"What's this? Bullying?" A lazy voice interrupted the standoff. A girl with short hair, a tall figure, and confident posture stepped into the scene.

“Cassia?” Ryder blinked in surprise.

"Ryder, you’ve got guts?" The girl, Cassia, stood next to Axel, a boy with glasses and a medium build following her closely.

"Just a business transaction. Since Axel doesn’t want to sell, I won’t bother you anymore," Ryder's tone turning friendly again.

Cassia, like Ryder, was among the top ten students in terms of Force value. She’d even ranked slightly higher than him in the last test.

"Ah, Axel…" Vale sighed. "You had the opportunity, but you missed it."

With that, Vale followed Ryder, leaving Axel standing there.

After everyone had left, Axel felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Cassia standing there.

"Thanks," Axel said simply.

Before Cassia could respond, the guy with glasses next to her spoke up. "Thank her, not me? You value your women more than your friends."

The moment he finished, Cassia swung a punch at him. "Drayke, if you keep talking nonsense, I swear I'll knock you out! Axel and I are friends, and that's all there is to it." Drayke winced, holding his shoulder, his face turning a shade of blue.

"Besides," Cassia continued, "With only 82 points. If those lackeys had started fighting, you would’ve been the first one on the ground."

Axel couldn’t help but smile at the playful bickering between Cassia and Drayke. His two closest friends. Cassia, his deskmate, was incredibly talented, and her family was rich, so she never lacked for raw stones.

Drayke, on the other hand, sat behind him in class. He was full of gossip and always had the latest rumors. He might be a bit of a know-it-all, but he was one of the few people Axel considered a true friend.

"Friendship? The huge bag you gave Axel?" Drayke teased, retreating behind Axel as Cassia glared at him.

Cassia waved her hand. "Just some scraps of raw stones."

"Scraps? Please. You barely used half of them! If you’re going to throw them out, just give them to me. I could still make good use of them," Drayke said, envious of Axel’s good fortune.

"Alright, alright, enough. We’ve still got that test today," Cassia said, eager to change the subject. The three of them quickly walked toward the classroom.

......

"Ryder, I didn't handle that well," her voice filled with self-reproach. "I didn’t expect a waste from the slums to be so hard to deal with."

"It’s fine," Ryder said casually, chewing gum and sounding completely unbothered. "Just a loser. When he can’t awaken, no matter how hard he tries, he’ll come crawling to me."

Vale nodded, agreeing with Ryder’s assessment. She felt a sense of relief when she saw that Ryder didn’t blame her. Axel was just a self-righteous waste, was bound to stay in a completely different world from hers.

Along the way, Drayke couldn’t stop asking Axel for more details about his encounter with the infected.

"Nothing happened. It was mostly luck. The monster was already seriously injured when I showed up. I only fired a few shots." Axel shrugged.

Drayke clapped his hands together, grinning. "See? I told you it was just luck!"

Cassia rolled her eyes and didn’t bother to engage.

"But seriously, you’re fucking brave. I’d have stayed home," Drayke said, his grin widening. "With so many fine raw stones, even if you sell them, you’d make a fortune."

As Axel entered the classroom, he noticed that many of his classmates had already returned. Most of them glanced at Axel with a mix of envy and curiosity.

A few familiar faces came over to speak to Axel, but most kept their distance. The bell rang, signaling the start of class, and in walked a middle-aged, slightly overweight man. He cleared his throat before addressing the room.

"Ahem. What time is it. You all should be more focused!" The man’s voice carried a gruffness, but his eyes lacked real reproach.

"First—welcome back, Axel!.." The homeroom teacher, Mr. Grey, flashed a grin. "Alright, now listen up. In a bit, the school will organize the final Force test before awakening. I’ve got two announcements to make."

"First, anyone who scores over 90 in this test will be eligible for special training over the next ten days."

It was essentially an opportunity to bring the best students from the whole grade together for intensive training. The instructor for the class was an awakener, making it a sought-after opportunity.

"Storm and Cassia were the only ones to break 90 in the last test. For the rest of you, I hope you’ll surprise me. My bonuses for this year depend on you guys!" Mr. Grey said with a joking tone.

The class glanced over at a quiet figure sitting off to the side, his bangs covering his eyes and his posture upright. His expression was emotionless, this was Storm, the top student.

"Alright, and here’s the second big announcement!" Mr. Grey’s tone shifted, becoming more serious. Grey’s usual relaxed expression had disappeared. Instead, he looked unusually serious. "Someone from Shadowridge High has already awakened this year."

As the words left his mouth, a murmur spread through the classroom. Those who could awaken earlier on their own were undeniably special. Genius of geniuses, even.

Brookhaven High, though considered the best in Dune, had never had a student awaken early.

"The school is under a lot of pressure because of this, so they’re offering a huge reward," Grey continued, pausing for effect. "Anyone who awakens on the official awakening day will be given a cash prize of one million!"

The room erupted into whispers. With that kind of money, you could move to a safer city or buy all the training resources you needed—it was more than enough to change your life.

"I guess I won’t be getting that," Drayke groaned, speaking for most of the class. "Storm, Cassia, you two have the chance."

Cassia twirled a pen between her fingers, while Storm's eyes fixed ahead, radiating an aura, "don’t talk to me."

"Alright, let’s head to the test," Grey said, snapping everyone back to attention.

The hallway buzzed with noise as the students made their way to the playground. A crowd had already gathered outside, and each class had a designated teacher for the test. Grey led the way as Axel and the others followed.

.....

The testing machine was simple—a square box with a sensor. All they had to do was stretch their arms over it, and after ten seconds or so, the result would be displayed. Whenever someone scored over 90 Force, they'd be called over to register individually.

"Tsk, tsk, I’m so envious." Drayke said, gesturing toward a dozen or so students standing off to the side.

"Cassia and Storm will definitely make it in. The awakened ones will personally train them—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that a lot of people dream of," Drayke sighed, his voice filled with a touch of longing.

Cassia shot him a sharp glare. "What’s so special about the training class?"

The students took their turns, stepping up to the testing machine one by one. It had only been a month since the last test, so most weren’t expecting huge improvements. Still, there was a glimmer of hope in everyone’s eyes.

"Drayke, last time you were at 73, now you’re at 75."

"Storm, last time 93, this time 97."

The tester looked up at Storm. He had the same cool, distant expression as always.

"Storm, please head over there. We’ll register you in a moment."

97 Force! So close to the threshold of awakening. Even if he didn’t awaken, with that kind of power, he'd easily get into one of the top schools within the city walls.

Storm nodded to Grey and made his way to the registration area. As soon as his back was turned to the crowd, a small, carefree smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Still pretending to be all cool," Cassia muttered, rolling her eyes.