Chương 73: The Applicants Arrive

Anerac was ecstatic after his big win. He didn't get a Tier 4 skill, but maximized his Tier 3 driving skill and landed several sponsorships. He was no longer a taxi driver, and we had to get another ride to the training hall every day. I was noticing a larger number of foreigners and younger people arriving in Undercraft. The inn we were staying at, The Roaring Furnace, was filling up as well. The city was quite busy, but now it was becoming quite packed.

"Lots of new people," I said to Healer Melon.

"Applicants," he replied.

"Oh," I said as I realized everyone was coming here to gain entrance to the College of Advancement. Most individuals were a couple of years older than I was. There were very few people who were the minimum age, like me, from what I could tell, or they were staying in a much fancier inn or arriving closer to the application time.

"Mind if I join the two of you? Few open tables left," a young human man asked us.

"Be welcome. I am Justin, and this is Healer Melon," I introduced the two of us.

"Karl, with a 'k'. Soon, there will only be standing room in the city. Even the regular citizens are trying to sell rooms in their homes."

"I would have thought other cities would have processed applications to reduce traffic."

"Sure, there are some, but they are in locations that are much further away. All the dwarven cities, Elven cities, and nearby human nations come to Undercraft. The city likes it. They make a lot of money from everyone showing up here. Are you applying?"

"I am already accepted. I am just waiting for enrollment."

"Wow, congratulations. It isn't easy to get one of those 100 yearly reserved spots unless you have serious connections. Unfortunately, I am just smart and did well in the dungeon. Even if you get accepted, the tuition is brutal." I looked at Healer Melon, who just shrugged.

"I don't know."

"It is 500 gold a year," Karl answered.

"That much? That is absolutely brutal," I said.

"There are banking consortia for various nations. Once you fail or graduate, they get so many years of employment from you. If you only make it for three years, then you will struggle for the rest of your life unless you get lucky. But you make it five or more years, well, you will pay things back fairly quickly with the jobs you can get."

"Thank you for explaining. Sorry if my questions are offensive. My parents handle the major expenses."

"I get it, no worries. The great thing about the College of Advancement is that they judge you by your progress, not your background. That might help you get in more easily and pay for your time there, but ultimately, it is about how quickly you can improve your skills. I am no slouch in that regard."

"What is the entry test like?" I had asked this question of others, but getting another viewpoint didn't hurt.

"An evaluation of your current skills compared with your age. Then, a look at the stats. That's it. But the cutoff point varies, normally getting higher each year, but people still believe they can make it in at the last moment with just one more stat point or skill level."

"At least it is objective with a clear cutoff point. Are you using a training hall in the city?"

"You recommend one?"

"Thoron's Training Hall is quite good. Expensive at a gold a day, but they definitely know what they are doing."

"Ah, a gold a day, that isn't that bad. I am more concerned about the quality than anything else. While I am confident, I really need to get my Mana Sense and Meditation skill levels up. I really want to learn spell skills."

"Which means you will also need Mana Manipulation."

"Exactly. It is a requirement for all those spell skills. Learning a couple of them, I can go much deeper into the dungeon and earn a lot more and get more levels."

"Spellblade profession?" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Not really. I am much better with a spear. I see you have a sword."

"Yes. I find a spear is much harder to use at close range."

"You have descended?" he asked me, and I nodded.

"I went to the 5 th layer. You?" While I went to the 8 th layer, my mother had cleared the Champion monsters. I cut that in half, which meant I could handle Champion monsters of the 4 th layer, so technically I considered myself a 5th-layer adventurer.

"I have gone to the 8 th as part of a group but can handle up to the 5 th layer on my own," I answered. He nodded while looking at Healer Melon.

"A professional Healer. Sorry if I am excluding you."

"Don't worry, I am much older than the two of you. Descending is for young men…and women as well, of course," Healer Melon hastily added on that last part. I could tell he had a deep fear and respect for my mother. After a certain point, it was the same thing.

"Perhaps we can form an adventuring team once we are in the College."

"I would have to see how that would work. Isn't the College year-round?"

"Yes. But most students, along with the Professors, take a month off each year before the next enrollment. Many people are returning right now. To get levels, raise funds, and visit home. Others use the time to get further ahead."

"That long of a break?"

