"Wake up, student, wake up, we have arrived at the Magic Academy. Hey, stop sleeping!" Rody heard someone calling him and felt a force shaking his body. In an instant, all the images in the hall vanished, and he felt his soul rapidly being pulled back and violently returning to his cumbersome body, causing him to cry out in discomfort.

"It's you..." Rody opened his eyes and saw the coachman shaking him, almost wanting to kill him for the interruption. He was worried whether he could re-enter the magic hall to study, or experience that meditative state again. Looking outside, Rody was surprised to find himself truly in the capital of Felic, right at the entrance of the Magic Academy.

After paying the fare, Rody put away the ancient magic book and got down, feeling slightly dizzy.

It seemed that sitting motionless in the carriage for several days had caused this brief dizziness. Returning to the Magic Academy, Rody felt different than before; his heart was lighter, feeling hope like sunshine. Previously, he lacked magic to practice, a path forward, or the possibility of advancement... Now, with the guidance of the ancient magic book, he could enhance his strength through psychic magic. Although his seven-star potential wasn't high, Rody guessed that this standard might differ from the current worldly assessment, since Nicholas, with only one-star potential, could become a five-star senior mage.

With his seven-star potential, perhaps he could become a Law King, or even higher.

For the first time since he was five, Rody felt hope under his feet, ready to stand tall and proud.

"Mother, wait for me. I will succeed, become stronger, and when I return, I will be a true powerhouse..." Rody thought of his mother in Whitestone Town, who might be praying for him. "Mother, may the Merciful Holy Mother you believe in always protect you..."

"Wow, oh my God, who do I see? Rody, is that really you?" Tommy, a plump boy, ran over, panting but excited, shouting, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"You seem thinner? Am I mistaken?" Rody was surprised to see the chubby boy looking different.

"I'm thinner? Could it be that I'm unrecognizably thin? Oh no!" Tommy was alarmed at the thought and screamed, while Terry, a thief following him, laughed, "If that's called being unrecognizably thin, then a pig must be skin and bones."

"I bet you itch for a beating every day," Tommy retorted angrily. "Thief, stand back; I need to talk to Rody about the account."

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"Rody, if we weren't studying, we should have gone into the barbecued meat business. I bet it would be booming," Terry, unfazed, grinned. "You might not believe it, but in these past ten days, we've made at least fifty gold coins in pure profit, and selling the barbecue business to two major companies even earned us two hundred gold coins as a transfer fee. Haha, guess where we went last night? We attended the king's salon banquet..."

"Nobody would think you're mute if you kept quiet!" Tommy kicked Terry away, a bit embarrassed. "Rody, I transferred the rights to your barbecue, ice wine, and fruit juice business due to Headmaster Buck's instructions. I swear I didn't take a single gold coin from the two winning bidders, nor did I undercharge them. The two hundred gold coin transfer fee and their ten gold coin gratuity to me, I've saved every penny for you."

"So, you also got a ten gold coin gratuity? Damn, why did I only get five gold coins?" Terry inadvertently revealed a secret.

"Is that the good news?" Rody smiled slightly. "Tommy, keep the gold coins with you. I haven't thought of how to spend them yet. Just hold onto them for now. Tell me the bad news."

"I'll keep the gold, but don't expect any interest!" Tommy jumped with joy, having been ready to reluctantly hand over the gold.

"The bad news, cough, it's very bad..." Terry looked around to ensure safety, then whispered, "According to absolutely reliable information, Headmaster Buck is a super evil demon. He plans to send us to hell for training to satisfy his perverse pleasure."

"That's great, I've been wanting to visit hell, and now the opportunity has finally come," Rody replied, startling Terry into falling.

"Rody," Jill, a shy girl, stood behind him, not daring to look up.

"Jill looks nice in a magic robe, and even nicer in noble lady's clothes. If there's a vote for class president, I'll definitely vote for you. I am your eternal follower!" Terry got up, flattering the pretty girl, which was his

greatest hobby. Rody had heard of this and wasn't surprised.

"The class president should be someone substantial like me!" Tommy laughed. "Hey, sycophant thief, it's not too late to shine my shoes!"

"I won't shine shoes for a pig; pigs don't wear shoes, only pig hooves!" Terry retorted.

"You're asking for it!" Tommy rolled up his sleeves, apparently ready to fight.

"Brother..." A joyful child's voice sounded, and little Alice came running, her face flushed, her delicate hand outstretched, laughing, "Where's my big windmill?"

"The big windmill?" Rody was taken aback, having forgotten about it.

"Brother forgot about Alice's big windmill?" Alice's big eyes were filled with disappointment. "Brother lied. Alice remembers Brother saying he'd make it twelve days ago, but it's still not done. Brother lied! Alice is so sad..."

"Right, he's a liar. Alice, don't play with him. Let's go back!" The silver-armored female knight who always looked at Rody unfavorably came over, coaxing Alice.

"Brother Rody was busy with errands, but he'll definitely make the big windmill for Alice tomorrow," Jill quickly spoke up for Rody.

"Really?" Alice's spirits lifted. "Will there really be a big windmill tomorrow?"

"Hey, you're not really going to deceive a child, are you? How can you lie to a child!" The silver-armored knight was furious at Rody's silence.

"He's also a child..." The beautiful tutor, unknown when, appeared behind Rody, casually patting his shoulder. "It's only been a few days, and you seem a bit different. Children grow up so fast!" Beside her stood Headmaster Buck, the demon-labeled headmaster, smiling, "Yes, you're right, absolutely right."

"Adhere to principles in life; if you don't have them, don't echo my words," the tutor seemed to dislike flattery and walked away.

"Phew, lucky Miss Margaret seems to be in a good mood today, or it would have been bad," Headmaster Buck revealed his signature smile, making everyone's backs break into a cold sweat. Tommy and Terry were about to flee when Headmaster Buck grabbed them, announcing, "To welcome Rody's return, I've decided to add an extra shadow soul in tomorrow's meditation class."

"Help..." Tommy and the others immediately erupted in earth-shattering wails of despair.