CHAPTER:10 [The Academy of Scums]
Three months went by in a jiffy, and the time for admission was finally upon them.
They prepared themselves, went down the mountain to the city, and stopped at a bus stop. Kai looked around curiously and asked,
"Shino, how are we going to get to the academy? Aren't they in the Noble Republic?"
After the Great Cataclysm, the nobles had created the Noble Republic in the middle of the world and built the academy there for their own kind. But since nobles often involved themselves intimately with commoners, they had to open the academy to commoners as well — they needed slaves for their dirty work.
"We'll go by bus," Shino answered.
Kai blinked at him.
"Are you serious right now? Do you know how far that place is?"
Shino answered with a blank expression.
"Yes, it's right in the middle of the world. That's why we'll be going in a high-speed bus specially made by the academy."
Kai had imagined teleportation or something grand, but the thought of a bus genuinely disappointed him.
......…..
After an hour of waiting, the bus finally arrived.
The bus looked neat with its dark red color. Kai was the first to enter and said with a disappointed expression,
"Shino, this place is empty."
"Yeah, since we are the only ones from this place."
Kai sat in the back and fell asleep while Shino started meditating — it was going to be a long ride.
After ten hours of a tiresome journey, the bus finally stopped. It was midnight when they got off.
Shino walked toward the cabin right beside the massive gate of the academy. The outer walls loomed over them like silent judges. Kai followed and stared at the enormous black gate. The lines on it looked like a magic circuit, twisting and messing with his head.
Shino approached the guards and said,
"Umm, excuse me, we're here to—"
They didn't even let him finish. In a rude tone they snapped,
"Go through here. You will reach a temporary residence."
They opened a side door. As Shino and Kai walked down the smooth brick pathway, they overheard the guards talking.
"Bunch of disgusting commoners."
Another guard whispered,
"Shh, slow down or they might hear you."
Then the first guard said in an even ruder tone,
"So what if they heard me? It's not like they can do anything to me. A noble, even if my rank is low, is still a noble."
Hearing them, Shino said to Kai,
"Don't listen to them. They are just scums."
Kai shrugged.
"It doesn't bother me one bit. But I've been meaning to ask you about the test of the academy. If you fail it, does that mean you wouldn't be able to enter again?"
Shino answered,
"That's not how it works. They don't let you fail at all. Even if you fail, they will just make you enter the lowest class."
Kai asked curiously,
"How does that work?"
Shino explained,
"You first give the written test, which is just a formality. The real test is the physical one where you have to fight an instructor."
"But how does that decide the class?"
"If you couldn't handle the instructor's first strike, you are F class. If you were able to block the instructor's strikes, you are E class. If you were able to injure the instructor, you are D class. If you were able to overpower the instructor, you are C class. If you were able to fight the instructor to a stalemate, you are B class. If you were able to defeat the first instructor, you are A class. If you were able to defeat two instructors, you are Elite class. But the instructors get stronger with each rank. Mind you, our objective is Elite class, and don't use your full power. Keep your cards hidden."
As they entered the temporary residence, they saw a big, long hall with marble floors and seats everywhere. The moment they stepped in, the people inside looked at Kai with pure disgust in their eyes.
Shino whispered as they moved to a corner of the hall,
"Be careful of the people here. You see that pointy-eared elf? That is the Elven Prince Leon. And that guy with the arrogant face and hair like a woman is the Heavenly Prince Feng Lin. And you see that beautiful girl sitting alone over there? That's Dona. Her origins are unknown — some say she is a commoner, while some say she is the duke's illegitimate child."
Kai looked at Dona and was stunned. Her silver hair, ocean-blue eyes, and pale face were instantly engraved into his mind.
Shino jerked Kai's shoulder and whispered,
"Don't look at her too much. The more you look, the more pleasing she becomes to the eyes. That bitch has a natural attraction to her."
Kai calmed himself and silently summoned Nia.
(Nia, scan her.)
Kai's blood boiled at the mention of Celestials, but he forced himself to calm down. He neither had the strength nor the guts right now.
......…..
