I stared at the boy.
He was taller than me, with black hair, black eyes, and a long face. His build was top-heavy—broad shoulders, thick arms, but noticeably thin legs. The kind of guy who would never skip an upper-body workout but conveniently forget leg day.
I ran a hand through my rain-soaked hair, slicking it back as I rose to my feet. My gaze stayed on him as I spoke.
"Yeah, and this is my best friend, Steve."
King's eyes narrowed at that. He glanced at Steve, then back at me. He took a moment before speaking again.
"I'm here to make a deal with you."
'Oh? So you're just going to ignore it?'
"What kind of deal?" I asked.
"I want the reward from this checkpoint. In return, I'll owe you a favor."
I tilted my head at that.
'What the hell is this guy talking about? Is he the Emperor or something that his favor is so special?'
I turned to Steve.
"I don't know," he answered.
I looked back at King.
"Sorry, I don't understand."
King blinked a few times, as if surprised.
"What I mean is, I have my own ways to help you in the future—special ways that you won't get
anywhere else. Maybe only from the royal family."
I held my chin and closed my eyes, pretending to think really hard.
But my mind drifted elsewhere.
North.
'Could I still make it in time to help her out? Should I ask the Vice Commander?'
I dismissed that idea immediately. That wouldn't look good.
It was past midnight. North was at Checkpoint 20. At normal pace, it would take three hours to get there. If I pushed myself, I could make it.
It was the perfect opportunity to save the girl. It would definitely leave a good impression on her.
"Billion?"
King's voice snapped me back.
I opened my eyes.
"So, what do you think?" he asked.
"No." I replied.
His expression darkened.
"Why?"
"I don't want your favor. Don't need one either."
"Are you sure? You're going to regret this in the future."
"Nope, I won't. There's nothing you can offer that I won't be able to get myself."
He stayed quiet for a few moments, then scoffed.
"You sure are arrogant. I hope you can keep this attitude after this one-month training is over."
I smirked.
"I will."
King turned and started walking away.
"Hey, where are you going?" I called out.
He stopped, glanced over his shoulder.
"What do you want?"
I pointed at his hand.
"Your hand."
He turned around, his brows furrowing.
"What do you mean?"
I smiled.
"I mean a hand for a hand."
Then I shot forward.
In an instant, I was in front of him. His eyes widened, and he tried to step back, but my hand was already around his wrist.
King struggled the moment my fingers clamped around his wrist.
His instincts kicked in, his free hand shooting toward my arm in an attempt to pry me off.
But I was faster. My grip tightened like a vice, and before he could react, I twisted.
CRACK.
A sharp, wet snap rang through the rain-soaked air.
King let out a strangled yell, his knees buckling as his right arm bent in a way it wasn't supposed to. His face twisted in pain, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to scream.
I let go, and his arm dropped uselessly at his side.
"You—" He gasped, staggering back.
His breath came in sharp, uneven bursts as he cradled his broken wrist.
I stared at him, unfazed.
Michael took a step forward, his expression shifting from shock to fury. His sword twitched in his hands, but I was already moving.
I blurred forward.
Michael barely had time to raise his weapon before I caught his forearm. My foot hooked behind his ankle, and with a sharp pull, I sent him crashing onto his back.
Before he could recover, I grabbed his left hand and, with the same ruthless efficiency—SNAP.
Michael's scream was instant.
His entire body convulsed as he clutched his broken hand, his breaths ragged and uneven. Rain mixed with the sweat on his forehead as he gasped through the pain.
I straightened, towering over the two of them.
"You both seem to have trouble understanding the weight of actions, so let me make it clear. You touch my friend, I break what's yours."
I glanced at Steve, who sat quietly.
Then I turned back to King.
"Consider this a lesson in fairness."
King didn't respond. He just glared at me, his breath shaky, his pride shattered along with his wrist.
Michael was curled on the ground, groaning in pain.
I exhaled and rolled my shoulders.
"Now get lost."
Neither of them moved right away.
But after a few tense seconds, King gritted his teeth and pulled himself up, his injured arm hanging limp. He shot me one last look.
Michael followed, staggering to his feet, still cradling his hand.
Without another word, they turned and walked away.
I watched their backs disappear into the rain.
Behind me, Steve's voice broke the silence.
"That was a bit too much, Billion."
"I know."
"Then why did you do it?" he asked.
I stayed silent for a few moments before answering him.
"This is a warning to those who think it's acceptable to test me by endangering the people I care about. Today, it was King—but next time, it could be them."
And I meant every word.
If Arkas had arranged all this, I didn't like it one bit.
Steve chuckled and spoke.
"Aww, you're so cute."
I turned around and stared at him.
"Come on, dude, I was being serious."
That only made him laugh even louder.
"Fuck you," I muttered and walked toward the pillar.
I stared up at the pillar. It was covered in the same flickering lightning as the previous checkpoint, but this one was taller—almost 50 feet high.
My Essence store was completely empty it was time to fill it up.
"Power Up!"
I grinned. My Generator Core pulsed in response. It wanted this.
I bent my knees, muscles tensing, and launched myself upward.
The first leap sent me soaring nearly fifteen feet, my feet slamming into the pillar's surface.
Before gravity could drag me down, I kicked off again, propelling myself higher.
Each jump sent a shockwave through my body as the lightning from the pillar surged into me, absorbed instinctively by my core.
By the third leap, I felt my Essence gauge ticking up, a slow but steady trickle as my body converted the raw lightning into Essence.
Then, with the final push, I shot up the remaining distance, twisting mid-air to land at the very top. The stone trembled beneath my feet as I balanced myself.
The lightning wrapped around me now, flickering like restless serpents. My body felt little numb. I picked up the glass core and jumped down landing below with a heavy thump.
I exhaled heavily.
I checked my Essence and it was full.
10/10.
Again, I pushed all of it into Constitution, giving it a permanent boost while accelerating my recovery. My body welcomed the reinforcement, the aching in my muscles dulling slightly.
Steve, still watching the core in my hand, asked.
"So what does it do?"
I shrugged.
"No idea. I got a blue one from the last checkpoint I cleared, but I still haven't figured out its use. Do you know anything? Maybe your parents mentioned it?"
Steve shook his head.
"No, I don't recall them ever talking about something like this. What about your grandma?"
I exhaled.
"She just told me the army would handle all my needs."
I handed the core to Steve, who started fiddling with it, then walked back to the pillar.
Activating my talent again, I got into position and threw a punch at the structure.
The moment my fist made contact, lightning surged into my body, and my core immediately began absorbing the energy, converting it into Essence.
A couple of minutes passed, and my core was full again.
I funneled all the newly gained Essence into Constitution, temporarily pushing it past 40.
Heat spread through my body as my bruises healed, my muscles compacted, and my tissues rearranged themselves. I felt incredible.
"Let's do this again."