The next morning.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Sweat rolled down Raven’s forehead, gravity-defying as it was, considering he was upside down.
His arms trembled, shoulders screaming with each push-up.
On the floor, a curious squirrel watched him like he was performing so ancient ritual—likely because, to squirrels, push-ups were weird human mating dances.
"Yo, bro," ca a familiar voice with a dash of street-savvy grit from the pulsing sword tattoo on his right arm. "You really gon’ do push-ups like this when duel’s brewin’ and a squirrel is plottin’?"
"That’s rich coming from a sword," Raven grunted mid-rep. "Also, there is no duel. Yet. And the squirrels are allies now."
Omnisect chuckled, his voice smooth as jazz but with the kind of energy that said he’d once led a sword-fighting dojo inside a pizza shop.
"I ain’t judging, man. Just saying—maybe keep that core strength for the demon people instead of the plank position of despair."
"Noted."
He flipped off the handstand like a gymnast with trauma and landed in a crouch.
His gaze turned to the ceiling as he remained silent.
"What’s got you all quiet and brooding, man?" Omni asked, and Raven’s reply ca with a pause.
"I feel like sothing is going on in this academy."
"This ’bout the duel delay, huh? That what’s got you sittin’ here lookin’ like thunder in a bottle, right?" Omni humd curiously, making Raven nod, now frowning.
"It’s suspicious," he muttered, leaning forward, now staring at the ground. "It was an event that everyone in the academy was inford about, so why did they delay it? What’s worse is that the academy is restricting the information."
Yes, like Raven said, the duel that was supposed to happen today was delayed.
Selena had inford him about it yesterday evening as soon as she got the news.
It was said that there was an attack on the other party, and they needed a day to recover.
But Raven felt like there was sothing more.
Omni, however, didn’t share the sa thoughts.
"Could be true, though. But real talk—even if the duel’s on pause, the outco ain’t changin’, right? You’re gonna win. That’s locked in, no debate."
Hearing Omni, Raven wanted to protest, but before he could—
Ding!
[Windy_Wishbone: 1 ssage]
A ssage notification from Windy arrived, and Raven’s heart thumped. "Oh, finally."
It had almost been a day since Raven had confird his deal with Windy, so he was expecting her response.
But still, looking at it made him feel butterflies in his stomach, wondering what things she had brought.
Omni peeked over—sohow.
"Wait, hold up. Is that the system? The one you keep thinking ’bout?"
"...You can see that?"
"I’m your blood-bound homie, man. You thinking, I’m seeing. Privacy died the mont you accepted like a romantic sword proposal."
"...Weirdly accurate."
Still sweaty, Raven wiped his face with a towel and clicked open the ssage.
The mont he saw the ssages, Raven grinned. "She actually pulled it off."
Omni whistled, looking through the chats, or at least reading them through Raven’s mind. "Windy’s got the divine hookup, huh?"
"She’s the real MVP."
Windy, equally excited about the trade and being able to help a friend, replied without delay.
A list popped up, and Raven’s eyes sparkled like a kleptomaniac in a jewelry store.
...............................
Resonant Core Fruit.
A fruit grown on the World Tree of Echoes. When eaten, it grants control over vibration, including sonic tremors, resonance bursts, and seismic shockwaves.
Sound is just organized vibration—so you do the math.
Bonus: The user can hear any sound with any frequency.
Mortal-only use: The Divine Council decided it was too dangerous to let the gods, who have powerful bodies, use it.
Inheritance of the Hollow Veil.
The fragnted inheritance of an Ancient God of Darkness.
It grants the user passive absorption of light and eventual access to the Abyssal Domain.
Conditions: The user must start as a true mortal. Divinity disqualifies the user.
Bonus: Cos with the god’s mories of the power usage. WARNING: It is the power of an evil god. So, beware.
Wildheart Symbiote (Beast-Class).
A living symbiotic descended from a divine beast that bonds permanently with a wild-natured individual.
It enhances physical and magical strength and evolves with the user.
It cannot be permanently transferred. It will self-destruct if forcefully removed.
Bonus: Eats enemies sotis for fun.
Magnetide Core Implant.
Allows the user to generate and manipulate magnetic fields.
It can help the user control tals, deflect weapons, manipulate armor, and many other things.
Bonus: Can crash iron-based tech and create magnetic blades.
Mortal-only use: The Divine Council decided it was too dangerous to let the gods, who have powerful bodies, use it.
Aegis-X NanoCore.
An evolvable nanotech armor, created by a divine blacksmith "for fun."
It adapts to the user’s fighting style and enhances every stat: strength, agility, mana flow, stamina, reflexes, and even charm (probably).
It is bond-based and will grow with the user over ti.
Peak of mortal-tier gear that may cause enemies to weep in frustration.
...............................
Raven sat there slack-jawed.
For a while, he said nothing.
Then, finally, after realizing that it wasn’t a dream, he breathed. "I—okay. This is way more than I expected."
Omnisect whistled again. "Yo. That symbiote thing... is that the one that eats you if you break up with it?"
Raven smirked. "Basically."
But as he looked through the items again, he frowned. "Damn, why do so of them look like Marvel arrangents?"
"What’s that?" Omni asked, curious.
Raven, however, waved his hand. "Nothing. Forget it."
Then, his focus returned to Windy.
The reply ca slower this ti.
>>
Raven’s brain blue-screened.
"EXCUSE ?!" He coughed, nearly falling off the bed. "Is that a real number or did my system glitch and combine my grocery list with my life debt?!"
Even Omnisect recoiled.
"Daaaaaaamn, bro. That’s six-digit pain right there. I an, the divinity I burned through yesterday? That was barely five digits. You really out here setting new records in misery."
Yes, Raven had 100,000 plot points, and he had expected the cost of the items to be around 200,000 since the maximum price for any mortal-tier weapon was 50,000.
So, what was happening right now?!
He was prepared to sell one of the divine artifacts Crisaius had given, but still, how did the price reach 300,000?!
His reaction was called for, and Windy understood that, so she explained with patience.
Raven lay on the bed, dead inside, before he finally decided what he would do.
"I’m going to sell Grandpa_Hot_Pot’s crusty napkin..."
Omnisect snorted. "Yo, you ain’t forget we talkin’ ’bout the strongest god here, right? Like, top-of-the-food-chain kinda strong."
"...how can you ask that when you literally read that from my thoughts?"
A pause.
"...Still, all of this is worth it," Raven muttered. "These items? They’ll change everything."
He stared at the system screen, determination flickering in his eyes.
These weren’t just items. These were power-ups for his people.
Friends. Allies. Idiots with potential.
Raven sat up, shoulders tense with resolve.
He was broke, yes.
But now?
Now, he was dangerously broke with purpose.
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