"There is no official break, and the college grades twice a year. But some people find it beneficial to gain some opportunities outside the college, especially in the dungeon."

"You know quite a bit."

"I have met with several students and learned quite a bit about how it all works on the inside. Surprised your connections that got you in didn't tell you anything."

"I was told I need to take the top spot. Beyond that, I have been asking around, talking to different people like yourself."

"Ouch. That is almost impossible. The competition at the very top is just as intense or even more intense than at the cutoff points during the seven years. Whoever told you that probably doesn't understand how the College of Advancement works."

"Any spells you want to learn in particular or that work well with a spear?" I asked to change the subject.

"Something with burst damage. I can handle large groups, but being able to do burst magical damage to take out tricky monsters will be incredibly useful. What about you? You mentioned spellblade?"

"Yes. Flame Blade in Tier 3 and Vibration Blade in Tier 4 both seem like incredibly useful skills. Other than that, it is more about building up my foundation with runes and some other skills."

"Daring, but if you are aiming for the top spot, that is required. The higher-tier skills are absolutely brutal with their leveling speed. Empowered Spear is incredibly slow to level, despite having used it quite a bit in the dungeon," Karl said with a shake of his head.

"At least I made it to level 40 before entering the College of Advancement. The stats should help me speed up my skill leveling."

"Impressive to get so far by only going down to the 5 th layer."

"I was on my own. The Champions were a tremendous struggle, but I wanted to push more. I almost didn't return. I didn't want to get trapped on the 6 th layer. Going down is easy, getting back out is the real challenge, especially at the passages. Especially when the passage broke or was poorly made. Using a spear would have been even more difficult as it was a two-handed weapon and prevented you from using a shield or other skills." The trick is to rush up in one go. And I am quite good with a spear.

But that is why I hesitated to go deeper on my own. At least I found a soul fruit, and that is paying for my entrance to the College," he said, and I nodded.

"Finding a soul fruit is impressive."

"It is, and that is going to pay for several years in the College of Advancement. Already deposited with the College's bank. They accept natural treasures from the dungeon instead of payment. The red soul fruit is worth 5, 000 gold. I plan to commission some gear with the extra money. An excellent spear would be great. Graduate and then earn enough to pay off the debt and get the soul fruit back."

"A Tier 2 weapon?"

"A good one. That should cost around 2, 000 gold. Students receive a discount on commissions. I need to take advantage of that while I can."

"You really have it all planned out," I said, impressed a bit.

"Thanks. I have been working hard to make all of this happen. But everyone else is too. I hope to make it all seven years, keeping the pressure up on the top entrants."

"We'll just have to wait and see how the rankings sort out. Everyone is ranked publicly every three months."

"Yes. It is a big deal. It will be interesting to see where you land on the list, Justin," he said. He seemed to tease me a bit, but it was fine. I possessed a massive edge over the competition. I wouldn't brag, but I wouldn't deny it either.

"Well, if I don't do well, I can always turn to sweets and gambling," I joked.

"Please don't joke about that," Healer Melon said. Karl gave me a questioning look.

"He is worried about my mother getting upset. But I have decided not to focus everything on her expectations. She will never be happy," I said while rubbing one ring on my finger.

"Ah. My parents are both adventurers. Not great ones, only reaching the 14 th layer and just below level 80. They had high expectations of me as well. Unfortunately, I am much better at fighting than book learning. I am not bad, but compared to the true prodigies, I am better with a spear in my hand. If I can become a legend and make it to the Last Bastion, I will be quite happy."

"Admirable goals. For now, I will just be focusing on the top spot in the College of Advancement. After that, there are some personal things I need to deal with. Long term, well, I am in no rush, planning decades into the future is a waste of time." I had enough to worry about in the moment. I had enough to do for at least the next century, given all the skills I needed to develop. I would not fret about the distant future, given its uncertainty.

It was a massive headache just figuring out my first College of Advancement skills. Upon graduation, I'd need to develop soul skills and find my curser to advance. I suspected my mother or her ally, but she was brutally honest. If she expected me to do something, she would say so. She wasn't a natural schemer. My mother was a disaster, but my father would be in a different situation because of his social skills and noble background. I sincerely hoped he wasn't the one responsible for the curse skill.

It was a passing thought, but one that had wormed its way into my head.