Jordan was thrown toward the wall—but before he could make contact, Leo grabbed him and hurled him back the other way. Jordan charged sword-first, but the attack was easily dodged. Still, he managed to stop himself just before hitting the wall again.
"You're improving a bit, little one," the teacher said, his sword coated in flowing water.
Nearby, Riven, Luka, and Harkel sat in meditation poses. It had been two days since they started this routine. At their instructor's advice, Harkel had cut his hair shorter so he could feel the wind better.
A loud smack echoed through the room.
"Ouch—ouch!" Luka yelped, grabbing his shoulder.
"You lost focus," the man said, pointing ahead.
A plant nearby trembled violently before shriveling up and dying.
"Now try again."
The instructor then walked over to Riven and smacked him on the shoulder.
"What now?" Riven asked, rubbing the sore spot.
"Your lightning is starting to fade," the man said. "Keep the same output around your body that you had when you first began."
A sudden shift in the air rippled through the room.
"Oh crap," Harkel muttered—already knowing what was coming.
Smack.
"I told you to keep the airflow in this building pushed to the north," the instructor snapped. "Why did I just feel it shift south?"
"Because I messed up—" Harkel chuckled nervously, but stopped when he saw the instructor's expression.
Smack.
This time, there was no humor in it.
Joey was different.
The boy still didn't like using his ability and refused to train it, insisting it was already strong enough. Instead, he stayed with Leo and Jordan, the three of them facing off against a single instructor using weapons.
"And that's time," the man said calmly.
He easily stopped Jordan's approach, catching the boy's sword with his gauntlets, and did the same to Leo's greatsword. Without another word, the instructor walked away.
The boys collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
When they exited the building, there was still plenty of daylight left. They trained from morning until afternoon—by the time they finished, school was already nearing its final period.
The six of them made their way back up to the academy floor and headed to their dorm room. Riven rushed in first, immediately digging through his things. He grabbed fresh clothes, showered quickly, then bolted back out.
He headed straight for the combat wing, feeling like he could still learn more.
"You know if you keep pushing yourself like this, you're going to hurt yourself instead of getting stronger!" Jordan yelled, clearly worried.
"Hey, I don't blame him," Harkel said, leaning back as Leo entered the shower. "We mainly focus on our abilities. Luckily, I already have weapon training, so I'm good."
"And I focus on long-range attacks," Luka added, dropping onto his bed and rubbing his shoulders. "I'm good too."
Riven sprinted toward the combat section of the academy. When he entered his classroom, the instructor stood there, watching other students strike their weapons through the air.
"Welcome, Riven," the male teacher said, smiling warmly at the boy.
"Hey, Mr. Kaiser."
Riven walked toward the weapon wall and grabbed a pair of blue gauntlets fitted with sharp, curved claws at their ends. The design fit his fighting style perfectly.
⸻
[System: Level Beast Weapon Acquired — Rift Claw Gauntlets]
Strength +5
Speed +3
Durability +2
Special Trait: None
⸻
This was the first weapon he'd ever used that granted him stats.
Riven loved the sensation—like raw power was being embedded directly into his body.
After equipping the gauntlets, he stepped away and began slashing the air in sharp diagonal arcs. He wanted to improve his combat ability. Jordan had already advanced to the next step of his sword style in only two days, while Riven still felt behind.
And now Jordan had an item from the wheel.
There was no way Jordan wasn't stronger than him now.
"Everyone, gather together!" Kaiser called out.
The students moved in closer.
"I wanted to give some of you a gift," Kaiser continued, "along with some information you normally wouldn't receive until your first outing. Consider this a head start."
He pulled out a small chest. When he opened it, several rune-like stones were revealed inside. Kaiser picked one up, then set the chest down.
"What do you think this is?"
"A beast gemstone," Riven answered, studying the gem.
"Exactly."
Riven activated Lock-On.
⸻
[System: Level One Baticone Beast Gemstone]
⸻
"Each beast and its gemstone has a level," Kaiser explained. "Some of you already know this. What you don't know is that during every assessment and outing, the other academy—those without evolved students—takes forty percent of all gemstone earnings."
"Our academy takes another forty percent."
A female student raised her hand.
"Does the military own both academies?"
"Yes," Kaiser replied.
"Does that mean—"
"Yes," he cut in. "In the end, the military takes eighty percent of your earnings. You're left with twenty—and that's if you earn enough. If you don't, they take everything."
"That's not fair!" someone shouted.
"I know," Kaiser said calmly. "Fairness doesn't exist in our society. If it did, people wouldn't be forced to live inside walls while paying crushing taxes and barely supporting their families."
That was why Riven liked Mr. Kaiser so much.
Even though it had only been two days, the man was honest. He understood that the world order was unjust—and that something needed to change.
"So here's my advice," Kaiser continued. "Every time you collect gemstones, separate some from your main batch. Hide them. If you don't, you won't walk away with anything."
He paused.
