So yeah. Office hour detention.
Nothing makes you question your life choices quite like sitting in front of your professor while the guy who tried to sucker-punch you two hours ago sits across the room pretending he didn't just try to commit a felony on school property.
Professor Lena was pacing. Never a good sign. She had this whole vibe going — coat swishing dramatically, heels clicking like she was about to sentence us to death.
"Kael Vire," she said finally, spinning to face me, "you've never been in trouble before."
"First time for everything?" I offered.
She didn't smile.
"And Shin," she turned to him. "This is your fourth incident this semester."
"It wasn't my fault," Shin said, like a toddler caught with cookie crumbs on his face.
Lena raised a hand. "I don't care. Both of you — one more public altercation, and I'll recommend disciplinary combat trials. You won't enjoy those."
"Got it," I said quickly. "No punching. No drama. Total pacifist energy from now on."
Shin just glared.
"Good," she said, grabbing her tablet. "Now get out of my office."
We left.
I waited until we were out of hearing range before muttering, "That went great."
Once I was finally alone again — in the library, of all places (yes, I was that desperate to avoid people) — I opened the system menu again.
[BLOOD PACT SYSTEM]
Debt Remaining: 4,400 Coins
Time Remaining: 2 Days, 4 Hours
Available Functions:
1. Combat Boost (Auto)2. Enemy Detection3. Pact Vision (Locked)4. Collector's Mark (Pending…)
Hold up. Pending?
I tapped on the "Collector's Mark" option and—
[New Quest Unlocked]
Meet the Collector
Location: Lower Campus Storage Block B
Time: Tonight, after sunset
Reward: ???
Risk Level: Moderate to "You Might Die"
Excellent. Sketchy after-dark meet-up in an abandoned building. Totally normal. Definitely not a trap.
I checked the clock: 5:43 p.m.
I had, like, two hours to mentally prepare myself to do something incredibly dumb.
8:07 p.m.
The storage block was every bit as creepy as you'd expect.
Half the lights were busted. Pipes dripped. It smelled like rust and regret. The kind of place haunted NPCs spawn in horror games.
I turned a corner and found someone waiting — tall guy, hooded cloak, leaning against a wall like he was posing for a villain magazine.
"You're late," he said.
"I'm here, aren't I?" I said. "What are you, my debt manager?"
He chuckled. "Something like that. You can call me Verin. I work for the Blood Office."
I blinked. "That's not real."
"It is now."
He walked closer, and I saw a weird red seal glowing over his left eye. Looked like a barcode made of veins.
Verin gestured, and suddenly a small red contract hovered between us.
[COLLECTOR'S OFFER]
Loan Restructuring Available
Terms: Blood Quest
Risk: Variable
Interest Rate: Frozen until quest ends
Accept?
"Wait," I said. "You're telling me I can pause the interest… if I take on a side quest?"
"Not just any quest," Verin said. "You'll be hunting... people. Other Pact Holders who've gone rogue. They've defaulted, and when that happens, they turn into monsters."
"Cool, cool," I said. "Just casually offering me a bounty hunter gig like we're in a mobile game."
He smirked. "Welcome to the Blood Office, rookie."
[NEW SYSTEM FUNCTION UNLOCKED]
Pact Vision
1. See other Pact Holders2. Identify Rogue Debtors3. Track Quests & Targets
[QUEST RECEIVED]
Debtor Hunt: Target #01 – Kira Wren
Location: Upper Dorms, Wing 6B
Threat Level: Unknown
Reward: 1,000 Coins
Penalty: Reactivation of Interest Timer
"Of course," I muttered. "We're starting tonight."
"You'll want this," Verin said, handing me a small blade. It looked ceremonial — black metal, etched with weird runes.
"What is this, a cursed letter opener?"
"That's a blood-forged shard. It'll let you finish the job when the target resists... termination."
"Awesome," I said, flipping it around. "I love being legally obligated to stab people now."
"You'll get used to it," he said, already turning to leave. "Or you'll die."
"Thanks for the pep talk."
10:34 p.m.
I stood outside the dorm room, heart pounding.
The system pulsed quietly in my head like a heartbeat.
[TARGET NEARBY]
Pact Detected: Instability 72%
State: Pre-Descent
Proceed?
I took a breath. Raised the blade.
I was a first-year student. I came here to study cultivation theory, maybe pass some dumb electives and eventually become a junior analyst in some dusty research wing.
And now I was here... about to confront someone turning into a monster because they couldn't pay off a magical blood debt in time.
I knocked on the door.
It creaked open.
And inside — sitting in the dark — was a girl with glowing red eyes and cracked skin, muttering numbers under her breath.
"Oh," I said. "This is gonna suck."