Free Web NovelChapter 5: Core Improving Pill
Her footsteps were silent on the infirmary tile. She placed the white box on the bedside table without a word.
The box sat there between us.
Cecilia’s eyes swept over me in the hospital gown, lingering on my exposed skin.
Then her gaze shifted to Nurse Hart, still standing close to my bedside, close enough that propriety might have questions.
Frost crept across the nearest window in delicate fractals, spreading outward from where Cecilia stood. The temperature plummeted another five degrees. Hart’s breath misted slightly as she exhaled.
"Your awakening was quite impressive. From F-rank to defeating a B-rank in your first fight." Her pale eyes fixed on me. "Almost miraculous, really. Makes questions rise."
Her jaw was tight. The frost on the window spread further. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Questions like whether you’ve been hiding your real rank all along. Or whether something else entirely is wearing my step-brother’s face."
Hart’s expression changed slightly, her professional mask slipping just enough to show discomfort. "Miss Frost, your brother needs rest—"
"I’m sure he does." Cecilia’s smile was sharp as broken glass. "I’m sure Nurse Hart has been very... thorough... in her examination."
She turned toward the door, "I’ll expect you home for dinner. We have much to discuss about your miraculous recovery." She paused at the threshold, glancing back. "Dear brother..."
Then she was gone, leaving only the frost on the window and the lingering chill in the air.
Hart let out a breath, watching the ice patterns slowly begin to melt. "Well. That was..."
"Scary..."
"She’s your step-sister."
The {Tempered Channels} had done their work—the burning was down to a manageable ache.
"I’ll come to you after the academy ends. We have a deal to keep."
I winked at her.
She bit her lip, trying and failing to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You’re still recovering from severe channel damage."
"Then it’s a good thing you’re a healer."
"That’s not how that works."
"I’ll pick you up at six," I said. "Wear something that isn’t covered in antiseptic."
She turned away, but not before I caught the flush creeping up her neck. "Get out of my infirmary, Ash."
"Yes, ma’am."
---
By the time I made it to my first lesson, the academy rumor mill had already processed my fight into legend.
I caught whispers as I walked the halls. It was pretty neat.
The classroom was standard academy fare: tiered seating, projection screens for combat analysis, windows overlooking the training grounds. I was late enough that most seats were taken, early enough that the instructor hadn’t arrived.
That’s when I saw her.
The F-rank girl from earlier sat three rows back, near the window. Alone, naturally. F-ranks didn’t get friendly seatmates. Since we were just a few, we had to share class with E-Rankers, who looked down at us more than those above.
But damn, she was worth a second look.
She had the kind of beauty that came with an edge—sharp enough to cut if you got too close. freewebnøvel.com
Her hair was dark, almost black, falling in waves past her shoulders.
Full ample lips. High cheekbones. Eyes that were dark and intelligent and currently fixed on a tablet in front of her, reading something.
My gaze traveled lower.
The academy uniform did her no favors and every favor at once. The white shirt pulled taut across her chest, the buttons straining slightly against the generous swell of her breasts.
She’d left the top button undone, probably for comfort, but it created a tantalizing shadow of cleavage that drew the eye like gravity.
Her figure was all curves. The kind that made you think of softness and warmth, of what it might feel like to pull her close. Wide hips that the uniform skirt couldn’t quite hide. Thick thighs pressed together as she sat.
She shifted in her seat, adjusting her position, and I watched the way her body moved.
Then the System chimed in my head.
’Shit...why am I thinking like this?’ I wasn’t sure whether it was my hormones finally acting up, or whether it was a side effect of my injury.
[Choice A: steal her first kiss. Reward: Core Improving Pill.]
[Choice B: Become friends. Reward: Charm Skill]
[Choice C: Remain as ordinary classmates. Reward: None.]
[Note: This girl has walls. Thick ones. Her brother was culled last year. She trusts no one, likes no one, and expects nothing. But everyone has a weakness. Find hers.]
I stared at the screen only I could see.
The System was getting bolder with its demands. Or maybe it just understood me better than I wanted to admit.
I slid into a seat two rows behind her, angled so I could watch without being obvious. The instructor still hadn’t arrived. I had some time.
Kira Venn didn’t look up from her tablet.
But her shoulders tensed. Just slightly.
She knew I was there. Knew I was watching.
"You’re the guy who beat Roman Vale, I’m surprised you managed to come out without any broken limbs..." she said without turning around.
"Guilty," I said.
"You collapsed right after." She scrolled on her tablet, still not looking at me.
’She’d been paying attention to me...good. Makes things easier.’
"Also guilty."
"Sitting behind me and staring this much isn’t subtle. At least try to hide it..."
I leaned back in my seat, grinning despite myself. "Maybe I just like the view."
That got her to turn.
She looked at me over her shoulder, her beautiful dark eyes swept over me.
"The view," she repeated, her full lips curving into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "Right..."
She turned back to her tablet, dismissing me entirely.
She was dangerous in a way that had nothing to do with rank and everything to do with awareness. She saw through bullshit because she’d been drowning in it for a year. And she’d just made it clear that whatever game I thought I was playing, she was
ahead.
I studied the line of her neck, the way her dark hair fell across her shoulders, the elegant curve of her jaw. Imagined what it would be like to close that distance, to feel those full lips against mine.
{Charm Skill} would be useful. But the pill sounded like a better deal.
"You’re still staring," she said without looking up.
"Am I?"
She snorted. Actually snorted. "You beat one legacy and suddenly you think you’re smooth."
"I think I’m interested."
"In what? An F-rank girl with a culled brother and no prospects?" Her voice was sharp, cutting. "We both know how this works. You’re moving up. I’m staying here. And in two weeks, you won’t remember my name."
But she was wrong.
I already knew her name.
And I was going to make damn sure she remembered mine.
Yeah.
This was going to be fun.
