Vera Warde was covered in grime first, and now in blood. Three deep claw marks scored her abdomen; she lay on the ground barely alive.
A cold‑silver mecha swooped down from the air and landed beside the slain beast.
A blond boy jumped out, glanced at the creature, then at Vera sprawled nearby. He showed no reaction at all — the kind of blank indifference nobles reserved for ants dying underfoot.
"There might be Gray Crystals around here."
Another mecha descended, piloted by a dark‑haired boy this time. Unlike the first, who wore combat gear, this one stepped down calmly. His black hair fell smooth as silk down his back, skin pale like frost over jade, and lips shaped perfectly but drained of color.
If she hadn't been half‑dead, Vera would've whistled. Prettyboy.Holyf**k.
One glance was enough — the blond's unit was a true combat mecha, while the dark‑haired one's machine had weaker offense but insane defense.
There were barely any display mechas on 3212 Star; that old shop that once showed three had sold only one in seven years.
These two were definitely not from 3212.
The blond smashed open a wall, dug out a fist‑sized Gray Crystal, and stuffed it into his pouch.
"No wonder it came here."
"Let's go," the dark‑haired one said coolly.
"I thought bug‑beasts were terrifying. Turns out they're trash."
"It was a juvenile. Barely twenty percent strength."
The blond checked his wrist terminal, wiped his hands with a handkerchief.
"They're looking for us."
Back into their mechas they went — gone in seconds — never once glancing at the bloody girl on the ground.
Vera wanted to faint but the stench was too f**king bad.
Through the headache she triggered a call on her wrist light.
"Who the hell—" Teacher Li Pi's voice burst out when the feed showed a blood‑soaked student on the ground.
"Teacher… cough… help…"
"Vera?! Where are you? What happened?"
She muttered an address and passed out — from blood loss or the smell, hard to tell.
"Awake?"
When she opened her eyes, Li Pi sat beside her. She took a moment to orient herself, automatically reaching for her abdomen.
"No scar." The teacher snorted. "Didn't know you had such a death wish, living alone in that dump."
Vera sat up from the healing pod. "Didn't cost rent."
"Money or life — which is worth more?" he shot back. "You know why that building's abandoned?"
She shook her head.
"Times are peaceful now, but bug‑beasts still appear sometimes. That complex was attacked once during construction — so they scrapped it." His brow tightened.
"So every place that had a beast attack gets abandoned?"
"If they can defend it, they don't. You think 3212 has those resources?" He frowned deeper. "But that was a swarmattack back then. How'd a single beast show up now?"
Stepping out of the pod, Vera stretched. The wounds were gone — only phantom pain remained. "I saw two kids about my age piloting combat mechas."
"That explains it. No wonder the beast was already dead." Li Pi's jaw tightened. "Those brats again."
"What brats?"
He ground his teeth. "Before they enter military school, some rich, powerful kids hunt bug‑beasts on remote stars for 'practice.'
They call it training; we call it murder. They never give a damn about the locals who get killed along the way."
Remembering the blond boy's eyes, Vera couldn't disagree.
"My friend's family was wiped out that way once," Li Pi added quietly.
"3212 had that happen too?"
"I'm not from 3212." He lifted his eyes. "You spent four hours in that healing tank — seven thousand credits."
Vera: "!"
He smiled thinly at her expression. "I paid for you. If you take first place at the end of term, you don't owe me. Otherwise… interest starts today until you repay it."
"Teacher, come on, you're too wise and heroic for petty interest." Her heart bled. Seven thousand plus interest would bankrupt her entire year.
"When my students suck, I get petty." He jabbed her shoulder. "I'm giving you a choice and you still whine? Pathetic!"
"First place is too hard," Vera muttered. She still got dizzy halfway through any exam.
Li Pi stared at her for a while, then spoke slowly. "You were lucky this time. Next time? Only strength keeps you alive."
The memory of the beast's stench and of the silver mecha decapitating it flashed through her head.
Absolute power—how could anyone not want that?
"I… I'll try."
"You will." He tapped her arm. "That building's half collapsed anyway. Move into my place till graduation — I've got a spare room."
So Vera packed a few clothes, rode her bike, and moved in.
She left the workshop materials — she had learned what she could.
After seeing a real combat mecha, toy models just felt pointless.
"This is your teacher's wife," Li Pi said gruffly, but the moment the woman appeared he smiled like a puppy.
"Hello, ma'am."
The gentle woman hurried to welcome her. "Your room's ready. If the bed's too hard, tell me, I'll fix it."
Smelling the food inside, Li Pi had already strolled to the table. "Why so many dishes today?"
"First day for our new girl," his wife scolded, swatting his hand away. "Wait for her."
Li Pi grumbled silently: felt like shooting himself in the foot.
When Vera sat down, she swallowed hard. She had been living on the cheapest nutri‑packs since arrival in this world; she hadn't tasted rice in years.
Onemeallikethiscostshundredsofcredits. That was a month of nutrients.
Li Pi lightly flicked her head. "Quit calculating and eat."
"Don't touch the kid's head," his wife snapped.
She kept piling food into Vera's bowl. "Eat up, darling. Your teacher may be useless elsewhere but we can afford three meals a day."
Vera didn't argue. The first bite of real rice nearly made her cry.
Who would've thought a top engineer would end up like this?
Halfway through, Li Pi said casually,
"After dinner, we're running ten laps around the river."
Vera choked. "?"
"You need to train harder."
"Let her finish first," the wife said, dropping the last piece of meat into Vera's bowl. "Want me to make another dish?"
"No, ma'am," she managed.
She ultimately devoured all the rice by herself. Li Pi just stared, eye twitching.
He hadn't realized how poor she was — there had been no signs of inferiority or shame from her at school, and everyone wore uniforms. He'd assumed her family was decent.
"Full?"
She rubbed her stomach. "Full."
A little rest, then straight out to run.
From that day on, Li Pi put her through extra training every night.
To her surprise, the more she ate from the teacher's table, the less her dizziness returned. Proper nutrition was a damn miracle.
Soon she started stretchingup, growing faster than ever.
"Xiao Wei?" the teacher's wife knocked one morning. "You'll be late!"
No response. She unlocked the door and found Vera curled up, holding her leg, sweating buckets.
"What's wrong?!" she panicked.
Ofcourse. Growth spurt pain — hit like a truck. Vera gritted her teeth. "I'm okay, ma'am. Just growth pain."
After ten minutes of agony, she could finally breathe.
"I'll boil bone soup for you tonight," the woman said softly, wiping her forehead. She and Li Pi had no children; she had never seen a kid hurt that much. "Does it happen often?"
"No." Vera stood. "I have to get to school."
Her growth was so rapid she needed new clothes every month. Li Pi was thrilled — a sign her body was getting stronger.
"Training was good last time. Keep that up and you'll ace the finals."
"If your perception hits A‑rank at graduation, you'll enter the Five Major Military Academies. That's another world."
His wife smiled. "Your teacher's dream used to be joining those five."
Vera looked up. "What's your rank, sir?"
"B‑rank." He sounded both proud and wistful. "I got into military school, then the 11th Military District picked me… until I was injured."
"Injured?" she asked quietly.
"A minor beast swarm. I lost a hand saving someone." He exhaled, eyes bright. "I joined to protect people, and that day I did."
Vera was still moved when he suddenly smacked her.
"Train every day like your life depends on it! Aim for the Five!"
"I think I'm B‑rank material," she murmured honestly. She wasn't built for brawling.
The wife giggled. "Didn't look that way when you pinned the top kid from the next class to the ground."
That "top kid" had already tested A‑rank off‑planet last year.
Only another A could beat an A.