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With the Level 20 beast finally slain and the forest still reeking of mana and burning bark, the sky above suddenly cracked open.
Whoosh.
Wind howled down from above as glowing enchantment circles lit the clouds. A series of figures descended calm, composed, and powerful. Instructors.
They hovered in midair, robes fluttering, eyes sweeping the battlefield.
And then
Voices. Plural. Omni-directional. Loud enough to pierce the soul.
> "Students, your performance will now be evaluated, and rewards will be given out accordingly."
The tone was professional, but just a little too amused. Like someone watching kindergarteners play at war.
"Oh and before I forget. If you had allies, all rewards will be pooled… and then distributed equally."
Some gasps echoed through the crowd. Especially from those who had only now remembered their party members.
"And for the enslaved…"
The air went dead quiet.
"Well, better start begging. The Academy will provide your masters incentive to give you something… but otherwise? All your rewards go to your master."
A beat of silence.
Then
"Now, where were we? Oh, right…"
A figure dropped gracefully into view, floating just above the ruined battlefield.
A woman. Elegant. Brown hair swept up in a casual bun. Looked to be in her late or mid-20s, though there was something timeless about her presence.
"You can call me Miss Eisen," she said with a warm, deceptively gentle smile.
"I'll be the dorm mother for Class A."
Gasps rippled through the surviving students. A dorm mother? For Class A? That meant she wasn't just some staffer she was one of the top-tier mages in the Academy, with authority to match.
She looked around at the crowd…
And then locked eyes.
With Kai.
Her expression sharpened just a bit, like she was watching an interesting bug.
"So you're the one who stole the title of winner from June," she said, her voice silk wrapped around a blade.
There were murmurs. A few students turned to stare at Kai with renewed attention. Some with awe. Some with envy. Some with disgust.
Stole the title?
Kai narrowed his eyes but kept his tone cool.
"Stolen or not, a winner is still a winner in my book."
A pause.
Before Miss Eisen could respond, a chill swept the area like someone had just opened a fridge door made of death threats.
A cold-looking man, tall and middle-aged, floated down like a fallen icicle. His black cloak didn't flutter it hung like it had been cut from shadow itself.
"Hello," he said.
"I'm Professor Mallet. Caretaker of Class C."
His voice was flat. Barely more than a whisper. But it had weight.
He looked directly at Miss Eisen.
"And I believe you should stop speaking to my student."
The air tensed.
Eisen met his gaze without flinching, but the edge in her smile softened.
"I was only teasing," she said lightly. "Anyway, onto the rewards."
She turned back to the students.
Her voice amplified again, unnaturally loud and clear.
> "As winner, you receive four entries into Felis Hall."
The students gasped again this time louder.
"Felis Hall has the function to increase comprehension massively while inside. Learning spells, battle techniques, magical constructs all becomes easier."
"You also have three months to train in the Class A training hall, with full access to their instructors, tools, and environment."
The crowd buzzed with disbelief.
These were all the privileges that insufferable brat Alaric had received in the original novel. Back then, he'd schemed his way into the reward by stealing the Guardian Beast kill something that left readers fuming for weeks.
But now?
It was Kai receiving them.
Kai, standing there drenched in spider blood, shirt torn, still slightly trembling from being piggybacked earlier like a glorified child with a concussion.
His lip twitched into a grin.
And then…
A thought crossed his mind.
A particular someone.
Someone whose fate, in the original story, was tragic.
Someone he planned to change.
He raised his arm and called out.
"BEAUTIFUL SLAVE KATHLYN!"
There was a collective whiplash from everyone within earshot.
Some Class C and D students recoiled.
A few students dropped their food rations.
One guy in Class B whispered, "No way he just said that out loud."
From the sidelines, a partly dazed, partly exasperated, partly furious redhead made her way forward.
Her eyes twitched violently.
She looked like someone trying to wake up from a really specific fever dream.
Kathlyn.
She approached the center stage slowly, muttering something about how she was going to kill him in his sleep.
And then, it got worse.
Kai dropped to one knee.
One.
Actual.
Knee.
In front of everyone.
"So beloved Kathlyn," he said, one hand on his heart, the other extended toward her like he was about to perform a duet.
"Would you accept my feelings?"
There was silence.
Someone gagged in the back.
Miss Eisen put her hand over her mouth—either in laughter or horror, it was unclear.
Professor Mallet just sighed.
"Huh?" Kathlyn blinked.
It sounded like her soul left her body for a second.
Kai grinned.
"Would you accept one half of my rewards… and everything that it entails??"
Her eyes widened.
"The fuck is wait.
Half your rewards…?"
She blinked again. Then frowned.
"Fine.
But I'm not doing anything weird."
"Weird?" Kai tilted his head like a confused puppy.
"I'm making it perfectly clear I want a training partner relationship with you. Perfectly professional. Absolutely clear."
Kathlyn narrowed her eyes.
"You just called me your beautiful slave and proposed like it was a marriage contract."
"Context matters."
"You're the worst context."
Kai turned to Professor Mallet with a bright smile that was 70% smug and 30% 'please don't make this complicated.'
"Anyway, sir Mallet, is that okay?"
Mallet stared at him.
Then at Kathlyn.
Then at the spiraling emotional destruction of everyone else watching.
"...Yes. I suppose it is," he said flatly.
"She was your slave. You can allocate the rewards as you see fit."
Kathlyn looked like she regretted every choice she had ever made in life.
Miss Eisen, still floating nearby, chuckled softly.
"Well… this year is certainly going to be fun."
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