Chapter 88: A Harsh Lesson
After eating his handmade dinner, Zac returned to the backyard and sat down in a lotus position.
Since he had opened the Heart Meridian only a day earlier, he didn’t want to waste even a single sip of the Meridian Strengthening Serum.
So he decided to let the Heart Meridian stabilize naturally first.
As usual, he spent the next six hours meditating, slowly circulating mana through the newly opened meridian.
The same routine continued for another day and a half.
Once he was convinced the Heart Meridian had become stable enough, he slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
"It’s time to open the pericardium."
[The way you say that makes it sound like you’re about to perform surgery.]
Zac ignored him and focused inward. Just like before, he carefully guided the mana toward the blocked meridian.
This time, however, everything felt much smoother. His control over mana had improved considerably.
He could hold it together more easily without letting it scatter, and directing it precisely required far less effort than before.
When the mana reached the blockage inside the Pericardium Meridian, Zac took a deep breath and pushed.
A sharp pain instantly spread through his chest. He clenched his teeth but kept his breathing steady.
Again and again. After the fourth impact, the blockage finally cracked open. A warm current of mana immediately flowed through the pericardium meridian.
Without wasting a second, Zac took out the Meridian Strengthening Serum Matilda had given them and took a small sip.
He immediately closed his eyes again and resumed his meditation.
The effects of the serum were obvious. He could literally feel the newly opened meridian stabilizing. Even the strain caused by opening it rapidly faded away.
A little over a day later... The Pericardium Meridian was completely consolidated.
Zac slowly opened his eyes, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. "Didn’t Matilda say this normally takes around two days? How did I finish it in just over one?"
The system sighed.
[Do I really have to explain everything? Try using that brain of yours once in a while. Your body was reconstructed into an exceptional vessel for cultivating energy. Mana included.]
[You may not have the natural affinity of that Ice Girl... But your reconstructed body, combined with your bloodline, gives you an enormous advantage.]
[So naturally, your cultivation speed is much higher than an ordinary person’s.]
Zac thought for a moment.
"So...If I had enough serum, I could open all twelve meridians before the deadline, couldn’t I?"
[Technically. Yes. But that’s the problem; you don’t have enough serum.]
Zac narrowed his eyes. "I don’t, but the academy does."
He immediately opened the academy website through his VSB and searched the online shop. A few seconds later, the result appeared.
Meridian Strengthening Serum
Price: 25 Merit Points
Zac stared at the price
"Twenty-five merit points..." Matilda had said a single vial was worth around two hundred and fifty thousand Kyros.
Since one Merit Point was generally valued at around ten thousand Kairos, the price made perfect sense. Without another thought, Zac pressed the purchase button.
Just before he confirmed the payment, however... A notification suddenly appeared.
[First-year students are prohibited from spending Merit Points during their first six months at the academy.]
Zac stared at the screen. Then slowly blinked. "...What?"
Zac’s eyebrow twitched.
"Are they trolling me? Then why even show me the shop? And why give me Merit Points if I can’t spend them?"
The system answered without missing a beat.
[Motivation. And emotional damage.]
Zac closed the shop window with a blank expression. "So much for opening all twelve meridians."
"Wait a minute... Why am I searching for solutions when I have you?"
The system answered immediately.
[It took you long enough but unfortunately, unless you’re planning to cheat or steal from the academy...which would end spectacularly for someone at your level, especially without any concealment skills, your only other option is finding someone with enough influence to buy it for you.]
[The academy blocks purchases from outside. So those are your only two choices.]
Zac didn’t even hesitate. "No, definitely not. I’m not asking her."
The system chuckled. "What’s the point of having a sugar mommy if you refuse to use her?"
"She’s not my sugar mommy, understand?"
[Yeah, yeah.]
Zac leaned back and looked at the night sky. "Ten meridians left..."
After a long silence, he slowly closed his eyes. "Fine. I’ll do it the hard way."
Just like that... Two weeks flew by.
During the final week of the month, Matilda even canceled her classes so the students could devote themselves entirely to opening their meridians.
Most of the students weren’t grateful. Their thoughts were almost identical.
"If you really wanted to help us, you would’ve given us more time. Canceling a single class isn’t magically going to help us open twelve meridians."
Matilda knew exactly what they were thinking, but she simply didn’t care. Neither did the academy.
As for Zac, he spent almost every waking hour training.
One meridian after another slowly opened.
It was a painful, frustrating, and exhausting process. But as long as it worked, he had no reason to change his approach.
A few hours before class on the final day of the deadline, Zac slowly opened his eyes. He took a deep breath. "That makes eight, only four left."
[Four or one, you’re still getting punished," the System reminded him.]
"That was already the expected outcome. Worrying about it now won’t change anything."
The system clicked its tongue.
