"Look, Jett, I've really been quite busy these past few days. I'm not interested in your little revenge plot," Sunny said helplessly in the Academy's bustling hallway to an even more helpless Jett.
"Sunny, come on. Just one rematch. My reputation is in the toilet. Everyone is calling me 'Bug Food'. How about this? If you agree, I'll throw in five hundred Credits. No, a thousand. How's that for a deal?"
If this had been a month ago, Jett's offer would have made Sunny drool. After all, aside from the money, beating up Jett again was always fun.
But these days, he simply didn't have the time. He had devoted all his energy to the Iron-Barrage Stag.
This was, after all, a project worth his entire future.
How much could a petty duel possibly earn him? A fleeting moment of satisfaction?
Seeing Sunny's steadfast attitude, Jett felt helpless.
Was he really refusing a thousand Credits? Jett's family influence in the Wind Sector was significant. Surely Sunny knew that making an enemy of him was bad for business? The reason Jett was swallowing his pride was to butter Sunny up, beat him in a 'friendly' match, and regain his dignity before the Continental Tournament qualifiers.
Alas, this B-Rank Generalist seemed to be more troublesome than the Elite Class students.
Jett had a premonition that it would be quite difficult to wash away his shame smoothly.
Shaking his head, Jett could only leave in resignation, his Wind-Blade Tiger trailing behind him like a scolded puppy.
However, just as he turned the corner, Jett saw a girl with silver hair also walking toward Sunny. Jett nodded in recognition, realizing it was Lyra, the Ice Archer who had been hanging around Sunny lately, and he didn't think much of it.
The person who had arrived was indeed Lyra.
Lyra, despite her cold demeanor, was not actually foolish. To leave her grinding partner alone for so long, she, as the damage dealer, knew she was missing out on Credits. Besides, it was merely a matter of efficiency.
And it must be said that Sunny's chaotic method of farming, although not as elegant as the Elite Class strategies, possessed a kind of brutal effectiveness that was hard to come by.
"I didn't expect your schedule to be so packed. Are you holding auditions for a new best friend?" Lyra said to Sunny with a rare smirk.
Indeed, Lyra had been pestering him frequently these past few days. Although she would only join him for hunts once a day, strictly adhering to their business arrangement, she spent quite a long time lingering around his dorm. Sunny had grown somewhat familiar with this icy sniper. However, today he really wasn't in the mood to entertain her properly.
The reason was simple: in the days he spent since the Needle-King fight, aside from his time with the Stag, Sunny had not been idle with Nova at all!
Since the moment Sunny had unlocked Fusion Level 3 (conceptually) from the Tournament Quest, so many days had passed. And as of today, all of his preparation materials, except for one last catalyst, had reached the required stability level. At the same time, the proficiency on his [Chimera Lord] class was at 99%!
In other words, if he spent one more hour meditating with his pets, the Chimera Lord class would be able to level up to Tier 1 properly! Alternatively, if that last catalyst a Volcanic Geode he ordered from the black market arrived, then Sunny, who had been longing and yearning for this day, could finally fulfill his desires.
At this moment, how could he possibly care about Lyra? If it weren't for the fact that she was his main source of consistent income, and that she covered his back during the swarm events, Sunny wouldn't have even spared ten minutes to deal with her.
"I'm busy today. Just go check on Gorn and then head back to your fancy A-Class dorm," Sunny said, waving his hand dismissively. Then, without paying further attention to Lyra, he dashed toward the abandoned training ground behind the stables.
Looking doubtfully at Sunny, who seemed even more hurried than usual, Lyra wasn't bothered. She glanced at the dorm window where Nova was usually visible. These past few days, the Molten Sprite had been quiet, not setting things on fire just glowing and vibrating. Not only had it not caused trouble, but Lyra even felt the little elemental might have grown denser. Perhaps it was just her imagination?
Shaking her head, Lyra didn't bother further. She had previously agreed to let Sunny lead the pace, so if he failed to show up for the hunt, it was his loss. All she needed to ensure was that her share of the Credits was secure.
With Sunny gone, there was clearly no point for her to stay, so after waiting for a while, she went back to the main campus. Compared to Sunny's rundown B-Class area, the A-Class gardens were much nicer. When she had nothing better to do, Lyra indeed liked to practice her aim there.
However, she had never visited the Faculty Tower—a huge structure occupying the center of the Academy, which also housed the Dean's office. Today, with nothing particular to do, Lyra casually walked towards it to submit a request for new arrows.
In the Faculty Tower's lobby, there were public screens where missions of various difficulties were posted. However, to Lyra, they all seemed rather amateurish. Most were either gathering herbs or hunting Tier 1 rats. Compared to the High-Tier Dungeons she wanted to raid, these were far inferior.
Lyra had no interest in such chores.
However, just as she was about to leave the building, she paused, her peripheral vision glancing towards the side. The student who had just been with Sunny was now servilely following a tall, blonde man. The man was exceptionally handsome, and even Lyra had to admit that he exuded something known as royal arrogance. Most importantly, the man's aura... Lyra thought for a moment and found a comparison: it was somewhat similar to the pressure of a Boss Monster.
Seemingly noticing Lyra's scrutiny, the man turned his head and glanced over, then didn't give it another thought. Lyra, however, furrowed her brows tighter after seeing the man's face; she suddenly felt a sense of danger.
But before she could look away, the man entered a private elevator. After the man went in, Jett, standing at the elevator entrance, whispered into his comms, "Your Highness, Sunny still refuses the rematch. He shows no intention of knowing his place."
As the elevator closed, the voice disappeared as well.
Lyra stopped in her tracks, her deep blue eyes narrowing.
Your Highness? Did Jett's harassment of Sunny have something to do with him? And that blonde man... that was Prince Valerian!
Remembering Jett's words, Lyra pondered for a moment before taking out her datapad.
Sunny is in deeper trouble than he thinks, she realized. The Prince doesn't just want a rematch. He wants submission.
Meanwhile, Sunny, obviously oblivious to these events and in no mind to concern himself with royal politics, sat in the center of the dusty training ground, affectionately feeding Nova the Volcanic Geode that had just been delivered by a courier drone.
Finally, under Sunny's meticulous care and reckless spending, a message appeared in the System Interface in his mind:
[Ding!]
[Catalyst Consumed.. Elemental Core Stabilized.]
[Your Pet 'Nova' has absorbed the Geode. Essence purity increased!]
[Chimera Lord Proficiency: 100/100!]
[Proficiency meets the Class upgrade requirements. Would you like to upgrade?]
Sunny's heart hammered against his ribs. He didn't hesitate.
"Upgrade!"
[Ding!]
[Upgrading Class...]
[Class: Chimera Lord (Tier 1) Unlocked!]
[New Feature Unlocked: [Biological Synthesis].]
[New Feature Unlocked: [Fusion Level 3 - Elemental Binding].]
Sunny opened his eyes. They glowed with a terrifying green light.
"Finally," he whispered, looking at the floating Iron-Barrage Stag and the glowing Nova.
"System," Sunny commanded, his voice trembling with excitement. "Open the Fusion Interface. Target 1: Iron-Barrage Stag. Target 2: Nova."
[Analyzing Compatibility with Level 3..]
[Biological Host + Elemental Core.]
[Compatibility: 100% (Perfect Sync).]
[Predicted Result: ???]
"Do it."
A blinding light engulfed the training ground. It was the birth of a calamity.