Gary stood in silence. Just moments ago, he had been ready to march out of the classroom and demand Zach’s expulsion. Now, even opening his mouth felt difficult.

Matilda rested her chin lightly on one hand and looked at him. "So..." she asked with a gentle smile. "Are you still planning to meet the recruiter?"

Gary swallowed hard. "I..."

He then cleared his throat before forcing out a reply. "I think... I’ll think about it first."

A few quiet chuckles spread throughout the classroom. Everyone understood why Gary had backed down after his bold speech, but that didn’t stop them from giving him a few embarrassed looks.

Matilda simply nodded. "A wise decision."

Gary slowly sat back down.

Even though no one laughed in his face, he could still feel the occasional glance coming his way. His brain immediately fell into the spotlight effect. Every time someone looked in his direction, it felt like they were replaying his grand speech... followed by his equally grand retreat.

Meanwhile, Zac had already turned back to watching the birds outside. To anyone looking, he seemed completely uninterested.

But despite that, he always kept an eye on his surroundings.

[That guy just experienced the ancient martial art known as dying from embarrassment.]

"He can experience whatever the hell he wants, as long as it doesn’t affect me."

Matilda clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention. "Now then, since the introductions are over, let’s move on to the next topic."

Just then, Daniel raised his hand. "I have a question."

Matilda looked at him and nodded to ask.

"If students have disputes with one another, like what we just witnessed..." He briefly glanced at Gary before looking back at Matilda. "...how are we supposed to resolve them?"

Although Daniel’s expression didn’t change looking at him, Gary couldn’t help overthinking it.

"Is he looking down on me because I backed down?"

"No... I have to find a way to erase this humiliation immediately. Otherwise, this will be everyone’s first impression of me."

"That’s a good question," Matilda replied. "In fact, that’s exactly what I was about to explain." She folded her arms and started explaining. "For any dispute, the first option is always to settle it peacefully with the help of a teacher."

"Unfortunately, that rarely works. Peaceful resolutions only happen when both parties are willing to compromise. If even one side refuses..."

She smiled faintly. "...then you may settle it in the Justice Arena."

The students immediately became interested. Looking at their eager expressions, Matilda continued.

"The Justice Arena is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a place where students resolve disputes through combat."

"There will always be an instructor present to supervise every match. Before the fight begins, both participants must agree on the rules of their own. Once those rules are set, the supervising instructor ensures both sides follow them."

She looked around the classroom. "And once the fight is over, the dispute is considered settled. Both parties, whether the winner or the loser, are forbidden from bringing it up again."

Her voice turned firm. "After that, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a teacher or even the principal. No one has the authority to overturn the outcome."

The classroom grew noticeably quieter. Every student silently thought over her words.

"Etch this into your minds," Matilda said. "Never enter the Justice Arena unless you’ve thought it through carefully."

"Because once you accept the rules and the fight begins, whatever the outcome, you have to live with it. The fight isn’t just a fight. It’s an agreement. A contract that binds both parties for the rest of their time at the academy."

Gary slowly lowered his head. "So that’s how it works..." A faint smile crept onto his face. "Then there’s only one way to wash away today’s humiliation."

Matilda looked around the classroom and clapped her hands once again, drawing everyone’s attention. "Since today is the first day, I won’t be covering anything else. I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information."

She smiled. "Starting tomorrow, your regular classes will begin. I’ll also show you the training grounds and the practical combat section, introduce you to your instructors, and take you through the academy’s other facilities."

She looked around the room. "Everything in this academy exists for one purpose. To help you grow stronger, become more knowledgeable, and prepare you for the real Variant world."

As she spoke, Matilda reached into her inventory and took out a small metal box. She opened it, revealing twenty-five black cards neatly stacked inside.

One by one, she handed a card to every student. When Zac received his, he noticed it looked almost identical to his Variant license, except it had a few additional details. It also felt surprisingly heavy for something the size of a bank card.

After everyone had received theirs, Matilda returned to the front of the classroom.

