Chapter 74

### Chapter 74: Conclusion (2)

* * *

#2

The tuition for one semester at Frontier is about 30 million lat. The annual tuition alone amounts to a staggering 60 million lat. When all other educational expenses are added up, it comes to roughly 80 million lat per year.

If a student completes the entire five-year program at Frontier, the total amount they would have to pay over five years is 400 million lat.

For a commoner, this is an unimaginable and terrifying amount of money. It would be a distant dream to even meet the admission criteria.

Of course, there are ways for a commoner to enter Frontier on their own.

One could take out a massive special student loan from the central bank, using their future as collateral—provided they meet the admission criteria—or prove their exceptional potential to receive support from the empire.

In other words, it's a scholarship. Students with outstanding talent receive a set amount of scholarship regardless of their background. In some cases, they can even receive a full scholarship, like in the Epic Class.

Anyway, that's what I wanted to say.

300 million lat is indeed a large sum of money, but if things had gone as usual, it would have vanished like a mirage before I could even finish four years at Frontier.

I could feel, with my whole body, just how prestigious an academy I was attending. 300 million lat, not 30 million, seemed like a small amount. This money could last me at least ten years if I were to save it carefully...

I was a former noble, though I had fallen from grace. I had lived a life far from poverty, but if asked whether I was wealthy, I would have to give an ambiguous answer. Just a regular noble.

Based on those experiences, no matter how I calculated it, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was a considerable amount of money for a mere student.

But, well, that's beside the point. When I looked at my classmates, some were duchesses, princesses, and the like. They could easily receive 300 million lat as their monthly allowance. What is 300 million lat to them? If they wanted, they could easily get more from their wealthy parents...

After a moment of feeling the stark difference in status, I pondered the use of this bank account, received as compensation.

Firstly, I am a full scholarship recipient, so I don't have to spend any personal money on tuition.

If I were to use it for entertainment or other non-educational purposes, I didn't really have much interest in that, and I didn't think I would need much money for it.

Most convenience facilities are free with an Epic Class student ID, and the training facilities and equipment support are top-notch. From a student's perspective, it's a perfect and comfortable environment.

I had the money, but I had no idea how to spend it. What a luxurious situation.

I came to a conclusion.

I would save some and send some to my parents back home. They would surely use it well. Perhaps they could even manage the farm they had always wanted. The last time I visited, the food seemed a bit meager. They need to take care of their health.

After pondering this, I put the bank card back in its case and placed it on the desk. I could think about its use later. After all, it was my money.

Hmm, what to say...

It feels like I suddenly became a nouveau riche.

But what else could they give here?

The center of the empire seems to be living up to its name, with a grand scale.

...Could they even give an artifact?

"Unlikely."

I chuckled, thinking it was too far-fetched.

#3

"It's coming."

It was almost 10 a.m. At the Ordos Class station in the Third Academic District, we were waiting for the last person when we saw a figure running and panting from a distance. We waved our hands.

"Huff, huff, I, I'm here..."

As expected, it was Reni.

Except for Reni, who would be living in the Third Academic District, Alphris, Hector, and I were already gathered.

I had arrived 30 minutes early, as usual. Hector surprisingly arrived 20 minutes early, and Alphris joined shortly after.

It seemed to be a rule that the person living closest to the meeting place would arrive last. From her attitude, it didn't seem like she wanted to be late. Is there really something going on?

"Reni is here... It looks like everyone is here."

The latest arrival was at 9:55. In the end, we managed to gather before the agreed time.

"Let's go."

I nodded, looking around at everyone, and turned to leave. The others followed shortly after.

#4

When we opened the door to the nearby café, a cool breeze rushed in. The staff greeted us brightly as we entered, the bell ringing.

It was a weekend morning. The café was not too crowded. A few people glanced at us.

Murmurs.

Since it was a weekend, we weren't wearing uniforms, so I didn't expect much attention.

I thought this was a reasonable assumption, but I was wrong.

For some reason, our group was receiving intense gazes. They soon faded away.

"What would you like to drink? I'll order for you."

Before ordering my iced milk tea, I turned around and said this, already taking out my student ID from my bag.

For some reason, payment is possible with a student ID at Frontier. My account linked to the student ID was probably set up by the Frontier administration. It made me feel quite secure.

"Um... I'll have a blueberry juice. Oh, any option is fine..."

"Got it. Alphris?"

"If you're buying, the most expensive one."

"Then I'll get a small coffee."

"Sorry. I'll have an iced caramel macchiato, venti size. Oh, add a drizzle."

Well, that's what you should have done. Still, you have a lot of preferences. I turned to Hector last, not saying anything, just looking at him.

"..."

Hector, who hadn't said a word since we arrived, finally spoke.

"I don't know."

"..."

I tilted my head. What does that mean? Hector crossed his arms and frowned.

"I've never had anything here, so I don't know. The names aren't very intuitive. Is this how all cafés are?"

"..."

"Order whatever you want. I won't find my favorite drink here anyway."

Indeed, he is a high noble. He probably resolved most of his daily needs within his luxurious mansion.

Cafés are mostly used by commoners, so it's no surprise that high noble freshmen like Hector struggle to adapt.

Hmm.

I wondered what would have happened if Hector had come here alone. He probably wouldn't even know how to order. I could easily imagine him with a serious expression, stroking his chin.

"Okay, okay. I got it."

Feeling a bit odd, I nodded, and Hector walked up to the second floor without looking back.

After reciting the order to the staff and paying, I followed Hector upstairs and sat at a table near the window.

A moment later.

I went downstairs to get the drinks, and among them was Hector's.

"This is..."

Vanilla cream something. It was loaded with whipped cream, an extra addition. I also added a lot of caramel syrup.

