"Advanced Hibernation Pod... What exactly is that?"
When Owen saw that the reward was Hibernation Pods, he was thrilled.
Talk about having your needs met just in time!
Owen had been lamenting the waste of his points, only for the system to turn around and gift him three of these pods—advanced versions, no less!
But what exactly was different about this advanced version?
[Advanced Hibernation Pod: Once the host enters, system time will be calculated at three times the normal rate. Additionally, the host can transfer an Advanced Hibernation Pod to someone else, where it will function similarly. However, please note that when non-hosts use the Hibernation Pod, time will only be calculated at one-quarter the normal rate.]
Owen was initially confused, but after the system explained it to him, he finally understood.
In simple terms, other people could use the pod, and the time they spent inside it would also count towards Owen's system time.
However, the time would not be multiplied by three as it was for Owen but would only be calculated at one-quarter the normal rate.
For example, if Fiona spent four hours in the Hibernation Pod, only one hour would be added to Owen's time.
It wasn't much, but every little bit helps!
Moreover, if Owen had the chance to obtain more Advanced Hibernation Pods in the future, he could distribute them all.
If each person slept for eight hours, that would add two hours to Owen's time.
Now imagine ten people... a hundred people?
Why not think bigger—what about a thousand people!
If a thousand people slept for eight hours, that would give Owen a total of two hundred hours—over a week's worth of extra time! Why not take advantage of that?
The thought made Owen feel quite excited!
After receiving the Advanced Hibernation Pods, Owen also noticed that the product list in the points store had been updated, with the Advanced Hibernation Pod now listed among the items.
However, the price...
"Five thousand fate points..."
Owen knew that with his current slack-off routine, he was earning only about one hundred points a day.
That meant he would need to slack off for at least twenty-five days to exchange for a single Advanced Hibernation Pod.
"Is there any way I can make one of these myself?"
[Advanced Hibernation Pod is a special reward from the system, and the host cannot recreate it independently.]
"Really? Not even if I try to make it myself?"
[It's not that you're not allowed; it's that it's impossible. The host will realize this soon enough.]
With the conversation ending there, Owen decided not to push the issue further.
Having just killed Duncan, the academy was filled with tension.
If someone decided to cause trouble in retaliation, it could lead to complications.
With this in mind, Owen abandoned the idea of wandering around and instead focused on researching the Hibernation Pod for a while.
Owen opened the pod, laid down inside, and was immediately enveloped in an incredibly soft material that seemed to wrap around his entire body, providing extreme comfort.
Not only that, but Owen also discovered several new functions of the Hibernation Pod, including timed sleep, injury repair, full-body scans, and more, all integrated into one device.
Owen was pleasantly surprised.
After activating the full-body scan feature, the pod's cover closed, and Owen's limbs were secured.
Beams of light in various colors scanned his entire body, even down to his mouth, leaving no part unchecked.
In less than ten minutes, the results were in: Owen was in excellent health, with the only minor issue being a few cavities.
But that was no surprise—Owen had a notorious sweet tooth, indulging in sweets every day, so cavities were almost inevitable.
"Not bad, not bad. This thing is way more interesting than I thought."
...
Three days later, at the Chief Mansion.
Owen struggled to climb out of the Hibernation Pod, vaguely hearing a commotion outside.
He walked out into the courtyard and was greeted by a sea of people crowded at the gate, nearly causing the expensive gates Owen had installed to buckle under the pressure!
Elaine and Fiona were both repeatedly explaining that Owen was still deep in his research and wouldn't be appearing anytime soon, asking the crowd to keep quiet and not disturb him.
Standing a distance away, Owen couldn't quite make out what all the noise was about and instinctively used Absolute Stealth to avoid being noticed.
But as he got closer, he finally understood the purpose of the crowd.
It turned out that after hearing about Owen's recent exploits, these people were eager to join Crossbridge Academy's 5th School.
Nearly everyone present was from a prominent family or a renowned organization, yet here they were, behaving like shoppers at a supermarket scrambling for a limited sale.
This left Owen puzzled.
He quietly approached Fiona from behind and tapped her on the shoulder, startling her.
Seeing no one behind her, Fiona quickly realized it was Owen calling her.
"Please, everyone, quiet down! I'm going to check on Master Owen's status and have him come out as soon as possible! Elaine, I'm leaving things to you here."
