Drewells976
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Chapter 341 - Yellow ★★
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 19:28:42 +0000 UTCA/N: 2.9k chappy
A/N: 2.9k chappy
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Kai looked at the overcast sky—slivers of steel blue peeked between clouds of burnished silver with streaks of charcoal. The morning air tickled his face, cold and biting as it sneaked into the collar of his uniform.
He had left his scarf in his bedroom, finding the wool far too scratchy. Only his uniform clothes still felt comfortable. Frozen pebbles crunched and crackled beneath his boots; drowsy voices echoed as he followed the branching pathways through the dormitories.
His day off had flown by between organizing his notes and completing assignments. Knowing he’d be too distracted to study after enhancement, he had delayed till evening and retired early, using the sound wards to ensure a discreet and dignified process.
Remembering when he used to upgrade his race on the seashore, he could just shake his head at his past self.
I had a little flair for theatrics.
If his roommates had noticed, Rob hadn’t mentioned it during breakfast, Alden remained shut in his bedroom, and Rain had yet to roll off his bed this morning by the time Kai’s impatience won. The urge to move had been too strong. He couldn’t bear to sit still, waiting for the lazy siren to rouse.
I’ll catch them at lunch break. There is no hurry.
Half the fun of reaching Yellow ★★ was enjoying people’s reactions when he sprung the news on them.
His heightened Perception was little bother compared to the sheer euphoria from the enhancement—the feeling of invincibility from the spike in attributes that made him revel. Most of it was a fading illusion, but some would remain.
Unless it’s all part of the delusion…
He summoned his status—numbers didn’t lie.
Name: Kai Tylenn (Matthew Reece Veernon)
Race: Yellow ★★ – 3,382 / 800,000 XP
Profession: Favored Mystic of the Isles (lv3) – 1,988 / 22,000 XP
Body stats
Strength: 36 > 45
Dexterity: 37 > 48
Constitution: 46 (38+8) > 56 (48+8)
Mind: 59 (43+16) > 68 (52+16)
Spirit: 66 (50+16) > 77 (61+16)
Perception: 42 (34+8) > 52 (44+8)
Favor: 91
In less than two years, he stood at a grade that people in the archipelago only heard in stories.
Another step forward.
The enhancement had rested him more than any sleep.
All his attributes rose by around ten points. It was slightly above average for mental stats, while his physical ones wouldn’t be fully realized till he finished his growth spurt, and continued to settle into his twenties.
Strength and Dexterity balanced each other out; the effects of Mind and Spirits were subtle; Perception stood out. It always took him the longest to get used to his new senses, like putting on a pair of glasses he didn’t know he needed, the world suddenly became more vivid.
Pity he hadn’t gotten a feat for his Favor, though he had expected that. The gains for climbing grades were much more drastic than progressing within them, and now that his Guide had fully unlocked, status feats wouldn’t come as easily as when he was a kid.
It’s good enough.
Earning 500,000 XP seemed unreachable right till he stumbled upon the finishing line. Naturally, Yellow ★★★ had an even more ridiculous tag—800,000 XP, nearly as much as he had ever earned. Again.
The road to Green was steep, but he’d get there one bit at a time.
I should probably siphon XP to get a few levels in my profession. Then I can probably split it.
He was ready to bet his fortune that some scholar had written a dozen volumes on the optimal XP split ratio between race and profession. Another thing he’d need to check in the library, or ask his professors.
Higher stats do make everything better.
Before coming to the mainland, getting to Yellow ★★ would have filled him with wonder. Now, it felt like the natural next step.
Less than one in ten first-years at Raelion had reached the middle stage of Yellow, though the number was bound to increase as the seasons turned. The true challenge was those at the peak of Yellow, but then again, not one of them would have started at the bottom of Red. He’d catch up. It only took time.
Flynn was right to remind him it was a marathon, not a sprint.
Humming to himself, Kai headed for his morning lessons, perhaps standing a little straighter, and with his chest slightly puffed up.
The marble towers were even more resplendent with his increased Perception. Shimmering spires soared above etched reliefs depicting the deeds of famous mages, flanked by gargoyles and draconic creatures watching him with stone eyes.
