NOVPUB
Chapter 51: Academy Details
"Note that we have not and do not participate in global conflicts. Our students are free to pursue whatever they want, but that can only be done in the capacity of an individual and will not be affiliated with the academy." Madam Sylvia’s eyes became dark as she buttressed this to the sibling duo.
Seeing that they did not refute, she was satisfied and continued. "The core value of our Esper Academy is to provide a safe and concentrated place of learning and practice for young espers who have unlocked their power. It doesn’t matter whether you come from an established esper family or you are the only one within your entire lineage, you will be treated according to your merit, not your history."
"However, even though that is so, we have our own set of rules. First and foremost, we only train Light Espers in our academy. You cannot use your power to cause unnecessary and wanton harm to non-espers as well as other espers, unless they are dark espers."
"Secondly, you cannot leave the campus grounds without first seeking an exeat. An exeat is a signed notice from any instructor - or your specific instructor - that you have been given permission to go out for a period of time, maybe to purchase something or to visit family."
Madam Sylvia shook her head. "You may feel like this is suppressive and unfair, but it is for your own good. Dark espers favor students of our academy the most, because you are trained espers that they can capture to either forcefully convert, corrupt, or harvest if necessary."
Kaizer’s brows furrowed while Rina seemed slightly bothered. She definitely did not like the idea of being unable to go and see her mother, not to mention Kaizer who still had his obligations as the heir to Lunin Corp.
"Of course, as S class students, you do have some minor special privileges in this regard. If you can convince your personal instructor to, they can accompany you for long periods out of the school as your protector." Madam Sylvia added with a wink.
"Anyway, going onwards, our third rule is that students cannot harm each other for whatever reason. Disputes can always be resolved sensibly through discussion and not through blasting at each other like Neanderthals."
Madam Sylvia curled her lips in disgust. "However, if it is absolutely necessary and inescapable, then one can seek out an instructor as a referee for a duel. Duels can be set according to different standards, but are definitely not allowed to be fatal or even crippling, otherwise there will be hell to pay."
Madam Sylvia went on to list around six more cardinal rules behind the Academy’s operation that were worth noting, but were not as critical as the first three mentioned. Kaizer noted them down while Rina boredly marked them somewhere but would likely forget by tomorrow.
"Now about the echelon system. In typical academies and universities, there are batches of students separated by their entrance period into years, right?"
Madam Sylvia shrugged helplessly. "Given that one’s esper power usually awakens within their youth but can also awaken at any time in their life, we can’t exactly put a system like that to use for many reasons. As such, we opted to use an echelon system where any students can enroll at any time after their esper power awakens."
"Then, their esper ability will be measured and graded, allowing them to be put into an echelon that best fits their power, with instructors who can guide them."
Madam Sylvia hesitated and gathered her words. "As I said earlier, an echelon is not a batch or a class, but is not necessarily too far removed from that. Echelons remain permanent and do not change with the year, but the year in which a student enters that echelon is recorded and monitored."
"Echelons also do not usually take unified classes like typical batches. Classes organized in the school can be attended by anyone of any batch, as they feature mostly theoretical knowledge about esper abilities."
"The most important thing in marking your progress is your time spent with your assigned instructor for those within the lower echelons and your chosen instructor for those of you who qualify for the special echelon. Instructors organize your lesson schedule, recommend classes for you, and take you on practical missions to help you grow. They also set the necessary standard for you to pass your ’year’ and unlock further resources and teaching materials." Madam Sylvia concluded with a sigh.
Kaizer nodded and scanned the instructors here, noting that none of them noticed his telesthesia domain, making him frown. Was there not a single fellow psychic esper among the academy’s instructors here?
"Finally, there is the matter of your available extracurricular activities. The Esper Academy measures at around 2,000 acres and we have everything you could possibly need on our grounds. There are dorms for those of low income, private estates, cottages, and villas for those willing to spend more. We also have an academy mall patronized by many of the best brands in the world for all things related to tech, fashion, automobiles, and more.
"There is our food court which is also patronized by all your favorite brands, from fast foods like BK and McDonald’s to elite five-star Michelin restaurants. We also have the Grocer’s Mart, where all kinds of groceries of all types from fruits, vegetables, meats, snacks, and daily household goods are sold."
Madam Sylvia smiled proudly. "Note that all things bought from the Grocer’s Mart are subsidized by the school against their outside prices, costing 50% less on average."
"Of course, all of these are just facilities and amenities available. The academy supports the opening of special clubs for various topics. We have popular clubs like the Mages Tower, the Elemental Bastion, the Mental Manipulators Society, and more." Madam Sylvia nodded to Kaizer when he mentioned the last one.
"We also have all sorts of entertainment facilities like a sports stadium for soccer, rugby, basketball, and other pursuits. We also have a rather lively venue on the campus called the Esper Lounge which acts like a nightclub of sorts, but far more classy."
Madam Sylvia released her folded arms. "That is about it. Is there anything you would like to know?"
"How do students from poorer backgrounds make money to afford some of these things while in school?" Kaizer asked, his expression placid as a lake.
Madam Sylvia glanced at him appreciatively. "There are multiple ways. One way is to excel in your studies, and the school awards monetary rewards to students who perform well. The second is to apply to the school for a loan, which you will be required to pay back post-graduation."
"If you have heard of them, the Esper Commission has a branch within our school that posts missions that students can undertake based on their esper ranking and year of admission. Most students make their money through this method, but be warned, these missions may come with some elements of danger."
"Finally, many extracurricular activities also have monetary incentives, like our school’s internal soccer league, the basketball division, or the inter-club wars. Though, how much they pay out varies per season and occasion."
Rina rubbed her cheeks with slight interest. "Can we bring our own money in?"
Madam Sylvia glanced at her strangely. "Of course. Many espers that come to us, especially second generations, are very wealthy and opt for the best treatment right off the bat. Not that having money in the school will accelerate your progress or give you advantages over other students in terms of curricular achievements, but are mainly for your own comforts and upkeep."
Rina seemed satisfied by this, leading Madam Sylvia to understand the difference between the two S class students before her. She cleared her throat and pushed on.
"If there are no more questions, we will begin the instructor selection for you two right away." 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
The other instructors, who had been half paying attention and half bored, suddenly perked up and adopted battle postures, as if they were about to deploy into a war zone.
Kaizer was not surprised by this as he was aware through Madam Sylvia’s own thoughts that she had intentionally not mentioned the importance of students to instructors, especially S class students, so as to gain an advantage over Kaizer and Rina.
After all, if they didn’t know their own value, they would likely sell themselves for less.
He didn’t need to tell Rina this because she would always follow his lead, so any schemes these instructors had were useless, especially since Kaizer was literally listening to them all in real time.
If there was one thing the young man had to say, it was that the fear of KPIs was not only felt by non-espers. Even A rank and B rank esper instructors feared them and would do anything to achieve them.
"No questions, you may proceed." Kaizer spoke softly.
"In light of this, I shall take the floor and make the first offer." Madam Sylvia said before any of the others could speak, making their faces fall at her unscrupulous behavior.
