"But they might cheat," Liora murmured, she was someone who'd seen too much noble duplicity already.

"Exactly," Larissa confirmed, nodding. "That's why the first ten exams may be critical. They don't just establish your record. They establish expectations. They reveal your real level."

"And then they'll know exactly how much more pressure they need to apply to make me fail?" Luna finished with bitterness.

"Not just you," Larissa added, her expression darkening. "Anyone with significant rewards. You, Liora to a lesser extent, but especially Ren."

"Ren?" Luna asked, straightening slightly. Her wolf's ears perked up at the name.

"Because of his enormous rewards," Larissa explained, her fingers drumming on the armrest in a rare show of nervous energy. "A quarter of the new vault, all the Goldcrest territory, official high nobility. There are many nobles who would prefer to see him fail. His very existence is a threat to many people. And in the first exams, they'll have a clear idea of whether they can accomplish it or not."

"They can't really affect him, he has so many allies..." Luna began, but her voice lacked conviction.

"But," Liora made a face, her usual playfulness completely absent, "tutors have big influence on practical evaluations. They can recommend what kind of scenarios to present, what aspects to emphasize."

"Yes," Larissa added. "They can coordinate to create scenarios specifically designed to expose weaknesses. Or worse, to create situations where no matter what he does, he'll be seen as inadequate."

"I'm jealous, don't you want to adopt me?" Liora asked Larissa with a weak attempt at humor. "Royals have different rules..."

"I would if I could," Larissa confirmed, her expression softening with something that might have been guilt. The privilege of her birth was something she'd never asked for but couldn't escape. "You wouldn't have to take noble protocol exams because royals govern ourselves differently..."

"How convenient," Liora murmured, but there was affection in her tone more than true resentment. She knew it wasn't Larissa's fault.

"How many exams can Ren fail before losing everything?" Luna asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

"With his rewards," Larissa said slowly, "he can probably fail less than anyone in the academy's history. His achievements are so extraordinary that he'll have less margin..."

"The previous record was Sirius's," Luna added quietly. The mention of her father brought a tightness to her expression. "He could fail only six exams."

"If it depends on the rewards..." Larissa responded carefully, "Luna, with your significant rewards, you can probably afford to fail up to... seven before it's really problematic?"

"Nine," Luna corrected. "Selphira verified. I can fail up to nine exams before my faction leadership is in real danger."

The three girls exchanged glances, each processing what this meant.

"He can probably fail... three?"

♢♢♢♢

Days later, in the comfortable classroom that Ren was beginning to think of as safe territory, Aldric continued his easy-going instruction.

"If I want to help you... it's because I'm against all those dummies who think nobility is about lineage instead of capability," Aldric made a dismissive gesture with his hand, as if physically waving away the concept. "The same ones who were murmuring during your ceremony. The ones who think that because they were born into the right family, they're inherently superior."

He leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering his voice as if sharing a dangerous secret.

"Between you and me, most of those nobles couldn't organize a decent banquet if their lives depended on it. It's all facade and delegation. But you," he pointed at Ren with emphasis, "you actually built something from scratch. That requires real intelligence, not just following a script someone else wrote."

Ren found himself genuinely relaxing. There was something about Aldric's way of speaking, direct but not rude, honest without being cruel, that made him feel like he was talking with a person he could just speak the truth with.

"So," Aldric stood up, walking to one of the shelves and pulling out several books, "since you mastered the basics, here's the intermediate level."

He stacked the books on the table in front of Ren. Again, slim volumes with pragmatic titles. Nothing like the massive tomes Ren had seen his friends carrying around.

Ren read the first title, feeling a weird mix of relief and shame. It was almost too simple…

"No shame," Aldric said firmly, as if he could read minds. "Everyone starts somewhere. I had to learn this too, you know? My great-great-great-grandfather was a merchant before the family ascended. So these same frustrations, my father lived them. And he passed them on to me with a patience I now appreciate much more."

He sat down again, pushing the book toward Ren across the polished wood surface.

"As long as you don't paralyze yourself trying to remember every little rule. The secret of noble protocol," he leaned forward as if sharing the forbidden knowledge of the universe, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "is confidence. If you act like you belong, most people will assume you belong. It's pure psychology."

"And if I don't feel confident?"

"Then you fake it until you do," Aldric shrugged with the ease of someone who'd done exactly that many times. "It's what we all do. Do you think I felt confident the first time I had to give a speech before the royal court? I was terrified. But I acted like I knew exactly what I was doing, and it worked."

He opened the book to the first page, revealing diagrams of postures and positions. Simple stick figures showing correct and incorrect stances.

"Well, let's start with the most fundamental thing of all: how to stand without looking like you want to use the bathroom to take a..."

