The digital clock in the mansion's master suite clicked to 4:00 A.M. Aaryan's eyes opened, cold and sharp. He didn't feel the fatigue of the previous night's "Normal Day." For him, emotions were a luxury, but survival was a necessity. He looked at Simran, who was peacefully asleep, her high-IQ brain finally resting.
"Simran. Wake up. Training starts now," Aaryan said, his voice like ice.
Simran groaned, pulling the silk duvet over her head. "Aaryan... please. Just five more minutes. Yesterday was so nice... let me dream a bit longer."
Aaryan didn't argue. He didn't ask a second time. He walked to the master bathroom, filled a designer crystal pitcher with sub-zero, ice-cold water, and walked back to the bed. Without a word, he flipped the duvet and drenched her.
"AHHH! AARYAN!" Simran screamed, jumping out of bed, shivering and soaking wet. Her eyes were blazing with anger. "What is wrong with you?! I'm freezing!"
"You're not freezing," Aaryan replied, placing the pitcher down. "If you were freezing, you'd use your Absolute Zero power to stabilize your body temperature. But you're too lazy to even think. Get dressed. The gym is waiting."
Simran wanted to scream, to throw something, to use her system to blast him. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw the hidden worry. She knew he was doing this because he was scared for her safety. Because she loved him, her anger melted into a pout. "You are a monster, Aaryan Sahu. A handsome, cold-hearted monster."
THE REWARD OF DISCIPLINE
The workout was hell. Aaryan pushed her through a high-intensity circuit for an hour. Simran was panting, her legs shaking, her "Goddess" hair a mess of sweat and wet patches.
"How... how did I do?" she gasped, leaning against a weight rack.
Aaryan checked his internal system stats. Her stamina had increased by 0.5%. "Good. For your first real day, it was acceptable."
Simran's eyes lit up. "Acceptable? That's high praise from you. Do I get a reward?"
Aaryan tilted his head. "A reward? For doing what is required to stay alive?"
"Yes," she said, stepping closer, her breath still heavy. "A kiss. It's becoming a 'usual' thing for us now, isn't it? My boyfriend should reward his student."
Aaryan stood still. Usual? he thought. Is this what a normal relationship is? Am I actually falling for her, or is this just another calculation to keep my most loyal asset happy? Before he could answer, Simran didn't wait. she pulled him down by his collar and kissed him, a lingering moment of warmth in the cold gym. Aaryan didn't pull away, but his mind remained a storm of logic and doubt.
THE 50% SHIELD
At AKPS, the atmosphere was celebratory for some and depressing for others. The Science teacher walked in, holding the final checked papers.
"Excellent work, Simran!" the teacher announced. "A perfect 100/100. You are truly the pride of this school."
Simran smiled, but her eyes immediately went to Aaryan. The teacher sighed as she handed Aaryan his paper. "50/100, Aaryan. Again. You have the potential to do better, but you seem content with being exactly average."
Aaryan took the paper without a word. Behind the 50% score was a masterpiece of strategic failure. He had answered the most difficult "Bonus" questions perfectly but "accidentally" bubbled the wrong answers for the easy ones. He was maintaining the Invisible God status perfectly.
THE AMBUSH
After school, as their luxury car turned into a quieter stretch of the road toward the mansion, a black SUV suddenly veered in front of them, screeching to a halt. Three more SUVs boxed them in.
"Aaryan... what's happening?" Simran asked, her hand going to her System interface.
"The gangsters who failed to kill your father," Aaryan said, his eyes scanning the 12 men exiting the vehicles with iron rods and silenced pistols. "They've realized you are the easier target."
"I can handle this," Simran said, her training kicking in. She stepped out of the car, her hands glowing with a faint blue frost.
At first, she was brilliant. She moved with the agility Aaryan had taught her, freezing the ground to make the gunmen slip and landing sharp, icy strikes on their chests. She beat down four men, her confidence soaring. "I'm doing it, Aaryan! See?"
But she was overconfident. One of the gangsters, a seasoned mercenary with a Low-Level Strength System of his own, caught her wrist. A dark energy nullified her frost. Within seconds, two more men grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her back and holding a knife to her throat.
"AARYAN! HELP!" Simran screamed, her eyes wide with terror as the mercenary laughed.
Aaryan remained leaning against the car, his arms crossed. He didn't move. He didn't even activate his Fire God aura.
"Why should I help you?" Aaryan's voice was cold, echoing through the empty road. "I gave you the coins. I gave you the training. I gave you the warnings. If you can't handle a few low-level thugs because you were too busy 'showing off,' then maybe you aren't meant to survive this world."
Simran felt a coldness in her heart that was worse than her own magic. I was wrong, she thought, tears pricking her eyes. I shouldn't have relied on him. I loved him... but to him, I'm just a test subject.
The mercenary pulled her closer, the blade drawing a tiny drop of blood from her neck. "Looks like your boyfriend doesn't care if you bleed, princess."
Aaryan's eyes remained fixed on her, waiting. He wasn't being cruel—he was waiting for her to stop being a "Girlfriend" and start being a Warrior.