Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

The majority of the freshmen weren't surprised by the strictness of the academy.

They were warned by their guarantors early so it's not surprising anymore. Still, even knowing this doesn't lessen the pressure exerted on them as new students.

Cedric also heard enough things from Reiner last night. They talked for hours and the old man told him everything he knew about the schools. He's also made aware that Reiner was a dropout student of the academy.

The City Lord also tried to give him things that he could use to make his stay easier here, Cedric accepted some but refused the others. He either has no need for them or has something better.

He could tell that the City Lord was trying to make up for his negligence. Something that Cedric already expected to happen. But he did tell the old man that he didn't mind.

Cedric knows of the benefits he brought to the Black Thread City, and typically, it's normal for him to receive more benefits since he was the one who earned it in the first place.

That said, Cedric has enough resources to use for himself at his current level. He did not need the additional resources since those would just rot in his Inventory.

Besides, he already treats Black Thread City as his home. It's where his second chance at life began. There he felt peace and protection. He also met friends and experienced change there, so he also wants the city to prosper.

In fact, the Book of Laws was more than enough to serve as a reward for his efforts, and that had been lent to him even before he participated.

Speaking of that item, Cedric already memorized its entire contents. He tried to return it to Reiner but the old told him that he could have it. Initially, that item could only be lent to him but since he performed excellently, the City Lord already applied for the ownership in his stead and it was passed. So now, he's the true owner of the book and doesn't need to return it anymore.

Continuing with the tour...

Orion brought the freshmen inside one of the Academic Towers so that they could experience what it's really like in person.

These towering peaks are even larger inside, Cedric guessed that somebody used Spatial Magic/Technique/Technology to achieve this. The interior of the Academic Towers was modern, the saturation of energy was high, and there were pieces of technology here that helped the students focus on their tasks.

They went through several rooms that they would most likely find themselves in; classrooms, cafeteria, practice rooms, libraries, and so on. They have also been taught how to navigate the interior of the towers because it could become really confusing inside.

Orion said that the design of the Academic Towers was generally the same, so if they could navigate one, they shouldn't find it hard to do the same for the others. All they need to know is which classroom is which since one is designed for every subject and there are a lot of them.

Once they finished the tour of the Academic Towers, they returned to the gate that transported them back to the Central Courtyard.

"The gate on the left side of this one leads to the Faculty Office." Orion explained, "If you have any academic concerns or schedules with the Instructors or the Headmaster, use that gate. Otherwise, stay away from that place. You can be penalized for disturbing the Instructors."

Orion then pointed at the one on the right side of the Academic Tower gate and said: "That one leads to the Arcane Arena. It's a place where you can fight others to let out some steam. It's a rowdy place and I don't particularly like going there so we'll skip it for now. If you're curious as to what it looks like, you can visit it after this on your own."

He then walked to the gate next to that one and ordered: "Follow."

So follow they did. And once they arrived at the other side of the gate, they were greeted with a large area that had a lone huge archaic building in the middle.

"This is the Astral Observatory." Orion introduced, "Contrary to what it's called, you don't go here to simply gaze at the stars and admire them."

"This place is more like a Trial Grounds." He continued as they walked towards the building, "If you want to seek improvement or check your progress, this is where you go."

"It's created by the joint effort of the Zodiac Saints. There are 12 different kinds of challenges there. Each challenge has different stages, the further you go, the more difficult it becomes. Of course, if you pass them, you'd receive appropriate rewards, mainly in the form of Academic Points (AP)."

Orion then faced them and stressed: "Don't confuse Academic Units (AU) with Academic Points (AP), they're different. AU is what you use to enroll for subjects you're interested in. AP is the main currency we use here."

"Coins and paper bills have little to no value here. Even the worth of Demon Souls is minimized. AP is what you need to buy resources, weapons, armor, gadgets, assistance, private lessons, and so on."

"You earn them through various means. The most common way is by performing well in your classes or by earning them through various tasks."

"Those who are in the 51st place and beyond will receive a 100 AP monthly allowance. The 26th place to the 50th will receive 150 AP. 11th place to 25th will have 200 AP."

"5th to 10th place gets 300 AP. 4th gets 350, 3rd gets 500, 2nd gets 700, and 1st place gets 1000 AP." Orion concluded while glancing at Cedric.

He didn't say much but his gaze held a lot of meaning. Cedric didn't show any outward changes in his expression but inwardly, he was surprised by the amount he received.

He already knew about APs from Reiner, and he told him that earning them was incredibly challenging. While Orion did say that students could earn them by performing well in the classes, the amount they'd receive was pitifully little.

Doing tasks carries risks because all of those contain varying levels of punishment should they fail it. Reiner told him of other ways to earn AP but he doesn't have any access to those.

'Reiner also donated his remaining AP to me.' He mused inwardly, 'He said that he has at least 4k AP left. This is what remained from his savings that he wasn't able to use before he dropped out. Since he couldn't use them anymore, he decided to donate it to me.'

'For a freshman like me. This is a lot. But if I were to stay here, that's far from enough.' He continued musing, 'No matter, I'm sure I'd find a way to earn a steady supply once I've gotten used to living here.'

While he's musing to himself, he's also vaguely aware of the stares he's receiving from his batchmates. It couldn't be helped, the discrepancy truly makes one envious. Since he's first place, this meant that he'd be receiving 1000 AP monthly.

Although most of them still don't have a full grasp on how valuable APs were, desiring for more was normal since it's been told that they would need it for pretty much anything.

"In this place, we value progress more than anything. During your first month, the list will stay as it is. But as soon as that passes, you can compete amongst your batchmates, making it possible to re-shuffle the positions a bit." Orion added casually.

"At the beginning of each month is when you receive your APs. As soon as everybody receives theirs, you can freely challenge your batchmates to replace them."

"There are also ways for you to challenge your Upper Classmen but you will only know how that works when it gets relevant."

"For now, let's continue the tour."

Just like that, Orion tousled the competitive spirits of the freshmen and left them hanging. It's also clear that he isn't willing to elaborate even further so they could only leave it at that.

He then brings them inside the Astral Observatory and tells them how it works. The freshmen got to witness how the Zodiac Challenges worked in person and were left in awe at how difficult they were.

Once Orion deemed that they'd seen enough, they moved on to the next place which was the Mission Hall where they could apply for tasks for varying amounts of rewards.

Orion also told them where the Market was — a place where they could buy their essentials and other useful materials for their classes.

He also showed them the Grand Archives where they could learn Advanced Skills. The Enchanted Gardens — a popular place to practice their skills because of its unique blessings.

And finally, they ended up in the Dormitory which was only available for Freshmen like them.

Chrissy and Erica already told Cedric about this so he already had his things packed. And because he was in the first place, his room was vastly different from the rest.

'They gave me a freaking penthouse.' Cedric muttered wryly to himself.

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