A Long-Awaited Weekend
A rare weekend off.
Chris left Arcana Academy and arrived home. Greeting him weren't just anyone—they were his little siblings.
"Eek! Big bro's here!"
"Wooow! It's bro! Hiii!"
Three siblings came rushing over in an instant, clinging to both of Chris's arms. But thanks to the significant difference in their sizes, Chris held firm without budging.
"Hmph, looks like the house got a lot fancier while I was gone?"
"Hehe, you sent money, bro."
"Haha, yeah! Cash!"
"Idiot. It was prize money, not just money."
The house suddenly buzzed with excitement.
For Chris, born into what could hardly be called a family—a total commoner—living in a normal house like this was a huge step up.
It was all thanks to the prize money he'd earned from extracurricular activities and the Battle Survival event. His siblings knew it well.
"That's right! Spot on! You watched the broadcast, huh? It was all because of me in Battle Survival..."
As Chris boasted proudly, recounting his exploits, his siblings stared wide-eyed, hanging on every word. Their pure reactions only hyped him up more, and he kept chattering away.
"So there I was, running away! Three of them coming at me!"
"Gasp! What happened, bro?"
"Eek, that sounds dangerous!"
"Did big bro win?"
At his siblings' questions, Chris nodded smugly.
"Of course. I'm strong, after all. I dropped flat like this and counterattacked..."
Chris flattened himself on the floor in a prone position.
"So big bro won?"
"Bro! You're so cool!"
His little sister's eyes sparkled, and his younger brother's shone with admiration. But the youngest, Lua, tilted her head.
"Hehe! But why'd you lose to the axe lady?"
"Uh, wha?"
Chris stammered in panic, but Lua's assault didn't end there.
"Hehe, the axe lady beat big bro. We saw it all on the broadcast."
Lua beamed innocently, oblivious to the mood.
His younger brother suddenly whistled and muttered as if to signal he was out.
"Ow, I gotta do homework now..."
"Gasp! It's already 2 p.m. Bedtime for me."
Even his little sister headed to her room, claiming she was going to sleep in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Lua kept grinning at Chris. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Ah, ahem, you saw it, huh?"
"Yup! But the black-sword bro won for you!"
Lua mimed swinging a tiny sword with her small hands. A mix of emotions washed over Chris at the sight.
"Ah, Z-Zien?"
"He's cool!"
"Yeah..."
Chris deflated completely.
Even here, he steals the spotlight... Talk about losing on my true home turf.
But Chris had to admit it.
Zien had crushed Lucia in a do-or-die moment and even split the prize money with him despite his loss.
Skill and character.
Their party leader was flawless in both.
"Yeah... Zien's pretty cool."
To the slumped Chris, little Lua extended her hand. In it was a piece of candy.
"What's this? For me, bro?"
Just as Chris started to feel touched that his sister was looking out for him, Lua shook her head with a bright smile.
"Nope. For sword bro."
"Ah, to pass on?"
"Yup yup!"
"Yeah..."
Chris pocketed the candy with a bitter expression.
As gates opened and Zone 1 technology seeped in, the world entered the modern era. Kings vanished, replaced by the central organization called Central. The divide between commoners and nobles grew hazy.
But.
The gaps between people didn't disappear. In a world where capital ruled all, one family stood at the pinnacle: the Blitz family, owners of the mage tower.
The Blitz family villa was no ordinary place. The massive mansion rivaled Arcana Academy in size, complete with an outdoor pool and a hologram training hall just for Isabel.
Chaebol of chaebols.
Yet it had been half a year since Isabel last visited the estate.
"It's been a while since we ate together."
Yubel said as he sliced his steak.
The meal had been prepared on-site by staff from the Konet Wood Hotel.
"Yes."
Isabel's curt reply.
Even during this rare family meal, silence hung over the table for a while. The only sounds were the clinking of cutlery. Yubel, eyes still on his plate, spoke to Isabel.
"It was that student who led your party and provided security."
Zien Russell.
Yubel remembered the name clearly. Not because of Zien's exploits at the academy—no mage tower lord memorizes every standout student.
