EPISODE 69

1st place: Charon Woodjack – 43 points

2nd place: Zeros Silver – 31 points

3rd place: Shinba – 29 points

4th place: Hans Vander – 28 points

5th place: Hector Badniker – 25 points

...

16th place: Luan Badniker – 18 points

...

There were several oddities. The names in second and third place were unfamiliar, and fourth place—Hans Vander?

"Hans Vander, a one-point deduction."

"Hans Vander, a two-point deduction."

"Hans Vander, it's you again?"

Even I, who rarely paid attention in class, knew his name had been called out more times than I could count. Most of the time, it wasn't for adding points, but for deductions. Yet, he outscored Hector?

What puzzled me even more was Charon's score.

"Forty-three points?" I muttered.

Since everyone started with ten points, did that mean Charon had gained an extra thirty-three points in less than a week?

I glanced at Evan for confirmation, but he only shook his head gravely. Although he meticulously tallied the hero disciples' scores, he hadn't noticed this anomaly.

"Charon Woodjack," a low voice muttered behind me.

I glanced back. Charon was sitting at a table, sipping water.

Hector stood in front of him, arms crossed, his face cold and hard. "What's going on here?"

"Who knows? I don't know what you are asking," Charon replied dismissively.

Hector narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to keep pretending? Then I'll ask you directly. I'm talking about the points."

Charon laughed. "Do I have any obligation to tell you?"

"No. But how dare you act so suspiciously at the Badnikers' training camp?" Hector questioned. "Your father would be ashamed if he saw this."

"You're being amusing." Charon remained unfazed by Hector's provocation and said calmly, "For the sake of my honor and my father's, let me make this clear: I've done nothing wrong."

"What?"

"I have one piece of advice for you, Hector Badniker. Stop worrying about rankings and focus on finishing the course. You can manage that much with your skills."

"You!" Hector gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist just as he had done with me before.

Charon's eyes darkened, but I stepped in. "Brother Hector, calm down."

"Step aside, Luan."

"Step aside? Are you really going to fight here?" I asked.

I glanced at the communication crystal. The instructors were likely monitoring this area through it. If a fight broke out, they would intervene immediately and impose penalties.

"Cool your head. You have already suffered more than one loss because of that temper," I reminded him.

Hector hesitated.

Meanwhile, Charon stood and left the lounge, followed by a crowd of hero disciples. Among them were a few familiar faces, including Hans.

So, those must be the top-ranked individuals I saw on the bulletin board, I thought.

"What's going on?" a sharp voice cut through the air.

I turned to see Charles Rubieta, breathing heavily.

I scanned the room, thinking, Twenty-four or twenty-five people.

At first glance, our side seemed to have the numbers, but the details were unclear.

"Charis, gather some tables," I instructed.

"Why?" he asked.

"I have something to discuss," I replied.

"It is lunchtime," he protested.

"This isn't the time for lunch, you bastard," Hector snapped.

I looked at Hector and said, "Brother Hector, please sit down."

"What are you planning to discuss?" Hector asked.

"Charon."

Originally, I had no intention of getting involved in their conflicts, focusing solely on my own development. But the situation had escalated, and I could no longer stay silent. Somehow, seeing Charon in first place grated on me.

***

The nobles and commoners gathered, their divisions clear—commoners on one side, nobles on the other. The groups I had arbitrarily labeled now stood glaring at each other. Twenty-six people remained in the lounge, a modest number but not insignificant.

"What do you have to say?" Charles exclaimed, her fiery personality belying her beauty. "I'm sure that guy used some dirty trick!"

I stepped forward to correct the misunderstanding. "Wouldn't the instructors notice if he had taken such measures?"

"Of course!" Charles snapped, but then her words trailed off as she glanced at Hector.

Naturally, doubting the instructors was akin to doubting the Badnikers and, by extension, the Iron Blood Lord who had invited them. As the Iron Blood Lord's most devoted follower, Hector would not tolerate such accusations.

"Let's assume that Lady Rubieta is right," I said, addressing the group. "Do you think it's possible to manipulate the rankings of an entire group, not just one person?"

"That..." Charles hesitated, her voice trailing off.

"Don't you all see?" I continued. "Except for Hector, all the top-ranked hero disciples are from Charon's group. Well, except for Hans, perhaps?"

"Hans has been sticking close to Charon lately," Hector said, his tone unpleasant.

A chorus of voices erupted around us.

"Did he really raise his group's points?" someone asked.

"How is that possible?" another muttered.

"He added a rule," Hector interjected, stunning everyone.

His mind seems to be working now. If he had always been this sharp, I wouldn't have needed to step in, I grumbled inwardly.

"Exactly," I said. "He probably used this privilege to do something."

"What rule?" someone demanded.

"I'm not sure, but I can think of one thing."

"What is it?" Charles pressed.

"Skull," I called out.

Skull, seated in the corner, flinched at the mention of his name. "W-what is it?"

"When did you lose two points?" I asked.

My question drained the color from his already pale face. "I-I don't know? I've been losing points a lot lately."

"Evan, is that true?" I asked, turning to him.

"No," Evan said firmly, shaking his head. "Skull's been deducted only once since the training camp started. He likely got an extra point, which offset it. In the sparring, he had one win and two losses."