"The card you just received is more than a student ID."

She held one up between her fingers.

"For those of you who already possess an official Variant license, we’ve merged it into this card."

A wave of surprise spread across the classroom. "Really? Can they do that?"

Matilda nodded. "Yes. Your old variant license is now invalid, so you may destroy it."

She pointed a finger at the class. "And destroy it yourselves. Don’t throw it away where some hillbilly can pick it up and try to pawn it. Trust me, that’ll only give you more headaches than you can think of."

A few students chuckled.

"As for those who haven’t obtained a variant license yet... I strongly recommend getting one within the next six months. Most academy missions require a valid Variant license."

"When you pass the license exam, simply present this student ID. The association will merge your new license into it."

The students nodded in understanding. "And there’s more." She raised the card again. "This also serves as your academy ID, your merit card..." She flipped it over. "...and the key to your dorm room."

"Simply tap it against your VSP, and it’ll display the route to your assigned dorm and whatever facility you want to go to. Once you arrive at your room, this card will unlock the door as a key."

The students exchanged impressed looks.

"One card for everything," Zac thought. "Instead of handing out different cards and keys, they just combined everything into one. That’s actually pretty efficient."

[That’s right, although I usually enjoy watching humans make simple things unnecessarily complicated... like you and your love life... it seems some humans are capable of doing complicated things in a very simple way.]

"Do you have to mock me every single chance you get?"

[That’s just who I am. Take it or leave it.]

Zac ignored the system and turned his attention back to Matilda.

"As for merits, they’ll be stored directly on your card. You can spend them throughout the academy just as you would use a bank card. The only difference is that you’ll be spending merits instead of Kyros."

"Oh, one more thing." Matilda held up a finger. "One academy merit point is worth ten thousand Kyros."

The entire classroom fell silent. Several students’ mouths slowly formed an "O."

"That’s right," Matilda continued. "While you can exchange merits for Kyros, you can’t exchange Kyros for merits."

A few of the wealthier students looked slightly disappointed hearing it. For everyone else, however, it was a complete shock.

"If one merit is worth ten thousand Kyros... then a hundred merits would be worth a million..."

"That’s all for today. Your academy uniforms have already been placed in your dorm rooms. And don’t be late tomorrow. Same classroom. Same time."

With that, Matilda turned to leave.

The students followed suit, and the classroom soon filled with the sound of chairs scraping across the floor as everyone prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Gary’s voice echoed through the room.

Everyone, including Matilda, stopped and turned around and looked at him. Gary took a deep breath before speaking.

He looked at Matilda and pointed behind him at Zac. "If I challenge him in the Justice Arena, and the condition for my victory is that he leaves the academy... then no one, not even the vice... vice principal, can interfere once the match is over. Correct?"

Everyone noticed the slight hesitation in his voice when he mentioned the vice principal. Even so, they were just as eager to hear Matilda’s answer.

"Like hell that would stop her," Zac thought. "More importantly... why is this kid so obsessed with me?"

[Why are you asking me?]

"Aren’t you supposed to be the all-knowing system?"

[That yes I am! But human minds are like monkeys. No one knows which branch they’ll jump to next.]

"...True."

Matilda looked at Gary for a long moment. "Is this kid really that naïve?" she wondered. "Does he honestly think a few academy rules would stop Miss Armani? If anything, she’d probably be the happiest person to break them."

"Still... there’s no reason to crush the boy’s confidence on his very first day."

"That’s correct," Matilda answered. "If both parties agree to the conditions before the match begins, then the result is final. The academy will honor the outcome."

Gary’s eyes instantly lit up. A wide grin slowly spread across his face before he burst into laughter. The confidence and arrogance he had lost only minutes ago came rushing back.

He turned toward Zac and dramatically pointed a finger at him.

"Zac Delencore!"

"Meet me in the Justice Arena!"

"Let’s have a glorious battle!"

The entire classroom turned toward Zac, waiting for his answer.

Zac looked at Gary with a tired expression and said.

"I pass."

("...")