Chapter 21: Offer You Can’t Refuse
The basement air was cold.
Lira stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Her Academy uniform was spotless. Not a single speck of dust.
Behind her, 5 meters down the hall, Ren leaned against the wall with his arms folded. Smiling. Like he was watching a show.
Kael didn’t invite her in.
He just stepped aside.
Lira walked in. Her eyes scanned everything in 2 seconds.
The scrap pile. The half-built arm on Kael’s left. The charcoal sketches on the table. The blue flame of the torch still smoking.
Her gaze stopped on the sketches for the `Trash Golem`.
"Beast Core," she said quietly. "You’re already planning that?"
Kael closed the door. `CLANG.`
"Need it to survive here," he said. "You heard them. 30 days or I’m out."
Lira turned to him. For the first time, her cold expression cracked. Just a little.
"You shouldn’t have passed like that."
"Shouldn’t have?" Kael asked. His voice was rough. Tired.
"You used the Trash Core," Lira said. "It’s unstable. It almost killed you. And it made the examiners look stupid."
"So?"
"So now you have enemies," she said. "All of them."
`KNOCK KNOCK.`
Both of them turned.
Ren opened the door without waiting. He walked in like he owned the place. Looked around. Whistled.
"Damn. They really gave the Dump Rat a Level 2 workshop."
He picked up a piece of scrap. Dropped it. "Smells like garbage."
`[System Warning]`
`[Hostility Detected: Ren Ashford - D-Rank]`
`[Threat Level: Moderate]`
Kael didn’t move. But his right hand drifted closer to the welding torch.
"What do you want, Ren?" Lira asked. Her voice was ice.
"Same as you, ice queen," Ren said. "To talk."
He turned to Kael and grinned. "Congrats on C-Rank. Seriously. It takes balls to come in here with nothing."
"Get to the point," Kael said.
Ren’s smile widened. "I like you. You’re crazy. So I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse."
He pulled out a small pouch. Tossed it on the workbench.
It landed with a heavy `CLINK.`
Inside were 3 things:
1. A mana shard. Blue. Pulsing.
2. A roll of high-grade copper wire.
3. A small, yellowed fang. Beast Core.
Kael’s eyes locked on the fang.
"That’s a D-rank Razor Wolf fang," Ren said. "Enough to build your golem."
Kael didn’t touch it. "What’s the catch?"
"Simple," Ren said. "Academy tournament. In 2 weeks. Team battles. 3 people per team."
He pointed at himself. Then at Lira. Then at Kael.
"You. Me. Her."
The room went silent.
Lira’s eyes widened. "Are you insane?"
"Am I?" Ren laughed. "Think about it. You’re B-Rank. I’m D-Rank but my family funds half this Academy. And he’s..." He gestured to Kael. "...the Trash Artisan. People will pay to see that freak show."
"I’m not your teammate," Kael said.
"Then you’re my enemy," Ren shrugged. "And in 2 weeks, every team in the Academy is going to target the new C-Rank. You think you’ll survive alone?"
Lira stepped between them. "Enough. Kael, don’t listen to him. He just wants to use you."
"And you don’t?" Ren shot back. "Come on Lira. We both know why you’re here. You feel guilty. Because your family voted to cut funding to the Dump district last year."
Lira flinched. Just for a second.
Kael saw it.
`[System Notification]`
`[NEW QUEST: The Tournament]`
`[Objective: Join a team and survive 3 rounds]`
`[Reward: 1000 Academy Credits + Protected Status]`
`[Failure: Targeted by All Teams]`
`[Accept / Decline]`
Kael stared at the floating text.
Then at the fang.
Then at Ren’s stupid grin.
Then at Lira, who wouldn’t meet his eyes.
He picked up the fang.
It was warm. It hummed.
"Fine," Kael said. "I’ll do it."
Ren pumped his fist. "Hell yeah!"
Lira closed her eyes. "This is a mistake."
"Maybe," Kael said, pocketing the fang. "But I need that golem. And I need to not get killed in the next 2 weeks."
Ren clapped his hands. "Team meeting tomorrow at 0600. Training yard. Don’t be late, trash boy."
He walked out, still grinning.
The door closed.
Lira and Kael were alone.
"You didn’t have to do that," she said quietly.
"Yes I did," Kael replied. He picked up the mana shard and wire too. "I need to get stronger. Fast."
Lira sighed. "Then we train. Tomorrow. 0500. Before Ren shows up. My workshop."
She turned to leave.
"Why are you helping me?" Kael asked.
Lira stopped. Didn’t turn around.
"Because someone should have," she said. "And because... I want to see what you build with that trash."
She left. Door shut softly.
Alone again.
Kael looked at the materials on the table.
Mana shard. Wire. Beast Fang.
He looked at the sketches for the `Trash Golem`.
`[Materials: 3/4 Complete]`
`[Missing: 197x Metal Scraps]`
He smiled. Tired. But real.
"Alright," he whispered, attaching the `Auto-Scrap Arm` to his left side.
He flexed. The arm whirred and pulled 4 bolts from the floor instantly.
"Let’s go collect some trash."
He opened the door to the scrap pile and walked in.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: COLLECTION MODE ACTIVE]`
`[Target: 200 Metal Scraps]`
`[Time Until Training: 3 Hours]`
Outside, Ren was still waiting in the hall.
When Kael passed him, Ren leaned in and whispered:
"Don’t die before the tournament. I want to beat you myself."
Then he walked away.
Kael kept walking.
The Academy hated him.
Good.
He had work to do.
To Be Continued...
T
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