Chapter 29: Rewards

When Kael entered the male dormitory, he immediately noticed something unusual. The corridor, which was normally filled with the voices of students, was unusually quiet.

But, with one exemption.

At the far end of the corridor, someone was arguing with one of the roaming instructors. Kael slowed down. The voice sounded familiar. When he looked toward the other end of the corridor, he immediately recognized the person.

Victor.

"I said I’m just going to step outside for a bit. I need some fresh air."

"The Headmaster’s instructions were firm and clear. No students are allowed to leave their rooms tonight."

"Fuck! I said I’m only going outside for a bit."

Kael couldn’t help but shake his head. Victor really was exactly like the character he remembered from the game.

Always troublesome and always convinced that the rules somehow didn’t apply to him. Kael quietly continued toward his room, hoping to avoid getting dragged into the argument.

Unfortunately, Victor noticed him.

"Then why is he allowed to go outside?"

Victor suddenly pointed toward Kael.

Kael stopped.

He had been deliberately walking as quietly as possible.

The instructor turned around. His eyes immediately landed on Kael.

"You! Why are you outside? Get back to your room immediately!"

Kael blinked.

Victor, meanwhile, looked rather pleased.

It was almost as if he had just found someone else to share his punishment.

Serves you right, dumbass.

Kael could practically imagine the thought going through Victor’s head.

He suppressed a sigh.

"Sorry. I just returned from the Commercial District. I’m heading to my room now."

"Then go. And once you’re inside, don’t step outside again. Wait for further instructions."

"Yes."

Kael didn’t give Victor another glance. He simply continued toward his room. Behind him, Victor’s argument with the instructor resumed.

"See? You let him go back to his room."

"Because he’s actually returning to his room."

"I was going to do the same thing."

"You were trying to leave the dormitory."

"That’s not the point."

Kael quietly closed his door.

Finally, some peace.

The moment he entered his room, however, a small white blur shot toward him.

"Qiu!"

Kael instinctively caught it.

Quinn immediately clung to him.

"Oh?"

Kael looked down at the little spider in his arms.

"Were you lonely?"

"Qiu!"

Quinn nuzzled against him.

Kael smiled.

"You really are getting more affectionate."

"Qiu!"

Then Kael’s expression gradually changed. Something felt different. He adjusted Quinn’s weight in his arms. Then he raised an eyebrow.

"You’re heavier."

"Qiu..."

Quinn suddenly sounded guilty.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"Don’t tell me."

He looked toward the floor. Sure enough, food crumbs were scattered around the room. There were considerably more than there should have been.

Kael stared at them. Then he looked back at Quinn.

Quinn avoided his gaze.

"So that’s why your weight continues increasing despite exercising with me."

"Qiu..."

"You’ve been eating quite a lot."

"Qiu."

Kael sighed.

Exercises were outdone by its eating habit. At this rate, it wouldn’t become his battle companion. It would become a useless freeloader. Kael lightly poked its head.

"Starting tomorrow, you’re coming with me wherever I go."

Quinn froze.

"Qiu?"

"Yes. Not only in training."

"Qiu!"

Quinn looked excited.

"And no more excessive food."

"Qiu?!"

"You suddenly looked dejected, huh?"

Kael ignored its reaction. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

After taking a warm bath, changing his clothes, and eating dinner, Kael finally settled into his chair. Quinn was curled up comfortably on his lap. He absentmindedly stroked its soft body while staring at the ceiling.

The amusement from earlier gradually disappeared from his face. His thoughts returned to the academy. The increased security. The order from the Headmaster’s Office. And students being confined to their dormitories.

And that strange feeling of déjà vu. Kael had finally figured out where it came from. He remembered it now.

It was a memory not from the game, but rather, from the time he served in the military for two years as part of his mandate as a reservist.

What Kael felt at the moment was...

The incident this morning and the confinement this evening, everything looked like a deliberate staged scenario.

...

Kael ended his body refinement routine that evening with meditation.

According to Professor Aldren’s notebook, meditation played an important role in circulating spiritual energy alongside the Hero Core. With proper circulation, the two energies could complement each other and create a stronger synergy.

Since he had already incorporated the body refinement routine into his daily training, Kael saw no reason to neglect something else that could improve his foundation.

He spent nearly an hour meditating before finally calling it a night.

The next morning, all students were summoned to the academy plaza. Kael recognized the location immediately. It was the same place where yesterday’s incident had taken place.

The fake corpse had been discovered here.

The students gathered in groups, whispering among themselves as they waited. Many were still discussing what had happened the previous day.

Then Professor Vista stepped forward and reveal something unexpected.

"Yesterday’s incident was just a drill."

The entire plaza fell silent.

Then it exploded with noise.

"A drill?"

"You’re kidding!"

"Then that student wasn’t actually corrupted?"

"So the corpse was fake?"

