Chapter 124: When did we become friends?

Chapter 124: When did we become friends?

Third person'sPOV:

"Status..."

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┌─────────────────┐

│ ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?

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????????: Svetlana Darkthorn?????????:(??+)

??????: 16

??????????????: Homosapien

??????????: Mage/Warrior/Fighter

■?????????????? ?????????? →

? ?

Health: (E+) 480/ 480

Mana: C 800/800

Strength: (D-) 500/500

Dexterity: C

Intelligence: A+

Mana Capacity: 330

? ?

■?????????????????? ??????????→

? ?

Armor: (F+) 15

Resistance: (F+) 15

Stamina: D

Charm: (S+)

Durability: E 25

Flexibility: B

? ?

????????????:

Zephyr's inspiration[Info...]

Panzer [Info...]

????????????: Spirit Blindfold

??????:

Xsly Whips┃Platinum ?

(15%)

Static Swordsman┃Myth ?

(5%)

Hand-to-hand Combat┃Bronze?

(100%)

????????????????????: Threads of destiny

??????????????????????:

[2x Rare Achievements!...]

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Svetlanna was stuck to the floor, sweat drenching her body, clothes clinging to her skin.

Her frustration was spat with an exhale, "Not good enough..."

Instructor Ailen, Darkthorn family's sword art instructor, decided to call it a day. "You've pushed yourself hard enough for today, Miss. Take rest," she acknowledged before making her way out of the A-21 training ground.

Left behind was the panting figure of Svetlana. Her chest rising and falling, her Urumi laying by her side.

'Not good enough'—that's not the kind of phrase you would hear from a sixteen-year-old who's even remotely close to a D rank, let alone (D+).

But for Svetlana, 'good' was not enough.

She was a Darkthorn. She carried the weight of that name.

Reaching her room, Svetlana submitted herself to the bathtub.

Most of Svetlana's life revolved around training and 'staying alive'.

In a way, she was a very pure, innocent soul, like a child. Unsullied her perspective—never lived a 'normal life.'

Pop culture? Anime? Aidoru market? Social media?...yeah, those things were pretty foreign to her. Even the simplest things, like porn and dark humor, were unknown to her. It's not like she was oblivious, but her understanding of these things were... 'limited'.

The only social media app she even had was Q-Text, a pre-installed app, just like google.

To make matters worse, she never had any friends, never played games.

Her life was confined to a bubble, shielded from the outside world, all because of her malady.

But, everything changed eight months ago, when she started experiencing visions of the Dreambreaker.

It was such a pity... what was? To see the one who saved her, have 'that' fate. Instead of gratitude, she felt pity.

????????! ????????!

Startled by the sudden vibrations of her phone, Svetlana was snapped out of her thoughts.

She took a seat on her bed and quickly checked her phone.

Almost instantly, a frown spread across her face as she read the message notification.

"Why does he keeps bothering me? Ugh, it's so annoying!" Svetlana grumbled aloud before proceeding to read the message—

?

[????????????????????: ??????, ?????? ?????]

[????????????????????: ??????, ??????????8, ??????????9]

[????????????????????: ?????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??

Now, what am I supposed to do?

It's clear as day that releasing the cancer treatment drug into the world right now isn't feasible due to certain issues. Those problems will be sorted out once I establish a pharma.

"And for that... I can aallwaaysss seek some help from good ol' Mommy Magi—I-I mean Master Seraphina!"

Jess, what a mis-slip!

I couldn't help shaking my head.

'This accursed tounge of mine will get me killed someday.'

But... all of this will take me months, and I'm tight on funds.

I can't simply pause and wait for the cure for mana contamination.

'Nathan's mother...'

Luckily, there was a solution.

In the past, I didn't join any clubs because time was scarce. My main focus was on building up my finances.

And in the past, I deliberately kept my distance from the main cast.

I felt weak as hell, so I figured it was better to stay away and not get tangled up in the main storyline. I already missed like 2-3 arcs of the Og novel.

But now, I do have free time for clubs and I think I have enough strength to run away if the main cast brings some problems.

