Chapter 93: Apex Privilege [I]

Starlight stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed in her academy uniform, her fingers adjusting the knot of her tie with practiced efficiency as she straightened her collar and pulled the red fabric into a crisp knot. Her crimson hair was still slightly damp from her shower, the ends brushing against her shoulders as she crossed the room.

Chloe leaned over the rail from the top bunk, blinking at her with open disbelief as she took in Starlight’s appearance.

"Wait. Are you... actually going to class today?" Chloe asked, her voice laced with incredulity.

Starlight paused, her hand hovering over the knot of her tie as she looked at Chloe. "Well, duh... of course I’m going to class." She frowned. "That’s kind of the whole point of being a student, isn’t it?"

Elle let out a snort without looking up from her phone.

"You’re not going to use your ranking privileges?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My what now?" Starlight stared back at her blankly.

"Your ranking privileges," Elle repeated, finally lifting her gaze from her phone. The look on her face suggested she couldn’t believe this conversation was actually happening.

"Uhm..." Starlight glanced between the girls in confusion. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Before Chloe could answer, Elle immediately sat up straighter.

"Allow me to explain it to her," she said smoothly, offering a giddy grin. "You all know I explain things better."

Chloe rolled her eyes with a light scoff. "Yeah, go ahead. Let her self-appointed manager explain."

Ariel laughed and swung her legs off the bed before standing up. "You know what? I’m going to take my bath. Hopefully, by the time I’m back, Elle will finally be done with her explanation."

She grabbed her towel from the foot of the bed and headed toward the bathroom.

"Good luck," Chloe called after her.

Ariel snorted. "Starlight is going to need it more than I do." With that, she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

"Okay, shall we begin?" Elle cleared her throat, taking a step closer to Starlight while folding her arms behind her back in mock seriousness.

Starlight narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Elle ignored her and continued, "Any student who makes it into the Top Three on the Apex Board receives full academic exemption privileges."

Starlight blinked.

"They don’t have to show up for regular classes anymor," Elle explained. "Everything gets sent straight to their phones. Lectures, assignments, study materials, even recordings of the classes they miss. They also get access to all the academic archives and attendance exemptions approved directly by the headmistress. Honestly, once someone reaches that level, the academy makes sure studying is the last thing they have to worry about."

Starlight’s eyebrows slowly rose.

"You can study from your bed, your dorm room, the cafeteria, the library, a rooftop, or pretty much anywhere else on campus. You don’t have to step foot inside a lecture hall if you don’t want to."

A brief silence followed. Then Starlight stared at her. "Wait." She pointed at herself. "You’re telling me I don’t actually have to go to class?"

Elle nodded enthusiastically. "Not unless you want to."

Starlight went completely still. Her arm slowly lowered to her side as her mind immediately began racing.

No random students screaming her name. No cameras following her every movement. No strangers forcing conversations on her. No lecture halls. No forcing fake, polite smiles when all she wanted was to be left alone.

And, more importantly, no dealing with arrogant werewolves and their endless drama.

The thoughts flooded her mind one after another. Could this day get any better? She could literally stay behind locked doors and keep her distance from every single one of them.

A strange feeling of happiness began blooming inside her chest.

"I think..." Starlight started, a slow, rare breath of satisfaction escaping her lips, "...I am actually starting to like Asterion Academy and this ranking thing."

"Don’t celebrate just yet," Chloe chimed in from above, leaning her chin on her hands with a dry smirk. "Academic lectures are exempt, but practicals are not. Combat class, exercise sessions, field activities, and anything physical are still strictly compulsory for everyone, regardless of rank. You have to be there in person."

Starlight’s smile vanished immediately, her brief moment of triumph evaporating in an instant.

"And here I thought I finally had a valid reason to skip all of that nonsense." Her shoulders dropped in disappointment.

Ariel’s laughter echoed softly from behind the bathroom door, joining Chloe’s as she burst out laughing at the dramatic slump in Starlight’s posture. Starlight looked personally betrayed by the academy regulations.

"Well," she muttered, forcing herself to look on the bright side as she reached for her desk to grab her phone, "at least it means I get to miss the first two morning lectures. I’ll just see you guys at the exercise session later."

Elle threw her hands up with an exaggerated groan of envy, shaking her head.

"Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be you right now, Starlight Dawson. Can we please swap places? Just for today?"

Starlight turned to her with a small, sarcastic glint in her eye. "If you had asked me five minutes ago, I would have said yes without hesitation. But after hearing I get to skip all these shenanigans that come with my unwanted popularity, even if it’s only for a few hours..." Her smirk widened.

"Absolutely not."

Elle chuckled, opening her mouth to reply when a sharp, loud chime echoed through the room.

Ding-dong.

All three girls turned toward the door simultaneously.

"I’ll get it!" Elle blurted, tossing her phone onto the bed and hurrying toward the door before anyone else had a chance to move.

She pulled it open with an eager smile already on her face, but the smile vanished almost instantly. Her eyes widened, and she staggered back a step as though she’d been physically pushed.

"Oh my freaking God..." she breathed, her voice coming out in a high, strangled squeak as both hands flew to her mouth.