032 YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS IN TROUBLE
Damen had barely opened his door when Zairgid burst inside, out of breath.
"Is this another attempt to drag me to Black Owl?" Damen muttered under his breath.
Zairgid leaned on the wall, panting hard. "It's your girlfriend—she's in trouble."
Damen blinked. "My girlfriend? Since when do I have one?"
"Eryn Veyran. She's lost in the space rift at Melrose Mine," Zairgid said.
"Melrose Mine…" Damen's eyes narrowed. "That's the Aur mine where I used to work. Why would there be a space rift there?"
"Don't you know?" Zairgid replied. "All Aur mines are extensions of space rifts. Our Aurs come from rocks expelled from them."
Damen froze.
He had spent years hauling rocks out of that mine and never once suspected a rift lurked beneath his feet. None of the miners had. Otherwise, none of them would dare to work there.
"So Aurs… grow from space rifts?" he asked.
"Forget the theory. Ask your teacher later. Eryn Veyran is missing now," Zairgid snapped.
"Why would she even go in there if it's so dangerous?"
"The rift's sealed off but not banned. Heroes are allowed inside to explore. Half our breakthroughs in research and development come from artifacts pulled from space rifts," Zairgid explained.
"But Eryn…" Damen's brow furrowed. "Why did she risk going into the space rift?"
Zairgid lowered his voice. "Because of her mother. She vanished inside the Melrose Rift on an expedition some years ago. Eryn's been sneaking in several times ever since, looking for her."
Damen exhaled slowly.
That explained the last time he'd found Eryn unconscious and wounded in the mine. She'd just returned from the space rift.
He turned to Zairgid. "I understand her persistence. But what's that got to do with me?"
"Aren't you, her boyfriend?"
"No. Since when?"
"Then why does she always carry your miner's name tag with her?" Zairgid asked. "Solana told me."
"What?!" Damen's eyes widened. "That's got nothing to do with me."
"Anyway," Zairgid pressed on, "the school's launching an expedition into the rift—partly training, partly a search-and-rescue for Eryn. Will you join?"
"Nope. Too dangerous," Damen said flatly.
"It won't be," Zairgid insisted. "The risky stuff's handled by C-Rank Heroes. We'll stay in the safe zone."
Damen narrowed his eyes. "You're usually the last person to volunteer for work. What's this really about?"
Zairgid fiddled with his fingers. "Uh… because my father wants me to go. If we join a space rift exploration, I can get a Hero ID. He needs me to have an ID if he were to continue giving me allowances."
The city awards citizens with Hero IDs if they are of great service to the city. Joining an expedition into the space rift would constitute such merit.
Damen frowned.
In this world, a Hero ID meant everything—nobles and rich families spent fortunes to train their heirs just for the title.
"So, this isn't about Eryn at all," Damen said. "You're using her as an excuse to get me to the rift with you. What you really want is a free bodyguard."
"Well…" Zairgid grinned sheepishly. "I'd feel safer near you. Rank C and D Heroes aren't always there to protect us. If you can one smash K.O Lukas, I'll feel better if you are around."
"You're a confirmed coward," Damen muttered.
"So… are you coming or not?"
"No. I don't even have powerful equipment."
"Equipment? Leave that to me. You can have anything you want if you join me in the rift," Zairgid promised.
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Zairgid led Damen to the Aukuoma Heroes' Auction Center, a sprawling commercial complex that buzzed with activity. Inside, fortunes changed hands daily—from powerful meta equipment and rare artifacts to rejuvenating youth elixirs. If money could buy it, it could be found here.
Damen's eyes caught the sign overhead- Aukuoma. "Wait… your father owns this Auction House?"
Zairgid grinned. "Yes, yes. Didn't I tell you? I can get you any equipment here. I wasn't lying."
"No… you weren't," Damen admitted.
But another thought struck him. "Does this place also have a meta training center?"
"Of course. Why?"
"I need to learn a new skill—and upgrade my current ones to Rank F."
Initially, Damen wanted to visit Heroes Gym again but after what he saw in Dorin's secret room, he decided it was better to keep a distance from them.
Zairgid nearly choked. "You are Rank F?! Since when?"
"I just got promoted," Damen replied with a satisfied smile.
Zairgid wiped the corner of his mouth. "Well, I guess that explains it. How else could you have floored Lukas Veyran with a single strike?" He nodded, then gestured toward a side corridor. "The training center's open now. The auction starts later—we'll make it in time."
"Perfect," Damen said, his grin widening.
----
Training a meta skill wasn't difficult—it was quick and efficient. The real challenge was choosing the right one. Damen could acquire as many skills as he wanted, but each required time to master, and time was always limited.
"What should I go for?" Damen muttered.
Zairgid leaned against the wall. "Depends on what you're aiming for. But don't get greedy. Implant too many meta chips and some skills won't even manifest."
"You're just being stingy," Damen shot back.
"No, I'm being honest," Zairgid said firmly.
"I want a skill that lets me disappear—not just visually, but one that hides my energy and even my breath. Does something like that exist?"
Zairgid smirked. "You came to the right place. Try Camouflage. I use it myself."
Damen raised an eyebrow. "A coward like you? Let me guess—your other skills are just body armor, shields and more shields?"
Unfazed, Zairgid grinned. "Exactly. The best defensive set money can be bought in Melrose City."
Damen chuckled. "Fine. I'll train Camouflage."
The process was straightforward.
Before long, Damen had implanted the Camouflage meta chip and gained the skill at Rank F. It would take practice before he could use it effectively, but the foundation was there.
At the same time, he brought his existing skills—Summon Shield, Flash Dash, and Electrocution—up to Rank F, aligning them with his new status.
By the time the upgrades were done, the day was nearly gone. Fortunately, the auction was scheduled for the evening.
Borrowing a sleek suit from Zairgid, Damen followed him into the grand auction hall, ready for whatever came next.
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