076 THE SCHOOL CHALLENGE
Damen's heart skipped. By the time he looked up, she was gone.
A soft clink broke the silence as a waiter approached with a cup of iced coffee. "Enjoy your drink, sir."
Damen frowned. "I didn't order this."
The waiter blinked in confusion. "You're the only one in the café…"
He forgot who ordered the drink.
"What?" Damen's voice sharpened. "Didn't you see the woman who was sitting opposite me—and the hooded man?"
The waiter took a cautious step back. "Sir, there's been no one here all morning except you. Are you… sure you didn't see a ghost?"
He set the cup down quickly and walked away, not even asking for payment. Damen watched him go, realizing with a chill that the man's eyes looked empty—like a memory had been erased.
He stared at the melting coffee, the ice clinking faintly. "Who the hell are you people…" he muttered. "Alliance of Psyche."
The name hung in the air like a curse.
-----
Damen went to meet Dorin in Heroes' Gym, hoping to learn a ranged meta skill.
"Dorin, can I pick up a ranged meta skill?" he asked. "I'm solid in close combat, but against ranged metas, I'm practically useless."
Dorin smiled faintly. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Damen. You're still Rank E. Ranged meta skills are far beyond your current level. Wait until you reach Rank D or higher. Those techniques demand enormous meta energy. Even if you learned one now, you'd be drained after a single shot."
Damen frowned, realizing why he always felt completely wiped out after using Electrocution. It wasn't just the lack of power—it was the cost.
"No wonder the Red Hanky who tried to kill me earlier were still using laser rifles", Damen noted.
The Red Hanky were Rank E meta… their ability wasn't range laser… it was their ability to lock on a good aim with their laser weapon.
"So how do I increase my meta energy?" he asked.
"Your Command attribute determines how much meta energy you can channel," Dorin explained. "But there's no direct way to train it. It usually grows alongside your overall meta strength."
Damen paused, thinking. "Then why don't I feel exhausted when I use my combat fusion skills?" he asked.
Dorin considered the question for a moment. "That's a good point. Fusion skills are still new territory. You might be one of the first to use them properly. My guess is that combining meta with your Strength attributes reduces the energy load from your Command attributes."
That made sense to Damen.
Fused techniques were more efficient—powerful yet less draining. But it still didn't solve his range problem. He stared out the window, his mind already racing ahead.
"If I can't reach them from afar… I'll just have to grow stronger."
-----
"Hey Damen, are you going to the fields today? It's going to be fun!" Zairgid called out.
Damen looked up from his data pad. "What's happening? The nurses are running a blood donation campaign again?" he asked dryly.
Zairgid grinned. "Forget about the nurses, it's School Challenge day!"
"School Challenge?" Damen raised a brow. "Never heard of it."
"You know those monthly SynGen genomic injections we get—the ones that boost our Strength stats?" Zairgid said. "Each student only gets a limited dose every month."
"Yeah, I know. What's that got to do with the Challenge?"
"Well…" Zairgid smirked. "You can steal other students' injection quotas if you beat them in a challenge match."
Damen paused, considering it. "Steal their injection quotas… That meant faster growth?"
Then it hit him.
With his Empowerment toggle on, he could grow his stats evenly—Strength included. If he maxed out his Strength early, then every future Empowerment boost would overflow into his other attributes naturally… effectively speeding up his growth.
"This is a perfect shortcut to growth," he smiled at the thought of it.
"I'm going," Damen said, standing up with a determined glint in his eyes.
-----
The fields were crowded with students lining up at the registration booths, the air buzzing with excitement and nerves.
Everyone knew the rules—it was simple but brutal.
If you defeated another student in the arena, you claimed their share of SynGen Genomics injections until the end of the semester—half a year's worth of Strength boosters.
Hundreds had gathered, each one hoping to win big, to grow stronger, to climb higher in the pecking order.
Principal Misk stood on a hastily assembled stage in the center of the field, his amplified voice cutting through the noise.
"Students of Meta High School No.2, today marks the beginning of the School Challenge! Strength, courage, and resolve will decide your fate this semester. Remember, your victories—and your defeats—will define your future."
Then, scanning the crowd, he announced with a smile, "Our first Defender will be Damen Dark—the prodigy from Middle School, one of the few to achieve full marks in his exams!"
A ripple of murmurs spread across the field.
Damen froze. "What? Me?"
He hadn't volunteered for the challenge. But before he could say anything, the crowd began to part, eyes turning toward him with a mix of envy and expectation.
"Well," Damen muttered, "guess I'm the warm-up act."
He stepped forward, walking toward the center field where the dueling platform shimmered with energy fields and containment wards.
Principal Misk continued, "Once the Defender loses, the challenger who defeats him will take his place—and his injection quota! The challenge will continue until sunset."
A few students in the crowd whispered:
"Bad draw for him."
"Yeah, the early Defenders always gets worn out first. It's impossible to continue fighting against dozens of challengers in a row."
"Exactly. By the end, he'll be drained, and someone else will walk away with the pot."
Damen clenched his fists. "So that's how it is."
He wasn't chosen for honor—he was set up. He was a convenient target for everyone hungry for an easy prize pot.
He looked up at the principal's smirking face. "Damnit Misk, so, that's your game, huh?" he muttered under his breath.
The principal though, avoided his gaze in guilt. He was probably forced by the parents to do this to him. He had many enemies in the Parent's Association in school who wanted a piece of him.
Still, a spark of excitement flickered in him. "Fine. If they want to shame me, I'll make them pay for it."
-----
[Some time ago, during the Parent-Teacher Association Meeting at Melrose City Meta High School No.2]
"I don't care, Principal Misk— you must punish this Damen Dark! His arrogance cannot be tolerated!"
Belgore Veyran's voice thundered through the office, shaking even the portraits on the walls.
The teachers sitting nearby stayed silent, eyes lowered. None dared challenge him. Belgore wasn't just a parent—he was one of the school's chief funders.
Principal Misk mopped the sweat off his forehead. "Mr. Belgore, please understand— it's not that we refuse to act, but there's no real cause. Your sons, Kalem and Freeland, challenged him openly and lost. We can't punish a student for winning a fair match."
Belgore's glare darkened. "Fair?" he spat. "That boy humiliated my sons in front of the entire class!"
Before Misk could respond, Freeland Veyran, his face still bruised from the duel, leaned forward in his chair, a thin smile curling on his lips.
"There is something you can do for us, Principal."