Dawnlight Academy (Part 2)

Dawnlight Academy (Part 2)

At the end of the tree-lined avenue was a small plaza. From afar, it was packed with people. Lorist was somewhat puzzled. Why were there so many people in the plaza at this hour? What spectacle were they gathering for now?

The moment Lorist appeared in the small plaza, the people who had been standing around in groups of three or five immediately stirred.

"Instructor Locke is here..."

"Is he Norton Lorist?"

"Where? Which one is Lorist?"

"Over there, that one is Locke..."

"..."

The crowd surged toward Lorist...

A burly man in a battered leather cuirass, his face covered in a thick beard, ran the fastest. Taking the lead, he drew his double-edged greatsword with a sharp shing, casually tossed aside the scabbard, raised the sword high, and shouted, "Aha, Lorist, don't move! I challenge you to a duel..."

Sword light flickered along the double-edged greatsword. Clearly, this was a swordsman whose Battle Qi had reached the Silver Two-star rank.

The various strength ranks of Battle Qi were easy to distinguish. When Bronze Battle Qi circulated, every part of the body appeared bulkier, greatly enhancing a person's strength, agility, and endurance. Black Iron Battle Qi was primarily defensive. For example, if Battle Qi was channeled into an arm, the arm became as hard as iron. It also produced a protective glow, allowing one to withstand several times the damage an ordinary person could endure.

Silver Tier Battle Qi, on the other hand, manifested in offense. Silver Swordsmen could channel Battle Qi into the weapons in their hands, forming different kinds of sword light or battle light. The length of the light indicated how many stars their strength was rated at.

Gold Swordsmen could gather sword light into a near-solid form and strike at enemies from afar after releasing it from their weapons. As for Great Swordsmen above them, it was said that they could gather qi into a sword with anything, even a flower or blade of grass, turning it into a divine weapon that could cut through anything in its path.

As for Sword Saints, they were the stuff of legend, supposedly possessing domains or something of the sort. Yet there were only four or five Sword Saints on the entire continent of Galintea. Having one was equivalent to possessing a pillar of national strength, so those Sword Saints were carefully hidden away by their respective nations and rarely seen.

Lorist looked at the burly man charging at him with a double-edged greatsword raised high, his face full of admiration. Amazing. He dared draw a sword and block the road openly inside Dawnlight Academy. He must have a lot of money...

"Stop!" A sharp shout rang out, and a group of swordsmen in black academy uniforms appeared in the plaza.

The burly man stopped. Anyone would have stopped if swords with flickering sword light were suddenly pointed at their ribs, waist, abdomen, chest, and throat. What frightened him even more was that, among the four swords aimed at him, two had sword light longer than that emitted by his double-edged greatsword. Clearly, the owners of those two swords possessed Silver Three-Star strength...

The burly man stood frozen with his double-edged greatsword held high, while the crowd chasing behind him recoiled like waves crashing against a reef. Several people who had copied the burly man and drawn their weapons were now frantically trying to hide them...

"You, you, you, that one over there in chainmail, and you in blue, and the one in the leather cap too... What nerve. You dare draw weapons and commit violence in Dawnlight Academy? Take them all back to the Enforcement Department!" A fat man with a fleshy face appeared before the crowd.

The two people in the crowd who had drawn weapons earlier turned and ran the moment the fat man pointed them out.

"You still dare run? Send a few men after them. Bring them back and double their fines!" The fat man looked vicious.

"Yes!" Several swordsmen in black uniforms gave chase.

If one were to ask the Dawnlight Academy students who the most detestable person was, then this fat man, the head of the academy's Enforcement Department, would certainly rank first. His name was Shredder, and he had a famous nickname: Money-Grubber.

As the head of the academy's Enforcement Department, the fat man's policy toward students who broke the rules was neither beating nor scolding them. His only punishment was fines, and he would not stop until he had stripped away most of their wealth. No money? That was fine too. The Enforcement Department thoughtfully provided loan services. To help them repay their loans, it would even find suitable jobs tailored to them, until they had paid off both the loan and its usurious interest.

Once, two students broke the rules and gritted their teeth as they claimed they had no money. The fat man smiled and said, "No money is fine. As long as you have strength."

Then he promptly packaged the two students off and rented them out to a mine, where they dug underground for three months. It was said that those two students had nearly gotten their chrysanthemums stabbed in the underground tunnels. When the three months were up, the fat man sent someone to bring them back. Upon seeing daylight again, the two students clung to the person who came for them and wept rivers of tears. They looked so miserable and heartbroken that anyone who saw them would have cried.

