Chapter 75: Two Slots

After talking to the Academy Head Teacher for a while, Max left the office. They had mostly discussed his Salvation skill and a few details concerning his recent incident at the Dungeon. Since the investigation had only just begun, the Academy Head Teacher himself did not know many details. They had also discussed whether the Dungeon attack was linked to the incident at the Buczacki City Lord's mansion.

Max insisted that the two incidents were linked and that he was being targeted by Officials. Faced with this accusation, the Head Teacher neither denied it nor agreed outright. He believed that other people might also be reason.

As he walked, one thought continued to nag at him. Since the possibility of other people targeting him had come directly from the Academy Head Teacher, Max could not dismiss it. If royal officials weren't targeting him, then it had to be the Noble Families, as usual. He knew little about what was happening in his land. Although his uncle had said that everything was fine at the borders, Max still felt that things weren't peaceful back home.

"What are you thinking?" Marlak asked, noticing Max walking silently.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about the series of events that have been happening," Max said.

"Things happen whether you like it or not, but you must keep moving forward with a clear goal," Marlak said sagely.

Hearing the Frog, Max nodded and thought it was good advice. With his current position and strength, he could do very little to help with the problems outside the Academy. Hence, he could either dwell on them and lose focus on his growth, or he could concentrate on what he could do to help his family.

His recent achievements, whether placing at a decent rank in the first Dungeon Expedition, treating a noble with his [Salvation], or clearing the [Three Misfortune] Dungeons and breaking a twenty-five-year record, must helped his family politically and boosted their morale. With one less thing to worry about, they could concentrate their energy on the issues concerning their land.

Therefore, concentrating on his growth would benefit both him and his family. Worrying would lead him nowhere.

"You may have to bond with me, since two people have already noticed that you haven't bonded yet," Max said.

Although Marlak looked like an innocent pet and people usually dismissed it as an ordinary creature, a rule was a rule. At first, the Academy Security Head had recommended that he bond with Marlak, and now even the Academy Head Teacher had asked him to do so. Hence, it was better to obey them rather than make an issue of it.

“And one more thing, pets aren't allowed in either the classrooms or the training grounds, so you may have to stay in my room most of the time,” Max told Marlak.

Having chosen to be free, Marlak had ended up stuck in the room anyway, at least for a while.

"It isn't a problem staying in the room, but bonding with you would go against my resolutions," Marlak said.

"What are your resolutions?" Max asked.

"To be free from everything," Marlak said.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's an official kingdom rule. If we don't obey it, you'll be captured, tortured, and killed," Max said, explaining the reality of the situation.

After that, Marlak didn't speak much. When they reached the room, Max immediately lay down on his cot to rest because he felt exhausted. Meanwhile, Marlak started gobbled up the food they had bought.

---

When Max woke up from his nap, it was time for dinner. Marlak was lying flat on its back, fast asleep, with its stomach completely full and round. It had eaten the entire Marsh Pectin Jello in one go, which amounted to at least three kilograms.

Max shook his head at the sight before quickly freshening up and heading to the canteen. He needed food to recover both physically and mentally, especially after the stressful events of the past two days.

---

As usual, the canteen hall was busy and noisy, and students were chatting merrily as they ate. Their conversations mostly revolved around the dungeons they had entered and the duels they had fought. Looking around, Max noticed that a few students looked troubled. Even though this academy was considered the best and its students were more capable than most, some were still bound to lose when competing against others of equal or greater ability.

Those students worried that their losses might affect their family names or their overall credit, which was mostly used for hiring. If commoner students failed to prove themselves here, they might not get hired by any Noble Families. Simply joining a prestigious academy was not enough to gain wealth and power.

After taking a large portion of food, Max went straight to the back of the hall, his new spot for eating. After settling down, he began considering what he could do in the coming days. He had recently activated a few skills that he had put them on hold, thinking he should concentrate on one skill so that he would have a reliable skill to use if things got serious.

However, his recent experiences had taught him that relying on a single skill wasn't enough when facing unexpected situations. So, He decided to improve all his skills steadily while giving one of them extra attention.

As Max continued eating and weighing his options, he sensed someone approaching his table. Looking up from his plate, he saw Isabelle. He had half expected Moon to show up, but he hadn't seen Isabelle since treating her condition two weeks earlier. Her sudden appearance caught him by surprise.

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"Can I join you?" Isabelle asked.

"Of course," Max said, keeping his cool. Looking at her now, Max felt that she looked different, even though the light from the wall wasn't particularly bright. Of course, she looked more beautiful, but there was also a different energy about her that he could somehow sense.

Isabelle sat down and began eating while Max continued his meal. He didn't know why she had joined him, but he suspected there was a reason behind it. Unlike last time, plenty of tables were available, yet she had specifically chosen to sit with him. He wondered whether she was simply being friendly or had approached him for something else. Whatever the reason, he was happy to have a beautiful girl sitting with him.

"How is your mana leakage now that I've treated you?" Max asked as he finished his food.

"That issue was resolved after your healing. There's no problem now," Isabelle said.

"That's great," Max said before falling silent and waiting for her to finish, since she had complained about being left alone while eating the last time.

