Chapter 92
Benefits (3)
"So is that possible?" IAM asked again, his voice low but firm.
Thor blinked a few times, like he was trying to reboot himself, and finally responded, albeit with a touch of uncertainty. "Of course it's possible… It's just… well… it's going to be extremely expensive." He scratched his cheek, a slow breath escaping his lips. "Fixing it is no problem. That mech of yours might be in pieces, but I can have it restored no issue. But upgrading it into an adaptive mech? One that evolves and grows stronger alongside you?
Thor leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing thoughtfully before nodding. "Of course it's possible," he said. "It's just… it's going to be extremely expensive."
He let the word settle for a moment, like a slow drip from a cracked ceiling echoing in a quiet room.
Thor continued. "That's not just a step up, IAM. That's a whole different world. You're talking about a high-level, personal weapon that grows with your path. That's deep-pocket kind of stuff."
IAM didn't flinch. He had been expecting that. Raj had told him long ago, back even before the gun was first introduced to him, that transforming a mech into something more would never come cheap. But IAM had always accepted that.
What he hadn't expected, however, was how Thor would react to what he said next.
"I also want to join Hope Academy."
Thor blinked.
The room fell silent.
Thor stared at him, the words hanging in the air like smoke. The surprise on his face was almost comical—lips parted slightly, brows furrowed, like he was unsure whether he'd misheard or if IAM was genuinely serious.
"…I heard," IAM continued when the silence stretched too long, "that it's the best place for an ascender to grow. High-level training, top instructors, better access to resources. It's where the strongest go to get even stronger."
There was a pause—a long, stunned silence—where Thor just sat there, his mouth slightly open, staring at IAM like he'd just declared he wanted to become a god by next week. He blinked again, slower this time.
IAM narrowed his eyes just slightly. "What?"
Thor cleared his throat, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I don't really know how to say this..." He looked around, as if the air itself might provide an answer. "but… you know… I mean, in the state you're in right now… uh… mm…"
He looked away.
"…The weather's great, right?"
Silence.
IAM said nothing, just stared, expression flat. Thor sighed.
"Alright, alright." He took a deep breath. "Listen, the actual request—to get you into the academy—it isn't impossible. If this were a normal situation, I'd just say yes and that would be that. Buuuut…"
IAM raised a brow, already unimpressed.
"There's a very tiny… little… small… problem," Thor added sheepishly.
IAM's tone was dry. "What."
Thor hesitated before finally saying it. "They… uh… they only let in people who are extremely talented."
There it was.
And the silence that followed made that statement hit even harder.
Thor, as if desperate to fill the void, hurried to continue.
"I mean really talented. Like, geniuses. The best of the best. The cream of the crop. You know, freakishly good." He winced as he spoke, visibly uncomfortable. "And I hate to say it—really, I do—but based on your mission logs and your past assessments,you're not bad, IAM. Not at all. You've got heart. But you're just a bit… below average. You're slow. Took you over a month to form an Avien."
He paused.
"That tells me that you might not have the mental strength to take on the brutal trials of Hope Academy. And I don't say this to be cruel, but I don't think you could pass the tests. Any of them. I see no scenario where you pa—"
"Okay. Stop." IAM cut in, before Thor really cooked his ass. "What are the requirements to join the academy? Normally."
Thor blinked. "Well… anyone can take the trials for a small price. One silver coin. It's how they prevent discrimination—anyone from anywhere can take part, so long as they're willing to be judged purely on their talent. Every year, millions flock to the academy for a chance."
IAM fell quiet, thinking.
He then asked, "How soon are the next trials?"
"One month from now."
IAM nodded. "That's pretty close."
"Yes. And if you pass, they give you a week to get your things together, then you start right away. But wait—don't tell me you're going to try anyway."
"Of course not." A smile slowly spread across IAM's face, strange and unnerving in its confidence. "I'm going to pay my way in."
"…What?"
"To be honest," IAM said, leaning back slightly, "I don't feel much of an attachment to this much money. So why not use it for something useful? Sure, they might prefer talent—but 100 gold coins speaks pretty loudly, don't you think?"
Thor's mouth opened. Then closed.
IAM continued, "That's 100 gold compared to the 1 silver they get from others. Add in the fact that it's a heartfelt request from the sole survivor of the Hold—and with you pushing for it—I'm sure they'll let it slide. Right?"
"That… that…" Thor blinked hard. "Holy shit, that might actually work. That's smart! No, really, that's smart!"
But his expression soon sobered.
