Katie's offer had already sold me, but I was scared of hearing the terms. Even if their organization valued me greatly, I doubt it would all be free.
"I didn't expect the Specialized Ranker's Agency to be so cheap." Before Katie could go on, Jasmine took a jab at Katie's offer. While it was rude, I couldn't help but like it. From what Jasmine was implying, she would make a more extensive offer. Jasmine here was looking prettier by the minute. "800M Yearly, with a personal trainer within the top 100 in Combat Power. You will have priority with your request, and we will give you an artifact that will allow you to revive." Holy shit! If there was a treasure that could give me an extra life. Then that would be worth a lot more than my pay. Katie was there, stunned by how much Jasmine had offered me. Unsure whether to give a better offer. It was understandable. She probably needs permission from the higher ups if she wants to offer more. In the end, Katie sighed, knowing her offer would be rejected. Resigning to giving up, she left the room depressed. "So, how about it?" Jasmine sat there, happy to see all her competition gone. I was already satisfied with what I was given. "What do you expect from me by giving me that much?" There was no way I was getting everything for free. With how much Jasmine had whipped out. The expectation for me was higher. "Starting with an EX ability is no ordinary feat." It wasn't hard for someone to figure out my ability ranking was at the EX level. There were probably fewer than five people in this world to have one. For me to step into third place in ability meant my ability was strong. While my ability was strong, I was still an average person. I could die from anything if I weren't too careful. "First off, we need to know what your abilities are?" I had contemplated whether I should tell her or not. After all, these people are going to be holding my life. "Is it possible for you to keep it a secret? My ability is undetectable, so I prefer it to be kept a secret." "I would have to call my management for it." "Then please do so." The fewer people that know my power, the better. I would choose the option to keep my power a secret. A few minutes later, Jasmine, who was on the phone, came back. "My boss will talk to you personally." "Are we going now?" "We will be there in just a moment, don't worry. It would only take a few seconds to arrive." Did I mishear what she said? Only a few seconds? Suddenly Jasmine held a blue card and had us warped somewhere outside of a building. I was amazed that we had teleported so suddenly. This place was unlike what I had seen before. "Follow me." Everything here looked digital. Outside had a green wall that disclosed this space. It was impossible to leave the perimeter. Following Jasmine. The guard had let her in without even needing her identity. She must be well known if that was the case. Inside the place was a room full of white spaces, the workers here were all wearing black uniforms with a logo on them. This wasn't something where you would typically see in your everyday life. After walking inside for ten minutes, we arrived at Jasmine's boss's office. "Boss! I'm back!" Jasmine shouted at the door loudly. Was Jasmine allowed to do that? Seeing how she was used to it probably meant that it was okay. The door had opened right when Jasmine called. Inside, this place was much different than any other place I had seen. Unlike the white walls, everything here was nicely decorated. But the room looked a bit childish. The walls were pink, and many cute dolls could be seen in the room. But seeing this was an office, I looked at the woman sitting on her desk watching something while laughing. Jasmine beside me couldn't help but sigh. "Boss, I brought in the person you wanted to meet." Jasmine's boss, who was sitting down, looked at me. Unlike Jasmine, who has the right curves, she is petite. Her blond hair, tied in a twin tail, and golden colored eyes made her look like a cute child. But seeing that she was Jasmine's boss made me take this seriously. "Kyle Palmer, you certainly are an interesting one." The blond little girl grinned wildly while observing me. She had her hands on her chin and kept on rubbing it. "First off, please tell me your ability." "Would it be possible only to be kept in this room?" "I have the authority to keep the secrets of my underling." I can't tell whether or not the little girl was telling the truth. It may be stupid of me to tell, but keeping it a secret would also hurt the relationship between the boss and the worker. "If you're worried, I don't mind signing a geass." Then that was fine. As long as she wasn't someone that would harm me, there was no harm in me telling. I then looked at Jasmine while she offered me the deal. I met her twenty minutes ago. No sane person could instantly trust someone entirely within twenty minutes. "Are you afraid of my subordinate leaking your information? She could leave or sign a geass. Jasmine here will be managing you the moment you start working." "If she is curious enough, I don't mind her signing a geass." With that said, Jasmine was curious to know what my ability was. The both of them then signed the geass, with a heavy punishment once broken. "Now, the only thing left is for you to tell us your ability." "My ability is called Target Of Misfortune. It allows me to inflict misfortune upon a person I cast on." It had taken me a while to speak, but in the end, I did. I said what I needed to. Now, I just hoped this wouldn't bite me in the back.Latest Chapter
Chapter 15