Even Ruby, who usually likes sweet things, would probably grimace at this. I don't know. Hector had told me to order anything.

I couldn't say my choice was entirely free of personal malice, but who knew if Hector was a sugar fanatic.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem so.

Hector glanced at the cup in front of him and glared at me with a sour expression.

"Edgio Crain. Why did you order this?"

"Well, you said to order anything."

"..."

Hector clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.

Reni, watching from the side, made a "hii" sound while sucking on a straw, probably imagining the taste of the chimera drink. I imagined it too, and I felt I would put it aside after one sip without even looking at it.

"..."

Hector said.

"Such a... dog..."

Still, he tried it, taking a sip, and soon his face contorted into an indescribable expression as he carefully pushed the cup away. I couldn't help but almost laugh.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin from the table, turned his head, glared at me, and got up, covering his mouth and throat as he headed to the bathroom. What kind of shock must it have been to cause such a visceral reaction?

But more importantly.

The reaction was much better than I expected. I felt like clapping in satisfaction.

Who would mention someone's parents on their first meeting, damn it.

Of course, Hector's fault wasn't just that. He needed to learn the consequences of saying "anything" in such a situation. If he didn't like it, he should have chosen the menu himself.

"The taste wasn't good, I guess. I thought it was a decent combination."

"..."

"..."

As I muttered this, I offered Hector's drink to the others, but Reni and Alphris politely declined.

#5

With Hector still pale, we soon laid a white sheet on the wide table and took out our textbooks.

"Such high-quality items are supplied endlessly... I can't even imagine how much money Frontier has."

"Is, is it expensive...?"

Alphris mumbled, and Reni asked.

"Um, yes. Probably about 30,000 lat per sheet?"

"Thirty, thirty thousand...?! For just a sheet of paper!"

Reni gasped, and Alphris shrugged.

"Right. For Frontier, it's probably just 30,000 lat."

"..."

"I have nothing to say to that..."

In my personal bag, I had about 80 sheets similar to the one on the table.

We were given this many for assignments, and if we needed more, we could find extras in the professor's office.

Of course, if you secretly took them and sold them, you'd be expelled without mercy. They were also magically treated to prevent misuse.

So, what is this for?

Simply put, it's a canvas.

Really, just a canvas.

Like a sketchbook for drawing.

Of course, the tools needed for drawing are not crayons but something different. Anyway, there's a difference in the tools used.

Before starting the assignment.

In "Mana Control Studies," we are taught how to control mana, as the title suggests.

To control mana, you must understand it.

To understand mana, you must grasp its essence.

To grasp the essence of mana, you need at least one essential ability. The most important of these is "mana sensitivity."

Without eyes, you can't see. Mana sensitivity is like eyes for a person. It's the minimum requirement to see, understand, and feel mana.

The better your eyes, the more scenery you can see. Things others can't see from a distance, you can.

Mana sensitivity is like that. The higher it is, the closer you can get to the essence of mana.

In this regard, there are generally several ways to increase mana sensitivity, but the most commonly cited theory is "see a lot, feel a lot."

It's a straightforward idea.

Broaden your experience.

The simplest and hardest thing to do.

Directly handling various types of mana from different sources, understanding their characteristics and how they change with purity...

Mana studies value embodiment and experience more than explanation. After all, you're dealing with something invisible. It relies heavily on senses.

Ultimately, this group assignment is a training exercise to increase individual mana sensitivity. It also includes a bit of teamwork and individual performance.

"We have two tasks to complete."

First. Free research and presentation on the topic.

Each group member must record the unique color of their mana in sequence and describe its historical significance.

Additionally, analyze the focus of each group member's mana circuit. Describe at least one difference found when comparing the circuits of each member.

Write a free-form research paper using what we learned in "Mana Control Studies I" and submit an interim result by next Thursday.

It's not that difficult. If we work together, we can finish it quickly in the remaining five days.

And second.

Complete a "star."

We looked down at the sheet on the table.

It's a canvas.

A canvas for drawing.

The tool is mana.

When you inject mana, the area changes to the unique color of the mana. It's a canvas where you can draw with your unique mana color. If you inscribe a magic circle, the corresponding magic will activate, though that's unlikely to happen.

Anyway.

The goal to achieve with this sheet.

It's to draw a "star."

The sheet is somewhat small. It's about the size of two sheets of regular paper placed together.

On the all-white sheet, five points are marked. From each point, two lines extend, connecting to other points, forming a shape.

A simple star-shaped figure.

We had to fill the inside of this shape with our colors.

...This task was the most problematic.

It's very difficult.

You might ask, what's difficult? Isn't it just coloring? Isn't it just filling in a defined area?

Yes.

It's not much different.

However.

Each group member must completely fill one area, and they must not go outside the defined lines. If they go off course or mix colors with another member's area, they lose points.

Most importantly, the center of the star must be filled with a mixture of all group members' mana, layered on top of each other. Any small mistake here, and it's over.

So, just don't make a mistake.

That's also true.

But it's impossible not to make a mistake.

Handling mana requires a very delicate and precise touch. The sheet is also quite small.

Additionally, the sheet is very sensitive, greatly affected by the individual's mana control level and sensitivity.

In other words, if you apply a little more or less force, the brush size changes unpredictably. Given the small size of the shape, staying within the lines seems very challenging.

Before starting the first task, we tried injecting mana into the sheet to check our unique mana colors. Reni went first, swallowing and carefully focusing her mind on her fingertips.

As if the paint was seeping in...

"..."

On the canvas.

Nothing happened.

"Was, was it too weak...?"

Reni tried again, applying a bit more force.

This time.

"Ah, ah..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Looking at the completely filled and overstepped crimson circle, I silently prepared a new sheet.