It took Vlad more than a moment to pull himself together. As he climbed the stairs of the stage, the crowd of freshers below erupted into a chorus of bitter boos and aggressive murmurs. He paid them no mind. There were more pressing matters that held his undivided attention.
"Congratulations on becoming the Crownbearer of the first years, Vlad Lumberjack," Sophia said, extending her hand which carried the palm-sized device and the small book.
Vlad did not accept the reward. He leaned closer to Sophia and asked in a low voice, "Senior, I think there is a misunderstanding. I only possessed eleven books. I couldn't even retrieve my uniform. How could I have reached first place?"
"Oh, you must be confused, Vlad," Sophia said, stepping down from the stool. "The criteria for the top three places is calculated on the basis of the credits each student earned, which includes the credits from the contract as well."