"And as a gift—since one of our students is participating in the Clinton Games, and I don't want the rest of you to feel left out—I'll allow each of you to take two Level Two beast gemstones."
"Sell them. Give them away. Forge weapons with them. I don't care. Pick once—and don't take more. Trust me. I'll know."
Kaiser then grabbed Riven by the shoulder and guided him away as the other students crowded around the chest.
⸻
Kaiser led Riven into his office and sat down behind his desk. Riven closed the door behind him.
The instructor rummaged through his desk for a moment before pulling out two gemstones. Riven immediately noticed the Level III engraving on both.
"These," Kaiser said, sliding them closer, "are Level Three gemstones. As a student, these are among the highest you can legally obtain."
"I shouldn't be giving these to you. I could lose my job."
"But you need all the help you can get."
"I… I don't know what to say," Riven said, stunned. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because too many students die here," Kaiser replied quietly. "Too many die during outings because they were unprepared. And every year, the academy continues like those deaths never mattered."
"Maybe it's because they weren't high-profile deaths. Just Wallborns."
He clenched his fist.
"This place is cruel, Riven. And it's even crueler when it makes you play a deadly game just so someone else can become king."
"And even if that person becomes king—what happens to you? What if they fail? What if they succeed and abandon you? What if they were never fit to lead in the first place?"
"They could bury the Voss family along with everyone else."
"Mr. Kaiser," Riven said slowly, trying to process it all. "We chose this. No one forced us."
"Is that what you think," Kaiser asked, "or is that what the person participating told you?"
Riven froze.
"You never had a choice," Kaiser continued. "The moment you were assigned to that dorm, your path was decided. Prepared or not, you were going to that outing."
"What are you saying?" Riven asked quietly.
"The staff were informed before your arrival," Kaiser said. "Anyone placed in the same dorm as a Voss clan member was guaranteed to be dragged into their first game. They would've pulled you from your bed if they had to."
Did Harkel lie to us? Riven wondered.
It didn't feel like something Harkel would do—unless he hadn't known himself.
"Thank you, Mr. Kaiser," Riven said finally. "I won't forget this. I promise I'll repay you."
He took the gemstones and left.
"Hopefully one day… you can change things, kid," Kaiser murmured.
He glanced down at two remaining sets of Level Four gemstones—meant for two other students in the Clinton Games.
⸻
Riven stepped into the hallway, holding the two gemstones in his palm. Their violet glow pulsed softly, drawing his gaze again and again.
Then, a system prompt appeared.
⸻
[System: You are holding a Level Four Beast Gemstone.]
Would you like to absorb it for XP?
YES / NO
Riven froze when the system notification appeared.
This was the first time he had ever seen anything like it—then again, this was also the first time he'd ever held a gemstone. The system itself was strange, but he was starting to notice a common pattern.
Absorption.
When he first awakened the system, it mentioned something about him absorbing. Later, he discovered he could absorb the cores of those with lightning and nature abilities. Now, it was offering him the ability to absorb beast gemstones for XP.
The entire thing was bizarre.
Still, Riven didn't complain.
While no one was paying attention, he quietly slipped the two gemstones into his system space. He was just about to head to a corner and continue training with his gauntlets when someone stepped into his path.
A girl.
She had long black hair that fell past her shoulders, and she was staring straight at him like she'd already made up her mind.
"Is there something I can do for you?" Riven asked, certain he'd never met her before.
"Here."
She opened her hand. Resting in her palm was a Level Two beast gemstone.
"Your gemstone," Riven said instinctively. "Why are you—"
"Don't forget this kindness," she interrupted. "Unlike most of us, you have a scapegoat with that Voss kid. The rest of us Wallborn don't."
Before he could refuse, she pressed the gemstone into his hand.
"Don't forget my name," she said. "Jude. I'm from the Black Halo walls."
Then she turned and walked away.
Riven stood there for a moment, stunned.
The entire exchange felt strange—but he made himself a promise right then.
I'll pay her back.
She helped him. That meant one day, he'd help her too. How… he'd figure that out later.
After practicing for a while with the gauntlets, Riven left as class ended. As he walked down the hall, he spotted Jude again. She passed beside him, eyes forward.
"Please don't forget," she said quietly, then picked up her pace and disappeared into the crowd.
⸻
Riven headed straight for the library.
It was nearly empty—perfect. A place where people minded their business.
He moved to a far corner, positioning himself where even if someone entered, they wouldn't easily spot him. He scanned the area carefully, making sure there were no cameras nearby.
He didn't know what would happen if he did this.
What if it caused a flash?
What if it reacted the same way it did when he absorbed a person's core?
He wasn't taking that risk.
Once he was sure he was alone, Riven pulled everything out of his system space and laid it out before him.
Three gemstones.
His gaze lingered on the darkest one.
Then the system responded.
⸻
[System: Would you like to absorb the Level Four Voidfang Gemstone?]
YES / NO
⸻
Riven didn't hesitate.
He clicked YES.