Zac is standing in front of a massive white building with a ’wow’ expression. The bank’s name stretched boldly across the top.

"If a normal branch looks like this... what does the headquarters look like?"

Two guards stood guard at the entrance with a heavy presence. The aura they are releasing is sharp enough to make the air feel thicker.

"They are using variants for security?"

[A lot of top organizations do that to show their power.]

Inside, the place resembled a regular bank, only amplified. And since variants like to keep their business private, multiple inquiry chambers lined the hall with a staff member.

Zac walked into one of them and saw a young woman, no older than her early twenties, sitting across the desk.

She greeted him with a warm smile. "Please, take a seat."

A moment later, refreshments were placed in front of him. As he lifted his usual favorite tea and took a sip. "This is amazing."

"Thank you; it was prepared using a special type of tea leaves that only grows inside a specific portal."

"Can I buy them?"

"Sorry, sir, we don’t sell tea leaves here." She said as politely as possible.

"Fine..."

[You love tea that much?]

"Yes! It’s the only thing that can truly calm my mind."

"What type of inquiry do you have, sir?"

"Ahh...Before that, can you explain about the V-Bank to me?"

She nodded with a faint smile. The question didn’t surprise her. New variants walked in every day to open accounts at V-Bank, and most of them asked the same thing that it had become a routine for her.

"After the war ended, what remained was just ruins and survivors. Food and water became the most valuable thing, and people started killing for it."

"Paper currencies became useless. Digital systems and banks collapsed long before the war. And the worst part was the variants.

During the war, variants were considered heroes; they fought monsters and protected people, keeping humanity alive.

But after that, they became the biggest threat. That’s why the association was formally formed to maintain peace in the society."

"The V-Bank was created alongside the Variant Association by one of the strongest variants from that time. He created a new universal currency called ’Kyros’ to maintain stability in the economy.

Zac listened in silence as she spoke with a warm smile.

"Since then, V-Bank has managed assets for variants across the world. We have branches in every major city, and our headquarters is located in Central City, alongside the Variant Association."

"We don’t just handle currency here, we also deal with artifacts, ranked weapons, properties, and basically anything valuable connected to variants."

The room fell quiet as she finished.

Zac studied the staff member, a faint trace of surprise flickering across his face.

From what he had heard, bankers weren’t exactly known for warmth. Most of them carried stiff expressions and spoke only as much as necessary, treating customers like transactions rather than people.

Not that he had anything against them. It was just... the reputation they had.

But this? She was patient and almost welcoming.

The way she explained things felt less like a professional obligation and more like a teacher guiding a new student through unfamiliar ground.

For a moment, Zac found himself wondering. "Are all V-Bank staff like this...?"

[Is it because you are handsome?] A thinking emoji appeared on the panel.

"Is this how you treat all variants?"

With a light smile, "Bankers being moody is more of a stereotype. Sure, you’ll find one or two like that, but we’re trained to be as polite as possible. Otherwise, banks wouldn’t last very long, would they?"

She tilted her head slightly before continuing. "As for your question... not exactly. Top-level variants do receive certain privileges. But aside from that, we follow strict rules against discrimination. Whether you’re newly awakened or a veteran, everyone is treated the same."

Her smile deepened just a little.

"After all... you never know what a newly awakened variant might become in the future."

Zac gave a small nod. "Thank you for explaining. Now coming to my business."

"My father was a variant. He went missing a few years ago during a mission. Yesterday, I found his old V-Bank card and was wondering what I should do with it."

Her expression softened.

"I’m sorry for your loss. May I take a look at the card?"

Zac handed it over.

The moment she saw it, her composure shattered. She stood up abruptly, eyes wide, her hands trembling slightly.

"Sir... could you wait here for a moment?" Zac watched her leave in a hurry, but the reaction didn’t surprise him.

Five minutes later, a man in a sharp suit entered alongside the woman. "Sir, please follow me."

"Why do I feel like Déjà vu?"

He escorted Zac to the top floor, into a luxurious chamber.

The man turned to him with clear respect. "I’m the branch manager. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I don’t have the authority to process your request."

"I’ve already contacted headquarters. They’ll speak with you shortly via video. Do you need anything in the meantime, sir?"

[Ask him to bring that cute girl. I don’t like being around grown men.]

"Can I have that special tea?"

"Yeah sure."

Zac nodded at him and sat down on a plush lounge, his eyes on the large screen ahead. Just three minutes later, the screen flickered to life.

An old man in a suit, with glasses and a long white beard, appeared with a gentle smile. "Good day, Mr. Godson."

[Gandalf in suit] smiling emoji.

Zac hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Hello."

"I hope you and your family are doing well."

"Thank you. We are."

