"I’ll spend 200,000 points," Luke said.
The Comptrollers stopped operating their computers and looked at Luke like he was crazy because 200,000 points wasn’t a small amount. It was more than what 95% of students had gotten, and he just offered to spend it all at once as if he were buying lunch.
Also, after spending 200,000 points, he would have 250,000 points left, placing him at #2, but still ahead of everyone else.
"He’s serious," one of the women said. "Then we’ll give him a Comprehensive Index."
"What’s a Comprehensive Index?" Luke asked.
"We can’t calculate what 200,000 points are worth using the rates we provided, so we’ll make you a round-up that fits the price. Since 200,000 points is very large, it’s close to all intel we have."
"In simple terms, you’ll get almost everything we have available at the highest levels. Locations, hints, etcetera, and even potential monster zones that haven’t appeared yet but are likely to become available."
Luke understood what they told him. They were treating him like he was a wholesaler who buys in bulk.
It was the difference between buying products piece by piece and getting the entire package at once.
This changes Luke’s methods in the trials. Instead of wandering around looking for good zones, Luke would already know where to go. Instead of waiting for danger to appear, he could prepare for it before anyone else.
He gets information en masse and use it whenever he wants.
"I’ll take it," Luke said. "I trust you to give me worth the points I’m spending."
"As Comptrollers, we must remind you that we don’t recommend spending this much. This is a big sacrifice for your standing in the Joint Term."
"Tell me that again when I come back later this week for another one," Luke replied freewheelingly, forcing the adults to exchange contradictory looks.
Soon, they got to work and carried out the trade with the machines.
「Notice! Luke Kingsley has purchased a Comprehensive Index worth 200,000 points」
The notification appeared on every student’s Token, much to Luke’s surprise.
Somewhere in the city, students fighting monsters stopped and stared at the notification in disbelief. Who was confident enough to spend that much?
Meanwhile, Luke received the notification he was expecting.
「You are leading #2 in the top 10」
And—
「Notice! Your teammate, Scarlett Trump, is now leading the Trials!」
Everything was going according to plan between him and Scarlett.
If the two of them maintained their performance through the Joint Term, they would end up as the Dux and Summa of their class set.
"It is done," the male Comptroller said, pulling Luke’s thoughts. "You can check your map now, and you’ll notice the difference."
Luke activated his drone and opened the map, and indeed it was different.
Tarnished with monster zones, you’d hardly believe New Florence was even habitable. There was even a zone not far from the academy. Luke could start from there for today.
He was all smiles.
"Thank you," he said as he left the office with a different map than the one he had entered with, while the Comptrollers watched him go.
They wondered if he’d be back again this week like he said. After all, more zones meant more monsters, more monsters meant more kills, and more kills meant more points.
If Luke could turn those points into another index of hints, he would be unstoppable.
********
Luke left the management building, summoned Seraphina, and checked the map on his drone again.
The monster zone at the hills nearby was still his first choice because it was close enough that he wouldn’t waste time travelling, and it also gave him a good place to test Seraphina without worrying about anyone getting in the way.
As they walked, Seraphina kept looking around and started asking questions about things she had never seen before, like how the tall buildings stayed standing without the kind of construction she remembered.
Luke explained as best he could because many things didn’t exist in her era.
Seraphina finally stopped asking questions and used her eyes only. She absorbed the roads, the people, vehicles, and other things that were background for Luke.
It was cool to know that a Mythic being was fascinated by mundane things of our everyday life.
"We’re going there to kill some monsters, but this is also your first test," Luke explained as they approached the hills. "Before I take you into a more dangerous zone, I need to know what you can do and how your abilities work."
"I am ready," Seraphina replied with a serious face because she interpreted this as a chance to prove herself to her master.
On the other hand, Luke noticed she was keen to be more useful to him than about fighting. It got him curious about what was going on in Serpahina’s head regarding him. But he couldn’t read minds like her.
When they finally reached the hills, Luke opened the index on his drone and searched for the exact spot and compared it with the landscape they were on until everything matched.
Slopes. Valleys. Boulders. Rocky caves. It was larger than what Luke expected.
While he was searching for the eye of the zone, Serpahina stopped walking because she felt something.
"Master, be careful. Monsters are coming from up there," she said, using her perception.
Her alert drew Luke’s eyes to where she pointed.
Yet, Luke couldn’t see anything, so he summoned his mask, and that’s when he saw a school of monsters walking in a valley between two big rocks.
"She sensed them before I even knew where to look," Luke thought as he glanced at Seraphina, who now looked a little anxious about what to do after they had finally found monsters. Somehow, that nervous expression made her look more beautiful and innocent.
"So, Seraphina. What do you think we should do?"
If the Empyreal Angel wasn’t a Combat summon, then her battle strategy ought to be questioned. That was why Luke asked her for their first move instead of giving her one himself.
He wanted to know if, in the future, he could leave Seraphina with a group of monsters while he fought another without worrying about her dying, because even the strongest beings could die without tactics.
Seraphina was taken aback by Luke’s question because she didn’t know what to do.
The reason is that she never thinks for herself before Luke revived her.
In her era, there is an already established directive for her to follow, and she always followed it. So, she thought Luke would continue that method because that’s what she’s best at doing.
But Luke was putting her in a position where there’s a different kind of responsibility. He was asking her to think, judge the situation, and make a decision on her own, which was something she had never done before.
Seraphina was supposed to be sad about it, but she knew Luke was doing it to better her, and that’s why she loved and respected him.
He wasn’t trying to make her his inferior. He wanted her to be his partner.
So, she looked at the monsters. It was a school of Crystal Crabs, and Seraphina noticed that some were bigger and stronger than the others.
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