[Total Revenue: 124,500 Mana-Credits.]
Zen stared at the bright blue numbers floating on the screen. Over a hundred and twenty thousand credits. It was more money than the original host of this body had seen in his entire life.
"I can finally afford some real gear," Zen smirked. "And maybe a decent meal."
He lay down on his mattress and looked up at the ceiling. It was all rusty. He was ranking up. He was making money. But he knew he had to keep it a total secret. Tomorrow was going to be tough. He had to go to class and face Valeria. She would definitely notice that he was stronger now.
"One step at a time," Zen said quietly to himself, closing his eyes.
The next morning, Zen woke up early. He bathed, put on his faded academy uniform and grabbed his bag. He took a breath before opening the door to his room. Every student in the dorm had their own tiny room so there was no one around to help him if Kaelan's goons were waiting to cause trouble.
He opened the door.
It wasn't Kaelen.
Valeria was standing right outside his room. She was leaning against the rusted wall, looking perfectly put together in her school uniform. Her fake glasses were sitting neatly on her nose.
"Good morning, Zen," Valeria smiled sweetly.
Zen froze. "Val. How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long," she said, even though it was not true. She reached out and adjusted his collar. "Only since three in the morning. I couldn't sleep, so I came to make sure you were safe."
Zen felt a chill run down his spine. She had stood outside his door for four hours just listening to him sleep.
"I'm fine," Zen said, stepping out into the hall. "Let's just go to class."
Valeria linked her arm through his as they started walking down the hall. But after just two steps, she suddenly stopped. Her sweet smile vanished.
She turned to him, her red eyes narrowing behind her glasses. She stepped closer, pressing her body against him and took a deep breath.
"Your mana," Valeria whispered, her voice taking on that dark, obsessive tone. "It's thicker. It's stable."
Zen's heart pounded against his ribs.
"You should be Mid F-Rank now," Valeria said flatly. She looked up at him, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "A broken core can't fix itself. It needs raw mana. You told me you stayed in your room last night. Did you lie to me, Zen? Did you go into a dungeon?"
The air in the hallway got freezing cold. Zen knew if he answered wrong, she was going to drag him to an underground bunker right now. He had to use the System's advice. He had to seduce her.
Zen didn't pull away. Instead, he stepped even closer to her. He looked into her red eyes, keeping his face completely calm.
"I didn't leave my room," Zen said in a low and smooth voice. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about you."
Valeria's breath hitched. "About... me?"
"When you grabbed me yesterday in the alleyway," Zen lied, letting his hand rest gently on her waist. "Your golden Aegis mana was so strong. It left a trace on me. My broken core reacted to it. You jumpstarted my healing, Val."
Valeria gasped softly. The scary aura vanished immediately. Her cheeks flushed a deep, dark red. She looked down at his chest, completely flustered.
"I... I did that?" she whispered, her voice shaking with happiness.
"You did," Zen said with a smile. "So don't accuse me of lying again."
"I'm sorry," Valeria said quickly, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Zen. I just worry about you so much. The thought of my mana fixing you... It makes me happy."
Zen let out a sigh of relief in his head. Her ego and obsession loved the idea that she was the one who could fix him. Meaning for now, she was not going to hurt him… yet.
They walked to the main campus together. The other students avoided them completely, pressing against the lockers to get out of Valeria's way.
When they reached the training room, Professor Vance was standing in front of a massive steel door. The rest of the lower-ranked class (E down to F Rank) was gathered around, looking nervous.
"Listen up!" Professor Vance yelled, tapping his terminal. "Today is your Combat Theory practical. Behind these doors is an artificial E-Rank Zone matrix. The terrain will shift, and there will be low-level fake monsters inside. They will not kill you, but they will break your bones you if you are stupid. So… don't be stupid."
Jax waved at Zen from the back of the crowd. Maya was next to him looking scared. She kept her eyes on the floor, afraid to look at Valeria.
"You will enter in your chosen pairs," Vance continued. "Your objective is simple. Survive the maze, find the glowing blue relic in the centre and bring it back. You have thirty minutes."
