An Alliance

'I can actually get rich!'

Kaiden rejoiced like a child, transitioning from bad to good times.

Though it was true, he couldn't show it anymore, as others would become suspicious.

'What should I eat today?'

While externally Kaiden no longer seemed filled with joy, internally he remained like a playful child.

'Maybe let loose a bit today?'

Kaiden repeatedly affirmed his thoughts.

'Today calls for a treat!'

Arriving at the restaurant, Kaiden's joyful expression turned into a shattered one.

'What, so much for a steak?'

'250 dollars?!'

Internally spoiled, Kaiden could afford it but didn't want to reveal his current 5.1 preaters balance, as it would expose his involvement in the test where he had killed five people.

Although he could, he chose not to disclose it, fearing it might backfire later.

'Maybe someday, in a fight against someone stronger, they'll underestimate me if I appear ordinary. If I openly reveal my five preaters, the word will spread, and stronger opponents won't underestimate me but approach me with caution.'

No matter how much he craved a juicy steak, he simply couldn't.

Better to eat something simpler and live longer, he thought.

Eventually, Kaiden settled for a dish with plenty of eggs, a few sausages, salad, and a hot cocoa.

'A feast, even if not as luxurious as the steak, is enough for me to eat better than usual. 0.08 preaters, or 8 dollars. For lunch, the price is acceptable, I guess,'

he thought.

'Still, I'm envious. Zack and Mary are dining elegantly;

he got another steak, and she got some strawberry cake. Does she always eat so unhealthy? How does she stay so thin?'

Others ate more modestly, just like Kaiden.

"All done?"

Asked by all almost simultaneously.

"Yeah,"

"Yes."

With the meal finished, the break began.

'I look forward to eating the real thing.'

Kaiden's thoughts lingered on the steak that Zack was enjoying.

Kaiden had been somewhat jealous the whole time, having to watch the juicy sauce dripping down from the perfectly browned, pinkish meat.

How he wished he could take a bite.

'Next time!'

he thought aloud.

'Next time for sure!'

Returning, the surroundings changed; the white matter disappeared, replaced by a massive gym.

'Was this a fitness studio?'

Kaiden wondered, having heard about it occasionally from friends, especially from Leon.

'Ah, Leon, I wish you were still here.'

Lost in memories, he remembered how Leon used to flex his muscles in front of him, something Kaiden could never appreciate.

He often wondered what was so great about going to a building, wasting time on the way, and then suffering just to show off one's appearance to others.

Kaiden thought it was clear that it added a few muscles, making one look stronger and better, but that was about it.

Kaiden had more challenging problems to deal with, like helping his brother, whether with household chores or work.

In his free time, he always studied, as he needed a decent job.

Even if he had wanted to, he couldn't have entered a gym or had the time to spend an hour in it.

But now it was different.

'Leon, let's see if it's really as great as you always said.'

"Just train, whether or not is none of my concern! If you don't survive, it's your problem, not mine, understood!?"

Responding in unison,

"Yes, sir!"

Each went to a machine.

'Have they all been to a gym before?'

In Kaiden's eyes, they seemed to have a plan.

Some lifted 50kg dumbbells, bringing them from below to their shoulders at a 180-degree angle.

Others sat and pressed huge weights with their legs from bottom to top, and some jumped on the spot rapidly and extensively.

 Just like Zack, Ren, Mark, Elly, and Mary, Kaiden set out on his own journey.

'Looks good,'

Kaiden thought, heading towards a machine where one had to swing their arms like a butterfly.

'I think Leon showed me this once, seated butterflies, he called them, I believe?'

'Let's start with 60kg,'

he thought, pushing the outer bars towards himself.

'Is it supposed to be this easy? Let's try 100kg.'

He pushed it multiple times, feeling a bit more strain.

'How about 150kg?'

Kaiden felt more resistance but knew there was still more to give.

'I think 180kg would work.'

With this weight, he felt a sense of joy, even though his face looked grim while pushing.

'Did Leon lift this much, or more? He looked pretty good compared to me,'

he wondered during his exercise.

Amidst his surprising enjoyment, he saw something entirely different – an empty looking room amidst the weights and sweat of the gym.

After finishing his sets with 20 to 30 repetitions each, he went there.

'Damn, my chest is really feeling it!'

Touching his torn chest, he followed his instinct and desire to enter the room.

Others were training, not paying attention to him.

'I imagined the academy to be friendlier,'

he thought, but at the same moment, he was fine with it because he could earn good money.

'Is someone already inside?'

Kaiden, opening the door, saw another person with piercing eyes, cold and unchanging, full of determination.

She stayed emotionless as Kaiden seemed surprised.

'Mary? Of all people,'

he thought, but to his further surprise, she seemed to be saying something.

Surprised and due to the pressure, Kaiden didn't hear her properly. A simple splash was heard.

"Aargghhh,"

Kaiden suddenly shouted in pain, lying on the floor with his chest and stomach.

'What pressure! How can she stand there so casually, and didn't she do strength exercises before?'

She walked in the opposite direction and pressed a red button.

The pressure released, and Kaiden's previously suffocated lungs greedily grasped for air, causing him a short but powerful gasp.

"What... what just happened?"

Ignoring his scream and question, she looked at him, waiting for something.

"Your ability is molecule manipulation?"

Kaiden wondered how she knew that.

Without him saying or thinking about it, she had mentioned his ability.

He wouldn't tell anyone about it, except now that she knew, just like the professors at the academy who assessed him at the beginning.

Ignoring his thoughts, she asked in a pale face,

"Which poison?"

"Calm down, nothing has happened yet. Relax and continue training."

Kaiden seemed calmer as he spoke those words.

'So, she can see the future? A pretty good ability,'

Kaiden assumed.

How did he come to this conclusion?

She revealed it quickly and foolishly. She said his ability was molecule manipulation without him uttering a word or thinking about it.

He would only tell her and the academy professors since she already knew, just as they did in the beginning.

She also asked about the poison, as Kaiden would supposedly administer it to her in the near future.

In the worst-case scenario, he would have called the sergeant, claiming she had cyanide in her, and she needed treatment, likely surviving.

Still risky, but he had her in his hands now.

Kaiden continued and uttered a simple sentence, giving him a significant advantage.

"Let's form an alliance."