"…But IAM… will you be able to handle it?" he asked slowly. "Everyone else will be progressing at such a fast pace. That's the norm in a place like that. You'll be watching yourself fall behind… over and over again. You'll be the weakest person there. That kind of psychological pressure can break people. Are you sure you can handle that kind of torture?"
"No," IAM replied immediately.
Thor stared at him.
"But I'll never progress if I don't try," IAM added.
Thor met his gaze, searching those deep dark eyes for something—anything. But as always, IAM gave nothing away. His thoughts were sealed behind eyes like a still pond, bottomless and impenetrable.
Thor finally nodded. "Okay. I'll put in a good word for you."
"Great."
"…You sure you're going to be okay?" Thor asked, glancing at the suitcase of coins beside him. "Your money will be reduced to 20 gold coins after this."
IAM did a quick calculation in his head. "So… 80 gold coins for the upgraded mech?"
Thor nodded. "Yeah. Not many smiths specialize in hot weapons like your gun, so it's difficult to find someone who can upgrade it properly. And with how rare adaptive mechs are, they'll charge extra. Haven't you noticed? Ascenders have completely wrecked the economy with our endless need for better mechs, advanced gear, custom tools. That's why it jumps from 100 bronze coins to make a single silver… and 500 silver coins just to make a gold."
"I see." IAM exhaled slowly. Regardless of what he had said before… this shit kinda hurt.
"You could just keep the money," Thor offered, half-joking. "Live a very comfortable life. No danger. No enemies. Just peace."
IAM smiled slightly. "Okay. Bye now."
Thor kissed his teeth and stood up. "Tch. Alright. Just don't say I didn't try."
He turned toward the door—but paused at IAM's next words.
"Oh… and can I get a therapist or something?" IAM asked, voice almost too casual. "I'm still kinda fucked."
Thor blinked. "Okay. I'll get yoChapter 92
Benefits (3)
"So is that possible?" IAM asked again, his voice low but firm.
Thor blinked a few times, like he was trying to reboot himself, and finally responded, albeit with a touch of uncertainty. "Of course it's possible… It's just… well… it's going to be extremely expensive." He scratched his cheek, a slow breath escaping his lips. "Fixing it is no problem. That mech of yours might be in pieces, but I can have it restored no issue. But upgrading it into an adaptive mech? One that evolves and grows stronger alongside you?
Thor leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing thoughtfully before nodding. "Of course it's possible," he said. "It's just… it's going to be extremely expensive."
He let the word settle for a moment, like a slow drip from a cracked ceiling echoing in a quiet room.
Thor continued. "That's not just a step up, IAM. That's a whole different world. You're talking about a high-level, personal weapon that grows with your path. That's deep-pocket kind of stuff."
IAM didn't flinch. He had been expecting that. Raj had told him long ago, back even before the gun was first introduced to him, that transforming a mech into something more would never come cheap. But IAM had always accepted that.
What he hadn't expected, however, was how Thor would react to what he said next.
"I also want to join Hope Academy."
Thor blinked.
The room fell silent.
Thor stared at him, the words hanging in the air like smoke. The surprise on his face was almost comical—lips parted slightly, brows furrowed, like he was unsure whether he'd misheard or if IAM was genuinely serious.
"…I heard," IAM continued when the silence stretched too long, "that it's the best place for an ascender to grow. High-level training, top instructors, better access to resources. It's where the strongest go to get even stronger."
There was a pause—a long, stunned silence—where Thor just sat there, his mouth slightly open, staring at IAM like he'd just declared he wanted to become a god by next week. He blinked again, slower this time.
IAM narrowed his eyes just slightly. "What?"
Thor cleared his throat, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I don't really know how to say this..." He looked around, as if the air itself might provide an answer. "but… you know… I mean, in the state you're in right now… uh… mm…"
He looked away.
"…The weather's great, right?"
Silence.
IAM said nothing, just stared, expression flat. Thor sighed.
"Alright, alright." He took a deep breath. "Listen, the actual request—to get you into the academy—it isn't impossible. If this were a normal situation, I'd just say yes and that would be that. Buuuut…"
IAM raised a brow, already unimpressed.
"There's a very tiny… little… small… problem," Thor added sheepishly.
IAM's tone was dry. "What."
Thor hesitated before finally saying it. "They… uh… they only let in people who are extremely talented."
There it was.
And the silence that followed made that statement hit even harder.
Thor, as if desperate to fill the void, hurried to continue.
