"Wake up, idiot!" Zayn shook Riven's shoulder for the third time, trying to rouse him from his deep sleep. "We're going to be late!"
Riven murmured something incoherent, still half-asleep. Finally, Zayn managed to get him up after a few more shakes. Grumbling, Riven rolled out of bed and got dressed in a hurry.
As they left the dorm, Zayn hurried ahead, eager to make it to class on time. But as he rounded the corner, he collided with someone hard, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Riven stopped, watching the scene unfold. "You okay, Zayn?"
Zayn looked over at the person he'd crashed into, ready to say something, but the words caught in his throat. It was a girl, small and delicate, with sky-blue hair and matching blue eyes. She seemed tiny next to him.
"Oh, uh—sorry about that," Zayn quickly apologized, helping her up. She dusted herself off, her face slightly pink as she bent down to gather the brushes and paint pad she'd dropped.
Riven stepped forward, concerned. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head shyly, her voice soft. "No, I'm fine. I should've been paying attention..."
Zayn, feeling a bit awkward, tried to make conversation. "Where are you headed?"
"I... I'm going to class," she replied quietly. "I only got here a few days ago."
"Us too," Riven chimed in, giving her a friendly smile. "We're on our way there. Want to walk together?"
She hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Sure."
As they made their way to class, Zayn glanced over at her. "I didn't catch your name."
She looked up at him briefly, then back down at the ground. "Lilith. Lilith Harren."
"Nice to meet you, Lilith," Zayn said, smiling. "I'm Zayn, and this sleepy guy is Riven."
Riven shot him a playful glare. "I'm not sleepy anymore."
They continued walking, making light conversation until they reached the classroom. It was already buzzing with activity, many students having arrived before them. The three of them found seats in the middle of the left side of the room.
A short, rotund man with thinning grey hair and glasses entered the room, causing the chatter to die down. He walked to the front of the class, clearing his throat.
"Good morning, students," he began, his voice carrying through the room. "I am Professor Vincent, and today we will be going over the basics of magic."
Professor Vincent stood at the front of the class, adjusting his glasses as he addressed them all with a calm, authoritative tone. "In this world," he began, "leveling up isn't as simple as going out, killing monsters, and gaining strength. Yes, that's how most people try to do it. But it's inefficient. Physical stats like strength and speed may improve, but never to the extent they could if knowledge was pursued first."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "Now, I want each of you to try something. I want you to call upon your System."
Zayn took a deep breath, concentrating. Call System, he thought to himself. Almost immediately, a soft golden glow appeared at the edge of his vision, and the familiar red holographic screen floated in front of him.
[WORLD SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
LEVEL: 1/7
STR: 50
SPE: 70
VIT: 50
INT: 70
MAG: 150 / ???
TYPE: ENERGY
SUB-TYPE: VECTOR
ULTIMATE SKILL: PANTA RHEI
He blinked, staring at the screen for a moment. The stats hadn't changed much since the last time he saw them, but Professor Vincent was already speaking again, drawing his attention back.
"Direct your focus to the INT stat," the professor said, pointing at his own invisible screen. "This is, without a doubt, the most important and often understated stat. Intelligence governs much more than just your ability to understand things—it determines how efficiently you use your magic, how quickly you grow, and ultimately, whether you are someone truly worthy of being called strong."
Zayn listened carefully, taking notes as the professor explained the deeper significance of intelligence in combat and magic. Meanwhile, next to him, Riven was nodding off. After only ten minutes, his head was slowly tilting, and his eyes fluttered shut.
"Riven..." Zayn whispered, nudging him with his elbow. "We just got here. Don't pass out already."
Riven mumbled something incoherent, but his head jerked up briefly, only to droop again moments later.
Professor Vincent continued, "There will be theoretical classes like this from time to time, but practice will always be up to you unless otherwise directed by the academy."
Zayn was writing furiously, determined to remember everything, when he felt a prickling sensation, like someone was watching him. He looked up from his notes and noticed a student in the front row glaring at him.
The guy was bulky, dressed in expensive clothes, with a polished look that screamed noble. Zayn frowned, not quite sure what he'd done to earn such an intense stare. He leaned over and whispered to Riven, who was still fighting sleep.
"Hey, do you know who that guy is?" Zayn muttered, nodding towards the noble who was still glaring in his direction.
Riven squinted at the guy for a second before smirking. "Oh, that? Nobles being nobles, man. He probably thinks we're an eyesore or something." He stretched lazily. "I wouldn't worry about it."
Zayn glanced back at the noble, who hadn't stopped staring. "Right. An eyesore..."
Professor Vincent droned on about the leveling system, explaining how to improve stats more efficiently, but Zayn couldn't shake the feeling that his day was about to get a lot more complicated.
As the class ended and the students began to shuffle out, Zayn and Riven stood up, ready to leave. But before they could take more than a few steps, the noble from earlier approached them with his entourage—two girls and another boy, all dressed in equally flashy clothes.
Riven, noticing the approaching group, leaned toward Zayn and muttered, "This isn't going to go well."
The noble, who Zayn now recognized from the glaring, stepped right up to Lilith, ignoring Zayn and Riven altogether. His face twisted into a smug grin as he addressed her. "Lilith," he began, "what are you doing hanging around with a couple of filthy commoners? You should ditch them and come with us."
Lilith, flustered but firm, shook her head. "I don't want to, Verys."
