The system panel didn't disappear.
It simply hovered in front of Raze, steady and silent, like it was waiting for him to do something stupid.
[Secret Input Detected.]
[New Tab Unlocked.]
Raze raised an eyebrow.
'…Secret input?' he thought.
He hadn't expected a message like that, especially since he'd only been switching between tabs out of boredom rather than curiosity.
Then a new icon appeared along the edge of the interface.
It wasn't labeled like the others. No name. No description. Just a faint, unfamiliar symbol.
Raze hesitated for half a second.
Then, with a single thought, the tab opened.
The familiar blue interface shifted, folding inward before expanding again into something completely different.
A new screen appeared.
Raze's eyes widened.
It was a shop.
Not like the market stalls outside the academy. No vendors. No scrolling ads. No noise. This one felt… deliberate.
Rows of items hovered in the air, each suspended in its own frame.
[Beast Weapon – Basic Tier]
[Goblic Spear]
[Cost: 2 Basic Beast Crystals]
[Beast Weapon – Intermediate Tier]
[Ashbound Blade]
[Cost: 5 Intermediate Beast Crystals]
Raze frowned slightly.
Looking at the weapons only raised more questions. Why hide a shop tab from him? Was there something in here the system didn't want him to see?
He continued scrolling.
More items appeared. Beast armor. Shields. Accessories. Weapons of different shapes and designs.
The farther he scrolled, the more items turned gray—locked behind opaque seals he couldn't interact with.
'Of course they're locked,' he thought with a quiet sigh.
'Nothing ever comes easy.'
Then, without warning, red text slammed into place.
[Unauthorized Access Detected.]
The shop froze.
Then collapsed inward, like it had never existed at all.
Before Raze could react, the interface shifted again.
Gold replaced blue.
[Creator Message Initialized.]
Raze's pulse jumped.
"…Creator?"
A name appeared.
[Theodore Clockwork]
The text didn't scroll.
It appeared one line at a time.
[If you are seeing this, then you accessed something you were not meant to.]
Raze clenched his jaw.
The last time he'd received a message from the creator was the first day the system appeared.
More text followed.
[I am almost surprised you discovered this input. Or perhaps it was coincidence. Either way, I expected this to happen eventually.]
The image of the shop flashed briefly in Raze's mind, just long enough to remind him what he'd seen.
Then—
[Shop Tab — Locked]
[Unlock Requirement: Level 10]
Raze clicked his tongue.
"…Of course."
Another line appeared.
[Unintended access is not ignored. It is recorded.]
A new notification followed immediately.
[Compensation Granted.]
[New Skill Acquired.]
[Inspect Lv.1]
Raze blinked.
[This skill allows the user to analyze objects, materials, beast weapons, and living entities.]
[Information revealed scales with level and perception.]
The gold text dimmed as one final message appeared.
[Not all knowledge is meant to be earned through strength alone.]
Then the panel vanished.
The system returned to normal.
Raze dismissed the system screen and glanced up.
Felix and Liam were quietly chatting near their beds. Liam was seated, half-leaning back, while Felix stood over him, gesturing with his hands like he always did. Then Raze noticed something else.
Beatrix wasn't in her bed.
'She's probably doing her morning routine,' Raze thought.
A moment later, Felix straightened and motioned for Liam to stand. Liam groaned but got up anyway.
Felix turned and walked over to Raze.
"Hey," he said. "Liam and I were thinking about heading to the city near the academy. You wanna come with us?"
Raze paused.
A while back, he'd wanted to spend some time in the VR rooms. Awakening Battlegrounds. Fighting other military students, learning patterns, testing himself without others finding out it was him. But this week had been… a lot.
Training. Warnings. The system. The dream.
'I mean, it's the weekend,' Raze thought.
'And this week was mentally exhausting.'
He exhaled slowly, then nodded.
"Sure," he said. "Could be good to finally get our minds off things."
Felix's face lit up instantly, like he'd just hit the jackpot.
"Alright!" he said. "Let's go!"
At that exact moment, the bathroom door slid open.
Beatrix stepped out, towel draped over her shoulder, hair still slightly damp.
Her eyes immediately flicked toward the three of them.
"…Where are you going?" she asked.
Before Felix could answer, Liam spoke up.
"We were planning on heading to a nearby city," he said. "Do you want to come?" He paused, then added, "You'd be alone here otherwise. Raze and Felix are both going."
Beatrix didn't respond right away.
She stood there for a moment, eyes lowered slightly, thinking it through. The dorm was quiet again, the early light spilling through the window.
"…Fine," she said at last. "I'll come."
Felix's grin widened instantly.
"Yes," he said, clapping his hands together once. "Perfect. Now we're all going."
He turned toward the door, already energized.
"I've got the perfect place in mind."
Raze had a feeling that whatever Felix meant by perfect was probably going to be loud, crowded, or both.
And judging by Felix's expression… probably trouble.