This was a calculation method no different from usurious loan sharks or bandits who prey on the backs of the common people.
On the other hand, there was a sense of doubt.
'What kind of confidence does he have?'
Defeating Hikster, the second son of the Dolanpe family, at the opening ceremony was an achievement worth acknowledging.
According to what he had heard, although the academy's measurement values for this year were below average, in terms of combat ability, he was certainly in the top tier...
Even so, for him to have such an attitude?
It was as if he was confident that he could take on all six of them at once.
'Is this lowborn scoundrel not aware of his place?'
Dibe was speechless but managed to show some patience.
"Is 35 gold insufficient? Fine. I'll raise it to 40 gold. No more than that. The funds I have been authorized to use are 40 gold per bracelet."
"Then it would be 240 gold in total."
"..."
Dibe tightly closed his mouth.
'Is he crazy?'
240 gold is not just some dog's name.
Even for someone from a fairly successful merchant family like himself, 240 gold is not a sum to be taken lightly.
For a dirty street urchin from the Black and White Zone, it's a sum he might never touch in his lifetime.
Yet, he demanded it without changing his expression.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
This lowborn scoundrel is trying to make a big profit from this opportunity.
'Well, he has no choice.'
Dibe convinced himself.
That's how lowborns are.
Living poorly, eating poorly, and lacking education, they lose their sense of self and, when they think they might get a scrap of meat, they become greedy.
Just a little more, just a little more.
To fill their insignificant bellies.
'They don't even realize that their greed will tear them apart. Well, can uncivilized people even see that far? Tsk, what a waste of time.'
He wanted to teach him a lesson, but that wasn't the most important thing right now.
'To complete the lady's order, there's no better hunting dog than Aster...'
He was the perfect candidate in every way.
As a street urchin from the Black and White Zone, he would be blinded by money, and in terms of combat ability, he was capable enough to defeat Hikster of Dolanpe.
However, if that dog was mad, he needed to find another option.
"Then the negotiation is off. Pretend I didn't hear it."
Dibe said this and turned around.
Or rather, he tried to turn around.
"Where are you going?"
"..."
"The bracelets for those three, you can pay for, but you need to pay for your own. 40 gold per bracelet, so 120 gold in total."
"Hmm..."
Dibe sighed deeply.
It was a hot, boiling breath rising from deep within his abdomen.
"Lowborn. Just because you wear the same clothes and stay in the same place, it doesn't change the position you were born into. If you don't know your place and try to climb... "
"So, are you from a great family or something?"
"..."
Pierced by those words, Dibe's mouth clamped shut like a clam.
After all, Dibe was not a noble.
In fact, according to his father, there was a time when they were nobles, but now they have fallen, and even their titles are gone.
Dibe, who usually boasted, "I still have noble blood in my veins," was not the type to make a pitiful excuse in such a situation.
It was like spitting while lying down.
However.
"Dibe, do you think I'm the same as a lowborn scoundrel like him?! Despite my appearance, Dibe's distant ancestor was a baron!"
"..."
"Phacon, don't stop me! I need to teach that guy a lesson today..."
"Phacon!"
As Dibe raised his voice, Phacon shut his mouth.
Silence fell.
Dibe gritted his teeth.
'You, damn bastards...'
If it were up to him, he would have wanted to trample not only Aster but also Phacon.
However, Phacon, though not as well-off as himself, was still a fairly solid merchant's successor.
Cutting ties over such a trivial matter would be a loss.
Moreover.
'Now is not the time to get angry. Completing the lady's order is the priority. If we can establish a trade with the Goldrin Merchant Guild, our guild can grow several times larger.'
Evelyn Goldrin, the precious daughter of the Goldrin Merchant Guild.
Despite being the same age, Dibe bowed his head to Evelyn because of the title before her name.
His pride was hurt, but the Goldrin Merchant Guild was one of the top ten merchant guilds on the continent.
Dropping his pride and offering himself as a subordinate, if he could gain a connection, it wouldn't be a loss.
And now was the time to follow Evelyn's order and gather the bracelets.
'Gather as many as possible.'
She even provided the funds.
The maximum limit per bracelet was 40 gold.
Frankly, it was hard to understand. One bracelet to open one door. Even if they reached the final gate, they wouldn't need that many bracelets.
If he had only considered his own performance, he wouldn't have given such an order.
'It must be a test.'
How cheaply and how many bracelets he could gather.
The purchase price and quantity. A test to evaluate his capabilities based on these two criteria.
"120 gold, you say? I'll pay it."
Dibe said this and tried to count out the gold coins.
It wasn't the funds provided by Evelyn.
Using Evelyn's funds for this would prove his incompetence.
On the other hand, if he just ignored the mad dog, it would become an obstacle to completing his order.
So, he bowed.
Stepping back from a lowborn was not pleasant, but he was a merchant. If necessary, he could even kneel to a beggar.
'Tsk, using the money my father gave me... Well, this is when it should be used.'
It was a large sum his father had given him, having made a big decision, to celebrate his admission to the Jenyon Academy. Giving it to a street urchin was regrettable, but there was no choice.
However.
"You didn't recognize a noble, did you?"
