Chapter 377: My Blood Is Priceless After the guests left, Frieden Academy returned to its usual routine. The First Years studied diligently, making great strides in their understanding of literature, magic, and martial arts. "Starting today, the First Years will gain access to the Mission Hall," Professor Arabella announced to the students of Class 1-C. "I’m sure all of you are now aware of the many ways of earning Academy Points." The Professor then waved her hand, creating a projection that everyone could see. "In case some of you are still unaware, I will briefly explain how you can get academy points, which you can use at our Exchange Center. The most common way to gain Academy Points is by impressing your Professors. "The students who give the right answers, perform well in exercises and tests, stand out, and work hard may all be rewarded with Academy Points. "The second method is by accepting quests in the Mission Hall. Of course, other students can also commission you to work for them. I know some of you already have some experience with this. "The third method is for you to sell your craft to the other students. Those who specialize in production often choose this path because it allows them to consistently earn Academy Points in exchange for their products and services. "Now, I’m certain you’re all excited and want to earn as many academy points as you can, but do not forget this." Professor Arabella paused for a bit to scan her classroom and make sure every student was listening. "Do not bite off more than you can chew," Professor Arabella reminded, her tone serious. "Every year, several students get seriously injured—and some even die—because they have chosen missions way beyond their ability to handle. "To minimize the likelihood of such tragedies, the academy has implemented a system that color codes missions by difficulty. The difficulty levels match the four grades. If you see a mission with a green badge, it means it’s highly recommended for the First Years." As she spoke, she paid special notice to some of the students, especially those the Headmaster and the Professors had labeled troublemakers. "I will repeat this, the missions that have green badges are the recommended missions for the First Years," Professor Arabella added. "The ones with yellow badges are for Second Years. "Missions with orange badges are for Third Years, and those with red badges are for Fourth Years. However, if you ever see a silver badge, it means that this is a mission that cannot be taken by anyone unless they gain approval from the Student Council. "Completing these missions will give you a guaranteed ten thousand Academy Points, so the competition for them is very stiff. If you have a bad academic record or don’t get along with the Student Council, the chances of you getting these quests are nonexistent. Do I make myself clear, Mr. No Rizz?" Some of the students chuckled after their classroom’s troublemaker was called out. However, instead of being offended, Chuck looked genuinely pleased by the attention he was getting. "Worry not, Professor." Chuck flipped his hair with his hand. "For I, the most handsome, refined, elegant, and charismatic student from Class 1-C, shall not even glance at a mission above my humble station. "I will stick to the green badges like glue on parchment. In fact, I will be finishing these missions in record time and leave everyone in the dust. So, let me apologize to everyone in advance. You guys might miss out on easy missions because I will prioritize picking them! "I am not some brute who will go around fighting monsters in dungeons or slaying them in open fields. If you want to die, be my guest. I am a pacifist by heart. Sparkling elegance flows inside my veins." "Does that mean," Alex asked slowly, as if formulating a new scheme, "that I can sell your blood for gold?" "You can’t," Chuck replied, unfazed by whatever morbid thoughts that might be frolicking in Alex’s brain. "Because my blood is priceless. No one can afford it. Of course, that means I am priceless too." "..." "..." "..." Their classmates didn’t know if they should applaud Chuck for his consistency or applaud him for his shamelessness. In the end, Professor Arabella coughed lightly and gave her students a few more reminders before ending the class. "First Years may accept missions with yellow badges even though they are meant for Second Years," Professor Arabella said solemnly. "However, I must insist that you evaluate the mission requirements and your own capabilities objectively. Do not accept missions for fun or to impress others. I strongly advise all of you to stick to the missions with green badges. "You only have one life, so do not challenge any mission that you cannot confidently tackle with your current strength." Originally, the First Years were only supposed to gain access to the Mission Hall a month from now. But after the incident in the Orion Dungeon, Professor Rowan decided that letting the First Years gain combat or field experience earlier than scheduled would be for the best. After Professor Arabella dismissed the class, Alex, Charles, Lavinia, and Fran headed to the Training Grounds for their next lesson. Professor Gareth Thornwell was teaching the Magic Combat Class, which was very popular among students who wished to learn Martial Arts while still using magic. Depending on whether they majored in a combat class or a mage class, they were often called Magic Knights or Battle Mages. To Alex’s surprise, Evangeline was also there. She was even looking at Alex like she wanted to talk to him. However, since he was surrounded by his friends, the young lady deemed that this was not the right opportunity to talk to him. "Today, you will be fighting in pairs," Professor Gareth announced. "But we will spice things up a bit. Instead of fighting one-on-one battles, we will be doing one-versus-two battles today. "I will call out a few students. If you hear your name, you will be fighting two of your classmates today. To be fair and safe, I’ve made sure to choose those with high combat experience." Professor Gareth then took out his list and smiled faintly. "Those I call will stand to my right," Professor Gareth added. "First off, Alex Stratos!" Alex wasn’t too surprised, so he walked forward confidently and took his place beside the Professor. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 "Next is Lavinia Hartwell," Professor Gareth stated. "Charles Lambert. Fran Terra." The four students stood beside the Professor as if they were the Dream Team of Class C. Chuck was at the Mage Training Grounds, and Renard was at the Fighter Training Grounds, so they weren’t part of Professor Gareth’s class. "All of you will be picking a ball from this ballot box," Professor Gareth explained. "If your ball has the number one on it, you will be fighting Alex. Those who get number two will fight Lavinia. If you get three, Charles. Four, Fran." Professor Gareth then whispered something to Fran, which Lavinia accidentally overheard due to her exceptional hearing. "Make sure to hold back, Fran," Professor Gareth said. "Don’t break their bones if possible." "Understood, Professor." Fran nodded seriously. The dwarf girl was the only Rank 4 in their class and was also a Dwarven Berserker, making her the most powerful in Class 1-C. Even if Alex and Renard were to work together to fight against Fran, the chances of them winning against her would be slim. At most, they would be able to fight her to a draw, but that was if they only fought her defensively. When it was Evangeline’s turn to draw a ball from the ballot box, she snapped her fingers inside it. A moment later, a ball flew into her hand, which she took out of the box. "Number one," Evangeline said to Professor Gareth after confirming that she got the number that she wanted. When Alex realized that Evangeline was one of his opponents, he felt that this match-up wasn’t a coincidence. But since he didn’t have any proof that the young lady had pulled a fast one, he had no choice but to fight against her, even though that was the last thing that he wanted to do. "Professor, there is a chance that our opponent might get injured in this match, right?" Evangeline raised her hand. "Although all of us will hold back, we will not be punished with demerit points if we accidentally wound our classmate, right?" "You won’t get any demerits as long as you don’t seriously injure them deliberately," Professor Gareth answered. "But if it is intentional, you will get demerits." "Understood." Evangeline nodded. She had been having a headache trying to come up with a way to casually and discreetly drink a drop of Alex’s blood to confirm her suspicions. Since this was the perfect opportunity to do it, the young lady was more pumped up than her teammate, who was already thinking of ways to bypass Alex’s strong defense.