031 HIDE AND BIDE TO RANK F
Dorin shut her office door with a click and locked it.
Then she pressed a hidden latch; the secret door slid open, revealing a dimly lit room. Lander was already there, standing by the investigator's board.
"Where did he go?" Lander asked without turning.
"Back to his dormitory," Dorin replied, stepping inside.
Her eyes flicked to the board filled with photos and red lines. "How did you even know he'd come here and see all this?"
"It was a trap," Lander said flatly.
"A trap?"
"It all started with the wounding of Lukas Veyran. He was injured by Damen Dark. That fact alone made me suspicious. So, I had Lukas tested for residual psychic wave signatures. Guess what—there were plenty," Lander explained.
Dorin's expression hardened. "That's why you fed the Veyran family that detailed report about Damen? That's unethical, Lander."
"Morality and ethics died a long time ago," he replied, his tone like steel. "And I was right. The Veyrans confronted Damen with the intelligence report, he'd inevitably come here to question you about his psychic test. All I had to do was leave the door open."
She glared at him. "So, you used me. You let him see the board on purpose."
"And yes, he did."
"Why would he come here?" she asked.
"Because he saw you during his finals test. He already had suspicions about you, the report I gave to the Veyrans confirmed his suspicions", he explained.
"What's the point of letting your suspect see your entire investigation? Aren't you just giving him a warning to run?"
Lander finally turned to face her. "Because he's not the suspect."
Dorin blinked. "What?"
"He may not be the one causing the psychic attack," Lander said, his voice low and deliberate, "but he's connected to whoever is. Someone's behind him, shielding him, doing the real harm. A guardian angel, you could say."
"Why do all of this? What is your purpose if he's not the suspect?" Dorin demanded.
"Because now he's spooked. He'll run to the real culprit or the culprit will run to him. When that happens, we'll be waiting."
Dorin folded her arms. "You're a good detective, Lander, but you've crossed a moral line. What if Damen's innocent? What if there is no guardian angel? You are intruding into the lives of innocent people."
He gave a small shrug. "If nothing happens, I'll admit I was wrong and take responsibility. But until then, I want eyes on Damen Dark. Every step."
-----
Damen attended his first class at the new school. It was a Theory lecture, and the teacher was explaining the foundations of meta studies.
The subject caught his interest.
For a long time, before he ever discovered the mining app, he had dreamed of becoming a meta scientist, someone who researched skills or forged equipment powerful enough to change the world.
However, a lot has changed since that time. And now he was faced with an official investigation.
But he forced himself to forget what he discovered last night from his mind. He had no choice except to keep a low profile from now on.
Without hard evidence, the Superheroes Intelligence Agency couldn't pin anything on him.
"As long as I don't get caught using Acquire again, I'll be fine," Damen muttered under his breath. "It was my own stupid mistake with Lukas Veyran… I could've beaten him without the app. But I was vengeful and greedy for his points," He slammed his forehead against his desk, berating his carelessness.
The following weeks passed in quiet monotony. Damen buried himself in classwork and never once stepped off school grounds.
Even when Zairgid got down on his knees and begged him to go drinking, Damen refused. Safety meant discipline.
Then, one evening, his phone buzzed.
[A new software update is available. Proceed? Y/N]
"What the hell… sure, yes." He tapped the screen.
The update finished quickly, and the app relaunched. Notifications poured in:
[Congratulations, your Favourite Target List has expanded to 20.]
[Congratulations, your mining range has improved again.]
Damen blinked. "You've got to be kidding me." A grin crept onto his face before he burst into laughter.
That's when he noticed the newest feature. When he targeted someone to mine on his Favorite List, a fresh button glowed beneath the name:
"View Live Feed."
"What the hell is that?" He pressed it.
The phone's screen flickered, then shifted to a live video feed. Someone was sprinting through the spinning tunnel inside Heroes' Gym.
Damen's eyes widened.
"No way…" His grin sharpened into something darker. "I can actually watch my targets live."