Entering the Tower of Sapientia, the rush of warm air clashed with the cold. He heard muttering of bets in a distant hallway, before the glazed tiles of the atrium caught his attention, reflecting an array of beige shades. He could smell the frozen weed as the door closed behind and…
Sitting in a hall with hundreds of teenagers is gonna be miserable.
Kai moved away from the entrance to avoid blocking the passage. He’d need a few days to attune his senses, though it might be an opportunity. Rain did always mention how much information someone could learn through scents and tasting the air.
Will I regret more asking him, or not asking him?
He sat on a bench in one of the recesses close to the stairs. His first lecture didn’t start for another twenty minutes, and the hall would still be closed.
I must have walked faster than I realized.
A new week and a new schedule. The lectures had shuffled around, still eight to ten hours a day, though the courses appeared less daunting on the wave of his upgrade. Today, he had a free block for Elemental Practice and his first encounter with the professor of Introduction to Companion Bondings—mandatory for all students with a familiar.
He was revising his routes between the classes when he heard the echo of familiar steps. Looking up, he saw a figure heading in his general direction and met her gaze.
“I didn’t expect to see you so early.” Valela carried a book overstuffed with bookmarks and sheets of notes. She smelled like citrus and sandalwood. From the slight circles under her eyes, she had spent the night studying.
“Well, someone told me Raelion’s professors adore punctuality.” Kai smiled. Then noticed the girls following in her trail.
“And here I thought we’d be the first.” Lys skipped forward with the tiniest curtsey in greeting, and pulled back a lock of golden hair, fresh and rosy. “How fortunate to find my favorite freshie here. Good morning, Mat. It’s an amazing coincidence to find you—”
“Come, I need to review my notes before the test.” Renaria gave him a nod and dragged Lys toward the stairs. “We’ll keep a seat for you, Val.”
“Slow your pace. I was just…” Lys sulked to her friends, trying to maintain her grace as she was pulled along.
That was nice of her.
Kai turned to Valela—committed to his policy of ignoring Lys’ comments. “How’re you doing? I don’t want to keep you if you have an exam.”
“It's just a minor test. I already know as much as I ever will about the genealogy of the Great Houses. I could use the distraction.” Valela put away her textbook and beamed a grin at him. “I see why Rain said you were busy yesterday. Congratulations on gaining the second star of Yellow. I didn’t know you were so close.”
“I— Uh… Thank you.” Kai grinned proudly before letting out a grumbling sigh. There went his plans of slowly hinting at the news. How did she know? He was sure no one had scanned him with their senses—no student, at least. “What gave me away?”
Her smile gained a smug curve. “Your voice.”
“My… voice?”
“You’re speaking faster,” Valela said, and to her credit, she managed to keep the smugness out of her tone. “When your attributes increase, you think and move faster. The increase is too small to notice at Orange and Red, but at Yellow it becomes obvious when you know someone well.”
“Oh…” Kai nodded. Thinking back, he got the vague impression people were talking slower, though the difference had been too minute to realize why before she pointed it out. “Nice to know. I’ll pay more attention.”
There were plenty more people he had yet to tell.
Valela gave him a suspicious look. “Are you planning to hide your attributes and suddenly surprise people who don’t expect it?”
“Maybe…” Kai smirked. His smile was most definitely not guilty. “I just don’t want to attract attention. You’re the first one to know, actually.”
Unless someone else also guessed it.
“I am the first?” Valela blinked, suddenly her complexion looked brighter. “Really?”
“Yup, the one and only! So keep it a secret,” Kai stood up and motioned toward the stairs. “We should head toward the halls. Where is your class? I’m on the third floor. Not exactly sure where. These buildings are worse than a maze.”
***
I made it.
Kai spotted the enchanted doors of the Obsidian Hall, sighing with relief. He had to go three floors underground to find Introduction to Companion Bondings. Every time he thought he was getting the hang of the buildings’ layouts, he discovered new branches and floors, almost like the lack of directions was another test for new students.
Thank Yatei, it’s winter.
He’d be a sweaty mess if the temperature were any higher, and was already hating the heating enchantments. On the upside, all the running helped him recoup whatever stamina he’d lost since escaping the Sanctuary, and got him used to his new attributes.
Are you sure you don’t want to come, bud? We might learn more about your origin or species.
