Chapter 207: Academy Benefits [Bonus]
The reason Shub was so panickedâand the way he was ready to pay the amount without further resistanceâwas simple. The proof Leo possessed was more than enough to warrant a fine. And a fine was the best possible outcome for him.
Even though 2 million sounded astronomical, nearly 800 gold coins, it was insignificant compared to the benefits the academy provided.
The most important factor was
Aurelius Credits (AC)
.
ACs were exclusive currency, usable only by academy affiliatesâstudents and staff. They were a high-profile medium of exchange, carrying far more value than metal coins. In Leoâs previous world,
{Our World}
, it would be like comparing the Kuwaiti Dinar to the Zimbabwe Dollar (1 KWD â 1100 ZWL).
Just being able to earn in Aurelius Creditsâsomething only academy affiliates could doâwas enough to guarantee an easy life. Not just for oneself, but even for oneâs family outside the academy walls.
Even someone stuck at the 2-star or 3-star ranks could earn decently simply by being inside the academy as a student. Doing the same outside would be exponentially more difficult. And if one passed the literacy test and became a trainer or a higher-category teacherâpositions open only to academy studentsâthe pay increased further. More importantly, it was a permanent job, unlike a studentâs limited 20-year academy session.
Even a trainerâs basic salary of 1,000 AC per month translates to roughly 40 Silver outside the academy. An average family could live comfortably on just 1 Silver a month. When combined with the Beast Hallâs monthly stipends for Beast Masters, life became almost effortless.
And then there were the academy networks.
Through the Aurelius Hall, one could acquire materials required for rank advancement at heavily subsidised rates. If an item wasnât available, it could be commissioned, and it would arrive in a short time. Something like this was exponentially harderâand far more expensiveâoutside the academy.
As Brant had mentioned before, outside the academy, a single common elemental crystalâfire or waterâcould cost up to 10 Gold, which translated to nearly 25,000 AC. Inside the academy, the same crystal cost just 4 Gold, or around 10,000 AC.{I have revised the prices}
This was the very first thing Leo had realised after arriving at the academy.
No wonder Brother James had said that joining an academy was an important aspect of oneâs life.
One might wonderâif being part of the academy was so important, why were instructors going around fooling freshers that would risk their positions?
But fooling alone wasnât the real issue. It taught freshers a valuable lesson. The real problem was abusing authorityâlike Shub had done when he was about to hit Leo. Abusing someone like Leo, someone with immense future potential, was disastrous. Not only for Shub, but also for the academyâs reputation.
And what Shub didnât know was that Professor Brant stood behind Leo. If he had known that, he wouldnât even have thought about fooling him. After the incident, he would have been grovelling at Leoâs feet.
Shub clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding audibly.
"P-please... delete that video now."
Leo looked at him, eyes calm, faint amusement flickering beneath the surface.
"Delete?" Leo echoed lightly. "When did I say that? I only said Iâd consider it. Now that the job is done, you should leave." He smiledâone that looked far too devilish from Shubâs perspective.
"Please!" Shubâs voice cracked. "I wonât do it again to you! Noâno, to anyone else! I wonât do it to anyone ever again!"
"Oh, since you wonât be doing it to anyone else, thatâs great." Leo nodded casually. "I wonât share the video. But if I even hear that you did..." His tone hardened, the air around him seeming to chill.
"Absolutely not!" Shub hurriedly replied. "Please donât share that video!"
He hesitated, lips trembling.
"C-could you deleteâ"
"No." Leo cut him off flatly. "Iâm busy. Now go."
Shub ground his teeth and turned away. He climbed back onto his eagle, dropped the blueleaf, and took off into the distance.
Once he was far enough away, his restraint snapped.
"MOTHERFUCKER!!! Fuck you! Fuck your entire bloodline!" Shub screamed into the wind. "Blackmailing me? ME!? Just you wait... Iâll expose your territory location to everyone before the newbie protection period even ends! Iâll get your territory razed!"
His rage twisted into a cold, calculating grin.
"But first, Iâll wait for the guardian to return and watch you get destroyed. A low-Purple-tier treasure must have a Pseudo 3-star or even a Low 3-star guardian. Iâll wait. Hahahaha, Iâll wait. Motherfucker!"
{Newbie protection period has been changed from 1 week to 1 month.}
Back in Leoâs territory, he entered the cave to inform everyone that everything had gone smoothly. But the moment he stepped inside, he froze.
The druid was in what could only be described as the worst possible condition imaginable.
Understanding that the druid needed to look convincingly trapped, Howl had transformed the cave floor into quicksand using Mihoâs water. Half of the druidâs three-meter-tall body was already submerged. Lilyâs vines were wrapped so tightly around his limbs and torso that it looked as if they might tear flesh apart with even a little more force.
Bruises, abrasions, and sharp cuts covered his face and bodyânone of them healing, as the druid had deliberately suppressed his regeneration to appear beaten. But the pain was immense, evident from his groanings.
Lily had done her job perfectly.
Leo glanced at her. She stood proudly nearby, smiling in clear satisfaction, eyes brightâalmost as if she were waiting for head pats.
She didnât make him look beaten... she actually beat him,
Leo thought, pinching the bridge of his nose as he struggled to suppress a laugh.
I shouldnât laugh. The druid already looks miserable enough.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Like before, they set up their shed, but a bit far away from Fluxsoil Heart, where mana concentration was low for Mihoâs comfort. With how huge Howlâs back was, after 300 meters of mana dense region, more than 100 meters was left for them to utilise.
Leo summoned all his beasts. Lily even brought out her spirits, explaining that with such dense mana in the area, she could keep them summoned continuously without feeling anything.
The Treant and Lunaria were especially delighted, basking in the thick, vibrant mana saturating the land.
They didnât even bother keeping a night watch.
With five pseudo-3-star beasts lounging lazily around the camp, no one would dare approach. And as insurance, a Low 3-star Colossusâcapable of resisting even 5-star beingsâwas always present.
Niri eventually approached the druid, whom Leo had decided to call Bigfoot. Though the druid was visibly surprised to see a dryadâan existence close to the entities he worshippedâhe remained grumpy over the absurd treatment heâd endured and chose to stay inside the cave, eating and sleeping in silence.
The next day arrived swiftly.
"Alright!" Leo announced, his voice echoing with excitement. "Today, we finally advance in ranks!"
---
A/N:
Damn!
1 Kuwaiti Dinar = 3,457,827 Iranian Rial
Didnât know that, bruh.
PS: World-building related to the academy has been almost done. Now the pace will increase a bit. Do comment if you are finding the story enjoyable or even if itâs lacking in some way.
A review also works. cough. cough.
By the way, do you guys think I should add SoL tag?