The Science Block was secure, but a fortress without soldiers is just a tomb.
Inside the [ECLIPSE] Guild Hall (formerly the Server Room), the hum of the cooling fans was the only sound. Bhy Khay stood before a wall of monitors. He wasn't looking at security footage; he was looking at a digital map of the entire campus, overlaid with red and green dots.
[GUILD RADAR: ACTIVE]
[RANGE: 500 METERS]
[POTENTIAL RECRUITS DETECTED: 3]
"Three?" Elara asked, leaning over the console. She had cleaned the blood off her face, and the [Silk Robe] gave her an ethereal, commanding presence. "Out of two thousand students, only three are worth saving?"
"Only three are worth recruiting," Bhy Khay corrected. "I don't need cannon fodder. I need specialists."
He tapped a blinking green dot on the screen. It was located on the roof of the Cafeteria Building, three blocks away.
[TARGET: ZAYN OLUWASEGUN]
[CLASS: ??? (Hidden)]
[STATUS: PINNED DOWN]
[HP: 30/100]
"Zayn?" Elara frowned. "The quiet kid from Engineering? The one who wears headphones 24/7?"
"The one who plays competitive FPS games and hasn't missed a headshot in three years," Bhy Khay said. "His class is hidden, even from the general scan. That means it's either bugged or Unique."
He grabbed a spare [Iron Crossbow] he had bought from the System Shop earlier.
"Let's go. Viktor's goons are hunting him."
The journey to the Cafeteria was a lesson in stealth.
Bhy Khay and Elara moved through the shadows of the maintenance tunnels. They avoided the main roads where Level 3 [Goblins] and [Scavenger Rats] roamed in packs.
"Iron Fist has patrols," Elara whispered, spotting a group of students in varsity jackets guarding the quad. They were armed with fire axes and makeshift shields. "They've taken over the Gym and the Admin block."
"Viktor moves fast," Bhy Khay noted. "He's consolidating power by force. Join or die."
"And us?"
"We offer a third option," Bhy Khay said, pushing open a grate leading to the Cafeteria roof. "Win."
They emerged into the cool night air.
The roof of the Cafeteria was a mess of ventilation ducts and solar panels. And right in the center, huddled behind an AC unit, was a skinny boy with messy afro hair and thick glasses.
He was holding a slingshot. A literal toy slingshot.
Surrounding him were four members of [IRON FIST].
"Come out, Four-Eyes!" one of the bullies shouted, swinging a baseball bat. "Viktor wants all players to report to the Gym. You can carry our bags."
"I... I'm not going with you," Zayn's voice cracked. He peeked out, aiming the slingshot. His hand was shaking violently.
"Look at him," another goon laughed. "He thinks he's David against Goliath. Kid, you're Level 1. We're Level 3. Put the toy down."
"I said stay back!" Zayn pulled the rubber band.
He released a small metal ball bearing.
PING.
It hit the lead bully right in the forehead.
"Ow!" The bully rubbed his head. "That stung. Alright, break his legs."
The four of them advanced.
From the shadows of the ventilation duct, Elara whispered to Bhy Khay. "He's useless. He's using a toy. Why are we here?"
"Look closer," Bhy Khay activated [Sovereign Eyes].
He zoomed in on the bully's forehead. There was a tiny red mark.
"He didn't just hit the forehead," Bhy Khay analyzed. "He hit the exact center of the glabella bone. The softest point."
Bhy Khay looked at Zayn. The boy was terrified, fumbling for another ball bearing. But above his head, the code was spiraling.
[CLASS: BALLISTIC SEER (Rare)]
[PASSIVE: TRAJECTORY CALCULATION]
[ACCURACY: 100%]
[LIMITATION: REQUIRES RANGED WEAPON]
"He doesn't miss," Bhy Khay realized. "He just has a garbage weapon. The System gave a Ferrari engine to a bicycle."
Bhy Khay stepped out of the shadows.
"Hey!" he shouted.
The four bullies spun around.
"Who the hell—" The leader squinted. Then he saw the floating text above Bhy Khay's head. "Wait. That's him! The Bounty! The 1000 Coin Guy!"
