Ah 1k powerstones already! Here is the bonus chapter for you!
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A familiar mana signature pulsed from within my tent as I approached—different from Yuzuriha's playful energy, but equally interesting in its own way. From one high-maintenance woman to another. Shikamaru's favorite phrase came to mind:
how troublesome.
I unzipped the tent flap slowly, finding Nicole Demara—Instagram influencer, B-Rank mage, and daughter of the Phoenix Imperium's founder—curled up asleep on my air mattress. Her pink hair spilled across my pillow, her face peaceful in sleep. She'd made herself quite comfortable in my absence.
For a moment, I considered finding another place to crash. Dealing with Nicole required energy I didn't have. But this was my tent, with my air mattress and my nice comforter. And I needed rest before whatever tomorrow would bring.
I crouched beside the mattress and tapped her shoulder. "Hey."
Nothing. She didn't stir.
I tried again, a little firmer. "Nicole."
She mumbled something incoherent and turned over. The movement caused the blanket to slip, revealing she wore nothing but black lace lingerie. Perfect. Just perfect.
"Nicole," I said, louder this time, tapping her shoulder more insistently.
Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused and heavy with sleep. "Not now, Evelyn," she murmured. "Training can wait till morning."
She yawned, stretching like a cat, completely unaware of her surroundings or her state of undress. The movement drew attention to curves that her usual designer outfits already highlighted to perfection.
I smiled down at her. "Comfortable?"
Nicole blinked, her green eyes gradually focusing on my face. Recognition dawned, followed immediately by alarm. Her mouth opened to scream.
My hand covered her mouth before any sound escaped. "Don't scream. It's me."
Her eyes widened above my hand, indignation replacing fear. I felt her jaw tense beneath my palm.
"I'll move my hand if you promise not to scream," I said. "Deal?"
She nodded, though the glare she gave me could have melted steel. I removed my hand slowly.
"What the hell?" she hissed, yanking the blanket up to her chin. "You can't just touch me like that!"
"Why are you in my tent?" I countered.
"Your tent?" She looked around, momentary confusion crossing her face before stubborn certainty returned. "No, this is my tent."
"With the good air mattress and the nice warm comforter?" I gestured to the clearly labeled gear. "The ones with my name on them?"
Nicole's chin lifted defiantly. "I came to talk to you after your first watch, but you weren't here. You've been gone for at least four hours."
"And that gives you the right to move in?"
"Where were you anyway?" she demanded, ignoring my question.
"Oh? Why do I owe you an explanation?"
Something flickered in her eyes—not anger, but something more vulnerable. Fear, maybe. Despite her bravado and designer lingerie, Nicole was scared. She'd never been in a situation like this before, trapped in a dangerous gate without her S-Rank bodyguard. And she'd figured out what everyone else was slowly realizing: her best chance at survival was sticking close to me.
I sighed, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "Can I ask you something without getting sued for harassment?"
That startled a laugh from her—genuine, without her usual social media polish. "Sure. My lawyers are a bit out of reach at the moment."
"Why are you in a gate without your guild? Or without Evelyn? Your father owns one of the strongest guilds in the world. So why are you here, alone?"
The question hit a nerve. Nicole's shoulders tensed, and she clutched the blanket tighter. For a moment, I thought she'd deflect, but instead, she took a deep breath.
"My father wants to breed me," she said, her voice flat.
"Excuse me?"
"Not literally. Well, kind of literally." She pushed her pink hair back from her face. "He's arranged a meeting with some British lord with telekinetic abilities. Lord James Harrington. S-Rank with 'potential for National Rank status,' according to Daddy's PowerPoint presentation."
"A marriage arrangement?" I asked.
"An 'alliance,' he calls it. But yes, essentially selling me to the highest bidder with the best genetic compatibility." Her fingers twisted in the blanket. "My enhancement ability combined with his would create 'exceptional offspring.' His words, not mine."
"That's..." I searched for the right word. "Medieval."
"That's Damian Demara for you. Everything and everyone is a resource to be optimized." She laughed without humor. "I told him I wouldn't do it. Said I was going to start my own guild instead."
"And how did that go over?"
