The defeat of Renard, the Academy's golden boy, sent shockwaves through the campus. In a single afternoon, Caelum Thorne had gone from 'F-Rank Trash' to 'The Unstoppable Glitch'.
But while the students whispered in fear, the higher-ups were preparing for war.
"Caelum Thorne. My office. Now."
The voice didn't come from a person, but from the air itself. It was the Grandmaster of the Academy, Silas Vane. He was a Level 80 Archmage and one of the few humans who could communicate directly with the System's core.
Caelum stood in the Grandmaster's office, a room filled with ancient relics and humming mana crystals. Silas Vane sat behind a massive desk, his eyes glowing with a sharp, golden light.
"You didn't just defeat Renard, Caelum," Silas said, his voice heavy with authority. "You bypassed the System's laws. I watched the recording. You didn't use mana to block his fire. You made the fire... stop existing."
Caelum leaned against the wall, unbothered by the crushing mana pressure in the room. "The System is full of errors, Grandmaster. I'm just fixing them."
"Fixing them?" Silas stood up, the floor beneath him cracking. "Or exploiting them? The Overseers are demanding your soul, boy. They see you as a virus. If I don't hand you over, they will reset this entire Academy."
[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL INTENT DETECTED]
[ACTION: SCANNING GRANDMASTER SILAS VANE...]
[STATUS: LEVEL 82 ARCHMAGE. MANA CAPACITY: 1,200,000]
Caelum smiled, a dark, dangerous look in his eyes. "Hand me over? You can try. But before you do, ask yourself this: If I can delete an A-Rank's mana with a touch, what do you think I can do to an Archmage's heart?"
Silas froze. For the first time in fifty years, he felt true fear. He realized that Caelum wasn't just a student anymore. He was a predator, and the System was his hunting ground.
"I have a counter-offer," Caelum continued, walking toward the window. "You hide my data from the Overseers for one week. In exchange, I'll show you how to reach Level 100—something no human has ever done."
Silas Vane's eyes widened. Level 100 was the realm of the Gods. It was a deal he couldn't refuse, and a gamble that could destroy the world.