"The school gave it to me!"
Amelia Su replied, her cheeks flushed with excitement and a hint of pride. She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled shyly. "It was part of the offer when I was specially recruited. They said when I reached Levels 20, 40, and 60, they'd reward me with a set of purple rare-grade equipment each time... to help me clear my job transfer dungeons faster."
Lucas stared at her, stunned. "Wait… what?"
His brows lifted. "You mean... an entire set? Like... weapons, armor, accessories—all ten pieces?"
Amelia Su nodded innocently. "Mhm."
Lucas felt like a truck had hit his brain.
Three sets of purple equipment. That's at least ten million credits total.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the boiling envy that threatened to spill out of his ears.
Behind Amelia, her teammates stood frozen, their faces expressionless. Clearly, they'd already been emotionally wrecked by this revelation and had moved past the point of shock.
All except for Alexis Lane—the school's newly crowned campus goddess and daughter of the city lord.
She stood calmly, arms folded, wearing her own dazzling new gear. Her outfit was clearly also a purple-quality set, likely custom-tailored and enchanted.
Luxury dripped off her like perfume.
Lucas sighed. He wasn't even mad at Alexis. That kind of privilege was baked into her DNA.
Still...
He took another breath, nodded stiffly, and forced a smile. "The school really does value you, Amelia. SS Level Talent, huh? They're going all in on you."
Value? This wasn't just "value."
This was investment.
Kyoto University clearly wanted to raise Amelia Su into a future powerhouse. If they had their way, they'd probably sponsor her all the way to Level 100 and her fourth job change before graduation.
If the school program lasted longer than four years, they probably would.
Lucas thought about his own recruitment package.
One million credits per year. Tuition waived. Scholarship delivered at the end of each semester. No advancement allowed.
In comparison?
She was the school's daughter. He was the adopted kid they liked but wouldn't trust with the credit card.
"Is this the gap between SS and S Level?" Lucas muttered inside. "She gets full armor sets. I get quarterly stipends."
He clenched his jaw.
He had been the national top scorer in the entrance assessments! If anyone deserved attention, it was him!
"I should protest," Lucas grumbled in his head. "Demand a review. Scream about favoritism. Write an essay!"
But deep down, he knew the truth.
SS Level Talent was a different tier altogether. Rare. Powerful. With innate potential beyond what most could dream of.
His S-Level talent was solid, yes—but still within the bounds of the ordinary elite.
Amelia? She was beyond that.
She didn't even need to be outgoing. Her innate ability was enough to open every door.
Still, it stung. A lot.
Lucas forced a smile. "Well then... make the most of it, Amelia. Don't let the school's investment go to waste."
Amelia flushed red, her eyes lighting up at his encouragement. "I'll do my best!"
Just then, Alexis Lane stepped forward, her expression as elegant as ever.
"Hello, Lucas," she said softly.
Lucas nodded politely. "Good to see you, Alexis."
His voice was neutral, respectful. There was history between them—former high school classmates, with more silence than warmth between them now.
Alexis's eyes flickered briefly, as if she noticed the distance in his tone.
Lucas turned back to Amelia. "You two teamed up?"
Amelia nodded. "Yeah! Sister Alexis is my roommate."
Lucas blinked. "Wait... roommate?"
He looked confused. "Aren't you in different departments? She's in Output, you're in Defense…"
Amelia looked unsure, but Alexis stepped in to explain.
"When I enrolled," she said, "the school approached me and asked if I'd be willing to team up with Amelia. We were both Level 18 at the time."
She gestured at the other girls nearby. "They're also her old classmates. They leveled with her before admission. The school arranged for all of us to live together and form a party."
Lucas's brain clicked into place.
This wasn't just casual dorm assignment. The school had orchestrated everything to help Amelia thrive.
He turned toward the girls. "Hi, I'm Lucas. Amelia's friend."
The three girls waved shyly.
One of the more outgoing ones stepped forward with a smile. "Nice to meet you! I'm Wang Huilan. These are Claire Rivers and Emily Frost."
Lucas nodded politely. He vaguely recognized two of them. "Huh… were you in my class?"
"Yes!" they laughed.
Lucas scratched the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm a terrible class monitor, huh?"
His gaze lingered briefly on Emily Frost—the priest of the group. Her equipment and presence hinted at solid support ability. Also… yeah, definitely well-endowed. Hard not to notice.
Then something clicked in Lucas's memory.
"Wait… weren't you guys a party of five in high school?" he asked Amelia. "You're missing someone."
Amelia hesitated.
"…I don't really like that person," she said, her voice quiet.
Lucas didn't push.
He nodded. "Got it."
Clearly, the school respected her decision. Rather than force her into old dynamics, they brought Alexis in as a replacement—an S-Level hidden class mage. Impressive move.
So Alexis didn't poach Amelia from him. It was the school's doing.
Lucas gave Alexis a glance of apology, which she didn't quite understand.
"Well, you guys should get going. Don't let me hold you up," Lucas said, stepping back. Then he paused and asked, "By the way—did you bring torches?"
"Torches?" Amelia tilted her head.
Alexis answered calmly, "I did. I checked the strategy for this dungeon beforehand and bought one. I also memorized the correct path."
Lucas gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice. That's the kind of preparation that makes a difference."
He turned to Amelia. "Remember to study dungeon strategies before entering next time, okay?"
"Got it!" she nodded earnestly.
Lucas hesitated once more. "Oh—and this is the Spider Cave. You're okay with spiders… right?"
Three of the girls nodded confidently. One looked uneasy. And one turned pale.
Lucas winced.
"Amelia?" he asked.
"…I'm not afraid!" she said, nodding rapidly—and also shaking her head, as if trying to convince herself.
Lucas smiled. "You're the front-line tank now. Can't let bugs scare you."
"Y-yeah!" she declared.
The girls formed a circle near the dungeon entrance. Alexis activated the instance, and a soft white vortex of light appeared—the mark of normal difficulty.
They didn't rush into high difficulty right away, which Lucas appreciated. They were taking it slow.
With that, he turned and walked away, satisfied.
With Amelia's gear and Alexis's crowd control, their party would be just fine.
Even if spiders crawled all over her, she'd live to tell the tale.
End of Chapter 60
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