Extra's Path: The Eternal Frost Monarch-Chapter 25: Nova Points

The hazel eyes of the young man met the ocean-blue eyes of Noah. Damien had stopped walking, staring back at him.

Noah didn’t know how to react to his sudden stare, but he remained calm on the outside, giving a gentle smile with his handsome face.

Leonard, Emma, and Lyria stopped walking after noticing Damien had suddenly halted.

With a slightly confused expression, Emma raised a brow.

"What happened, Damien?"

Her eyes followed Damien’s gaze. She saw Noah standing a few meters away from them.

With curiosity in her eyes, Lyria glanced at Noah.

"Do you know Noah?" she asked from beside him.

With surprise clearly visible on his face, Leonard spoke.

"You really know him?!"

He clearly knew who Noah was; after all, they had met before at some family gathering.

And even Noah remembered that this guy, Leonard, didn’t like him.

With a calm expression, Damien shook his head slightly.

"It’s nothing... I just felt something... I guess it was just my imagination. Let’s go."

He turned forward and resumed walking.

The group began moving together again.

With a warning tone, Leonardo looked at Damien.

"Hey, don’t try to get closer to that guy, Noah."

With a serious expression, Emma added,

"Yeah. I’ve heard some rumors about him, and all of them were bad."

With a gentle expression, Lyria spoke softly,

"Hey, you shouldn’t say such things about others if you’re not sure."

’Fuck! I can hear you clearly!’ Noah thought while standing there.

He let them move farther away before he started walking again.

With a faint smile, he muttered under his breath,

"Lyria is such a kind soul."

If he had played the game, he was sure she would have been one of his favorite characters.

Noah then looked at Damien. ’That guy just sense a gaze directed at him...his crazy!’

---

Two days later.

In the classroom, Noah sat calmly on the back bench while listening to the lecture. Instructor Morgana was teaching.

Her loud voice resounded throughout the classroom.

Instructor Morgana stood at the front, her sharp violet eyes sweeping across the students.

"As you might already know, monsters—also called mana beasts are divided into ranks from F to SS. They possess a mana core inside their bodies, mostly near their heart. As I already told you yesterday, they are helpful for you to absorb mana from and level up."

Noah listened carefully.

On the first day, she didn’t teach anything. On the second day, she mostly taught about the power system, how to meditate and circulate mana properly. On the third day, she mostly taught about basic survival things. What one should do if they stuck in unknown place. And many others.

Now she was explaining this monster rankings.

Since she was the head instructor, her duty was to guide the class as well as possible. So she taught even small things from time to time.

Which was a good thing.

Well, not many lectures had been conducted in the last three days since they were allowing students to get accustomed to the academy. Its surroundings, rules, and regulations.

But Morgana had made them train for hours since lectures from other instructors hadn’t started yet.

Taking them to the training facility, she would force all students to train.

And if she caught someone slacking, they were doomed to hear her scolding.

"Each rank has three stages. F-, F, and F+. The same system applies to all ranks up to SS. F rank monster is similar level in strength compare to Dormant core perosn. While minus, neutral and plus stages of them are similar to low, mid and high of each core stages," she continued, her violet eyes surveying all the students.

"Just like that an SS rank monster is on same level that of Sovereign Core level individual. They posses enough strength to destroy cities alone."

Her voice brought Noah’s attention fully back to the lecture.

"Now let us stop here for today’s lecture. I need to tell you something important."

She tapped the board lightly with her staff.

"Listen carefully. What I’m about to explain is something that will directly affect your life inside and outside the academy."

A few students straightened up immediately.

Even Noah, sitting at the back, shifted his attention fully toward her.

Morgana continued, her voice calm but authoritative.

"Novaris Academy is not just an institution for education. It governs the entire city of Novaris. Every shop, facility, training ground, and even certain restricted zones... all fall under the academy’s authority. Most of you already know this."

A faint ripple of surprise spread through the class.

It was general knowledge. Many knew it, while many didn’t.

Morgana smirked slightly.

"Yes. Which means your performance here doesn’t just decide your grades, it decides your status."

She turned and wrote two words on the board.

Nova Points

"These," she said, tapping the words, "are your lifeline."

"Every student receives a fixed amount of Nova Points at the start of each month. Nova is simply the short form of Novaris."

Emma raised her hand slightly.

"What can we use them for?"

Morgana glanced at her and replied calmly,

"These will be used just like money. As I have instructed before, I hope you have already downloaded the academy app. It contains all academy information rules, regulations, ranks, and your ID information. Notifications for important things.You just have to log in with your ID number. There, you can see your Nova Points and use them."

She began pacing slowly.

"You can use Nova Points across the city cafés, equipment stores, training arenas, private rooms, even certain premium services that you might think are only possible with money. They can be bought with normal currency as well."

She paused, letting it sink in.

"Of course, your regular currency Zela—still exists. But Nova Points..." her lips curled slightly, "...will act as a replacement for you in place of money."

Now the class was fully hooked.

Lyria tilted her head slightly.

"So... everyone gets the same amount?"

Morgana chuckled softly.

"If only the world were that fair."

She turned back to the class.

"Your monthly Nova Points are influenced by your rank. You all get the same base amount, that’s true, but..."

A wave of tension spread instantly.

"...students within the Top 50 receive bonus points."

Murmurs broke out.

"And those within the Top 10..." her voice lowered slightly, "...receive significantly higher rewards."

Leonardo’s eyes sharpened.

"Moreover," Morgana added, "the higher your rank, the greater your monthly allocation becomes. The difference between Rank 50 and Rank 1..." she paused, "...is not small."

Noah leaned back slightly, listening quietly. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Morgana’s gaze hardened.

"This system exists for one reason."

She struck the board once.

"To create competition."

Silence.

"No charity. No equality. Only results." Her eyes scanned the room once more.

"If you want better resources, better opportunities, better treatment..."

A faint, cold smile appeared on her face. "Then climb."

No one spoke. Even the air felt heavier.

At the back, Noah rested his chin on his hand.

"...Now this," he muttered under his breath, "...is real shit."

He took out his mobile and opened the app.

There, he could see his information on his profile.

His eyes widened slightly.

"You can check your apps. This morning you might have received your points in your account," Morgana added.

Noah looked at the number.

"1,00,000 is the basic points... then how much do they give to Rank One..." he muttered in amusement.

The class was once again filled with murmurs and chatter as students checked their points.