“He did WHAT?!”
Damon heard the very moment the Headmaster got the news. It wasn’t just his office that shook, but the entire floor! A certain assistant eyed the arriving Damon sheepishly:
“Student, whatever you came here to do, I think you’re better off coming back another time…”
“That? I’m pretty sure that’s actually for me, you see.” Then, a second later, a shout resounded from the intercom. “Get me Damon Malum, NOW!”
With this, Damon shrugged, “See?” as he went inside the office, leaving his pet at the door.
The Headmaster’s office was atrociously decorated. It was lion statue after lion statue, the principal sitting behind a massive desk that seemed sturdier than a fortress. Oh, he was also fuming, his bald head twitching.
“Hello, Headmaster, how have you been on this wonderful d—”
“Y-YOU! Don’t give me that bullshit! Reckless student endangerment, Teacher attack, classroom disturbance, and late to boot?! Why shouldn’t I expel you right now?!”
“How the Amber Academy has fallen…”
Damon should have apologized. Perhaps he could have, but instead, he sighed so profoundly that it brought the entire office to a halt. Then he kept sighing as if talking to himself.
“The teachers especially. Reckless? Failure to assess the situation. Attack? Lack of spatial awareness. Disturbance? Teaching erroneous material. Add lying to all this and…”
Damon shook his head, then decisively stepped back, leaving the office.
“I want no part of such a failed and conceited Academy…”
Expel him?! How would they if he quit beforehand! Did he really wish to leave? Hell no, not after all the trouble he had gone through to join! Still, he had to do this.
The Headmaster’s anger? He knew it was fake.
After all, why would an expert shout his assistant to get him while he was right outside of his door? No, this outburst was all for show, all to see if he’d falter or stand up for himself.
In fact, Damon had barely reached the door that…
“Tell me one thing: how did you know the student would survive?”
“I met him at the Academy Plaza, so I knew he wasn’t… normal. But you already knew that, didn’t you? We were being graded way before entering the Amber boundary.”
That’s when the Headmaster trembled. Anger? It disappeared. The test was now over, and Damon had passed with flying colors! With this, his suspicions had been confirmed.
“Take a seat, Damon. Do you know what we call people like you?”
“If you ask Miss Americano, I’m sure she’ll say troublemaker.”
“Pfft— Troublemaker? No, you’re a natural-born GUIDE!”
Damon inwardly sighed in relief. Miss Cappuccino had deemed him useless because of his weak Fortune Neko, but luckily, the Headmaster wasn’t as blind. Not everything was about raw power in this world.
“Guides, the ones that sense things that others don’t. The way you cruised through the Pyramid, noticing every single detail? That’s exactly it. I just have one question for you. Why Amber instead of Emerald?”
His question was extremely meaningful. Emerald Academy? They focused on Training Guides. They were usually weaker than other Academies, but their utility made them insane Party Members!
The Headmaster casually asked, but Damon knew that his answer would change EVERYTHING.
Students were investments, and the man wanted to know where his allegiances lay. Training someone who’d jump ship later on was a pointless endeavor!
“Why Amber Academy? The Amber Tower.”
“That’s it? Nothing else?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
It was such a simple answer?! Was this really what he was going for?!
He could have said something about reviving the Amber Academy’s Legacy. After all, they who had been #1 ages ago were now dead last on every metric. But that would have been too ephemeral.
He could have claimed to be here for Loyalty. He had lived here for years and even made a friend from a powerful Tamer Family: Lilly. But Loyalty, too, could easily switch given enough incentives.
His answer was so damn simple yet genius. The Amber Tower? It wouldn’t go anywhere! Still, the Headmaster had concerns. Sure, they had the Amber Tower, but they weren’t the only ones with something like this.
“What about the Emerald Labyrinth? Wouldn’t that interest you? It’s perfect to train Guides.”
“I swear I’ll Clear the Amber Tower First.”
“But you’ve already—”
“All of it.”
As Damon swore, a bluish light suddenly illuminated his person. The System had registered his promise as a vow?! This meant that he’d HAVE to clear the Tower before leaving them!
Instantly, all the fears the Headmaster once had vaporized. One had to know that clearing all the Floors… was impossible! How he looked at Damon changed completely: he was one of theirs now!
“You, I like you, kid! Still, can’t have that incident from earlier happen again, now can we?”
“Of course not! Luckily, I have a suggestion for that…”
The two then talked A LOT! Damon, who had lived so long, could easily put himself in the Headmaster’s shoes, never asking more than he should. He even gave solutions to management problems that had plagued the man!
