE. THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS FREE. THE ONLY THING MISSING IS YOU.
"Class dismissed."
The room erupted into noise. Students grabbed their tablets, whispered to each other, compared notes, argued about the best scrolls to copy first.
Lucian sat still.
He gathered his tablet and walked out of the classroom.
A/N: Thank you reading my work. Please continue with us and I assure you won’t be dissappointed.
Your lovely Author:
God_of_Wisdom
