She wasn't unfamiliar with systems like this, akin to the "contribution points" often mentioned in fantasy novels.
However, the idea of selling credits was entirely new to her.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Ash asked, "You can also sell credits?"
"Naturally..." The old man paused, deliberately stretching out his words to keep Ash in suspense, before answering as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You cannot."
Ash: "..."
"I'm not lying to you."
The old man laughed heartily at Ash's reaction.
"While credits themselves are non-transferable, the school does not prevent students from selling items they exchange for with their credits. So technically, I wasn't wrong—it was just your misunderstanding."
Ash fell silent for a moment, not responding.
She had to admit, the credit system the old man described was incredibly tempting.
It even made her heart race for a moment.
But that was all—just a fleeting moment.
Because—
"What you're saying is all based on the premise that I can actually get into the Beast Master Department."
Ash sighed, her voice calm and clear as she stated the harsh reality.
"But I don't even have confidence in myself. Why do you think I would have any chance of getting into the Beast Master Department?"
"As you mentioned—every year, each region has at least a million applicants for the Beast Master Department. Among them, there are countless people with far better financial backgrounds than mine... What makes you think I could stand out from all of them and get into a program with an acceptance rate of less than 30%?"
As much as she hated to admit it, this was the reality.
The practical exam for the Beast Master Department wasn't like the regular college entrance exam, where high scores could be achieved simply by memorizing textbooks and practicing mock tests.
This was an exam designed for the wealthy.
The more money you had, the stronger the initial Spirit Beast you could contract with, and the more of an advantage you'd have in the practical exam.
These were exactly the things Ash lacked the most right now.
If she had even the starting line of an ordinary person, she wouldn't feel so hopelessly unconfident.
But her starting line was just too low...
So low that Ash had no confidence she could ever catch up with those already far ahead of her.
She wasn't really a 17 year old teenage girl who was clinging to unrealistic fantasies about the world.
After enduring too many harsh lessons from society, Ash had long since grown accustomed to bowing her head to reality and accepting her ordinariness.
The Beast Master Department...
That was something entirely out of reach for someone like her.
The old man hadn't expected that Ash, a young girl in the prime of her youth, could be so devoid of vitality, like someone burdened and bent by the weight of life.
He fell silent for a while before speaking slowly.
"If you don't try, how do you know you'll fail?"