Then, as they exited the office together, the assistant gawked his soul out.
What the heck?! The two were side to side as if old friends?! Not only that, but the Headmaster was laughing?! Not just his regular ‘did you have fun’ laugh either; his teeth were showing! But it got worse:
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Take care! Do call me for that BBQ later!”
“Will do! C’mon, partner, time to go.”
BBQ?! All that anger from before? Gone! Seniority? Out the fucking window! Respected powerful Tamer? Nope! He even chuckled as he approached the assistant’s desk.
“Hehe, handle this for me, will you?”
“S-Sure? Yes, I mean YES!”
It was a bunch of forms, all more complicated than the last. New Advertisement Strategy? Okay. Budget changes? Alright. New Teaching Programs?! Wow! Creation of a Special Class?! R-Really?!
Regular Class → Elite Class → And now a Special Class to boot?!
All those changes were so drastic: the Headmaster was dreaming BIG! Eyes gleaming with expectation, the assistant quickly read the details of the Special Class, only to freeze.
Tamers families? Geniuses? Nope. There were only two lines. Damon MF Malum & Cat. Special Prerogative: Attendance not mandatory and free to join any Class on campus.
“W-Who the hell is that kid? The Headmaster’s illegitimate son?!”
Perhaps he really was…?!? Not knowing what ridiculous conclusion a certain assistant had arrived to, Damon was roaming the Academy. There was something he wanted to see for himself.
It took him a while, but he finally found it…
A ginormous Golden Tower, so massive that it seemed to reach Heaven! Yet, it only became visible once they came nearby, the illusion barrier hiding it a masterpiece.
This was the Actual Amber Tower.
The portal from the Entrance Ceremony? It had merely been a shortcut opened by the Headmaster for the occasion. No, this was the real deal. As for its entrance…
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Welcome to the Amber Tower!
Admission 50 CP Per Floor!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
He had expected as much. There was even a small pillar with a Badge-Size indent. Not wasting any time, Damon slapped his own Badge on it. That’s when an interface opened…
[Welcome to the Amber Tower!]
[Please Select the Floor You Wish to Access!]
Right now, there were only 2 options: the 1F and 2F, with every floor afterward grayed out. As for what happened if he tried to click on the option nonetheless.
[Error! Insufficient CP. Please Visit the Contribution Office for more details!]
That’s how things worked in every Academy, this one no different. But just as he found himself sighing, there was a sudden exclamation.
“You, student! What are you doing here? Wait, you’re that Tower Braver guy? Shouldn’t you be in Miss Latte’s Class right now? Don’t tell me you’re ditching?!”
A Teacher? That much was obvious. Not only was he composed, but he even had a flock of naive-looking students following him like little chicks.
There was even one he knew in there, Fake Silver Emblem Guy! Miss Latte’s Class was the Elite one, so this one was the regular one? As for the Teacher’s question.
“Nope. I left the Elite Class. I’m in the Special Class now.”
“Miaow!” (This Cat is also in the Special Class!)
Damon shrugged, a certain cat beaming with pride. As for the Teacher, he flicked his wavy hair behind, clapping his hands in realization, an amused glint in his eyes.
“I see, that’s awesome! I was about to give a History Lesson, feel free to listen in!”
Damon ditching? He didn’t care at all! The next time the arrogant Latte called him an optimistic fool, he’d retort that her student had ditched her for him!
“The Tower dates back to the foundation of the Amber Academy…”
It was an age of Legends, with all the Academies being created one after the other. For the first time since the Nightmare, humans had finally gotten a footing in this new world.
But, the founder, the Amber Master had been worried for the future of his Academy. Without him, how long would it survive? Thus, he created the Amber Tower.
Even to this day, no one knew how he had done it, the founder disappearing before anyone could ask. As for what had happened to him, there were as many theories as students!
Had he died, sacrificing himself to create the Tower? Had he Ascended to a whole new world? Was he still sealed underneath the Academy, protecting it from the shadows?
“So there you have it. Amazing, isn’t it? This is the Legacy you all carry! Who knows, maybe one of you will even become the next Headmaster!” The teacher made them dream.
But just as the students’ eyes twinkled, someone interrupted the party. It was a stern-looking man, all sergeant-looking with his buzz cut.
“Useless drivel! What kind of Teacher are you, you should be making them stronger not dreamers. Besides… this student right next to you. Shouldn’t he be in the Elite Class?!”
“T-That… you see, he’s in the Special Class. T-That’s what he said.”
