The attention immediately shifted toward the speaker.
Nyra stood among the students, wearing a soft, innocent smile.
She had been trying to gather information about Matthew ever since she had seen him leaving the Silver District. She had even noticed the golden access pass in his hand.
Did that mean Matthew lived in the Core Section?
Or was he staying with Ava as some kind of kept boy?
She had tried investigating him.
Nothing.
No useful information.
Now, however, everyone was already curious.
This was the perfect opportunity.
"Just asking," Nyra said softly. "It would be unfair to the other students if Matthew doesn't tell us."
Her words immediately planted doubt.
A few students exchanged glances.
"Yeah, it isn't fair."
"He came only a month ago and he's already been voted the school's heartthrob and most popular guy."
"Now he's trying to take someone else's opportunity too?"
The rejected girl immediately seized on the support.
"Exactly! I want to know which family is powerful enough to outrank my Ford family."
She lifted her chin.
"Even if Lora is backing me, I dare anyone to stop me from getting what I want."
She paused.
"You saw what Aiden did to that girl. I would do it twice as badly to you."
Her voice immediately faltered Matthew had finally looked at her.
For one brief moment, his eyes met hers.
The girl's entire body went cold.
It felt as though she had looked directly into the eyes of someone staring at a corpse.
Her legs suddenly felt weak.
She instinctively swallowed.
Yet no one seemed to notice.
Matthew had already looked away.
His expression returned to its usual calmness.
"Even if I told you," he said with a small shrug, "your level is too low to understand."
He paused.
"So I'd rather spare myself the trouble of reducing my IQ."
His tone contained no obvious mockery.
That somehow made the insult worse.
Jay immediately covered his lips, struggling to hold back his laughter.
He had completely misjudged Matthew.
Until now, Jay had thought Matthew was simply the cool type—the kind of person who knew when to act cold and when to act warm, while maintaining that nonchalant attitude.
Apparently, that wasn't the whole story.
Matthew's true personality occasionally slipped through.
And when it did...
The man had absolutely zero filter
"You—you, how dare you look down on us!" the blonde girl yelled.
"Why are you yelling? We're not deaf, idiots," the green-haired girl mumbled, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Before the argument could continue, six of the original members arrived at the same time.
One of the girls among them was also a member of the Brainaic Club—the fourth student whose score had been announced earlier, the girl who had scored 70.
They immediately noticed the crowd gathered around the Legion Group's membership list.
"What happened?" one of them asked.
Several students quickly explained what had happened, with different versions of the argument overlapping.
The Brainaic girl listened quietly before looking toward Matthew.
"Matthew is a foreigner who joined the school for fun for a year. His family doesn't have a business here, and his situation is being handled directly by the owner of this school." The girl that got 70 said as she folded her arms.
"So, with that kind of background, do you really think he's worth less than you?"
Her defense of Matthew wasn't entirely selfless.
She was satisfied with his score from the earlier Brainaic Club drill. Watching him take first place—and putting Sophia in her place, even if unintentionally—had pleased her.
She would have loved to do the same herself.
Unfortunately, her family's backing wasn't strong enough to survive offending Sophia the daughter of Vera who was the only girl child of the Quinn family.
So Matthew doing it for her had been satisfying enough.
The crowd gradually fell silent.
The blonde girl narrowed her eyes.
"There's only one way to know someone's value."
She folded her arms and smiled.
"Money."
Several students exchanged glances.
"The donations. The support. The contributions to the faculty and school over the years. That's how we measure it."
Her smile widened.Aiden has paid up to fourteen billion CU dollars over the years."
A few students murmured as she countinued to list.
"Sophia—nine billion,Ava—fifteen billion , Lora—five billion,Rick—four billion,Jake—fifteen billion,Jane—twelve billion,Jordan—ten billion And Luna has spent eight billion."
She looked directly at Matthew.
"If you add everything together, that's sixty-eight billion CU dollars."
The numbers immediately caused another wave of whispers.
"If you can send even a quarter of that amount, then maybe you have the right to tell me you're more valuable."
Her smile became almost openly malicious.
Everyone understood what she was doing.
She hadn't asked because she genuinely wanted to know Matthew's family background.
She wanted him to name an amount.
She wanted him to compare himself to the others.
And if his contribution was smaller, she could use it to humiliate him in front of everyone.
The problem was that the comparison itself was ridiculous.
Everyone in the hall knew that Ava and Sophia didn't exactly lack money.
Under the Quinn family's rules, every individual member was expected to establish themselves by controlling companies, industries, or even entire business empires before receiving a larger share of the main Quinn family enterprise.
They were also expected to manage various subsidiaries and companies under the Quinn family name.
If they proved themselves capable, they could eventually gain access to higher positions within the main headquarters.
The system was one of the reasons the Quinn family had expanded so rapidly.
Every capable family member was building something.
Every branch was competing to prove itself.
