[Paris, 11th Arrondissent - Run-down Apartnt]
In a run-down apartnt far from the Louvre, the flickering light of a CRT television cast long shadows.
Jasper stretched out on the stained sofa, stifling a yawn.
His eting with Morwen still rattled him - the man's cold intensity and unpredictable nature were unsettling.
"Rember, Jasper,"
Morwen's voice echoed in his mind,
"During this attack, the worst that could happen is the interference of Visionary Syndicate. If it cos to it, save yourself. Leave the experint to their attacks and get out."
Morwen's chilling tone sent a shiver down Jasper's spine.
"—Another thing, Jasper. You must break the stone's emitters. If you don't, you'll absorb all the negative mana. Might not be bad for you, but it won't do us any good if you can't control it."
Jasper felt strangely reassured by the harsh instructions.
Morwen had been far more... lenient when he'd broken him out of the maximum security prison.
Still, there was the threat – the unspoken promise that Morwen would kill Jasper if Cyran failed to utilize his demon-like powers.
He yawned again, the events of the day catching up with him...
The Negative Mana Stone.
A priceless artifact, useless to modern technology, but highly sought after by scientists for its unique properties.
Despite the magical emitters protecting it, Jasper was confident in his mission.
With another yawn, Jasper clicked on the news channel, searching for sothing more interesting to watch.
Click!...
___________
International News Report Channel...
___________
"— Hello everyone! it's your news reporter Jane. I'm here to report that there's been a breakthrough in one of the most prolific businesses in the dical field!"
Jasper perked up, a spark of interest igniting in his eyes.
The reporter, a woman with a bright smile and overly enthusiastic tone, gestured towards a gleaming building.
"— Today we're here at Genetic Alchemy Solutions! Owned by one of the best scientists and doctors in the world, Liana Garcia!"
The cara panned, following the reporter and her caraman as they walked into a sleek, modern lab.
A woman stood at the center, The newscaster, usually so composed, stamred in Liana Garcia's presence.
Her beauty was striking, her long, flowing brown hair braided and adorned with delicate silver pins.
Her erald green eyes, frad by long lashes, sparkled with intelligence and warmth.
Her lab coat, impeccably white, couldn't hide the elegance of her figure.
Even the caraman seed to be struggling to keep his focus on the task at hand.
"— u-u-u-uh... Hi there... Li- I ant Mrs. Garcia! We're here to show the world your latest breakthrough!"
Liana Garcia smiled, her composure a stark contrast to the reporter's flustered enthusiasm. "Thank you for having , Jane. It's a pleasure to be here."
Her voice was clear and confident, a scientist accustod to the spotlight.
—"Our team at Genetic Alchemy Solutions is proud to unveil our most groundbreaking creation yet: a mana potion capable of not only restoring 20% of a user's mana reserves but also accelerating the healing of external injuries without the usual side effects of burns or scarring."
The newscaster, regaining so of her composure, bead.
— "This is amazing, Mrs. Garcia! A revolutionary step in combining cutting-edge technology with the wonders of magic!"
Click!...
Jasper clicked off the news, his fingers idly stroking his chin as he considered the implications of Liana Garcia's breakthrough.
"Ah, Liana..."
A sly smile spread across his face.
"She has a daughter, right?" The thought remained, then snapped as he realised.
"Camila Garcia..." Jasper savoured the na, his smile widening.
"The pride of young mages... and soon to be a disciple of the greatest magician in the world."
***
{Rel's POV}
[Paris, Hôtel Plaza Athénée - Top floor - Room: 2#]
[Sunday, 8:49 AM]
RING!!!!!...RING!!!!...RING!!!!...
The incessant beeping of my alarm clawed its way into my sleep-fogged brain.
I groaned, reaching blindly towards the nightstand...
Thunk!
My watch slipped from my grasp and clattered to the floor.
"Damn it..."
Dragging myself out of the ridiculously comfortable bed, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, retrieving the stupid device.
"What ti is it–"
My words died, as I saw the notification light blinking like an obsessive ex-girlfriend.
There were a lot of overdue ssages... and when I say a lot, I really an it.
_____________
[Do not disturb has been turned off!]
_____________
[You have a total of 10 missed calls!]
[J.Ates (8)] [ssage: Wake up!]
[Lan.Villerion (2)] < 7:55 AM> [ssage: Camila is waiting...]