[Do you know this Gandalf, Grandpa?]

"No, I don’t, and who is Gandalf?"

The man adjusted his glasses. "Now, to business. Your father, Elric Godson, visited me eight years ago and left specific instructions regarding his account."

Zac leaned forward slightly.

"If I did not return, freeze my account until my son arrives with my card. Once he does, unfreeze the account, transfer ownership to him, and grant him a three-year probation period to hold the golden-black card."

The room went still.

"That was his final instruction to me. Do you have any questions, Mr. Godson?"

[Ask him if his beard is real.]

"What is the probation period for?"

"The golden-black card represents the highest level of privilege we offer. In all of history, only 217 such cards have been created, and your father had one of them."

"When a holder dies or disappears, the card is destroyed, and the account is downgraded. Currently, only 33 such cards remain active, including the one in your hand."

His gaze sharpened. "I believe you understand the value of what you hold."

Zac nodded. "So, because of your father’s request, we preserved both the card and the account."

"So I have three years. What happens after that?"

"Within those three years, if you become someone your father believed you could be, you will retain the card, changing the ownership to you. If not... we proceed with standard protocol."

A faint smile touched Zac’s lips. "Don’t you think my father set the bar a bit high?"

For the first time, the man smiled back. "Mr. Godson, if anyone else had told me something like that, I might have dismissed it as nonsense. But since it was your father, I have no choice but to believe in it."

After a brief pause. "Now, please provide your VSB number. I’ll link the account."

With that done, he left the bank and headed straight home.

***

After getting home, a notification lit up his VSB.

Account successfully linked to your number.

Another message followed, stamped from V-Bank headquarters.

Your father liquefied all his assets, artifacts, and skill books before disappearing. The balance is...

A long trail of zeros filled the screen.

Zac’s body froze. His heartbeat stumbled, then surged back hard against his chest. His jaw dropped so far it looked like it might hit the floor.

He checked the web address again, making sure it wasn’t some kind of prank. Then his fingers moved to the number at the end, tracing it slowly as he counted the zeros.

"One... two... three... four..."

"What the hell?"

In total it was,

2,300 billion kyros.

A grin slowly broke across his face, teeth showing.

"Okay... okay..."

[Now, now. Don’t turn into a spoiled little brat.] the system’s voice cut in.

"Can’t I enjoy this for a second? I just became one of the richest people on the planet."

[And what will money do when your life is in danger? Can you throw money bags at monsters and expect it to die?]

The smile faded and his grip tightened around the device.

Ring...ring...ring...

This is the first time he is getting a call through his VSB. He turned on the screen and saw it was Marty.

"Hello? How are you doing, Marty?"

"For the heaven! I thought you died. Is it really Zac that I’m talking to? Confirm something for me. You’re really Zac, right? Not some ghost crying in a cemetery."

"I’ve been busy."

"Busy? Screw that. I’ve been trying to reach you for a week...whole fucking week. You didn’t pick up calls or reply to any messages. And on top of that, a portal opened right next to our school."

"If you hadn’t answered now, I would’ve shown up at your house with garlands and funeral snakes."

"Alright, alright. Sorry. The past week’s been... a mess." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Marty went silent for a moment. "Man, there’s a lot I wanted to talk about. Especially that skank..."

"Don’t."

The word landed flat.

"Sighhh...Fine."

"So why did I call... Right. At first, I was trying to check on you, but this is something else. My dad just told me our university entrance exam is in a month."

"That sounds like good news."

"In a way, yes, but the problem is how they’re doing it."

Zac leaned back. "What, do we have to write it upside down?"

"Don’t get creative and just listen. They’re holding it in twelve locations across the Eastern Alliance, and our city isn’t one of them."

Zac frowned. "So we have to go to another city."

"Yes, and the nearest exam site is Maroon City."

"Isn’t that thousands of miles from Mellow City?"

"That’s right, it’s going to be a pain in the ass."

They talked for a while about the upcoming exam and possible ways to travel, though most of it felt unnecessary bickering between the two friends.

Then Marty asked, "So what’s your plan for the next month?"

"Training."

"Figures. Let’s meet before we leave for the exam. My parents are coming with me too. They said they want to cheer for me during the exam even though it’s closed doors, but honestly, I think they just want an excuse to tour the city."

He paused, then added, "Why don’t you bring your family too?"

"I don’t know, man. My mom’s just recovering... she only recently got back from the hospital."

"What? What happened to Aunty Martha?"

"It’s a long story. Let’s talk about it when we meet."

"...Fine."

"And Zac... you still have someone who’s got your back. If you need anything, you know who to call."

Zac’s voice lowered.

"Thanks, Marty."

[True friends are hard to come by.]

"True."