Baddie Distribution System
Chapter 57: Money Talks

Chapter 57: Money Talks

There wasn’t an elevator in the building as he walked in, which made Dapper grit his teeth. It felt intentional, like some kind of sadistic training. The stairs were designed in such a way that it seemed the builders outright hated whoever had to live here.

Eventually, Dapper arrived at his dorm or at least, what he assumed it was. He expected to see a few large rooms with bunk beds scattered around, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, there were individual rooms lined up like those in a cheap hotel, each door numbered. Dapper checked the number on his pass and walked into his assigned room.

The first thing that caught his eye was a single bed pressed against the right wall. It was worn out, clapped in, and flattened like old bread.

Next, his eyes shifted to the left side of the room. There was a small reading table with a chair neatly tucked underneath it. A thick smear of dust coated the surface of the table. The floor was just as bad—grimy, greasy tiles that hadn’t seen a mop in years. The walls had strange scribbles and crude drawings on them, as if someone had gone out of their way to make the place feel more like a jail cell than a dorm room. Then, directly ahead on the far wall, Dapper noticed a smaller door almost blending into the background. Curious, he walked up and slowly pushed it open.

Inside was a tiny closet—just enough space to stash clothes or a few belongings. But something critical was missing: there was no bathroom or toilet in the room.

Sigh. ’Just as I thought. As soon as I walked into this building, I had a feeling. Each student gets a private room, but not even a personal toilet?’ Dapper grumbled inwardly and dropped himself onto the bed.

Instantly, a sharp jolt of pain shot through his body. The bed had barely any foam left, it couldn’t even absorb his weight properly.

Just then, Dapper noticed something on the bed, a folded leaflet. He suddenly remembered Dora mentioning something about reading the leaflet in their rooms. He picked it up and began reading.

The pamphlet contained basic information about the academy—at least, the parts not restricted to students. He learned they would receive a 200 Yexen monthly allowance and three free square meals daily. Each day would focus on a single subject, and most of their time would be spent on practical lessons. The purpose of the academy, as written, was to cultivate powerful warriors and raise elite soldiers for the ongoing conflict.

After reading through the leaflet, Dapper closed it. The part about the war was vague. Everyone knew that humans and demons had once been locked in brutal conflict, but a truce had been in place for years, long before Dapper was even born.

Still, as a former criminal and someone experienced with tension between factions, Dapper could tell the peace was fragile. It made sense that the humans had built this military academy—to prepare for a war that never truly ended.

’The demons must have had the upper hand during the last war. I need to read more about this world’s history,’ Dapper thought, his eyes narrowing with interest.

’There’s a marketplace here, right... according to that leaflet,’ Dapper thought as he picked up the flattened bed and stepped out of his room.

’Now that I think about it, I only brought a few clothes. How does this ’Privilege’ thing even work? Anyway, I’ll need to spend a few days here to get used to the academy. I had sex with Belinda and Ruth this morning to fulfill my second system condition. But what about tomorrow... sigh...’ he mused, tossing the bed into the trash.

Just as he walked a few meters away, he noticed some students suddenly rush over to the discarded bed—fighting over it, even. Dapper could tell from their uniforms that they were second-year students.

’What the hell... what are they gonna do with that flattened piece of junk?’ he wondered, shaking his head as he continued on toward the marketplace.

On the way, he passed several other first-year students. Just like him, they weren’t in uniform yet. The academy’s standard uniform was a deep blue blazer and matching pants with a lighter blue shirt underneath. For the women, it was essentially the same, except they wore skirts instead.

Eventually, Dapper arrived at the market and spotted a store selling beds.

"Hello, good day. I’d like to buy this bed," Dapper said, eyeing a tall, wide mattress.

"One thousand Yexen," the storekeeper said slowly.

"ONE THOUSAND WHAT?!!!" Dapper yelled, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. That kind of bed usually sold for two to three hundred Yexen outside the academy.