"How is your leveling up progressing?" she suddenly asked.

"Well, I just started today, but the Academy has restricted dungeon raids starting tomorrow. So, yeah, it's progressing slowly," Max said, leaving out the detail that he was the reason for the restriction.

"Oh, is that so? Then would you like to join me on a dungeon raid?" Isabelle asked.

Hearing this, Max was shocked. What do you mean, join? Weren't dungeon visits banned? Had they already found the culprit and lifted the restriction while he was taking a nap? Max was confused.

"Was the restriction removed?" Max asked.

"No, the restriction wasn't removed. It only applies to first-years who want to enter a dungeon with a party consisting entirely of first-year students to level up. Second-years aren't affected, so first-years can join second-years on dungeon raids," Isabelle explained.

"Oh, okay," Max said, though he was still trying to make sense of it.

Did joining second-years magically prevent an assassination? They also received one or two Academy security guards per party, and those guards were lower-level than the first-year guards who escorted students like him. Since second-years were strong enough to fight back, their guards were mostly there for appearances. First-years, however, needed powerful guards like Marcel.

Max didn't understand the logic. If someone was targeting him, joining these students would put them at risk as well. They could become collateral damage, and the Academy might end up banning second-years from dungeon visits too.

"Are the second-years okay with me joining them?" Max asked, wondering whether Isabelle had approached him before consulting them.

"Yes, they were okay with it. In fact, they were the ones who proposed this idea. They believe your abilities could be useful to the party," Isabelle said. She paused briefly before adding, "So, would you like to join?"

Second-year students are asking me to join them? Max was taken aback. Second-years usually thought twice before allowing first-years to tag along, since they could slow the party down and disrupt battle coordination. Yet these students actively wanted him to join them.

Either the disgruntled nobles were plotting against him, or the second-years knew about his [Salvation] skill and wanted his help clearing a dungeon. Both possibilities seemed equally plausible.

If it was a plot, entering a high-level dungeon with them would be a death trap. Without the close supervision of guards like Marcel, an "accident" could easily be staged during the journey itself. On the other hand, if they genuinely knew about his [Salvation] skill, they must also know that he had helped clear the [Three Misfortune] Dungeons with Seniors. They would see him as an ultimate safety net for their expedition, since a top-tier support skill could turn a lethal dungeon expedition into a far safer undertaking.

"Who exactly are these second-year students?" Max asked, keeping his expression neutral. "I need names before I agree to anything."

Having learned his lesson after blindly following strangers several times in just two days, Max wasn't ready to walk into another situation without knowing the details. If they genuinely wanted his help, he would gather the information he could and verify it with others, especially the seniors and the new Academy Head Teacher. If everything checked out, he wouldn't refuse to help them, since he would also benefit from the opportunity to level up, unlike last time with the third-years.

"Don't worry about anything. We'll all sign a Mana Contract. You can include your conditions, and we'll proceed only if both sides agree to them," Isabelle explained.

"Mana Contracts!" Max was dumbstruck. What kind of dungeon were they trying to clear if they were willing to go so far as to sign a Mana Contract just to ensure he joined them? These people were far too desperate for his help, Max thought smugly.

"Okay, let the second-years know that I'm willing to join their party. But what about security while traveling? How far away is this dungeon?" Max asked.

"Don't worry about security issues. The Academy teachers will take care of them!" Isabelle said.

"Teachers?" Max asked in bewilderment. Why would the Academy teachers provide security for a second-year dungeon raid? Max was completely lost.

"Yes, they're going to monitor the dungeon raid," Isabelle said.

"But why do the teachers need to monitor a simple dungeon raid?" Max didn't know what to say. Did the Academy want something from the dungeon, like a pass or something?

"Actually, it's not a simple dungeon raid," Isabelle explained. "It's a selection event for an annual competition between the Seven Lotus Kingdom and our kingdom. The competition is conducted to maintain smooth trade, political, and diplomatic relations. If our party is selected, we'll have to travel to the Seven Lotus Kingdom to participate. Several other academies from our kingdom have also been selected, including ours. Therefore, you don't have to worry about security issues."

"Oh okay, it's a selection event for a competition! I thought it was a some normal dungeon raid for leveling up." After hearing the full story, Max scratched his head.

“Hahaha, sorry for the misunderstanding. I should have told you about the selection event at first,” Isabelle said.

“Okay not problem, I understand, but why do we need to join with second-years? Why can't we form our own party?” Max asked, thinking they could form a party consisting entirely of first-years instead of joining the second-years.

“This competition is only for third-years and second-years. First-years aren't allowed to participate directly, but there are two slots through which third-years can select students from the second-years, and second-years can select students from the first-years,” Isabelle explained, noting how there were exceptions to select capable prodigies from the first-year class.

"That makes sense now," Max muttered. This seemed like a good opportunity for him to make a name for himself throughout the Academy. It would also help his family and make the Noble Families hesitate before doing anything reckless.

"All right, let them know I'm interested, but I still need to know more about the party." Max finally said.

"Oh, that's great. I'll meet you at this same place tomorrow morning. Come prepared to showcase a powerful skill; we need to impress the teachers," Isabelle said urgently before standing up and walking away.