When Lancet opened his eyes again, it was like he'd been hit with a flashbang.
His head ached, and the golden light of his interface blared before him. He could see the same notification he had seen before fading away.
⸢ System Alert: Critical State Detected ⸥
⸢ +500 Magical Points have been granted to you to sustain your energy. Use it wisely. ⸥
⸢ MP: 400 ⸥
Lancet blinked, his brain still booting up. 400?
Wait. If he had 400 left, that meant the system used 100 MP to sustain his body. And that meant the energy—both Grace and Gloom—had already circulated through his system.
His eyes widened in fear. "Fuck!"
He pushed himself up, feeling his head pounding and his limbs aching despite the long sleep.
"Hey!"
Kasto appeared beside him, looking relieved.
"We were worried you wouldn't ever get up. We wanted to take you to the nurse, but you told us not to last night. And Luke... well, he checked your pulse and said you'd be fine. You just needed sleep."
Lancet looked up at the top bunk. Luke was already awake, buttoning his uniform apathetically.
"Don't feel special," Luke said flatly, not even looking at Lancet. "I only wanted to make sure you could enjoy your last three days before that Demon Binder kills you."
He hopped down, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door. "Act like you don't know me when you see me at school," he said to all of them and walked out.
The room was silent for a second.
"He's... a character, isn't he?" Kasto muttered, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.
Lancet barely even heard anything. His heart was racing, and there was a creeping coldness in his gut.
"School," he whispered as if frightened of the word. "Today's school?"
"Yeah," Kasto replied, looking at him weirdly. "We enrolled yesterday. You don't think it's the weekend already, do you?"
Anita, the quiet Puppeteer, turned to look at Lancet. She tilted her head, her long hair swaying.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly. "You look... kinda worn out. Your skin is gray."
"I have to see the nurse," Lancet blurted out.
Suddenly, he bolted for the door, still wearing the sweat-stained, crumpled clothes he had passed out in.
"Hey!" Kasto yelled after him. "I thought you said you didn't have profits for the clinic!"
Lancet ignored him. Profits? He would beg, steal, or go into debt. Money was a problem for the living. If he didn't fix this, he wouldn't be living much longer.
He sprinted down the hallway of the Bronze Dorms, bursting out into the morning air.
Separation wasn't something that could be postponed. It was important. Very important.
As soon as an Awakener drew in ambient energy, they had to filter it. Immediately.
If Gloom stayed in the Soul Core for too long, it would quickly start to settle. Then it seeped into the marrow, warping the Grace, corrupting the body to become its main fuel of power.
And then, the infected Awakener would begin to morph into something… inhumane.
That was how Beasts were born. They were just creatures—or people—who had overdosed on Gloom until their humanity was overwritten by hunger.
Lancet couldn't let that happen! He wasn't going to turn to a beast just to be killed by an Awakener for EXP.
How could he have been so stupid?
How could he have forgotten exactly why the Vacuum Method was a "Renan-Only" exclusive in the novel?
With Renan'sAuto-Filtration, when he passed out and his pores ripped open, he didn't have to worry about Gloom infecting him because it wouldn't even enter his soul. His body burned it on contact.
But Lancet? Lancet was a sponge in a sewer.
He had soaked it all up.
Now, the only way he could escape being mutated into a beast was to rush to the clinic and take a Purification Bath.
With speed even more than his own legs could take him, Lancet ran through the Academy's grand corridors, weaving through the morning crowd. Students in pristine uniforms jumped out of his way, staring at the disheveled, manic boy sprinting like a lunatic.
"Watch it!" a senior yelled.
Lancet didn't care. He saw the sign for the Medical Wing ahead.
But just then, a foot flew out in his path. Lancet's rising leg connected with it and he slipped, crashing face-first onto the stone floor.
CRACK.
His jaw hit the ground with a sickening force. Blood immediately filled his mouth, and he felt a jagged edge where a tooth used to be.
"Well, well."
A shadow fell over him, followed by a familiar mocking voice.
Lancet looked up, spitting blood.
