Chapter 238: Academic Credits? No No, Plucking Off Death Flags Come First

“There are so many people of our age here!”

As they walked onto the huge grass field slightly beyond the academy gates, Paul Ackermann couldn’t help but look at everything around him in a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. As someone who had grown up in a remote village, he was having some difficulties trying to accustom himself to this new environment. 

Beside him, Roel revealed a faint smile as he assessed his surroundings too. Even he had to admit that the Saint Freya Academy did feel a little nerve-wracking at the moment, be it the sheer number of people gathered in the area or the grandeur of the surroundings.

The grass field they were standing on was at least the size of several football fields, such that it created an illusion that there was no end to it. On it stood the sculptures of renowned staff members of the Saint Freya Academy over the past thousand years.

Putting aside the deceased, the sculptures of the incumbent Principal Antonio, Vice Principal Campbell, the grade heads, and some of the active sage teachers were present too. 

‘Sage teacher’ was a term used specifically in the Saint Freya Academy, and it referred to teachers who had nurtured over a hundred elite graduates. This requirement sounded easy enough, but it was much more difficult than it looked as the Saint Freya Academy’s system made it easy to enroll but hard to graduate.

The biggest barrier to enrolling into the Saint Freya Academy was the exorbitant academy fees, but as long as one could overcome that obstacle, everything else wouldn’t be a problem at all. However, graduating from this academy was a completely different matter. There were plenty of students who were expelled or retained in the same grade due to the lack of Academic Credits. 

There was also a difference between ‘graduates’ and ‘elite graduates’. Elite graduates were expected to display exceptional proficiency in combat and academics, and their Academic Credits had to be ranked within the top hundred too.

For the academic side, it was pretty similar to the education system in Roel’s previous world, just that there were some additional noble-specific classes, such as ‘etiquette’. In order to graduate, one would have to clear at least twenty of these academic classes. 

As for the combat side, it basically referred to the development of one’s transcendent abilities, and the ways to earn Academic Credits here were much more flexible. All in all, they could be divided into two categories. 

One was through ranked matches. It involved challenging another student to a duel so as to climb up the ranking, which would, in turn, determine how many Academic Credits one received. As the battles were carried out under the supervision of the academy, there was no threat of death, but it wasn’t too popular since it was hard to earn Academic Credits under this system.

The reason for that was because the ranking system was unfair. Instead of dividing the students by their grades, the academy adopted a unified ranking that encompassed the entire student populace. Such a system naturally meant that the students in the higher grades had a huge advantage, evidenced by how the top hundred in the ranking were mainly students in the Third Grade and Fourth Grade. 

As for why it was designed in such a manner… Roel’s guess was that it was to give the graduating students a bit of leeway to earn whatever Academic Credits that they were still lacking.

After all, the teachers of the Saint Freya Academy weren’t demons whose goal in life was to keep the students from graduating from the academy. It couldn’t be helped that there were some students who lacked aptitude as transcendents and were unable to take on missions. It was at times like this that the ranking played an important role.

When it came to end-of-semester catch-ups, the juniors were still willing to give their spots away to their seniors so that they could at least meet the graduation criteria. Though, it would be hard to ‘tamper’ with the higher rankings as there was a special board in the academy that relayed real-time changes in the top twenty spots to the student populace. 

In fact, any fight involving those in the top twenty rankers would usually garner quite a huge crowd, stirring a buzz within the academy. 

Without a doubt, getting into the top twenty rankings was an effective way to raise one’s reputation, and it naturally became a key goal of the hot-blooded youths in the academy.

Do you want to be idolized in the academy? Raise your arms and fight in the ranked matches then!

Aside from those who were dreaming of fame, there was also one group of people who had no choice but to acquire the top spots of the rankings, and they were no other than the Ringbearers.

While the Ringbearers wielded great influence as the decision-makers of the academy, they also needed to prove that they had the strength worthy of their position. In fact, the top three spots in the rankings were the three current Ringbearers. It was unlikely that they would ever require the Academic Credits from the rankings, but nevertheless, the ranking was the most direct way for them to establish their dominance and deter anyone from going against them. 

The second way to earn Academic Credits for the combat aspect was to take on missions outside the academy. 

There was always a high demand for magic materials since the Saint Freya Academy was a place of gathering for many Scholar Guilds. Sometimes, the old archaeological professors would organize expeditions to explore ruins and dungeons. The neighboring countries would also send requests for help from time to time. 

In any case, there were plenty of missions for students to pick from, and the Academic Credits offered tended to be on the higher side.

