I leaned back against the worn bus seat, trying not to jostle the two girls using my shoulders as pillows. Belle’s blue hair tickled my neck on my right, while Naomi’s pink-and-black locks draped across my left shoulder. Both of them had conked out within ten minutes of boarding the bus after our ferry ride.
Across the aisle, Jordan sprawled across two seats, mouth hanging open, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. Dude had complained about the 4:30 AM departure ti for fifteen straight minutes before passing out mid-sentence.
"They good back there?" Misato called from the driver’s seat, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.
"All sleeping like babies. Except Jordan. He’s sleeping like a chainsaw."
She chuckled. "At least soone’s resting. You should try it too. We’ve got almost five hours left."
"Can’t sleep. Brain’s too wired."
The truth was, I needed to check my System and take inventory before we reached the gate location. With Belle and Naomi buffed from last night’s session, I felt confident about our chances against whatever swamp horrors waited for us. But confidence without preparation was just suicide with extra steps.
I closed my eyes and summoned my status screen.
◆ DIVINE MILKING SYSTEM ◆
│ JACE MONROE │ Height: 6’0" | Weight: 210 lbs │ Age: 18 | House: Obsidian
SYSTEM STATUS
Level: 5
Experience: 3780/5000
Lifespan: 11D 14H
Points: 380
Lots to work with. After last night’s extraction marathon, I’d banked almost twelve days of life and spent most of my points upgrading abilities. Worth every point.
PHYSICAL STATS
Strength [C] ▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ (1/10)
Endurance [D] ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ (10/10)
Agility [D] ▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ (2/10)
Perception [D] ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱ (8/10)
Magic [D] ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ (6/10)
My Endurance was maxed out at D-rank, ready to push into C territory. Not bad for three weeks of work.
SOCIAL STATS
Charisma [C] ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ (9/10)
Technique [B] ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ (9/10)
Those extra sessions with Aurora had definitely boosted my Technique. Who knew hotel sex counted as training?
I scrolled down to check my active abilities.
STOLEN ABILITIES
├─ Treasure Sense [Bronze]
├─ Sensory Hijack [Bronze]
└─ Wave Motion [Bronze]
All three stolen abilities now sat at Bronze rank after my spending spree. I’d upgraded Wave Motion first, knowing we’d need the offensive power for the gate. Sensory Hijack had proven too useful for extraction sessions to ignore. Treasure Sense was Belle’s ability, and keeping it upgraded ant I could verify her findings instead of trusting blindly.
Naomi shifted against my shoulder, murmuring sothing in her sleep. Her lips parted slightly, and I resisted the urge to kiss her forehead. Better let her rest before the gate.
My gaze drifted to the window. Dawn painted the California coastline in soft gold. The bus rumbled along the highway, carrying us inland toward the gate location. Six hours in transit, one high-stakes gate clearing, and then back to campus by nightfall. Just another Friday at San Nicolas Academy.
"You’ve improved them," Misato said quietly from the driver’s seat.
I looked up, eting her eyes in the mirror. "What?"
"The team. They’re better with you than they were before."
Coming from Misato, this was practically a love confession. She never handed out complints without surgically attaching criticism.
"They were already good," I replied. "I just filled the gap."
"No, you changed sothing. The dynamic." She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. "Three weeks ago, they were just surviving. Now they’re hunting."
I shrugged my free shoulder, careful not to disturb Belle. "Maybe killing that alpha changed things."
"It’s not just the alpha." Her voice stayed low, mindful of our sleeping teammates. "Sothing about you pushes them. Makes them want to be better."
"That’s so captain-level analysis from soone who tried to ditch us for Blair’s squad."
Her eyes narrowed in the mirror. "I made a mistake. I’m correcting it."
"By driving us six hours to a swamp gate?"
"By acknowledging when I’m wrong." She paused. "Blair’s team has better stats, better equipnt, better training. But they’re garbage at being a team."
"And we’re not?"
"You know we’re not." Misato took her eyes off the road long enough to glance back at . "What changed you, Monroe? Three weeks ago you couldn’t run a mile without collapsing."
Ah. So that’s what this early morning heart-to-heart was about. Even Misato had noticed my rapid transformation. I needed a plausible lie that wasn’t actually a lie.
"Almost dying multiple tis is pretty motivating," I said. "Turns out I don’t want to be the weak link anymore."
Misato humd, not entirely convinced but unable to argue with the results. "Blair’s fixated on you. She thinks you’re cheating sohow."
"Let her think whatever she wants. We’ll beat her squad fair and square."
"That’s the attitude." Misato turned her attention back to the road. "Rest while you can. You’ll need it for the gate."
I nodded, though she couldn’t see it. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes without actually trying to sleep. My brain raced through scenarios for the gate. Swamp bio. Amphibious hostiles. Paralytic venom. Not exactly a walk in the park.
Belle stirred against my shoulder, her hand falling to rest on my thigh. Even in sleep, she managed to be inappropriate. I gently moved her hand back to her own lap, earning a small sound of protest.
"She does that to everyone," Misato said, amusent in her voice.
"Gropes them in her sleep?"
"Acts like she owns them." Misato’s tone softened slightly. "She’s not as tough as she pretends to be. None of them are."
Including you? I wanted to ask, but didn’t. So questions weren’t ant for bus rides.
Instead, I said, "I know. That’s why we’re going to win today."
"Because they’re not tough?"
"Because they have sothing to prove, and I’m going to help them prove it."
Naomi’s breathing changed, becoming lighter. She was waking up. Her eyes fluttered open, confusion crossing her features before she realized she’d been using as a pillow.
"Oh!" She straightened, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Sorry, I didn’t an to—"
"It’s fine," I assured her. "You needed the rest."
She pushed her hair back from her face, blinking sleep from her eyes. "How long was I out?"
"About an hour."
"And Belle’s still sleeping?" She peered around at Belle’s peaceful face.
"Like a rock. Jordan too."
Naomi stretched, the movent pulling her tactical suit tight across her chest.
"Should we wake them?" she asked. "We need to prep for the gate."
"Let them sleep a bit longer." I lowered my voice.
Naomi nodded, accepting the excuse. "Smart. We need her at full capacity for detection."
"Exactly."
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