As Kyle walked away, Vivian exhaled, finally allowing her body to relax.
Her Silverwing Moth fluttered onto her shoulder, its soft wings brushing against her skin. It wasn't actually weak—it had only been pretending. Just like she had.
She glanced down at the credit chip in her hand—the very same one Callen had "taken" from her. She hadn't actually lost anything. She had let them take it.
All of it had been planned.
Not the bullying—that part had been real. The second-years had always looked down on lower levels, especially support-types like her. They saw her as an easy target. They weren't entirely wrong—she wasn't a frontline fighter.
But today? Today, she had let them push her around.
Because Kyle had been watching.
She closed her fingers around the credit chip, hiding her smirk.
Kyle had been suspicious of her. She had noticed it earlier—the way he watched her, the way his eyes lingered as if trying to figure something out.
She couldn't let that continue.
So, she gave him an answer. A distraction. Something that would explain why she had been deep in thought earlier—why she had seemed different.
> "Of course, she was distracted."
"She was being bullied by stronger students."
"She had been helpless."
That's what Kyle was meant to believe.
And judging by his expression when he walked away, it had worked.
She sighed, tilting her head slightly.
> "Still…"
Kyle had been faster than she expected. Stronger, too. Those second-years were no joke—they had levels and experience on their side. Yet, he held his ground and beat them.
And the way he moved…
Vivian's fingers tapped lightly against her arm. She had watched every second.
Kyle Corvayn wasn't normal.
He was growing too fast.
And that meant she needed to watch him even more carefully.
For now, though?
She would let him believe she was just another weak support student, grateful for his help.
Her Silverwing Moth pulsed softly, mirroring her amusement.
> "Let's see how long that lasts."
As she headed to her dorm to go sleep
For the night
[Kyle's Status Screen & Daily Quest]
Next morning
Kyle exhaled and opened his system interface. A sleek, digital display flickered to life in front of him, showing his current stats.
---
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Kyle Corvayn
Level: 4 (+25 EXP from last night's fight – Progress: 35/150 EXP)
Title: Host of the boneclaw
Rank: First-Year Cadet
Familiar: ??? (Boneclaw remains hidden from system detection.)
Attributes:
Strength: 12 (+1 Pending)
Agility: 14
Endurance: 13
Mana Control: 9
Familiar Synchronization: 0% (Currently Inactive)
Skills:
Basic Combat Proficiency (Rank D+) (+5 from last night's fight)
Instinctive Evasion (Rank D-) (Unlocked from repeated combat engagements)
Unarmed Combat (Rank D)
Passive Abilities:
??? (Locked – Requires Higher Synchronization)
---
Kyle frowned. Still no familiar synchronization. That wasn't surprising, considering Boneclaw hadn't truly manifested yet.
His combat stats had improved slightly, but "Instinctive Evasion" was new. That must've been a result of dodging those second-years last night.
He scrolled further down.
---
Pending Rewards:
+1 Strength Point (Unallocated – Apply Now?)
Basic Recovery Stimulant (Stored in Inventory)
Kyle hovered over the strength point. Might as well use it.
> [Strength +1 Applied! New Strength: 13]
A small surge of energy pulsed through his muscles. It wasn't anything drastic, but he could feel the slight increase.
He closed the interface with a sigh. His stats were improving, but it still felt like he was missing something.
Boneclaw… just how strong are you supposed to be?
Shaking off the thought, Kyle stood up. He had training to do.
---
[System Notification – Daily Quest]
The moment he stretched, another notification popped up.
> [Daily Quest Available]
"Sharpening the Blade"
Objective: Complete your morning training routine.
Run 5km (0/5km)
Strength Training (0/3 Sets Completed)
Combat Practice (0/10 Minutes Completed)
Rewards:
+10 EXP
+1 Strength
+1 Agility
Failure Consequence: None (but slacking off never helped anyone, did it?)
Kyle sighed. The system really doesn't let up, huh?
He rolled his shoulders, shaking off the last bit of drowsiness. Time to get to work.
Kyle took one more look at his status screen, eyes scanning over the numbers.
His level had risen, his combat proficiency had improved, and even his instincts had started to sharpen—but it still wasn't enough. He still wasn't strong enough.
His Familiar Synchronization sat at 0%, an unsettling reminder that Boneclaw remained dormant. The system didn't even acknowledge its existence. Was it because Boneclaw was different? Or was it because something was still missing?
Kyle clenched his fists.
It doesn't matter.
He had no intention of waiting around for things to fall into place. He'd push forward, train harder, and force his way to strength if he had to.
With a final tap, he closed the status screen. The glowing interface flickered out of existence.
Kyle took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. Time to finish this quest.