The casual vulgarity made Ren laugh despite himself, the tension in his shoulders easing.

♢♢♢♢

"For next class," Aldric said as they packed up at the end of the session, "I want you to practice these three basic postures. You don't need perfection, just familiarity. I want your body to remember the movements without having to think about them."

"Understood," Ren nodded, storing the new books in his backpack. They barely added any weight.

"And Ren," Aldric stopped him at the door, his expression serious but kind, "if you ever feel I'm being unfair or too hard, tell me. This tutor-student relationship only works if there's honest communication."

The words sounded so reasonable, so caring. Ren felt warmth in his chest at the offer.

"I will," Ren promised.

As he walked back to his dorm, Ren couldn't help but compare his experience with what his friends were going through.

♢♢♢♢

That night, after his companions fell asleep, after the familiar sounds of Min's snoring and Taro's sleep-talking had filled the room, Ren pulled out again one of the three slim books Aldric had given him.

Under the covers and invoking light in his index finger. He opened it randomly to a page about precedence at formal events.

"In case of ambiguity about relative rank," he read quietly, his finger tracing the words, "it is appropriate to use family antiquity as a tiebreaker criterion. The person from the more established family proceeds first."

It sounded reasonable. Logical even. The kind of rule that made sense when you thought about it.

It all made so much sense.

♢♢♢♢

The weeks continued their relentless march forward, each day blending into the next in a rhythm of training, classes, and practice.

Ren's routine became automatic. Morning training with Lin that left him gasping and sore. Regular classes that were demanding but manageable. Sessions with Zhao that were intensive but straightforward. And his sessions with Aldric, which continued to be surprisingly pleasant compared to the torture his friends endured.

But then came a morning that broke the routine, a moment Ren had been anticipating for months.

He woke before dawn, not from any external alarm but from an internal awareness. His beasts were restless, their energy patterns shifting in ways that signaled imminent change.

"Today's the day," he whispered to the darkness of the room.

His Wolverine had been on the cusp of Silver 3 for days now, the energy of almost 300 days, 3 full cycles, building and building until it felt like his entire mana system was vibrating with power. And his Jade Mantis, his newest companion, had also been approaching Bronze 1 with steady inevitability.

They were timed precisely, thanks to the shroom getting to Gold 1 exactly 100 days before the Wolverine hitting Silver 3.

Both beasts would evolve simultaneously.

Ren sat up in bed, careful not to wake his roommates to avoid the common overdramatization, and began the process.

The Wolverine's evolution came first, a surge of power that made his muscles contract involuntarily. Two beasts at the same Silver 3 rank meant more than just numbers, it meant a fundamental shift in how the beasts integrated with his system.

The healing factor that had saved his life multiple times intensified, becoming something that could restore him from injuries that should have been fatal.

His elemental omniboost jumped from 475 to 575, almost 600 (50+25). Every other attribute enhanced by 60% (30+30) again as much.

But he didn't stop there.

The Mantis evolution followed immediately, the jade energy flowing through him like liquid light. Bronze 1 was not a significant threshold anymore, but it was the point where a beast truly began to show its species characteristics. The Jade Crystal Mantis's elemental affinities crystallized, its connection to his other beasts strengthening in ways that created new synergies.

Speed, Regeneration and Attack being the main buffs got an extra 80%. (50+30)

The seed in his chest pulsed with approval, the broken jade structure resonating with the Mantis's energy and healing a bit. Not healing fully, not yet, but responding. Appreciating the growth.

When both evolutions completed, Ren sat in the darkness of the room, feeling the new power settling into his system. Two Silver 3 beasts now. The Wolverine and the Hydra both at the peak of Silver rank, with the Mantis and the dormant fungus forming a foundation that went deeper than most would ever understand.

His total omniboost stood at 420% now (820% Dormant). Four times the capabilities of a normal human when not fused with any beast. And in just 140 more days, a little over six months after the new year had started, his Hydra would reach Gold 1.

Then he'd have 600 points of elemental control as his base.

The numbers should have been impossible for someone his age. Most students would be celebrating big by reaching Silver 1 or 2 by their fifth year. He was beyond Silver 3, approaching Gold, with knowledge and abilities that went far beyond what any single rank could explain.

Ren allowed himself a small smile in the darkness. Everything was progressing according to plan. His beasts were evolving on schedule. His classes were manageable.

Maybe, he thought with cautious optimism, everything would work out after all.

Nothing to worry about.

Nothing to fear.

He lay back down, feeling the new power humming through his system, and let himself believe that maybe, just maybe, this year wouldn't be the nightmare everyone had warned him about.

♢♢♢♢

Three months have passed since the 5th year started… 90 days in what felt like both an eternity and an instant.

The first exams finally arrived.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.