Even entering the main headquarters as an intern was considered an achievement, regardless of how many billions a person already made independently.
So the money Ava and Sophia had contributed over the years wasn't simply money handed to them by their family.
Those were contributions they had made themselves.
And that wasn't even counting what their families had contributed on their behalf.
The same applied to Aiden and Jake.
As heirs and only children of their respective families, they had already been given businesses and assets to manage.
Jake, for example, controlled the businesses operating under the NOX AURELIA name. Any business that fell under that branch was under his control.
Jordan was also an heir who had already taken responsibility for parts of his family's business.
He had even helped Jane with some of hers.
Luna's situation was completely different again.
She was the only daughter in her family.
Her two brothers, along with both of her parents, practically spoiled her.
Rick had lost his parents and was instead taken care of by his various siblings, all of whom enjoyed spoiling him.
Lora was treated similarly by her family.
These students had different reasons for contributing such enormous amounts to the school.
Some controlled businesses.
Some managed family enterprises.
Some were heirs.
Some had personal empires.
Some were supported by multiple family members.
And some had spent years building their own influence.
Now this girl was comparing Matthew to all of them as though they had started from the exact same position.
If Matthew contributed less, she could call him weak if he managed to drop a sum compared to other she would compare him to the highest donation.
Either way, she had deliberately created a situation designed to humiliate him.
"Then, by your own logic, you have to pay too."Rick's voice cut through the murmuring crowd.
He smiled as he looked at the blonde girl and Lora's sister.
"If Matthew has to prove himself, then the remaining twenty-four members—including me and Jay—have to prove ourselves too, right?"
He casually gestured toward himself.
"As you said, I have made donations and other contributions to the school worth four billion CU dollars."
He pointed toward Jay.
"Jay's contributions are worth six billion CU dollars."
His smile widened.
"What about the rest of you?"
The crowd gradually quieted.
"Maybe some of you have only contributed two hundred million CU dollars. Maybe five hundred million. Or perhaps one billion if you're really impressive."
He shrugged.
"And you're all acting so high and mighty."
Rick's eyes narrowed playfully.
"So prove yourselves. If you want Matthew to spend up to a billion CU dollars just to prove his worth, then you guys should also be able to reach that amount too, right?"
The blonde girl's smile disappeared.
Lora's sister's expression froze as well.
"Wait, hell no!" one of the six original Legion members who had just arrived protested. "Why do we have to pay?"
"Yeah, why do we have to pay?" another girl immediately agreed. "We're already official members. If anyone has to prove themselves, it should be the fifteen new members."
"Hell no. This is between Matthew and those two girls. Why are we getting involved?" a boy complained.
Several others immediately agreed.
"What a joke."
"Who would pay such a huge amount?"
"Not like we even have that kind of money."
Lora's sister's expression darkened.
"That's not fair—"
Jay cut her off.
"What isn't fair?"
He gave her a mocking smile.
"We're using your own words against you. You said this was supposed to be fun, yet you're the one throwing your weight around and demanding that someone prove themselves with money."
"That's different!" Lora's sister snapped.
She pointed toward Matthew.
"Matthew is a newcomer. As a newcomer, how are we supposed to know his family's standing in the school? Everyone already knows each other's family status and who belongs where. So why should he hide his identity while enjoying privileges meant for people of higher status?"
The crowd fell silent again.
Matthew finally looked at her.
"Fine."
His voice was calm.
"I'll play your game."
A slow, dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"But can the two of you bear the consequences?"
Several students watching him immediately felt their faces grow warm.
There was something about the calmness in his voice that made the question sound less like a warning and more like a promise.
The blonde girl swallowed but quickly recovered.
"Fine. The total amount we calculated is sixty-eight billion CU dollars."
She folded her arms.
"If you're able to pay fifteen billion CU dollars, then we'll apologize."
"Bullshit."Rick's smile vanished."Who needs your fucking apology?"
He stepped forward.
"We can go to the street and pay people for fun ten thousand Zens or even a hundred zen just to tell us sorry. Hell, we don't even have to pay if someone hits us hard enough—they'll probably apologize afterward."
He scoffed looking at the two girls with dislike "And you think after humiliating Matthew and forcing him to pay such a huge sum, you can just apologize afterward?"
He shook his head.
"Do we look like fools to you?"
"An apology is enough!" Lora's sister yelled.
"If I wanted to, I could make his life hell, but I'm trying to be civilized!"
"Oh?"
Rick started walking toward her.
"Before you do that, why don't I make your life hell first?"
"Rick."
Matthew's hand caught his arm before he could get any closer.
Rick stopped.
The blonde girl glanced between them before speaking again.
"Fine, then. If he can pay fifteen billion CU dollars immediately, I'll quit the group."
She sounded confident.
She was certain Matthew couldn't do it.
Fifteen billion CU dollars wasn't simply fifteen billion in an ordinary national currency.
CU dollars were the dominant international currency, accepted across nations and widely used for major international transactions.
