Chapter 186: It’s Just a Few Credits
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: It’s Just a Few Credits
"Do you... know what you did wrong?"
Xavier looked at the students who had been rounded up before him, his voice cold.
Faced with his questioning, no one dared to make a sound.
Xavier scanned their faces and spoke slowly.
"Forget it. I won't look too deeply into the specifics. Everyone standing here will have five academic credits deducted."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the students looked at Xavier in shock.
"F-five credits?!"
"Um, Dean, it’s almost the end of the term. I don't think we can make those credits up in time..."
"Lord Dean, I’m supposed to graduate this semester. Could we perhaps have a different punishment..."
Hearing this, Xavier looked up.
"What? Are you so eager to leave this place and make a name for yourself in the outside world?"
"No, no! It’s just that if my graduation is delayed, my teacher might not let me live..."
"That is your business, and it has nothing to do with me."
"Y-yes, sir."
Faced with Xavier’s rebuke, the student didn't dare to argue further.
Seeing this, the other students promptly shut their mouths.
To them, academic credits were a vital resource. Every semester had a minimum credit requirement. If your credits were high, you could exchange the surplus for rewards unique to the academy or save them for a rainy day. If they were low, it didn't have much of an impact—other than delaying graduation in the final year.
In fact, delaying graduation wasn't even that bad; it just meant they could stay for another year.
However...
For every credit a student lacked, the responsible teacher would have a month's salary docked. And if a student’s graduation was delayed, the teacher lost a full year’s pay.
Eventually, the crowd of students filed out of the office, leaving only three figures behind.
Kairos, Nimo, and Nephili.
Before Xavier could even speak, Kairos dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Lord Dean, we truly know we were wrong this time! It was a moment of impulse that led to today's events. Please, Lord Dean, give us one more chance!"
He knelt on one knee, his hands trembling as they pressed against the floor.
Since it was the end of the term, Kairos had already gone "all-in," spending the massive amount of credits he’d earned on various martial techniques and magitech equipment. He had only kept the bare minimum needed to pass the semester.
But now...
Kairos gulped, swallowing hard in his nervousness.
Beside him, Nimo looked at Kairos, a bead of cold sweat forming on his temple. Like Kairos, he had also gambled away all his extra credits. He never imagined something like this would happen so close to the end of the term. If he had known, he would have let Kairos take on the whole crowd alone while he just kept watch from the sidelines.
Nephili stood behind them, looking at the two with utter disdain.
As a Special Invitee who had entered Dome Academy near the end of the term, she enjoyed a credit-amnesty privilege for the semester. Even if she did lose credits, she didn't care in the slightest. In fact, she found the whole situation rather pathetic.
These guys... getting so worked up over a few credits. Back in my day, I once owed fifty-eight points, and that old fossil Vesparo never managed to catch me.
At the thought, Nephili lifted her head haughtily, her small face filled with smugness.
Seeing the three vastly different reactions, Xavier was momentarily at a loss for words. Recalling that the entire farce had started because of them, he shook his head.
"Ivy certainly has some skill. She doesn't recruit many students, but every single one of them is... unique."
He looked at Kairos, his tone softening.
"Fine. I know you and Nimo acted in self-defense. There are extenuating circumstances, so I won't deduct your credits."
As he spoke, he walked over to Kairos and patted him on the shoulder.
"If you really want to make amends, then perform well in the Year-End Competition."
"This year's competition is different from previous ones. It’s the Alliance General Tournament, held jointly with other academies. When the time comes, you and Nimo make sure not to embarrass our academy."
Kairos was stunned by Xavier’s words, but he recovered quickly.
"Yes, Lord Dean! Nimo and I will definitely not let the academy down! we'll make sure everyone knows why Dome Academy sits firmly as the strongest!"
Xavier nodded in satisfaction at Kairos's response.
"Good. It’s good for young people to have ambition."
Then, he looked at the still-smug Nephili, and his expression suddenly darkened.
For some reason, he could always sense a familiar shadow coming from Nephili. It was just like that Shadow Department genius years ago who had accidentally opened a magic box within the academy and unleashed a Chaos Beast Tide.
"You. Yes, you."
Xavier pointed at Nephili.
"Don't think you can act with impunity just because you're a Special Invitee. From what I’ve heard, you were the one who initiated the fight, and you even verbally humiliated your opponents after defeating them. Given the severity of your conduct, I have the authority to revoke your privileges."
He paused.
"Starting now, the credits that were supposed to be deducted from these two will be transferred to you. I’m recording it into the system immediately."
Nephili’s haughtily raised head froze instantly. She looked down, her face filled with disbelief.
"I’m losing ten points by myself? But I don't even have a single point yet..."
"I know. And I should remind you that the passing requirement for this semester is ten credits. As of now, you are... twenty points below the passing line."
"Huh?"
Nephili stood frozen on the spot. Standing at less than 1.4 meters tall in front of the 1.9-meter Xavier, she began to tremble violently. She instinctively touched the slave collar around her neck, cold sweat pouring down her back.
*
Ten minutes later.
Xavier finally sent away the incessantly pleading Nephili and sat down to deal with his paperwork.
After a long while, he finished his tasks and handed the annotated documents to his assistant.
"There’s a lot to prepare for the Alliance General Tournament, and there’s no room for error. Make sure these decisions are implemented."
"Understood, Dean."
The assistant nodded and took the documents. "By the way, Dean, I have something to report."
"Speak."
After receiving permission, the assistant pulled out an application form and handed it to Xavier.
"This is an application submitted by Ivy for the girl named Bai. According to Ivy, this Special Invitee wants to participate in the competition."
Xavier froze for a moment, then looked at the assistant.
"You mean the white-haired girl?"
"Yes. Ivy also emphasized that this was the girl's own voluntary request. Apparently, this Special Invitee is very confident and wants to challenge two leaderboards at once, just like Kairos."
Xavier fell silent.
While he wasn't entirely sure of Xie Bai’s background, he could clearly sense that she was anything but ordinary. At the very least, she was stronger than him.
Xavier had replayed the moment in his head a dozen times, and he still couldn't understand why he had felt that sudden pang of sympathy and agreed to let her become a Special Invitee at Dome Academy.
But since it had already happened, he didn't dare revoke her status. He could only pray that she wouldn't cause any trouble. Otherwise, he truly feared that Dome Academy would see a repeat of the tragedy from the Chaos Beast Tide years ago.
After a moment of thought, Xavier spoke to the assistant.
"Approve... approve it. And place her in the High-End Group to avoid her crossing paths with the other students."
"Understood, Dean. I’ll handle it right away."
With that, the assistant left the office.
Once he was gone, Xavier slumped back in his chair, rubbing his temples with a sigh.
"Sigh... I just hope she doesn't cause some massive incident during the tournament."
He looked out the window.
"Though, it might not be entirely a bad thing."
"If that young lady truly intends to climb the rankings and goes all out... perhaps Dome Academy’s reputation will become so peerless within the Alliance that no one will ever dare question us again."