It was Theo. The Demon Binder was flanked by his usual goons, Gully and Dace.
"Look at this," Theo sneered, crossing his arms. "What? Are you running away to tell a teacher? Trying to get out of the duel so you don't have to show up in three days?"
Lancet scrambled to his feet. His head was spinning, the Gloom making his vision swim with dark spots.
"Move," Lancet rasped, blood coating his teeth. "I don't have time for you."
"You don't have time?" Dace laughed, stepping forward to block the path. "You got plenty of time to bleed, rat."
Theo stepped in closer, poking Lancet in the chest. "You looked better on the floor yesterday. Maybe we should put you back there."
Lancet looked at the clinic doors visible down the hall. Every second he wasted talking to this NPC was a second the Gloom was eating his soul.
Desperation is a hell of a drug.
"Hey, Dull Rank! Pay attention you slum rat! I said..."
Lancet let one rip.
BAM!
He threw a desperate, wild haymaker straight into Theo's jaw.
It wasn't exactly a skilled punch, but it had the almighty power of a boy who was terrified of turning into a monster.
Theo's head snapped back. He stumbled, eyes wide with shock more than pain.
"You..." Theo sputtered, clutching his face.
"RUN!" Lancet heard his head scream at him. He obeyed.
"GET HIM!" Theo roared, his voice cracking with rage.
Lancet pumped his arms, his chest screaming. Behind him, he heard the heavy footsteps of the three seniors.
They wouldn't call their summons—getting caught using powers in the hallway carried very strict punishments—but they were faster, stronger, and angry.
"You're dead!" Gully shouted, his heavy footsteps thundering closer.
The clinic door was ten meters away. And then it was five.
Lancet could hear Dace's breathing right behind his ear. A hand grazed the back of his collar.
Lancet lunged with desperation. He grabbed the brass handle, twisted, and threw his shoulder against the wood. It gave way.
He tumbled inside, kicked the door shut with his heel, and slammed the deadbolt home.
THUD.
A heavy body slammed against the other side of the door a split second later. The handle twisted but wouldn't nudge.
"Open up, you little shit!" Theo screamed from the hallway. "You're dead, Dull Rank! We'll kill you when you return to the dorms! Just you wait!"
Lancet slid down the door, gasping for air, clutching his bleeding mouth.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
A stern voice cut through the noise.
Lancet looked up. Standing in the center of the pristine white room was a woman in a clinical white robe.
Her green long hair was braided, hanging on both her shoulders, and her aura was strong enough for one to presume she had a high Rank.
She was one of the AcademyNurses. A 7 Star Healer Mage.
She marched to the door and yanked it open.
Theo and his goons tumbled forward, almost falling into the room. They froze when they saw her.
"Ms. Hallow!" Theo yelped, straightening his jacket. "We were just... uh..."
"Get out," she said. "Unless you want me to report you for harassing a patient?"
Theo glared at Lancet one last time, promising murder with his eyes, then turned and fled with his lackeys.
The Nurse slammed the door shut and turned to Lancet. Her expression softened, but only slightly.
"You Class Group-D students," she sighed, shaking her head. "It's the same thing every year. Better get stronger if you want to survive here, kid."
She walked over to him, emerald magic glowing on her hands. "Now, get up. Let me heal that tooth and your lip, and then you can be on your way."
Lancet stood up, using the doorframe for support. "No. That's not what I'm here for," he said with a trembling voice. "I don't care about the tooth."
"You're bleeding on my floor," she pointed out dryly. "Why else would you burst in here like a fugitive?"
"I need a bath," Lancet said.
The room went dead silent.
The Nurse blinked. Her eyes narrowed, and her face went from professional to scandalized in a heartbeat.
"A... bath?" she repeated, her voice rising an octave. "Young man, this is a medical facility, not a spa! How inappropriate! Get out of here right now before I call security!"
"No! No! Not like that!" Lancet waved his hands frantically, seeing his life flash before his eyes.."A Purification Bath!" he shouted. "Gloom. It has infected my body!"
The Nurse stared at him.