"I'm sorry, you still lack 300 silver luks to enter our school..." The old lady behind the desk made me particularly uncomfortable. Her eyes, full of disdain, kept examining me. If I hadn't been sold to the martial arena, if A-Dāi hadn't stolen that bag of gems and the sword my master left me, I would probably have already crushed her underfoot, pointed my sword at her throat, and stuffed the gems into her mouth.
"Besides, we don't accept students with an unclear background. You should know that the students here all come from good family backgrounds. You have neither money nor a recommendation letter, so how could I possibly let you stay?"
That annoying old lady! But I could only curse her in my heart...
"I'll gather the money as soon as possible. Right now, I only have 300 luks; that's all I have..."
I could only feign a pleading expression, hoping to touch her heart.
"Do you really want to get in?" A kind voice from an elder came from behind me. The voice was gentle, and for a moment, I thought it was my master standing behind me...
He wasn't my master; he was just a very dignified elder. His loose and luxurious white robe, his thick and snowy-white beard that reached his chest, and the wrinkles on his face could probably hold peas. However, in his sharp eyes, there was an astonishing radiance, so similar to my master's eyes...
"Do you really want to get in?" He walked up to me and repeated it.
"Yes..."
I looked at him in confusion. Who was he? Did he want to help me?
"Alright, you don't have to pay the remaining tuition now, but you must have it by the end of this semester. The first rule of our school is that tuition must not be in arrears."
"Okay, I'll make sure of it!"
I nodded happily. Even if I had to sell my blood to pay off the debt, I would do it. "Thank you. May I ask, who are you?"
"I'm Hersh, the headmaster of this school. If you find my presence disappointing, you can reconsider whether to stay or not."
"Headmaster! How can you..."
The old lady hurriedly interjected.
"This school was founded by me. I think I decide who gets in. You probably can't do anything about it."
Headmaster Hersh glared coldly at the old lady.
"Yes, Headmaster..."
The old lady lowered her head, reluctantly registering my name.
If the exterior of the academic building looked as magnificent as a palace, then my dormitory was definitely a prison cell... Simple furnishings, a bunk bed, a thick grass mat, and a musty-smelling bedsheet. Still, I was already quite content. This was much better than the real prison cells I had been in. The walls around me were so dark that you couldn't tell their original color, and the windows were pitifully small.
"This is your room, Number 302. You probably thought you'd be staying in a luxurious single dorm like everyone else, but you're dreaming. Students who can't afford the tuition can only stay here."
The old lady handed me a rusty key, dripping with copper rust, and spoke to me harshly.
I looked at her gratefully and gave a slight smile. In the past three months, I hadn't slept soundly in a bed.
"There's another person sharing your dorm. You'll probably meet him soon."
The old lady mumbled, confused by my expression, and then turned to leave.
I placed the package on my back on the bed and began to organize the items I received from the logistics department. A set of bedding, a light blue school uniform, a stack of textbooks, a Hersh school sword, a washbasin, an electric kettle, and a pillow without a pillowcase. The pillow felt hard, and I didn't know what was stuffed inside it, but I happily dusted off the dust on it and placed it on the bed.
Hersh Academy was a prestigious school, and the tuition fee for each semester was 600 silver luks. Ten silver luks could feed an average family of three for a whole month. I currently owed Hersh 300 silver luks.
I couldn't even afford breakfast for tomorrow because I had no cash on me. I only had two luks that I'd retrieved by returning some steamed buns, which wasn't even enough to buy a single bun.
(Note: 10 Bein equals 1 Ruk, with Ruk being a banknote available in denominations of 1, 10, 20, and 50 Ruk, where 1 Ruk is approximately equal to 1 Chinese RMB yuan. 100 Ruk equals 1 Silver Ruk, available in denominations of 1, 10, 20, 50, and 100, and 1000 Silver Ruk equals 1 Gold Ruk, which comes in 1 Ruk banknotes and gold coins. Gold Ruk is mainly used for transactions between banks and companies and is rarely seen by most common people. My master said that this world is now filled with various elements, which are the power of magic. However, in the distant past, humans did not possess these powers. These powers led humans to abandon their previous civilization and gradually become corrupted. So, he detests magic and the power of these elements. What he taught me is what he called "Break Magic," a kind of "true energy." I still don't understand what true energy is, but every time I use it, it moves warmly around my body, making me feel comfortable, as if a cute little mouse is wandering around inside me, and it can stay wherever you want it to stay.