"About as well as you'd expect. He laughed at me." Nicole's gaze dropped to her hands. "Guild master qualification requires twenty-five successful gate clearances at C-Rank or higher. I've done eleven so far, all without Evelyn's help."
"And you need all twenty-five before this meeting with Lord Whatever?"
"In three days." She looked up, a mix of determination and desperation in her eyes. "I know it's impossible. But I had to try something."
"So you created a random group of hunters to clear gates with."
"Not random. I researched most in this group." Her eyes met mine. "Especially you."
That caught my attention. "Me?"
"Don't act surprised. You're not exactly subtle." She studied my face. "D-Rank hunter who completed 30 missions easily in two months. Never gets hurt."
I kept my expression neutral. "And what exactly do you think you know about me?"
"I know you're hiding something. I know you're stronger than you let on." She leaned forward slightly. "And I know you're my best chance at getting out of this gate alive."
I yawned, stretching my arms above my head. "Well, whatever you think you know, I haven't slept in a minute, and I'm about to drop."
I stood and began removing my equipment, stacking it carefully beside the mattress. The weights came off next—600 pounds distributed across my limbs and torso.
I opened my inventory and stored the weights, then pulled out a pair of sweatpants.
"Do you mind?" I asked, gesturing to my clothes. "I kind of need to change to sleep."
Nicole bit her lower lip, conflicted. "I could turn around," she offered, already shifting to face the tent wall.
"Appreciate it," I said, quickly changing into the sweatpants. I kept my t-shirt on, more for her comfort than mine. I always slept shirtless. "Done."
She turned back, eyes flickering over my form before settling on my face. "So..."
"So," I echoed, suddenly aware of how small the tent felt with both of us inside.
"I could sleep somewhere else," she said, not making any move to leave.
"You could."
"But it's dark out there."
"It is."
She studied my face, looking for judgment or expectation. Finding none, she relaxed slightly. "I don't normally do this."
"Sleep in strangers' tents?"
"Share sleeping space with men I barely know," she clarified. "I have a reputation to maintain."
"Your secret's safe with me," I said, too tired to play games. "Scoot over."
She hesitated, then moved to make room. The air mattress was designed for one person, which meant we'd be in close proximity. I lay down beside her, careful to keep some space between us.
"Just to be clear," she said, "this isn't an invitation for anything."
"Noted. Now go to sleep."
"I'm serious."
"So am I. Sleep, Nicole. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
She fell silent, though I could practically hear her thinking. The tent filled with the sound of our breathing and the distant noises of the camp.
"Xavier?" she said after a few minutes.
"Hmm?"
"What do you think I should do? About my father, I mean."
I turned my head to look at her. Her expression was open, vulnerable in a way I suspected few people ever saw. Not the Instagram influencer or the billionaire's daughter, but just a young woman trapped in circumstances beyond her control.
"I think," I said carefully, "that you're asking the wrong person. I'm just trying to survive one day at a time."
"But you're good at it. Surviving, I mean."
I was quiet for a moment. "The thing about survival is that it's not about winning. It's about not losing. Sometimes that means standing your ground. Sometimes it means knowing when to walk away."
She nodded, considering my words. "Daddy never backs down. He says it's weakness."
"Your father has never had to run. When you have enough money and power, you can make the world bend around you instead."
"But I don't have that kind of power," she said softly.
"No. But you have something he doesn't."
"What's that?"
"Magic," I said, echoing what I'd heard her tell her father. "And the freedom to choose your own path."
We lapsed into silence again, more comfortable this time. Nicole's breathing gradually slowed and deepened as sleep claimed her once more. I remained awake a little longer, thinking about what she'd shared.
Damian Demara treating his daughter as a genetic resource didn't surprise me. Men like him viewed the world as components to be optimized, resources to be exploited. What interested me was Nicole's rebellion. Twenty-five gates was an ambitious goal for someone of her limited combat experience, even with her enhancement abilities. It spoke to a determination I hadn't expected from the social media princess.
'Arcan, what did you decipher about Nicole's enhancement ability?'
『Nicole Demara possesses a rare ability classified as 'Rank Boost.' She can temporarily elevate another hunter's abilities to the next rank level while maintaining their relative position within that tier. Strategic-class enhancement magic. Extremely valuable.』
'And her father wants to breed that ability into the next generation.'