"Wait, no! Hold on! How am I supposed to manage all these people by myself?"
Elaine tried to stop Fiona, but Fiona didn't even glance back, quickly disappearing from sight. Left with no choice, Elaine raised her voice to maintain order.
Once they were in a secluded spot, Owen revealed himself, pointing to the noisy crowd outside and asking, "What on earth is going on?"
"It's been chaos out there, Master Owen. While you were in seclusion, the news of you killing Lord Duncan got out. It spread like wildfire, and eventually, it reached their ears. These families are power-focused, and your display of strength clearly earned their respect.
Not only that, they seem to admire your educational philosophy—believing that once they join the academy, they should be treated as ordinary students without any special privileges.
I'm not entirely sure, but in any case, they all want to join the 5th School.
This is the second day they've been gathered here, and if you don't make an appearance soon, Elaine and I won't be able to hold them off much longer."
Hearing this, Owen couldn't help but be surprised.
He had expected Duncan's death to stir up a lot of resentment, but instead, it had brought unprecedented fame to the 5th School!
However, having a large number of applicants wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Sure, these people came from prestigious families, either wielding power, wealth, or having produced some renowned strongmen within their ranks.
In any other school, the children of these families would undoubtedly be given priority.
But the problem was, Owen wasn't just looking at their backgrounds—innate talent was just as important.
Even among dragons, the saying goes, "Nine sons of the dragon, each different," meaning that just because the father is a hero doesn't guarantee the son won't be a disappointment.
With a thousand or more people outside, if they were all allowed into the 5th School, Owen wouldn't be able to manage them.
"I'll have to find a way to weed out those with average talent..."
"Master Owen, before you make that decision, I think it's important to remind you about the school's finances..."
"Are we short again? Didn't we just raise over nine million a few days ago?"
"It's not that we're short at the moment—we can still cover the school's expenses for now. But the problem is that the academy hasn't provided us with enough funding, and we don't have any stable income sources. Coincidentally, those people outside are all quite wealthy..."
At this point, Owen wasn't a fool—he clearly understood the implication in Fiona's words.
"Won't this be a bit hypocritical? We've just declared that we'll be fair and impartial, and then we turn around and open a back door..."
"How can you call it a back door, Master Owen? This is simply maximizing our benefits within the rules! Think about it—taking in their children requires money, right? We need to fund daily activities, right? If the academy doesn't provide the money, we have to find a way ourselves."
"Well, well, Fiona, I didn't expect you to be so cunning!"
Hearing this, Fiona blushed, stammering, "W-What do you mean cunning? If it weren't for you, Master Owen, I wouldn't bother with this—it's a thankless task!"
"Yes, yes, I know. You're doing it all for me, Fifi. Good girl."
Owen chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Fiona's bangs, making her huff in response, but she seemed to let the matter drop.
"So, Master Owen, have you decided what to do? We're not just short on money; we're also short on talent. You're the school dean, so it's up to you to make the final decision."
"Don't worry. I've thought it through. It's about time we went out to meet them."
Returning to the courtyard, Owen saw Elaine running back and forth, trying to stop people from climbing over the fence.
"Come on! Can't you just wait a little longer? Fiona's already gone to get Owen, and he'll be here soon!"
"We've been waiting for two days already! Get Owen out here! We're getting impatient!"
"Yeah, Owen might be amazing, but he can't just leave us hanging like this!"
"Hey, you at the front! If you're so unhappy, then leave! Let someone else take your spot!"
Listening to the chaotic and noisy shouts, Owen rubbed his temples in frustration and said, "Everyone, quiet down!"
Owen's sage-tier level 9 aura spread out, instantly silencing the crowd. No one dared to make a sound in his presence, fearing that they might anger him and be thrown out.
"Owen, you finally showed up!"
Seeing Owen's late arrival, Elaine pouted and said with a hint of resentment, "If you hadn't come soon, they were really going to break in!"
"I only just got the message myself. Thank you for holding the fort. As for all of you, Fiona has already conveyed your requests to me. I'm honored to have earned your trust and support.
However, as you can see, the 5th School simply cannot accommodate everyone. Most of you will inevitably be disappointed.
If you wish to join the 5th School, you'll need to undergo a very rigorous test."
"A test? Can't I just pay? I'm willing to pay 30 million gold coins per year to get my son enrolled!"
"I'll offer 35 million!"
