The Diamond Extra

A group of cadets lounged on the highest floor of Dorm 1, sprawled across plush chairs in a delinquent-like manner, laughing loudly at trivial jokes. Though they seemed relaxed, their eyes frequently darted toward the silent figure at the room's center—the one who had called them there but now showed no interest in their chatter.

"Oh, right—Louis," one of the boys said. He had the kind of smile that could charm a teacher into erasing a demerit. "Isn't there a gun user in your class?"

Louis Hall's eyes narrowed lazily as he turned toward the speaker.

"I just heard it somewhere," the boy added quickly. "Maybe I heard wrong?"

"I don't know," Louis said flatly. "I don't care about useless people."

"R-Right, me neither," the boy laughed nervously. "I was just curious about who the idiot was, haha."

"Han, you really are curious about the strangest things," came a melodious voice.

Jin Han turned, heart skipping, as Mira Roodes offered a polite smile. Her long hair shimmered under the dorm lights, making his words trip over themselves.

"O-Oh, you —I mean Mira—I was just wondering, you know just a little curious?"

"Paul Wayne, right?" Mira said, ignoring his fumbling. "He's the one who choose a outdated gun. Don't waste your thoughts on him."

"But isn't he pathetic?" Den Garry growled. The muscular cadet leaned forward, his tone venomous. "Why the hell would anyone come to Diamond and pick a gun?"

"You know him?" Jin Han asked.

"I'm in his class, dumbass. I'll make sure to crush him during combat training. I'll make sure he's kicked out before the semester's done."

At Diamond, students attended regular classes five days a week, but three of those included rigorous combat training—far beyond what any normal school offered. Battles, monster subjugations, rescue missions—all part of the curriculum.

"I'll break that bastard and teach him a lesson he won't forget"

"Don't waste your time," Louis interrupted. His voice was calm, but final.

Den Garry's mouth clamped shut.

"Hurting someone that far below you only damages your own status. Challenge someone worthwhile. For example…"

"Lila Dawn," Mira cut in with a grin. "Fists against a bow—easy win."

Louis shot her a glare, but she continued nonchalantly.

"Unless you're scared of her?"

"Huh? No, of course not! I could beat her blindfolded," Den Garry bluffed, his voice cracking just slightly.

"But?" Mira pressed.

"It'd be a pity. My opponents don't usually walk away, you know."

"There's nothing wrong with that," she replied coolly.

"Huh?"

"Stop," Louis said again, more firmly this time.

Mira pulled back with a smile, though her eyes darkened. He likes Lila Dawn, she reminded herself. I'm not stupid enough to be jealous. Just... amused. She forced a chuckle and stood.

"It's nearly eleven. Girls and boys aren't allowed to mix past ten, remember?" she said with a too-sweet tone as she walks towards the exit.

"Oh—good night, Mira!"

"Later!"

The others waved her off. Only Louis didn't move not even an inch out of his position.

---

The Novice Fitness Center—a top-tier training facility near Dorm 1—was massive and outfitted with the latest magical tech. Despite costing over 100 million shards to build, it was nearly empty tonight. Most cadets were still settling in, not everyone would start training as school was about to begin, they all wanted to mess around.

But not everyone.

"I knew you'd be here," Lila Dawn said, walking in.

Saul Mayne turned mid-punch, drenched in sweat. "Lila? You're training too?"

"Yeah. But not like a barbarian," she joked, pointing at the gravity chamber.

Saul winced. "I hate that thing. Can barely last a minute inside."

"You just don't need to," she replied. "I'm an archer. Gotta keep steady under pressure. I've been doing this since I was eight."

"Eight?"

"Yep. Had a chamber like that at home."

Saul blinked. A gravity room cost a fortune. No surprise—she was a fourth-generation chaebol, like Louis. But unlike him, she carried herself with pride born from effort, not entitlement.

"Oh, right," Lila added, stretching. "There's another sharpshooter in our class now."

"Paul Wayne?"

"Yeah, him. Why'd he even come here?"

"He's trying," Saul said.

Lila's lips twisted. "He's not a sharpshooter. Guns can't even compare to real ranged weapons."

"Maybe something happened. Trouble at home. People give up for a lot of reasons," she shrugged. "He won't stay long, anyway. If you drop out early, it doesn't go on your record."

"Don't say things like that," Saul said quietly.

"Who are you to lecture me?"

Her eyes flared for a moment. Saul raised his hands, backing off.

"Sorry. That was rude."

"Keep working hard if you don't want to lose," she said over her shoulder, stepping into the gravity room.

Saul sighed, watching her vanish into the humming chamber. I could never train in that thing…

---

Meanwhile, in the quiet of his dorm room, Paul Wayne stared at the laptop screen, hands trembling.

"What… is this?"

The window before him glowed eerily. Welcome to the system

  [Linking… 70% Complete]

> 1. Paul Wayne [Current SP: 53]

System setting linking

> ▷ Stats:

  Strength: 4

  Stamina: 4.3

  Speed: 4

  Perception: 5

  Vitality: 4

  Magic Power: 3.5

> ▷ Invariable Stats:

  Intelligence: 4/10

  Perseverance: 4/10

  Luck: 4/10

  Charm: 4/10

> ▷ Gift… ???

▷ Arts… ??? ??? ???

▷ Supplement… Setting Chart

[Linking… 70% Complete]

His heart pounded. This wasn't just some fancy interface—it was a system. But not like the ones he'd seen in books or games. The symbols, layout, terminology… it was eerily familiar, yet completely foreign.

Sweat ran down his temple.

Who sent this? Why?

I couldn't think of anyone who would send this to me because I knew Know one.

The laptop screen suddenly turned off and a face reflected from the black screen. My system question mark, has been removed Then the laptop switched back on and words began to appear.

Then—flicker.

[Paul Wayne, Linking with the System has been completed.]

[All status has been reset.]

[Unique Gift Authority acquired, Unique Gift Setting Intervention acquired.]

Paul's mouth went dry in disbelief.