>Ranked Match Challenge Issued

>Challenger – Nord Birel – Rank 1004 – 15,010 pts

>Accept / Delay for a day

A momentary silence settled over the group.

"Rank 1004…?" Lily muttered, blinking.

"Why would he challenge someone ranked 994?" she continued, frowning. "Shouldn't he be challenging rank 1003 or something?"

Leo crossed his arms, his gaze steady as he thought it through.

"Probably to gain more points after defeating her," he said. "Normally, when you defeat the next immediate rank, you simply interchange points. But if you challenge someone ranked higher, the rank gap gets multiplied by 1000—this rule applies when the gap is 10 ranks or more. So he challenged Miho because she's exactly the tenth rank above him. Well, this is only before our term starts, after it starts, and once our points reset, the 1000 points multiplier disappears."

Lily's expression slowly turned thoughtful.

"So…" she said slowly, "he's not only trying to take Miho's 15,674 points, but also add another 10,000 on top of that?"

"Yes," Leo nodded. "That's exactly it."

Lily quickly checked the ranking brackets on her phone. Having 25,000 points would push a student comfortably into the top 400.

"He probably wants the 2,000 AC reward that's distributed before the new month," she added.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily noticed Miho's hands trembling as she stared at her phone screen. Even though Miho clearly didn't understand the finer details, one thing was obvious—she was going to fight.

Lily gently patted her head.

"Don't worry," she said softly. "Just do your best, alright?"

Then she turned to Leo. "Should we accept the challenge now, or delay it till tomorrow?"

"Ask her," Leo replied. "Does she need time to prepare herself?"

Miho lifted her head. A spark of determination flared in her eyes, chasing away the hesitation.

"No," she said firmly. "I will do it now."

With that, she tapped the Accept button.

Ting!

>Challenge Accepted!

>5:30 PM, 18th December, Year 499

>Arena No. 4 – Western Gate

For convenience, the location was automatically marked on Miho's phone.

They checked the time—it was already 4:00 PM.

Leo decided to head to Aurelius Hall to purchase the advancement materials and return as quickly as possible. Lily, meanwhile, chose to accompany Miho to the arena.

Leo arrived at Aurelius Hall and began checking the materials one by one, carefully noting the prices.

Advancement Material Prices:

1. Attributeless Elemental Crystal – 2,500 AC / 1

2. Shadow Elemental Crystal – 30,000 AC / 1

3. Mist Elemental Crystal – 20,000 AC / 1

4. Poison Elemental Crystal – 20,000 AC / 1

5. Fire Elemental Crystal – 10,000 AC / 1

6. Space Elemental Crystal – 50,000 AC / 1

7. Wood Elemental Crystal – 25,000 AC / 1

8. Solar Elemental Crystal – 40,000 AC / 1

9. Wind Elemental Crystal – 15,000 AC / 1

10. Thunder Elemental Crystal – 25,000 AC / 1

11. Life Essence Drop [Peak-Blue] - 500,000 AC / 100 ml

12. Spirit Crystals [Peak-Blue] – 500,000 AC / 100

13. Spirit Dew Drop [Peak-Blue] – 500,000 AC / 100 ml

14. Ascension Fruit [Nature – Blue] – 700,000 AC / 1

15. Low 3-star Soul Crystal – 10,000 AC / 1

16. Low 3-star Mana Crystal – 10,000 AC / 1

17. Low 3-star Feline Beastcore – 10,000 AC + 15,000 AC (Feline-specific)

18. Low 3-star Wood Beastcore – 10,000 AC + 25,000 AC (Wood-specific)

19. Low 3-star Canine Beastcore – 10,000 AC + 5,000 AC (Canine-specific)

Leo rubbed his forehead as he scanned the list. Just looking at the prices was enough to give him a headache.

Is this what shopping for a girlfriend feels like?

He leaned slightly toward the counter. "Why are feline and wood-type beast cores more expensive than canine ones?"

The receptionist—a pretty blonde girl with creamy eyes—glanced at Leo, then at his badge. Seeing the fresher tag, she immediately assumed he was only here for information.

"It's because feline creatures are harder to kill and even harder to spot due to their elusive nature," she replied.

"As for wood-types, they're rare beasts. Harder to obtain cores from, so the prices go up."

Her tone was dismissive, and she didn't even bother looking at him properly.

"What about Spirit Crystals, Spirit Dew Drops, and Nature Ascension Fruits?" Leo asked.

"Why are they so expensive?"

The receptionist's patience snapped.

"Listen, mister," she said irritably. "If you're here to buy or sell, we'll engage you. Otherwise, you can look all this up on your smartphone. Don't waste our time."

Leo frowned.

I could indeed search it up… but isn't answering questions a part of her job?

"Oh?" he said calmly. "Did it feel like I was wasting 'your' time specifically? Alright, then."

With that, Leo turned and walked toward another empty counter.

"Tsk," the blonde receptionist sneered. "Freshers these days. Asking pointless questions is a real waste of time."

Just then, she froze.

A fruit appeared in Leo's hand, emitting a soft emerald glow.

Her eyes widened.

"T-that's a Verdant Ascension Fruit!" she gasped. "From the glow, it must be a Peak Blue tier… priced at 700,000 AC!"

Her throat went dry. With a 0.5% commission, that single transaction alone would net her 3,500 AC—enough to live comfortably inside the academy for 2 months.

"Mister, wait!" she cried out. "I'll answer all your questions! Please, come back!"

But it was already too late.

Leo had reached another counter, where a white-haired girl stood nervously. She was likely a new receptionist. When she saw Leo approach—especially with such an expensive fruit in hand—she straightened immediately, hurriedly fixing her hair.

"G-good evening, sir," she greeted nervously. "H-how may I help you?"

Leo asked the same questions again.

Though the girl fumbled occasionally, she answered everything earnestly, without a hint of arrogance.

Spirit Crystals, Dew Drops, and Ascension Fruits were expensive because they were classified as Natural Treasures. They grew only on magic plants or special locations constantly guarded by powerful beasts, making them difficult—and dangerous—to gather.

As for the Peak-Blue Verdant Ascension Fruit Leo obtained from the Druid's Grove, its price was indeed 700,000 AC. Other peak-blue treasures might still be 500,000 AC, but ascension fruits have special value to them.

He even had the other fruits evaluated:

Stoneleaf Plum [White] – 15,000 AC / 10

Bloodwarm Cherry [White] – 20,000 AC / 10

Swiftroot Apple [Mid Green] – 30,000 AC / 10

Leo was pleasantly surprised.

Don't these plants grow around 500 of each fruits every single day? He thought.

His mind drifted to a certain grumpy gorilla-like creature.

Well… even if he eats 450 of them himself, that's still a phenomenal income source.

And with the Fluxsoil Heart ensuring the plants remained in their growth phase for a long time, the value would only keep increasing.

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