The reason Shub was so panicked—and the way he was ready to pay the amount without further resistance—was simple. The proof Leo possessed was more than enough to warrant a fine. And a fine was the best possible outcome for him.

Even though 2 million sounded astronomical, nearly 800 gold coins, it was insignificant compared to the benefits the academy provided.

The most important factor was Aurelius Credits (AC).

ACs were exclusive currency, usable only by academy affiliates—students and staff. They were a high-profile medium of exchange, carrying far more value than metal coins. In Leo's previous world, {Our World}, it would be like comparing the Kuwaiti Dinar to the Zimbabwe Dollar (1 KWD ≈ 1100 ZWL).

Just being able to earn in Aurelius Credits—something only academy affiliates could do—was enough to guarantee an easy life. Not just for oneself, but even for one's family outside the academy walls.

Even someone stuck at the 2-star or 3-star ranks could earn decently simply by being inside the academy as a student. Doing the same outside would be exponentially more difficult. And if one passed the literacy test and became a trainer or a higher-category teacher—positions open only to academy students—the pay increased further. More importantly, it was a permanent job, unlike a student's limited 20-year academy session.

Even a trainer's basic salary of 1,000 AC per month translates to roughly 40 Silver outside the academy. An average family could live comfortably on just 1 Silver a month. When combined with the Beast Hall's monthly stipends for Beast Masters, life became almost effortless.

And then there were the academy networks.

Through the Aurelius Hall, one could acquire materials required for rank advancement at heavily subsidised rates. If an item wasn't available, it could be commissioned, and it would arrive in a short time. Something like this was exponentially harder—and far more expensive—outside the academy.

As Brant had mentioned before, outside the academy, a single common elemental crystal—fire or water—could cost up to 10 Gold, which translated to nearly 25,000 AC. Inside the academy, the same crystal cost just 4 Gold, or around 10,000 AC.{I have revised the prices}

This was the very first thing Leo had realised after arriving at the academy.

No wonder Brother James had said that joining an academy was an important aspect of one's life.

One might wonder—if being part of the academy was so important, why were instructors going around fooling freshers that would risk their positions?

But fooling alone wasn't the real issue. It taught freshers a valuable lesson. The real problem was abusing authority—like Shub had done when he was about to hit Leo. Abusing someone like Leo, someone with immense future potential, was disastrous. Not only for Shub, but also for the academy's reputation.

And what Shub didn't know was that Professor Brant stood behind Leo. If he had known that, he wouldn't even have thought about fooling him. After the incident, he would have been grovelling at Leo's feet.

Shub clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding audibly.

"P-please… delete that video now."

Leo looked at him, eyes calm, faint amusement flickering beneath the surface.

"Delete?" Leo echoed lightly. "When did I say that? I only said I'd consider it. Now that the job is done, you should leave." He smiled—one that looked far too devilish from Shub's perspective.

"Please!" Shub's voice cracked. "I won't do it again to you! No—no, to anyone else! I won't do it to anyone ever again!"

"Oh, since you won't be doing it to anyone else, that's great." Leo nodded casually. "I won't share the video. But if I even hear that you did…" His tone hardened, the air around him seeming to chill.

"Absolutely not!" Shub hurriedly replied. "Please don't share that video!"

He hesitated, lips trembling.

"C-could you delete—"

"No." Leo cut him off flatly. "I'm busy. Now go."

Shub ground his teeth and turned away. He climbed back onto his eagle, dropped the blueleaf, and took off into the distance.

Once he was far enough away, his restraint snapped.

"MOTHERFUCKER!!! Fuck you! Fuck your entire bloodline!" Shub screamed into the wind. "Blackmailing me? ME!? Just you wait… I'll expose your territory location to everyone before the newbie protection period even ends! I'll get your territory razed!"

His rage twisted into a cold, calculating grin.

"But first, I'll wait for the guardian to return and watch you get destroyed. A low-Purple-tier treasure must have a Pseudo 3-star or even a Low 3-star guardian. I'll wait. Hahahaha, I'll wait. Motherfucker!"

{Newbie protection period has been changed from 1 week to 1 month.}

Back in Leo's territory, he entered the cave to inform everyone that everything had gone smoothly. But the moment he stepped inside, he froze.

The druid was in what could only be described as the worst possible condition imaginable.

Understanding that the druid needed to look convincingly trapped, Howl had transformed the cave floor into quicksand using Miho's water. Half of the druid's three-meter-tall body was already submerged. Lily's vines were wrapped so tightly around his limbs and torso that it looked as if they might tear flesh apart with even a little more force.

Bruises, abrasions, and sharp cuts covered his face and body—none of them healing, as the druid had deliberately suppressed his regeneration to appear beaten. But the pain was immense, evident from his groanings.

Lily had done her job perfectly.

Leo glanced at her. She stood proudly nearby, smiling in clear satisfaction, eyes bright—almost as if she were waiting for head pats.

She didn't make him look beaten… she actually beat him, Leo thought, pinching the bridge of his nose as he struggled to suppress a laugh.

I shouldn't laugh. The druid already looks miserable enough.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Like before, they set up their shed, but a bit far away from Fluxsoil Heart, where mana concentration was low for Miho's comfort. With how huge Howl's back was, after 300 meters of mana dense region, more than 100 meters was left for them to utilise.

Leo summoned all his beasts. Lily even brought out her spirits, explaining that with such dense mana in the area, she could keep them summoned continuously without feeling anything.

The Treant and Lunaria were especially delighted, basking in the thick, vibrant mana saturating the land.

They didn't even bother keeping a night watch.

With five pseudo-3-star beasts lounging lazily around the camp, no one would dare approach. And as insurance, a Low 3-star Colossus—capable of resisting even 5-star beings—was always present.

Niri eventually approached the druid, whom Leo had decided to call Bigfoot. Though the druid was visibly surprised to see a dryad—an existence close to the entities he worshipped—he remained grumpy over the absurd treatment he'd endured and chose to stay inside the cave, eating and sleeping in silence.

The next day arrived swiftly.

"Alright!" Leo announced, his voice echoing with excitement. "Today, we finally advance in ranks!"

---

A/N:

Damn!

1 Kuwaiti Dinar = 3,457,827 Iranian Rial

Didn't know that, bruh.

PS: World-building related to the academy has been almost done. Now the pace will increase a bit. Do comment if you are finding the story enjoyable or even if it's lacking in some way.

A review also works. cough. cough.

By the way, do you guys think I should add SoL tag?

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.