"Yes, yes, of course!" the chief replied quickly. "We already prepared the first installnt exactly as promised. One hundred gold. Take it or leave it, the choice is yours."
One of the nearby servants carefully placed a heavy pouch onto the table before untying it. The sound of coins shifting inside imdiately filled the room.
Ren’s eyes widened. "That’s... actually a lot of gold."
Aiysha crossed her arms. "Almost died for it too."
The chief’s daughter awkwardly looked away. "About earlier... I apologize for how we acted. Please forgive us."
Cassien shrugged lazily. "Doesn’t really matter anymore."
Honestly, after everything that happened inside those caverns, arguing over money barely felt important now.
"So... what do you say?" the chief asked politely before suddenly rembering sothing. "Ah, right. There’s also additional compensation."
Cassien raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For bringing closure to the families of the adventurers who died inside the cavern."
The farr from earlier stood quietly near the doorway, still clutching the glass jar containing his brother’s ashes tightly against his chest.
Then suddenly, he lowered his head deeply toward Cassien.
"...Thank you."
Cassien froze slightly.
That word still felt strangely unfamiliar whenever it was genuine.
Aiysha smirked from the side. "Careful. At this rate, people might actually start thinking you’re a decent person."
"Terrible outco, honestly," Cassien replied imdiately. "Who would want sothing like that?"
Victoria quietly laughed for the first ti since leaving the cavern.
And finally, the tension in the room eased slightly.
------------------------
[Sync Percentage: 110%]
[ 178 Character Points Received]
└ Story Divergence Increased.
└ Logic During Combat.
------------------------
Cassien’s expression shifted slightly.
The story had officially gone off track now.
Two transmigrators were dead.
Jason Sparrow no longer existed. Adam Shrill was gone too. Ren’s original progression through this arc had completely collapsed.
And sohow... the system rewarded him for it.
’So changing the plot actually increases synchronization...?’
That made absolutely no sense.
Unless the story itself wanted chaos.
Cassien leaned back slightly while staring at the ceiling.
’This ga is way more ssed up than I thought.’
"Cassien?" Victoria called out. "You good?"
He blinked once before looking back toward everyone. Then casually smiled as if nothing happened.
"Yeah," he answered. "Just thinking about how horrible this academy’s security system is."
Ren imdiately nodded. "R-right?! I got kidnapped way too easily!"
Aiysha looked at him blankly. "You also failed to notice soone pretending to be you."
Ren lowered his head. "...Please stop bringing that up."
Cassien quietly laughed under his breath.
...
And just like that, the adventure finally ca to an end.
Another hour passed before both sides reached a final agreent. Three hundred gold would be paid over three months through installnts. Just as promised, Cassien would receive half of it, making him the one paid the most out of the group.
Honestly, considering everything he did, he probably deserved even more.
But there was already sothing else making him far happier than gold.
Adam’s Demon Core.
And Cassien already had plans for it.
...
The four of them eventually traveled back together inside a carriage. Ren rested near the opposite side while Victoria quietly read through papers related to the incident report. Aiysha sat closest to Cassien with her arms crossed while staring outside the window silently.
anwhile, Cassien focused entirely on allocating his newly earned Character Points.
And more importantly... the points tied to the Transmigration Gas themselves.
------------------------
[Status]
Level: 10 → 35
[Attributes]
Strength: 66 → 110
Agility: 68 → 110
Endurance: 65 → 110
Intelligence: 70 → 90
Perception: 71 → 91
Luck: 94 → 101
[Weapon Mastery: Pistol]
Accuracy: C → B-
Reload Speed: C- → C
Handling: C → B
Critical Aim: C- → B
[Skills]
Basic Firearm Handling Lv. 10 → 15
Quick Draw Lv. 13 → 20
Observation Lv. 23 → 26
Sniper Lv. 3 → 4
[Weapon Mastery: tal Knife]
Accuracy: D- → D
Cuts: D → D
Handling: E → D-
Critical Aim: D- → D
[Skills]
Quick-Stab Lv. 6 → 10
[Weapon Mastery: Duel-Knives]
Accuracy: E- → E
Cuts: E → D-
Handling: E- → E
Critical Aim: E → D
[Skills]
Flow State Lv. 1 → 3
Mana Threading LV. 1 → 5
Precision Counter Lv. 1 → 2
[Mana Updated]
Current Mana: 100 → 200
Maximum Mana: 100 → 230
Mana Recovery: 1.2 per minute
------------------------
Cassien quietly stared at the updated screen.
His overall status looked far better now. The mana exhaustion from earlier had also strengthened his core significantly more than expected.
Then suddenly—
"New Rank Determined!"
The academy card attached to his jacket emitted that sa artificial voice before projecting updated information outward.
———————→
Photo: [___________]
[Academy Rank: 97/1000]
[Rank: D ]
[Family Status: Third Degree]
[Specialty: Mana Distributor]
←————————
’Interesting...’
His rank had risen trendously already. There honestly weren’t many first-years stronger than him anymore.
Aiysha suddenly tapped his shoulder lightly.
"How are you feeling?" she asked while still staring ahead seriously.
"Better than ever."
"Unfortunate," she replied instantly.
Cassien sighed. "You really look for any excuse to hate."
"That was a joke," Aiysha muttered. "Though, I wouldn’t mind hating when given the opportunity."
"Everyone say hello to Ms. Silver over here."
For the first ti, Aiysha let out a quiet laugh. A genuine one.
Cassien imdiately looked toward her in surprise.
"Wait... did you just laugh?"
"Nope." Her face instantly returned to normal.
"You literally smiled just now."
"No I didn’t."
"Yes you did."
"Nope."
Cassien eventually gave up. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
He leaned his head against the carriage window afterward while Aiysha quietly looked away.
’He definitely made laugh.’
...
December 10th. 7:00 PM.
Cassien finally returned to his dorm room.
Still no roommate.
Victoria had taken responsibility for explaining why Jason Sparrow and Adam Shrill would never be returning to the academy. Since she belonged to the Vanguards, neither family really had the authority to question the official explanation too deeply.
Even then... it was still sad.
Cassien rested quietly against his bed before leaning back into the pillow comfortably.
’Alright then... how should I phrase this?’
He stared upward calmly before finally deciding.
’Right. Got it.’
Then, slowly, the words left his mouth.
"Send to the Transmigration Gas Shop."
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