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But compared to fighting in ranked matches, there was some degree of danger when taking on a mission. Of course, the supervising teacher of the mission would do everything to his ability to ensure the safety of the students, but major incidents would still occur once every decade or so. 

From this aspect, it didn’t seem rather worthwhile going on missions and putting themselves in harm’s way just to earn some Academic Credits. In fact, most of those who went on missions did it not for the Academic Credits but to develop their transcendent abilities.

The fastest way to develop one’s transcendent ability was to put it to practical use, and going out of a mission was a safer way of challenging one’s limits. Most nobles weren’t so privileged as to have a high-level transcendent take care of them and guide them along. It was only in the academy that they were granted such a precious opportunity.

This was a rare chance to converse with high-level transcendents and observe their fighting style up close. Needless to say, such an experience would go a long way in one’s future development. For those who wanted to better themselves, this was a high-risk, high-reward opportunity.

Aside from tagging along with a high-level transcendent for missions, students could also opt to follow a Ringbearer instead. One of the privileges granted to the Ringbearers was the right to form their own team for a mission. 

If the team were to succeed in the mission without any help from the academy, the Academic Credits earned by the team members would be greatly increased. On top of that, the team would be able to keep whatever loot they acquired in the mission, and it would be a huge boost to their reputation too. 

Building up reputation was important to the Ringbearers, especially for those who were potential successors to their countries. As for exactly how important reputation was… the incident that best encapsulated that would probably be the famous ‘Dragonslaying Incident’ in the Austine Empire several centuries back. 

Well, it wasn’t really wrong to call it a dragon, but it wasn’t the same legendary dragon that was rumored to be active in the ancient era. Rather, it was a pseudo-dragon that was, honestly, more pseudo than it was a dragon. It didn’t even have wings at all, and its prowess was around Origin Level 3.

This matter happened roughly six centuries ago, in an era where the human civilization had yet to stabilize in its new environment. From time to time, demonic creatures would emerge from remote mountains and rampage in nearby settlements, and the pseudo-dragon was one of the major headaches faced by the border cities of the Austine Empire.

The second prince of the Austine Empire then, who was second in line to the throne, was a Ringbearer of the Saint Freya Academy. After careful observation and planning, he collaborated with another Ringbearer from the Austine Empire to organize a crusade against the pseudo-dragon, and they eventually managed to defeat it after a tough battle.

The news that the second prince managed to lead a team to slay the pseudo-dragon without the aid of a teacher immediately caused a huge stir in the Austine Empire. The prince found his reputation growing swiftly, which, in turn, brought him plenty of resources he needed to expand his influence. 

On top of that, many members of the crusade team were children of prominent noble clans in the Austine Empire. After the battle, they began persuading their own clans to switch sides and support the second prince instead. 

Regardless of how their relationship was before, the shared glory they enjoyed from the dragonslaying had bonded them into a tightly-knitted group. Under such circumstances, it was to their advantage for their ex-team leader to become the emperor instead.

After all, could there be any bond tighter than those who had worked together in their student days to slay an evil dragon?

Through his resounding reputation amongst the populace and the support from his team member’s clans, the second prince eventually managed to overcome the odds in the fight for the throne and was eventually crowned as the emperor. His rule was also smooth-sailing as there was hardly anyone who could threaten his authority due to his popularity and steadfast supporters. The rewards he had reaped from the dragonslaying in his earlier years continued to serve him well till his death.

And this was the story of the renowned ‘Dragonslaying Emperor’, Feymas Ackermann. 

This story served both as an advice and warning for those who came after him. With such a precedence, it was understandable why those who were the successors of their countries would have a strong fixation on the Rose Ring. Those who managed to obtain it would make sure to carry out a mission by hook or by crook. This wasn’t just about Academic Credits anymore; this could very well determine the political resources they would have at their disposal in the future. 

With such compelling factors at play, there were still plenty of students who went out on missions every year. 

None of these was anything Roel had to worry about since he was strong enough to rise through the rankings and handle most missions. However, the same couldn’t be said about Paul.

Roel knew the current circumstances surrounding Paul. If his memories failed him not, the latter should have just made a breakthrough to Origin Level 5, which meant that his strength hadn’t even reached the level of an average freshman. To make things worse, his identity as an illegitimate son of the Ackermann meant that trouble would come knocking on his door even if he did nothing at all. 

Looking at the students who were approaching them with hostile looks on their faces and a golden-haired silhouette in the distance, Roel heaved a deep sigh, though it carried a hint of relief too. 

Looks like everything is still proceeding in the same direction. Alright, time for me to get started on the final scene!

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