Oliver couldn’t help but scrutinize the elderly man before him.

The man had a head full of white hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His sharp eyes shone with intelligence, and his posture was straight and imposing, exuding an undeniable aura of authority. Hanging at his side was a wand crafted from walnut wood, its tip crowned with a gleaming brown gemstone that caught the light.

Behind him trailed Hector and William, their attitudes unmistakably reverent. There was no doubt—this was the mysterious Professor Arcanus!

Founder of Oakridge Academy, an esteemed mage of the Orange Tier, and soon to take up a position at the prestigious Mage’s Tower. In their little town, he was nothing short of a legend.

And now, this Professor Arcanus wanted to make Oliver his core apprentice?

Just moments ago, Oliver had braced himself to be expelled. Beating up those noble students had been a deliberate decision, even if it meant leaving the academy.

Leaving wasn’t the end of the world, after all.

With his extraordinary magic core, he could delve deeper into the forest to uncover hidden treasures. Higher-level spells? He could always purchase them from the black market, though it’d be more expensive and troublesome to learn that way.

But enduring the bullying and disdain of those nobles? Unthinkable. He had to fight back.

Yet here he was, stunned by the unexpected turn of events. Not only was he not being expelled, but he was being offered a position as a core apprentice—one of the academy’s most coveted honors.

To his knowledge, there were never more than five core apprentices at any given time.

“Do you not want the position?”

Professor Arcanus raised an eyebrow at Oliver’s silence.

James and Deniel, standing nearby, looked as if they were about to burst, practically vibrating with eagerness to accept on Oliver’s behalf. Meanwhile, the noble students—those same ones who had sneered at him—were utterly dumbstruck.

Core apprentice? For a commoner they had deemed beneath them?

“I… I would be honored!” Oliver finally regained his composure and bowed deeply to Professor Arcanus.

“Ha! Good. From this day forth, you are Oakridge Academy’s sixth core apprentice,” the professor declared with a warm smile. “After your formal initiation, I’ll even prepare a little gift for you.”

“Congratulations, Oliver!” Hector exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” William added, his tone tinged with both amusement and amazement.

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The first time he’d met Oliver, the boy had been nothing more than a small-time hunter selling slime cores. And now? He stood shoulder to shoulder with the academy’s elite.

Even the other core apprentices—a trio of unfamiliar faces—acknowledged Oliver with polite nods and smiles. Among them were two girls and a boy, their refined bearing unmistakable.

Still, Oliver couldn’t help but wonder about that “little gift” Professor Arcanus had mentioned. What could it be?

“Standing up to Edmund and his ilk took courage,” the professor continued, his tone now critical but instructive. “Your combat ability is decent, but your strategy? Lacking. Strength without technique is your greatest liability.”

Though a mage by trade, Professor Arcanus seemed well-versed in martial tactics. His analysis of Oliver’s fight revealed the young man’s immense potential—far beyond what most could achieve.

With proper training, Oliver could even become a knight, a path Arcanus himself understood well despite his magical focus. Oliver’s raw strength was among the most impressive the professor had seen in decades.

For Oliver, the professor’s insights were a revelation.

“Enough for now,” Arcanus said with a chuckle. “You’ve had a long day. Hector, see to it that Oliver gets settled in the dormitories. As for you lot…”

His gaze shifted to Edmund and the other nobles, now pale-faced and trembling.

“You’ve been bullying fellow students, extorting them, and resorting to violence and verbal abuse. Such audacity...”

His voice, cold and commanding, left no room for argument.

As Oliver followed Hector to the dormitories, he couldn’t help but marvel at his newfound fortune.

Oakridge Academy offered room and board, though the cost—500 silver coins—was prohibitively steep. Even now, Oliver winced at the thought, remembering a time not long ago when such an amount would’ve been unthinkable.

But now, as a core apprentice, his stay was completely free.

“Hector, what will happen to Edmund and the others?” Oliver asked as they walked.

“Edmund and Holland, the ringleaders, will be expelled. The rest will have to pay fines—500 to 1,000 silver coins—to remain enrolled.”

“Five hundred to a thousand silver?”

James and Deniel, trailing behind, couldn’t suppress their shock.

“That’s more than our tuition!” James exclaimed.

“Exactly. And with at least ten nobles involved, that’s a fortune in fines,” Hector said, smirking. “Of course, they could always choose to leave the academy, but nobles rarely like to admit defeat. They’ll pay.”

“And you two will likely receive compensation for your troubles—a few hundred silver coins each, perhaps.”

“What? Us?”

James and Deniel were floored. Compensation? For them? A few hundred silver coins was an unimaginable sum—more money than they’d ever seen in their lives.

The two exchanged glances, their gratitude for Oliver swelling even further. None of this would’ve been possible without him.

While the money technically came from Arcanus penalizing those noble students and redistributing it as compensation, both James and Deniel knew the truth deep down.

For nobles to bully commoners? That was an everyday occurrence—so routine in their small town, and across the empire at large, that it hardly raised an eyebrow anymore.

The only reason they were getting anything at all was because of Oliver.

It was Oliver becoming a core apprentice that had turned the tide in their favor.

If not for him, this incident would have been swept under the rug, like countless others before it.

The group soon arrived at the dormitory. Polished marble floors and spacious hallways spoke of quiet luxury.

“This is as fancy as a noble’s manor!” James marveled, wide-eyed.

Oliver’s assigned room was on the second floor—a private, spacious suite complete with elegant furnishings. It reminded him of boutique hotels from his past life.

“This is what 500 silver coins gets you, huh?” Deniel said, awestruck.

"Not quite," Hector said with a grin. "This room costs 1,500 silver coins per term for anyone else. But as a core apprentice, Oliver gets to stay here for free."

1500 silver coins？！

James and Deniel gaped, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.

The privileges of a core apprentice were beyond anything they’d imagined.