Sometime later, Jasmine returned home.
The first thing she noticed was the food on the kitchen table. Packed boxes. Outside dishes.
Her heart skipped.
She rushed upstairs.
Emmy was fast asleep, crumbs clinging to her cheeks like tiny badges of guilt. Jasmine smiled faintly and brushed them away.
When she checked Rey's room, he was lying on his bed, calm and still.
Books lay open on his study table, neatly arranged. Almost too neatly.
'He was studying… but why so much outside food?' She wondered.
She said nothing.
Assuming he had fallen asleep after studying, Jasmine quietly closed the door.
The moment it shut—
Rey's eyes snapped open.
He stared at the door, unmoving, listening.
One second.Two.
Nothing.
He finally exhaled and sat up, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.
"That was close…"
His gaze flicked to the study table. Every book was placed just right. A perfect illusion of dedication.
"Welp. Got away this time."
He stood, locked the door from inside, and turned sharply.
"Oii, Aiden. Come out."
Aiden emerged casually.
Rey's expression hardened.
"Explain. Right now. Why did you let me steal a mountain of broken junk?"
Aiden folded his arms, unfazed.
"Alright, listen carefully. You know, breaking weapons in that place is prohibited, right?"
Rey nodded.
"But what if the fault isn't the trainee… but the weapons themselves?"
"Stop talking in riddles."
Aiden sighed. "Kids these days."
He continued, voice steady.
"The training center hands out deliberately weak weapons. Trash-grade stuff. They crack after a few hours."
Rey frowned.
"They aren't even worth two thousand. But the center charges five times that."
Rey's eyes widened.
"That's their real business," Aiden said. "Not training. Repairs and penalties."
Rey finally understood.
"So every broken weapon means empty pockets."
"Exactly."
Rey clenched his fist.
"That's why the pile keeps growing. Day after day."
Aiden nodded.
Silence followed.
Then Rey asked, "So what do we do with all of this?"
"Zero," Aiden replied. "But not fully."
Rey frowned. "She repairs them with particles, right? They revert after removal. Wouldn't a few be enough?"
"No," Aiden said calmly. "She'll reattach and strengthen them."
Rey blinked.
"Permanently?"
"Yes. You'll be able to use them freely."
Rey didn't fully understand, but he nodded.
Aiden raised a finger as a panel appeared. "You'll be using this."
======
<
[Matter Manipulation]:
A highly advanced and versatile ability that allows the user to control, alter, and transform physical substances at the molecular or even atomic level. Depending on its mastery and application, it can range from simple telekinetic-like control of objects to full-on atomic reconstruction.
======
What once looked like a single line now revealed its true depth.
Rey swallowed.
'Did I just realise how terrifying Zero really is?'
"So… I recover everything?" Rey asked.
Aiden nodded.
Rey sighed and got to work.
Arguing was pointless.
He pulled items from his inventory.
A broken sword.
A cracked spear.
Shattered daggers.
Bent arrows.
Fragments of polearms.
The floor filled quickly.
"Now what?" Rey asked.
Aiden stepped closer.
"One by one. Slowly. Carefully."
His gaze sharpened.
"If you rush, be ready to face consequences."
Rey nodded, though he didn't fully grasp the danger.
He closed his eyes.
He felt the mana inside him, raw and restless.
Guiding it toward Zero's core wasn't easy. His control was crude.
What Rey didn't know was that Victor's ability,
Without it, this attempt would've failed instantly.
After several tries, the mana finally reached Zero's ability core.
Rey entered the ability space.
He focused.
A cracked wooden sword lay before him.
The fracture began to tremble.
The solid wood softened, rippling like liquid.
The crack crawled, stitching itself together.
Rey's heart raced.
'It's working—'
His concentration slipped.
The sword collapsed outward, spreading like melted wax.
Rey immediately cut the ability.
The weapon solidified again.
But it was no longer a sword.
It looked… wrong. Flattened. Twisted. Unrecognizable.
"What the hell did I just create?"
Aiden sighed. "I warned you."
Rey imagined it exploding.
"…Okay. That could've been worse."
He stored the failed sword away.
Training material for later.
This time, he chose something smaller.
Arrows.
He pulled everything back into his inventory, leaving only arrows behind.
Then he checked the count.
1,034 broken arrows.
"…These people are shameless."
Even at 100 DP per arrow, that was over a hundred thousand.
'Pure extortion.'
He picked one arrow up.
Focused.
The crack wiggled.
Wood flowed, filling the gap like gel.
Rey applied gentle pressure.
The material fused.
He released the ability.
The arrow returned to its original form.
Perfect.
A notification appeared.
[System has detected the host attempting to grasp a skill without possessing it.]
[Basic knowledge is insufficient.]
[Title
[Skill foundation forming.]
[You have acquired the skill .]
Rey froze.
Another skill.
In one day.
Aiden wasn't surprised.
Some people, after all, gained dozens… even hundreds… in a single day.
Rey opened the skill window.
His eyes lit up.
And then—