A curt refusal rang in response. Hobbes had no care for the opinions of some professor. More subtly, Kai had the impression his familiar knew he could learn anything important through him, so why bother coming at all?
Don’t get into trouble wandering around, you lazy fluffball.
A silvery chime announced the turn of the hour and the start of the impending lesson. Kai smoothed his clothes and entered the hall, one arm slung on the strap of his bag.
The classroom was one of the smallest he had seen. Square walls on a plain floor and an array of light crystals to make up for the lack of windows. About fifty students sat in clumps among the rows of desks, accompanied by a dozen bonded beasts. A dove with glowing white feathers perched beside a puffed-up parrot on the back seats; further in, he spotted more birds, bright-scaled lizards, a small monkey napping on a chair and a golden hamster munching on a pile of seeds.
The academy regulations allowed only small familiars in the buildings, explaining the reduced number of bonded companions compared to students.
Even before scanning their auras, none of the beasts looked common; several showed obvious elemental affinities, and eyes too sharp for animals.
Most of them are still at Orange—
Behind him, the heavy door loudly clanked shut, making Kai cringe. A few students turned to glance at him, but quickly lost interest when they saw he wasn't the professor.
Trying not to stand out, he walked along the edge of the hall and looked for an open one in the middle rows. A crested lizard turned to hiss at him. He gave it a wide berth; it vaguely reminded him of the basilisk he had fought in the Veeryd Jungle—not a pleasant memory.
Just a little overgrown lizard, still at Orange.
Kai saw an empty chair beside a girl scratching a wolf pup. He was about to sit when he did a double-take and squinted at a teenager’s back to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. There was no mistaking the jet black hair and uptight posture.
Alden?
Each step confirmed his reclusive roommate. After the first day, they had barely exchanged a dozen sentences. The boy minded his own business, rarely left his room and always cleaned any plate he used in the shared kitchen—contrary to Rob. He was a little stuck-up, but having witnessed the condescending manners of other patricians, Kai considered himself Lucky.
Should I say hi?
They were basically strangers, though feigning ignorance felt childish. If they were going to live together for the foreseeable future, he should at least make an effort to be friendly. What was the worst that could happen?
A little awkwardness? Or a lot of awkwardness? Cringing whenever we cross paths in the dormitories? Accidentally offending him and starting a blood feud with his family for years to—
Kai reached the third row of desks before he could talk himself out of it. “Uh… is this seat free?”
Raising his gaze from a textbook, Alden didn’t seem surprised by his presence. His dark amethyst eyes scanned him, perhaps searching for Hobbes. “Feel free to take a seat here if you wish.”
Alright…
Kai sank into the chair on his left and put down his bag.
His roommate went back to flipping through the course text: Understanding Animal Companions and Other Beast Bonds – Introductory Volume. The book was far shorter than those from the seven basic courses, only a couple hundred pages long.
One attempt. Don’t be awkward.
“How’re you doing? I thought only students from the Winter Intake would be in this class.” Kai aimed for his nonchalant—and non-awkward—tone. “Do you also have a familiar?”
“Yes,” Alden turned a page. For a moment, it seemed that was all he was going to say. Then, he closed the book and turned to speak. “I left my familiar at home during the first semester. Raelion refused to let me visit before enrolling, and I wanted to be sure I could properly take care of Nibbles before bringing him here.” He extended his right arm on the desk toward him.
Does he want to shake hands…?
Confused, Kai stared as a black snake peeked out of Alden’s sleeve. Nibbles curiously flicked his pink tongue, slithering onto the desk between them, his inky scales shining under the artificial light.
The familiar was tiny, no longer than his forearm, though his slitted green eyes looked around with uncanny intelligence.
Having survived the Sanctuary and bonded to Hobbes, Kai knew how appearances could be deceiving. Some probing confirmed his suspicions.
A high Yellow beast. And probably not a low-tier species.
The snake was either incredibly venomous or had a high elemental affinity—perhaps both. With an ear out on Hallowed Intuition, he slowly moved his hand to let Nibbles smell him with the flicks of his pink tongue. The snake’s scales were softer than he expected as he ran a finger to pet under his chin and neck.
From how the little guy relaxed and rested his head, he looked to be enjoying himself. Kai never had a particular fear nor fondness for snakes, though he must admit the little guy could be an exception. “He’s very cute.”
