Chapter 74: Direct Student

"Sir, my rank is currently D... and it’s going to increase rapidly moving forward. Can you help me find a way out?"

Damon tried his best to process all the unusual things happening to Shani, but he was still left completely stunned.

"Are you sure you’re a D-Rank? When did you realize this?"

"Before entering the academy, I was still an F-Rank. The rank increase happened during my time here. As for the exact reason, I’m not entirely sure myself."

Shani spoke as truthfully as possible, while taking care not to mention the existence of her system.

Damon remained silent for a long moment, his expression complex and unreadable.

"Sir, if keeping it a secret is too difficult, I don’t mind if everyone finds out about my rank, as long as my identity as a Night Panther beastman stays hidden," Shani offered as a compromise.

She had initially believed Grand Academy could shield her from the Ashbournes’ influence.

But after the incident with Mrs. Rourken, she realized there were countless ways for them to bring her down.

’At least let my identity stay hidden until I make enough money to leave Argenor for good.’

"Shan, your identity as the Ashbourne daughter isn’t the most critical issue right now," Damon finally spoke up.

"The abnormality inside you is the true concern. Feline Tower isn’t entirely free from external interference, especially from the royal family."

"If the royals request your cooperation for their research, you’ll end up locked away like a lab rat."

A cold shiver ran down Shani’s spine. The buried trauma from her past life flared up at the mere thought of being caged once more.

She had briefly considered this danger when giving the energy potions to Mina and Aster, but she had assumed being a Grand Academy student would keep her safe.

"No, I don’t want that to happen, Sir!" she gasped out, shaking her head wildly.

"The Headmaster is a good leader, but his fatal flaw is his loyalty to His Majesty the King," Damon muttered regretfully.

"Once the King demands something, whatever authority he holds as a Tower Headmaster vanishes in an instant."

Shani agreed, but right now, politics didn’t matter to her. "So is there really no other way? Do I have to drop out of the academy?"

The more she thought about it, the more logical it sounded. She had money, equity in a company, and loyal friend by her side.

’Still, leaving the academy... brings a pang of sadness.’

Though it had only been a month, Shani had already grown attached.

She cherished her new friends and enjoyed learning under the instructors, experiences she had only ever dreamed of in her past life.

Shani lowered her head, hiding the disappointment in her eyes.

Fortunately, Damon spoke up quickly. "Actually, there is one way."

Shani snapped her head up, gazing at Damon with eyes full of hope.

Damon felt slightly overwhelmed, suddenly terrified of letting this poor girl down.

"Unlike Feline Tower, no kingdom holds influence over Nova City. Do you know that instructors in Nova City take on direct students?" Damon asked.

Shani nodded skeptically. "But only students already in Nova City can become direct students."

At the end of their second, third, and fourth years, Nova City selected the top performers from each Tower to transfer over.

Even if Shani secured a spot down the line, she needed a solution right now. She couldn’t afford to wait.

"A Direct Student must indeed be enrolled in Nova City, but a Candidate for Direct Student status doesn’t have to be," Damon countered with a knowing smile.

"A Candidate for Direct Student?" Shani had never heard the term before.

"The position of Candidate is rarely offered to those already attending the Towers, which is why you hardly ever hear it mentioned around here," Damon explained.

Shani suddenly remembered that certain individuals bypassed the Towers entirely, getting admitted straight into Nova City. Those people were likely the Direct Student candidates.

"Are you suggesting I become a candidate? But how?"

Shani knew the title was kept under wraps precisely because it wasn’t handed out to just anyone.

"Do you know Mason Walton from Class 2? If I recall, the other students call him Sonny," Damon asked.

Shani nodded. Of course she knew him. Not long ago, they had practically cheated death together inside a car driven by Noella.

"His maternal uncle, Elias Theron, is an instructor at Nova City and the head coordinator for our Tower’s competition team. He’s arriving here this weekend. I’ll meet with him and explain your situation."

A glimmer of hope ignited in Shani, though doubt still lingered.

"If he’s Sonny’s uncle, does that mean he’s a feline beastman too? Is his family based in Argenor? Won’t the royal family just pressure them later on?"

"You don’t know House Theron?" Damon looked mildly surprised.

Shani shook her head. The name sounded familiar, but she was certain there were no Therons among the first-years.

"They are Storm Tiger beastmen," Damon revealed.

Shani’s eyes widened. "The Storm Tigers are the top one prestigious family in Argenor! Sonny comes from that family?"

Across the entire continent, the highest tier of beast genes was the Emperor-Grade. Within the feline lineage, only two Emperor-Grade beast genes existed: the Lion and the Tiger.

Lion beastmen possessed a strong instinct for pack building, which allowed them to establish the feline kingdom.

Yet since ancient times, on an individual level, it was never settled which of the two gene strains was truly superior.

As a result, the Storm Tiger beastmen remained the sole faction capable of standing up to the royal family, the Solar Lions.

Knowing this, Shani no longer feared being thrown to the mercy of the royal family. Still... "Would someone that powerful really take me on as a direct student?"

Damon wasn’t a hundred percent certain either, there were far too many variables at play. But unwilling to let Shani fall into despair, he gave her a firm, confident answer.

"You’re anything but ordinary, Shan. He’ll take you."

...