For James, paying up meant sinking his family into even greater debt—he’d have to borrow money or sell land just to scrape together enough silver. And even if they did pay, what then? It was a nightmare.

Deniel slammed his fist into the ground. "I won’t give them a single coin! They just want to force us out of here!"

James nodded grimly. "They want us to quit. But if we leave, what about the tuition we’ve already paid? A hundred and twenty silver coins, gone down the drain!"

The frustration was overwhelming, but neither of them had a solution.

"You don’t need to worry about this," Oliver said after a moment of silence. "I’ll take care of it."

James and Deniel exchanged looks of disbelief. "You? Take care of it?" they both asked, surprised.

Oliver smiled, clapping them both on the shoulder. "Leave it to me."

The nerve of them! Threatening me for money?

A hundred silver coins?

If I don’t pay, they’ll beat us every day?

Well, I’ll be the judge of that. Let’s see just how tough they really are!

At this very moment, Edmund and his cronies were still at the training grounds. Some were practicing spells, others chatting casually, acting as if nothing had happened.

From their calm demeanor, you’d think they hadn’t just bullied James and the others not long ago.

But of course, it made sense. They were nobles, and James and his friends were just commoners.

Bullying a few peasants—what’s the big deal?

Even though Oakridge Academy preached equality between nobles and commoners, the reality was that discrimination was alive and well. The nobility never truly saw themselves as equal to those beneath them.

So to them, picking on a few commoners wasn’t even worth thinking about.

Meanwhile, Oliver strode boldly toward Edmund and the group, drawing the attention of several students.

What’s this guy up to?

Is he here to beg for mercy?

Hahaha, but Edmund isn’t the type to show mercy!

After all, just this afternoon, Edmund had been humiliated when those two lowly commoners grabbed him by the hair and gave him a proper beating. His face was still bruised and swollen.

Even if this guy came begging, Edmund would never let him off the hook.

“His face... doesn’t look like he’s here to beg...”

Some of the onlookers exchanged puzzled looks.

Under the curious gazes of the crowd, Oliver approached Edmund and his group without hesitation.

“I heard you want a hundred silver coins, or you’ll beat me every day? Well, here I am. Come and try it!”

His words rang out, loud and clear.

A hush fell over the entire training field.

Is this a declaration of war?

The nerve of this commoner!

Oliver was alone, while Edmund’s gang numbered over a dozen. What’s more, they were all nobles—upper-year students.

The difference in strength was staggering, almost laughable.

After a brief pause, someone couldn’t help but laugh.

“You poor fool, are you crazy? You want to take us all on by yourself?”

Edmund chuckled.

“That’s right, just me. I’m challenging all of you!”

Oliver’s expression remained calm, unshaken.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“You’re asking for death,” Edmund said coldly, his anger flaring again.

The common folk were getting bolder and bolder these days. Earlier, those two poor bastards had dared to fight back, leaving him bruised and embarrassed. His face still stung.

Now, this guy had the audacity to come at him with this challenge.

Was he really so deluded? Did he think that just because he learned a few basic spells, he could stand on the same level as the nobles?

What a pathetic fool. Didn’t he know that any one of them could crush him without breaking a sweat?

Meanwhile, at the Arcanus Family Estate in Eccleston Town...

A lively banquet was underway.

Professor Arcanus had just returned from Glensorne City, and it seemed his journey had yielded great results. Now, he was hosting a lavish feast for the nobles, knights, and mages of the town.

Among the guests was one man whose smile was particularly bright. Surrounded by flattering courtiers, he basked in attention.

This man was Hector, one of Oliver’s senior classmates.

Hector had returned with Professor Arcanus, having successfully completed the Mage Tower trials and earned his official mage certification. He was now a fully-fledged mage—his status had soared.

A true mage could even open their own academy if they desired.

With his new status, Hector stood out in the crowd, now a recognized figure among the local nobility and townspeople.

But Hector wasn’t the center of attention at the banquet. The real star of the evening was Professor Arcanus himself.

Rumor had it that during his trip to Glensorne, Arcanus had formed a strong alliance with a high-ranking figure at the Mage Tower and they’d jointly researched a powerful new spell.