Verys' smile vanished instantly, replaced with annoyance. He reached out to grab her hand, but before he could, Zayn stepped in between them, blocking his path. "That's enough," Zayn said calmly but firmly.
Riven, standing a few feet behind, sighed dramatically, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh boy, here we go," he said, his voice dripping with boredom.
Verys looked at Zayn with a mix of disgust and disbelief, as if he couldn't believe a commoner had the audacity to touch him. He grimaced and dusted off his sleeve theatrically. "Ugh, now I've got commoner germs on me," he sneered. "You're going to pay for soiling me."
Zayn remained still, not rising to the insult, but Verys' face contorted with rage. With a quick motion, V
he swung his fist toward Zayn, his body suddenly glowing with a red aura as he activated his magic.
Before the punch could land, Riven appeared in an instant, catching Verys' fist mid-swing. The red aura flickered and disappeared as Riven's hand clamped down on his. The sound of creaking bones filled the room as Riven tightened his grip. Verys gasped in pain, his eyes widening in shock.
"You're really trying this, huh?" Riven said, his voice cold and utterly indifferent. "Listen, I don't care what rank you are or who your family is." He leaned in slightly, his bored expression never changing, but the temperature in the room dropped noticeably. "If you try to hurt anyone I call a friend, you'll regret it."
Verys struggled to pull his hand away, but Riven's grip was ironclad. The two girls behind Verys looked horrified, while the boy in the entourage took a step back, clearly reconsidering whether they should get involved.
The air between them felt thick with tension, and even Zayn could sense how serious Riven had become. Lilith stood frozen, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.
Riven finally released Verys' hand, letting it drop to his side. He stumbled back, cradling his hand as he glared at Riven, but he didn't make another move. His face was red with humiliation, but it was clear he wasn't going to push his luck any further.
"This isn't over," Verys spat, before turning sharply and storming off with his entourage trailing behind.
Zayn exhaled, shaking his head slightly. "That was... intense," he muttered.
Riven shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, nobles like him are always full of themselves. Just gotta put them in their place once in a while."
Lilith, still a bit shaken, looked up at them both. "Thank you... both of you," she said softly.
Riven waved it off with a lazy grin. "No big deal. Besides," he added with a smirk, "I thought Zayn was going to handle it, but I couldn't resist stepping in."
Zayn chuckled, "Yeah, right."
Later that afternoon, Zayn found Riven lounging near the dorm's common area. He seemed as relaxed as ever, but Zayn had something on his mind.
"Riven, I need to talk to you," Zayn said, sounding more serious than usual.
Riven raised an eyebrow, sitting up a little. "What's up?"
"I need to get stronger," Zayn said bluntly, his fists clenched at his sides. "When that guy, Verys, came at me earlier... I wasn't sure if I could take him on by myself."
Riven leaned back, scratching his head. "You held your ground fine, man. Don't beat yourself up about it—"
But Zayn cut him off. "I'm serious. I know I'm weak right now. I need to be stronger, and I want you to train me."
Riven blinked, a bit surprised by Zayn's sudden request. After a moment, he gave a sly grin and stood up. "Alright. If you're that serious about it, I'll help you out. Meet me at the field behind the dorm in five."
Zayn nodded, feeling a weight lift off his chest as he followed Riven outside.
When they reached the field, Riven stood in the middle, looking as relaxed as ever, hands in his pockets. "Okay, Zayn. Come at me whenever you're ready," he said casually, not even bothering to take a proper stance.
Zayn hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to approach. Should he go all out or hold back? Before he could even decide, Riven vanished from where he stood, appearing right in front of Zayn in a blur of motion.
"Too slow!" Riven's voice rang in Zayn's ears, and in that split second, Zayn barely managed to activate his magic and raise his arms in defense.
Just as Riven's fist was about to connect, Zayn heard the voice in his mind:
[Confirmed attack. Attempting vector control.]
"Wait, what?" Zayn blurted out, confused by the sudden message from his System.
[Vector control failed,] the System continued, as Riven's punch landed squarely, sending Zayn flying across the field and crashing onto the ground.
"Ugh..." Zayn groaned, rubbing his ribs. He wasn't hurt too badly, just winded, but still... that hit hurt.
Riven jogged over, chuckling as he helped Zayn back to his feet. "You alright?"
"Yeah... mostly," Zayn muttered, still catching his breath. "But something weird happened. The System said something about vector control before I got launched."
Riven raised an eyebrow. "Vector control? Sounds like your ultimate skill is trying to activate." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That could be pretty interesting. If we keep going, maybe we can figure out how it works."
Zayn dusted himself off, already feeling more determined. "Alright, let's do it."
For the rest of the week, they trained relentlessly. Zayn kept pushing himself, trying to activate the skill, but each time, the result was the same.
[Vector control failed.]
After one particularly rough session where Zayn ended up face-first in the dirt for the umpteenth time, he rolled over and groaned, "I'm starting to think this Vector thing is just trolling me at this point."
Riven smirked, offering a hand to pull him up. "Hey, maybe it's building suspense. You know, dramatic effect. Big reveal coming soon, and all that."
Zayn laughed, despite himself. "Well, whatever it is, I'm not giving up. This skill better be worth all the dirt I've been eating."
Riven gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "It will be. Trust me. When it activates, it'll blow your mind."
Zayn grinned, shaking his head. "Just as long as it doesn't blow me up in the process."
They both laughed as they called it a day.