The difference between CU dollars and the other national currencies was enormous.
One Zen was worth only 0.05 CU dollars.
One Shard was worth 0.014 CU dollars.
One Orin was worth 0.018 CU dollars.
One KSB was worth 0.022 CU dollars.
One Drakmar Note was worth 0.033 CU dollars.
One RSD Dollar was worth 0.05 CU dollars.
That was why fifteen billion CU dollars was an almost absurd amount to produce immediately.
Even extremely wealthy individuals would struggle to move that kind of money at once.
To have access to such an amount without needing to sell major assets, liquidate businesses, or involve several financial institutions required an extraordinary level of wealth and financial power.
Only families and individuals among the world's very highest tier could casually move sums of that magnitude.
The blonde girl was confident because, in her mind, Matthew was still just a foreign student who had arrived only a month ago.
There was no way a student like him could possibly produce fifteen billion CU dollars on the spot.
At least, that was what she believed.
Matthew turned toward the girl with green hair.
"I have to send the money to the school account?"
"Yes."
The girl pointed toward the second school group."This is where the accounts for different donations are handled—building projects, new equipment, funding, land purchases, and so on."
She glanced toward the blonde girl and Lora's sister.
"But you don't have to prove yourself. We follow strict rules here. Twenty-five members are to be accepted—twelve boys and thirteen girls. You're already accepted, so there's no reason for you to prove yourself."
Her expression turned cold.
"The Legion Group isn't a place for people to come and throw their weight around. How dare they even do that?"
She pointed directly at Lora's sister.
"Who gives a fuck if your sister is Lora or whatever? Is she here?"
Her friend immediately grabbed her arm, trying to stop her before she said anything worse.
The blonde girl frowned.
"Why? He already said he would pay. Or is he backing out now?Why are you—"
She didn't get to finish.
A notification suddenly rang from everyone's phone.
The entire hall went quiet.
Almost simultaneously, the students pulled out their phones and opened the second school group.
The moment the page loaded, everyone's expression froze.
Matthew Carter has donated 3 billion CU dollars toward the construction of a new school building.
Another notification appeared.
Matthew Carter has donated 3 billion CU dollars toward the construction of another school building.
Another.
Matthew Carter has donated 3 billion CU dollars toward land acquisition.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
The notifications continued appearing one after another.
The screen quickly became filled with Matthew's name.
"Wait…"
Someone stared at the screen.
"Three billion…"
Another notification appeared.
"Again?"
"Three billion again?"
The students began counting.
Three billion.
Three billion.
Three billion.
Again.
And again.
And again.
By the time they reached 8 notifications, the entire hall had gone strangely silent.
Everyone knew how to calculate.
Yet somehow, their brains seemed to refuse to produce the answer.
"Three billion times eight…" someone muttered.
"No, wait. That can't be right."
"Shut up, I'm trying to count."
"I'm so dizzy looking at this "
"Twenty-four billion?"
The students exchanged looks.
Then another notification appeared.
This one wasn't from the ordinary school group.
It came directly from the school board.
The announcement displayed Matthew's name among the school's highest donors.
He had taken the number-one position.
Even Ava's previous position had been pushed down.
And beside Matthew's name, the amount was displayed in bold golden letters.
24,000,000,000 CU DOLLARS
The hall became completely silent.
Matthew glanced at the screen before casually putting his phone away.
"I've done that."
He looked toward the two girls.
"I've donated to all the places that needed funding. Buildings, land, equipment and everything else."
His lips curved into a faint smile.
"So, with the amount I've spent, are you even qualified to look at me?"
The blonde girl's face went pale.
Matthew continued speaking in the same calm tone.
"I spent money that would probably take your family two generations to accumulate, and I spent it in one day."
He tilted his head slightly.
"With the way I spend money, you should be fighting to become my lackey instead of standing here trying to mock me."
His smile widened.
"You idiots."
The insult was delivered so casually that it somehow made the humiliation worse.
Matthew looked between the two girls.
"It seems today is the day students keep acting above their league."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And then they get put back in their place."
He was about to tell them to leave the school—or perhaps the country entirely—before whatever happened next became their own problem.
Then hurried footsteps suddenly echoed through the activity hall.
Someone came rushing toward him.
Before Matthew could turn around completely, two arms wrapped around his waist.
"Handsome!"
The familiar voice rang through the hall.
"My baby! My love!"
Ava hugged him tightly, completely ignoring the stunned crowd around them.
"I rushed here when I heard you chose the Legion Group."
She suddenly paused.
Then her expression brightened.
"Oh, right!"
She lifted her head to look at him.
"I'm the one who made the group."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Why don't I make you the president of the group?"
She immediately shook her head before Matthew could answer.
"No, wait."
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
"I'm aspiring to be your sugar mummy."
She proudly pointed at herself.
"So I'll make myself your vice president."
She tilted her head.
"How about it?"