And if I am not wrong, then the academy provides money for the club activities?

Of course, I'm not aiming for those measly academy funds. My real target is the main cast. Those guys are loaded with cash, like seriously loaded.

Especially Aurora Lewis.

I plans to create my own club—the medicine club—and convince Aurora to join.

With her wealth and resources, I'll milk her dry!

I mean, come on, their family's worth is at least some billions,...I think?

"Heuheuheu! This is gonna be fun... "

***

As I approached the underground chambers, I saw Nathan coming out of the experimenting lab.

His face was pale, it appeared like he was fighting the urge to vomit, clutching his stomach.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Do I look alright to you?" Nathan shot back, his eyes burning with an intensity that seemed to shoot daggers. No, his eyes weren't actually red, nor was he shooting daggers at me. He was... crying.

What the fuck did he see?

Without answering he quickly ran away.

As soon as I entered the room and move past the curtain Alice greeted me. "Ah, Sir Grey, you are here!"

Her voice was muffled due to her mask, but I could tell that she was smiling beneath her mask.

Unfortunately, I couldn't reciprocate her smile as what caught my eyes made me feel nauseating.

It was an unsettling sight.

A shiver shot up my spine, and my mind felt a jolt.

Alice stood by the side of a surgical chair. And on that chair, restrained by a straight jacket, lay a man.

He drooled uncontrollably, his gaze unfocused and distant.

Strapped tightly to the chair, numerous tubes invaded and exited his body. Nurses moved about, tending to his needs, while a life support system ensured his survival.

But the most unsettling sight was the sight of his skull flapped open, resembling the lid of a frying pan, exposing his exposed brain.

The man, alive but silent, appeared to have had a significant portion of his skull surgically removed.

"Nano..."

[Affirmative. Monitoring and regulating blood pressure.]

[Deploying Oxytocin to regulate emotional state.]

[Numbing down brain limbic system and re-engaging.]

[Regulating Hypothalamus, amygdala, leucine-enkephalin, Endorphins.]

[Stimulating Endorphins, Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine, dorsomedial thalamus.]

In an instant, a calmness washed over me, as all my worries melted away.

"This is Experiment number 02," Alice explained, while simultaneously handing me a file.

"So, he's not considered human, but just an experiment? Interesting..."

I read the file, discovering that this guy was a convicted criminal who had committed heinous acts of child rape against 32 victims, with 6 of them being young girls.

17 of his victims had tragically lost their lives, while the remaining individuals were left traumatized or paralyzed from the waist down.

Some months ago, I had struck a deal with Jailer Rodion Romanovitch, allowing me to obtain a steady supply of criminals, live subjects who could be used for human experiments to develope mana brain tampering technology.

This agreement came into fruition after I orchestrated a successful biological warfare strategy using reared masses of invasive Caelifera insects that destroyed his family's business rival, the Maple Z corporation's farms.

Those were a special breed of insects that could only be effected by fire magic and using fire magic in a farm? Yea...

As I looked at the man with his skull open I couldn't help but ask, 'Am I...evil?'

Yes, this guy was a criminal who destroyed many lives but, does that makes what I'm doing any less evil?

***

Emily Reed's POV:

"Here you go," I exhaled buoyantly, giving a QR code and a specific amulet to Aeravat.

"Best of luck!" I bid a wish, and Aeravat flashed me a smile in return.

I turned to Noah and to my surprise, he returned the smile. "Thanks," he spoke, his tone sounded genuine, different from what I was accustomed to.

"What's up? Something on your mind?"

He gazed at me, replying, "Yeah, your beauty."

"W-what! Where did that come from?!" My eyes widened at his audacious declaration.

And where did he find the nerve to say something like that?!

He smirked, "Just joking, you know."

"Joking?" I frowned.

What is he joking? I ???? beautiful.

Without even bothering to give me a second glance, he sauntered off as if nothing had happened.

Aurora, who had been quietly observing the conversation from a distance, slowly made her way over to me.

"Since when did you two become friends?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We never did. It was just a strange, casual, coincidental, conditional kind of talk. If that even makes any sense."