"This will be easy," Valeria whispered to Zen, squeezing his arm. "I'll just punch through the walls to the centre. We'll be done in two minutes."
"No," Zen said quietly. "We play by the rules. We don't need to draw attention."
"Whatever you say, partner," she smiled.
Zen looked past the Professor. Kaelen was standing on the balcony above the doors, leaning against the railing with his arms crossed. He was staring at Zen with a smile.
Zen frowned. Something was wrong. Kaelen wasn't just here to gloat or tease.
"System," Zen thought. "Analyze Kaelen's behavior. What is the probability of he's planning something?"
[Calculating... Based on the target's body language, past hostility and the timing of his presence, there is a 98% probability that he planned a sabotage for your practical exam.]
"A trap?" Zen thought.
[Negative. Insufficient data. Be careful.]
"Arclight! Val!" Professor Vance barked, pointing his clipboard at them. "You two are up first for coming in late. Step onto the entry pad."
Zen looked at the glowing blue circle on the floor. He couldn't back away on a suspicion that Kaelan had probably set a trap. If he did, Vance would fail him, and he would be drafted into the military meat grinder anyway. If he accused Kaelen, he had no solid proof.
He had to go in.
"Let's go," Valeria said happily, pulling him to the glowing pad. She did not know they might be walking into danger or a trap. She was just excited to be alone with him in a dark maze.
Zen stepped onto the pad. He looked up at the balcony. Kaelen was grinning at him, waving mockingly at him.
"System," Zen thought as the blue light began to swirl around them. "Calculate the worst-case scenario and prepare for immediate hostile engagement."
[Acknowledged. Good luck, Emperor.]
The light flashed blindingly bright, and the training facility completely disappeared.
When Zen opened his eyes, the air instantly hurt his lungs. It did not smell like the ozone-scented air of an artificial training matrix. It smelled like ancient dust, blood and rotten stone.
The room was lit only by faintly glowing red crystals in the ceiling.
"Val?" Zen called out, pushing himself up.
Silence.
"System," Zen whispered. "Where is Val?"
[Analyzing... There was a disruption during the teleportation that caused a spatial scatter. Target: Valeria is currently located 500 meters east of your position, behind several solid rock walls.]
Zen let out a breath. On one hand, he was free from Valeria. On the hand, he was alone in whatever this place was.
Suddenly, a deep, loud growl shook the dust from the ceiling.
From the shadows at the far end of the carven a pair of glowing yellow eyes opened. The ground shook as a big creature stepped into the low light. It was a Minotaur, with dark fur and thick iron chains. It had a battleaxe the size of a car and breathed out hot clouds of steam.
"A Blood-Horn Minotaur," Zen realized, drawing his rusted sword from his back. "High E-Rank."
—
500 meters away…
Valeria landed gracefully on her feet, adjusting her fake glasses. She looked around the empty, dark corridor.
"Zen?" Valeria asked, her voice echoing into the darkness.
No answer.
Her sweet, innocent smile from few seconds ago faded. She looked down at the dirt floor. She was alone.
"Zen, this isn't funny," Valeria called out, her voice dropping a little. "Where are you?"
Silence.
A localized pulse of golden Aegis mana rippled out from her boots. She closed her eyes, feeling the ambient mana of the dungeon. She didn't feel Zen's weak, broken core. But she did feel the massive, violent aura of a Blood-Horn Minotaur moving aggressively toward the west.
Valeria's eyes opened wide. The red glow behind her glasses was burning with a terrifying light.
"An E-Rank boss," Valeria whispered. "Someone sent him to fight a real boss."
She turned toward the solid stone wall blocking her path to the west.
"I'm coming, Zen," Valeria said, her voice vibrating with pure, murderous intent.
She pulled her fist back. Golden mana gathered around her knuckles, shining brightly. Valeria hit the rock with her fist.
BOOM.
The entire cavern shook as the punch made a big hole in the ten-foot-thick stone wall, sending boulders flying into the next chamber.
Valeria walked through the dust. She was breathing hard; her eyes were wide and manic.
"Hold on, my Emperor," she whispered as she raised her fist to hit the next wall. "I will kill it. I will kill whoever is at fault for this mistake. I will kill all of them."