“Special Class? Special, my Ass! As a teacher, you should know better!”
This was about to turn into a bloodbath! From seeing their expressions, it was clear that the naive teacher was clearly lower-ranked than the newcomer.
Yet, if Damon had to say, he liked him way more. Teach them? What was the point if there was no sense of belonging to the Academy? NONE! Thus, he turned toward the newcomer.
“As a Teacher? A teacher’s role is to teach, isn’t it? As a bystander, you should scram! How long are you gonna disrupt this lesson? Should I call a Disciplinary Committee Member?”
Damon wasn’t sure about the details, but he had heard rumors of powerful beings who ensured the Academy rules were respected. Stopping a lesson? How dare he?!
There was a sudden silence, the teacher awkwardly rubbing his head.
“T-That… Mister Hartman IS from the Disciplinary Committee.”
“Then he’s doing a piss poor job! I’ll tell the Headmaster!”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Was this bravery or idiocy? Seeing how troublesome and irreverent this new student was, the Disciplinary Member didn’t lose his calm, simply uttering ominous words.
“Fine, but lucky for you, I’ll save you the trouble. I’ll personally inform the Headmaster. On that note, have a great day, Gentlemen~!” The last part oozed with sarcasm.
T-This… they were fucked?! The Teacher’s face suddenly fell. Perhaps a new student didn’t understand, but he did. What would happen once the Headmaster heard about all this?!
“Meh, you’ll probably get a raise.” Damon completed as if reading his thoughts. But then he kept going. “Actually, I need CP for the Tower, right? Can you tell me more about it?”
“S-Sure. CP stands for contribution points, and…”
The man went into a lengthy explanation, diligently teaching even as his career was on the line. As for the CP? It basically boiled down to: 'do jobs for the Academy and get CP'.
Those points could be spent to acquire various materials and use many services. It was akin to Credits, a currency.
One had to use their Badge to access it, but it was disabled by default? Ah, apparently, it was to prevent students from being scammed out of them since they started with 10 CP.
After the explanations, the Teacher fiddled with Damon’s Badge for a minute before giving it back, sighing. “All done for CP, but we better think of a decent apology.”
Damon could clearly see the worry in the man’s eyes. He himself would be somewhat fine, but a new student going against a Disciplinary Member, now that was BAD!
But said student just played with his Badge.
[Welcome to the Contribution Points Interface!]
[First Quest: Acquire CP! Opening Mission Board!]
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1. Deliver Meal Boxes! 1 CP
2. Clean the Academy Grounds! 2 CP
3. Feed Magical Beast in the pen! 5 CP
4. Clear a Dungeon Near the City! See Details.
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There were so many options, countless more appearing and disappearing every given second. Seeing this, Damon’s eyes instantly locked on the last one.
Dungeon clearing? He could do that for sure! Whistling, he gave one last look at the worried teacher: “Well, thanks for everything. I’ll be going…”
“Wait, running away from punishment won’t do any—”
“Who says I’m running? Anyway, plank for a day.”
“W-What?! Wait, I’m serious, don’t lea—”
Damon actually ran away?! Seeing this, the poor teacher was at a loss. He had just been trying to help! But before he could organize his thought, the “sergeant” Hartman returned!
“You, where did that Student from before go?! Did he say anything?!”
“W-What? He said plank for a day as he went god knows—”
“I understand! Sorry for the issues I’ve caused! I didn’t know about the Special Class, but I know better now! Once again, please excuse my rudeness, and have a great day!”
He departed like a Gale, not angry in the least. One had to know that he was a stickler for the rules. Since he had been wrong, he’d accept the punishment. It was that simple!
Confused and bewildered, a certain Teacher and Class continued their studies, many etching that scene into their memories. Special Class? How awe-inspiring!
But then a little later in the Plaza…
“Hey, isn’t that Disciplinary Hartman? Why’s he doing the plank?”
“Are those weights on his back? As for under him… spikes?!”
“Who the hell did he piss off?! I smell DRAMA!”
A certain Class actually knew what was happening. As they saw it, their brain melted! “I-Impossible?! The Special Class has that much power?!”
Many turned around. Special Class? What was this about? But as they heard the “details”, they started shaking in their boots. What the fuck?! Thus, a new legend was born.
As for Damon, he was blissfully ignorant of it all. No, he had already exited the Academy. In fact, he had almost left Amber City, a certain Dungeon Companion APP open.
| Ding! Nearby Dungeon Detected! |
It was time to level up…