"This is a glitch! It has to be a fucking glitch!"
The speaker was none other than Ren, the slippery head of the Student Merchant Guild and the guy who currently held the betting pool for the tournament.
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt Jett's murderous stare and quickly tried to explain, "Jett, please don't misunderstand. It's just that, how could a B-Rank peasant who was broke yesterday clear a Tier 3 Dungeon solo in fifteen minutes?"
"Why couldn't it be possible?"
It seemed that after receiving the notification, Instructor Vex, who had been slightly anxious about her student's odds, went into full denial mode. She huffed, adjusting her glasses, "The Academy servers are old. Last year, a D-Class student was accidentally ranked as a Grandmaster because a slime ate a sensor. Sunny probably hacked the terminal or found a bug."
Ren opened his mouth but couldn't find anything else to say. If an Instructor was calling it a bug, then it had to be a bug, right? Because the alternative that Sunny was a monster was too expensive for his wallet.
Jett asked doubtfully, his hand gripping his saber hilt, "Vex, if he hacked the system, isn't that grounds for immediate expulsion?"
Looking at the two people before him Ren the scammer and Jett the bully Vex grew impatient. She had no intention of wasting time speculating; she just wanted to see Sunny dragged out in chains for cheating.
"If you don't believe it, let's go catch him in the act. If he's faking his data, I'll strip him of his student status right now."
The three people present had clearly been waiting for exactly this.
Taking the private faculty elevator, it only took ten minutes to travel from the high-tech Faculty Tower directly to the slums of the B-Class dormitories.
Looking over the rundown brick buildings, Jett sneered. "Say what you will, the smell of poverty is strong here. It seems Sunny hasn't moved out yet despite his 'winnings'."
Ren wasn't in the mood to listen to Jett's classist commentary. He was sweating. If Sunny really had a Tier 3 Ice Core, the market value of Fusion materials would fluctuate wildy. He quickly walked to Room 304 and banged on the door, calling out as he did, "Sunny! Open up! This is an official inspection!"
No sooner had his words fallen than the door creaked open.
Gorn's massive head popped out. "He's in the courtyard. Said something about 'calibration'."
Jett and Vex said nothing, shoving past the confused tank and heading straight for the back courtyard.
Only Ren looked around disdainfully. The place is indeed big enough for a small beast, but can this dirty yard really house a Chimera? It's a bit too shabby, isn't it?
He still couldn't believe that an unknown nobody could fuse Fire and Ice. Having studied the market of elemental cores for years, Ren understood all too well what happens when you mix Magma and Frost.
Boom. That's what happens.
At this thought, Ren's spirits lifted, ready for action. Just now, Jett looked at me like I was incompetent. Wait until I expose this kid's deception.
Ren prided himself on his knowledge of Alchemy and Fusion theory; in the Merchant Guild, he believed few could compare. He knew the volatile index of a Siege-Stag. If you put an Ice Core in it without a billion-credit stabilizer, it turns into a grenade.
It's impossible, Ren thought, a greedy smile forming. Does he have some kind of illusion item? Or maybe he just painted his beetle blue? That would be hilarious. I'll expose him, cancel the bets, and keep all the money.
Finally, under Ren's eager anticipation, the three of them rounded the corner into the private training courtyard. As soon as they stepped inside, not just the others, but Jett too couldn't help but widen his eyes in amazement.
What am I seeing?
Nobody understood the Hellfire Siege-Stag better than Jett. He had faced it yesterday. It was a creature of rage and unchecked heat. It leaked magma like a broken pipe. It was unstable, dangerous, and wildly aggressive.
But now... the monster standing in the center of the yard was different. It was calm.
The Siege-Stag was motionless, its legs tucked under its body like a resting tank. But the most shocking part was the color. The veins between its obsidian plates weren't glowing angry red anymore. They were pulsing with a deep, regal purple light.
Mist curled around its cannons. Not smoke. Cool mist.
"You're here... Huh? Who invited the circus?"
Sunny asked, wiping his damp palm on the Siege-Stag's cold shell before turning to see Jett, Ren, and Vex who had intruded.
