“Are these Essence Stones?!” Michael blurted out, his voice was a mix between shock and something dangerously close to panic.
His fingers trembled around the precious gems, like he was holding a live explosive rather than a fortune.
And he didn’t even thank me.
Talk about being ungrateful.
Tsk.
“Yes,” I answered, my tone almost bored.
His wide eyes snapped back to me, disbelief plastered across his face. “Where did you get these?!”
A slow, twisted grin crept onto my lips.
I sighed dramatically before letting out a chuckle laced with dark amusement. “Well, if you must know… I stole them.”
Michael visibly recoiled.
“…Stole them?!” His voice cracked. “From where?!”
“The High Priest’s treasure vault,” I said like it was the most normal thing in the world.
His jaw dropped so hard that it practically hit the floor.
I could’ve laughed, but I wasn’t done yet.
“You see, the third party that Instructor Selene mentioned? The one who took advantage of the chaos and looted the High Priest’s vault?” I gestured to myself with a flourish. “That was me. I followed him back to his bunker, watched him fight the Overlord and kill him, then swooped in to kill him myself and take everything worth stealing from his treasure room.”
I casually pointed down at my dark robe and golden sword. “In fact, these are also from his vault.”
Michael swayed. It looked like he might actually pass out.
But instead of falling unconscious, he shot forward and grabbed my collar in a fit of rage.
“Are you insane?!” he barked. “Any Card or artifact found during a mission is property of the Academy! Keeping them for yourself is stealing! And what you’ve taken is so valuable it could be considered grand theft!”
My grin widened. “That’s correct. So, what are you going to do about it?”
Michael stared at me like I belonged in a mental institution. “I’ll make you report your finds to the Academy! If you surrender everything now, they might still forgive you.”
I hummed, tapping my chin like pretending to consider it. Then I flashed him a warm smile. “No, I don’t think I will.”
He blinked.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” His voice pitched higher. “We were on this mission together, you bastard! If they find out you stole during the operation, they won’t just punish you — they’ll punish us all too!”
I gave him an approving nod like he was a dimwitted child who had finally solved a difficult puzzle. “Exactly.”
“So!” He nearly shouted. “Do it! Report your finds!”
“Hmm,” I mused. “Nah, I’m good.”
Michael’s expression contorted with anger. With a sharp breath, he let go of my collar, gritted his teeth, and turned on his heel. “Fine! I’ll report you myself!”
But before he could even take a single step, I shook my head. “No, you will do no such thing.”
He froze in his tracks. “…What?”
I smirked. “Because if you do, I’ll submit my own report stating that you were in on it. That this whole thing was your idea.”
His head snapped toward me, disbelief flickering across his face. “Bullshit! That’s a lie!”
“Oh? Is it? Well, sue me!” I placed a hand over my chest mockingly. “But seriously think about it, Michael. You were the one in command during this mission, weren’t you? One of your teammates sneaks off, kills the High Priest, and loots his treasure room… and you had no idea? That’s impossible.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“My version of the story is far more plausible. And even if it isn’t…” I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice, “It creates reasonable doubt. Enough to drag you down with me.”
Michael looked like he wanted to punch me.
I could see it in the way he clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. But before he could spit out another protest, I continued speaking:
“The punishment for stealing from the Academy is immediate expulsion. But they wouldn’t do that to me. I’m first-year’s Ace. It would be bad for their image.”
I let that sink in before resuming:
“Alexia is a high-noble. She has no political standing, but even the Academy wouldn’t charge her with grand theft without expecting retaliation from her father — a Duke. That leaves Lily and you. Lily might also get off easy because of her coveted ability. But you?”
Michael visibly shuddered.
“There’s nothing special about you.” My voice turned softer, almost pitying. “You’re strong, sure. You have an exceptionally useful Origin Card. But at the end of the day, you’re just a commoner. No connections. No protection.”
I watched as my words sank into his bones and weighed him down with the realization.
“While the Academy might only limit our promotions, make it difficult for us to advance in ranks, and strip away my title of Ace under some fabricated excuse… you?” I laughed. “They would make an example out of you.”
Michael gritted his teeth, barely restraining himself from taking a swing at me.
“They would expel you without hesitation.” I cocked my head. “So tell me, Michael Godswill… are you really ready to throw your life away?”
He lingered for a moment, then hissed, “Why?! Why are you doing this?! I extended you a hand of friendship, but instead of taking it, you do this! What do you want?!”
I sighed.
As I said, he really was a nice guy.
He believed in things like fairness, justice, and doing the right thing.
And that only made him easier to exploit.
Because the world wasn’t built on ideals — it was built on power, leverage, and the simple fact that the strong made the rules.
And right now, he had no leverage.
I almost felt bad for him. Almost.
Truly, I wished there was another way to get what I wanted, but I needed his Essence Circulation technique, and I needed it now.