Still, the punishment was quite effective. The two students, who had once been rather tyrannical in the academy, became exceedingly well-behaved over the following years. They even walked carefully, terrified of breaking any rules. Several years had passed, yet the mere mention of the word "mine" still made them shudder.

The remaining people named by the fat man were quickly subdued by the enforcement swordsmen and taken aside. Only then did the fat man stroll leisurely up to the burly man holding the double-edged greatsword aloft. With a wave of his hand, the four swords pointed at the man withdrew. The burly man hurriedly lowered the sword he had held over his head.

"Were you planning to come to our Dawnlight Academy and rob people on the road?" The fat man was very polite, and very sarcastic.

The burly man's face reddened. "Oh, no, no. I came after seeing your academy's notice..."

"A notice? What notice made you come to our academy shouting about killing and fighting? Why haven't I seen it?" The fat man wore the expression of an innocent, curious child.

"Huh?" The burly man was startled. "Th-that duel notice wasn't posted by your academy? It said that as long as someone was at the Silver Tier, no matter who they were, if they could defeat your academy's Gold Instructor Lorist, who was only at the Black Iron rank, in a duel, they would not only receive a reward of one hundred gold coins, but also be hired by your academy at a high salary as a Gold Instructor of swordsmanship. That's why I came..."

"Oh, so you mean that duel notice. Yes, our academy posted it. But are you sure you read the duel notice carefully?"

"Of course I read it carefully! The words on it were bigger than fists. How could I not see them?" the burly man shouted with his neck stiffened.

"You read it carefully? Then tell me, what were the detailed requirements on the duel notice? When did the notice permit you to draw your sword and block the road inside the academy?" The fat man suddenly changed expression and glared viciously at the burly man.

The burly man was dumbfounded. He muttered, "Wasn't I worried someone would get Lorist before me? Detailed requirements? I didn't see any..."

"It was written very clearly beneath the duel notice. Didn't you say you read it carefully?"

"You mean the words under the notice that were smaller than a fingernail? Those were the detailed requirements? Who would read those? I only looked at the big words..." The burly man's voice grew quieter and quieter. He seemed to realize he had made a grave mistake.

"Hehe, of course duels have detailed requirements. Otherwise, if everyone drew swords and blocked the road like you, what would become of the place? Our Dawnlight Academy is among the best in Galintea, and we naturally have rules. For this duel notice, Silver Tier challengers must first come to the academy's Enforcement Department. See that white stone building over there? That is our Enforcement Department. You must register first, and the registration fee is ten Gold Fude. Then you wait for notification. We will inform you of the duel time two or three days in advance. If you fail to appear then, it means you have forfeited the duel, and the registration fee will not be refunded."

"Of course, investment brings returns. Although you spend ten Gold Fude on the registration fee, think about who your opponent is. Lorist is only at the Black Iron rank, just somewhat skilled with a sword. And if you win? Not only will you receive one hundred Gold Fude, but our academy will hire you at a high salary as a Gold Instructor of swordsmanship. You should know that a Gold Instructor earns ten Gold Fude per month. In less than two years, you could buy a small house in Molent City and settle down comfortably."

Like a patient salesman, the fat man slowly coaxed the burly man along. The man's eyes gleamed as he listened, and he nodded desperately.

"What a pity..." The fat man's tone changed, and he put on the expression of someone deeply disappointed by another's failure. "Such a wonderful opportunity was nearly ruined by you. You did not read the duel notice properly and openly drew your sword to block the road in our academy. Not only did you violate the academy's public order regulations, you also smeared our academy's reputation and caused immeasurable emotional damage. Therefore, you must first accept punishment before registering for the duel."

"Punishment? What punishment?" the burly man asked timidly.

"Oh, don't worry. Our academy has rules. We will not harm your body in any way. It is only a small fine. For behavior like yours, you merely need to pay five Gold Fude, and everything will be settled." The fat man spoke pleasantly.

"What! Five gold coins?" The burly man had never imagined that merely drawing his sword would cost him five gold coins. "I-I don't have that much money..."

"No money is fine. You can borrow from friends. If you truly cannot borrow any, then our Enforcement Department can help find you work and guarantee that you will be able to pay the fine." At the mention of no money, the fat man became somewhat impatient. He waved for the enforcement swordsmen in black uniforms to escort the burly man and the other violators back to the Enforcement Department.

More than half the crowd in the small plaza dispersed, leaving only a few lingering behind.