Greed instantly replaced their anger. They forgot about Zayn.
"Get him!" The leader charged.
"Elara, shield!" Bhy Khay ordered.
"[Frost Barrier]!"
A wall of ice erupted between Bhy Khay and the attackers. They slammed into it, chipping the ice with their bats.
Bhy Khay didn't look at them. He walked calmly toward Zayn, who was cowering behind the AC unit.
"Zayn," Bhy Khay said.
The boy looked up, eyes wide behind his cracked glasses. "Bhy Khay? You... you're the Admin?"
Bhy Khay tossed the [Iron Crossbow] onto the ground in front of him. along with a quiver of bolts.
"That slingshot is embarrassing," Bhy Khay said. "Pick that up."
"I... I've never fired a crossbow," Zayn stammered.
"You don't need to know how to fire it," Bhy Khay kicked the crossbow closer. "You just need to see the line. Do you see it?"
Zayn looked at the weapon. Then he looked at the bullies pounding on Elara's ice wall. The wall was cracking.
"The line..." Zayn whispered.
He picked up the crossbow. It was heavy, cold iron. As soon as his fingers touched the trigger, his eyes changed. The fear vanished, replaced by a dull, robotic focus.
He didn't aim. He didn't squint. He just lifted the weapon.
To Zayn, the world had turned into a grid. glowing green lines extended from the tip of the bolt, bouncing off the walls, calculating wind speed, drag, and drop.
He saw the path.
"Shoot," Bhy Khay commanded.
Zayn pulled the trigger.
TWANG.
The bolt flew. It didn't go straight at the bullies. It flew past them, hit the metal ventilation duct on the wall, ricocheted at a 45-degree angle, and—
THWACK.
It buried itself in the back of the lead bully's knee.
"ARGH!" The bully collapsed, screaming.
The ice wall shattered. The other three turned, confused. "Where did that come from?"
Zayn had already reloaded. His movements were a blur of muscle memory he didn't know he had.
TWANG. TWANG. TWANG.
Three bolts in two seconds.
The first hit a bully in the shoulder, pinning him to the AC unit.
The second knocked the bat out of another guy's hand.
The third grazed the ear of the last guy, terrified him so much he wet himself.
[CRITICAL HIT x3]
Silence fell over the roof.
Zayn stood there, holding the crossbow, smoke rising from the string. He blinked, and the robotic look faded. He looked at his hands, trembling again.
"I... I did that?"
Bhy Khay walked over and placed a hand on Zayn's shoulder.
"You're a [Ballistic Seer]," Bhy Khay explained. "You see the math. The System gave you the aim, but you lacked the hardware."
He turned to the bullies, who were now groaning on the floor or fleeing back down the stairs.
"Tell Viktor," Bhy Khay shouted after them. "Tell him [ECLIPSE] is recruiting. And we have the high ground."
He turned back to Zayn.
"Level 1," Bhy Khay said. "But with that aim, you're more dangerous than a Level 5 Warrior."
He extended a hand.
"Do you want to stay here and play with toys? Or do you want to join the winning team?"
Zayn looked at the crossbow. He felt the power of it. For a kid who had always been bullied, the ability to strike from a distance was intoxicating.
"I'm in," Zayn said, shaking Bhy Khay's hand.
[SYSTEM ALERT: GUILD MEMBER RECRUITED.]
[NAME: ZAYN.]
[ROLE: SNIPER.]
[MEMBERS: 3/10]
Elara walked over, kicking a baseball bat away. She looked at Zayn, then at Bhy Khay. She was smiling.
"A Tank, a Mage, and a Sniper," she listed. "We have a party."
"Not yet," Bhy Khay checked the time. [REGIONAL RAID: 46 HOURS]. "We have the damage. But we lack the eyes."
He looked toward the Art Department.
"We need a Scout. Someone who can see through walls. Someone who knows secrets."
"Do you have a target?" Elara asked.
Bhy Khay smirked.
"Oh yes. The campus gossip girl. Tomiwa."
[QUEST UPDATED: ASSEMBLE THE SQUAD.]
[TARGET 2: THE WHISPERER.]