Kana was upside down again.

  She hung her head off the back of the chair, legs draped over the top, letting the blood rush to her brain as if that somehow helped her think. The book she’d pretended to read slid off her stomach and thumped onto the wooden floor.

  Instead of sitting up like a normal person, Kana slowly… painfully slowly… crawled toward it. Fingertips stretched. Body dragging like a dying animal. Not once did she flip right-side up.

  Suri looked over from her knitting, one brow twitching.

  “It must be nice for you to laze around.”

  Kana suddenly sprang upright on the chair—not because of Suri’s words, but because inspiration struck her like a lightning bolt.

  “I am thinking something.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Suri said, looping yarn with calm precision. “You always say that when you’re doing absolutely nothing.”

  Kana ignored her. She grabbed a parchment, dipped her quill, and began scribbling furiously. Suri’s curiosity eventually overpowered her knitting duty. She leaned closer.

  “…An establishment to keep coin?” Suri said, squinting at the messy writing.

  Kana nodded, still scribbling with almost manic focus.

  “Is it like the adventurer guild’s notes?” Suri asked. Everyone knew the guild sometimes gave temporary credit slips when they ran out of coin though there was a lot of verification process such as contacting the source branch directly.

  “Yes—and different.” Kana handed her the parchment, tapping the top as if presenting an invention. “Members can deposit their coins with us. We give them a certified proof of the deposit. They can withdraw any time. But if they choose to leave it with us”—she raised a finger—“their money increases by a small percentage each year.”

  Suri blinked. “Increases?”

  Kana nodded again, more excited now.

  “But my real goal is convenience. Not me but most of us carry sacks of coins everywhere, right? Imagine…” She lifted her hands as if unveiling treasure. “A single piece of parchment worth a thousand gold coins.”

  Suri stared at the notes again. She read the details. Read them twice.

  “This… this is impressive.”

  Then she frowned. Hard.

  “But the security, Kana. If someone has a weird skill, what if they can duplicate the notes perfectly or they have the ability to steal from your establishment?”

  Kana scratched her head, slumping back into her chair. “Yes… that’s the part I can’t solve. Probably why no one has started something like this yet.”

  She sighed.

  “At least… not in this world.”

  Suri eyed her. “What?”

  Kana coughed. “Nothing.”

  …..

  A new week had arrived—far too quickly for some, and not quickly enough for others.

  Kana, Boris, Suri, and Adam reached the academy gates just in time, boots crunching lightly over fresh snow. Their breath puffed white as they hurried toward the training grounds for their first class.

  Empty.

  No instructors. No students. Just a quiet stretch of white, the kind of silence that felt wrong for the start of a week.

  “…Did we get the wrong place?” Adam murmured.

  They exchanged glances, shrugged, and headed to the Copper Class’s classroom instead.

  Rin was waiting by the door, waving eagerly. Inside, the boys were huddled around Roy, who was fiddling with that strange northern stone—sparks flickering, small pulses of light jumping between their fingers.

  Kana sat beside Rin and finally took stock of the room.

  Books.

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  Everyone had one. Some had three. Roy even had a tower.

  Kana squinted. “Why does everyone seem to be holding books? Did we miss something?”

  Rin froze.

  “You’re serious?”

  Kana tilted her head. “…Should I not be?”

  Rin inhaled as if preparing for a lecture.

  “Next week is the first-half examinations. All subjects except the northern studies.”

  Suri stiffened.

  Rin continued, oblivious.

  “Then after exams we get the midterm break… and then”—she clasped her hands dramatically—“the annual tournament festival! I’m so excited!”

  Kana nodded slowly. She wasn’t worried. She could handle tests. Probably. Maybe.

  Suri glanced between the three of them, her expression darkening.

  “I don’t think anyone would fail—” Kana began confidently.

  Her eyes slid to Boris.

  Everyone’s eyes slid to Boris.

  Boris, who suddenly felt a shiver crawl up his spine, straightened.

  “…What?”

  Kana tapped her quill like a judge preparing to deliver doom.

  “What triggered the largest famine in the history of the kingdom?”

  Boris blinked. Once. Twice.

  “Why would I even know that?”

  Kana lowered her head.

  Suri closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

  “We’re doomed.”

  ….

  They were supposed to have plenty of free time now that their northern subject had ended.

  But not Boris.

  Since he shared several classes with Kana, the moment she gave him a mock exam—and he scored disastrously—his afternoons turned into hours of remedial lessons. Kana’s lessons.

  So when the last class ended, Boris trudged toward a vacant classroom, shoulders slumped, like a man heading for execution.

  “Uhm… why are you guys even here?” Boris asked weakly as the four of them walked through the hallway.

