So basically, the academy looks like an entire city, while a single department—a branch department of science, for that matter—is the size of an entire university. Yup, my brain can still cope. I'm still fine.
There are no minor subjects in the academy. There are only the foundational and major courses, which, to me, makes sense since most minor subjects are pretty useless anyway. All it adds is more pressure with little to no meaning in some of the fields that students choose to pursue.
I only have six subjects this semester. All are foundational courses. Since I decided to manage my own schedule and choose my own professors and not let the administration office do it for me, I have gotten to be more flexible with my time. I only have three scheduled subjects per day, from Monday to Thursday, all squeezed into my morning schedule. I deliberately freed up my afternoon so I could work during that time.
Although I could afford to take it easy with Genevieve as my guardian, I don't want to become reliant on her. Thanks to her, I get to choose the course that I want, even though it's quite expensive. But it's also because it's quite an expensive course that I cannot be complacent. Once Gene graduates, I will have to fend for myself. So while she's still here, I need to use the time to earn and save as much as I can.
Just like the registrar instructed, I handed my ID card to the professors at the beginning of each class. Since it was the first day of classes, we didn't really do much. It was just the usual self-introduction. The professors also explained to us how we'd get academic points from their classes.
Aside from gaining points from attending lectures, we also gain points from quizzes, projects, and major exams. They displayed a chart of the point system and the potential points we could earn at the end of the semester if we performed well in class.
I earned 3 points today for attending all my classes.
I must admit that, in comparison to the traditional grading system, gaining academic points felt less stressful. It's basically a reward system where you get rewarded for your every effort, regardless of how small.
Even if you get a single point on a quiz, that's still a point added to your overall academic credit, so it's less depressing. The thought of your term grades being dragged through the mud simply because you did poorly on an exam will never come back to haunt you.
What matters in this kind of system is your hard work and self-responsibility. If you fail, there won't be anyone to blame but yourself.
In such a way, its core principle is still similar to what the grading system of the outside world has. The only difference is that, in this system, your failure and success are not determined by a single exam. Instead, every point you earn and every effort you make, no matter how big or small, accumulates like experience points to help you level up.
My morning ended just like that.
When afternoon came, I began my job hunting. There is a bulletin board in front of our department's central building where various open jobs related to biology are posted. It's even grouped based on the different biology courses offered in our branch department. It is also listed based on the degree level required by the job.
The ones available for the first year are listed at the very bottom. Unfortunately, there are only two jobs available for first-year students, and they were already taken by the first two freshmen who saw them.
I could only sigh. My initial plan was to work on a job related to my course, so I could kill two birds with one stone—I'm earning and accumulating academic points at the same time.
There is a big difference between working in a course-related field and not. First, you get practical experience, which is very essential in our course. Second, course-specific jobs pay more. Finally, to earn more academic points.
A course-related job gives you about 15 points per week, depending on how well you do your job. And that does not include some rewards your boss can give you if they like your performance.
Meanwhile, a non-course-related job only gives you 10 points per week. The reward for excellent performance is also lower. Though a one-point difference may appear minor, it adds up to a significant difference.
But I see now that it's not viable. I guess my only choice is to find a job unrelated to my course. Though the academic points I will get will be less compared to course-related jobs, I have to settle for it for now. Hopefully, I can find a course-related job mid-semester.
I was about to leave when I noticed an unusual job posting in neither of the grade levels. Out of curiosity, I took a closer look. My eyebrow immediately shot up when I read what was written.
HIRING!
CARETAKER
MAJOR BOTANY
NO YEAR LEVEL IS REQUIRED.
INTERESTED? Scan the QR code at the bottom and come to the Dragon Tower.
There isn't anything suspicious about the job opening, not until I read the location at the bottom. If the World Academy is the most coveted school that everyone wishes to enter, then within the World Academy lies the most coveted place as well—the Dragon Tower.
The Dragon Tower is not a place that anyone can just enter. Yet, a fairly shady job opening within the tower is glaring dubiously in front of me. Furthermore, even though the aforementioned job opening is in a very noticeable location, no one is really paying attention to it.
"You'll only waste your time if you're planning to apply for that job." My gaze turned towards the guy who stood beside me.
I had to crane my neck, as he was way taller than me. Well, at 5'4", most people are actually taller than me. There is probably about a foot difference between our heights.
A smile bloomed from his lips when our eyes met. It was the friendliest smile I'd ever seen. He had wavy, short brown hair that healthily swayed with the slight movement of the wind. His face is extremely pleasing to look at—the kind that just makes you feel at ease by looking.
"Can you tell me why?" I asked.
"That's because even the fourth-year student who tried applying for that job failed." I was taken aback by his answer. Isn't it just a caretaking job? How are they failing?
"Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a caretaking job. This job opening appears every year without fail. The one hiring for a caretaker is Professor Palmer, a very famous year-four professor. He is a very indispensable figure in the field of botany and is the number one teacher in our department branch. He is very knowledgeable in the field of plant science, and I heard that a lot of organizations seek him out. But in the end, it was the World Academy that managed to bag him. Because of that, a lot of students idolize him. So whenever this notice appears, a lot of students will go apply—myself included. But in order to get hired, you need to pass a certain test. " He heaved a deep sigh, as if he were in despair.
He was obviously downplaying his words while talking about the professor. But the look on his face tells me that he isn't just a casual fan—he's a fanatic!
"So what was the test?" I inquired when it seemed that he would no longer continue talking.
"You had to climb the three hundred floors of the Dragon Tower and identify extremely rare plants on each floor. In my entire years here, none of the students managed to see the top of that tower."
I look at the hiring notice once again. I wonder why the professor put this job offer here. Hearing how hard the test is, I don't think this is a normal caretaking job.
The guy continued. "That unorthodox exam has been dubbed by our department as the Trials of Legends, since everyone who succeeded in that trial went on to become legendary scientists in the field of botany. Right now, a lot of third- and fourth-year students are still trying to challenge that trial. But it's no longer about getting the job, but more about testing our knowledge and assessing our growth. That's why I'm telling you that it's useless. It's still too early for you to challenge that place."
I nodded my head in agreement before proceeding to take out the phone that Genevieve specifically bought for me. Gadgets from the outside world are nothing but junk here. First, signals from outside are blocked in this place. Instead, they have their own satellite signals.
Second, you won't have anywhere to charge it. Houses and other facilities in this academy don't have any outlets. This academy actually succeeded in harnessing Nikola's theory of wireless electricity. But it is only available for smaller electronic devices. As for electronic machines that require more charge, they use windmills and solar panels to power them.
"Didn't I just tell you that you'd be wasting your time?" There was a disappointed look in the pleasant-looking face of the curly-haired man, when he saw me scanning the code at the bottom of the A4 paper.
An image with the word "CONGRATULATIONS" in giant letters appeared on my screen after I scanned the code. Below it are the words, "You are now eligible to partake in the Trials of Legends. Please report to the first floor of the Dragon Tower by 2:00 p.m. sharp. Eligibility shall be considered void upon failure to do so. Good luck, future caretaker!" was penned.
"It looks fun, though, so I'd like to try it," I said with a smile.