"Oi, calm down, boy. If you can’t afford that one, there’s a cheaper option," the storekeeper said, waving him into the shop. Inside, among rows of stacked beds, he pointed at a small, dusty, flat one in the corner.

"This one’s two hundred Yexen. Cheapest you’ll get," the man added with a grin.

Dapper’s eyes widened even more in disbelief.

"W-Wait a second... isn’t this the bed I just threw out?!" he exclaimed, his mind spiraling. He could now see several other used, flattened beds stacked up in the store.

"Haha, I see now, you’re new," the shopkeeper said, chuckling. "Beds are a luxury in this academy. Students hustle using them. For some reason, the school doesn’t interfere. They can sell their used beds freely. This one? A student sold it to me just before you came in. I bought it for one-fifty and now I’m making fifty off it. Look around, there’s a bunch here. If you don’t lock your room properly, your bed will be gone. Probably sold to a different vendor by morning. Kukuku~" he chuckled with a sheepish grin.

Then it all clicked in Dapper’s head. That’s why those boys had fought over his bed earlier. He considered going back to find the boys... but it was his own fault for tossing it out to begin with.

"I’ll take that big one," Dapper finally said, pointing to the pricey mattress.

"Haha! Now we’re talking. You know quality when you see it. You look like a naive freshman, so because of what you’ve been through, I’ll throw in a bedframe for free if you buy that one," the storekeeper said, grinning wide.

Eventually, Dapper purchased the bed and stored it in his space ring. To him, it was better for the storekeeper to know he had a space ring than to walk around carrying a fancy mattress, which was practically a jackpot for thieves in this academy.

Back in his room, Dapper set the bed inside the black frame the store owner gave him. It fit perfectly, changing the whole feel of the room. He also took out the mop he just bought and began scrubbing the floor. It was a bit of a hassle since he had to fetch water from a separate facility inside their dorm, the same area where the public toilets and bathrooms were located. That alone left a sour taste in his mouth. He already knew the place would be messy most of the time, but it didn’t matter, he wouldn’t be staying in the dorms for long. Eventually, he’d switch to being a day student.

After the cleaning, the floor gleamed—though the walls were still littered with weird scribbles and markings.

"Well, Bay, isn’t it much better now?" Dapper asked as he dropped into bed, clutching his SIA in one hand.

[Yes, master. The bed is perfect for fucking those young chicks.]

"Idiot. I meant the room."

[Oh. Rooms mean nothing to me. I can’t sleep, remember? Your head’s the coziest room I have.]

’...’

[Still, well done today, master. I’m impressed. You actually performed above expectations. I believe your so-called "experience." You managed to fight off that swordsman—even if it was sheer luck—and at the end, you seemed ready to try something against Jack. What was it?]

"Oh, that? I picked something up from the Freeman Treasury. The family let me take one item from it as a reward for my business proposal, and everyone kept urging me to choose this sword on a stand. They said it once belonged to a former Freeman leader who had a Combat-type system, which was rare among them, since most Freemans are Craft-type users. The sword’s all rusted now, but I planned to polish it and get it appraised by a blacksmith. I had a gut feeling it might actually damage Jack’s skin... so I was saving it for the last moment," Dapper explained.

[That’s one hell of a gamble...]

"Exactly why I took it. Don’t forget, that dungeon had a revive feature, so I could afford to take risks. Running into Jack at all was already pushing my luck," Dapper said, then paused, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket.

When he brought it out, he saw it was Ruth calling.

{Hello, Husband! I already miss you, and it hasn’t even been a day. Anyway, I’ve got great news!}

"Good news?"

{Yes! Remember how you needed to cope with your system conditions? Well, I pulled a few strings using my connections and struck a deal with a teacher who agreed to help! It cost a lot, but since she’s a teacher, the risk is way lower than you doing it with naive students there who could put you in trouble.}

"...You paid a teacher so I could sleep with her?"

{Yep! She couldn’t resist the money. I just kept raising the offer until she agreed, hehe. Her name is...}