"Tch, you paupers. Owen, I'm willing to pay 50 million annually if you take my precious daughter as a student!"
Listening to the offers, Owen almost drooled. These people were indeed filthy rich, casually throwing out millions of gold coins. Owen nearly agreed on the spot!
"Everyone, please be serious. This isn't an auction, and there's no 'highest bidder wins' rule here. It doesn't matter who you are or what background you have—if you want to join, you must follow the rules I've set. If you're unwilling, you're free to leave. No one is stopping you."
Surprisingly, not a single person chose to leave.
Owen began to understand the nature of this crowd. To put it bluntly, they were all gluttons for punishment.
If you speak softly and politely, they look down on you, thinking you're just a flatterer with no real skills.
But if you're firm and have the strength to back it up, they can't wait to put you on a pedestal.
That was exactly Owen's situation now. Despite his less-than-friendly attitude, no one showed any signs of displeasure.
In their eyes, only a strict teacher like this was qualified to educate their children. They had no use for weaklings who only knew how to fawn over them.
"Given the sheer number of people here and my limited time, I hope everyone will cooperate. First, fill out an application form with details such as your mana core quality, attributes, tier, and age. Then, submit the forms to Fiona for the first round of screening.
Those who pass the first round will be eligible for a second round of testing.
Only those who pass the second round will officially become students of the 5th School.
That's all I have to say. Also, I ask that you remain quiet and do not disturb me or the other students in their studies."
As soon as Owen finished speaking, the crowd fell silent. Any conversations were reduced to hushed whispers.
This absurd scene left many people baffled.
Why were the usually domineering parents, who at home boasted about being number one in the world, behaving like meek lambs in front of Owen?
Gus scratched his head, grumbling, "Dad, this guy's attitude is so bad. Why do we still have to join? I think Fenrir Academy is pretty good too—they're a top-tier academy as well. Why don't we just go back?"
Before Gus could finish, his father slapped him, nearly knocking him off balance.
"You know nothing! How can those people compare to Owen? Sage-tier level 9, teaching Ascension and Demotion Magic—where else can you learn that? Fenrir Academy is nothing! Their dean bows to me when he sees me! Now look at Owen—this is what true power looks like!"
"Is it really that serious...?"
"Shut up! I'm telling you, I've fought hard for this opportunity. You'd better seize it. If you can't get into Crossbridge Academy's 5th School, don't bother coming home. Go wherever you want—I'll just have another kid. Got it?"
"I got it, Dad. I'll do my best..."
In fact, similar conversations were happening all over the school.
Of course, some more open-minded parents wouldn't say something as irresponsible as "don't come back if you fail."
"Honey, don't stress out. It's okay if you don't get in. Owen is young, handsome, and powerful. If you can't become his student, it's just as good to become his partner. Just dress up nicely, and don't embarrass us!"
"Don't worry, Dad. I'll make sure Owen likes me!"
"That's my good girl. If you become Owen's partner, our family will soar."
As Owen passed by and overheard this father-daughter conversation, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
What kind of people were these?
Some were throwing money around, others were trying to seduce him, and Owen even heard someone talking about knocking him out and taking him home as a private tutor.
Even bandits didn't act like this!
Fortunately, most of these people were all talk and didn't seem serious.
After about ten minutes, Fiona had collected the forms and began the first round of screening, immediately rejecting those with basic elemental mana cores—something Owen had made clear from the start.
Unless someone had a dual attribute core, with one attribute being a basic element and the other a special one, they would not pass the first round.
After this screening, more than half of the 900-plus applications were eliminated.
Owen was a bit surprised that so many people had made it through.
He had expected only one or two hundred to pass the first round, from which he would then carefully select the best.
But nearly four hundred remained.
"By the way, how's the school's preparation coming along?"
"I've already instructed the students to get everything ready. The venue should be cleared soon. Master Owen, are you sure this is the assessment method you want? It feels a bit like a game..."
"Don't worry, just follow my instructions. By the way, how's the preparation for the other thing I asked for?"
"Everything is ready, and the people are in place. We can start whenever you're ready."
"Good."
Owen nodded, a sly smile crossing his face.
Everyone here was filthy rich, and if he didn't take the chance to make some money, Owen would feel like he was missing out.
However, asking for money outright went against Owen's principles, so he came up with a different plan to have these people willingly hand over their money.
What came next would be a true test of acting skills.