After a smooth registration, Caleb hoisted his heavy bundles and set out for the living quarters. Notting Academy was a prestigious institution for a city this size, but prestige didn't trickle down to the work-study students. Talent was a rare commodity among commoners, and those who lacked it were treated accordingly.
Seven Dorm was the designated silo for these "scholar-laborers." It was an all-ages, co-ed hall governed by a single rule: survival of the loudest. As Caleb approached, the architecture spoke for itself. While the campus was manicured, the area around Seven Dorm looked neglected. The building was stone-cold, and a cacophony of shouting echoed from the open windows.
Caleb stepped inside and stopped. The room was massive, lined with nearly fifty beds, yet only about a dozen had bedding. The rest were bare wooden slats. It looked less like a school and more like a black-market factory barracks.
Eight or nine boys were perched on the few made beds, laughing and shoving one another. Every eye snapped to Caleb the moment he crossed the threshold.
"Greetings," Caleb said, maintaining his practiced, earnest smile. "I'm the new work-study student. Name's Caleb."
A burly, broad-shouldered boy stood up, his hands on his hips. He loomed over the others, his chest puffed out like a rooster. "Caleb? I'm Leo."
He grinned, though there was a predatory glint in his eyes. "I'm the Boss of Seven Dorm. You've got one choice, kid. Fight me. If you win, you're the new Boss. If you lose, you call me Big Brother. Don't think because we share a province, I'll go easy on you. This fight is mandatory."
Caleb glanced at his bed, dropping his bags onto a bare frame. Ordinarily, he would have avoided a pointless brawl. But he glanced at his internal system panel—still sitting at zero experience. If I can't find monsters yet, I'll have to settle for tigers.
"The world of a Spirit Master is a world of conflict," Caleb said, his voice dropping into a dramatic, solemn register. "I only awakened my spirit recently, but I will not recoil. Leo, let us have a duel worthy of our souls!"
He sounded like a character from a cheap stage play, but he knew his audience. Leo was twelve—at the peak of his hero-worship phase. The older boy's eyes lit up, his posture straightening with newfound respect.
"Well said!" Leo roared. "Leo. Rank 9 Spirit Scholar. Spirit: War Tiger. Give me your best!"
Caleb dropped into a low crouch, his legs coiled like springs. "Caleb. Rank 3 Spirit Scholar. Spirit: Mutated Blue Silver Grass. Let's begin."
The room went silent. The other students traded bewildered looks. Blue Silver Grass? Cultivating with a weed?
Leo didn't mock him, though. He took a dignified stance. "Since your rank is lower, I'll give you the first strike. Come!"
Caleb didn't hesitate. He didn't have a weapon, but he had three years of manual labor etched into his bones. He triggered his spirit power, feeling the warm current flow through his limbs. He didn't just run; he launched.
Leo swung a heavy fist, the air whistling. Caleb ducked, the knuckles grazing his hair. He didn't try to trade punches. Instead, he drove his shoulder directly into Leo's solar plexus, his fingers locking onto the older boy's waist to use his own momentum against him.
Thud.
Leo gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. He stumbled back, shocked by the raw strength in the "weaker" boy's frame. He tried to shake Caleb off, but the younger boy clung to him like a burr.
"Spirit... Possession!" Leo growled.
A pale yellow aura exploded from Leo. His fingernails lengthened into talons, and faint stripes of dark fur appeared on his brow. He didn't have a spirit ring yet, so the transformation was incomplete, but his strength doubled in an instant. With a roar, he grabbed Caleb by the collar and hurled him across the room.
Caleb hit the floor hard, tumbling across the stone tiles. Sharp pain flared in his wrists and back. But as he rolled to his feet, a strange sensation washed over him. The warmth of his spirit power turned into a cooling, icy thread that wound around his bruises. The pain didn't vanish, but it dulled significantly.
Vitality is working, Caleb realized.
Leo stood tall, his chest heaving. "Caleb! You forced me to use my Spirit. I acknowledge you're a real fighter, but you're still a long way from beating a War Tiger!"
Caleb barely heard him. In the air between them, translucent gold text flickered:
[Experience +5]
His heart skipped a beat. That's the key. He looked at Leo, his eyes now burning with a "fanatical" combat spirit.
"Leo!" Caleb shouted, leaning into the role. "You are my first true rival on the path of a Master! Your power is terrifying, but my will is unbreakable! Again!"
Leo's blood turned to fire. He had fought dozens of students before, but never had anyone made him feel like he was in a legendary epic. "I, Leo, acknowledge your resolve! I will hit you with everything I have!"
The other work-study students cheered, their faces flushed with excitement. To them, it was a fight for the dorm. To Caleb, it was the start of the most efficient grind of his life.