“Hell yeah! That’s the spirit!”
A round of enthusiastic cheers rang out. A man with quick, crisp footsteps and graying temples strode in from the hallway. It was David, their homeroom teacher.
The entire class straightened up the moment they saw him. Rumor had it David used to be a formidable Gene Soldier himself—some even said he’d reached the Awakened Master stage. But age had taken its toll, his Gene Lock had regressed, and his strength had slipped. Still, with his deep well of combat experience and rock-solid theory, he was one of the most popular teachers in the academy.
David walked briskly into the room and stepped onto the podium.
“I heard what Xalen said from outside, and I think he put it brilliantly!”
“People always say the most important thing for a Gene Soldier is the gene itself.”
“But I believe there’s more to it than that— the ‘soldier’ part matters just as much.”
He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, swept his gaze across the room, and launched into full lecture mode.
“What does it mean to be a soldier? Someone who fights, of course. But why do we fight? That’s something a lot of people don’t really grasp.”
“In my view, looking at the state of the world today, sure, humanity has clawed its way back from the brink, but the situation is nowhere near optimistic. We need more Gene Soldiers. We need more Gene Soldiers who aren’t afraid to fight!”
“That’s why I think Xalen couldn’t have said it better. If you don’t even have the conviction to fight, how are you ever going to become a strong Gene Soldier?”
Hearing that, a lot of students thoughtful. Xalen also felt a flash of deeper understanding. He suddenly recalled the moment his own gene had evolved—the sheer, stubborn willpower that had pulled him back onto his feet and somehow triggered a miracle.
But not everyone saw it that way. Rick’s face darkened instantly. He shot Xalen a fierce glare. In his mind, David’s open approval of Xalen was just one more way the guy had stolen his thunder.
David wasn’t done yet. “I’ve told you before, the graduation trial is voluntary. I offer my blessings to those who take part, and I completely understand anyone who opts out.”
“But honestly? What I hope to see most is all of you voluntarily stepping up.”
“Because that shows you have the conviction to fight!”
“So seeing Xalen here today genuinely warms my heart.”
“Keep in mind, plenty of Common Gene Soldiers just like him didn’t show up. But he did.”
His gaze shifted to Xalen, and for a moment his eyes carried genuine pride. Then his tone shifted again.
“Xalen, your courage makes me proud as your teacher. But here, I have to tell you—know your limits. I’m aware of your family situation. If anything happens to you, it won’t affect just you alone.”
His voice grew heavy. Over his years of combat and years of teaching, he’d seen more than his share of life-and-death partings. Brave spirit was good, but caution wasn’t shameful. Especially in a household like Xalen’s—if he fell, their sky would collapse.
Xalen nodded. “Thank you, sir. But I’ve thought it through. I’m confident I can pass the graduation trial.”
He spoke with an edge of steel, radiating unwavering confidence.
David blinked, giving Xalen a fresh once-over. He suddenly realized Xalen was like a completely different person compared to the day he’d awakened the lizard gene. Back then, Xalen’s face had been drawn, shrouded in despair. Now, his whole expression held a glow, full of ease and even a hint of ambition.
“Ha!”
A jarring laugh cut the air. David frowned. “Rick, what’s so funny?”
Athena and the others turned to stare at Rick.
“N-Nothing.” Rick squirmed, flustered. He’d simply been unable to hold back a laugh at Xalen’s declaration.
But at that moment, Xalen let out a chuckle, too. “Heh.”
All eyes swiveled toward him. Xalen grinned. “Teacher, I know what Rick’s finding so amusing—he obviously thinks I don’t know my own limits. But I genuinely believe I can pass the trial. So, if anyone here doesn’t believe me… how about a bet?”
“Fine, what’s the wager?!” Rick blurted without a second’s thought. A stern glance from David made him quickly force an awkward, sheepish smile. “Sir, he’s the one who brought it up."
David’s brow furrowed. “Ridiculous. The graduation trial has real consequences for your future, matters of life and death. How can you turn it into some childish bet?”
Rick immediately shut up. But Xalen just laughed. “Sir, I think it’s fine. As long as it gets me resources to grow stronger and help my family, I’m willing to bet my life on it. Besides…” He met David’s eyes. “What Gene Soldier fighting Aberrant Creatures isn’t already betting their life on humanity’s future?”
David paused, caught off guard.
Rick’s eyes lit up. “Alright, what’s the bet?!”
Xalen smirked inwardly. He knew full well that after this graduation trial, he was going to cause a huge stir. This was his one and only shot to win money from people who severely underestimated him—and he wasn’t about to let it pass. That’s why he’d argue back even to David.
“10,000 credits. If I pass the trial, you pay me 10k. If I fail, I pay you 10k,” Xalen rattled off, smooth as silk.
“Deal!” Rick agreed without a moment’s hesitation. His family was decently well-off, plus he was a Rare Gene Soldier with a monthly stipend of 10,000 credits. Betting 10k was pocket change to him. Whether Xalen even had the money didn’t matter; Rick just wanted to knock him down a peg and snatch the spotlight back.
Xalen felt a thrill, then turned to the rest of the class. “What about you all? Anybody else want in? I’ll take any bet.”
He wore an exaggerated smug expression, deliberately provoking them. That quickly stoked a bunch of competitive fires. In the blink of an eye, nine other students threw down their bets alongside Rick.
“Mr. David, would you mind being the witness for all this?” Xalen jotted down every name and turned to their teacher. With David as guarantor, Rick and the others wouldn’t be able to weasel out later.
David sighed but didn’t argue further. He understood Xalen’s desperate need for money. Besides, looking at Xalen now… maybe failure wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Shaking his head, he launched into the details of the graduation trial.
Just as Athena had said, it was the Shadowwind Wolf instance. However, David’s intel was clearly far more detailed. Xalen listened quietly until a soft voice drifted into his ear.
“Xalen.”
He turned around. Athena was suddenly right beside him—he hadn’t even noticed her move.
Xalen’s eyes brightened. “Athena, you here to get in on the bet?”
She quickly shook her head, “No… I just feel like you’re different from before.”
“Really? I haven’t noticed,” Xalen chuckled, though deep down he realized some things were hard to hide. First David, now sharp-eyed Athena, had both picked up on the change. Sooner or later, people would figure out his real strength.
Not that he planned to keep it secret forever. According to the Federal World Government’s policies, the stronger your gene, the more resources they threw your way. If he wanted a bigger share of those resources, he’d have to reveal his power eventually. But for now, he intended to milk this betting game for all it was worth first.
Not far away, Rick was watching the quiet exchange between Xalen and Athena, his expression darkening all over again. There it was—Athena, the goddess of the school, being pulled right back into Xalen’s orbit.
Then Rick remembered the bet. A cold smirk crept across his face. He had 100 percent confidence in this one.
A lizard gene could never meet the trial’s passing bar. No way in hell. And even on the off chance Xalen got stupidly lucky and managed to kill ten Aberrant Creatures… so what?
Rick was going to be in that trial, too.
When the time came, all he had to do was sabotage Xalen’s run. One way or another, Xalen would never hit the mark.
Keep smiling, Xalen. Let’s see how long that lasts.