My Disciples Grind, I Get 100x Their Progress

The vial Ilunia had given her contained energy theoretically equivalent to about four percent of Rank-F progress. That figure, though, didn’t mean the user would automatically gain four percent outright. The body could only absorb a fraction of it.

A serum didn’t hand over its entire energy content as pure progress. The body had to absorb and stabilize that energy first, and only the portion that successfully held would convert into actual Rank Progress.

Generally, the more developed someone’s body was, the more of it they could retain. On the flip side, using serums repeatedly too often led to saturation, diminishing the returns each time.

That was exactly why no one could just buy a serum every single day, or simply grab whatever serum carried the highest Mana concentration.

Because absorbing and stabilizing that energy meant, the higher the concentration, the harder it became to hold onto, while overusing low-concentration serums just as quickly led to saturation.

Cultivation was practically useless on its own, and in the end, the single most reliable path forward remained hunting Invaders directly, since that guaranteed far more consistent gains.

However, since Kina was currently enrolled at the Academy, she had no choice but to complete half a year of the Academy’s curriculum before earning permission to start hunting Invaders on her own.

Swaaa—!

The moment Kina used the vial, she immediately felt it, deep within her body, tracing along every meridian, the raw, wild Mana radiated with unmistakable clarity, seeking any way out through her pores.

Kina closed her eyes, forcing herself into complete focus, working to seize control of that raw Mana.

Normal students, absorbing this kind of Serum for the very first time, typically managed to retain somewhere between 0.5% to 0.9% at most, while genuinely gifted ones might reach around 1%.

That made Kina curious just how much she’d end up absorbing. Though, fundamentally, she already had an advantage, given how far her own progress had already climbed, nearly reaching mid-tier levels.

Right then, Kina felt her focus on that Mana finally converge at the center of her body. The wild, raw Mana gathered there, a small portion slipping loose and escaping through her pores, but the vast majority held firm in place.

Slowly, that Mana began merging with the rest of what she already carried.

[Rank Progress +3.4%]

Kina opened her eyes, letting out a slow breath, a distinct spark flashing in her eyes as she stared at the system notification.

It might look like a small number on the surface, but for students who never got the chance to boost their Rank Progress within the Academy, a difference this small could still end up deciding a match at the upcoming tournament.

Kina blinked, then smiled, gazing out through the dormitory window. The night sky hung dark, scattered with stars, the moon suspended high above.

The wind blew, tousling her brown hair, and Kina’s smile shifted into something that looked almost impatient.

’This should... let me win without much trouble at all.’

She might end up standing out quite a bit at this tournament. But Kina didn’t care, after all, so far, everything she’d done had only ever brought her closer to her goal.

Once this tournament wrapped up...

’I’ll be one step closer.’

Meanwhile, some distance away, in the Canelo residential district, Julian, right on the verge of falling asleep, was startled awake by a system notification suddenly appearing in front of him.

In the darkness, Julian’s startled face was lit by the faint blue glow radiating from the system.

[System]

Disciple Rank Progress detected.

Source Rank: [F]

Progress Gained: [+3.40%]

MASTER Authority activated.

Return Multiplier: [100×]

[Status Update]

Rank: [F] — [60.0%] → Rank: [E] — [30.0%]

Julian had finally taken a step forward, ending up considerably stronger than he’d been just the day before.

***

The Academy Tournament took place every year at the start of the term, right after new students were officially admitted. It happened almost exactly around the fourth month mark, signaling that first-year students were about to move on into their mid-year term.

It wasn’t limited to just first-years either, second and third-year students went through this as well. The purpose was to evaluate exactly how far each student had progressed and determine what kind of program would best suit their continued development going forward.

Naturally, this evaluation was only for students who felt confident enough in their own progress to participate. Meanwhile, those who weren’t confident and chose to opt out of the tournament would instead be placed into a specialized evaluation program.

And today just happened to be an exceptionally hectic day for the Academy, especially for the headmaster herself, Adelle.

”Is everything finished?”

Since the tournament was scheduled for today, and the preparations behind it were, fundamentally, quite the ordeal.

Right now, the sky outside was still pitch dark, and she’d barely slept at all over the past two days, keeping close watch on the tournament preparations.

With a small sigh, she listened as the vice-headmaster of the Academy confirmed that everything had finally been properly arranged.

Hearing that, Adelle wanted nothing more than to go straight back to bed. But before that, she looked at the vice-headmaster and gave a strained, weary smile.

”Guess what, Inna, I think we should probably go through it one more time, just to be safe. We can’t afford a single mistake, right?”

Of course she had to do this, since even one fatal misstep could ignite the fury of Central’s residents, potentially costing Adelle her current position as headmaster entirely.

Especially given how many people already resented her, both from outside and within the Academy itself.

And so, further inspection continued, until eventually, they discovered yet another genuinely serious problem still lurking.

In the end, filled with regret and sheer exhaustion, Adelle had to get back to work, never once managing rest, until the sun finally rose over the once-dark world.

Before she even fully registered it, tournament day had arrived, and Adelle found the students already preparing themselves. As headmaster, it was only proper that she watch over them, showing that she genuinely cared about how far they’d grown and the effort they’d poured into these past several months.

She cursed quietly under her breath, then finally stepped forward into a massive arena, taking a seat rather high up in the stands. Her gaze briefly drifted toward the still-empty section of the tribune, before shifting back to the battle arena, where several staff members were already busy preparing.

The number of first, second, and third-year students was hardly small. So today, Adelle figured she’d need plenty of patience, since the tournament likely wouldn’t wrap up until late afternoon, or possibly not until nightfall at the earliest.