"Werewolves…" Riven repeated Leo's words quietly.
"Yes. Werewolves."
"Like the ones from mythology?" Luka asked, glancing at Leo and offering him a shaky smile.
"Kinda. Some of the traits from mythology aren't really recorded—at least not the ones we can do now."
"I have a question," Joey said, raising his hand again. "What's so wrong about being an alpha wolf? Doesn't that mean you're in charge?"
"Yes, but…" Leo looked down at the table, his fist clenching tightly. "You're asking that because you don't know how clan structure works."
"So enlighten us," Jordan said, leaning back, clearly interested.
Leo let out a breath. "Okay. There are four stages in a werewolf's lifetime. The first is being Unranked, which is what I am right now. That's exactly why my parents were scared to let me come to the academy."
"Why are they scared?" Luka asked.
"The next evolution is becoming a Beta Wolf. At that stage, a wolf can integrate into a pack without any problems."
Evolution… Riven thought. I keep hearing that word.
"But the real problem is what comes after that," Leo continued. "After Beta comes Omega. If you join a pack before becoming an Omega, you stay a Beta forever. You can't evolve any further."
"So what's wrong with becoming an Omega?" Riven asked.
It still felt strange—talking so casually about mythological creatures—but in a world like theirs, this wasn't even close to the strangest thing they'd encountered.
"The problem," Leo said slowly, "is the urge. Every time a wolf evolves, something grows stronger. Right now, it's our senses—smell, strength, eyesight. But when you become an Omega, you develop an uncontrollable desire to surpass everyone. Even the alpha."
He swallowed.
"Alpha wolves have urges too. The fear of being replaced. The feeling that someone is coming for their position. So most alphas—before an Omega becomes too dangerous—face them."
Leo grabbed his head, his breathing uneven.
"And then?" Riven asked carefully.
"They eat them," Harkel said quietly, finishing Leo's sentence.
Everyone froze.
"Sorry—eat?" they all said at once.
"You heard him," Harkel continued. "Devour. In many werewolf traditions, battles are fights to the death. Whoever wins must consume the loser."
He leaned back, unfazed by the tension.
"The Ashvale Clan and the Voss Clan are similar in one way, but completely different in another. The Voss family is more… divided. My family stands between the government and the Evolaris faction. We support both."
"That gives you protection from both sides," Jordan muttered.
"Exactly. They know that if they try to force us into a single faction, the losses would be massive—no matter who wins."
Harkel smiled slightly, making everyone uneasy.
"But Leo's clan is different. The Ashvale Clan is completely independent—no government ties, no factions. Their power has always gone unchecked."
"Because no one wants to fight them?" Luka asked.
"Because they'd lose," Harkel said simply. "And it's because of their trait."
"They have a special trait?" Jordan asked. "One strong enough that even the military avoids them?"
"Yes. Their teeth."
Everyone went silent.
"When an Ashvale wolf devours someone they've defeated," Harkel continued, "that person's strength is added to their own."
Jordan's eyes widened. "So every fight just makes them stronger."
"Exactly," Harkel said. "You catch on fast."
"I have a question," Luka said, turning to Harkel. "What is this Clinton Game you mentioned?"
"Oh, that?" Harkel stood up and looked out the dorm window, watching students return from the city. "The Clinton Game decides the next ruler of the Voss family."
Everyone turned toward him.
"All Voss children are sent to academies instead of clan camps. It lets the family track us without interference. The first rule of the Clinton Game is this—your dormmates must be your first allies."
He turned back and extended his hand.
"That means you. So I'll ask you directly—will you help me become the leader of my family?"
"Yes," Leo said immediately.
"Yes," Luka followed.
For Luka, this was his chance. Even if it didn't work out, aligning with a major family opened doors he'd never had access to before.
"I don't know," Jordan said, folding his arms. "I don't want my entire destiny decided just so you can become a king."
Harkel didn't react angrily. He simply nodded.
"That's fair. We have the whole year. If you change your mind, the offer stands."
Riven suddenly stood and opened the door.
"Where are you going?" Luka asked.
"I need to figure something out," Riven said. "It's for a reward. I'll be back."
⸻
As Riven walked the halls, his thoughts raced.
Now there are three more people like me. Jordan and Joey… and Luka, who just happened to be placed in our room. But I'm glad he was. It lets us be honest.
He clenched his fists.
But then why are we seeing these visions?
Riven shook his head.
No. Not now. I just need to get stronger. And with them… we'll grow stronger together.
His eyes sharpened.
I wonder how much this place really has in store for me.
⸻
After walking around for a while, Riven finally found what he was looking for—the library.
When he entered, he expected to see students buzzing around, trying to gather as much information as possible. Instead, the place was empty.
No students.
Not even a librarian.
Riven walked through the shelves until he reached the fiction section. As he searched, one book caught his eye.
