Reth didn't even look at the bus stop as they reached the parking lot. He simply stood by the passenger door of a white, Mercedes —Elena's car—and waited.
Elena sat in the driver's seat of her luxury sedan, her face still burning a bright crimson. She kept telling herself this was a "strategic alliance" to protect the Vance family embezzlement files, but her hands were trembling for a different reason.
The interior of the luxury sedan smelled like expensive leather and Elena's perfume, a sharp contrast to the stale air of the academy library. Reth leaned back in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the digital display of his System wallet: $1,000.
"I'm only doing this to protect the family accounts," Elena muttered, her knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel. "Don't think that 'boyfriend' comment in front of Mark meant anything more than a strategic cover."
Reth didn't even turn his head to look at her; he was too busy scrolling through the System Shop, mentally calculating his next upgrade. To him, her explanation was perfectly logical—she was a Vance, and she was protecting her neck.
"I didn't ask for your reasons, Elena," Reth said, his voice flat and bored. "Just drive. Take me to my house."
Elena bit her lip, a flicker of something—frustration or perhaps a strange sting of rejection—crossing her face as he dismissed her so easily. She had expected him to gloat or try to touch her again, but his complete indifference was somehow more unsettling.
"Fine. Where do you live?" she asked, her voice slightly tight as she pulled out of the academy gates.
Reth gave her the address of his house on the edge of the district, a place that someone like Elena Vance had probably never even seen. As the car sped through the city, the silence between them grew heavy, Reth completely unaware of the way Elena's eyes kept darting toward his reflection in the window.
The luxury sedan hummed as it turned into the narrow, cracked street where Reth lived. It wasn't a sleek apartment complex; it was a modest, two-story house with a small yard that had seen better days.
Elena slowed the car to a crawl, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the chipped paint and the tricycle left out on a neighbor's lawn. This was a world away from the Vance estate, and the silence in the car became stifling.
"You... you live here?" Elena whispered, her voice losing its sharp, defensive edge for a brief moment.
Reth didn't even look at her; he was busy checking his $1,000 balance one last time before stepping out. To him, her shock was just another sign of how different their worlds were—and how much he intended to take from hers.
"It's a house, Elena. Not a palace," Reth said, his hand already on the door handle. "Don't let the neighbors see your face. I don't need my mother or sister asking why the Elena Vance is chauffeuring me around."
Elena flinched, a strange, sharp sting hitting her chest at his cold dismissal. She had expected him to be embarrassed, but his total lack of shame made her heart skip a beat in a way she couldn't explain.
"I... I understand," she stammered, her grip tightening on the steering wheel as she watched him step out onto the curb. "But Reth... about tomorrow at academy... we need to—"
"We'll talk when I say so," Reth interrupted, shutting the car door with a firm thud that silenced her.
He didn't look back as he walked toward his front door, his mind already drifting toward the [Basic CQC] skill in the System Shop. He could feel Elena's gaze lingering on his back until she finally shifted the car into gear and sped away.
Reth stepped onto the cracked pavement, the engine of the white Mercedes muffled as it idled. He didn't offer a wave or a "thank you"—he just walked toward the front door, his mind already calculating how to spend his $1,000.
Inside, the smell of home-cooked stew hit him, but it was drowned out by the sound of footsteps sprinting toward the window. His younger sister, Marie, was practically pressed against the glass, her eyes wide as she watched the luxury car pull away.
"Reth! Was that... a Mercedes?" Marie shrieked, spinning around as he closed the front door. "A white one! And who was that girl? She looked like a literal model!"
Reth kept his face like stone, walking past her toward the stairs. "Just a classmate, Marie. She had some notes I needed for the topology exam."
"Notes? In a car that costs more than this house?" Marie followed him, her voice filled with a mix of awe and suspicion. "Mom! Reth has a rich girlfriend! She's driving him home in a Benz!"
Reth's hand tightened on the banister, his pulse quickening. He didn't want his mother involved in the dark games he was playing with the Vances, but Marie's excitement was drawing too much attention.
[System Notification: Family Social Dynamics]
[Status: 'Mysterious Older Brother' Level Rising]
[New Target: Marie (Curiosity Level: Critical)]
"She's not my girlfriend," Reth lied, his voice dropping into that new, cold authority he'd discovered in the library. "She's just... someone who owes me a favor. Now go do your homework."
Marie flinched at his tone, her teasing smile faltering for a second. She had never heard him sound so... dangerous.
Reth ignored Marie's frantic questions, his footsteps heavy on the wooden stairs as he retreated into the sanctuary of his room. He clicked the lock into place, the familiar click providing a momentary barrier between his old life and the one he was building with the System.
He sat on the edge of his bed, the springs creaking under his weight as he stared at the glowing blue interface floating in the air. His eyes locked onto the [Basic CQC] icon—the silhouette of a fighter etched in light.
[Purchase: Basic CQC (Close Quarters Combat) — $600.00]
[Confirm Purchase? Y/N]
Reth tapped 'Y' without hesitation, the $1,000 in his wallet instantly dropping to $400.
Suddenly, his breath hitched. A wave of white-hot heat surged from his chest, radiating down his arms and into his knuckles. Images of strikes, parries, and joint locks flooded his mind as if he had been practicing them for years, and his muscles twitched, tightening and refining themselves under his skin.
He stood up, throwing a shadow-punch into the air; the snap of his fist was crisp, precise, and terrifyingly fast. The "loser" who could barely defend himself against Mark's shoves was gone, replaced by a weapon.
[System Notification: Skill Integrated — Basic CQC (Level 1)]
[Physical Stat Boost: Agility +10, Strength +10]
[Status: Ready for Combat]
Reth stood in the center of his small room, his chest heaving as the heat of the [Basic CQC] integration began to cool. He looked down at his hands; they weren't shaking anymore. They felt heavy, stable, and lethal.
He walked over to his cracked desk mirror and stared at his reflection. The boy who used to flinch at loud noises was gone. His eyes held a predatory stillness that even he found unsettling.
[Skill: Basic CQC — ACTIVE]
[Skill: Shadow Manipulation — ACTIVE]
Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He picked it up, expecting a frantic text from Elena or a threat from Mark. Instead, it was a notification from the academy's private forum.
A grainy photo had been uploaded five minutes ago: Elena's white Mercedes parked in front of Reth's house. The caption was a single word that was already spreading through the student body like wildfire: "LUCKY?"
Reth smirked, tossing the phone back onto the bed. He didn't need to delete it; the more people talked, the more Elena was forced to play her role as his shield.
He checked his stats one last time
[Name: Reth Anchor]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 18]
[Stamina: 50]
[Charm: 20]
[Current Balance: $400]
He lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling as the muffled sounds of Marie and his mother talking downstairs drifted through the door. Tomorrow, the "King" of the academy would try to reclaim his throne, and Reth was going to let him try.