Chapter 149: 166. Registration Fees Absolutely Non-Refundable
The moment Flandre finished his announcement, the place instantly erupted.
"What, we waited this long just to hear that we're eliminated?"
"No way! Why did my son and I have to wait from morning till night just to be told he's been rejected?"
"My son has two hundred-year spirit rings! On what basis do you eliminate him?"
"Refund! Since we're eliminated, give the money back. Return my ten gold spirit coins!"
At this point, a burly Vaishya reached for the money box, trying to take back his registration fee. Seeing this, the others grew restless as well. After all, that box contained all their registration money.
Just as everyone was about to surge forward and reclaim their funds, Flandre pushed up his glasses and shot Zhao Wuji a look. Zhao Wuji understood immediately, grabbed the burly man's wrist, and flung him away with force.
The man crashed to the ground, eating dirt. Enraged, he activated his martial soul. Behind him appeared the phantom of a Silverback Gorilla; white, yellow, yellow, yellow—four spirit rings circled his body.
Beating his chest, he charged at Zhao Wuji with his fists.
Seeing the man's spirit rings, Zhao Wuji's face curved into a confident smile. He activated his own martial soul: the Vigorous Vajra Bear roared behind him. Six rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—the most perfect spirit master configuration. His level 62 Soul Emperor strength was on full display. Zhao Wuji caught the man's fist in one hand, twisted hard, and snapped his arm. The man let out a shrill scream.
Zhao Wuji tossed him aside like garbage, then cast a ferocious grin at the others who had wanted to rush the box. "Anyone else not afraid of dying, come try. This is what happens to you."
The threat instantly silenced the crowd. They were Vaishya, after all. Though born with spirit power and capable of becoming spirit masters, they lacked backing and heritage. Very few could ever reach the peak. Zhao Wuji's spirit ring configuration and level were enough to intimidate everyone present.
"All right, what are you still staring at? If you're eliminated, hurry up and get lost," Zhao Wuji said.
"But… at least return our ten gold spirit coins," an elderly Vaishya said weakly.
"Yes, yes, those ten coins are our family's savings for years," another Vaishya added.
The eliminated Vaishya were unwilling to see their money vanish, so they began to appeal emotionally one by one.
Zhao Wuji scratched his ear. "What? What ten gold spirit coins? Can't hear what you're saying."
Flandre stood up and addressed them, "Fellow villagers, the enrollment rules are clearly written on the signboard. Didn't you read them?"
He pointed at the admissions plaque, where it read: "Shrek Academy Enrollment Requirements: Age 12 or under, and spirit power level 20 or above to qualify."
Then his finger slid down to a tiny line of text below: "Shrek Academy tuition is 10 gold spirit coins. Once tuition is paid, regardless of whether the martial soul passes or fails, Shrek Academy will not refund any fees." The font was so small it would be easy to miss without careful reading.
"Shrek is a kind of monster, an extremely strange existence even among soul beasts. Our Shrek Academy is a 'Monster Academy,' meaning we only accept monsters, not ordinary people. Anyone over 12, or with spirit power below 21, will not be admitted," Flandre continued.
"When you came to enroll, didn't you read the requirements? We already reminded you in the notice that once you register, tuition is non-refundable regardless of the result," he said.
Hearing this, some people could only sigh in pain and helplessness, abandoning their fees and leaving in gloom.
Others stayed put, staring longingly at the money box.
"Please, those 10 gold spirit coins mean everything to our family. For our child to attend school, we scraped them together from everywhere."
"We won't enroll anymore. Just return the money. This old man will kowtow to you," another begged.
Ten gold spirit coins meant little to Brahmins and Kshatriyas—at times not even more than dessert after a single meal. But for those who had only just managed to climb from Shudra to Vaishya, it was a huge sum. No one wanted to lose it for nothing.
Seeing they still refused to leave and continued to beg, Flandre said nothing, simply gave Zhao Wuji another look. Zhao Wuji's face twisted into a savage grin. He grabbed a stick and said, "Won't get lost, huh?"
He charged into the crowd, not even bothering to activate his martial soul, and simply swung his club with brute strength, beating everyone—elderly men in their sixties or seventies, children of twelve or thirteen—none were spared. The Vaishya shrieked and scattered in all directions.
They had no choice but to swallow the bitter loss of ten gold spirit coins. As for reporting this to the authorities—impossible.
The Shrek teachers were Soul Kings and Soul Emperors. In the poor backwater of the Balak Kingdom, any one of them could be a big shot.
If they wanted to swear loyalty to the royal family, they would immediately receive a title and become Kshatriya. If the Vaishya reported them, the local officials would just use them as bargaining chips to curry favor with the Shrek teachers.
Thus, through this admissions round, Flandre cheerfully gained a few reasonably talented "monsters," while also fleecing a group of big suckers, earning a tidy profit.
Of course, such a scam couldn't last forever. Although people's wishful thinking remained strong and there were always a few suckers every year who wanted to try their luck at Shrek, word would spread.
Fortunately, Flandre had some foresight. Besides running the school, he used the money to invest in businesses that could sustain this makeshift operation called Shrek Academy, deploying various tricks and schemes along the way to extract profits.
The successfully admitted students not only saw nothing wrong with Shrek Academy's behavior—they actually approved of it. After all, they were not ordinary people, they were monsters. How could monsters be compared to ordinary folk?
Shrek successfully instilled a deep sense of superiority in these admitted students, making them intoxicated and genuinely believe themselves to be "monsters," fiercely defending that title.
Of course, these lucky Vaishya who got in had no idea that many more traps awaited them inside Shrek Academy.
(END CHAPTER)
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