Seraphina looked at me like I had just suggested we eat rocks for dinner. "Excuse me?"
"The snipers are locking on. The roof is a kill box. Jump!"
I didn't wait for her permission. I grabbed the back of her expensive blazer and vaulted over the railing.
We plummeted four stories. The wind roared in my ears, whipping Seraphina’s ponytail into my face. Below us, the courtyard was a kaleidoscope of violence—flashes of magic, burning landscaping, and the chaotic scramble of students trying not to die.
"Admin Command!" Seraphina screamed, her voice cracking against the wind. "Local Physics: Air Resistance Max!"
She didn't fly—she just fell slower. It felt like hitting a invisible parachute. Our velocity jerked to a halt ten feet above the ground, and we dropped the rest of the way with a heavy thud, splashing into a decorative fountain that was already running red.
[HP: 198 / 450]20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6HA6li1DW
[STATUS: WET, COMBAT READY]
I rolled out of the water, bringing the rusty spear up.
"Welcome to the ground floor, Princess," I spat, shaking the water from my eyes. "Stay behind me. If you die, I get deleted."
"I can take care of myself," Seraphina countered, though her hands were trembling as she summoned a holographic keyboard. "I'm rerouting the school's firewall to block their comms."
"Less typing, more ducking!"
I tackled her sideways just as a bolt of green plasma incinerated the fountain we had been standing in.
We scrambled behind a concrete planter. The courtyard was a slaughterhouse. Ouroboros grunts—Level 25 Mercenaries in black tactical gear—were herding students like cattle. They weren't just killing; they were farming. They were letting the students panic to build up "Fear Data" before harvesting them.
It was sick. It was efficient. It was exactly how Viper ran his business.
"They're farming F-Tiers," Seraphina whispered, peeking over the concrete. "That's... that's against the Genesis Accords. You can't farm minors!"
"Viper doesn't care about your laws," I growled. "He pays the fines in advance."
A mercenary rounded the corner of our cover. He was big, wearing a helmet that displayed a scrolling stock ticker on the visor. He raised a mana-rifle.
"Found the glit—"
He didn't finish. I didn't let him.
I surged forward, channeling mana into my legs. I wasn't faster than a bullet, but I was faster than his aim. I slid under the barrel, thrusting the spear upward into the gap of his armor at the armpit.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
The mercenary grunted, dropping the rifle. He wasn't dead—Level 25s were tanky—but he was distracted.
I placed my hand on his helmet.
"Inventory check," I whispered.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SOUL DEVOUR (CONTACT)]20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7I9fTaa4CU
[DRAINING STAMINA...]
I didn't take his soul—that took too long. I just took his gas. I drained his Stamina bar instantly. The merc’s knees buckled as if his battery had been pulled. He collapsed, gasping for air that his lungs were too tired to pump.
I kicked him in the face to finish the job, grabbed his rifle, and tossed it to Seraphina.
"You know how to use a Mana-Caster?"
She looked at the weapon with disdain. "It’s a crude projectile interface."
"Point and click," I said. "Shoot anything that looks like a snake."
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.