Zero to Hero (Prequel/prototype)

Chapter 4. Dragonspire Academy

"Ken! Wake up! We need to get to the dining hall soon. Free breakfast is over in 30 minutes!"

Yawning and rubbing his eyes, Ken grabbed his clock to see that it's now 8:30 and the daily free breakfast offered is indeed over in 30 minutes.

Stretching while getting dressed and getting ready, it's hard to believe that a week has almost gone by and it's already the Sunday before classes start.

"I heard today is when the rest of the students and most of the professor will return" Ken said sheepishly to Lovetta who's been waiting outside of his dorm room for him to get ready.

In under a week, Ken has already gotten famous. Rumors travelled fast and it didn't take long for the whole class to know what he looked like, and that he is that commoner who got a zero but cocky enough to thinks he is able to be better than the nobles and royals.

Due to his reputation, none of the high-class students would even look at his way while the small percent of commoners are all too scared to talk to him due to the backlash they would likely face.

To his dismay, he has not had any success talking or getting to know anyone else besides Lovetta in the week they have been at the academy. While he had failed to make any new friends, the friendship with Lovetta grew rapidly and the two are always seen together exploring the town and academy grounds while trying to get prepared for the start of their school year.

"With 10 minutes to spare!" Ken happily claimed as the pair got their free breakfast with Lovetta paying one academy point for an extra portion of food.

Each day from 6am to 9am, 11am to 1pm and 5pm to 8pm, the dining hall will provide one free meal to each student. For those that require more food, they can pay one academy point for another portion or order all types of different types of food for various amount of points.

For someone like Ken who has never been able to eat as much as he wants due to the restraints of his family, having 3 well-prepared and balanced meals daily has already started to add on the mass that's missing from his frame.

In Lovetta's case, her appetite is just abnormal as she requires double the meal every meal to be satisfied. While she is quite tall at 5'10 and obviously extremely physically gifted. Standing next to Ken, even with his undernourished body, he is still taller and has a much bigger frame and she does not have the physique of someone who eats as much as she does.

With only 100 points provided each month by the academy and her large appetite, most of Lovetta's points are spent on food and with no rich family to buy more points for her, she has to settle with the basic meal each time.

"Are you sure you are alright with eating the same food every day?" Ken asked since the free meals provided daily never changes.

"I'm not picky as long as I can get full. I do wish we get more meat with the meals. You haven't spent a single point yet have you Ken, don't you want to eat something different sometimes?"

"Of course I do! But everything expects the free meal cost so many points! I rather save up my points and sell it for money and bring it home to my family rather than eat something tastier once a while since the free meals are enough to keep me full."

For breakfast, they are provided with 2 slices of bread, 2 hard boiled eggs and some boiled potatoes. For lunch, a bowl of rice, with a side of mixed seasonal vegetables with meat. Dinner is the same as lunch except they also get some seasonal fruit.

The free meals are quite simple, especially for an academy full of nobles and royals, but at the same time, just like how the majority of the students pay for a private room, only commoners like Ken and Lovetta eat the free meals on a daily basis.