As the moon settled on the horizon and the sun rose, the instructors came to the hall and moved everyone to a different location for the written test about monsters, their habitats, weaknesses, tools, and more.
Kai solved question after question and thought,
(Nia, why is the test so easy?)
(Is that actually the reason?)
(Well, let's get this over with.)
After the written test, the instructors moved them to the testing grounds.
The first one called was Leon, the Elven Prince. He defeated four instructors. Then Feng Lin was called and defeated seven. Kai wondered why Shino was so determined to reach the Elite class. He asked,
"Shino, why do we have to get into the Elite class?"
"Well, there are plenty of reasons — respect, better facilities, and of course the main objective: the Dragon Dungeon."
"What's the Dragon Dungeon?"
"It's a trial designed by the Gold Dragon Valzahrak to give rewards to whoever completes his trial."
"What's the reward, Shino?"
"Anything you want from his lair."
Kai's eyes lit up with excitement.
Then Dona was called. She defeated nine instructors. Shino was next and defeated six. Finally, Kai was called.
The instructor stepped into the ring with a smug expression.
"Are you ready, kid?"
The instructor swung his sword, showing off his mastery. But in the blink of an eye, Kai's sword was already at his throat.
The instructor broke into a cold sweat under Kai's fierce gaze. Due to his prideful noble nature, he forced a smirk and said,
"Not bad, kid."
Since Nia had forcibly changed Kai's docile nature, he was now a walking time bomb ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
(Did he just smirk at me? Who does he think he is?)
Uncontrollable rage surged through Kai. He defeated four instructors in rapid succession. When the fifth one came up smiling arrogantly, Kai snapped. He threw his sword aside and lunged bare-handed, beating the instructor senseless exactly the way Pride had beaten him. He grabbed the man's face just like Chronos had done and was about to crush his skull when a sharp whistle cut through the air — the match was over.
The instructor managing the names shouted,
"Would you like to continue, applicant Kai?"
Kai left the ring. The people around him stared with terror in their eyes, but it didn't bother him. The more people stayed away, the better.
He glanced back and said in a low, blank voice,
"No… I'm done."
But Leon, the Elven Prince, couldn't accept that a commoner had outperformed him. He shouted with a scowl,
"I don't believe this! He clearly cheated! He's a commoner — how can he even defeat an instructor? Just look at how ugly he is! Hey, commoner! I challenge you to a duel!"
Kai turned around and walked straight toward Leon. The prince was shorter, with blonde hair, pointy ears, and a typical arrogant noble face.
Kai looked him dead in the eye, flicked his forehead, and said,
"Fuck off and shove that duel up your ass."
Leon's eyes reddened with rage. He tried to grab Kai by the collar, but the moment he looked into Kai's eyes, he saw nothing — an empty, soulless void.
"What's with these eyes… they have nothing in them… so why… why am I trembling?"
Leon's body started shaking. His blood ran cold as a chill ran down his spine. Kai's low, devoid voice whispered,
"Can you take responsibility for what's about to happen to you?"
Leon was terrified but couldn't back down. An instructor quickly stepped in and pulled them apart.
"That's enough, kids. No fighting on school grounds."
Kai looked at her with the same dead eyes and said,
"This has nothing to do with you."
The instructor smirked smugly.
"Kid, they are nobles and this is the Noble Republic. We decide what you do here. So stop causing trouble and just go with the flow… or you'll have to go through me."
Kai's mouth curled into a twisted smile. His dead eyes suddenly came alive with killing intent.
"You won't mind me killing you now, would you?"
He activated his shield, his dead hand woke up, and he reached for the instructor's throat — but he felt a strong resistance from behind.
He glanced back. It was Shino's angelic face and blonde hair. Shino had stopped him.
"Calm down or you are going to make it hard on yourself."
......…..
Shino calmed him down after a long while. Soon the test ended, and an instructor came to notify the Elite class students who wanted to try the Dragon Dungeon.
Out of the twelve Elite students, only four signed up: Dona, Feng Lin, Shino, and Kai.
END OF CHAPTER:10