Infinite Awakening: 10,000x EXP Converter!

"I know."

"And your Domain will drain all your energy. One use and you are out of Essence. If the Duke survives or if his guards protect him, you will have to fight a Level 45 monster with no energy left."

"I know, Serah."

She stared at him, angry and worried.

"Then bring help," she said. "Tobias. Helen Croft. Anyone."

"Tobias only has one arm. Helen only has one ear and a drinking problem." Alvian’s voice was plain. "This is my fight. The Duke sent the Bloodhounds after me. I will not put anyone else in danger."

Serah stood up and walked around the table to face him.

"Then let me finish fixing your energy channels before you go. We have four sessions left. You need three times more energy flow. Without it, your Domain drains too fast and you won’t survive."

"How long will it take?"

"Four sessions. One each day. It will hurt, but you can handle it." She held up her crystal scalpel. "I can do the first one tonight."

Alvian thought about it. Four days of prep. Four days of pain. Four days of weakness while his body was upgraded. But his Domain would become much stronger. His energy flow would triple, reducing the drain by seventy percent. At Essence 33, it would act like Essence 50. That meant five seconds of full-power Domain, or thirty-three seconds of small, close-range Domain.

Against a Level 45 Duke, every second mattered.

"Start tonight," he said.

Serah nodded. She turned away to prepare her tools, but Alvian saw her hands trembling.

He left the lab and walked back to the Undercity. The Fate’s Loaded Dice waited quietly in his inventory.

[DING!]

[Strategic planning detected.]

[Fate’s Loaded Dice: Armed and waiting.]

[Recommendation: Do not waste this on a beetle, Host.]

[The System has faith in you. A little. Okay, mostly morbid curiosity.]

Alvian closed the menu. Tomorrow he would start the training sessions. In four days, his energy pathways would be upgraded. In four days, he could use his Domain safely in battle.

And then he would attack the Magnus Estate with a loaded die and eight days of bad luck, ready to bet it all on one giant fight.

He went back down to his home in the Undercity. Martha’s steady breathing. Leo’s drawings. The quiet life he wanted to protect.

—

Morning light shone through the cracked ceiling of the Undercity apartment. Alvian stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders to stop the stiffness from sleeping on the thin bed. His body felt good. VIT 68 made everything feel good. The bruises from yesterday’s dungeon run in the Warrens were gone. His Essence was back to max at 33. The Fate’s Loaded Dice sat in his inventory.

Today was the day. The raid on the Magnus Estate. Eight days of farming KP while blindfolded. Eight days of getting beaten by Rank 3 monsters just to collect bad luck. All of it led to this morning.

He stood up and checked on Martha. Her breathing was steady. The grey spots on her fingers were softer than before. The VIT potion was working. Leo was already awake.

"Breakfast?" Alvian asked.

Leo nodded without looking up.

Alvian walked to the small kitchen area. Three credits worth of protein bars and recycled water. Not much, but enough. The money from his monthly stipend would help soon. Two hundred credits every month meant real food, real medicine, and a real chance.

He reached for the water filter, but blue light suddenly filled the apartment.

The hologram appeared without warning. No knock on the door. No chime from a message crystal. Just a bright blue light filling the small room. The image was a bit blurry at the edges, but clear enough to see everything.

Duke Gaius Magnus stood in the middle of the picture. He was a heavy man with short hair and a mean face. His armor was dark red with the Magnus family crest on the chest. Heat shimmered around him. His A-Rank Magma Behemoth Talent was active even in the recording. He gave off power like a hot stove gives off heat.

Behind the Duke, two people knelt on a stone floor.

Tobias Finch was unconscious. His head hung down, and dry blood covered the left side of his face. His metal arm was gone. It was not taken off cleanly; it was ripped away. The shoulder stump was a bloody mess wrapped in a dirty cloth.

Serah Garrick was awake. Her hands were tied behind her back with glowing blue cuffs. They were Essence-dampening cuffs that stopped her magic. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set tight. She bit her lip hard enough to bleed, but she did not make a sound.

Leo dropped his charcoal. Martha moved in her sleep but did not wake up.

"Alvian Vance," the Duke said. His voice was deep and loud. "You embarrassed my family. You destroyed my mercenary group. You think you are strong because of a trick—a little acid that eats metal."

The Duke stepped closer to the recording crystal. His face filled the image. The heat from his Talent made the picture shake.

"But tricks cannot save the people you care about."

He pulled out a knife. It had a curved, jagged blade glowing orange with magma power. He held it against Serah’s throat. She did not move. Her eyes looked straight ahead.

"You have twenty-four hours. Give yourself up at the Magnus Estate. Kneel down. Publicly give up your Tournament victory and apologize to my son. If you do this, I will let your friends live."

He pushed the knife closer. A thin line of blood showed on Serah’s neck.

"If you do not come..." The Duke smiled a mean smile. "I will start sending you pieces of them."

The hologram vanished.

The apartment was quiet.

Alvian stood in the kitchen. His hand was still reaching for the water filter. His body did not move. His face showed no emotion.

Inside his mind, something snapped.

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