"Really?" I said, turning back to Skull. "So he should have seven points now? I'll ask again. Where did your five points go? They didn't just vanish."

Skull remained silent.

"Skull," I pressed.

"I-I didn't know it would turn out like this!" he blurted, his face red. He covered his face and muttered, "At first... it was just a small deal."

"Deal?" I repeated.

"Yes! If I gave him one point, he'd give me a steak."

"Steak?" the crowd echoed, incredulous.

"How could he do that here?" someone else muttered.

The quality of the hero disciples' cafeteria wasn't terrible. They served meat, but the problem was the taste. What was healthy was often bland, leaving much to be desired and many ways to satisfy the tastes of growing boys.

"One point for that? Does it make sense? In the first place, how can points even be traded?"

"Points are tradable," I mused, scratching my chin. "Charon could have added a rule like that."

Shouts and sighs filled the room.

Hector frowned. "Assuming that's true, where did he get the steak? He couldn't have brought it in."

"It couldn't be through a magic tool," I said. "They were thoroughly inspected on the first day."

That was true. The instructors had searched me carefully on the day of admission. They hadn't made a big deal of my Spirit Jade as it had been brought for cultivation, and there was no real cause for concern.

"Zeros Silver," Skull muttered, squirming. "It's his blessing."

"Zeros? The second-ranked disciple?" I asked.

"He's been close to Charon for a while," Hector said with a sneer. "That smug bastard."

"I see," I muttered.

Skull nodded. "I don't know the specifics of his blessing, but he has access to things that aren't available here. All kinds of food, beer, tobacco, even rare jewelry."

Did he get a blessing roughly related to space teleportation? I wasn't sure, but the situation was becoming clearer.

"He's a smuggler. So..." I scanned the room. "Besides Skull, has anyone else traded with Zeros?"

Embarrassed expressions spread across several faces. Realizing they couldn't hide it, they started to confess.

"I hadn't eaten dinner since I arrived," one admitted. "Last night, I heard they were offering food."

"I was tempted by beer," another said. "Freshly brewed, with bubbles rising... I couldn't resist as a dwarf warrior."

"I bought some perfume," a third added. "It's great for masking sweat—"

Charles shook her head in disdain. "How pathetic. I can't believe you'll be heroes like me someday."

"Lady Rubieta," Evan called.

"What?" Charles snapped.

Evan spoke calmly. "As far as I know, you should have twenty-three points. But earlier, I saw you had twenty."

"H-how could I?" Charles stammered.

All eyes turned to Charles. Realizing her mistake, she lowered her head and sighed. "There's a limited-edition tiara from Zanetta Jewelry Store. It only cost three points."

Silence fell.

Charles continued, "It's something you can't get no matter how much money you have! For three points, it's a steal!"

"Yes, yes. Shut up," I said, cutting her off. "I get it."

Charles looked furious for a moment, then fell silent, perhaps out of shame.

"From now on, let's not trade points, no matter what they offer," someone suggested. "If the gap widens further, it'll be hard to catch up."

Unexpectedly, the response was mixed. While many agreed, others wore puzzled expressions.

"What is it?" I asked. "If you have something to say, say it."

"I know my limits," Skull admitted. "I can't compete for the top ranks. It's not about willpower or grit—it's just my natural limitation."

"So?" I prompted.

"Points only matter to those at the top," he said. "I just need to complete the course. Finishing the Badniker training is an achievement in itself."

"Indeed," I murmured.

I understood Skull's point. "So you'll keep selling points."

He gritted his teeth. "Do you know what Zeros told me? Every point here is worth 100 gold coins!"

He looked around and shouted, "Selling ten points is 1,000 gold coins! Do you know how much that is? Nobles wouldn't understand!"

"You will regret it," I said.

"No," Skull shot back. "I can complete the course without points. I'm sorry, but I'll keep selling them as long as I can."

With that, Skull stood and left the lounge.

"I'm ashamed, but me too," someone muttered.

"I'm sorry," another said.

"It can't be helped," a third added.

One by one, they followed Skull. Nearly half the group departed, leaving fewer than ten behind.

Hector remained, along with Evan, Charis, and Seren, who hadn't spoken a word.

I studied their expressions. Were these the ones unswayed by money or desire?

"It's worse than I thought," I said.

"Tsk. One point for 100 gold coins? Isn't that just a waste of money?"

As Evan and Charis muttered, Charles snorted. "Of course it is. Zeros' family, the Silvers, have been wealthy for generations. They're as rich as the imperial family, if not more."

"Really?" Evan asked.

"Then there's nothing we can do to stop it, right?" Charis said.

"We'll have to wait and see," I replied.

My words drew their attention.

"What can you do?" Charles asked.

"If we tell the instructors Zeros brought in outside items—" Charis began.

I shook my head. "The instructors probably already know. The entire training ground must be under their watchful eyes."

This meant the instructors were condoning Charon and Zeros' seemingly illicit behavior. After all, it was Charon who initiated it. If mere complaints could stop it, he wouldn't have started it in the first place.

I stood up. "Shall we go eat first?"

"Why are you so carefree?" Charles demanded. "Over ten people just said they'll sell points. We're not even a majority anymore."

"Who knows?" I said with a shrug.

Something told me those who had left would soon regret their decision, but I kept that to myself.