[You’re becoming emotionally mature. If this keeps up, I won’t be able to entertain myself by watching you panic.]
"Then I’d better mature faster."
After taking a bath and getting changed, Zac headed to class, and the atmosphere was completely different this time.
Many students had dark circles under their eyes despite their strengthened bodies, and others looked exhausted or nervous.
Marty sat beside Zac with a troubled expression. "I dreamed about fire freezing me last night."
Zac glanced at him.
"Relax. It’s probably just a rumor meant to scare people away from that place. Think about it logically. How could fire possibly freeze someone?"
"So... you’re saying it’s just a scare tactic?"
"It should be."
"But what if it isn’t?"
Zac shrugged. "Then you’ll just get frozen by fire."
Marty covered his face. "I should’ve hit myself with a slipper for asking you. Sometimes I seriously wonder why I’m still friends with you."
Before Zac could reply, Matilda entered the classroom. Her eyes slowly swept across every student. "It seems two of your classmates are missing today."
Only then did everyone begin looking around, and a low murmur spread through the room. Matilda placed her tablet on the desk.
"They’re both in the hospital. One of them attempted to open his meridian before properly stabilizing the previous one."
As a result, his meridians completely collapsed. He will never be able to use mana again. "The entire classroom froze.
"The other student almost suffered the same fate. Fortunately, the healers managed to save his meridians. But even so, it will take him somewhere between six months and a year to fully recover."
"And as for attempting to open his meridians again...That may take another two or three years. Unless he somehow acquires an extremely high-grade treasure. Which is... highly unlikely."
A student slowly raised his hand.
"Ma’am..." A student slowly raised his hand. "What will happen to them?"
Matilda looked at him before letting her gaze sweep across the entire classroom. "They’ve both been expelled. Once they’re able to walk again, they’ll be escorted back to their homes."
The students’ expressions changed dramatically, and fear quietly spread throughout the classroom.
Matilda allowed the silence to linger before speaking again.
"Now...Do you understand why I repeatedly told you to be cautious? Why do I tell you not to rush? Why do I warn you to consolidate every meridian before attempting the next?"
Her eyes slowly moved across the room. "But what did they do? They ignored every warning I gave them. All because they were afraid of spending a few days in the summer and winter cell."
"They made a reckless decision, and now that decision has cost them their future." The smile on Matilda’s face slowly disappeared.
"I know what most of you are thinking; you’re probably blaming me."
"If she hadn’t threatened us with the Summer and Winter Cell, none of this would’ve happened. Right?" Several students lowered their heads.
"Maybe you’re right, or maybe you’re wrong, but let me ask you something: if you can’t even handle a little pressure from dear old me..."
"What are you going to do in the real world?" Her voice gradually sharpened. "The world outside is filled with vultures and hyenas waiting to tear a piece off you every chance they get."
"No enemy will patiently wait for you to calm down. No monster will give you extra time because you’re still a first-year student and no cultist is ever going to say please finish consolidating your meridian before I kill you."
"Everything in this academy is a test. Do you think I gave you this assignment without knowing it was impossible?"
She looked at every student with cold eyes.
"I knew most of you would fail."
"Hell...I knew every single one of you would fail. And even if all of you had somehow succeeded. I still would’ve sent every one of you to the Summer and Winter Cell."
The classroom stared at her in shock.
Those who had already guessed her intentions remained silent, but the rest could only look at her in disbelief.
Matilda continued without the slightest change in expression. "The reason is simple: as unbearable as that place is, it also contains a great opportunity."
Daniel slowly raised his hand, and Matilda looked at him. "Speak, Mr. Martel."
"Ma’am, I understand that you’re trying to temper our minds. But many of the students here were raised in sheltered environments."
"Wouldn’t it be better to give them some time before testing them like this?"
Matilda stared at him for several seconds, then her eyes slowly began glowing green. "Did you hear a single word I just said, Mr. Martel?"
Her voice had become ice cold. "Evil doesn’t wait for you to be ready; get that into your head."
"I didn’t throw them into a battlefield or send them to fight monsters. I gave them a little pressure, and I clearly explained the consequences."
"Even then...Two of them lost control of their own minds and destroyed their futures. That alone tells me everything I needed to know."
She pointed toward his seat. "So throw that well-meaning fantasy out the window and sit your ass down."
"...Yes, ma’am."
Daniel quietly sat back down without another word.
Matilda placed both hands on the desk.
"Remember this. Sheltered or not, a Variant who cannot think under pressure and cannot make sound decisions after considering every consequence will not survive for long."
"You cannot raise a pig and expect it to become a lion."
As harsh as her words were, no one in the classroom could refute them.
After a moment, Matilda straightened her back.
"Now then. Let’s see how many meridians each of you managed to open."