Kael remained relatively calm. He had already figured that out last night. Professor Vista had simply confirmed his suspicion.

Professor Vista raised a hand, silencing the students. The student who had supposedly been corrupted yesterday then stepped forward.

He looked perfectly healthy.

"My name is Vanz Violet. I’m a third-year student."

Several students stared at him.

Vanz explained that the entire incident had been staged to evaluate the students’ reactions during a crisis.

The fake corpse. His apparent corruption. His behavior afterward. Everything had been part of the drill.

The academy wanted to see which students would panic, which would freeze, and which could remain calm enough to make rational decisions.

Vista then continued.

"Most of you reacted more or less as expected."

Some students lowered their heads. A few looked embarrassed. Kael couldn’t blame them. A sudden incident like that wasn’t something most people could remain perfectly calm during.

"However, two students demonstrated satisfactory performance."

That immediately caught everyone’s attention.

"Although yesterday’s incident was a drill, it was also an evaluation. Those who performed well will receive twenty Authority Points and one Low-grade Core Enhancement Crystal."

The atmosphere instantly changed. Relief turned into regret. Several students visibly grimaced. They had just discovered that the incident they had treated as a genuine crisis had also been an opportunity to earn valuable rewards.

Twenty Authority Points were already useful. But the Core Enhancement Crystal was the real prize.

Even low-grade Core Enhancement Materials were expensive and difficult to obtain. They were rare resources, usually acquired from high-rank monsters or dangerous areas where powerful creatures resided.

Even wealthy students couldn’t simply walk into a store and purchase them whenever they wanted. So being given one by the academy was an extremely generous reward.

Professor Vista looked at the list in his hand.

"Seraphina Eversnow. Come forward."

"Yes, Professor."

Seraphina stepped forward without hesitation. Her posture was as elegant and composed as always. Nobody seemed particularly surprised by her selection. She was one of the academy’s strongest first-year students, and her performance yesterday had been obvious enough for most people to remember.

A few students looked envious. Then Vista looked at the second name.

"Kael Grayford. You too."

The plaza became strangely quiet. Kael blinked. For some reason, the reaction was almost more interesting than the reward itself.

"Kael?"

"They picked Kael?"

"I thought it would be Leon."

"Did he really perform that well?"

Kael ignored the whispers and walked forward. He wasn’t particularly bothered by the reactions. To be honest, he was slightly surprised himself. He had stopped the corrupted student’s attack yesterday, but he hadn’t considered it anything extraordinary.

Apparently, Professor Vista disagreed. Kael stopped beside Seraphina. Vista looked at the two of them.

"You both remained calm during the incident and acted when your fellow student needed help. That is exactly the kind of judgment we wanted to see."

He handed them their rewards. Kael accepted his without hesitation. His eyes briefly settled on the Core Enhancement Crystal.

’This is great. I can enhance my Hero Core again with this.’

This was considerably more valuable.

Behind him, however, Victor looked considerably less pleased.

"Damn it! That Kael again!" He gritted his teeth.

Kael heard him but didn’t bother turning around. He had more important things to think about.

Leon was similarly silent. On the surface, his expression remained calm. But internally, he couldn’t help criticizing himself.

He should have recognized the situation. It had been an evaluation. A drill designed to test everyone’s reaction. If he had understood that earlier, perhaps he could have performed better.

And now Kael was standing beside Seraphina. Leon glanced toward them. Seraphina gave Kael a faint smile before nodding. Leon frowned slightly before he looked away.

Professor Vista continued his speech.

"Remember what you learned yesterday. Whether an incident is real or simulated, you must learn to remain calm. Your emotions can be useful, but they must never control your judgment."

The students listened carefully.

"Tomorrow, you will face another evaluation."

The atmosphere immediately changed.

"The Wilderness Survival Examination."

The plaza became lively again. Everyone had heard about the examination. It wouldn’t simply test combat ability. Their endurance, judgment, teamwork, and ability to survive in an unfamiliar environment would all be evaluated.

"Prepare yourselves properly," Vista continued. "The best-performing teams will receive substantial rewards."

The students immediately became motivated. Yesterday’s disappointment was quickly forgotten. If Kael had taken the reward today, then so be it.

Tomorrow was another opportunity.

Several students glanced toward him with renewed determination. Kael noticed the looks. He couldn’t help but find them somewhat amusing. Apparently, everyone was already treating tomorrow as a competition against him.

Fine. He didn’t mind. In fact, he welcomed it. Kael glanced at the Core Enhancement Material in his hand.

The Wilderness Survival Examination was tomorrow. He had already spent weeks preparing for it:

Running, strength training, swordsmanship, and combat simulations. Even his breathing technique had become more refined.

He had done everything he could. Or at least, everything he could think of.

Kael smiled faintly.

"Then let’s see how much all that training was worth."