Jett clearly had no intention of introducing them; his eyes glowed as he stared at the beast. During the past few hours, he had convinced himself Sunny was a fraud. He had hoped for it.
Now, he felt a chill running down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.
"A-A glitch..." Ren stammered, his abacus shaking in his hand.
Meeting Sunny's inquiring gaze, Instructor Vex coughed lightly, trying to regain her authority. "Cadet Sunny. I am an Instructor. We received reports of... illicit hacking of the Global Achievement System. We are here to inspect your beast for illegal modifications."
Sunny was startled, then a slow, predatory grin spread across his face. That's more like it! No matter how arrogant they are, they always come to check when their worldview is threatened.
Realizing he was dealing with the skeptics who were about to become his best marketing tool, Sunny's face instantly wreathed in smiles as he nodded.
"Illegal modifications? No, Instructor. Just a software update."
However, Sunny's gaze soon shifted to another person present, his expression somewhat strange.
Following Sunny's gaze, Jett couldn't help but turn his head. Sure enough, Ren was staring intently at the purple veins on the Stag. Ren, in particular, had streaks of data flickering in his monocle; clearly, his Talent as a Merchant was one of the more common ones: [Appraisal Eye].
And at that moment, reflected in the eyes of the Merchant Guild's head, the data streaming from the beast was blindingly bright.
[Monster: Thermal-Shock Siege-Stag]
[Grade: Unique (Tier 3 - Mid)]
[State: Perfect Equilibrium]
[Core Status: Dual-Core (Magma/Frost)]
[Value: Immeasurable.]
Was the Fusion really successful?
"How is this possible!?"
This time, the exclamation, even louder than Ren's earlier one, came not from the Merchant but from Instructor Vex, who had pulled out her official Academy Scanner and was staring fixedly at the screen.
"It... it violates the laws of thermodynamics!" Vex screeched, tapping the screen frantically. "Fire and Ice cancel each other out! They don't... they don't harmonize!"
Sunny walked over to his beast. He patted the shell.
The beast purred. A low, vibrating sound that felt like a sub-woofer hitting the brown note.
"Physics is just a suggestion when you have talent," Sunny said, looking directly at Jett. "You said my beast was unstable. You said it would explode."
He snapped his fingers.
[Skill Activation: Thermal Cycle.]
The purple veins flashed. The cannons on the Stag's back shifted.
One cannon glowed Red.
The other cannon glowed Blue.
"I fixed it," Sunny whispered, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Now I can shoot fire and ice. Simultaneously."
Ren dropped his abacus. The beads scattered on the concrete floor with a pathetic clatter.
"Dual... Dual Element?" Ren whispered, his face pale as a sheet. "That... that creates a Thermal Shock reaction. That ignores defense ratings."
"Bingo," Sunny pointed a finger gun at Ren. "You owe me money, Ren. The betting pool. I heard the odds on me clearing the Dungeon were 100 to 1."
Ren looked like he was about to vomit. If those were the odds, and Sunny just cleared it... the payout would bankrupt the Guild.
Jett stepped back. The arrogance was gone. The confidence of the A-Ranker was shattered. He looked at the purple monster, then at Sunny's calm, metallic skin.
"You..." Jett gritted his teeth. "You really did it."
"I did," Sunny agreed. "And Jett? About that rematch."
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
"I accept. But the price has gone up."
He patted the cold flank of his Thermal-Shock Siege-Stag.
"If you want to fight me now... you better bring a coffin. Because this thing doesn't just bite. It obliterates."
[Ding!]
[Fear Detected from Target: Jett.]
[Respect Detected from Target: Ren.]
[Confusion Detected from Target: Vex.]
Sunny turned his back on them, dismissing them like servants.
"Now get out of my yard. My beast needs to rest before it destroys the tournament tomorrow."
The three intruders stood there for a moment, stunned, silent, and thoroughly defeated.
Then, they turned and ran. Sunny watched them go, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"System," he thought. "Show me the bracket for the Semi-Finals."
[Next Opponent: Lyra.]
Sunny chuckled.
"Poor Lyra. She's bringing ice to a thermal shock fight."