He laughed again—this time harder, sharper, more thrilled than before.
But there was a cost to this super spying power. His DemCoins started draining quickly once he launched the Live Feed.
"I can't watch this all the time. Only when necessary", he told himself.
-----
Damen spent the next month mastering the new functions of his mining app.
Damen was rebellious. Although he was being investigated as the psychic attacker, that fact alone wouldn't stop him from becoming stronger.. from his Acquire.
But he must do it in a clever way.
The Live Feed feature became his favorite tool—it allowed him to find his targets during their most vulnerable moments, usually in the middle of grueling training sessions.
That was when he struck.
While their bodies were flooded with adrenaline, their focus dulled them to anything beyond their exhausting training, and it was that time he would Acquire their stats without notice.
The usual psychic sting of the attack vanished beneath the strain of training practice, usually leaving no trace.
That was a kind of alibi for Damen when he Acquired from them.
Damen could harvest from them freely, unseen and undetected.
He quickly learned that not every aptitude stat was tied directly to Rank advancement.
Charm and Strength, for example, weren't essential for ranking up…only Meta and Command was essential… but he maxed them anyway.. because it was free.
Within weeks, every attribute had climbed to the ceiling of Rank G.
Then the app confirmed it: He leveled to Rank F.
His status shifted.
Name: Damen Dark
Rank: F
Strength: 40 | Charm: 30 | Meta: 32 | Command: 30
He also discovered that no matter how much he pushed Charm or Strength, his body had reached its genetic peak. His appearance or height didn't change with every point of improvement, nor did his muscles swell further.
Numbers climbed, but the flesh beneath was bound by genetics. He was at the height permitted by his own genes.
"At this level, my aptitude is already equivalent to a high school graduate", Damen mused.
Still, protocol demanded patience—he would need to wait until the semester finals before he could officially advance. "And once I graduate I'll leave this bloody city for good and leave all investigation against me behind."
When he thought he would hole up in school until end of semester, graduate and leave the city and all trouble behind, danger came knocking.
"Damen.. Damen… this is not good."
032 YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS IN TROUBLE
Damen had barely opened his door when Zairgid burst inside, out of breath.
"Is this another attempt to drag me to Black Owl?" Damen muttered under his breath.
Zairgid leaned on the wall, panting hard. "It's your girlfriend—she's in trouble."
Damen blinked. "My girlfriend? Since when do I have one?"
"Eryn Veyran. She's lost in the space rift at Melrose Mine," Zairgid said.
"Melrose Mine…" Damen's eyes narrowed. "That's the Aur mine where I used to work. Why would there be a space rift there?"
"Don't you know?" Zairgid replied. "All Aur mines are extensions of space rifts. Our Aurs come from rocks expelled from them."
Damen froze.
He had spent years hauling rocks out of that mine and never once suspected a rift lurked beneath his feet. None of the miners had. Otherwise, none of them would dare to work there.
"So Aurs… grow from space rifts?" he asked.
"Forget the theory. Ask your teacher later. Eryn Veyran is missing now," Zairgid snapped.
"Why would she even go in there if it's so dangerous?"
"The rift's sealed off but not banned. Heroes are allowed inside to explore. Half our breakthroughs in research and development come from artifacts pulled from space rifts," Zairgid explained.
"But Eryn…" Damen's brow furrowed. "Why did she risk going into the space rift?"
Zairgid lowered his voice. "Because of her mother. She vanished inside the Melrose Rift on an expedition some years ago. Eryn's been sneaking in several times ever since, looking for her."
Damen exhaled slowly.
That explained the last time he'd found Eryn unconscious and wounded in the mine. She'd just returned from the space rift.
He turned to Zairgid. "I understand her persistence. But what's that got to do with me?"
"Aren't you, her boyfriend?"
"No. Since when?"
"Then why does she always carry your miner's name tag with her?" Zairgid asked. "Solana told me."
"What?!" Damen's eyes widened. "That's got nothing to do with me."
