"Don't mention it. I get mad just thinking about it."
"Okay, now, my curiosity is piqued. Come on, don't hold out on me."
"Fine," Alisha sighed. "As always, it's about money."
"What happened? Did you guys make some bad investments?"
"Not at all. After our talk yesterday, I felt the 25K wasn't enough and wanted to retrieve some more from our savings to help you, but she refused. I explained your situation and the urgent need for money, but she wouldn't budge."
"You didn't tell her about the dark web stuff, right?" Zane immediately asked.
"Of course not. Not even god can pry such information from me."
"That's good," Zane sighed in relief. "What happened next?"
"What else? We fought, and no one wanted to compromise. In the end, I slept in the guest bedroom," Ailisha complained. "I don't get why she's like this. Most of the time, she's the sweetest person around. But when it comes to money, she suddenly becomes a cheap miser."
"She contributed most of the money in your savings account, so of course, she feels entitled to control it," Zane thought, but he didn't say this out loud.
"You need to become more independent, especially financially," he suggested.
"That's easier said than done."
"You can start by starting Kwame Dynamic with me," Zane said. "I've been thinking about it, and I still think this is a great opportunity. Two of my roommates have started to hunt, and they made $92,000 in just 36 hours. When the 15th arrives, please give me a week, and I can give you 100K as the starting fund — no, 150 if I consider some extra cash from the dark web. And depending on how things go, I might be able to give you the same amount weekly, maybe even more."
Alisha didn't reply immediately; she sat still, a pondering look on her face. Zane saw this as an opportunity and decided to strike while the iron was still hot. He rushed to his bed and grabbed his schematic book to show her the future they could have.
"We can start with software before we transition to other fields. Funding is not an issue as long as I'm capable of hunting. And next month, after I learn a profession, there will be even more capital."
Alisha flipped through the notebook for a few seconds. "Can I take this home for a few days?"
Zane's eyes immediately shone after hearing this. "Yes, but don't lose it and don't show it to anyone else."
"I won't."
The two siblings conversed for more than an hour before Alisha left. Zane walked with her until she safely entered a taxi, then returned. It was close to 8 PM, which meant it was time to return to the academy. First, Zane texted his mother and Myk to reassure them before entering the plaza to visit an old acquaintance: Lysana Mandagus.
"Welcome, cust —oh, it's you."
"What's with that response?" Zane asked.
"Hunting season hasn't started for mages, so you should still be broke," Lysana said directly.
"How do you know I'm not some rich scion who can afford to use Earth currency to buy 100 magic crystals?"
"Are you?" Lysana asked, looking him directly in the eyes.
"No, but I did bring some business."
"Why didn't you say so?" Lysana immediately smiled brighter than the moon. "Customer, what can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for information."
Lysana's smile vanished quicker than a cheetah on the prowl. "How is that business?"
"I'm willing to pay for the information."
"I don't sell information."
"Come on. It's not sensitive information forbidden by the tower," Zane explained. "I just want your shop and the surroundings' sales records."
Lysana frowned. "What do you need those for?"
"Research."
"Research on what?"
"Don't worry about that. Can you get the information?"
"And how much are you willing to pay?"
"10 magic crystals," Zane said.
"Make it 30, and we have a deal."
"15."
"25."
"17."
"20 magic crystals," Lysana said. "Take it or leave it."
"Deal," Zane nodded. "When can you provide it?"
"I can show you my record for the past few days, but you must leave a 5-crystal deposit. As for the others? You have to wait a few days."
"Can I have this agreement in writing?"
"The cheapest magic contract costs 80 crystals. I'm not providing it. Plus, I don't want any record of such a strange deal."
Zane pondered briefly. "Fine, I'll trust you this time." Losing 5-20 crystals was worth it to see whether Lysana was someone he could trust.
"I like dealing with decisive individuals," Lysana said, smiling. Without missing a beat, she pulled out her bookkeeping records from the past few days to show Zane, who immediately handed over the 5 crystals after memorizing the information. Then, Zane hurried back to school since he didn't want to miss the closure deadline. From what he learned from the student board, training is mandatory for mages, so the tower will forcefully summon any mage who is late. However, the price those students paid was not something Zane wanted to deal with.
As he returned to his dorm, he thought he would be the last one since he spent a lot of time talking to his sister and a bit of time with Lysana, but that wasn't the truth. James and Sanjay were on the couch, while Evans and Tom, as usual, were discussing something at the dining table.
"Did something happen?" Zane asked.
"There is an update on the Korean student."
"Really?" Zane sat down immediately, logged into the student board, and checked the trending post. According to that student, she didn't want to return to Earth. Instead, she planned to stay for the entire 12 hours in the plaza before returning to school. However, a sudden worry about her family forced her to. So, she prepared herself to fight her way out of the testing facility. But, to her surprise, the people in charge apologized and released her; they even offered a monetary reward.
"The tower must have warned the North Korean government," Zane thought, and he wasn't the only one who shared this view. Numerous comments under the post agreed. "Korea is probably not the only one who did this, so they are probably not the only ones who were warned." Whether it's the US, Russia, China, France, Japan, or many European countries, Zane wouldn't be surprised if any of them had the thought or were already testing the transcendents. They may not be as direct as North Korea, acting more in the shadows, but Zane believed they were definitely doing so.
The trio began talking about the topic, and they shared a similar view of the tower's interference. Midway through their conversation, Devonte and Ahmed returned, both wearing leather armor, but no weapons. After a quick shower, the two joined their team to recount their experience.
"30 magic crystals each in just 12 hours? You guys improved so fast?" Zane asked.
"Now that we have better weapons and experience, our efficiency has increased," Ahmed said, nodding.
"It could be more," Devonte added.
"There is no price on safety," Ahmed said, shaking his head.
"What's this about?"
"He wanted to take an E- mission."
"Aren't E missions only for 1-ring transcendents?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"Technically speaking, only D-level missions are for 1-star transcendents. However, E-rank missions are beyond the abilities of most apprentices, so it's recommended for large groups or for 1-star transcendents."
"Together, we coulda done it," Devonte said.
"But why take the risk? It's not like we're desperate for the money," Ahmed replied.
"I'm with Ahmed on this," Zane added. "Money is good, but not as good as your life."
Devonte thought about it for a moment before nodding. In just a day, they had made 60 grand, which is higher than the average annual income of most states. Why risk his life for more money when their current earnings were enough to support all their needs?
"Are you not satisfied?" Tom Nguyen asked. "Look at us: we are still stuck in school, unable to make any income. It's so unfair that you guys get to hunt more than a week earlier than us."
"I don't think so." Ahmed shook his head. "I think it's very fair."
"You guys literally have an entire week head start. How is it not unfair?"
"The way you view this situation is too superficial," Ahmed explained. "As long as a mage learns a spell, they immediately achieve a decent amount of lethality. Meanwhile, a knight — even the most talented one — must spend months of physical and weapon training to acquire the slightest amount of lethality. And we are still limited by the fact that we can't release our mana outside our bodies in the apprentice stage, meaning we must rely on enchanted weapons to be effective in combat.
"However, mages basically control all the professions and means of production. In other words, we must rely on you guys for our armor, weapons, potions, alchemy weapons, and magic scrolls. You control all the resources that can help us train or improve our strength. If we didn't have that week-long advantage, how do you expect us to compete?"