"Oliver. Wake up. You slept like a log. It is your first day today."
Oliver frowned and tried to roll over.
Something hard slapped the side of his head.
Pak.
His eyes flew open.
He sat up and sucked in a sharp breath. His forehead throbbed.
On the pillow beside him lay a very familiar black sandal.
Oliver blinked several times.
The ceiling above him was smooth white stone carved with faint rune lines, and light poured in through a tall window.
A clean wooden wardrobe stood against the wall beside a desk, a chair, a washstand, and a small mirror.
He stood and walked to the mirror.
There were faint marks on his wrists where the chains had dug in, and his eyes were a little sharper than before.
As he stared, the memories resurfaced.
The hijacked exam, the white tiger, the cult leader, and the final blast all lined up in his mind.
His fingers tightened on the edge of the washstand.
His eyes filled with determination.
Ethan hopped once on the table by the mirror.
"Being determined is good, but you also need to take are your self." he said.
It's been a week since the cult hijacked the academy exam
After the leader died, the slime witch had moved with surprising speed. She gathered the examinees, sealed the area, dragged everyone back, and started cleaning up the mess the
cult left behind.
Oliver had endured everything until he saw that they were finally safe.
The moment that thought settled in his head, his body gave up.
His mind and body were already at their limit, so he collapsed.
It was like a spring pushed to the limit. The moment it snapped back, all the pressure hit at once.
He had only woken up the next day, finding himself back at the academy.
Afterward he threw himself into training, meditation, and reading theory books on crafting.
He spent his time in the training rooms and the library, pushing his body and stuffing his head, trying to forget the feeling of helplessness at the altar.
Oliver splashed water on his face and wiped it with the towel.
"Senior Ethan, I am fine," he said. "I just need to get stronger."
Ethan clicked his sole against the tabletop.
"You are getting too self absorbed," he said. "Training yourself is good, but you cannot ignore the bigger picture."
Oliver frowned at the mirror. "What do you mean, senior?"
"Do you even know what happened between the academy and the parents afterward?" Ethan asked.
"You might think it has nothing to do with you, but it is important. You need to understand the situation you are living in."
Oliver paused. He realized he had spent the past days shut inside training halls and quiet corners, barely listening to the gossip around him.
"No," he admitted. "I focused on practice. I did not pay attention."
Ethan hopped closer to the edge, like a teacher about to start a lesson.
"Then listen," he said.
"From the moment the academy brought everyone back, it was chaos.
Parents rushed to the gates. Some tried to storm the academy.
Others tried to drag their children out and never return.
Everyone shouted. Everyone wanted someone to blame."
Oliver could easily imagine it. Frightened parents, angry nobles, panicked staff.
"The academy staff and the kingdom's officials had to move fast," Ethan continued.
"If they let the story spread freely, the academy reputation would be destroyed, even the the current royalty will not be spared.
If they pushed too hard, the parents would pull their children out and cause an even bigger scene. So they started to negotiate."
"Negotiate what?" Oliver asked.
"Your future," Ethan said. "And theirs."
He hopped again, tapping the wood.
"In the end, they reached a compromise. The academy, the kingdom's people in charge, and the parents agreed on three main points."
Oliver turned away from the mirror and sat on the edge of the bed.
"First," Ethan said, "all students who were involved in that exam will be enrolled in the Royal Academy for free until graduation. No tuition, no extra fees. Everything covered."
Oliver stared at him.
"For free?" he said. "Until graduation?"
"Yes," Ethan replied. "Even you, rich merchant kid."
Oliver's thoughts spun. Years of tuition, gone. It was not a small sum at all.
Even if his parents could afford it, it was always better to use that money for something else.
"Second," Ethan continued, "every student from that exam will get special treatment.
One level above their usual place. B Class students will receive A Class resources.
A Class students will get something even better. Extra guidance, better training, more chances."
Oliver's jaw slowly dropped.
"Isn't that too much?" he asked.
It might sound like just one level above, but in reality the difference in treatment between B Class and A Class was huge.
B Class students shared old grimoire and crowded practice rooms, while A Class students had access to better books, quieter training halls, stronger mentors, and more real combat opportunities.
On top of that, they received better resources, potion allowances, and chances to borrow academy artifacts.
All of that cost money, time, and favors.
For the academy to raise an entire group by one level meant pouring a serious amount of resources into them.
"Almost dying is a very good bargaining chip," Ethan said.
"Parents saw their children used in a cult ritual on academy land. If the academy wanted to keep them here, they had to pay a proper price."
Oliver scratched his cheek.
"And the third point?" he asked.
"Third, and most important," Ethan said, "every parent and guardian signed a agreement not to talk about what really happened during the exam."
Oliver blinked. "They agreed to stay silent?"
"They agreed that staying silent is safer," Ethan said.
"Think about it. If they tell the world the truth, everyone will know that their children get free tuition and special treatment. What happens then?"
Oliver thought about it.
Rumors would not stop inside the city. They would spread through merchants, letters, and loose mouths until the whole kingdom heard about it.
As the story traveled, jealousy would grow.
Other nobles would think it was unfair, commoners would call it pure favoritism, and some extreme parents might even try to create a similar "accident" so their own children could force the academy into giving them better treatment.
"If the public finds out, their kids will become targets," he said slowly.
"Everyone will complain. Other families will be angry. There is no benefit for them, only problems."
"Exactly," Ethan said. "So as long as the academy keeps paying and helping, the parents have every reason to keep their mouths shut.
They may curse in their own homes, but they will not shout in the city square.
No one wants to throw away free benefits and paint a target on their family at the same time."
Oliver leaned back on his hands.
"Always remember this, Oliver. People move because of their needs and their goals.
If you know what they want to protect or gain, you can predict what they will do and prepare yourself better.
It will also help a lot when you have to negotiate," Ethan said.
In his mind, Ethan sighed bitterly.
Since his soul had been strengthened by the white tiger, his thoughts had become clearer and sharper.
He was starting to see how many wrong decisions he had made in his past life because he refused to look at the bigger picture, even though everything had been right there for him to see.
For example why had he even bothered with college when it was clear it did not guarantee him income, but did guarantee hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt?
Oliver pressed his lips together and nodded.
"Honestly, I still feel that cult attack is strange," Ethan said.
"If their goal was just a ritual or killing people, attacking the academy does not make sense.
There are many rogue sorcerers, and higher tier beasts they could capture or hunt without causing this much noise."
Oliver's brows drew together.
"So you think they had another goal," he said.
"I would be more surprised if they did not," Ethan replied.
"That is too much risk for a simple sacrifice."
"What do you think their goal is, senior?" Oliver asked.
Ethan went quiet for a moment.
"I have some ideas," he said.
"But right now you do not have enough pieces, and I do not have enough proof. Let me think about it.
For now, you need to focus on your class. Fiona is waiting in front of your door."
"Fiona?" Oliver repeated.
Right after Ethan spoke, a knock sounded from the other side of the door.
"Oliver, are you awake?" Fiona's voice called. "We are going to be late for the first class."