"Anyway," Zairgid pressed on, "the school's launching an expedition into the rift—partly training, partly a search-and-rescue for Eryn. Will you join?"
"Nope. Too dangerous," Damen said flatly.
"It won't be," Zairgid insisted. "The risky stuff's handled by C-Rank Heroes. We'll stay in the safe zone."
Damen narrowed his eyes. "You're usually the last person to volunteer for work. What's this really about?"
Zairgid fiddled with his fingers. "Uh… because my father wants me to go. If we join a space rift exploration, I can get a Hero ID. He needs me to have an ID if he were to continue giving me allowances."
The city awards citizens with Hero IDs if they are of great service to the city. Joining an expedition into the space rift would constitute such merit.
Damen frowned.
In this world, a Hero ID meant everything—nobles and rich families spent fortunes to train their heirs just for the title.
"So, this isn't about Eryn at all," Damen said. "You're using her as an excuse to get me to the rift with you. What you really want is a free bodyguard."
"Well…" Zairgid grinned sheepishly. "I'd feel safer near you. Rank C and D Heroes aren't always there to protect us. If you can one smash K.O Lukas, I'll feel better if you are around."
"You're a confirmed coward," Damen muttered.
"So… are you coming or not?"
"No. I don't even have powerful equipment."
"Equipment? Leave that to me. You can have anything you want if you join me in the rift," Zairgid promised.
-----
Zairgid led Damen to the Aukuoma Heroes' Auction Center, a sprawling commercial complex that buzzed with activity. Inside, fortunes changed hands daily—from powerful meta equipment and rare artifacts to rejuvenating youth elixirs. If money could buy it, it could be found here.
Damen's eyes caught the sign overhead- Aukuoma. "Wait… your father owns this Auction House?"
Zairgid grinned. "Yes, yes. Didn't I tell you? I can get you any equipment here. I wasn't lying."
"No… you weren't," Damen admitted.
But another thought struck him. "Does this place also have a meta training center?"
"Of course. Why?"
"I need to learn a new skill—and upgrade my current ones to Rank F."
Initially, Damen wanted to visit Heroes Gym again but after what he saw in Dorin's secret room, he decided it was better to keep a distance from them.
Zairgid nearly choked. "You are Rank F?! Since when?"
"I just got promoted," Damen replied with a satisfied smile.
Zairgid wiped the corner of his mouth. "Well, I guess that explains it. How else could you have floored Lukas Veyran with a single strike?" He nodded, then gestured toward a side corridor. "The training center's open now. The auction starts later—we'll make it in time."
"Perfect," Damen said, his grin widening.
----
Training a meta skill wasn't difficult—it was quick and efficient. The real challenge was choosing the right one. Damen could acquire as many skills as he wanted, but each required time to master, and time was always limited.
"What should I go for?" Damen muttered.
Zairgid leaned against the wall. "Depends on what you're aiming for. But don't get greedy. Implant too many meta chips and some skills won't even manifest."
"You're just being stingy," Damen shot back.
"No, I'm being honest," Zairgid said firmly.
"I want a skill that lets me disappear—not just visually, but one that hides my energy and even my breath. Does something like that exist?"
Zairgid smirked. "You came to the right place. Try Camouflage. I use it myself."
Damen raised an eyebrow. "A coward like you? Let me guess—your other skills are just body armor, shields and more shields?"
Unfazed, Zairgid grinned. "Exactly. The best defensive set money can be bought in Melrose City."
Damen chuckled. "Fine. I'll train Camouflage."
The process was straightforward.
Before long, Damen had implanted the Camouflage meta chip and gained the skill at Rank F. It would take practice before he could use it effectively, but the foundation was there.
At the same time, he brought his existing skills—Summon Shield, Flash Dash, and Electrocution—up to Rank F, aligning them with his new status.
By the time the upgrades were done, the day was nearly gone. Fortunately, the auction was scheduled for the evening.
Borrowing a sleek suit from Zairgid, Damen followed him into the grand auction hall, ready for whatever came next.
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