Dibe's hand, which was counting the gold coins, paused.
"Then the price needs to go up a bit."
"..."
Snap.
Something in Dibe's mind snapped.
The rationality of a merchant, the thread he had been holding onto.
"Alright, then... how much should it be raised to?"
"Since you're a noble, I'll charge double. So, it would be 160 gold in total."
"Alright, 160 gold, you say."
Dibe slowly nodded at this.
"From this moment on, I'll show you how miserable your life can be with 160 gold. Even your fancy friend won't be able to protect you."
With that, Dibe turned around.
'You can look forward to it. I'll make you leave the academy on your own.'
No matter how great Blando's reputation, he was still a young master who didn't understand the world.
Blando himself was not the issue, but dealing with a street urchin attached to him was no big deal.
* * *
"Let me repeat, if the bracelet's function stops, you are out. The bracelet's activation condition is a direct physical impact from magic or a magic-infused attack."
The assistant professor reminded the students of the bracelet's function again.
The activation condition was simple.
If a magic or magic-infused attack is about to hit the body, the barrier will activate.
The damage accumulated in the barrier will not be resolved, and if the accumulated damage exceeds the barrier's limit, it will be damaged. When that happens, the bracelet will lose its light.
There was also a safety mechanism.
A simple teleportation.
"If the barrier is destroyed, the bracelet will remain in place, and the wearer will be forcibly transferred outside the test area. So, don't worry about getting injured when the barrier breaks."
It was a sophisticated magic.
However, it had many restrictions, making it difficult to use in actual combat.
After all, it was developed for the test of such educational institutions.
In any case, the assistant professors reminded the students of the rules again and stepped back.
From starting point 1 to 11.
The students stood on the circular magic circle, waiting for the teleportation.
"Let's begin."
As Professor Phalun gave the order, the assistant professors activated the teleportation magic circle.
Swoosh—
Light burst from the eleven magic circles, and the teleportation began.
Poof!
The students disappeared in an instant.
"I'll bring up the internal video."
Professor Phalun nodded and sat in the chair brought by the assistant professor.
Soon, a giant screen appeared in front of him.
The screen was divided into dozens of sections.
While two assistant professors and about ten assistants were preparing to score, Professor Phalun calmly took in the scenes on the screen.
Soon, the students who had been teleported appeared on the screen.
'Dalia and Damian at the same starting point.'
He also focused on a few other notable students.
For a normal person, it would be overwhelming, and they wouldn't be able to see a single screen properly, but Professor Phalun easily took in everything.
However.
Click!
The screen showing one of the starting points suddenly went dark.
"Eh, what?"
The assistant professor and assistants were taken aback.
"What, why is this happening?"
"Hey! Did you check the Magic Eyes properly?!"
"No, I... I definitely checked them properly. There were no issues, but why is this happening? I really checked them all night."
One of the assistants, intimidated by the assistant professor's angry voice, replied.
'What, what do I do... I definitely checked everything.'
The Magic Eyes were not only for scoring the students but also for safety reasons.
Although the bracelets provided a basic safety net, it was impossible to leave the students unattended.
The assistant professors and assistants had the duty to monitor the students through the Magic Eyes and respond immediately to any unforeseen incidents.
With one of the Magic Eyes out of commission.
'Sigh.'
This would result in a report.
Even if his evaluation was already on the line, a report would be a disaster.
While the assistant professor's harsh reprimand made his head spin.
Professor Phalun spoke.
"Enough. I also checked the Magic Eyes. There were no issues. We should focus on understanding the situation rather than assigning blame."
"..., Yes, Professor."
The assistant professor, who had been raging like an enraged ogre, quickly calmed down.
The assistant also breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, which starting point is it?"
The assistant professor glared at the assistant.
The assistant, flustered by the glare, replied.
"It's... starting point 3."
"Starting point 3."
No particular student came to mind.
Well, there was one.
'Aster, was it?'
The new student who had a conflict with the second son of the Dolanpe family in the grand hall on the first day of the opening ceremony.
Even for Professor Phalun, who usually didn't care about such matters, it was a memorable event.
No student had caused trouble from the first day of the opening ceremony.
"There shouldn't be any issues."
"Y-Yes, that's right. A Magic Eye is installed at the entrance of starting point 3, so..."
The assistant nodded calmly at the assistant professor's words.
"Yes, yes. There shouldn't be any issues, or you'll have to write a report."
"..."
The assistant, sensing the underlying meaning, tightly closed his mouth.
Probably, there wouldn't be any issues.
Statistically, it was unlikely.
The Gate of Trials was activated only a few times a year, and it had been running for almost ten years.
During that time, there had never been an incident.
"Still, keep trying to restore it. If there's a problem with the magical circuit, we can fix it here."
"Yes, yes!"
The assistant hurriedly headed to the control panel set up in a corner.
'No incident... there shouldn't be. There mustn't be.'
While moving, the assistant kept an eye on the screen of the Magic Eye installed at the entrance of starting point 3, hoping that the students would quickly leave the starting point.
Meanwhile, in the isolated starting point 3.
"Fine, 320 gold. From now on, I'll deduct 1 silver per hit."