_____________
[You have (1) ssage from the following app: Whats App]
[⋆｡°✩ Histories Breakfast Club GC ⋆｡°✩]
[Lan.Villerion] Sup HBC! Today we'll be eting at Place du Trocadéro, where we'll have breakfast at Carette!!! If you need rides arranged please just let know beforehand and I'll reserve you a ride there. For everyone else reading this et at 8 AM! Not on the dot of course, but 10 or 15 minutes after that ti should be okay. since we have a reservation there.
haah... so I'm late?
Shit, I shouldn't have ssed with upgrading my stats on that walk last night.
But hey, I got so good stuff out of it... even if I gambled all my luck away.
"Base Stats..." I mumbled, checking for the damage.
FWANG!
____________
{Axel Saint Rel Laurence BASE Stats}
>Health: 106.5 >>> No Upgrade
>Strength: 94 >>> 100 Strength (6.00 ) (4500 BP-)
>Stamina: 74.5 >>> No Upgrade
>Speed: 73 >>> No Upgrade
____________
[New Ability Modifier Complete...]
FWANG
[Passive Ability: Hidden Strength [Grade 4] This passive only activates when Rel faces an opponent whose Strength stat is at least 35 points higher than his own. (Requirent 100 Strength.)]
[Effect: Rel's attacks against this qualifying opponent gain a significant boost. Dealing 125% damage. Each successful strike deals 2.25x its normal amount of damage.]
The system had recomnded this ability for a 20,000 BP discount for 'compensation'.
Lucky for , it was on my editor's wishlist.
At least one thing went right, especially since I didn't get any of those other abilities I had in mind.
But I guess this will do. I could finally figure out if a demi-human is classified as a human or a monster within the system.
With that sorted, I quickly threw on a black sweater and grey pants for this morning's weather.
Then, I double-checked under the bed – didn't want to grab the wrong bag.
Luckily, the black tote was the only one there...
"Few," I muttered.
Good. Everything I needed was packed and ready to go.
Checking outside of the hotel room I found myself on the main street of Avenue Montaigne.
Which was a sea of honking cars and impatient pedestrians.
Even though I was late... could I make it in ten minutes?
I checked my watch, hoping for a better route on the GPS, but ti wasn't on my side today.
Every route to the cafe showed an estimated ti of half an hour. Damn.
***
[Paris, Place du Trocadéro - Carrette]
The entire group of Histories Breakfast Club was here.
Well... almost here.
Everyone was waiting for that one person, who was almost late for their trip and now late to their first-ever club activity.
"Seriously, who does he think he is?"
Louise slamd a fist on the cafe table, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
"If I have to wait another fifteen minutes for so lazy nerd, I'll..."
His eyes narrowed nacingly. "...I'll kill him!"
BANG!
Another slamd fist hit the table, drawing stares from the surrounding cafe patrons.
"L-Louise! Calm down, we don't want another broken table!"
Lan rushed to his side, attempting to diffuse the noble's temper.
"Let go, Lan!" Louise struggled against his cousin's surprisingly strong grip.
"No! You promised no trouble on this trip. Rember what happened at the training facility when they didn't have your cloud-saved avatar? You almost burnt the whole place down!"
As the two wrestled, the other mbers watched Louise's fla, slowly be extinguished by their senior.
"Sucks to be him huh?"
Camila sighed, glancing at the empty seat beside Jan.
"I thought you guys woke him up?"
"We did..." Jan laughed nervously. "But when we checked on Rel at seven, he slept like an ill pharaoh!"
A few heads turned at the ntion of Rel's na—Valencia, Jae Yoona, and Alice.
Their reasons for being interested in him might be different, but they all listened with attention.
"So," Camila's eyes sparkled mischievously, "wanna bet on when he finally shows up?"
The mbers at the table suddenly paid attention to her words, and the commotion turned into a spontaneous gambling session.
slap!
"30 minutes on the dot!"
Bazz declared, slapping 50 Euros onto the centre of the table.
"Nothing more, nothing less!"
Lyra smirked at Bazz's eagerness.
"Heh... soone's been practising their gambling skills."
But Jan's eyes, a brilliant blue, glowed with a knowing light.
He had a secret, a vision of the unexpected.
A voice, breathless and apologetic, cut through the escalating excitent.
"Sorry—I'm late..."
"...!"
________
Authors Notes:
- The price for Rel's ability Hidden Strength originally cost: 25,000 PPP
- Everyone apart from Jan and Valencia were about to bet on Rel's arrival.
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