March 1, 2133.

The sun was shining bright that day. It was a rare, beautiful day.

Passersby went about their usual business, just as they always did.

In an age overrun with monsters, seeing a scene like this was a rare thing.

Xiyu, known as the “City of Hope,” was a coastal city in the eastern Dragon Kingdom.

After the Moon Spirit New World War, Xiyu became the largest city in the world. No other city came close. Its population, economy, and technology were also world-renowned.

After the Great Upheaval, monsters ran rampant all over the world. Against that backdrop, General Star Heroes—heirs to the bloodline of the old-time Heroes—began appearing in droves. The damage caused by monsters was brought under control, too.

Xiyu had the strongest security systems in the world. Monsters still appeared, but both their numbers and the areas they affected were kept to a minimum. This was thanks in part to advanced science and technology and military strength, but most of all to the many Heroes living in Xiyu.

These Heroes were Xiyu’s protectors and the very face of justice.

The main reason Xiyu had so many powerful Heroes was simple: it was home to the world’s only top-tier Hero Academy, General Star Hero Academy.

General Star Hero Academy was largely independent from Xiyu, occupying its own island out at sea. It covered 300 hectares, making it the largest and highest-ranked top-tier academy in the world.

To enter General Star Hero Academy, you had to have a special constitution: the General Star constitution, which allowed you to inherit and awaken a Hero bloodline. You also had to be of a high rank—Cannon, Chariot, Horse, Elephant, or Advisor. General Rank was incredibly rare, with only one in ten million. Soldier Rank, on the other hand, was far more common and weaker in combat than the other ranks, so Soldiers were assigned to ordinary Hero Academies. (Note: The General Star ranks are based on Dragon Kingdom chess. The seven ranks are Soldier, Cannon, Chariot, Horse, Elephant, Advisor, and General.)

Bearing a General Star meant you had a duty to fight monsters. Simply being admitted to General Star Hero Academy was an honor in itself. Its students all worked hard, striving to grow stronger and serve the people so they could become powerful Heroes as soon as possible.

Today was the first day of school for all kinds of schools. The world-famous General Star Hero Academy was also holding its opening ceremony.

Opening ceremonies at most academies had become routine: speeches, awards, and all the same dull stuff. But being honored at General Star Hero Academy’s opening ceremony was another matter. It was even more gratifying than the awards from the world’s most prestigious universities.

But what if, instead, someone was publicly reprimanded in front of all thirty thousand students? What kind of effect would that have?

“The well-known student Shi Ji has studied at General Star Hero Academy for one year. He has shown no desire to improve and has disrupted the studies of others. Despite repeated criticism, warnings, and disciplinary action, he has shown no remorse. After deliberation, the academy’s senior staff have decided to issue the following disciplinary notice: Shi Ji, a member of the General Star Hero Academy class of 2132, was admitted in 2132 as one of the academy’s few General Star students of Soldier Rank due to his unusual circumstances. During his time here, Shi Ji has been unmotivated, lazy, and unwilling to improve. Despite repeated criticism, warnings, and disciplinary action, he has shown no intention of changing. Shi Ji is hereby expelled from the academy.”

The academy’s principal read the disciplinary notice aloud in person.

The notice was read, but Shi Ji didn’t hear it. He hadn’t attended the opening ceremony at all. He’d already received his expulsion notice, after all. Once he got it, that meant he was no longer a student at General Star Hero Academy.

Shi Ji was already on his way to another, ordinary Hero Academy.

Shi Ji was a 17-year-old boy, 179 centimeters tall—the same height as Jiu Ye. Like many handsome guys, he had a striking, sharply defined face and the medium-length hair that seemed to come standard with good looks.

Shi Ji liked white clothes, pants, and shoes, but he always wore black instead. Today was no different.

Good looks wouldn’t keep you fed at a Hero Academy. Things were different now. Girls liked strong guys, as long as they weren’t too ugly.

Shi Ji was famous throughout General Star Hero Academy. The reason was clear from the disciplinary notice.

Shi Ji didn’t think he was the type to study hard, and he had no sense of pride about getting into General Star Hero Academy. None of that mattered to him. So why had a Soldier Rank General Star been specially admitted to a top-tier Hero Academy, only to be forcibly expelled now? That went back to something that happened a year ago.

A year ago, Shi Ji came to Xiyu to catch loaches. By chance, he stumbled upon a battle between a Hero and a monster. The high-ranking Hero and the high-ranking monster were both badly wounded. It was so close that whichever side had one more person would have won.

(Monster ranks: Human, Yokai, Nether, Spirit, Demon, God.)

(Hero ranks: C, B, A, S, X, O.)

Since he was passing by anyway, Shi Ji finished off the dying Nether Rank monster. The media had just arrived, and in an instant, he became famous. When General Star Hero Academy heard about him, they made a special offer for him to study there. Shi Ji had originally wanted to turn them down, but then he heard the scholarship was at least 500,000 a year. He changed his mind right away.

And that was how Shi Ji ended up at General Star Hero Academy, more or less by accident.

A week after enrolling, Shi Ji realized he’d been scammed. There were special requirements for getting the scholarship: he had to rank among the academy’s top hundred in credits every year. There was no way he could manage that.

What the hell… Shi Ji had only one thought: “MMP.” He didn’t even stop to ask himself whether he should say it—he just blurted it out in the middle of his instructor’s lesson.

For that one little incident, Shi Ji was sentenced to clean the men’s toilets for a week. Why not the women’s toilets?

General Star Hero Academy was an advanced academy, with strict rules and regulations. The students’ competitions were probably the only fun to be had. With nothing to do, Shi Ji seemed to have nothing else in his life beyond eating, drinking, using the bathroom, and sleeping.

Every day at General Star Hero Academy, Shi Ji looked forward to one thing: being publicly reprimanded. He really wanted to get disciplined. That way, he could leave this hellhole sooner and escape the torment of both body and soul.

Of course, he could’ve resorted to violence to get himself expelled faster. But one very real reason held him back: he was broke as hell. If he damaged anything at the academy, he’d have to pay for the property damage. If he hit someone, there’d be medical bills and compensation. If he peeked at girls bathing, he’d have to pay emotional damages. Everything cost money, no matter how small the offense. And Shi Ji was seriously short on cash.

And now, he’d finally gotten his wish. He’d done it!

…