The moment Ethan opened the door, he finally understood why the hallway felt unusually crowded.
Standing at the front of the group was an elderly man with silver hair and calm eyes. His posture was upright, and his presence alone carried a quiet authority. He looked at Ethan and spoke first.
"Student Ethan, correct?" the old man said politely. "We are tutors representing several universities. We came today to discuss your university enrollment."
He paused briefly, then added with a faint smile,
"May we come inside and talk properly?"
So that was the reason.
Ethan finally understood why so many people had appeared at his door so early in the morning.
He had only received his results yesterday, yet today, representatives from multiple universities had already come knocking.
This efficiency was frighteningly fast.
Without hesitation, Ethan stepped aside and gestured for them to enter.
"Please, come in."
As the host, he naturally planned to prepare tea. No matter who the visitors were, basic hospitality was still necessary.
However, there was one small problem.
Ethan was still not fully used to his skyrocketing attributes.
The moment he stepped into the kitchen—
Ding! Ding! Dang! Bang!
The sharp sounds of shattered porcelain echoed through the house.
Cups broke.
Plates cracked.
A teapot hit the floor.
Outside in the living room, the tutors exchanged uneasy glances.
This sudden early-morning visit—
Had it annoyed him?
Did breaking dishes mean he was unhappy?
Just as the atmosphere began to turn awkward, a young woman quickly stood up and followed Ethan into the kitchen.
She wore a golden badge on her chest, marking her status as a senior tutor.
"Hello, Student Ethan," she said gently. "I'm a tutor from Waves University. Let me help you."
She immediately noticed the issue.
Ethan's strength was simply too high, and his control hadn't fully caught up yet.
This situation was rare—but not unheard of.
She had once encountered a similar student before. However, even that case was nowhere near as extreme as Ethan's.
Based on her experience, she quickly made a judgment.
Ethan must have advanced too quickly in a short period of time, gaining massive attribute increases, equipping multiple high-level items, and triggering a sudden imbalance in physical control.
And what did that mean?
It meant only one thing.
His potential was terrifying.
Ethan looked at the crushed tea set on the floor and sighed softly.
"…Sorry for the trouble," he said. "The tea is in the cupboard."
The tutor smiled and nodded, smoothly taking over the task.
Outside in the living room, the other university representatives listened to the calm and natural conversation between the two in the kitchen.
Several of them showed faint expressions of dissatisfaction.
They had arrived early.
They represented prestigious institutions.
Yet a tutor from Waves University had gotten close first.
Soon, Ethan returned to the living room.
The moment his eyes swept across the room, a trace of surprise flashed through them.
The sofa was large.
There were plenty of seats.
Yet only two elderly tutors were seated calmly in the middle.
All the other tutors were standing quietly to the side.
This was not coincidence.
It was hierarchy.
Clearly, the status of those two seated elders far surpassed the others.
As Ethan sat down, one of the elders finally spoke.
"I am a tutor from Imperial University," the old man said slowly. "I am here to formally discuss your admission."
The atmosphere subtly changed.
Imperial University.
Just that name alone carried weight.
"We are willing to provide you with the highest level of student待遇," the old man continued.
"This includes 10,000 credits per year, as well as priority resource allocation and post-graduation placement benefits."
Ethan frowned slightly.
"…Ten thousand?" he asked. "Credits?"
The old man nodded patiently.
"Credits are not equivalent to money," he explained.
"All academic resources within the university can only be exchanged using credits."
"Normally, students can only earn credits by completing university-issued missions."
He paused, then added firmly,
"And trading credits between students is strictly forbidden. Once discovered, the student will be expelled immediately."
Ethan understood immediately.
This system forced students to continuously complete tasks assigned by the university. There was no shortcut.
He nodded.
But another question followed naturally.
Ten thousand credits—
How valuable was that, really?
The old man from Imperial University seemed to see through Ethan's thoughts and explained further.
"You can think of ten thousand credits as equivalent to one hundred million in currency," he said calmly.
"But what credits can buy, money often cannot."
Ethan's lips twitched slightly.
Without saying anything, he took out a pen and a piece of paper.
He wrote slowly:
Imperial University
His handwriting was crooked at first.
Then he hesitated.
After a moment, he added two words beneath it.
To Be Determined
"…Hmm?"
Ethan suddenly realized something unexpected.
Writing—this fine, precise movement—
was helping him adapt faster to his overwhelming physical stats.
The more careful the motion, the better his control became.
Originally, he wanted to draw a small circle behind the university name to indicate "pending," so it wouldn't look too direct.
But midway through writing, he noticed something else.
His handwriting was becoming steadier.
Cleaner.
Smoother.
His control over his strength was improving rapidly.
So instead of a symbol, he wrote out the words "To Be Determined" clearly.
Without any pretense, Ethan placed the paper directly on the tea table.
His stance was clear.
The living room fell silent.
Hum—
The old man from Imperial University glanced at the paper.
His expression instantly darkened.
With a cold snort, he said,
"Student Ethan, this is the highest sincerity Imperial University has shown in recent years."
"You should think carefully."
There was pressure in his words.
Almost like a warning.
Ethan scratched his head.
Why did that sound… like a threat?
If they dared to pressure him before he even enrolled,
what would happen after he entered?
At that moment, Ethan finally understood something clearly.
This was the true strength of Imperial University.
Authority.
Confidence.
Arrogance.
Without hesitation, Ethan picked up the pen again—
And drew a large X behind the words To Be Determined.
Clear.
Direct.
No room for misunderstanding.
The expression on the old man's face stiffened.
Ethan, however, remained calm.
Ten thousand credits?
Honestly—
It wasn't that attractive to him.
If he sold all the unused skill books and items sitting in his backpack, he could easily make over one billion.
Four years of university life.
Even if he gave himself four hundred million, it wouldn't change much.
Seeing that Ethan showed no shock or excitement, the old man added another explanation, clearly unwilling to give up.
"For new students, it usually takes two full semesters to accumulate this amount of credits," he said.
"And that's only if they're extremely diligent."
"So ten thousand is not a small number."
Ethan simply smiled.
He had already made up his mind.
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