Kaelen stared at the starving crow. Its eyes were like beads of polished obsidian, reflecting a version of himself he hated—small, weak, and desperate.
Professor Mordred's smile remained fixed, a thin line of calculated malice. He wasn't just a teacher; he was a predator who had smelled blood in the water. To him, Kaelen was a curiosity to be poked and prodded.
"Five minutes, Kaelen," Mordred whispered, the shadow of his tall frame swallowing the boy. "Tick-tock."
Kaelen's fingers tightened around the bird. He felt its frantic heartbeat against his palm. He could take the deal. He could bleed a little, pay the Tax, and crawl back to his dorm to live another day.
But Kaelen hadn't conquered the world by following the rules of lesser men.
He knows what I am? Kaelen thought. No. He suspects. He thinks I'm a 'Leech'—a common dark-path cultivator. He has no idea he's standing in front of the King of the Void.
Kaelen didn't feed the bird. Instead, he smiled—a slow, terrifying expression that made Mordred's eyebrows twitch.
"Professor," Kaelen said softly. "You talk a lot about 'Dark Arts Containment.' But who is containing you?"
"What are you—"
Kaelen's hand shot out, not toward the bird, but toward the Professor's chest. He didn't strike. He simply whispered: "Debt Collection: Mark."
[SYSTEM ALERT!] [Target Marked: Professor Mordred (Rank: High Mage).] [Analyzing Moral Standing...] [Scanning... Scanning...]
"You dare?" Mordred hissed, his hand crackling with cold, blue energy. "You think a first-year brat can—"
[DING! DING! DING!] [Massive Sin Detected: 'The Corrupt Educator'.] [Act: Extorting a student under threat of Soul Liquidation.] [Penalty Value: 5,000 Karma.] [Interception in progress...]
Kaelen felt a surge of golden light erupt from the air between them. It wasn't mana; it was the raw, unyielding force of the System's Bureaucracy.
"What is this?!" Mordred gasped, his blue energy flickering and dying. He felt a sudden, hollow vacuum in his chest. It was as if his very "Virtue"—the spiritual weight that allowed mages to commune with the world—was being siphoned out through an invisible straw.
[You have intercepted a portion of the Fine!] [+1,500 Karma Points received.]
Kaelen's screen went from a frantic red to a glowing, triumphant gold.
[Current Karma: 1,987 / 500] [Monthly Interest: PAID.] [Overpayment Detected: Would you like to apply balance to 'Principal Debt' or 'System Shop Credit'?]
Kaelen ignored the prompt. He leaned closer to Mordred, who was now leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, his face suddenly ten years older.
"The thing about being a 'Leech,' Professor," Kaelen whispered, shoving the starving crow back into the man's weak grip, "is that we don't just take crumbs. We take the whole meal."
Kaelen turned on his heel and walked toward the exit of the Dining Hall, his steps light and rhythmic. Behind him, the students were still whispering, unaware that their Professor had just been spiritually mugged by the lowest-ranked student in the Academy.
[Time until Soul Liquidation: CANCELLED.] [Next Interest Payment due in: 29 Days, 23 Hours.]
Kaelen pushed open the heavy oak doors and stepped out into the cool night air. For the first time since his regression, he didn't feel like a slave. He felt like a businessman.
"System," Kaelen said, looking up at the moon. "Apply the overpayment to Shop Credit. I want to see the 'Advanced' tab."
[Request Processed.] [1,487 Karma converted to Shop Credit.] [Unlocking: 'The Architect of Ruin' Skill Tree...]
As Kaelen walked back to his dorm, a new notification appeared—one that didn't come with a chime, but a low, vibrating hum that shook his very bones.
[WORLD EVENT TRIGGERED!] [The 'Hero of Prophecy' has felt a disturbance in the Fate Constellation.] [Alaric's 'Awakening' has been accelerated due to 'Intense Humiliation'.]
Kaelen stopped. He looked at his hands, which were no longer trembling.
"Accelerate all you want, Alaric," Kaelen murmured. "The faster you grow, the more Karma I can harvest when I break you again."
He headed for his bed. He needed sleep. Tomorrow, he had a "Introduction to Heroics" class, and he had a feeling he was going to be the top of the class—by any means necessary.
Progress Report:
Current Karma: 0 (Interest Paid!)
Shop Credit: 1,487
Status: The Professor's Nightmare.