Chapter 7: Poor Bastard

"To be entirely clear," the Vice Dean announced, his voice echoing over the courtyard’s speakers, "this exam will not take place in an off-site simulated city. Aurelius Academy is a city.

The test commences right here, but for the sectors of incoming freshmen. Proceed immediately to the Central Exchange Hall to collect your Aureus Credit Cards."

The massive double doors of the grand hall creaked open, revealing a sprawling marble chamber lined with high-tech banking counters.

The students surged inside, heading toward the card distribution kiosks. At Aurelius Academy, your credit card isn’t just a piece of plastic, it was a public display of your financial backing and institutional privilege, divided strictly into three distinct tiers.

At the highest tier was the Diamond Card.

Forged from solid, hyper-compressed lab-grown diamond, it was completely scratch-proof, virtually indestructible, and laser-etched with intricate gold circuitry that caught the light like a prism.

In the real world, as inside the academy, diamond cards were reserved exclusively for the top 0.01% the multi-billionaires and global titans.

Holding a Diamond Card unlocked unlimited transaction volume, high-leverage credit access, and top-tier banking privileges that could crush lower-tiered students in a bidding war.

Below that was the Gold Card, crafted from heavy, polished solid gold alloy. It represented the upper-echelon multi-millionaires, wealthy, prestigious, but still a step below the absolute elite.

Finally, at the bottom, was the White Card. Made from matte-white ceramic, it was the baseline card issued to ordinary scholarship students and lower-capital entrants. It carried strict transaction limits, basic banking access, and zero leverage privileges.

The moment the kiosks opened, the rich heirs rushed the Diamond counter, slapping down their family credentials to flaunt their wealth.

"Give me a Diamond Card!" a guy in a velvet-trimmed uniform barked, tossing his crest onto the counter. "My family backs my account with fifty billion!"

"Diamond tier for me as well!" another heir laughed, snatching his glittering crystal card and holding it high for everyone to see.

Morales stood near the center of the hall, looking at the three counters.

’Should I get the Diamond or the Gold?’ Morales pondered silently. ’I have a million liquid cash in my account... but my rules are absolute. Never show how much money you have. Flaunting a Diamond card right now will just put a target on my back i doubt my money would reach for the diamond card.’

He turned his back on the bustling Diamond counter and walked calmly toward the empty white Card station. He reached out, took the simple matte-white ceramic card, and slid it casually into his jacket pocket.

"Out of the way, broke bastard!"

THUD.

A heavy shoulder slammed violently into Morales back.

A sharp gasp echoed behind him, followed by the sound of someone stumbling backward. Morales didn’t flinch. He didn’t even shift an inch on his feet.

His upgraded iron-like physical structure absorbed the impact like a brick wall.

The guy who had shoved him, a tall, arrogant heir with slicked-back hair, clutched his own throbbing shoulder, his face twisting in sudden pain.

"What the fuck is your body made of?!" the guy hissed, before glaring at Morales with pure venom. "What the hell is a poor bastard like you doing in Aurelius anyway? You’re a fucking disgrace to this school!"

Standing right beside him was a guy with sharp, arrogant features, wearing a custom-tailored jacket decorated with silver chains.

He held a glittering, prism-shining Diamond Card casually between his fingers. His name tag read: JAYDEN.

Jayden looked down his nose at Morales, a sneer curling his lip. "Careful, trash. You’re breathing the same air as your betters."

Morales turned around slowly. His electric blue eyes locked straight onto Jayden’s face.

"If your family’s fortune is built on the same weak foundation as your friend’s shoulder," Morales said, his voice terrifyingly calm, "you’ll be joining me in poverty by next week."

"Talk about someone who wants a low-key life." The system said.

Jayden’s sneer froze. His eyes flared with rage. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

Morales took a single, deliberate step forward. He closed the distance until he was standing chest-to-chest with Jayden.

They were the exact same height, but the aura radiating from Morales was suffocating. Morales leaned in slightly, his striking blue eyes staring straight into Jayden’s soul, a gaze so deep, cold, and intense that Jayden involuntarily held his breath.

The surrounding crowd of students quickly noticed the confrontation, and murmurs began sweeping through the hall like a wave.

"Is that scholarship kid crazy?!" a student whispered in shock. "How dare a bastard child look at Jayden like that?!"

"Doesn’t he know who Jayden is? His family owns the largest private banking syndicate in the Eastern district!"

"Look at that poor kid talking big! He’s holding a useless, limited White Card while Jayden has a fucking Diamond Card!"

Well only the ones with 100millions and above that could really afford the Diamond card.

The male students sneered, throwing insults left and right, furious that a nobody was standing his ground.

However, the female students in the crowd were reacting entirely differently. Their eyes were wide, glued to Morales flawless features, his vivid red hair, and his intense, dominant posture.

"God... who is he?" an heiress whispered to her friend, her cheeks flushing red. "He’s... he’s by far the most handsome guy in this entire hall."

"Look at his eyes..." another girl murmured, pressing her hands against her chest. "He doesn’t look scared of Jayden at all. He looks... dangerous."

Jayden heard the crowd’s murmurs, and his pride flared. He raised his Diamond Card, waving it inches from Morales nose. "You see this, broke boy? This card means I can buy and sell your entire life before lunch. You have a mouth on you, but your White Card is capped at basic transactions. You’re nothing here."

Morales didn’t break eye contact. He didn’t even look at the glittering card in his face.

Instead, Morales spoke, his smooth, resonant voice carrying across the silent hall. "Keep flashing that card and your wealth it’s the only thing that’s honest about yo, other than that you are just a worthless piece of shit!"

The entire chamber went dead silent.

Jayden’s face turned bright red, his jaw clenching so hard a vein bulged on his temple. He opened his mouth to roar back, but the sheer, icy intensity in Morales eyes made the words catch in his throat.

"Enjoy your little White Card while you still have a place here, scholarship trash," Jayden spat through gritted teeth, stepping back to save face. "When the market opens, I’m going to personally target every asset you try to touch until you’re expelled."

Jayden turned on his heel and walked away, his lackeys scrambling to follow him.

Morales watched him go, a faint, dark smirk playing at the corner of his lips. He glanced around the hall, noticing several wealthy heiresses still staring at him with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.

’The male heirs are arrogant idiots,’ Morales thought to himself, sliding his hands into his pockets. ’But the women... they’re where the real network and system rewards lie. I need to start contacting them early.’

BZZZZZZ!

A sharp, high-pitched horn sounded throughout the entire academy, and the holographic screens in the hall lit up in bright crimson.

"Attention all incoming freshmen!" the automated voice announced. "All Aureus Credit Cards have been distributed! The First Exam: The Wealth Test, officially begins NOW!"