A boy with onyx hair streaked with silver stood hunched over what remained of an Evox's corpse, casually extracting an energy-filled organ.
Squeezing it in his hand until it shattered, a continuous surge of light flowed through his body.
"Maybe I've become addicted to this feeling," he thought out loud.
A month had passed, and his constant training had finally paid off.
Tier 0 Evox were no longer a threat; only large groups could intimidate him. As for Tier 1, direct confrontations had become challenges he willingly accepted—battles that, when won, allowed his body, mana, and abilities to grow.
"And that makes it 3 Tier 1s and 22 Tier 0s for today," he said with satisfaction. He stored the body inside his new Mana Ring, with a capacity of five cubic meters, a simple design with a small blue stone at its center.
Cost: a hefty 50,000 Flux.
He wore a black compression shirt made of reinforced synthetic fibers, gray cargo pants with padding at the joints, and technical yet stylish boots matching the shirt's color.
The only thing troubling him these days was the fact that he still hadn't understood his affinity.
More and more often, those episodes of perceptual distortion returned—sometimes during intense battles with Evox, sometimes while sitting on the couch at home, and even in the hospital when visiting Regis, as if the world itself was trying to carve his friend's tragedy deeper into his soul.
On his way back to the city, through the Alpha patrol block he usually used to access his hunting routes, the gazes that once held curiosity, arrogance, or indifference had, over the past month, turned familiar.
"Hey Lag, back already?" said Piotr, a forty-year-old F1 operator guarding the gate.
"Yeah. I've got enough haul today to afford a couple of words with Mirror…" he replied with a smile.
"Ah, youth—so full of life and possibilities. Springtime of love and hope!"
"Hey, don't exaggerate. What love? She's just my lucky charm," the boy replied, blushing slightly in embarrassment.
Reaching the west side of the city, where a dense cluster of buildings rose tightly together, he let out a small sigh of relief—the kind he always felt after each expedition.
He entered the lobby of one of the buildings, casually called the elevator, and pressed the 13th floor. He walked down the neon-lit corridor until he reached door F131A and entered the apartment.
It was his refuge—a rented three-room apartment equipped with everything needed to disconnect from the world. Sophia and Victor had helped furnish it, filling the space with warmth.
After a shower that washed away the tension, he dressed properly and went back out into the streets.
Walking slowly toward a floating taxi stop, he watched people moving through the sidewalks—some rushing to work, others happily eating ice cream, the scent of strawberry drifting through the air.
Lighting a cigarette while waiting for the taxi, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
"Are you joining us tonight?" [Kathy] an old classmate.
A former classmate from the IHE. He almost instinctively was about to decline—he wanted to rest for the next day's potential hunt.
But by now, the concept of balance had already taken root in his worldview. Just like with mana, it applied to everything else as well.
With a light tap on the screen:
"Yes. Where and when?"
"9:00 PM, Gordon's," followed by a cute emoji.
Putting his phone back in his pocket, his ride arrived.
After a 15-minute paid ride, he took his usual place in line.
The faint background chatter was drowned out by the receptionists, busy gossiping and feeling a bit of jealousy toward their younger colleague Mirror.
Today the queue was moving slower than usual; his right foot tapped incessantly on the floor.
Looking at his watch, nearly twenty minutes had passed.
His turn finally came.
"Good morning, Raider Lag. How may I assist you?" she greeted him with a smile.
"The usual, Mirror." He smiled back, handing over his ring.
"After verification, the respective reward will be credited to your account," she said, taking the ring and placing it into a processing slot behind her.
"How much time do I have to recharge my luck today?" he asked, leaning slightly forward on the counter.
"According to my screen, 2 minutes and 50 seconds are required to complete the evaluation and transfer of your hunt," she replied impassively, though a faint sparkle in her eyes betrayed that she enjoyed his presence.
"Ahhh… not enough," he said dramatically, running a hand through his hair.
"That's what you get," she shot back.
After a series of exchanges, the operation ended. He took his ring back, wished her a good day, and left.
"Why do all the weird ones end up with me?" Mirror thought, although Seran had become a small moment of relief in her otherwise busy days.
Back at his apartment, after a saturation session, time slipped away.
Scrolling through missions and contracts on the Presidium digital hub, one caught his attention:
[MISSION BOARD // PRESIDIUM HUB]
CONTRACT ID: ████-UNKNOWNSTATUS: OPEN
REWARD PACKAGE:
ADVANCE: 5x TIER 1 CORES
COMPLETION BONUS: +5x TIER 1 CORES
MISSION TYPE:RAID // SUBTERRANEAN CLEARANCE
LOCATION:SOUTH-EAST SECTOR / NOVA VITAE(CAVE NETWORK - CLASSIFIED DEPTH)
RESTRICTIONS:
RANK: F1 ONLY PARTY SIZE: 7 OPERATORS
REGISTERED: 6/7 CONFIRMED
ASSEMBLY POINT:EPSILON PATROL BLOCK
SCHEDULE:07:00 — TUESDAY11 / 04 / 460 AF
WARNING:[DATA REDACTED][THREAT LEVEL: ESTIMATED TIER 1 — HIGH INTENSITY]
ACCEPT / DECLINE
His eyes carefully scanned the contract multiple times. It seemed some industry urgently needed Evox-derived materials. The mission had been posted only a few hours earlier and would begin in two days.
The reward was generous. In a month, Seran had only managed to saturate about 5% of his body, so if he didn't want to waste more time, extra cores were more than welcome.
He paused briefly at the difficulty level, frowning. This would be his first mission in a team—people he didn't know.
That made him hesitate, but remembering the potential gain, he decided this would be a problem for "future Seran."
Setting aside his doubts, he accepted. Not to mention that with Tier 1s present in the raid, he could obtain even more cores.
[MISSION BOARD // PRESIDIUM HUB]
CONTRACT STATUSMISSION ACCEPTED
CONNECTION TERMINATED
He grabbed a quick bite, realizing he was once again late for his meeting with Kathy and their friends. Taking his house keys, he rushed out, slamming the door behind him.