"Stupid!"
Mo'er bellowed, causing Zales to stagger.
"Is your brain filled with shit? If you were on a battlefield, you'd make a fatal mistake and many of your comrades would die because of your stupidity!"
He looked around, speaking in a tone void of emotions.
"The correct answer is nine. Generally, the Spiritual Power Level of formal combatants is above three. Of course, Spiritual Power Level doesn't explain everything. There are many standards to measure Spiritual Energy, which you will come in contact with later."
"The second item is your combat ability. This is more complex and there will be a specialized testing system to measure your specific combat strength. Generally, Ninth Level Combatants must be able to deal with more than two Ungraded monsters."
"The third item is your abilities. As members of the Starfire Series, your hard criteria are Fire Spark quantities. If it is the Spirit Fire Series, then we need to look at the development degree of the Soul Traits. Mechanical Research Institute uses Fireworks to measure, totaling nine Fireworks; having nine Fireworks means one has fully grasped their Soul Traits. If you encounter such a teammate, trust them without any reservations."
Rod suddenly recalled the introduction he heard when he first met Reslin and his group; only now did he fully understand their words.
Mo'er paused slightly before continuing:
"The main members of the three military corps are all Eighth or Ninth Level Combatants. If you can become a Seventh Level Combatant, then you can be a small team captain, a Guardian, or a block's Defense Chief."
"If you can become a Sixth Level Combatant, then you can become a Great Captain, an elite White Spirit Knight, or a large area's Defense Chief."
"If you can become a Fifth Level Combatant, then you can become a Commander, a war zone's Commander."
"If you can become a Fourth Level Combatant, then you can become a Commander, a Fire Priest, or a Bishop."
"If you can become a Third Level Combatant, then you are eligible to be promoted to Great Commander, a Council Elder."
"If you can become a Second Level Combatant, then you are eligible to become an Archbishop or a First Level Commander."
"If you can become a First Level Combatant, then you can become a Guardian."
Rod frowned slightly; the title "Guardian" seemed familiar to him.
At that moment, Kashan raised his hand with a question: "What about the Fire Son?"
Wayne also unusually raised his hand and asked, "And the Knight Captain?"
Mo'er calmly said, "Seven distinguished Fire Sons and four Knight Captains are our highest deployed combat forces. They are Special Level Combatants and not within the regular system."
A murmur of amazement filled the classroom; the previously somber atmosphere was swept away, and many eyes sparkled as if they had found a direction in life.
In the remaining class time, the students' morale visibly increased, and many more activated their Spiritual Vision.
Kashan unusually showed some smiles, and even during the meal at the cafeteria, she was not chattering incessantly.
Lunch was canned black beef and baked rutabaga, and truly the taste left much to be desired; Rod felt like he was chewing on rocks coated in traditional medicine.
But to eat anything else, one had to pay out of their own pocket.
Rod did not have a single silver coin to his name, so he could only eat the free lunch provided by the academy.
Wayne was in the same boat, his brow furrowed as if he also could not accept the food produced in his own village.
Green-haired Zales came over with a large plate of fried clam meat, its delicious aroma instantly attracting their gaze.
Wayne swallowed a huge gulp of saliva, hesitated for a moment and said, "ZaZa, let me have a piece, and I'll wash your clothes tonight."
Zales took a bite of the delicious clam meat and mumbled unclearly, "Also do my homework for monster class, and don't call me ZaZa."
"Okay, ZaZa."
Wayne gleefully placed a piece of clam meat in front of him, eagerly tearing into it. The delicious juices danced on his taste buds, playing out like a grand symphony that made his experience feel like heaven.
"How about it?" Zales saw Rod staring with glowing eyes, "Do you want some? Just get Kashan pregnant and I'll cover your meals for the whole year."
Bam!
Zales's face suddenly smashed into the clam meat, thick juices splattering across his face.
