"I want to check the information of a cadet named Sia. She might be a cadet now or maybe she is already enlisted, but she joined Imperial Defense Academy at some point. That's the only info I have about her." Varian revealed his 'request'.

"Huh?" Eric frowned and narrowed his eyes.

Varian felt like he was crushed from the outside. This was the same "Aura lock" used by Abyss Lord on Varian.

Due to the huge disparity in the levels, Varian was helpless against this move.

But he didn't panic. He kept his back straight and stared at Eric. 𝘣𝑒𝑑𝘯𝘰𝘷𝑒𝘭．𝑜𝘳𝘨

Eric kept the aura lock on and opened Varian's documents. This included criminal records, Varian's fights in the Leon training hill, his encounter with Abyssals in the Dungeon. In the end, he even checked his late parents's records.

Varian knew his request was sensitive. If a cadet's information was revealed to the enemy, they'd be passive. So if Varian was a terrorist or had a personal grudge against the cadet named Sia, revealing her information would be equal to putting her in danger.

A few minutes passed and Varian finally felt the surrounding aura loosen.

"Your file is pretty clean. But... I can assume you're a terrorist who's trying to get the info about a cadet. I'm even wondering if the attack on the hill is related to you. Or else, why that request?" Eric tapped the table and raised an eyebrow.

'If he believed it, I'd be dead already. He's just testing me.'

"My father was a solider, and he sacrificed himself in a war against Abyssals. I grew up wanting to be like him." Varian stated his first point and established empathy.

"Even in the dungeon, I barely survived. If my friends were a bit late, I'd be dead." With the second point, he implied that if he was a terrorist, he'd never had to face such a situation.

"I risked my life to save my friend I met less than a year ago." The final point was to prove his own character.

That was all he could say.

"Hm. So you want to join the Imperial Academy to be a responsible officer and fight Abyssals. Why would you want to enquire about someone?" Eric tapped the chair and said in a solemn tone.

"It's a personal reason. What I can say is that is that I'll go to any lengths for that request." Varian said.

Eric looked at Varian's determined eyes and fell into a brief thought. 'There will be quite a few cadets named Sia, but there won't be many. I can reject his request but he might approach factions of those prime families in the academy.'

He recalled Varian's personal record of going from unawakened to Level 2 in a matter of days and even more impressive, his feats of sacrifice in Dungeon and his risk to save his friend in the entrance test.

'He might have gotten lucky to advance so quickly, but he caught up with his peers despite awakening so late. Most importantly, he seems to be a loyal lad.

It'd be a pity if he didn't serve in the army.

But I can't agree to his request easily either. Checking info about cadets is a serious issue. Hm, alright!'

Eric snapped his fingers and said, "Alright. Your request will be accepted."

"Thank you." Varian smiled. He was about to ask for the documents now, but …

"You're forgetting something." Eric gave a crafty smile and continued, "You can make a request and you'll need to pay corresponding merit points."

'Ah. Right. I have 510 mp now. According to the guide, 1mp = 2kp. That's almost 1 million credit points. I'd be able to buy a large mansion.' It was his first time possessing such a huge amount of money.

Varian asked, "I have 510 mp. How many hundred mp should I pay?"

Eric's smile widened, and he shook his head.

'So it's cheaper?' Varian thought but soon felt something was off with the way Eric was smiling. That sly, cunning and calculating smile.

"It's 20,000 mp." Eric said and patted himself on the back.

"20k?!" Varian was dumbfounded. That's 40 million cp. That's too much, right?

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you, your prize 500 mp is the highest in the past 10 years." Eric decided to reveal the level of difficulty.

"Anything you do that benefits Human Armed Forces is rewarded by merit points. Cadets usually earn it through missions." Eric explained.

"Usually a normal cadet earns 1000 mp in their first year. 5000 in their second year and 10000 mp in their third year."

Varian felt his legs wobble.

"A good genius would earn 2000 in their first year and 8000 in their second year. 20000 in their final year."

Varian almost coughed out blood.

He finally knew why Eric agreed to his request. If gaze could kill, Eric would be dead a thousand and nine times already.

Eric looked at Varian's indignant gaze and waved his hands. "Do you know how sensitive revealing information about a cadet is? Besides, you asked for the data of all cadets named Sia. I'm not even asking you why you want their data. If I were you, I'd only laugh that I got a huge bargain."

Varian gritted his teeth and squeezed a smile. "I'm really happy."

"Yes, yes. You should be." Eric gave a heart-warming smile that would've charmed teen girls, but it only made Varian want to bury him in mars.

Varian took a deep breath and gave a formal salute. Fearing he'd beat Eric if he turned back, he walked out of the room.

He guessed Eric's intentions. They were threefold.

One. To get so many Merit points, Varian would've to spend a long time in the academy. This would prove his loyalty and also expose the hidden connections, if any. If he came out clean, his request would be fulfilled.

Two. To get the merit points, he'd have to work hard. The sooner he wants them, the more work. This meant the academy would gain a highly productive cadet and perhaps a high level Awakener.

Third. The request was delayed but not denied. So Varian wouldn't be able to complain to management if he ever got the chance.

'This old fox… your plot was smart' Varian's stiff smile disappeared after he exited the room and replaced by a sneer.

'You just misunderstood one thing. I went from Level 0 to Level 2 in 10 days. I relied neither on potions nor on precious fruits. I have a system.' He sauntered in the path.

'You thought I will take years. I'll finish it in a few months.'

Varian didn't know how, but he knew he'd do it. He lost belief in himself in the past year but now, with every battle, his self-confidence was growing back to its peak.

He was going to give his best. The number of months depended on his luck, and luck only favored the prepared.

The same thing happened in the entrance test. He got the ten merit points due to his own efforts. The final material on the hill was because he survived until then and climbed the hill. He was indeed lucky to get that opportunity, but to even reach till there, he needed a lot of effort.

Varian inquired about the cadet comm, and it replied that he was in an administrative block of Imperial Defense Academy.

After he lost consciousness, the space shuttle reached Earth, and the selected candidates were shifted to the campus.

Varian got excited and left the block.

There was a crowd in the field gazing at the hologram list. Varian looked up and saw that it was the rankings.

Written Test: (Combatant)

Varian

Narcis

Adir

Ryan

...

Practical Test: (Combatant)

Varian

Narcis

Ryan

Adir

"Hahaha. Narcis, you're destined to be only second." a loud mocking laughter sounded in the crowd and the students turned to see the source.

Adir pointed at the rankings and sneered at Narcis Xander. Narcis's face was flushed, and he was shaking in rage.

"Who? Who is this Varian?" He growled, and no one answered.

'Fuck my luck!' Varian decided to slip away instead of making a scene and was almost successful.

"Varian. I'm first in the test! I'm the best!" Kyle hopped off his hover bike and bragged.

'Kyle, please tell me, did I kill your dad or snatch your wife? Why do you always push me into the Abyss?' Varian felt like crying as he turned around to see Narcis stepping towards him.

'Oh shit! Here we go again.'