Chapter 62: Dormitory

The competition had finally come to an end, and the results were announced on the spot.

After going through all that, everyone was utterly exhausted; some students were even injured.

So taking a few days to rest was definitely necessary.

However, this time was different from before.

All the remaining students had officially become students of the Imperial Magic Academy, so they could fully recuperate within the Academy itself.

In fact, the Academy recommended this as well.

Though not mandatory, returning now meant they could be assigned accommodation based directly on their rankings, which saved a lot of trouble.

Li Xian didn’t mind either way.

Going back to the Academy was convenient and saved on lodging costs.

Plus, he was curious about what the top scorer’s dormitory would look like.

So, he took Sara and followed their mentor all the way back to the Academy.

Yes, all the way on foot.

They had used a Transmission Array to get there, but there wasn’t one available for the return trip.

They had to walk the whole way back.

Fortunately, the distance from the Imperial Capital wasn’t too far, but it still took over a full day.

By the time they arrived at the Academy, most students were already worn out.

Thankfully, the Academy had prepared accommodations in advance, so most could enter and rest immediately.

Well, most of them…

Li Xian was originally waiting for an Academy staff member to escort him to his dormitory to rest properly, but he was told that his lodging wasn’t here—it was several kilometers away.

Li Xian’s mind instantly exploded, ‘So scoring high meant more walking?’

There were about thirty or forty students, and apparently those who ranked in the top ten didn’t stay here.

Plus, they were allowed to bring members of their own teams along.

Being able to bring team members caught Li Xian’s attention.

This clearly meant their dormitories would be larger, right?

Seeing others bring several companions with them, Li Xian glanced at Sara trailing close behind and scratched his head.

Then he walked over to Karinya and said, “Want to come over to my place? To be honest, my home’s pretty big…”

Karinya looked a little stunned at first, then blushed slightly, hesitated, but nodded without refusing.

Since Karinya came along, Princess Ellie naturally followed her, so the four of them together didn’t feel so out of place.

Though, even the four of them couldn’t chat as freely as the other teams.

“By the way, what about the second place? Isn’t his name Roy? Why didn’t he come?”

Someone in the group spoke up curiously as they walked.

“Roy?” Someone nearby scoffed upon hearing the name and said, “You don’t know? He’s the eldest son of a prince. He wouldn’t lower himself to stay in the Academy dorms. Everyone on his team comes from noble families in the Imperial Capital. They’d never stay with us commoners.”

The tone was sarcastic but didn’t annoy anyone.

After all, everyone had witnessed Roy’s arrogant attitude.

Those who made it into the top ten had their pride; none were desperate to lick the boots of someone like him for a bit of power.

“But this guy here is really something—23 points, totally crushed that Roy, haha…”

Mentioning this, someone immediately thought of Li Xian and couldn’t help but look at him.

“Yeah, 23 points is no joke. You guys didn’t see Roy’s face when that happened—it was priceless.”

As soon as that was said, others nearby chimed in.

Li Xian didn’t expect the topic to suddenly turn to himself, and for a moment, he felt awkward.

He scratched his head and said shyly, “Just luck, just luck…”

“Hey, don’t say that, brother. Getting 23 points? That’s not luck.”

“Come to think of it, 23 points means he must have killed a High-rank Magical Beast, right?”

Someone nearby asked.

“Yeah, if it wasn’t a High-rank Magical Beast, scoring 23 points would be practically impossible.”

All of them had participated in the assessment and knew exactly how difficult it was.

“It’s true, I did kill a High-rank Magical Beast,” Li Xian didn’t deny it.

He had said before it was impossible to hide anyway.

Admitting it was no big deal—it was just a High-rank Magical Beast after all.

The strength he and Sara showed during the second round made it believable that together they could take down such a beast.

“By the way, the girl beside you—isn’t she the genius with Excellent Grade in both dual-elemental affinities? I see you two always together, are you a couple?”

“Um…” Li Xian was caught off guard by the question and became a bit embarrassed.

Sara blushed deeply and instinctively hid behind Li Xian.

“How nice, high talent, strong ability, and so cute… Why can’t I ever meet a loli like that?”

Her reaction made those around even more envious.

Such a cute, innocent, shy, and well-behaved girl—where else could one find that?

‘Damn these happy couples, so frustrating…’

Karinya watched Li Xian and Sara surrounded by others, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

She couldn’t quite explain the feeling, just that it was uncomfortable and heavy in her chest.

When she finally realized what was going on, she was shocked at herself.

But no matter the reason, it didn’t matter.

They would inevitably draw boundaries.

Staying with him would only harm him.

She had to distance herself, unable even to be friends or speak with him.

Walking and chatting, several kilometers passed without notice.

“This is your dormitory.”

When Herbert finally stopped and said this, the chatting group’s attention turned forward.

What lay before them could only be described in two words—stunning!

It wasn’t the neat rows of dorm buildings they had seen earlier but independent villas and mansions, each two or three stories high, complete with lawns and flower beds.

‘Dormitories? You’re telling me this is the dormitory?’ Li Xian twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Renting a single inn room outside was expensive enough; he couldn’t imagine how much these luxurious villas were worth.

Tens of thousands of gold coins?

That might only be a fraction.

After the initial shock came excitement.

Would this kind of mansion be his residence?

That High-rank Magical Beast really hadn’t been found for nothing!

“Well then, first up, let’s have the top scorer, Li Xian, choose your dormitory…” Herbert smiled lightly, unfazed by the group’s reactions, and leisurely said.