Night slowly spilled across Starveil Academy, tinting the sky a deep indigo. When the final class bell rang, students poured out in noisy waves, some heading to the dorms, some rushing toward the food street outside the academy gates, and others drifting toward the training fields where magic circles glimmered faintly like constellations on the ground.
Zayle didn't join any of them.
He tucked his hands into his pockets, stepped out of the classroom building, and started heading toward the academy's east gate. His footsteps were steady, determined. He wasn't going home, and he wasn't going to eat.
He needed materials.He needed money.He needed strength far more desperately than anyone else here.
A map unfolded in front of his eyes, translucent, shimmering faint green.
System notification:Target location: Fragmentbone Forest, low-level beast zone.Recommended for Magisters Rank 1–2.Estimated danger level: 2.4
Zayle muttered under his breath, "You finally speak again."
System analysis:You were heading toward danger. It is my function to prevent your unnecessary death.
"Unnecessary?" Zayle almost laughed. "So some deaths are necessary?"
Correct. Strength requires risk.
The cold, emotionless voice was something he had gotten used to, but sometimes he wondered whether the system was quietly mocking him. Tonight, though, he didn't mind the company. At least it reminded him he wasn't completely alone.
He approached the academy gate. A patrolling instructor cast him a brief look.
"Out again?""Training," Zayle replied simply.
The instructor frowned. "Don't overdo it. Even talented ones burn out."
Zayle didn't answer and simply stepped past. If anything, that warning was useless—too much had already been taken from him for him to "take it easy".
Outside the gate, the air grew colder. The street lights thinned. Forest shadows loomed beyond the paved path.
Fragmentbone Forest lay only ten minutes away if he cut through the old trail.
System reminder:You used this route previously. Probability of hostile encounters increased by 17 percent.
"That's fine," Zayle said. "Encounters mean profit."
Profit also means risk.
"Then stay sharp."
Acknowledged.
He walked deeper into the woods. Wind whispered through branches. Dry leaves cracked beneath his boots.
Halfway through the trail, the system chimed again.
Three life signatures detected.Distance: 42 meters.Emotional state: Aggressive.
Zayle stopped walking.
"Students?" he asked.
Negative.Detected individuals belong to non-academy adventurer registry.
Zayle narrowed his eyes. Outside adventurers weren't supposed to linger so close to the academy unless they had business. More importantly, they weren't supposed to be lurking in the shadows like they were waiting for something… or someone.
Branches parted ahead.
Three figures stepped out.
All wearing half-damaged armor pieces, all carrying low-grade weapons. Not strong, but experienced enough to be dangerous to beginners.
The man in front grinned when he saw Zayle.
"Well, well. A pretty academy boy wandering around alone after dark."
Zayle remained silent.
Another man snickered. "He's small. Probably Rank 1. Easy."
The leader cracked his knuckles. "Kid, hand over anything valuable. Coins, materials, artifacts. You academy brats always carry something."
Zayle tilted his head slightly. "If you're here to rob someone, you picked the wrong target."
"Wrong?" The leader laughed. "You think you can fight us?"
"No," Zayle said calmly. "I know I can."
The three men exchanged looks, then burst out laughing.
The system chimed:
Threat level assessment:Three opponents. Combined risk rating: 3.2Survivability rate: 58 percent if engaging directly.
Zayle muttered, "And if I run?"
Survivability rate: 60 percent.However, running will allow enemies to tail you.Future encounters probability increases.
Zayle exhaled slowly.
Of course. If he ran today, they would come back tomorrow. Or next week. Or when he was in the middle of a mission and couldn't afford the distraction.
He had enough enemies already.He didn't need extra ones lingering around just because he ran away.
So he stepped forward.
The leader's smile vanished. "Kid, you really want to die?"
"You said it wrong," Zayle said. "I really want you to shut up."
Before the man could move, Zayle dashed forward. His boots kicked off the ground, and magic energy surged through his limbs, faint but sharp like compressed wind.
The leader's blade swung horizontally—Zayle ducked under it, slid across the ground, and slammed his elbow into the man's knee.
A crack echoed.
The leader screamed.
The second bandit swung his mace toward Zayle's back. The system's alert hit instantly.
Incoming attack at 7 o'clock.
Zayle twisted, barely missing the swing, and countered with a heel kick to the man's ribs. The impact sent him stumbling back.
But the third man was faster.
A dagger flashed toward Zayle's neck.
The system vibrated sharply.
Critical threat.Recommended action: Disengage or neutralize within 3 seconds.
Zayle raised his arm to block, but the blade grazed his skin, drawing a thin line of blood. It stung, but it also ignited his determination.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist, pulled him forward, and slammed his forehead into the man's nose.
Blood spurted. The bandit collapsed.
The first leader tried to stand again on his injured knee, face twisted in pain and rage.
"You academy brat… you're dead…"
Zayle wiped the blood slowly from his cheek. "You talk too much."
He kicked the man directly in the chest, sending him rolling across the dirt.
Silence settled over the forest.
The system chimed softly.
Battle complete.Vital signs of opponents stabilized. Non-fatal injuries inflicted.Assessing user performance:Efficiency rating: 71 percentRecklessness rating: 92 percentRecommendation: Increase defensive training within 48 hours.
Zayle took a deep breath. He wasn't unscathed—his left arm was bleeding, his ribs ached from the dodge, and his breathing was heavier than he wanted it to be.
But he won.
He always won.Even if it cost him.
He searched the bandits briefly. A few coins, a handful of poorly preserved materials, and a cracked magic core worth barely anything.
Useless.
He tossed the items back.
The system asked:
Why not take their materials?
Zayle shrugged. "Not worth carrying. And not worth killing them for more."
You are aware leaving them alive increases the chance of future conflict?
"Good," Zayle replied. "I need more training partners."
The system paused for two seconds.
Assessment:Your desire for conflict is unusually high.
Zayle smirked faintly. "You sound surprised."
I am incapable of emotion.But your behavior still requires analysis.
"Great. Analyze while I go farm materials."
Acknowledged.
He walked past the unconscious men and continued toward the forest.
The trees thickened, and distant growls echoed between the trunks. Fragmentbone Forest was close now—he could feel the faint pulse of beast mana from within.
Tonight wasn't supposed to start with a fight.But fights always found him.
He stepped into the shadowy entrance of the forest.
The system activated search mode.
Material nodes detected.Magic beast presence confirmed.Proceed with caution.
Zayle tightened his grip on his small knife and whispered, "Let's get stronger."
Then he stepped deeper into the darkness, ready to face whatever waited inside.