The room went silent.
Gari’s words weren’t loud, but they carried weight, sinking into each of us like chains.
I could see it on the faces of the others, so nervous, so thrilled, so pretending not to care.
As for ? His serious expression sent a chill crawling down my back.
"Next is the most important," Instructor Gari said, his voice sharp enough to cut through the room’s lingering restlessness. "The only indicator of your success will be your grade. Guilds and other important associations will only look at your grade. So, we will grade you accurately and strictly. If you underperform, you will repeat class while your mates move forward."
The words slamd into like weights. I could feel the tension spike around the room, the air growing heavy with unease.
"Statistically," he continued, his gaze sweeping over us like a hawk scanning prey, "half or less of Dusk’s students graduate without repeating a sester. Even then, you can only be held back up to two years. Any more than that, you will be expelled, because what would be the use of keeping a failure? If you can’t beco a Hero, you can beco a rcenary or sothing else entirely."
A pause. Silence. The weight of his words lingered, suffocating.
"I take it that that’s not what you want," he added, his eyes narrowing with sharp amusent. "Because if it is, you wouldn’t be here."
The room froze.
I dared a glance around, and sure enough, fear was etched clearly across nearly every face.
Nervous shifting, clenched jaws, a few students swallowing hard, everyone wore the sa expression of dread.
And then, Gari smiled. Not kindly. Not encouragingly. But with satisfaction, like a farr watching animals squirm in a pen.
He carried on after that, moving through announcents and information, important things, I suppose.
But truth be told, they barely registered in my head.
I sat there, fighting the gnawing emptiness twisting inside my stomach, my attention drifting in and out.
I caught fragnts of his speech, but the rest was just noise lost to the dull ache of hunger.
By the ti it was over, I was already halfway on my feet.
Without sparing a glance at my seatmate, I walked straight out of the classroom.
I was certain she would leave that seat eventually, who wouldn’t?
There were plenty of open spots, and sitting next to probably felt like a curse to most.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I pushed through the door.
Progress. The quest had gone well. Maybe tomorrow, or even later tonight, I’d finally get my reward.
That thought carried forward, lightening the weight of the lecture that still lingered in my mind.
But for now, I had a mission far more important than grades, guilds, or rankings.
Food.
My stomach twisted painfully, reminding just how much I had ignored the hunger clawing at during class.
I had held myself tightly, forcing my body not to betray with a growl in the middle of Gari’s speech, but now that I was free of the suffocating silence of the classroom, it was impossible to ignore.
The cafeteria. That was my destination.
Sure, I could have gone to one of the restaurants outside the academy.
But that would an burning through the little money I had left, money that wouldn’t last long if I spent recklessly.
As I walked, I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my bank card. The screen blinked alive as I tapped it.
============
Na: Ryan Nether
Account Number: *****
Balance: $2,000
[Transfer] [Customize]
[Link] [See More...]
=============
My lips tightened.
Pitiful. That was the only word to describe it. In a place like this, $2,000 wasn’t wealth, it was barely survival.
I shut the display and shoved the card back into my pocket.
Skipping als wasn’t an option, though the thought did cross my mind for a mont.
The problem wasn’t just hunger, it was survival.
Dusk Academy wasn’t just lectures and theory. We would be fighting, moving, training.
I needed my body at its peak, and that ant food. But food here wasn’t cheap.
Dusk was big, and its cafeteria carried the sa reputation. Prices matched the academy’s prestige.
Still, as expensive as it was, it would never compare to the absurd costs of the restaurants outside these walls.
The city was filled with wealthy elites and their polished establishnts, where the price of so special, and delicious plates could devour my entire balance in one sitting.
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to press back the headache threatening to build.
The numbers danced in my head, taunting .
I had to make this balance last, not just for today, but for the weeks to co.
The scent of food was already drifting through the halls, faint but enough to stir the ache inside into a near roar.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to focus.
One step at a ti. First the cafeteria. Then... Sleep. And after that... perhaps a way to climb out of this pitiful state.
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