"You should know that magic and true energy are both highly compressed energies with a catalytic effect. Except for their different forms, the methods of using them are quite similar. People learn magic and true energy simultaneously, as they are compatible. However, magic and true energy have nothing to do with each other. Some people have advanced magic but ordinary true energy. Some people have strong true energy but low-level magic. That's why those who practice both magic and true energy can become true masters. But this is just a secular view. What I'm teaching you, the Breaking Magic True Energy, is different from ordinary true energy and magic. It has the function, as the name suggests, of breaking magic, and it also has the health benefits of extending your life. It's like the ultimate martial art for fitness. But I haven't reached the top level yet, so maybe by the time you succeed in practicing it, I'll have died hundreds of times. However, you can still be proud of it, just like me, cough..."
When my master told me these words, he had a serious expression and was talking with enthusiasm, but I didn't dare to laugh out loud. At that time, I was just sneaking bites of the peanuts in front of him...
Thinking back now, even a plate of peanuts would probably be a delicious meal for me...
I once read in a book that, as my master said, the magical world did not always exist. Twenty thousand years ago, a massive explosion destroyed the entire human civilization at that time. Since then, humans gradually began to possess new abilities and started a new civilization—the magic civilization...
While I was lost in thought, the door opened. A slim young man with a parted haircut walked in.
"You are..."
He looked at me in astonishment. His voice was quite pleasant, and if I didn't look at his attire, I might have thought he was a charming girl who intentionally lowered her voice...
"Like you, a student who can't afford the tuition..."
I quickly sat up from the bed, reached out my hand to shake his, and said, "I'm Leng Yu."
"Ah! Hello, my name is Ye Bing. You can call me Ah Bing. You're probably from the East, right, Leng Yu? Your name sounds like an Eastern name..."
He was wearing a light blue school uniform, with patches on it. Without looking at his attire, his voice was so melodious that you might think it was a sweet girl intentionally lowering her voice...
"You can call me Ah Yu. I don't know where I'm from; I just know that I used to live on a mountain called Longya..."
When that bastard Adai sold me to the arena, I had completely lost my sense of geography...
"Longya Mountain? I've never heard of it... But why are you wearing a mask?"
He curiously looked at my face.
If it weren't for his question, I might have forgotten that I was wearing a mask. "Because my face was disfigured by a fire..."
This was the reason I had prepared in advance. It was a simple explanation that could deter people's curiosity.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know..."
He apologized. "It's alright; I'm used to it."
Absolutely no one should know that I used to be a slave, no matter who they are...
It was already evening when Ah Bing turned on the crystal lamp in the dormitory. The soft, pale yellow light immediately brightened the entire room.
"Did you just arrive today?"
He climbed onto the upper bunk, flipping through a book while asking me.
"Yes, I just arrived today, and I still owe half of the tuition to the school..."
"Do you want to work? Our shop just lost an employee, and there's a vacancy. If you want, I can talk to the boss for you."
Ah Bing popped his head from the edge of the bed, looking at me with a cheerful smile.
"Really? That's great! When can I start working?"
I asked, excited. Ah Bing is such a good person. I was still considering how to find a job to earn a living, and he had already offered a solution.
"Tomorrow you can start. The pay isn't much, only 250 Ruk per month, but it should be enough. However, tips can sometimes be substantial, and if people are generous with them, it can cover our tuition for the semester. The shop was introduced to me by Professor Iceberg, and it's a restaurant that only upper-class nobility can visit. If I weren't a student of the He family, I probably wouldn't even have the qualifications to work there."
Ah Bing retracted his head, still smiling. "But it's just me working there for now, so it might be more lively with you..."
250 Ruk equals 25 Silver Ruk. However, 250 Ruk would be enough for me to get through a month. If there are tips, and they're as generous as he says, then maybe I can catch up on the overdue tuition at the end of the semester.
"Thank you, Ah Bing."
I looked at the upper bunk with gratitude.
"Don't mention it; we're both poor students. It's too formal to say such things. Haha... Goodnight."
Ah Bing covered the lampshade, and the dormitory returned to darkness. A deep sense of exhaustion immediately overwhelmed me. I had been on the road for seven consecutive days, asking for directions during the day and sleeping in corners and bushes at night. Finally, I could get a good night's sleep...
I found myself standing in a magnificent golden hall. Numerous musicians were playing captivating music, beautiful servants moved around me, and a young lady in a red long dress approached me, greeting me with affection.
I gazed at her in surprise. Her voice was melodious, and if you didn't look at her attire, you might have thought it was a lovely girl who had intentionally deepened her voice...
"Did you know that the magic and true energy are both highly compressed energies with a catalytic effect? Except for their different forms, the methods of using them are quite similar