It was going to be essential for my next plan.
Maybe I could’ve played the long game.
I could’ve shaken his hand, pretended to be his friend, and built trust with him before asking for his technique.
But that wouldn’t have worked.
And even if it did, it would’ve taken too much time. Especially with a demon whispering in his ear.
Time, however, was the one thing I didn’t have.
If I was right, Juliana must’ve already made her move by now. I needed to crush her. Decisively.
So, blackmailing the protagonist for his cheat was the only option left for me.
I let out a quiet chuckle. “What do I want? That’s easy. Remember a few weeks ago we were supposed to make a deal. You were going to tell me the secret of your strength, and in return, I was going to give you this Card.”
I summoned a Card from my Soul Arsenal — «Visual Link».
It was the same Card that Alexia received as a reward for ranking in the Top Ten during the Evaluation Exam.
Michael had wanted this Card. He tried to make a trade with Alexia, but I got to it from her first.
The Card had a single function — one that was both simple and unique. It allowed the user to see through the eyes of a willing ally.
Michael needed a Card like that so he could see through Xaldreth’s eyes and learn a special sword art – one that required seeing the flow of Essence in the atmosphere.
Unfortunately for him, a Card like «Visual Link» was extremely rare to come by at our level.
So the moment he saw me summon the Card, he stiffened. “I… thought you said you’d break it.”
“Well, I didn’t.” I smiled. “The deal’s still on the table. In fact, I’ll even sweeten it. I have two thousand Essence Stones. I only need four to five hundred to level up. I’m willing to give you a thousand.”
I snapped my fingers as if recalling something important. “Oh, and last time, you said you’d never make a deal with someone like me. So, this time, I’m not giving you a choice. If you refuse, I’ll do as I said and report my grand theft to the Cadet Council president, framing you as my accomplice.”
This time, Michael couldn’t hold back. He snapped.
With a snarl, he swung his fist at my face with blurring speed.
But I was already moving to evade the blow since I anticipated something like that.
I jumped a few steps back, quickly dismissed «Visual Link», and raised my sword just enough to react swiftly in case he decided to come at me.
“Calm down, Michael,” I warned.
But Michael wasn’t interested in warnings.
“You greedy motherfucker!” he spat as he got ready to cast an attack Card. “Just when I thought you finally changed! Just when I thought maybe I judged you wrong, you go ahead and prove you’re the same selfish, conniving bastard you’ve always been—”
“I said, calm the fuck down!” I lost the subtle smile on my face and yelled out sharply, cutting him off.
For once, he actually hesitated.
“You said you couldn’t save that little girl,” I continued, my tone razor-edged. “You almost died yourself. Do you think you’re the only one? I almost died too! And I wish I could’ve saved more people than I did too! But I couldn’t. Because I was weak. And the same applies to you.”
Michael’s glare wavered, though his voice was still full of rage when he shouted, “What?!”
“You said you made a mistake by not listening to me during the mission.” I shook my head. “That wasn’t your only mistake. You were also weak.”
Michael’s eyes widened, and I finally saw a flicker of doubt – of reluctant recognition – in his gaze.
His expression softened just a fraction, but he still looked ready to rip my head off.
I pressed on. “If you were stronger, you could’ve saved more. No — maybe you could’ve prevented that incident altogether! I know I could’ve.”
I let a short stretch of silence wash over us, broken only by the faint whisper of the morning breeze.
Michael’s breath caught in his throat. He looked like he wanted to argue, to call me a liar and a manipulator.
But he couldn’t.
Because deep down, he knew I was right.
I lowered my sword.
“That’s why you need to get stronger. So next time, there won’t be any regrets.” I tapped my temple. “And believe it or not, it’s the same for me.”
He shook his head, searching for something to say, something to throw back at me.
But nothing came to him except denial. “No… you—”
“What?” I scoffed. “You think I’m not just as frustrated about how everything went down? Why? Because in your head, you’ve made me into some kind of villain? Because I’ve done bad things, I can’t possibly be the good guy?”
A dry chuckle left my lips. “The world isn’t so black and white, you fool! No one’s a villain in their own story!”
Michael’s hands trembled at his sides. His rage twisted into frustration, then into something else — something resembling despair.
I exhaled slowly. “So here’s the deal. You give me your secret. In exchange, I give you the «Visual Link» Card and a thousand Essence Stones. That way, you’ll be one step closer to the strength you want. You don’t have to like me, and I sure as hell don’t need your friendship. But this deal benefits us both.”
His jaw clenched as he helplessly looked down.
“If you refuse,” I said, keeping my voice cool, “you’re useless to us both. And I don’t tolerate useless fools. You have until tomorrow to decide. Or else… well, you know what happens to people who stay weak. They get trampled.”
With that, I walked past him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.