He continued calmly, "At nine years old, he cultivated a so-called trash martial soul to Rank 11. That alone makes him exceptional. We must keep an eye on him."
They returned to the dormitory.
No one had cleaned it.
Ray quietly placed his blanket on the table and began picking up his scattered belongings.
Miel stood off to the side, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists, not daring to speak.
The icily arrogant youth glanced at Lucius on the lower bunk, then pointed upward. "You. Top bunk."
Lucius froze for a moment. Meeting that cold, dangerous gaze, he immediately smiled, gathered his things, and climbed to the top bunk without complaint.
He was smart enough to know better than to provoke a volcano.
A flash of light shimmered in the arrogant youth's hand. A clean bedsheet appeared out of nowhere. Calmly, he spread it over the bed as if nothing had happened at all.
The bunk bed on the opposite side of the room fared far worse.
The top bunk had been completely destroyed. The bottom bunk still belonged to Miel.
Ray calmly packed away his belongings and placed them on the bottom bunk. After settling everything, he turned around and stared coldly at Miel.
"Get up!" Miel barked.
Ray replied flatly, "Get lost."
"You—!" Miel flared up and was about to stand.
"Don't be impulsive," Lucius said quickly as he climbed down from the top bunk. "Have you already forgotten what Directorthe said? Or do you not want to become a Mecha Master in the future?"
Miel's chest heaved, but he froze in place.
Without another glance at him, Ray picked up what remained of the shattered top bunk. With a sharp tug, he tore it apart completely and tossed the broken pieces straight out the window.
The clatter echoed down below.
At that moment, a middle-aged academy staff member walked in, carrying a wooden bed board.
"Yep, this should be the room," the man said cheerfully.
He swept his eyes over the tense atmosphere and laughed. "Fighting on the first day of school, huh? You boys really have a promising future. If you want to keep fighting, go ahead and smash this bed too. One hit costs ten thousand Federal Coins. Go on. My bonus will get bigger."
As he spoke, he casually lifted the board and slotted it into the top bunk. It fit perfectly.
Ten thousand Federal Coins?
Ray's eyes widened. That was just a bed board!
"Teacher," Ray asked urgently, "do we have to buy this one, or can we get one from outside?"
The staff member snorted. "Do you think this is your house? Property damage is a serious offense here. You must be Ray. The repair costs for the window, bed, and wall come to a total of thirty-four thousand Federal Coins. Go pay it at the administration office."
Thirty-four thousand.
Ray went completely stiff.
All the money he had earned over three years of forging barely reached thirty thousand. This was absurdly expensive.
When Miel heard the number, his face twitched. Without saying a word, he climbed straight up to the top bunk.
Ray sat down heavily on his bed, his mind racing.
Thirty-four thousand Federal Coins.
"My name is Raziel Phoenix."
The icily arrogant youth walked over and introduced himself bluntly.
"You're welcome," Ray replied without thinking.
"You're welcome?" Soul TRaziel Phoenix's cold expression cracked instantly.
Who was this guy thanking?
Gritting his teeth, Raziel Phoenix repeated, "I said, my name is Raziel Phoenix."
Ray finally snapped out of it and raised his head. Only then did he clearly recognize him. This was the same boy from the soul train station.
"What do you want?" Ray asked coldly.
Raziel Phoenix's eyes flashed. "Come outside the academy and fight me."
Humiliation burned in his chest. He could not accept losing to a brat with a so-called trash martial soul. That punch still made his jaw ache. Since childhood, he had never been beaten like this.
He couldn't swallow Director Long's judgment. He couldn't accept this stain.
"Get lost!" Ray snapped again.
"What did you say?"
A chilling aura surged from Raziel Phoenix's body.
Ray met his gaze head-on, his eyes blazing. "Still not done bullying people? Thirty-four thousand Federal Coins. Do you know what that means to me? If you keep provoking me, I'll beat you to death. Worst case, I won't attend this academy anymore."
"You're worried about that?" Raziel Phoenix stared at him blankly. To him, thirty-four thousand was nothing.
Ray replied slowly, "Maybe it's nothing to you city people. To me, I couldn't earn that even after working for years. Don't provoke me again unless you're ready to risk your life."
Something in Ray's crimson eyes made Raziel Phoenix hesitate. His imposing presence faltered slightly.
"I'll pay," Raziel Phoenix said sharply. "So fight me."
Ray froze. "You'll pay?"
Raziel Phoenix clenched his jaw. "I'll pay."
"Deal!" Ray agreed instantly, afraid he might change his mind. "When do we fight?"
One fight for thirty-four thousand Federal Coins?
He'd even let himself get beaten for that much.
Seeing Ray suddenly light up, Raziel Phoenix felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Tomorrow," he said, then turned and walked out.
As soon as he left the room, a towel appeared in his hand and he pressed it against his swollen face.
Watching him go, Ray thought sincerely, 'City people really are rich.'
Lucius coughed lightly. "It's lunchtime. Ray, want to go together?"
"Sure," Ray nodded. He had been hungry for a while now.
Miel jumped down from the top bunk. The hostility in his eyes had faded noticeably. After hearing the repair cost, his anger had cooled completely.
He wasn't rich either. That number had frightened him just as much. And this whole mess had started because of him. Ray hadn't demanded a single coin from him, which quietly improved Miel's impression of him.
Lucius led the way, with Ray and Miel following behind.
The intermediate academy's dining hall stood beside the main building. It had three floors, serving all six grades. First and second graders ate on the first floor.
Inside, there were only tables. No chairs.
This was one of West Ocean Academy's customs. Students had to eat standing up to cultivate a sense of urgency.
Three food windows stood in a row.
Lucius explained, "Window three is free food. Window two is subsidized. Window one is fully paid."
Naturally, window one offered the best food, window two was decent, and window three provided the basics.
On the sign above window three, two words were written clearly: Steamed Buns
Miel glanced at Ray. "Since we're not allowed to fight, how about a contest? Let's see who can eat more steamed buns. Dare?"
Ray looked at him seriously. "Are you sure there'll be enough?"
Miel grinned. "Of course. Window three is all-you-can-eat. Soul Masters eat way more than normal people."
Ray asked, "What's the bet?"