The next morning, I woke up in my bed.
Which is weird because I remember passing out behind the dining hall. Like, outside. On the concrete.
But nope. Here I was. Dorm room. Blanket. My glasses on the desk. Phone charging.
Either I sleepwalk now, or someone carried me. Which is… deeply unsettling either way.
My roommate, Dev, was snoring on the other bed like a dying vacuum cleaner. At least he hadn't seen me show up looking like a crime scene.
I sat up, immediately regretting it. My body felt like it had run a full marathon, then got hit by a truck. Twice. And then the truck reversed over me for fun.
"Oh yeah," I muttered. "I signed a demon loan."
As if on cue:
[DING!]
Unpaid Debt: 5,000 Blood Coins
Time Remaining: 2 Days, 17 Hours
Tip: Killing monsters or enemies will repay debt faster.
Current Stats Boost Active (Temporary)
Right. That thing.
It wasn't a dream. I really did get my ass beat, sign a literal blood pact, and beat up three guys like I was auditioning for some low-budget martial arts anime.
I stared at the floating red screen and sighed.
"Why couldn't it have been a lottery system instead? Or like... a productivity app?"
By 9 a.m., I dragged myself to class. Which was a mistake. A massive mistake.
Because, guess what? My bruises may have vanished overnight, but I still looked like a zombie that crawled out of a cement mixer.
"Yo, Kael. You good?" some guy asked. I gave him a thumbs-up and a smile that said absolutely not.
Then I made eye contact with Professor Lena.
You know that feeling when a teacher just knows something's up? Like, they stare into your soul and silently judge your entire bloodline?
That's Lena. Our Theory of Cultivation professor. Twenty-eight years old, former elite pathwalker, rumored to have killed a spirit beast with a broken mug.
And she was staring at me like I'd set her cat on fire.
"Mr. Vire," she said. "You look... different."
"I had a rough night," I muttered.
She raised an eyebrow, but didn't push it.
Lucky me.
I was halfway through pretending to take notes when the system pinged again.
Nearby Source of Blood Debt Detected.
Target: Shin Arven (Combat Track, Rank C)
Bounty Value: 600 Coins
Would you like to engage?
I blinked.
"Engage? We're in the middle of class."
I muttered too loudly. The girl next to me looked over like I'd just admitted to murdering someone. I gave her a thumbs-up too. She turned away. Cool.
But seriously — 600 coins? That's a big chunk off my debt. And Shin was one of the jackasses from last night. He was sitting just two rows ahead, laughing at something on his scroll.
Did I want revenge? Kinda.
Did I want to fight him in public? Hell no.
But before I could even make up my mind—
Warning: Target will engage in 15 seconds.
Wait, what?!
I looked up.
Shin turned in his seat, eyes narrowing.
"You got lucky last night," he said under his breath. "Let's see if you're still lucky after class."
The system pinged again like a smug little gremlin:
Mini-Quest: Survive the Challenge.
Reward: 600 Blood Coins
Penalty: +1,000 if you lose
What the actual—
After class ended, I tried the classic escape move: walk really fast and pretend you're late for something.
Didn't work.
Shin caught up in the hallway, flanked by two of his friends. Honestly, they looked more confused than angry, like they weren't sure why they were here.
"You think you're tough now?" Shin growled. "You wanna fight in the alley again?"
"Not really," I said. "I have, like, a quiz in an hour."
"Too bad."
Then he swung.
Right there. In the middle of the damn hallway.
Lucky for me, that buff kicked in again. Shadow Reflex Protocol or whatever. My body just moved. I ducked under his fist, spun, and elbowed him in the ribs.
He stumbled back, gasping.
His friends took one step forward—then stopped. Smart guys.
"Are you seriously trying to jump me at school?" I said, straightening my hoodie.
"You're dead," Shin growled, grabbing a stun-glove from his belt.
But before he could try round two, a voice behind us snapped like a whip:
"Enough!"
Professor Lena stood there, arms crossed.
Shin froze. Everyone else did too.
Lena's eyes flicked from me to him. "Both of you. My office. Now."
Great. I didn't even throw the first punch, and I'm still in trouble.
The system chimed again in my head:
Mini-Quest Completed.
+600 Blood Coins
Remaining Balance: 4,400
Well. At least I got paid.