When Vaibhav Shrivastava ordered Aryan to head to the hostel, Aryan began walking in that direction. After asking a few people for directions, he arrived at the hostel's entrance. The hostel sprawled across a vast area, its imposing structure looming large. Aryan decided to step inside, but just as he was about to enter, a middle-aged man intercepted him.
"Hello, young man! Where do you think you're going without permission?" the man said sternly.
Aryan was taken aback by the man's words. He paused, reflecting for a moment, and then realized why he had been stopped. The hostel had a rule: no strangers were allowed to enter without authorization. However, this rule only applied to the weak—those with power and influence were exempt from such restrictions.
Aryan responded politely, "Sir, I've just been accepted as a student under a teacher from this academy. I need a room in the hostel so I can stay here."
The middle-aged man nodded thoughtfully and said, "Alright, show me your student token so I can verify that what you're saying is true."
Aryan immediately complied, handing over the token that Vaibhav Shrivastava had given him. When the man examined it, his eyes widened in shock. He recognized the token instantly—it belonged to none other than Vaibhav Shrivastava, a teacher infamous not only in the academy but across the entire country. Vaibhav's reputation was so tarnished that no student willingly chose to study under him, regardless of whether they gained admission to the academy or not.
The man scrutinized Aryan with a piercing gaze and asked, "Young man, can you tell me what rank you secured in the academy's entrance examination?"
Aryan was startled by the question. He hadn't expected the hostel gatekeeper to ask about his rank. Nevertheless, he answered honestly, "Sir, I secured a rank of 10,000 in the entrance exam."
Upon hearing this, the man pieced together the situation. He realized that Aryan, with such a low rank, likely had no other teacher willing to accept him. Vaibhav Shrivastava must have taken advantage of this vulnerability to recruit Aryan as his student. This realization deepened the man's existing disdain for Vaibhav. He had always disliked the teacher, but now, knowing that Vaibhav had manipulated a desperate student, his hatred grew even stronger.
His next question was softer, almost sympathetic. "What do your parents do, child?"
Aryan's face fell at the mention of his parents. He didn't know who they were. Growing up in an orphanage, he had repeatedly asked the caretakers about his origins, but they always brushed him off with vague excuses. Only recently, just before arriving at the academy, had he learned a fragment of the truth. The orphanage staff had found him abandoned outside their gate, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a gold chain with a pendant inscribed with the name "Chauhan." The caretakers had adopted this as his surname. That gold pendant was still with Aryan, cherished more than his own life, as it was his only link to his mysterious past. He clung to the hope that one day he might find his parents and ask why they had abandoned him.
Seeing Aryan's crestfallen expression, the man understood that the boy was an orphan. This only intensified his contempt for Vaibhav Shrivastava, as he believed the teacher had exploited Aryan's lack of options. The man, whose name was Mahesh Yadav, was the hostel manager. He rarely stayed at the hostel, living instead in a house provided by the academy. Today, he was present to oversee the admission of new students and ensure the hostel operations ran smoothly. It was nearly 8 or 9 p.m., and with registration almost complete, he had been about to head home when he noticed Aryan staring at the hostel like a bewildered child. Sensing that Aryan was a new student, Mahesh had questioned him to confirm his intentions.
Once Mahesh was convinced that Aryan was genuine and not a troublemaker, he granted him permission to enter. As for Aryan's low rank, it wasn't Mahesh's concern. His job was to manage the hostel, not to judge students based on their academic standing. As long as a student had been accepted by a teacher, no one—not even the academy's principal—could deny them a place in the hostel.
Mahesh summoned one of his subordinates and instructed, "This boy is our last student for the day. Assign him a room quickly, and don't be careless about it."
The subordinate nodded and led Aryan into the hostel. He guided him to a specific area and showed him a room. When Aryan saw it, he was stunned. The room was in deplorable condition—cracks lined the walls, and damp patches seeped through, giving the impression that it could collapse at any moment.
