Chapter 254: 254 | Thirty Thousand to Go [GT BONUS]

Jace: Survived. Barely. Misato needed to vent about Blair being Blair.

Aurora: Oh no. What did the ice queen do now?

Jace: Her sister hit her. Left a bruise.

The typing indicator appeared and disappeared several times. When Aurora’s response finally came through, it was longer than usual.

Aurora: Cassandra? That’s... actually fucked up. Addison’s going to lose her shit when she finds out. She’s already been looking for an excuse to fight Cassandra since orientation. Something about her calling me a slut at a party last year.

Great. Just what I needed. More interpersonal drama involving women who could kill me in various creative ways.

Jace: Please tell Addison not to start anything. We’re trying to stay off that family’s radar, not give her ammunition.

Aurora: Bold of you to assume I have any control over Addison. That girl does whatever she wants and dares the universe to stop her.

Aurora: Speaking of which, she’s been asking about you again. Wants to know when you’re going to stop being a coward and actually talk to her instead of just staring at her ass in the hallway.

I choked on nothing.

Jace: I have never stared at her ass in the hallway.

Aurora: Sweetie. Everyone stares at her ass in the hallway. It’s like a natural disaster. You can’t look away.

She had a point. Addison’s combat leggings left very little to the imagination, and whatever training regimen she followed had produced results that defied reasonable expectations. But admitting that felt like walking into a trap.

Jace: I’ve been distracted by other things. Like survival.

Aurora: Survival is boring. Come to our room tomorrow night. Addison’s been stress-eating lollipops all week because some lottery kid keeps impressing people and she can’t figure out why she finds that attractive.

My brain short-circuited for a moment.

Addison found me attractive. Aurora’s psychotic goth best friend with the dual scythes and the death-marked wounds and the entire personality built around violence and profanity thought I was worth looking at twice.

Three weeks ago I couldn’t run a mile without collapsing. Now I was apparently on the radar of multiple dangerous women.

The Divine Milking System really did work in mysterious ways.

Jace: I’ll think about it.

Aurora: Don’t think too long. Addison doesn’t do patient. She does immediate gratification or violent frustration, no middle ground.

I set my phone down and stared at the ceiling again.

The smart play was probably Addison. Aurora was already onboard. Addison was interested. The ability I’d gain was exactly what I needed for combat situations. Everything lined up perfectly.

So why did my mind keep drifting back to Misato’s lime green eyes and the way she’d whispered thank you like the word cost her something?

A notification chimed in my peripheral vision.

◆ SYSTEM ADVISORY ◆

User has reached a critical decision point regarding ability acquisition.

Analysis of current threats suggests prioritizing combat capability over tactical versatility.

Recommended target: Addison Baxter (Reaper’s Edge, A-Rank)

Secondary consideration: Misato Ayame (Clone ability, estimated A-Rank)

Note: User will unlock fourth ability slot at Level 10. Current XP: 450/6000. Recommend intensive training to accelerate leveling.

The System was literally telling me to pursue Addison. Not because of any emotional consideration, but because her ability matched my current weakness profile better than Misato’s clone technique.

Cold. Logical. Completely devoid of human factors.

Exactly what I needed, and exactly what felt wrong about this entire situation.

I pulled up the training schedule mentally. Vale wanted me at the Summit gym at five in the morning Monday. That gave me tomorrow to recover and prepare. If I pushed hard through Vale’s elite training protocols, I could probably grind out significant XP. The ten percent bonus from my new title would help. So would the sexual training multiplier if I happened to engage in any strenuous intimate activities.

Speaking of which.

I did some quick math in my head. Level 10 required 10,000 total XP. I was at 450/6000 for Level 7, which meant I needed roughly 5,550 XP just to hit Level 7, then another 7,000 for Level 8, then 8,000 for Level 9, then 9,000 for Level 10.

That was almost 30,000 XP total.

Even with Vale’s training and the multipliers, that would take weeks of consistent effort. Weeks I might not have if Cassandra’s investigation moved faster than expected.

Unless I found ways to accelerate the process.

The System rewarded everything. Combat training, academic performance, gate clearing, social interactions, intimate encounters. Every aspect of my life fed into the same progression pool. If I maxed out every category simultaneously, I could theoretically level much faster than normal.

But that required balance. Too much focus on any single area and I’d burn out or attract attention. Too little and I’d fall behind the curve just when I needed to be pulling ahead.

What I really needed was Vale’s guidance. The professor had resources and knowledge that could shortcut my development in ways the System couldn’t predict. He’d offered elite training protocols and access to restricted facilities. If I could convince him to push me harder than standard students, to treat me like the prodigy he apparently thought I was instead of the lottery kid I actually was, maybe I could hit Level 10 before winter evaluations.

The new title should help with that. Vale’s Heir Apparent meant the academy’s strongest hunter had publicly claimed me as his project. That carried weight. Guild recruiters would treat me differently. Faculty would give me opportunities they’d deny other students. And Vale himself would probably invest more time in someone he’d already marked as worth investing in.

My phone buzzed again.

Misato: Thank you again for tonight. I mean it.

Misato: Don’t tell anyone I cried. I have a reputation.

I smiled despite everything.

Jace: Your secret is safe. But you’re buying me coffee tomorrow to compensate for emotional labor.

Misato: Deal.

She signed off before I could respond, which was classic Misato. Even gratitude came with a training schedule attached.

I set the phone aside and closed my eyes, trying to organize the chaos in my head into something resembling a plan.

Step one: Survive Vale’s training Monday morning. Push for maximum XP gains.

Step two: Navigate Cassandra’s arrival without giving her anything useful.

Step three: Decide between Addison and Misato for my next acquisition target.

Step four: Hit Level 10 and unlock that fourth ability slot before everything went sideways.

The math was simple enough. The execution was where things got complicated.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, the old man’s voice echoed from that dream library. Use Vale’s interest to learn everything you can. He sees potential for godhood in you.

Godhood seemed like a stretch. But survival? That I could work with.