  “I’m happy whenever I see you suffer,” Suri said without hesitation, already preparing to nap in a corner while waiting for her patrol duty later.

  “I’m waiting for my parents,” Rin added cheerfully. “They’ll arrive this evening, so no one’s home yet. Might as well kill time.”

  Then she suddenly gasped, grabbing Kana’s arm.

  “Oh right! Did you see the prize list for the annual tournament? I heard they posted it today!”

  Kana raised a brow. “Is it just gold or some random dungeon item?”

  She might have joined before… but after raiding the western bandits, she didn’t exactly need prize money.

  Rin shook her head vigorously.

  “No—apparently the first prize is something big. Something unique. Equipment from the former hero!”

  Boris froze mid-step.

  Kana blinked. “Hero? That’s rare.”

  Then Boris spun around so fast his boots squeaked.

  “Let’s go! It might be the Spear of Lord Kaval!”

  Kana narrowed her eyes. “You’re just trying to avoid my lessons.”

  Boris didn’t deny it.

  Kana groaned but finally relented, rubbing her temple.

  “Fine. We take a quick peek. Quick.”

  She emphasized the last word, pointing at Boris like a warning.

  Suri smirked. “This is why he’ll never graduate early. I can see your future. Boris.”

  Boris pretended not to hear her and jogged ahead, desperate for even a minute spared from Kana’s study torture.

  ….

  The group arrived in the great hall, where students crowded around a stretch of wall lined with enchanted glass displays. The prizes glimmered beneath soft mana-light, each one suspended as if floating. The descriptions—written in clean, unfamiliar English script at least for them—almost felt like they pulsed with a subtle lure. Kana had to admit… the academy knew exactly how to entice students to join the tournament.

  From fifth place to first place, the items grew more impressive, and the length of their descriptions grew with them.

  Fifth Prize.

  A single glove—simple leather, lightly enchanted.

  [Zephyr Glove]

  Agility increased by 5.

  Kana tilted her head. Good—but not worth the effort of a tournament. Grinding dungeon levels during midterm break would give more returns.

  She moved to the next.

  Fourth Prize.

  A black staff with faint, swirling etchings.

  [Staff of Eyner]

  Decreases mana consumption by 5%.

  Kana leaned toward Suri, whispering, “Your staff is more powerful than this.”

  Suri nodded smugly, “I know.”

  Then they reached the third glass case.

  A small, unimpressive ring. Old. Worn. The kind of thing someone might toss aside as scrap metal.

  Except…

  [Ancient Ring of Erat]

  Multiply experience gained from dungeon monsters by 3.5x

  Kana froze. Then leaned in. Then rubbed her eyes, leaned in again.

  Was this real? Did the academy even realize how absurdly valuable this was? Or was it common? Were there other dungeon items that gave exp boost? If she could get a hand of this on top of her exp multiplier… then she would get to know if there was something like a change class or class promotion. Something beyond that probably Zia and Lord Kavel had access.

  Her heartbeat quickened.

  Before she could speak—

  “Guys! I knew it!” Boris yelled, practically bouncing. “This is Lord Kavel’s spear!”

  The spear stood in the first-prize case, gleaming like sunlight trapped in steel. Its runes hummed softly. Half the hall whispered about it.

  Boris didn’t whisper.

  “We have to join the tournament!”

  “I agree.” Kana’s voice came sharp and certain.

  Everyone turned. After all, they all agreed not to join in the tournament.

  “We should join the tournament,” she said again.

  “What? Really?” Suri blinked rapidly. Kana hated public appearances not to mention doing a public competition? “But we already planned—”

  “We must get the third prize at all costs,” Kana said.

  Her tone was cold. Absolute. The kind of tone that made Boris lose his next three thoughts.

  He stepped closer, staring at her as if she’d gone insane.

  “Wait… the ring? This rusty little ring? Instead of Lord Kavel’s spear? Kana, that spear is legendary—you know how strong—”

  “This ring,” Kana said, tapping the glass, “can help you surpass even Lord Kavel someday.”

  Boris stopped talking. His eyes widened. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

  He was trying to calculate something.Finally—

  “So… are we joining?”

  Kana turned her gaze toward Rin.

  Rin froze mid-step who was about to exit the hall.

  “You,” Kana said softly, “and the rest of the Copper class will join us too.”

  Rin swallowed. Hard. “Ahaha… is that so? Funny—crazy—weird thing is, I-I was thinking the same but—” She took a subtle step back. “—tournaments are… more enjoyable to watch, you know?”

  Kana smiled.

  Rin did not find the smile comforting.

  Rin examined Kana’ serious face as she looked at the ring.

  Rin then sighed,”Looks like I have no choice, I’ll tell others.”