But.
Winning the extracurriculars, conquering a 5th-rank gate for the first time, and saving his one and only daughter? That changed everything.
I'll have to repay that debt someday.
Patriarch of the Blitz family and lord of the mage tower.
Yubel never forgot a debt.
"How's party life?"
At the unexpected question, Isabel looked up. It wasn't something from her usually gruff father.
"O..."
Her father was oddly peculiar today, but Isabel reflected on her experiences. She'd smashed goblin holograms barehanded, got fireman's-carried by Zien while learning grappling.
And that wasn't all. She'd pushed her stamina to the brink for the first time ever. No—in the virtual gate, she'd actually died.
Looking back, it was a total mess.
But still.
The longer she thought, the more a faint smile tugged at Isabel's lips. A rare sight for her.
"It's fun."
Above all, what she liked most was that Zien treated her as Isabel, not Isabel Blitz. Unlike the calculating, fake people she'd seen before. In Zien's party, she could be her complete, unadorned self.
That was why she stayed even after Battle Survival ended. Yubel watched her with quiet satisfaction.
Good. She really likes the party.
Isabel had always kept walls up against others. But she was changing. And their awkward father-daughter relationship was slowly thawing, whether they realized it or not.
At the center of it all.
What an impressive student.
Was party leader Zien.
Starfall Lake.
A fisherman's paradise, but now under dungeon manifestation, closed to the public. For Amy Rose, an Arcana alumna, that didn't apply.
Splash splash splash!
Something sliced through the water, approaching. Amy shouted excitedly from the shore.
"It's coming! It's coming! Can everyone see?"
The shadow neared from the lake's center. What emerged was a massive, elongated fish—the tyrant of Starfall Lake, Revac.
"Right in front—now? No, now!"
After hyping it up wildly, Amy lashed the water with her magic tool whip. A small whirlpool formed amid the spray. Revac got caught in it.
"Alright, reeling this one in makes five for the mission?"
Reeling in Revac by sheer strength was impossible for Amy. But her whip manipulated gravity.
Crack!
She whipped the ferocious Revac harshly. The giant fish's weight became as light as a feather.
Whoosh!
The whip coiled around Revac like a snake.
Amy easily yanked it to shore.
"Hup, heh, hahaha!"
Five massive fish flopped beside her. But Amy ignored them, bursting into laughter.
"Mission complete!"
To outsiders, it looked like a mad girl's soliloquy. In truth, Amy was streaming to 30,000 viewers.
Hunting in dungeonized zones was common content, yet Amy's audience was massive.
As viewers said, Amy wasn't the same girl anymore. Hologram chat projected in mid-air with cutting-edge gear, plus pricey drone cams. Through Battle Survival and gate streams, she was now a top celebrity among students—unrivaled. And as the chat noted, Zien deserved most of the credit.
"Exactly! All thanks to~ our party leader. Now I believe whatever you say, no questions asked!"
Amy acknowledged it. The party leader's popularity was her strength as a party member. No reason to deny it.
The downside? It put streamer Amy's position at risk sometimes.
"Ah, party leader? Not scheduled today... You know the KS Channel event? Sword tournament at Ragna Beach! You'll definitely see him then!"
Veteran broadcaster promo on the fly.
Amy had heard from Selphis too, but Ragna Beach was chosen as the resort spot for the KS Channel event. A teaser sword tournament before the full academy KS Games.
But even that juicy bait didn't hook the viewers today. One led the charge wanting Zien, and soon the chat flooded with his name.
Sudden crisis.
Party leader?
Amy thought fast.
Prepped content's done, and if he shows, viewers will love it...
But one problem remained, no matter how she racked her brain.
Where even is the party leader right now?
Admitting she didn't know would just invite mockery.
Ugh! They'll say villains again, got ditched...
In the end, Amy decided to wing it.
"O-Okay! Let's go! I'm sure he'll welcome us!"
Gulp.
Amy swallowed hard.
Fifty-fifty odds. He's there. Or not.
Clinging to that, Amy headed to Arcana.