"I mean really talented. Like, geniuses. The best of the best. The cream of the crop. You know, freakishly good." He winced as he spoke, visibly uncomfortable. "And I hate to say it—really, I do—but based on your mission logs and your past assessments,you're not bad, IAM. Not at all. You've got heart. But you're just a bit… below average. You're slow. Took you over a month to form an Avien."
He paused.
"That tells me that you might not have the mental strength to take on the brutal trials of Hope Academy. And I don't say this to be cruel, but I don't think you could pass the tests. Any of them. I see no scenario where you pa—"
"Okay. Stop." IAM cut in, before Thor really cooked his ass. "What are the requirements to join the academy? Normally."
Thor blinked. "Well… anyone can take the trials for a small price. One silver coin. It's how they prevent discrimination—anyone from anywhere can take part, so long as they're willing to be judged purely on their talent. Every year, millions flock to the academy for a chance."
IAM fell quiet, thinking.
He then asked, "How soon are the next trials?"
"One month from now."
IAM nodded. "That's pretty close."
"Yes. And if you pass, they give you a week to get your things together, then you start right away. But wait—don't tell me you're going to try anyway."
"Of course not." A smile slowly spread across IAM's face, strange and unnerving in its confidence. "I'm going to pay my way in."
"…What?"
"To be honest," IAM said, leaning back slightly, "I don't feel much of an attachment to this much money. So why not use it for something useful? Sure, they might prefer talent—but 100 gold coins speaks pretty loudly, don't you think?"
Thor's mouth opened. Then closed.
IAM continued, "That's 100 gold compared to the 1 silver they get from others. Add in the fact that it's a heartfelt request from the sole survivor of the Hold—and with you pushing for it—I'm sure they'll let it slide. Right?"
"That… that…" Thor blinked hard. "Holy shit, that might actually work. That's smart! No, really, that's smart!"
But his expression soon sobered.
"…But IAM… will you be able to handle it?" he asked slowly. "Everyone else will be progressing at such a fast pace. That's the norm in a place like that. You'll be watching yourself fall behind… over and over again. You'll be the weakest person there. That kind of psychological pressure can break people. Are you sure you can handle that kind of torture?"
"No," IAM replied immediately.
Thor stared at him.
"But I'll never progress if I don't try," IAM added.
Thor met his gaze, searching those deep dark eyes for something—anything. But as always, IAM gave nothing away. His thoughts were sealed behind eyes like a still pond, bottomless and impenetrable.
Thor finally nodded. "Okay. I'll put in a good word for you."
"Great."
"…You sure you're going to be okay?" Thor asked, glancing at the suitcase of coins beside him. "Your money will be reduced to 20 gold coins after this."
IAM did a quick calculation in his head. "So… 80 gold coins for the upgraded mech?"
Thor nodded. "Yeah. Not many smiths specialize in hot weapons like your gun, so it's difficult to find someone who can upgrade it properly. And with how rare adaptive mechs are, they'll charge extra. Haven't you noticed? Ascenders have completely wrecked the economy with our endless need for better mechs, advanced gear, custom tools. That's why it jumps from 100 bronze coins to make a single silver… and 500 silver coins just to make a gold."
"I see." IAM exhaled slowly. Regardless of what he had said before… this shit kinda hurt.
"You could just keep the money," Thor offered, half-joking. "Live a very comfortable life. No danger. No enemies. Just peace."
IAM smiled slightly. "Okay. Bye now."
Thor kissed his teeth and stood up. "Tch. Alright. Just don't say I didn't try."
He turned toward the door—but paused at IAM's next words.
"Oh… and can I get a therapist or something?" IAM asked, voice almost too casual. "I'm still kinda fucked."
Thor blinked. "Okay. I'll get you the worst one we've got."
IAM chuckled.
"Hah…... Wait—are you serious? Hold on—"
Thor was already halfway out the door.
He shut the door before IAM could finish, shaking his head with an amused huff.
When did he get so comfortable with the kid?
When did it start feeling so natural to joke around like that?
There was something about IAM... something strange, quiet, magnetic. Something that pulled people in without ever trying. Thor couldn't name it, but he felt it all the same.
He shook his head, nodding to the female guard outside.
"You can return to your station."u the worst one we've got."
IAM chuckled.
"Hah…... Wait—are you serious? Hold on—"
Thor was already halfway out the door.
He shut the door before IAM could finish, shaking his head with an amused huff.
When did he get so comfortable with the kid?
When did it start feeling so natural to joke around like that?
There was something about IAM... something strange, quiet, magnetic. Something that pulled people in without ever trying. Thor couldn't name it, but he felt it all the same.
He shook his head, nodding to the female guard outside.
"You can return to your station."