That night... hardly anyone slept peacefully.
They agreed to wait for sunrise before making any decisions.
Zen sat against the wall, leaning back.
He didn't dream of anything, his body too worn out from the day's chaos.
As dawn broke, sunlight filtered through the rustling leaves and spilled gently into the room.
When Zen opened his eyes, he was greeted by a vast blue sky dotted with clouds.
Yawn~
He stretched and accidentally hit Hako's arm.
"Ah, sorry."
"Mmh... is it morning?" Hako murmured, groggy as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah."
Zen stood, a cool breeze brushing past him and waking him up properly.
One by one, the others stirred awake.
"Ugh, my back hurts. Floors are evil."
That crown-haired guy, Asoun, Zen now knew his name, groaned under his blanket, scratching lazily.
"Am I the only one with a mosquito problem?"
Few others agreed with him when suddenly, someone jolted up.
"Wait! Should we scan the code now?!"
Zen paused, nerves rising again. The thought had been lurking since he first woke up. He was eager to know the result.
Everyone crowded around the envelope, pulling out their phones to scan the QR code one by one.
Zen waited his turn, feeling nervous. What if he was eliminated?
Go home? Sure. He'd march in, tell his mom that the rich guy finally came to his senses and pulled the plug on his education.
Yeah right.
When Hako finished scanning, Zen stepped forward.
The code led him to a website. The screen loaded in bold platinum text:
[Loading…]
Then it shows:
[Enter Invitation Code]
Zen took a deep breath and pulled out the black envelope, the old friend of doom.
He typed in the last four digits on his invitation card:
[02ZD]
After a long pause, red ribbons exploded.
[Congratulations, Student Zen Ekindrel! Welcome to Sinders!]
Zen finally exhaled, tension melting from his shoulders.
Beside him, Hako grinned and flashed his screen, same result.
Though Zen didn't think he'll fail but it was nice to know.
Zen glanced back at his own. His profile had popped up, complete with a photo he had no idea they'd obtained.
It listed his name, class, territory... and one line in pulsing dark red:
Class Debt: 100,000 Rei
Yeah, he remembered.
But if he see it there, flashing like a taunt every time he logged in then it was stress in digital form.
Nearby, Asoun whooped.
"Woohoo! I got in! That means I passed, right?"
Someone else sighed in pure relief.
"Damn! I thought I failed. Turned out I just entered the wrong digit. Almost gave myself a heart attack."
They laughed. But not everyone was celebrating.
"Fuck! Why?! Why can't I enter?! There's something wrong with this thing!"
Someone kicked a chair in frustration.
"It says [Invitation Code Invalid]! I didn't pass, right?"
Murmurs of discontent rippled.
"This is bullshit! What were the criteria?! I want to file a complaint!"
Zen felt vaguely irritated by that voice, a familiar one.
He turned his head and wasn't surprised.
It was that asshole from yesterday.
"Why did I fail, and this pussy passed?!"
He was glaring now, at Konan, who shrank a little in the corner.
Zen clenched his jaw... then smiled.
He'd come to like Konan.
The guy was genuine. And right now, watching that arrogant jerk lose his mind while Konan stayed calm?
That was its own kind of reward.
At that moment, Fabasa unexpectedly appeared beside Konan. He gave the boy a cold, pointed look.
"Is it really that surprising? Maybe you should reevaluate yourself." He said flatly and then added with a sudden bright smile, he turned and pointed toward the door. "You can do that on your way out. The bus is here to pick you up. Enjoy your last ride."
As if on cue, a loud honk echoed outside.
It was done deal.
Whether they wanted to admit it or not, the selection was final.
Zen, Hako, and the others silently watched the rejected students board the bus.
It would be a lie to say Zen didn't feel a little bad.
But as the engine roared and the bus disappeared into the distance, reality returned.
Zen glanced back down at his phone. What's this?
[Download the app for full version]
"...Download the app?"
He eyes twitched. Why did this feel like a scam ad?
Still, curiosity won. He tapped it, and the download began.
Once installed, the full details unlocked:
[Total Class Strength: 30]
"So there's only 30 people now…" Zen muttered, tapping around the unfamiliar UI. Most of it confused him.
Eventually, he gave up and scooted closer to Hako, squeezing into his space. "What's going on?"
Hako glanced over and didn't hesitate to tilt his screen toward Zen.
He even read the screen aloud. What can he do? He just knew this guy can't read... Yet.
Zen felt a strange warmth and smiled secretly.
"Here, this is the class chat. Cool, right?" Hako said slowly.
Zen nodded as he scanned the flurry of messages. Some of the guys were already joking around.
"And that one?" Zen pointed to another tab.
"Grade chat," Hako said, tapping it open.
He paused.
"…This is the first-years' group chat."
Zen nodded and stilled.
First-years? That meant everyone, right?
Including the K Class...
He stared down at his phone, squinting his eyes seriously. He also wanted... No, needed to know what they were saying.
This won't do.
He had to give his 200% to learning how to read, no more excuses.
Determined, he picked up his phone again and curiously tapped on another glowing icon.
"What does this do?"
"Huh?" Hako leaned in.
"It says personal... income?"
Zen instinctively tapped the green bell. It was inviting him to clicked on it.
Hako paused and inhaled.
He read it out loud:
[A balance of 10,000 Rei has been transferred to your account. You can withdraw it anytime with your student card.]
[Your student card will be delivered by noon.]
Zen blinked. Then blinked again.
He didn't need to read to recognize the number now floating on screen:
+10,000
Glowing in soft green orbs.
[TOTAL BALANCE: 10,000 Rei]
.
.
.
Meanwhile, conversation in Grade Chat:
[Royal, Dao]: Did anyone else find a bag of gold hidden underground near a well?
[Bronze, Teyin]: That was oddly specific. Please return that to the relevant committee.
[Royal, Gyaken]: Dao, get your ass back here!
[Royal, Dao]: Dao is not available right now. I'm his girlfriend speaking...♡
[Royal, Gyaken]: Fuck you.