Raze knew the girl wasn't wrong.
A level one and a level two on the same team as one of the strongest students in the class would drag everyone down in the wrong situation. If things went bad, people wouldn't hesitate to point fingers.
And while Raze could grow stronger through the system, explaining that growth without an awakening would only raise questions he couldn't dodge.
Too many questions. Too much attention.
If he was ever going to trust them with the truth, it couldn't be now. Not while he still didn't understand what he was becoming.
Felix stepped forward first, eyes narrowing at the girl.
"Why do you care so much about our team?" he asked bluntly. "It's not like you're part of it."
Beatrix crossed her arms beside him. "Yeah. Why are you even worrying about us?"
The girl let out a small, amused laugh. Not mocking—just knowing.
"You think I'm worried? No." She tilted her head slightly. "I'm just telling you what's already happening."
She paused, making sure all of them were listening.
"There's a hierarchy forming in this academy. Not from the instructors—from the students. The higher-level ones." Her eyes flicked briefly to Raze, then away. "Low levels are already getting targeted for being… weak."
She went on, explaining how stronger students were getting bolder by the day.
Picking on anyone below them. Pressuring them. Taking credits. And worse—any high-level student seen hanging around weaker ones would get 'taught a lesson' too.
A reputation was already spreading.
"I honestly don't care if you guys get confronted," she finished. "I'm just telling you so you know what to expect. And what not to expect here."
She looked at them one last time, then turned and walked away, her steps sharp and controlled.
Raze glanced at Liam.
The boy's hand was trembling slightly where it rested on the table.
'Since when did Liam act like this?' Raze thought. 'He's better off than me right now. I'm a level one. He's already level two.'
Felix, meanwhile, looked almost amused. He listened to the warning with a grin tugging at his mouth. Being level seven-plus meant only a handful of students would even think about messing with him.
Still… some of her words stuck.
He didn't want his low-level friends getting targeted just for existing.
"Don't worry," Felix said casually. "If anyone gives you trouble, just tell me or Beatrix. We can handle it. Right?"
Beatrix nodded. "Felix is right." Her eyes moved to Raze and Liam, steady and serious. "If you're in trouble, don't hesitate. Come to us."
Liam shifted in his seat. "But… what if they're as strong as you?" he asked quietly. "Or stronger?"
Felix didn't answer right away. His grin faded into something more thoughtful—not worried, just calculating.
Beatrix stayed calm, though her fingers tapped lightly against the table.
Raze watched Liam's shoulders tense.
'If Liam's already this shaken… how is he going to survive a portal outing?'
'And how am I supposed to protect him when I'm the weakest one here?'
Liam looked between them, waiting for something. Anything that would make him feel safer.
Before Felix could speak, Raze did.
"If someone stronger shows up," Raze said evenly, "we deal with it one step at a time. Worrying about things that haven't happened yet won't help us now."
Liam blinked, surprised. Felix raised a brow, clearly not expecting Raze to step in. Beatrix gave a small nod, accepting the answer without question.
The tension eased.
When class ended, they packed up and walked back to the dorms together. No one talked much, but the silence wasn't heavy—just tired.
Inside the dorm, Felix flopped onto his bed like nothing in the world bothered him. Liam sat at his desk, clearly still stuck in his own thoughts. Beatrix started talking with Felix about something Raze barely registered.
His mind stayed on what the level six girl had said.
Hierarchy. Targets. Weak students being used as stepping stones.
She wasn't wrong.
A level one and a level two really were the bottom of the academy. And if stronger students were already picking on people, then he and Liam were easy prey. Especially him.
Raze leaned back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
'I need to level up. Fast. Two weeks at most.'
'But how do I explain it when I don't even have an awakening?'
They'd notice. Felix would notice. Beatrix definitely would.
The system could push him ahead of everyone his age but without a cover story, it would just paint a target on his back.
Raze exhaled slowly.
'I just need to get stronger… without being obvious.'
When no one was paying attention, he stood and quietly slipped out of the dorm.
He moved through the halls at a steady pace, thoughts looping. Two weeks wasn't enough time to explain anything. And it definitely wasn't enough time to hide everything.
Then something clicked.
Awakening Battleground.
Felix had explained it before. A PvP game. Simulated awakenings. No real body. No real exposure. Just combat, reactions, instincts.
If Raze used it, he could fight all kinds of awakenings without anyone knowing who he really was.
It wouldn't solve everything.
The portal outing was still coming. Real danger. Real beasts.
'I don't even know what I'll be facing out there…'
He took a breath and asked the system silently, 'Is there any other way to get quests without physical combat?'
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a window appeared.
[ Main Quest: Reach Level 10 ]
No explanation. No alternatives.
Raze clenched his jaw.
'So it really is constant fighting.'
As he turned a corner, a sharp voice cut through his thoughts.
"Hurry up and transfer it."
Raze slowed.
Down the hall, two boys stood near the lockers. One was backed against the wall, clutching his wristwatch. The other loomed over him, smug grin in place. His watch glowed—Level 1.5. Barely stronger.
"I don't have many credits left," the smaller boy said, voice shaking.
"That's not my problem," the other snapped. "If you don't want trouble, hand it over."
Raze's eyes narrowed.
Someone barely stronger, already using it to bully someone weaker.
It bothered him more than he expected.
Maybe because he knew what it felt like to be cornered.
Or maybe because the guy doing the bullying didn't even deserve the advantage he had.
Raze stepped forward, footsteps deliberate.
Both boys turned.
The bully scowled. "The hell do you want?"
Raze stopped a few steps away.
The smaller boy looked scared but relieved.
"I said," the bully snapped, stepping closer, "what do you want?"
Raze tilted his head slightly. "You're really threatening someone over credits when you're barely half a level higher?"
The boy scoffed. "And? Higher's higher. Weak people get pushed around. That's how it works here."
Raze stared at him for a second.
"I just don't like it."
The bully clicked his tongue and stepped even closer, sizing him up.
"And what's a level one gonna do? Trying to play hero? Level one trash giving advice?"
Raze didn't answer.
And somehow, that silence annoyed the boy more than any insult ever could.