Chapter 361 – Choices (Part 1)

Chapter 361 – Choices (Part 1)

A thin folder appeared in the dean’s hand, columns of precise writing and numbers, sharp black on crisp white.

Kai caught his arms raising. Too high to hide the gesture, he laced his fingers on the rim of the desk as if that had been his intention from the start. The thick papers hovered on the polished desk, just out of his reach.

I can wait. Patiently.

Lilac eyes watched him —not betraying a flicker of the thoughts drifting beneath their idle calm. The dean appeared pleasant enough, pleased with his results in the Trials. Kai couldn’t deny enjoying the recognition. Probably what happened when you spent too long underselling himself.

Get a grip. You’re not a kid starved for praise. That same guy has no problem seeing students dying each year.

He couldn’t forget where he sat because the man waved shiny baubles and merits at him. Beyond the veneer of impartiality, politics swamped Raelion with roots far beyond the academy grounds. And the dean sat at the center of it all. If a snubbed student from Winter Intake could see that, what things could he not see? How many students truly died?

With the Trials’ irregularities yet unexplained, he wanted nothing to do with the Houses’ games.

As Valela said, nothing good comes from meddling with the patricians. Keep a low profile and focus on your studies. Too bad she didn’t say what to do when you rank first in the Trials… A problem for Future-Kai.

His hands reached for the folder. Calm and unhurried. His composed persona crumbled once his eyes fell on the first page of the merits and treasures.

Joint Mid-Term Trials (First Year) with Mana, Martial, and Artisan Studies. Rewards List (ranks 1-100):

Rank 1: 1000 Credits of Merit – High Affinity Treasure (custom) & Wellspring Amulet (custom)

Rank 2: 900 Credits of Merit – Unattuned Arcanite Wand (Peak-Yellow, custom) & Blinking Amulet (ten charges)

Rank 3: 800 Credits of Merit – Spirit Tears (High-Yellow Elixir, one vial) & Safeguard Amulet (custom)

Rank 4: 700 Credits of Merit – Four-Leaved Elemental Clover (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth) & Unbound Request at the Hall of Artisans (Peak-Yellow, materials covered up to 500 mesars)

Rank 5: 600 Credits of Merit – Lucenti Kit (C-rank) & Armband of Silent Reflection (Peak-Yellow)

Rank 6: 500 Credits of Merit – Limited Access to the Raelion’s Vaults (One week, Arcane rank or below) & Alchemy Request at the Hall of Artisans (Peak-Yellow, materials covered up to 300 Gold mesars)

Rank 7: 500 Credits of Merit – Body Enhancement Ritual (Three sessions) & Martial Weapon Request at the Hall of Artisans (Peak-Yellow, materials covered up to 300 mersar)

Rank 8: 500 Credits of Merit – Medium Affinity Treasure (custom) & Crystal (Peak-Yellow)

Rank 9: 500 Credits of Merit – Ring of the Moonlight Mind (Peak-Yellow) & Ring of Sylvan Tears (Peak-Yellow)

Rank 10: 500 Credits of Merit – Thunderbird Egg (C-rank) & Astares Purse of Holding (1 Cubic Meter, 10% weight)

Rank 11: 400 Credits of Merit – …

Quite the shiny baubles.

Ten pages of them. Double the usual merits for these Trials, to say nothing of the additional rewards. Combining the courses of Study meant a stiffer competition, though that mattered little for the first ranking. These prizes rarely showed up even in the Moon Trials in previous years.

“I see the rewards are to your liking.” The shadow of a smile quirked the dean’s lips. “I must ask that these papers not leave my office. It would set a bad precedent if students saw them before the official results.”

“I— yes.” Kai wrenched his gaze from the papers, clearing his throat and schooling his expression. “I mean… Yes, Dean Astares.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Aware of the man waiting for him, he skimmed the ranking rewards. Merits and treasures decreased through the pages, though never unappealing.

Why did he show me all this?

The dean seemed to read his confusion with faint amusement. “Aside from merits, you may select any reward beneath your ranking. I reckoned you wouldn’t care to pick below the top one hundred. In the past, there have been disagreements when participants found lower prizes more appealing than their own. Resources hold different values to different students. Especially in the joint Trials among the courses.” His gaze turned far away, lost in thought. “Before my tenure, custom prizes were assigned after the final ranking was decided. As you can imagine, that led to greater… complications.”

Personally setting rewards for each student? How could that ever be abused?

“I understand.” Kai nodded primly, his attention on the pages. The sooner he decided, the sooner he could leave the office. A sigh escaped his lips. He hated few things more than having to pick a single prize from a list. “Is it possible to pick from two different rankings since the top ten has double rewards?”

“The prizes were weighed together.”