Settling in

The young man's demeanour shifted instantly. Instead of accepting Alex's handshake, he swatted Alex's hand away with an arrogant look.

"Don't get the wrong idea," he sneered. "I'm only here because the university requires me to be. If it weren't for the fact I'm getting paid a few Prime points for doing this, we'd have never crossed paths. Don't think for a second that we're friends."

Alex blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in attitude. "Uh, okay I wasn't expecting that."

The young man scoffed. "You'll learn soon enough that in this place, there's no room for weakness or naivety. If you want to survive, you'll need to toughen up. This place is no different from the Primordial Expanse in that respect."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Alex standing there feeling a mix of frustration and confusion.