I Must Get Into Knight Academy!

In the classroom.

Eric was filled with confusion, his mind uneasy.

After everyone's discussions died down, Eric finally couldn't hold back any longer. He gently nudged Chris beside him and asked in a low voice, "M-Master Malcolm... Do you mean Malcolm Stewart?"

Chris's expression immediately turned serious. "Eric, calling a Master by name is highly disrespectful!"

Eric was speechless. He hadn't realized that even mentioning the name was off-limits. Master Malcolm's reputation was apparently more intimidating than the president's.

At least Eric had confirmed one thing: the CEO of Griffin Holdings was indeed Malcolm Stewart.

The company was right, and the CEO was right. The only thing that didn't make sense was this whole "knight" business that everyone kept mentioning.

There was something strange and out of place that was stuck in Eric's mind, like a thorn he couldn't shake.

Suppressing his urge to argue, Eric casually said, "I've been busy prepping for the college entrance exams lately and haven't kept up with the news. Anything interesting going on recently?"

Chris shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "Same old stuff, really. But Master Malcolm breaking through to the Eighth Rank, that was a bit unexpected."

Chris wasn't the type to enjoy gossip, but Joe Johnson, the future beard guy sitting in front of them, was far more talkative.

Since the bell hadn't rung yet, Joe overheard Eric's question and turned around, lowering his voice as he said, "Not much big news lately, but I did catch some gossip the other day. No idea if it's true or not.

They say Master Ma from Alibaba is about to break through to the Seventh Rank and officially be recognized as a Master!

Google's Master Lee is rumored to be preparing for a breakthrough to the Eighth Rank. He and Master Malcolm broke through to the Seventh Rank around the same time, but Master Lee's knight training hasn't progressed as quickly. It's still uncertain whether he'll make it.

Oh, and there's news that our Ohio Governor John might be breaking through to the Seventh Rank soon.

If Governor John reaches the Seventh Rank, it'll be huge. Ohio's been lagging behind for years, with only a few old Seventh Rank Masters holding down the fort. Governor John is still relatively young. Once he breaks through, he could change everything and revitalize Ohio's knight community.

Oh, and I heard we might have a guest speaker soon—one of last year's graduates who got into Columbus Knight Academy is supposed to come back and give us a talk…"

Joe rambled on about gossip, but to Eric, it all sounded like Greek.

Most of what Joe was saying was related to knights—who was about to break through, who was currently in seclusion.

Some of the names were familiar to Eric, including people from the business world, the entertainment industry, and even politics.

From Joe's casual comments, Eric could tell that knights held an extremely respected position in this society. Anyone below the Seventh Rank was referred to as "Master," and those above it were called "Grandmasters."

What was even clearer was that all notable figures seemed to be knights.

In other words, if you weren't a knight, you couldn't even become famous.

At one point, Eric casually asked, "How strong are these people?"

Joe didn't mince words. "Any one of them could beat us to a pulp in seconds!"

The bell rang for class, but before the teacher walked in, Joe sighed, "If you can't get into Knight Academy, if you don't become a knight, then your life's pretty much set in stone. You'll never go beyond being a small-time politician or businessman. For ordinary people, it's just too hard to stand out!"

Eric was stunned again.

Chris, who had been silent all this time, looked a bit down too. He muttered, "Knights are the minority, after all. For people like us, whether in business or politics, it's unlikely we'll ever reach those heights. No need to dwell on it."

Through their conversation, Eric was beginning to sense something.

If you weren't a knight, you couldn't rise beyond a certain level. In politics, you wouldn't make it past the governor's office; in business, your influence wouldn't stretch beyond the state.

He didn't know if these were official rules or just widely accepted norms.

But either way, Eric could feel the weight of society's disdain for ordinary people.

If you weren't a knight, if you weren't strong, even if you had been reincarnated, you'd still be stuck struggling at the bottom.

The worst part was, Eric was beginning to seriously doubt if he was even truly reincarnated.

His classmates' appearances hadn't changed, and their names were the same. Even the names of the big corporations and their CEOs matched up.

But this whole "knight" thing? Was everything else really the same as in his memory?

He wanted to ask a few more questions, but by then the teacher had entered the room, and everyone returned to their seats, leaving no more time for chatting.

Plus, all these things seemed to be common knowledge to everyone else, and Eric didn't want to keep asking and draw suspicion.

If he kept pressing the issue, people might start thinking he had lost his memory.

"Phew!"

Eric exhaled and nodded to himself, staying quiet. At least some things were still the same.

Noticing Eric's relieved expression, Chris kindly reminded him, "Even if we don't get into Knight Academy, we can't give up. Doing well on the Liberal Arts exam still gives us a chance to make something of ourselves. Who knows, we might even have a shot at becoming knights in the future. The college entrance exams are coming up—try to stay out of internet cafes."

Eric smiled and nodded. As one half of the "Average Duo," Chris didn't talk much, but they came from similar family backgrounds, and he genuinely cared about his desk mate.

…

Finally, after a few more morning classes, the dismissal bell rang, and Eric rushed out of the classroom.

At this moment, his mind was filled with questions that desperately needed answers.

Seeing Eric leave in a hurry, Chris hesitated for a moment before catching up to him. "Are you going to grab lunch or heading home?"

"Heading home."

"Be sure to come back soon; the first class in the afternoon is with the homeroom teacher."

Eric responded briefly. Normally, because both of his parents were at work, he would eat lunch at a nearby fast food joint and not go home.

But today, his curiosity was so strong that he couldn't wait to get home and figure out what was going on.

Walking quickly, Eric scanned the environment around him.

The high school looked just as he remembered it. His classmates and teachers seemed normal. He didn't see anyone jumping over rooftops or anything like that.

If there was any difference, it was the strange slogans and advertisements plastered all over the school.

"Prepare for the college entrance exams—Knight Academy, here I come!"

"Give it your all, aim for Knight Academy!"

"Want to get into Knight Academy? Join Bluebird—your best choice for Knight tutoring!"

"One Blood Essence Pill guarantees your place in Knight Academy!"

…

If it weren't for these bizarre signs, Eric would have believed that scammers and fake medicine peddlers had infiltrated the school.

But seeing how everyone around him treated it like normal, Eric understood—this was not the world he remembered.

As for how different it was, he'd have to figure that out for himself.

…

Ten minutes later, Eric arrived at his house, which wasn't far from the school.

Being reincarnated sounds great and all, but only if you're reincarnated in the right place!

Eric grumbled to himself, not wasting any time as he immediately turned on his computer.

As the computer booted up, Eric hungrily searched for the answers to his burning questions.

The blue glow of the monitor cast a shadow over Eric's face, making him look a bit grim.

If someone had been sitting near him, they would have sensed something strange.

Eric's expression shifted from moment to moment—sometimes anger, sometimes disbelief, sometimes even fury…

Occasionally, you could hear him muttering curses under his breath. It was hard to tell if he was cursing at fate or something else entirely.

An hour later, the computer shut down.

Eric wasn't thinking about anything else now. Feeling a mix of bewilderment and realization, he stepped out of the house.

The moment he stepped outside, his face took on a new look of determination as he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm going to Knight Academy!"

As if it wasn't enough to express his resolve, Eric added, "I *have* to get into Knight Academy!"

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