"Big bro, you can sit here," my little sis said, pointing at the seat next to her while Mom prepared the food.
"So, how's school?" Mom asked.
"It's the first day, so we didn't do much," my sis said.
"We did a little training and sparring," I added, "even though I only watched half of them participate. I didn't get to spar because I'm at the bottom."
"That's good to hear," Mom said.
"Mom, did you notice something? Brother's become thin but muscular, and he's gotten taller."
"Oh my, you're right... son, what have you been doing? I didn't notice it because I've been a little busy."
"Oh, it's just training. I can't attend a prestigious academy with weak abilities and a weak body, so I've been training to make you proud," I remembered Mom is the only one supporting us. She always takes a part-time job after her work so she can pay our school tuition, but now I can help her.
"I'm already proud of you, son," Mom said.
"By the way, Mom, I applied for a part-time job. One of my classmates is rich, and he said he needs some help with his family's guild, which is a gold-ranked guild. So, I'll have enough money for my school expenses. You don't need to work more; I can even pay for little sis's school tuition." Of course, I lied. I had to make a believable excuse, making it sound like I was working to earn money. I didn't want them to question where I got my money from.
"Oh my, is that true? But the job isn't anything weird or dangerous, right?"
"Not at all, Mom. It's just cleaning and being a sparring partner, so no need to worry."
"Thank God. Thank you, son. It helps me a lot. So, how's the food?"
"It's delicious as always, right, sis?"
"Yeah," Sara said. By the way, Sara is my sister's name.
After finishing eating, we went to our own bedrooms. Before I slept, I checked real estate on the internet to know what house I should buy. After that, sitting on the edge of my mundane bed, I pondered over the academy's dorm brochure. It felt like holding a menu of futures, each option a doorway to different shapes and sizes. With the night whispering through the slightly ajar window, I let my thoughts wander over the choices.
**1-Star Dorm:** A basic, small apartment suitable for one person. It has all the essentials for living alone, making it a straightforward choice for students on a budget.
**2-Star Dorm:** A step up, this dorm includes a small training room for practicing mana breathing techniques and small weapon movements without leaving the residence.
**3-Star Dorm:** Offers comfort and space, with a large training room and spacious living area, akin to a 5-star hotel, ideal for extensive training and luxury living.
**4-Star Dorm:** With a training room double the size, it's designed for crafting, turning raw power into tangible art, ideal for those who want to hone their powers and create.
**5-Star Dorm:** Reserved for nobility or influential families, offering elite luxury and service, including maids and butlers.
**6-Star Dorm:** Exclusively for the top 3 students, offering everything needed, including a VR training device. It's free for these students as motivation for all to excel.
Each dorm caters to different preferences, allowing students to choose based on personal goals, financial capability, and academic achievements. With that thought cradling my mind, I slowly drifted to sleep.
After waking up in the middle of the night, I contacted my friend, Jaymar, to help me sell goods on the black market. He's perfect for this, being skilled at hacking and accessing forbidden websites. It's been a while since I last contacted him, though it was just yesterday.
"Hey, are you up, Jaymar?"
"Yes, what's up? I'm just fixing some bugs on the app I'm planning to launch."
"So, why did you contact me? Do you need something?"
"Yeah, I want to sell something. Can you post it on the black market auction? I'm coming there right now, so wait for me."
"Sure, I'll be waiting for you at the back door of my basement."
"Thanks."
After using my shadow skill, I arrived at Jaymar's house.
Knock! Knock!
After knocking, the door finally opened.
"Come in," Jaymar said.
"So, what do you want to sell? I know your family is facing financial issues, but please, don't consider selling your body parts. You're too young to risk your life."
"Stop talking nonsense. First, I have something to show you." After that, I showed him a mana stone of exceptionally high purity.
"I want to sell this," I said.
"Where in the world did you get that? Did you enter the dungeon illegally? You know it's dangerous to go into dungeons!" Jaymar exclaimed, visibly worried and shocked.
"I didn't, so don't worry. I just met someone who wants to sell it secretly. You can even take a 10% commission," I reassured him.
"Really? But do you trust this person? You know this is a risky business, and it could cost you your life. You should be more cautious when dealing with these kinds of people... For now, I'll trust your judgment."
"Thanks. So, what's the starting price? I have five pieces here," I said, showing him the mana stones.
"Let me check." Opening his computer, he began to type something. After some processes, he finally accessed the black market. We started to look for similar mana stones and set a price for them.
"Done," he said. "First, we need to wait."
After a few hours of bidding, we finally reached the price – a whopping 27 billion hex, 5.4 billion hex for just one mana stone.
"So, you have 2.7 billion hex just like that," I said to Jaymar, with a wide grin on my face.
"Yeah, so how much of a percentage is yours?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. The guy said I could just tell him how much I need, maybe 1 billion, but you don't need to worry about that," I said jokingly.
"If you say so," Jaymar replied, looking a bit worried.
After packaging and sending the mana stones, the payment finally arrived.
"Jaymar, can you transfer the money to my account and make it untraceable?"
"Okay." A minute later, the transaction was completed. It took 4 hours for the transaction to finish.
"Jaymar, thanks again. I need to head home. It's already morning, and I don't want to worry my mom. I'll contact you again if we have other business."
"Sure, and take care. Don't overwork yourself and avoid anything dangerous. If you need something, anything, you can always contact me."
"Thanks." After leaving Jaymar's house, I used my skill to return home. I still needed to go to school.
Arriving at home, my sister saw me enter.
"Where have you been, brother?" she asked, stretching in the living room.
"I just went for a jog. It's important to stay fit, especially if you're awakened," I replied, heading to the kitchen.
Mom must have gone to work early in the morning; she had already prepared food.
"Sis, let's eat. And send me yours and mom's bank account details. I can transfer a small amount of money to you. After that, you can buy whatever you want," I said while eating.
"Really? Thanks, bro!" she replied, taking a seat.
After we finished eating, I began packing my things and started heading to school.
Arriving at school, I contacted Dorm Management to finally secure my own dorm room.
After signing the dorm agreement and completing the application, I started heading to my classroom. While I heading to my classroom I thought I was going to have a smooth school day today, but, a deep sigh, scape my mouth I noticed the guys walking towards me with a wide mocking grin expression on their faces... They were the ones who bullied me before I was summoned to another world..