『Correct. Genetic optimization is a logical approach from a purely statistical perspective.』
'But not from a human one.'
『…I lack sufficient data to evaluate human emotional responses to breeding programs.』
'Let me help you out there—it's fucked up.'
Beside me, Nicole shifted in her sleep, unconsciously moving closer to my warmth. Her pink hair brushed against my shoulder, carrying the scent of expensive shampoo. For all her wealth and privilege, she was just as trapped in this gate as the rest of us. More trapped, in some ways, by the golden cage her father had built around her.
I closed my eyes, letting exhaustion pull me under. Tomorrow would bring new challenges—moving camp, avoiding the sentinels, figuring out how to escape this gate. But for now, sleep was all that mattered.
My last thought before drifting off was that Nicole Demara might be more than the spoiled princess I'd initially taken her for. And that made her both more interesting and more dangerous.
I woke to someone poking my shoulder. Opening one eye, I found Nicole leaning over me, fully dressed in her black bodysuit.
"Finally," she said. "I thought you were dead."
I grunted, checking my internal clock. I'd slept for exactly four hours and seventeen minutes—longer than I'd intended.
"Alexander called a meeting," she continued.
I sat up, running a hand through my hair. "What time is it?"
"Just after sunrise."
I nodded, my mind clearing quickly as I assessed the situation. "Did you tell anyone about sleeping here?"
"God, no," she said, looking horrified at the thought. "I don't need people thinking I'm desperate enough to sleep with a guy on the first day."
I raised an eyebrow. "Ouch."
"No offense." She flashed a smile. "You're very handsome. But I have an image to uphold."
"Right." I stood, stretching. "Your secret's safe with me, princess."
Her eyes narrowed at the nickname, but she let it pass. "Anyway, I'll see you at the meeting."
She unzipped the tent flap and slipped out, leaving behind the lingering scent of her perfume. I shook my head, amused despite myself. Nicole Demara was a study in contradictions—vulnerable and guarded, desperate and proud, trapped and defiant.
I changed quickly, storing my sleeping clothes in my inventory and donning my work gear.
Outside, the camp was already in motion. Alexander stood near the center, directing the breakdown with military efficiency. Jin and Sonya worked in perfect tandem, their movements synchronized as they dismantled their shared tent. Shikamaru lounged against a rock, appearing half-asleep despite the activity around him.
Yuzuriha caught my eye as I emerged, giving me a smile. Whether she'd noticed Nicole's exit from my tent or was simply continuing our interaction from last night, I couldn't tell.
I made my way to Alexander, who acknowledged me with a nod.
"Valentine," he said. "Sleep well?"
"Well enough. What's the plan?"
"We're going to scout for higher ground." He pointed to a rocky outcropping about two miles east our current position. "Better defensive position, more cover."
"Good choice. Less exposed. What about water?"
"There's a small oasis near the base of the rocks. We'll fill all containers before making final approach."
I nodded. Alexander knew what he was doing—his military background showed in his tactical thinking.
As he moved away to continue organizing, Shikamaru sidled up beside me, his expression bored but his eyes sharp.
"Interesting night?" he asked.
I glanced at him. "What makes you say that?"
"Just an observation." He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "People are more troublesome when they're scared."
"Meaning?"
He shrugged. "Everyone's looking for safety. Some find it in planning." He nodded toward Alexander. "Some in teamwork." His eyes shifted to Jin and Sonya. "Some in distraction." This time, he looked at Yuzuriha.
"And some?" I prompted.
"Some look for the strongest person to stand beside." His gaze drifted to Aurora, who was carefully packing her designer backpack, keeping her distance from the others. "Even if they don't admit it to themselves."
"You think she knows something?"
"I think she's smarter than she pretends to be." Shikamaru tucked his hands into his pockets. "Like someone else I know."
I didn't take the bait. "Everyone has their secrets."
"True." He sighed. "What a drag. Red gate mechanics, and now politics. This was supposed to be a simple job."
"Life rarely cooperates with our plans."
"Tell me about it." He pushed off from the rock he'd been leaning against. "Well, I better look busy before our military friend assigns me something troublesome."