With Claudia's influence, obtaining a large amount of universal ore was naturally not difficult.
But she was still quite curious as to why Eze suddenly needed so much of it.
Logically speaking, he had just obtained the Black Furnace Demon Sword, a powerful pure Lux-type weapon. He wasn't a researcher, didn't need to craft other Lux weapons, nor did he need to study any technology—so why the sudden demand?
"Can I ask what you need all this universal ore for?"
Claudia didn't reject him outright, simply posed the question, which gave Eze some hope.
And facing Claudia's inquiry, Eze didn't lie.
"It has to do with my upcoming training."
Hmm… If it truly increases his strength and combat capability, calling it "training" wasn't exactly wrong, right?
"Training, huh?"
Claudia blinked.
"Yes," Eze nodded, "If all goes well, my strength should increase rapidly in the near future. That's why I shamelessly came to ask for your help, President."
"I see." Claudia seemed to understand.
As for what kind of training it was or why it needed so much ore, she didn't probe further.
After all, training methods are often private, and in a school like this, where students are potential rivals, such questions were best avoided.
"If it's for your training, then of course I won't refuse."
Claudia readily agreed.
"Are you sure?" Eze felt a bit guilty. "Even if it's just universal ore, such a large amount must be quite valuable, right?"
Even normal ores become expensive in bulk. Though the academy, backed by a conglomerate, surely had no shortage of resources, giving so much to one student wasn't a trivial matter.
Claudia, however, didn't mind.
"Don't worry about it. The academy has various benefits for outstanding students. If your ranking is high enough, they're even willing to grant privileges. Providing resources for training is nothing as long as results are seen."
Claudia planned to request the ore from the academy under such a pretext.
To her, there was no reason for the academy to deny it.
The reason was simple.
"You're planning to participate in the Festa, right?"
Claudia suddenly asked.
"Of course."
Eze was slightly surprised but answered honestly.
"In that case, the academy has every reason to support you." Claudia wasn't surprised at all. "You should know that our Seidoukan Academy hasn't done well in the Festa in recent years, right?"
Eze nodded silently.
Though he didn't remember every detail of the original story, he had read a lot online recently.
It was common knowledge that Seidoukan Academy's performance in the Festa had been disappointing.
The Festa, held in Asterisk and hosted by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, was a globally popular student battle tournament held in three events over three years.
Summer of Year 1: The Phoenix Festa (duo matches)
Fall of Year 2: The Gryphon Festa (5-person team matches)
Winter of Year 3: The Lindwurm Festa (individual matches)
Each season's results gave points to the respective academies, and at the end of a full cycle, rankings were compiled.
Seidoukan Academy had ranked near the bottom in recent seasons.
"In the last season, we ranked fifth. The sixth place, Queenvale Girls' Academy, is usually not counted due to its unique strategy and stance, so we were effectively last."
Claudia said seriously.
"To improve this situation, the academy is paying close attention to students' development and the quality of new students. If they learn that you, Eze, need ore to improve significantly, they'll approve it without hesitation."
Of course, this privilege was reserved for the current Eze.
Now a user of a pure Lux-type weapon—and not just any Lux, but the powerful Black Furnace Demon Sword—Eze had caught the attention of the school's top brass.
Especially since his compatibility with the weapon had broken previous records, the academy now held even greater expectations for him.
Thanks to this, as long as Claudia submitted the request, the academy would gladly provide the ore.
"You don't have to feel bad. Just doing well in the Festa is the best way to repay the academy."
Claudia tilted her head and smiled at him.
"And don't think you're troubling me. I just have to mention it to them."
Hearing this, Eze could only nod.
But in his heart, he was thinking:
"Whether it's this or the earlier request for the Lux, she's helped me behind the scenes each time."
"I owe her."
Due to his family circumstances, Eze had lived a self-reliant life for years, enduring hardship and setbacks.
Because of this, he held grudges against those who kicked him when he was down—but he was always grateful to those who helped him. He never forgot a favor.
To Claudia, it might have been no big deal—but for him, pulling this off wouldn't have been easy.
So, he'd remember this.
At that moment, Eze's eyes flicked to Claudia's waist, his mind already calculating something.
…
As it turned out, Seidoukan really didn't lack universal ore.
Eze had just spoken to Claudia in the morning, and by afternoon, the ore had been delivered.
"This is one of the academy's underground storage facilities. The ore you requested has been moved there."
Claudia had sent him the location and a message—very clear in its intent.
Burning with anticipation, Eze rushed to the location as soon as classes ended.
He soon reached the underground vault, passed the palm scan, and opened the door.
Obviously, Claudia had taken care of even this step for him.
Grateful, Eze stepped inside.
The next moment, the sight of a towering mountain of green ore greeted him.
"Perfect."
Eze smiled happily.
After all, this was practically his power-up elixir.
"Let's begin."
Eze couldn't wait.
Holding the Black Furnace Demon Sword's activation core, he stepped toward the mountain of universal ore…
—End of chapter—
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