The academy felt different after our meeting with Drayke.Not louder or more crowded just watched. Security drones hovered at the edges of corridors now, and even the air seemed to hum with surveillance.I tried to pretend I was just another student again, but the system had other plans.Zero progress. The kind of reminder that never stopped blinking in the corner of my vision.Kira joined me in the library that morning, pretending to study a stack of tactical manuals. She spoke without looking up. “Any new signals?”“Nothing concrete,” I said, flipping a page I hadn’t read. “But there’s static in the ranking database profiles flickering in and out. It’s like the system can’t decide if certain students exist.”“That sounds like a good place to start.” She leaned closer. “Names?”I hesitated, lowering my voice. “Three, so far: Rylan Korr, Aria Vale, and Mira.”Kira frowned. “Your healer friend?”“She’s not my friend,” I said automatically. “Just… connected.”“You think the fragments ar
Chapter 14
Morning light filtered through the dorm window, too calm for what was sitting under my skin. The hum from the fragment still pulsed faintly through my mark, a heartbeat that wasn’t mine.Kira hadn’t said much since we escaped the tunnels. She sat at my desk now, replaying the corrupted video over and over again. Every frame showed the same thing Halden, the flash, the empty pod.“We can’t go to Drayke,” she said finally. “He’ll twist it, erase it, or worse.”“I know.” I rubbed my temples. “But the system wants a report. If we ignore it, we’ll trigger a compliance flag.”“Eight hours.” I sighed. “Enough time to find proof before we hand him a version he can’t rewrite.”Kira raised an eyebrow. “You plan to out hack the Headmaster?”“Not hack,” I said. “Borrow.”We started in the data wing, where the academy stored all mission logs. The room was a maze of crystal servers and silent drones gliding along the ceiling. Access required triple clearance; luckily, my new Unranked Division sta
Chapter 14
Sleep didn’t come easily that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the blue light of those containment pods and heard the hum of the fragments steady, patient, alive.By morning, the academy’s corridors felt too bright. Too quiet. Every student I passed seemed normal, but after what I’d seen underground, “normal” didn’t mean much.“Yeah, I’ll add that to my to do list,” I muttered.At the cafeteria, Leo waved me over. He’d already devoured half his breakfast. “You look like you wrestled a golem.”“Close,” I said, sitting. “Ever hear of the Unranked being sent into restricted zones?”He blinked. “Restricted zones? Those are off limits even for B class. Why?”“Just curious.”Leo frowned. “Curious gets people expelled or worse.”I didn’t answer. My wrist band pinged again.> “You’re not the only one who’s been below. Meet in the E 13 training room after curfew.”I looked up, scanning the room. No one was watching. The message vanished after three seconds.Curfew hit at twe
Chapter 12
The morning after my meeting with Drayke, the academy’s bells sounded different.Slower. Heavier. Like the building itself was thinking.I woke to the faint hum of the wrist band and a new message blinking across the display.“Unranked?” I said aloud. “That’s not even on the course list.”Leo, half asleep on the other bed, groaned. “You get reassigned again? What did you do this time?”“Apparently I impressed the wrong people,” I muttered, already pulling on my jacket.Block E 13 sat on the edge of the campus half buried in the cliffside where maintenance tunnels and old laboratories connected. The air grew colder the farther I walked. When I finally reached the door, it didn’t even have the academy crest just a rusted plate that read Authorized Personnel Only.I swiped my ID. The lock clicked, the door slid open, and a blast of recycled air hit me.Inside were about a dozen students. No uniforms matched; ranks either didn’t display or flickered with broken signals. They all l
Chapter 11
The following morning, I’d barely made it halfway through breakfast before my wrist band lit up.So the Headmaster wanted a chat. Never a good sign when the most powerful man in the academy calls you before class.Leo nearly choked on his food. “The Headmaster? What did you do this time?”“Apparently I existed,” I said, finishing my coffee. “Wish me luck or don’t.”He gave me a look halfway between awe and sympathy. “Just don’t make him angry. People who do usually disappear.”“Encouraging,” I muttered, grabbing my jacket.The elevator up the Central Spire was glass on all sides. The city stretched below like a model: training grounds, dorm blocks, defensive turrets disguised as statues. From up here, the academy looked peaceful like a lie carved out of steel.The doors opened into a wide corridor of black marble. Two sentries in ceremonial armor stood guard outside Drayke’s office. Their ranks flashed in the hundreds. Top tier.One of them scanned my ID band, then nodded. “Enter. T
Chapter 10
The next morning the academy looked different.Maybe it was the way the sunlight caught the tower windows, or maybe it was me. People stepped aside when I walked through the courtyard. Some nodded with forced politeness; others stared like they’d seen a ghost.Word travelled faster than the drones.“Figures,” I muttered. “Barely one day and I’m already a conspiracy theory.”At breakfast, Leo waved me over to an empty table. He looked both impressed and terrified.“Half the school thinks you destroyed the evaluation drones by looking at them,” he whispered.“They’re exaggerating,” I said, stabbing a piece of toast. “I only looked at one.”He blinked. “You’re joking, right?”“Probably.”Across the hall, groups of students whispered. I caught fragments: ‘Linsey’s new weapon’ ‘he cursed the Council’ ‘that’s how he got promoted.’Let them talk. Fear was useful.A shadow fell across our table. I glanced up. Three upper division students stood there, badges gleaming gold. The one in front,
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