"We’re friends, right? Trust when I say this, following your seniors out of here is the best choice you’ve got."
Riven heard this and knew he was fucked.
If he followed these goons outside, things would never go well for him, so he turned to Licht with a pleading look in his eyes.
But Licht... didn’t move.
He simply returned Riven’s gaze with calm indifference, like a stranger watching a beggar on the street.
’He’s not my responsibility.’
So may call it cruel, but they had only just t.
Licht wasn’t his friend, nor was he his protector. He wasn’t going to start playing bodyguard to so wide-eyed kid just because he was a fan who happened to speak kindly in a library.
Besides, even if Licht did step in... would it change anything?
This was the Nexus Slayer Academy.
Fighting and even competition weren’t punishable offences here. Not really.
Principal Greyfax would prevent soone from using their family background to oppress weaker cadets. But if soone used strength to dominate another?
That was just the natural order.
This place wasn’t ant to raise well-adjusted children.
It existed to forge monsters.
They wanted soldiers capable of surviving the cruellest battlefields and facing the deadliest of demons. If a cadet couldn’t survive this Academy, then they had no business being a Slayer at all.
Licht was fine watching, but if there’d been a quest notification or so kind of ergency mission that offered enlightennt points or bonuses for saving Riven, he might’ve still intervened.
But there was nothing.
No popup or prompt.
Licht stood there for several monts, waiting... but the system still remained silent.
Charlotte could be in danger, and the ga would throw an ergency mission at him in seconds because she was a heroine, Soone who mattered to the story.
But Riven?
There Nothing.
No quest. No mission. No significance.
He was just a background character.
Understanding things a little better, Licht just sighed
This world really did treat people differently.
’It’s better I forget him. I’ve got too much to do to waste ti playing hero.’
The system had already told him not to play the protagonist.
He was a villain focused only on his own survival
And Riven... would have to find out how to survive on his own.
.....
A short while later...
Down a narrow alley tucked behind the crooked backside of the Academy’s library, shadows clung to the walls like gri. The buildings lood high above, their jagged angles making the space feel suffocating.
Riven’s scrawny and red-haired figure followed along reluctantly.
Each step he took grew softer, but every ti he slowed down, on of the three taller cadets would nudge him on the shoulder to herd him deeper in.
Every instinct told him to turn back.
But when he did, he found his escape already cut off.
Two of the cadets had stopped at the alley’s mouth, blocking it completely. Broad shoulders. Crossed arms. Expressions that made it clear he wasn’t going anywhere.
The third cadet, the only one riven actually recognised, finally turned around.
Before Riven could say a word, a heavy arm dropped over his shoulders like a shackle.
"Thane... It’s good seeing you here," Riven said, forcing a shaky smile. "We haven’t really talked since we graduated from our old school, huh? Hehe... how’s it going?"
Thane’s eyes didn’t match the grin on his face. His tight and performative smile was gone in an instant, replaced only by a cold, unreadable stare.
"Co on, Riven," he said flatly. "Don’t play dumb in front of the seniors now, yeah?"
Riven’s stomach sank.
"I’ll make it simple," Thane said, his grip tightening like a steel vice. "Hand over your training resources. We need the full amount this week, but after that, just half. Sound fair?"
Riven’s voice ca out quiet, but firm. "Thane... you know I can’t do that."
As Riven said this, the friendly arm around his shoulders suddenly locked down, as sharp and imdiate pain shot through his collarbone. It was so bad that Riven could swear he heard sothing creak.
Thane leaned in, his breath brushing Riven’s ear. "This isn’t a request, Riven"
At that mont, Thane’s mask dropped completely. His voice was stripped of any polite pretence, leaving only a cold bite
"You’re not a fighter. We both know that. Honestly..." Thane’s eyes narrowed. "I’ve got no idea how soone like you even got into this academy."
Riven didn’t respond.
Riven didn’t answer. That was because every word Thane said stung with so truth.
Cadet Rank: 957.
This was Riven’s position
Out of nearly a thousand first-year cadets, he was barely clinging to the bottom. His combat ability was virtually nonexistent. He hadn’t made it into Nexus Academy on strength, talent, or lineage.
The only reason he had gotten into the prestigious Nexus Slayer Academy was his theoretical excellence, he got into the top 3% in written exams, tactical simulations, and strategic logistics.
That, and the sponsorship program.
Without it, he never would’ve had a shot.
Riven ca from an orphanage on a rundown estate on the crumbling edge of the city.
It was a barely surviving place where cracked windows let in more rain than sunlight.
That was still his ho, and although he had left the orphanage, he still went back all the ti. The kids there weren’t just friends. They were his family.
His acceptance into the Academy had changed everything. It ant the kids could get governnt stipends along with dical treatnt and actual food on the table.
But it all ca with a condition.
Riven had to maintain an adequate combat ranking and graduate the academy, or it all stops.
If his scores dropped, he might get expelled, and then his sponsorship would end.
It would be fine for him, but those kids, they would be left with nothing.
He couldn’t let that happen.
Thane’s voice grew softer now.
"It’s for the kids, right?"
"You want to keep helping them? Then just give up the resources and take the hit. As long as you remain unhard, you’ll still be able to recover and keep up with the academy ranking.
Hearing this Riven’s fists clenched at his sides.
"No," he said.
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