"...if you practice this technique, then you can be sure to be more flexible. Your agility will increase, and your power will be put to good use. If you want to be a bully, at least be one who can back it with power."

Derrick didn’t say anything as he walked out as well.

Celia stood and bowed. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Then she ran out.

Julius adjusted his glasses as he studied his paper. "Well, this is stimulating."

His own was just attack and battle plans, but his task was to look at it from the perspective of a very weak person, and he must draw out the plan of winning in every scenario.

"You think?" Ace asked.

"I usually do something like this," Julius admitted. "But never with such odds against me. How do I make a weak person beat Lucas Dawn?"

He shook his head, his eyes sharpened as he looked at Ace. "I don’t know if we have enough credits to buy those techniques for everyone. Except for mine."

The Academy will only teach the standard. You want something more? Then you have to earn credits to buy it. You want instructors to teach you in certain ways? Then you’ll use credits to hire them.

And that’s why people always rush to Houses. They actually have the power to make people stronger by providing easier ways to earn credits.

Most Houses even have ’patron’ or ’sponsor’ instructors that instruct their members specially.

Indeed, the Academy is called legendary because those that graduated from it were known to have strived for their success.

Even the rich people have to bow to the system. They can’t bring their own money in, but admittedly, it’s a bit easier for them to earn credit.

But then again, the world is unfair. There wasn’t a time it was ever fair.

Ace smiled. They don’t have that much credit to buy something like that. The techniques he gave them were basically something he copied from other novels he’d read.

How many characters had he read that have gravity powers? They all had interesting ways of using it. He just picked a technique off one.

And the stretching one for Derrick? Also something he remembered from a book. It stuck in his head because the character particularly suffered tearing and healing his muscles.

"It doesn’t matter. They have to be strong, stronger. After all, that’s all the offensive power that my House has."

"And you? What about the power that you have, Ace? You are the most dangerous. I don’t always know what you are thinking."

Ace shrugged. "Me? I’m just a weak guy."

Julius didn’t give a reply to that. Instead, he shook his head and sighed. "I want to talk about Derrick."

Ace raised his brows. "He’s going to rebel."

He felt it through the Talent Ability he was using on him. The ability is heavily dependent on loyalty. Before, Derrick was absolutely loyal to his love of power, and he readily accepted Ace.

But now?

He had started to act out.

Ace noticed, but he wasn’t ready to act on it.

Julius snorted. "Well, I’m not surprised you know that already. You probably know how to deal with him, but I’m just warning you."

He hesitated.

"I don’t know the leash you have on him, but it’s best you tighten it."

Ace nodded. He intended to do just that, but he would let things work out naturally. For Derrick, he couldn’t force loyalty or else it wouldn’t be loyalty.

He sighed. "...why does my Talent Ability have to have such inconveniences..."

Julius pushed his glasses back. "Well, now I think the next thing for the House is to find more recruits. That way we can start venturing into the wild part of the Field Zone to hunt monsters, make money, and then build."

Ace shook his head. "Anyone recruited now is just going to be a spy. The truth is that no one worth it will want to be part of House Chains, so the first thing I’m doing is securing funds."

Julius’s eyes gleamed. "Oh? So you have a plan in mind already. Is that why you egged me on earlier? To train harder?"

Ace smiled. It was always refreshing to talk with Julius. He had a very sharp mind, sharper than him if not for the knowledge he carries. "Securing funds will mean entering into the wild and developing some off-territory locations. It’ll be dangerous."

"So you want to maintain things as they are until we’re stronger. Alright then."

They talked some more. Julius told him the gist going around in the Academy.

When people heard that House Solarin and Draconis teams were wiped out, they thought that it was the end for the newly created House, because how could such a weak House survive when giants fell?

Their powers are only limited to first year!

But it turns out that they were actually the only team unharmed.

It turned more attention towards them.

And even the two Houses have started their own investigations.

Ace listened to all of it. The rumors going around that there are terrorists in the Academy and that was why the security was so tight.

"Kidnappings?" Ace cut in suddenly.

Julius blinked. "Yes. Two people were said to have gone missing in the Academy. Happened three days ago, I think."

That was the first time Ace would be hearing something like that. "And what’s the Academy’s response?"

"Well, they thought they tried their luck in the Field Zone and somehow got eaten by monsters. But that’s highly unlikely because they’re second-year students."

Ace nodded. It wasn’t the first time such things would happen. In fact, a lot of students sneak into the Field Zone to hunt monsters in secret and then sell to the black market.

The Academy usually looks away if they’re not too shameless about it.

"...I guess the recent events are making me a bit jittery... yes... I can’t remember any major kidnappings from the book, but then the future is changing fast..."

"Continue telling me about the Academy gist."