“Yes.” Alden looked at his familiar like a proud parent and smiled for the first time ever. “He usually doesn’t like being handled by strangers. He’s a little shy.”
“Doesn’t look shy to me. His name is Nibbles?” Kai asked. He wasn’t judging, but that wasn’t what he expected from the uptight boy.
Alden’s face turned impassive, speaking after a few seconds. “That’s a nickname because he liked to nibble at me when we first bonded. His… his actual name is Reginald Thornwood Blackscale.” His voice lowered and his pale face turned a pink shade. “I named him when I was seven. Don’t tell anybody. I will know!” He gave him a cold warning look with not a hint of humor.
That’s an impressive death glare.
“My lips are sealed.” Kai raised a hand and promised. “I’ve done my fair share of embarrassing stuff when I was a kid. I was lucky to have found Hobbes later, or I would have given him a similar name.” He chuckled to lighten the tension and turned to pet Nibbles. “If you got him when you were seven, he must be at least eight, right? Does he grow very slowly?”
Alden held the intense gaze a little longer before getting swayed by his familiar. “He’s eight and four months. He might grow a little when he reaches Green, but this is about the adult size for his species.” He tapped the desk and let Nibbles slither back into his sleeve. “What of your familiar? I thought he was a crossbreed of a shade cat and a moonwhisps, but his coat and mana don’t quite match.”
“Uh, I’m not sure myself.”
“You don’t know Hobbes’ species…?” Alden’s brows climbed his forehead.
“Not really…”
His roommate looked aghast. “How do you feed and take care of his needs? How do you help him grow?”
Kai gave him a hesitant shrug. “He was alone when I found him. And I never had problems feeding him.” He opened his course text to escape another death glare and studiously nodded at several chapters on beast species and ranks. “I’m sure I’ll find more about him in this class. The professor should know something.”
“That’s not—”
The door of the hall swung open, saving him from Alden’s dismay. The professor of Introduction to Companion Bondings had finally arrived.
Comments
Sam
I think those are stats from his class.
Catherine
Can anyone tell me what the numbers in brackets are made up of on Kai's status? Constitution: 46 (38+8) > 56 (48+8) Mind: 59 (43+16) > 68 (52+16) Spirit: 66 (50+16) > 77 (61+16) Perception: 42 (34+8) > 52 (44+8
Luboš Hemala
Perhaps one memorization skill could be enough for now?
Martingrant91
Same. I really wish we got to see his updated stats, especially since he got to Yellow.
Polaris
Usually the increase in stats washes the pain and fatigue away
Polaris
Same bro same
Nina
I really wanna see his updated sheet
Trevayne
Thanks for the chapter.
YeetimusMaximus
Dude i kept getting mixed up thinking Alden was the MC. I read too much Super Supportive 😭
Some Guy
TFTC
Gwalmeich
Hobbes is the God-King of mortalkind. He doesn't need no one to take care of his needs or help him grow. After all, he's already reached the pinnacle.
Fleisch
Don’t people have to usually recover after advancing or is that only advancing grades?
Doug Wills
What
zdm
Hobbes is a Hobbes.
Viria
Agreed. Really enjoyed it
Martingrant91
I wonder how the increase in Perception will help his Alchemy. Given the basic elemental magic course exercises cause 4 Yellow skills to increase by 3-4 levels each within only a couple of hours . . . I imagine he's only going to need like 1 decent Alchemy session to push the skill to Yellow. Also nice to see that Kai will have a shared interest with Alden. Kai is slowly building his companions.
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! :-)
Alexander Belousov
" Now, it was part of the course." --> Is this on purpose? The usual expression is "par for the course".
Alexander Belousov
TFTC!
Matthew
Is the xp growth a fib sequence? I haven't been paying extreme attention
Sparifankerl
Hobbes definitely knows that Kai is feeding him wrong. Proper feeding would be a truck load of space-attuned high-levelled fishies every two hours or so. Plus space-attuned snacks for variety in between.
Snooze Bear
Solid chapter! I really hope it turns out that Hobbes is a very rare and powerful species that really should only be fed VERY expensive meals. Make Hobbes bleed his wallet dry!
