“Room 15 Gray Wing,” announced the professor, a trace of pity in her voice as she handed Ren the key.
The name was a cruel euphemism.
It wasn’t really gray, it was where they sent students with “limited potential,” though even there, Ren was a special case.
He was truly the bearer of a failed gray egg. They hadn’t had one in decades.
The dormitory was spacious but austere, designed for four students.
His roommates were already there: Min, a thin boy with a water snake; Taro, more robust, with a digger beetle; and Liu, tall and quiet, with a night bat.
All Iron-rank beasts, yes, but at least they had evolution potential up to Bronze.
Or that’s what everyone believed, but Ren could see their cultivation routes up to Silver 3 like all other beasts.
“The mushroom boy,” Min smiled when Ren entered. There was no malice in his voice, just a kind of resigned camaraderie. “I guess it makes sense they put us together.”
Ren dropped his bag on the last available bed, aware of the curious glances toward the mushrooms in his hair and the bruise on his eye.
“Your spore… does it do anything besides glow?” asked Taro.
Ren hesitated. After the incident in the carriage, he didn’t want to draw more attention to himself. “It gives a 10% increase to my strength,” he said simply. “And it has something good… I don’t need lamps.”
More pitying looks.
An uncomfortable silence followed his words. The others exchanged glances, the kind you give someone who won’t accept a painful truth.
“Hey,” Min tried to sound cheerful, “it’s not so bad. Liu’s bat has good perception,” Taro added. “Not everything is about pure power.”
“You’re right, it’s not so bad,” Liu said from his corner. “I’m a second-year student but I failed 2 units, that’s why I’m still in this dormitory. My first year here taught me that initial rank isn’t everything. My bat seemed useless at first, but with the right training…”
While Liu shared advice about life in the Gray Wing, Ren observed his companions.
He could clearly see how Min’s snake needed freshwater instead of saltwater in its crystals to develop its true potential, how Taro’s beetle needed to be fed processed crystals during a specific moon phase to advance along the correct path and not mature.
Perhaps, he thought, when they knew each other better, when they trusted each other… he could share some of his knowledge.
At least enough to help them.
While unpacking, the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with that strange rhythm again. There was something under the Gray Wing, something ancient. Maybe being in the “worst” dormitory wasn’t so bad after all.
Especially if what he sensed was correct, and the ancient ruins extended right beneath their feet.
♢♢♢♢
“Liu,” Ren approached the second-year student after the others began organizing their things.
“Where can I get discarded monster parts? You know, cores, beast remains, materials, Bronze crystals, and…”
Liu stopped organizing his trunk and looked at Ren with both pity and amusement.
“Straight to the point, huh?” he sighed. “Look, a few years ago, the Academy distributed resources equitably. Every student received what they needed to try evolving their beast, regardless of potential rank, to search for possible hidden cultivation paths.”
He sat on his bed, his night bat fluttering restlessly above his head.
“But everything changed. Now it works on a merit system. You have to prove you’re worth investing in.” Liu grimaced. “Basic support is miserable, barely enough for decent beasts to reach Bronze rank with great effort… one measly crystal daily.”
“But I need those materials,” Ren insisted. “Especially venomous fungi, Bronze parts, and runes with…”
“Runes?” Liu let out a dry laugh. “Those are extremely expensive. They only give them to elite beasts, ones with real potential, and only for passing from Silver to Gold… The rest have to earn them with results.” He looked at the mushrooms in Ren’s hair. “No offense, but nobody’s going to waste resources like that on a spore.”
“Why not?”
“Because experiments with fungi always fail. Always. The school keeps records of every attempt. The best result was a mature fungus that gave a 20% strength increase, and it cost more resources than evolving three normal beasts to Silver.”
Ren clenched his fists. If Liu knew what he knew now, if he could explain the true evolution paths…
“But there are other ways to get resources,” Liu murmured.
“There’s the teaching unit system,” he continued. “If you manage to pass all five units this semester, they’ll promote you from Iron to Bronze 1. Instead of one crystal daily, you’d receive ten.”
“Ten times more?” Ren’s eyes widened.
“At Silver 1 it would be a hundred,” Liu gave a dry laugh. “But that’s not until fourth semester, and only if you pass the first three without failing any units.” He looked at the mushrooms in Ren’s hair. “Though honestly, I doubt you’ll achieve much in the battle unit. And cultivation…” he shook his head.
“What happens if I fail?”
“Every three failed units you lose a point. If you lose three points…” Liu made a cutting gesture with his hand. “Goodbye to all support. The most you can do is try to pass three units and avoid getting expelled from the system.”
Ren nodded slowly, processing the information. The system was brutal but the rewards…
“Listen,” Liu leaned forward. “I’m telling you this because I like you and honestly feel a bit sorry for you. Don’t get your hopes up. Focus on surviving the eight years. Learn what you can. But don’t expect miracles.”
“If I were you,” Liu lowered his voice, “I’d focus on recovering part of what tuition cost. The fees are high, but with enough work in the gathering zones you could get them to double your resources and recover at least a fifth part in the next 8 years.”
“Double? How does that work?” Ren asked.