Sector Academy – Next Day, 08:47 AM
The atmosphere was thick with whispers.
By now, every screen in the academy had replayed the footage. The slap. Zarik's stumble. Auron standing calm like a shadow that had stepped out of nowhere. Even the upper-zone students were murmuring about it in their silk-threaded uniforms.
But Auron didn't care.
He walked into class, head down, backpack over one shoulder, and took the last seat in the back. The classroom smelled like polished steel and artificial air. Screens glowed on every wall, showing world news and stock indexes most students pretended to understand.
His ears still rang from the system updates. The rewards had hit his account overnight—$25,000 and a stealth ability. But more than that, he'd felt his body change. His reflexes sharpened. He could sense every twitch around him. Every microsecond.
But today wasn't about Zarik.
Today was about a new name.
Mission Notification: Primary Mission Activated.
Target: Instructor Voltren Marr.
Objective: Destroy his career publicly.
Reward: $40,000 + Access to Black Card (Tier 1, Limited)
Auron's eye twitched. Instructor Marr. Everyone knew his name. Most feared it. Voltren wasn't just a teacher. He ran Sector Academy's "Moral Oversight Council." He had the power to expel slumborn students at will—and often did.
He also had a habit of getting paid off by elite families to erase their failures. Zarik's name showed up three times in the system logs.
And now, Auron was going to end him.
Planning Phase – Lunch Break
Auron didn't eat. He spent the entire break in the old storage wing, swiping through the new system tools that unlocked last night.
System Tools (Tier 1 Unlocked):
Audio Tapper: Hijack classroom speaker feed (15 min window)
KeyLog Beta: Track terminal inputs of target (auto-recorded)
ID Phantom: Mask student ID signature for 60 seconds
Credit Splitter: Fork $500 from one transaction (cooldown: 3 hrs)
Auron's fingers hovered over the second one.
KeyLog Beta: Activate now?
Y/N
He tapped Yes. A red glow pulsed in his vision. His classroom screen shimmered as it began tracking Instructor Marr's personal terminal.
The logs began flooding in.
13:02 — Transfer request to Zarik Reman's father: "Clear disciplinary record – $3,000 paid"
13:15 — Erased slum student grades, replaced with fail notice
13:16 — Email to Sector Chief: "Vell student is on watchlist"
That was enough.
Optional Objective: Public Reveal in front of Sector Admin.
Bonus: +$10,000 & Instructor Disbarment Guarantee
Auron smirked.
Execution – Ethics Class, 14:00 PM
Instructor Marr walked in like always—polished shoes, white gloves, slicked hair pulled back so tight it looked painful. His voice was smooth, like oil poured over glass.
"Today's lesson, class: Justice without power is meaningless."
Auron stood.
The entire class turned.
Marr raised an eyebrow. "Yes, student Vell?"
Auron didn't speak.
He tapped his screen.
Every single wall lit up with red.
PLAYING LOG: Instructor Voltren Marr – Internal Transactions
The class went dead silent.
The screens read:
"Clear disciplinary record for Reman, $3,000 received."
"Remove student ID #34502 (slum orphan) from active list."
"Notify Sector Chief: Auron Vell is a target for removal."
Marr's face turned pale.
"Wh-where did you get that?!"
Auron stared at him.
"You taught us yesterday: 'Corruption should be met with consequence.' I'm just following your ethics."
The moment froze.
One of the elite students slowly clapped.
Another joined in. Then half the class.
Marr turned to run—but the doors locked.
Security drones dropped down from the ceiling, scanning the projection.
Alert: Administrative Review Requested.
Instructor Suspension: Pending.
Mission Complete.
Reward Transferred: $40,000 + Black Card (Tier 1 Limited – Activated)
Black Card. The rarest access point.
For 5 minutes, Auron could access and spend from any non-frozen account in Nexora's slum, student, or staff sectors—with no trace.
He had 5 minutes of financial chaos.
Black Vault View – Hidden System Wallet (Live Access)
Account: Sovereign Black Vault
Balance Before: $80,000
+Mission Reward: $40,000
+Bonus Added: $10,000
Total: $130,000 USD
Spending Session (Black Card Access – 5 Minutes)
$7,000 – Advanced medical purifier (for Riva)
$3,500 – Second-hand hoverpad (mobility aid)
$1,000 – Secure slum address for new residence ID alias
$8,000 – Ghostline comms upgrade + encrypted transmitter
Remaining Balance: $110,500 USD
Auron didn't blink as he sent the funds out. Five windows on his screen showed packages being assembled, drones dispatched, licenses auto-filled.
For the first time, he wasn't just surviving—he was reshaping his life.
Rooftop of the Academy – 16:45 PM
Lira watched the news from her cracked tablet.
She was sitting in the rusted drone dock above the academy wing, legs crossed, lips curled.
"Who the hell is this guy?" she muttered, zooming in on Auron's face. The system didn't recognize his ID.
"That slap yesterday, and now this? This ain't luck. He's system-touched."
She cracked her knuckles.
Time to find him before someone else did.
She pocketed her cracked comm-link and dropped down the ventilation pipe.
Her boots hit the floor. Sparks scattered. Her breath fogged in the cold.
Time to play her game.
Later That Night – The Nest
Auron walked in to find Riva drawing something on the wall with a broken crayon.
It was a house.
"Is this our new house?" he asked.
She giggled. "Yep. Two floors. Your room's upstairs. Mine has stars on the ceiling."
He knelt beside her.
"Save this drawing, Riva. One day, we'll build it."
She smiled and said, "You look different today. Like… your back is straighter."
He smiled.
He reached into his pocket and handed her a real bar of chocolate. Imported. Expensive.
Her eyes lit up like he'd given her a world.
Next Mission Incoming: Hijack Bank Terminal – Reward: $85,000 + Crypto Clean Card + Contact with Gray Zone Broker
The system pulsed.
He stood up.
The war had just begun.