Soon, He might soon be taking up a position at the Mage Tower！

The Mage Tower was an influential institution in the Kingdom of Riverhaven, its power rivaling that of the royal family itself. Every mage had a connection to the Tower, and entering it was the dream of many aspiring magic users.

Being affiliated with the Mage Tower was a mark of great honor.

Tonight, nearly every notable person in town had gathered to congratulate Professor Arcanus and share in the celebration of his success.

Professor Arcanus didn’t seem particularly fond of the lively atmosphere. After greeting the guests out of courtesy, he left the garden and asked the butler to handle the reception.

It was no surprise, though. Those who were about to enter the Mage’s Tower were different from the rest. The nobles, knights, and mages from the entire town were all here, but Arcanus could simply leave his guests behind and return to his study to read.

The banquet had started in the afternoon and only ended when night had fallen.

"Let’s go. It’s time to head back to the academy."

Professor Arcanus approached Hector, who was slightly tipsy.

As soon as he caught the smell of alcohol on his student, Arcanus raised an eyebrow, his expression subtly hardening.

"Professor, it’s late. Maybe we can call it a day?" Hector mumbled, reluctantly putting down his glass.

Arcanus immediately furrowed his brow deeper. "How can you leave things for tomorrow? Becoming a Red-tier mage is just the beginning of your journey as a scholar of magic. Your path is long, and you must keep striving forward."

Hector, sobering up a little, felt a pang of guilt. Was the professor upset with him? It was true, he had let his excitement get the best of him today.

Arcanus had always been a bit stern, especially when it came to his students. Some even said he was a little old-fashioned and hard to get along with.

"I’ll clean up right away, Professor. I’ll join you at the academy in just a moment!" Hector hurriedly said, already unbuttoning his extravagant outfit and using a spell to rid himself of the lingering scent of alcohol.

"Let’s go," Arcanus nodded, satisfied.

And so, Arcanus, Hector, William, and a few other senior students made their way to the academy.

Oakridge Academy only had thirty students in total, but they were divided into various tiers.

Oliver and the other new students were at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

Then there were people like Edmund and his peers—senior students, but with mediocre magical talent or ability.

The students who held the most value in Arcanus’s eyes were those who had either reached the rank of full-fledged mage or were on the path to becoming one—these were called the Core Apprentices.

When Arcanus and his group arrived at the academy, they were just approaching the training grounds when they heard the commotion coming from within.

"Who do you think you are, challenging us?" Edmund’s mocking laughter echoed, filled with scorn and derision.

"Some pauper, learned a few basic spells, and now thinks he's something special!"

The nobles around him laughed, clearly amused, viewing Oliver as nothing more than a fool—a joke to be laughed at.

But Oliver stood unshaken. His voice, firm and resolute, silenced their jeers.

"Enough talk. You all want to fight? Or should I start by showing you what you’re up against?"

Hector stiffened, realizing that some of the younger students hadn’t learned their lesson. They were still causing trouble.

Arcanus despised such disruptions.

And from the looks of it, Oliver was the one being targeted.

"That’s Stark," William said, his tone hinting that he wanted to step in.

He had a decent impression of Oliver and didn’t want to see him bullied by those unruly noble students.

"Stark?" Arcanus raised an eyebrow, as if he’d heard Hector mention the name before. Was this student really talented in any way?

"A commoner just starting out, challenging these senior nobles…"

Arcanus’s opinion of Oliver immediately dropped. It wasn’t that he supported the nobles bullying him, but Oliver was clearly no match for them. To challenge them head-on was foolish, impulsive.

To become a powerful mage, one needed more than talent—intelligence was crucial.

A fool, no matter how gifted, would struggle to reach the top.

"I’ll go stop them!" Hector exclaimed urgently.

"I’ll go too!" William added.

"Stay back. Let them fight. If Stark insists on challenging those far stronger than him, then he should learn a lesson. A few punches in school are nothing compared to dying at the hands of magical beasts in the future."

With that, Arcanus turned away, heading back toward the garden.

He wasn’t going to the training grounds.

"Find someone and get the full story. I want to know exactly what’s happening," he added, his voice calm yet firm.

Hector and the others hurried to follow, their concern for Oliver evident.

It seemed that Oliver was going to face a rough time today.

They slipped away unnoticed, and even the students in the training ground didn’t realize they had been there.