My Muscle System in the Mage World

Chapter 174: Contribution Points

Aur returned to the academy with the four others.

"We still have to take two more missions this year, and we won't have to take any longer," John said lazily.

As he heaved a sigh of relief, the others expressed similar sentiments. No one wanted to risk their life, especially since they had mediocre talent. They were content as long as they could come out alive.

Especially after witnessing the countless deaths of their friends and others' brutal deaths in the competition, the fear of death naturally seeped into their bones, containing their youthful arrogance.

Aur remained quiet, observing the relaxed expressions of the four as they all headed to the mission hall.

There, Aur showed his token, which contained a record of what had happened—the scene of Aur brutally murdering the rogue wizard with a punch and the unrecognisable corpse.

Seeing the scene, the person seemed a little dazed but quickly snapped out of it at the sound of someone's voice.

"Senior sister," Aur called out.

"Yes… yes," she replied, her expression tinged with bafflement.

"My reward?" Aur asked, a smile playing on his lips.

The woman blushed at Aur's smile, her eyes suddenly glowing as she regained her composure.

"Did that woman use a spell to heal herself?" Aur thought, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Since you have contributed the most to the mission, you are awarded 10 contribution points, while the others receive two contribution points each, totaling 18 contribution points. Is that clear?" she explained after performing some calculations.

Aur nodded in acknowledgment, though the expressions of the others varied. None dared to voice their objections; after all, they had done little to aid the mission. John, in particular, felt a sense of gratitude for receiving any reward at all.

One contribution point was roughly equivalent to five lower-grade mana crystal, meaning Aur had earned a whopping 50 low-grade mana crystals simply for slaying a peak wizard apprentice. And that was without factoring in any additional bonus rewards.

As the four murmured amongst themselves in hushed tones, George suddenly approached with a smile on his face.

"Are you here, senior?" the woman inquired.

"Yes," George nodded, respectfully handing over the ring and storage pouch to her.

Accepting the items, the woman disappeared inside for a brief moment before returning.

"The total is one hundred contribution points, to be awarded to the team captain with fifty contributions, ten contributions for the senior, and forty contributions to be equally divided among the four," she announced, adjusting Aur's and the others' badges accordingly.

She retreated indoors once more, returning after ten minutes to distribute Aur and the others their academy badges.

"Remember, you still have two missions to complete this year," she reminded them.

John suddenly posed a question, his expression marked with confusion. "Captain, how do we know how many points we have?"

Aur observed John and the other two boys, along with the girl, all wearing expressions of confusion.

"Senior George," Aur addressed respectfully.

George chuckled upon hearing this, responding with a warm smile, "Just drop your blood in your academy token, and it will show you your contribution points. One contribution point is equal in value to five low-grade mana crystals, and you can buy one contribution point for six low-grade mana crystals and sell it for four low-grade mana crystals."

John frowned at this revelation. "Isn't that unfair?" he questioned.

"There is nothing fair in this world, boy," George replied coldly, casting a mocking glance at John, as though regarding an idiot.

John swallowed nervously, refraining from further comment. Just then, they heard murmurs from the side.

"Their deaths were inevitable; you three don't have to worry about it," Mia consoled, directing her gaze at the trio.

"Yes, senior sister," Shophia replied, her once lively demeanor now replaced by gloom, evident in her expression and the deep injuries she bore.

Beside her, the two women fared even worse. One was hemorrhaging blood profusely, while the other's hand lay mutilated, both wearing expressions of bitter agony.

Witnessing this scene, the four companions couldn't help but draw sharp breaths.

"This…" John stuttered, unable to find the words to articulate his shock, while Aur maintained a stoic facade, his expression unreadable.

"That woman truly harmed her juniors," George remarked thoughtfully, a contemplative gleam in his eyes.

George's words sent shockwaves through the group, leaving them speechless.

"Does that mean Senior Mia deliberately injured her own juniors?" John ventured, seeking clarification.

With a mysterious smile, George departed, leaving the question unanswered. Aur followed suit, swiftly exiting the scene.

"Sigh," the woman sighed with a tired tone. "I am returning as well, John."

Soon, the four of them departed as well.

Aur didn't return to his dorm this time; instead, he headed towards the official academy shop.

This shop was the official store of the academy, where only contribution points could be used to purchase goods. It also stocked various materials for constructing spells.

It was the only place, aside from the "black market," where one could buy spells and artefacts to enhance combat prowess.

The village tightly regulated all things related to wizards. Although basic artefacts were still available, such as the one on Aur's wrist, they were insignificant compared to the powerful artefacts available at the academy shop and the black market.

Any truly lethal artefacts were strictly found in the academy shop and the black market. Even the caravans didn't sell lethal artefacts due to their value, and the village itself wouldn't permit it, even if they wanted to.

Aur sighed, thinking of this, rubbing his temple.

He arrived at a tall, five-floor simple building without much aesthetic appeal, looking rather bland and plain with its grey colour.

"Finally, I can gain contribution points and obtain artefacts."

Since he couldn't collect contribution points previously, he couldn't go to the academy shop as it was useless.

But now, after the first year, Aur could undertake missions or even trade his mana crystals for contribution points now that he had become a second-year student.