"The girls turned so red when they were exposed, they looked cute," Ren murmured, gazing out the window to hide his own blush. Yang laughed when he noticed Ren's discomfort, his Stone Behemoth patterns briefly manifesting around his arms. "Remembering something pleasant?" Ren choked on his own saliva, and Lin rescued him from further teasing by smoothly changing the subject. "So, how much have you raised this semester with your unorthodox methods?" she asked, her tone casual but her eyes sharp with genuine curiosity. Ren couldn't help smiling when thinking about his bank account. The Academy had officially recognized another 20 of his proven methods for Bronze 1 and 15 for Bronze 2, paying him 100,000 and 200,000 crystals respectively for each one. At Selphira's insistence, these payments had been doubled, resulting in a total of 10 million. It could have been more... But Ren hadn't yet given all his Iron rank knowledge; many beasts he knew were very rare in Yano or weren't found in random eggs, and some specific beasts... he disliked and would have to wait a bit longer. Of course, Jin's group stayed out of the experiments of their own accord, and nobles belonging to the Goldcrest faction had even left the school, so it wasn't 100% his fault that the full potential hadn't been realized. Also, writing books fast while doing other stuff was hard, but… "Enough for now," Ren responded, his fingers unconsciously making calculation gestures in the air. "I used almost 4 million, it was reduced somewhat between what you and Zhao gifted me, but that went almost entirely to the hydra, 3.8 million for my main cultivation to Silver 1, of which I only have 70 days left. I'll need to use around 8 million for Silver 2." Collection expeditions with Ren always resulted in record harvests. While other groups returned with half-filled backpacks of common ingredients, the Gray Wing group came back with huge sacks overflowing with rare materials and valuable monster parts. Their reputation had grown to the point where other students would often try to follow along, hoping to benefit from what some had begun calling "the Patinder luck". In the school mines, he had also standardized his team. Ren's method was simple but effective: using tunnels coated by Taro's Greater Living Tunnel to access resource-rich areas that others couldn't reach. "Another Deep Assassin head!" Min had exclaimed, holding the trophy high. "That's the third today!" Spears made with Deep Assassin tips had become a bit popular among students. Lightweight, deadly sharp, and capable of absorbing a bit of mana to increase their potency, they were perfect for medium-distance combat. And Ren's group was the main supplier. The group normally functioned perfectly, but lately Liora and Larissa had been acting strange. The kids were growing. Larissa had always been precocious, and although they were about to turn 11, the reality was that many already had them. Age was counted from the beginning of the year for everyone already born equally, so all children had 'birthdays' during the holidays, but the actual birth date obviously varied. Liora lately approached Ren less and was less insistent in her boyish contact. Her once-constant hits had become sporadic, and when they did interact, a new awkwardness had emerged. And then there was Luna... Ren shook his head, trying not to think about the way she had looked at him during his last combat, her blue eyes wide with an emotion he couldn't quite name, or how she had brought him an unnecessary healing potion with concern for the small bite wound from her wolf afterwards, or how her fingers had brushed against his when... 'No, it's all because she likes "Mooshito"...' he reminded himself firmly. "Earth to Ren!" Min waved a hand in front of his face, pulling him back to the present moment. "Are you daydreaming again?" "Just thinking about collection strategies," Ren lied quickly, straightening in his seat. "Sure, strategies," Min mocked with a knowing smile. "Do these strategies have blue hair and a shadow wolf?" Ren shot him a look that promised luminous mushrooms in uncomfortable places, and Min raised his hands in surrender, though his smile remained firmly in place. ♢♢♢♢ "TWENTY MILLION FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND CRYSTALS!" Finch's voice had resonated in the small bank office, causing Theodore to nearly fall from his shoulder due to the force of the exclamation. The small mouse quickly recovered and pulled out a tiny flag that said "NEW RECORD!" in minute but impeccable lettering. He waved it enthusiastically, his whiskers trembling with excitement. "The magnate continues his unstoppable ascent," declared Finch, cleaning his glasses that had fogged up from emotion. "Theodore and I have had to add a special page to our registry just to accommodate so many broken records!" The mouse nodded vigorously, pulling out a miniature book where he had meticulously noted each deposit. The tiny ledger's pages were filled with numbers that grew progressively larger, charting Ren's meteoric financial rise. "This semester's sales exceeded all expectations," Ren told them. "Thirty-seven Deep Assassin tips, 5,000 plus processed hides, heaps of superior purity crystals... And that's without counting the cultivation methods." Ren smiled at the exaggerated reaction, accustomed to the banker's overflowing enthusiasm. "How much more do I need to complete my Silver 3 cultivation fund if we don't count the 10 million for that small house?" Finch and Theodore exchanged conspiratorial looks before the banker leaned over the counter, his voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "Exactly fourteen million seven hundred twenty-five thousand crystals," he whispered as if sharing a state secret. "But with the pending deposits for the Silver 1 methods that are in final verification..." Ren nodded, making mental calculations. If each Silver 1 method paid 300,000 crystals, and he had twelve in the verification process, that would be 3.6 million. With the doubling, he would reach exactly 7.2 million, almost half of what he needed to complete his Silver 3 fund... And without counting those yet to be written for Bronze 1 and 2. "Imagine!" exclaimed Finch, suddenly straightening with arms extended in a theatrical gesture. "In just one year you've accumulated what most take decades to gather! Poor Leopold didn't know… the road to wealth is paved with luminous mushrooms!" Finch lowered his voice and leaned forward. "Don't tell him I said that though…" Theodore shocked its head and made a cross with its tiny arms. Ren couldn't help laughing. Life had undoubtedly taken an unexpected turn since that day when he received his apparently useless mushroom. Now it gave him increases of 30% in Strength, Intelligence, and Vitality, provided knowledge up to Gold 2, and had granted him a new ability that he affectionately called "the mushroom's revenge". His life was going extraordinarily well. Too well, perhaps. ♢♢♢♢ "And Silver 3?" asked Lin, who knew Ren's relentless plan well. "That's 12 more, 24 in total, 20 to pay for, but I'll spend 10 first on another small project... I have 16 now so I need 14 million more, but they'll come. The Silver 1 methods are being tested now, and they should be verified well before I finish my cultivation to Silver 2." Lin shook her head in amazement. "I never thought I'd see a first-year student call 10 million a small project and have such a meticulous plan to reach Silver 3. Much less that I'd see it working." Most students struggled to maintain even their 10 times cheaper cultivation schedule, yet here was Ren, plotting a path to power with ease. "The plan is to go further than that," Ren said quietly. Lin looked at him with curiosity, questions forming on her lips, but the carriage suddenly jolted to a stop. "We've reached the border point!" announced Wei, who was sitting next to the driver. His voice held a note of tension that instantly changed the atmosphere within the carriage.