Lorist approached with a dark expression. He had heard almost everything the fat man had said.

"Money-Grubber! What are you up to now?"

The fat man immediately beamed. "Haha, isn't this our Little Locke? Long time no see. Your big brother has missed you to death..."

"Cut the nonsense. What is this duel notice about?" Lorist did not give him a pleasant look, merely stared at him.

"Ah..." The fat man first let out a long sigh, then began pouring out his grievances. "Brother, didn't you get annoyed last year because people kept pestering you for duels? Later, I gave you an idea. Anyone who wanted to duel you had to pay five gold coins. Two for me, three for you. You fought fifty-seven duels last year, and we brothers both made a small fortune. Then the old bastard above took notice of this business..."

The fat man pointed at the sky, implying that there was nothing he could do about orders from above. "A few days ago, that old bastard summoned me and said that you still hadn't broken through during your trip to the Ruins Archipelago. Last year, you became a dual Gold Instructor while still at the Black Iron Tier, and those academies laughed that Dawnlight had no one left. This time, the old bastard wants to slap those academies hard across the face. He wants you to teach all their Silver instructors a lesson, so he had us post the duel notice, mainly to draw those academies' Silver instructors here to challenge you."

"Is it really that simple?" Lorist did not believe the fat man's explanation was so grand and righteous.

"Uh..." The fat man looked a little embarrassed. "There's also... also the intention of making a bit of money... The old bastard said our vision was too narrow. We only knew to focus on Dawnlight Academy, and after earning a little over a hundred gold coins last year, we were already smug. So he doubled the duel registration fee and added all those rewards to attract more people to register. Of course, the old bastard said you would be doing the hard work, so your share remains unchanged: three gold coins. The Enforcement Department gets less, only one coin, for maintaining order at the duel venue and keeping the academy peaceful. The remaining six gold coins go to the academy..."

Lorist understood. The only person whom Money-Grubber Shredder would call an old bastard was the academy president, Levens. "Isn't the old bastard afraid I'll stumble in the gutter? That I'll lose to someone?"

"Hehe." The fat man gave an awkward laugh. "Your big brother naturally has complete confidence in you. Don't be fooled by the fact that I'm Silver Three-Star. I know perfectly well that I couldn't last twenty moves under you. Those fifty-seven duels last year gave the Enforcement Department fellows great confidence. Everyone is unanimously optimistic about you!"

"But it's strange that the old bastard thinks so highly of you too. He's invested so much. By the way, before you went to the Ruins Archipelago, did you spar with Instructor Krudd? The old bastard said you remained undefeated for two hundred moves. Is that true?" The fat man recalled a rumor.

Instructor Colin Krudd possessed peak Gold Three-star strength and was recognized as the person most likely to advance to Great Swordsman. He was Dawnlight Academy's chief swordsmanship instructor and, besides Lorist, the holder of the academy's other Gold Badge for swordsmanship instructors. He had earned it through sheer strength, whereas Lorist had obtained his through thirty consecutive victories in cross-rank challenges. Afterward, Lorist still had to defend that Gold Badge through duels. Once he lost, he would lose his status as a swordsmanship instructor.

Last year, Lorist won all fifty-seven of his duels. Instructor Krudd had been tempted to exchange moves with Lorist, but because the gap between their Battle Qi ranks was so large, he had been too embarrassed to suggest it. Then Lorist's desire to visit the Ruins Archipelago gave him an opportunity. Using the excuse that Lorist needed his recognition of his strength before he could adventure in the Ruins Archipelago, the two finally sparred.

Lorist held on for over two hundred moves, but in the end, the difference in their strength ranks was too great, and he lost. Even so, it was an honorable defeat.

"How did you know?" Lorist found it strange. Only three people had been present during that spar.

"The old bastard told me." The fat man sold out his source without hesitation. "The old bastard said that although he did not understand Battle Qi or swordsmanship, Instructor Krudd praised you endlessly in private after the spar. He said you were truly invincible among Silver ranks. Although your Battle Qi was only at the Black Iron rank, your swordsmanship was superior to that of most Gold Swordsmen. And after sparring with you, Instructor Krudd went into seclusion and has remained there ever since, trying to break through into the Great Swordsman realm. Perhaps that was what gave the old bastard confidence and made him place his bet on you."

"Uh..." Lorist was speechless. Just like that, the old bastard had pushed him into the spotlight. He had only just returned to the academy and already encountered this mess. There was nowhere to argue his case. It was truly infuriating and depressing. "I'm going to find that old bastard!"

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