Kashan, standing behind him, her right hand fading from a pale blue shadow, coldly said, "Zales, if I hear you spreading rumors about me again, you'll be in charge of cleaning the dorms for the whole group."
She turned away coldly, carrying a plate worth seven silver coins of cream mushrooms back to her seat, prompting small exclamations from the girls at her table who eagerly poked at the rare delicacy with their forks.
Zales awkwardly lifted his face, sauce from the meat smeared all over as it slid down to his clothes, taking several napkins to clean up.
"I'm really out of luck." He muttered, quietly chewing on the already smashed clam meat.
Wayne looked at him sympathetically, "I told you, don't mess with her again. With her Fire Spark abilities, the three of us combined still can't beat her, not to mention she'll call the teachers, and once the head of the Academic Affairs Office arrives, you can expect solitary confinement."
Zales snorted and stopped talking.
Rod coughed awkwardly and continued the conversation.
"Um, Zales, I'm really short on money right now, can you figure out a way to help me get some?"
A gleam appeared in Zales' eyes, and his lips moved, but he swallowed the words he was about to say and sighed:
"Forget it, forget it, just my bad luck running into that woman... My family runs a market vendor business. I can guarantee a loan of up to a thousand silver coins without interest, but you can only buy goods from my family. How about that? This offer is only because we are comrades."
Of course, this condition was no problem.
Last time, Rod had credited fifty True Silver Bullets from his store, which were reasonably priced and of excellent quality. He had fired forty-five shots without a single mishap.
Just as he was about to agree, Kashan suddenly called out, "Rod, come here."
Rod frowned slightly, this girl really lacked manners. Just as he was turning his head, he saw her pull out a silver note. It was the size of a palm, made of pure silver, intricately patterned, and beautifully crafted, representing the largest denomination of silver coins issued by the Trolian Kingdom.
A thousand.
Haha, what about it.
Rod really didn't want to deal with her, but his feet automatically walked over.
"Kashan, you look really beautiful today."
A slight smile appeared on Kashan's delicate cheeks, but it quickly faded, and she said with a serious expression.
"Among classmates, we shouldn't engage in monetary transactions; it corrupts the soul. I'm lending you this thousand silver coins, and if you can help Group Ten win the Flame Trophy, you won't have to pay it back."
The surrounding girls let out little gasps of astonishment. The Flame Trophy was the highest honor in their department, with rich rewards and available to everyone.
Their eyes gleaming, they looked at Rod with clear anticipation and more.
Rod quickly accepted the huge note and said solemnly, "Money isn't important, honor is my lifelong pursuit."
——
After returning from Kashan's dining table, Zales appeared dejected, feeling like a complete failure. Whether it was academics, capabilities, status, or strength, he had lost to that woman in everything, and now even the only thing he had, money, was lost too.
But Rod's next words cheered him up again.
"Here, take this money for last time, and get me another fifty True Silver Bullets, from the same vendor," Rod emphasized.
A burst of uncontrollable joy flashed across Zales' face:
"That's my good brother! No woman can steal you away, haha!"
"Let go of me!"
——
After lunch, before Rod could even close his eyes for half a second, he was dragged by Kashan to carry out patrol duty.
Their patrol duty as special students was wholly different; their patrol area was within the academy, not in groups of four but all of Group Ten together, led by a teacher, responsible for the East Gate of the academy.
All the while, Kashan kept on babbling, repeatedly reminding them of the patrol rules, even taking out Mr. Mo'er's notes to recite repeatedly, as if they might encounter the monsters mentioned therein.
In actuality, they were just part-time gate and security duty, with most of those entering and leaving the academy being either teachers or academic staff.
They cooperated well with the group of young students, compliantly undergoing their checks and weak Spiritual Vision scans.
Rod, summoning his energy, played along with Kashan all afternoon following her instructions.
Barely making it to the end, just as he was thinking about going back to his dorm to get some sleep, Lauren, whom he hadn't seen for several days, found him again.