The Character Log Book.
Riven picked it up and read the back.
This book contains an index that explains the powers of a character of your choosing. Entries are organized alphabetically.
Riven sat at a table with the book in hand and flipped through the pages until he reached the letter N.
"There," Riven muttered, pointing. "Nagato Uzumaki."
"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's see what you have in store for me, Nagato."
After reading the entire entry, Riven closed the book and looked up.
"…Wow. Just wow."
He exhaled.
"I need to watch this. There should be a cartoon adaptation, right? The TV in the room should let me watch it."
A familiar sensation washed over him as text appeared in his vision.
System: Loading… loading…
System: System choice detected. You can either take the item, or convert the item into 10,000 XP.
Riven choked on air.
"Ten thousand XP?!" he shouted—then immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.
He froze.
Then remembered.
Right… nobody's here.
"With 10,000 XP, I could reach Level 10," he whispered. "I could evolve whatever I have in store for me."
Riven raised his hand, ready to convert the item—
Then stopped.
"Wait. Think about this, Riven."
He slapped himself lightly on the head.
"If the system is offering 10,000 XP, that means whatever this item is worth at least that much."
His eyes widened as realization set in.
Riven lowered his hand.
"…I'll keep it."
System: Unique item received. The Path of Six Shards has been added to the inventory.
Riven stared.
"A unique item…?"
This was an entirely new tier—one he hadn't seen before.
He immediately opened his inventory.
System: Unique item—The Path of Six Shards. This shard allows the user to pick one path out of six. After a path is chosen, the shard will disappear. The user will gain a new skill and possibly a new tab depending on the path.
Riven swallowed.
System: Deva Path. Allows the user to repel enemy attacks by releasing a large force-like barrier from the hand. Also allows the user to pull enemies from a distance. Note: 40-second window.
"That sounds like what Nagato was using," Riven thought.
"But if I use the exact same ability… people are going to get suspicious."
Still, having more than one ability was already rare.
System: Asura Path. The user is able to modify their body into a weapon of their choice, allowing for short-range or long-range attacks.
"Absolutely not," Riven said, shaking his head.
System: Human Path. Grants the ability to extract other souls, killing the target and fully taking their stats. Also allows the user to read a person's mind if they are close enough. Note: If the target is stronger than you, they may resist the extraction.
"This is another no."
System: Animal Path. Allows the user to revive killed beasts, making them the user's pets and allowing them to fight for the user.
"…This is a maybe," Riven thought.
System: Preta Path. Allows the user to absorb attacks such as lightning, fire, or ice, adding that energy to the user's own energy pool.
"Hm."
System: Naraka Path. N/A.
"What?" Riven frowned.
He guessed that meant he couldn't choose the Naraka Path.
He didn't dwell on it.
"Some of these are good. Others are straight-up murder."
He exhaled slowly.
"The Human Path is a hard no. The Asura Path is just… gross."
His eyes returned to the Animal Path.
"That one's different."
He hesitated.
"…Wait. Is this any different from canines?"
Riven closed his eyes.
"No. It is different."
He clenched his fist.
"I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing this to make sure my brother is safe."
Riven made his choice.
System: Path selected—Animal.
A brief pause followed.
System: New tab unlocked. Pet Tab.
Riven stared ahead as the text faded
"So I can own dead animal corpses now. That's… great," Riven muttered.
He got up, put the book back where it belonged, and headed toward his dorm, wondering what tomorrow might have planned for him.
Lost in thought as he walked, Riven wasn't paying attention and accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sorry—my bad," Riven said quickly, already moving past him.
"Hey. Don't walk away from me."
A hand grabbed Riven's shoulder, forcing him to turn around.
The boy looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on the color of Riven's uniform and the number displayed on his wristwatch.
"I can't believe this," the boy sneered. "Not only are you a Wallborn, you're not even strong."
A smug grin spread across his face.
"Get down on your knees and lick my boot. You stepped on it when you bumped into me. That's the only way I'll accept your apology."
The smile vanished instantly as Riven swiped the boy's hand away.
"Don't touch me," Riven said coldly. "I apologized. That's it. I'm not kneeling, and I'm definitely not licking anyone's boots."
He turned to walk away again.
The boy lunged.
Riven was ready.
He sidestepped the punch easily, dropping into a clawed stance as the fist passed by his face.
"Don't do this," Riven warned.
Before the boy could respond, text appeared in front of Riven's vision.
System: Show this ass who's boss. Reward: 100 XP.
"…Just 100?" Riven muttered under his breath.
That alone told him everything he needed to know.
This guy wasn't a threat.
Still, Riven couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face as the system practically egged him on.
"Fine," he said quietly, rolling his shoulders. "Looks like my hands are tied."
He chuckled softly at the thought.