With a sarcastic tone, Aryan remarked, "Couldn't you find a better room for me? This one's so luxurious, it should be reserved for a genius, not someone like me!"
The subordinate felt a pang of embarrassment at Aryan's jab but quickly grew angry. "Listen, kid," he snapped, "you're the last one to arrive, so you get the last available room. And since you're that wretched Vaibhav Shrivastava's student, this is more than good enough for you. Be grateful you're getting a room at all!"
Aryan shot back with a smirk, "Oh, how generous of you! If this is the best you've got, maybe I'd be better off sleeping under the open sky. But since you've so kindly allotted me this 'magnificent' room, I suppose I should honor your choice. It's rundown, sure, but it's a place to stay. And as for it collapsing? I'm not worried. Rudrapur National Academy wouldn't let one of its students die, would it?"
The subordinate's face flushed with shame at Aryan's second round of mockery, but this time, he chose not to respond. Instead, he warned, "Watch your tongue, kid. That sharp mouth of yours might get you into serious trouble one day." With that, he stormed off.
Aryan chuckled to himself and stepped into the room. Inside, his heart sank. The room was even worse than he'd imagined—smaller and shabbier than anything he'd seen, even at the orphanage on Earth. There, at least, he'd been given a decent space. Here, the damp walls and cramped space made it feel like a prison. With a heavy sigh, Aryan ignored the grim surroundings and began unpacking his belongings. Once settled, hunger gnawed at him, prompting him to head toward the academy's mess hall.
As he made his way to the dining area, Aryan noticed something peculiar. Along the path, students were punching and kicking walls, and with each strike, a number appeared on the surface. Some students cheered at the numbers, while others looked disappointed. Curious, Aryan tried to make sense of it but couldn't. Deciding it wasn't worth his time, he continued toward the mess.
Upon arriving at the reserved dining area, Aryan saw a group of students engaged in a heated fight, with others cheering them on. Intrigued, he paused to watch, wanting to understand the commotion. As he observed, he overheard a conversation nearby.
"Did you hear? Young Master Nitin just broke through to the third level of Martial Spirit Gathering, and he's challenged his longtime rival, Akash Saxena, to a duel!" one student said excitedly.
Another chimed in, "Yeah, but you know Akash Saxena's already at the third level of Martial Spirit Gathering. Honestly, I think his fighting skills are better than Nitin's. My bet's on Akash winning this match."
Aryan listened intently, absorbing the unfamiliar terms and the intensity of the discussion. Meanwhile, the subordinate who had shown him his room was hurrying toward an opulent building. Upon reaching it, he approached a security guard stationed outside and said, "I need to meet the Sixth Elder. I have important information to share. Can you arrange it?"
After listening to the subordinate, the security guard stepped into the building and immediately reached the Sixth Elder. When the Sixth Elder saw that his security guard had come to him, he asked, "Mohan, what was so urgent that you came to me so late at night? You should know that at this hour, I am in my study room working on my personal matters, and you dare to disturb me at such a time? Don't you think I could punish you for this audacity?"
Hearing the Sixth Elder's words, the security guard named Mohan began trembling with fear. But then, he gathered his courage and said, "Sir, I didn't come here on my own accord. Someone sent me. There's a man from our academy who says he has important information to share with you, and it's extremely valuable. That's why I wanted to send him to you, but I sought your permission first. I hope you'll forgive me for this."
Upon hearing his security guard's voice, the Sixth Elder said, "Alright, send that man in. If his information doesn't satisfy me, I'll have him killed, and you will face thirty lashes as punishment." Hearing the Sixth Elder's words, the security guard nodded and immediately went back outside.
. What did the subordinate want to tell the Sixth Elder? Was it about Aryan, or something else entirely? To find out, stay tuned with *I Can Learn Anything*. This is the third chapter of my new web novel, *I Can Learn Anything*.