Gate bidding opened at noon on Friday, and the system turned into pure chaos.

Every first-year squad scrambled to secure spots in the upcoming rotation, with prices fluctuating by the minute based on demand. Tier 1 gates required five hundred credits minimum per person. Tier 2 jumped to a thousand. Tier 3 cost fifteen hundred.

Our squad pooled resources in the group chat.

Belle: I’ve got 2k saved. Can cover mine + someone else’s if needed.

Jordan: 500. That’s it. I spent everything on snacks.

Naomi: 1200. Most of my stipend went home but I kept some back.

Misato: 3k. I’ll cover the shortfall. We’re bidding Tier 2.

Me: I’m short. 500 total.

Belle: I’ll cover you. But you owe me.

Me: Define ’owe.’

Belle: I’ll think of something.

Naomi sent a separate private message: Are you okay? I can help if you need credits.

I replied: Belle’s got me covered. Save your money for your family.

Naomi: Our family. You’re part of that now.

The message hit harder than I expected. I stared at it for a solid thirty seconds before managing to type back: Thanks. That means a lot.

Naomi: See you at lunch?

Me: Counting on it.

By twelve-fifteen, Misato had secured our spot. Wednesday at 1400 hours. Tier 2 gate. Unknown environment. Estimated clear time forty-five to ninety minutes. Twenty-five hundred credit minimum payout split five ways.

Five hundred each if we didn’t fuck it up.

The group chat exploded with reactions.

Jordan: We’re going to die.

Belle: Speak for yourself. I’m going to get rich.

Naomi: We cleared D-rank already. We can do this.

Misato: Training tomorrow at 0600. No excuses. No complaints. Bring your A-game or don’t show up.

Jordan: I vote for not showing up.

Misato: Denied. See you at six.

I pocketed my phone and headed to the dining hall, where I found Aurora waiting at a table near the windows with her orange hair catching afternoon light like actual fire.

She’d saved me a seat.

"You’re taller," Aurora said the moment I sat down.

"Good eye."

"I’m serious." She leaned across the table, her green eyes narrowing. "You were five-nine on Saturday. Now you’re like... five-ten?"

"Five-ten and a half, actually."

"That’s not how bodies work."

I shrugged, loading my fork with pasta. "Limit Breaker does weird things."

"Apparently." She stabbed at her salad with more force than necessary. "Is this going to keep happening? Are you just going to keep growing until you’re seven feet tall?"

"Hope not. I’d have to buy new clothes."

She rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. "You’re impossible."

"You keep saying that, but you keep showing up."

"Because you’re interesting," she shot back. "And because the buff you gave me helped my squad clear that Tier 2 gate in twenty minutes flat. We got S-rank again."

"Congrats."

"The guild scouts noticed." She leaned back, twirling her fork. "Three different offers came in this morning. All wanting to discuss sponsorship."

My chest tightened. "That’s... great."

"It is," she agreed. "But it’s also complicated, because they all want to know why my ability suddenly jumped a full rank for two days. I told them I’d been training with a specialist, which technically isn’t a lie."

"Specialist in supernatural lactation."

"Shut up." But she was grinning. "You’re still taking me on a real date, by the way. Saturday. Off campus. Somewhere nice."

"Define nice."

"Not the dining hall. Not a training field. Somewhere with tablecloths and menus and food that doesn’t come on plastic trays."

I mentally calculated my credit balance. Five hundred after Belle covered my gate fee. Minus incidentals, I had maybe three hundred to work with.

"I’ll figure something out."

"You’d better." She reached across and stole a breadstick from my plate. "Because if you cheap out on me after I gave you my ability and four days of life, I’ll scramble your senses until you can’t tell up from down."

"Noted."

She bit into the breadstick, her expression shifting to something more serious. "How are things with Naomi and Belle?"

"Complicated."

"That’s not an answer."

I set down my fork, considering. "Naomi’s... handling it. She’s trying, anyway. Belle’s still pissed but functional."

"And you?"

"I’m here," I said simply. "Doing what I have to do."

Aurora studied me for a moment, her usual playfulness replaced by something sharper. "You know that eventually you’re going to have to choose, right? Or they’re going to choose for you."

"Maybe."

"Not maybe. Definitely." She leaned forward again, her voice dropping. "I’m fine sharing because I don’t do serious relationships and I like the buff and you’re fun. But Naomi? That girl is falling for you hard. And Belle’s getting attached whether she admits it or not."

"I know."

"Do you?" Aurora’s eyes pinned me in place. "Because from where I’m sitting, you’re playing a dangerous game. And when it blows up, it’s going to hurt people I actually like."

"Then help me keep it from blowing up."

"How?"

"Keep them distracted. Keep them focused on the squad goals. Help them see that this works." I met her gaze evenly. "You said you collect interesting things. This is interesting. Be part of it."

She laughed, sharp and genuine. "You’re asking me to enable your harem."

"I’m asking you to help me keep everyone alive and happy." I paused. "Including me."

She considered this, tapping her nails against the table. "Fine. But you owe me that date, and it better be worth the moral gymnastics I’m doing here."

"Deal."

She stole another breadstick and stood. "I’ve got a thing at two. Text me later?"

"Will do."

She walked away, her hips swaying in those yoga pants, drawing eyes from half the dining hall. I watched her go and pulled up my system interface.

Lifespan: 10D 18H 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Points: 1,460

Stored Essence: 1 cup (Naomi - Silver)

Next Goal: Survive Wednesday’s Tier 2 gate. Don’t die. Don’t let the squad die.

Simple enough.

I finished my lunch and headed back toward the dorms, passing Hikaru on the path. She nodded once, a greeting that felt like progress.

Three percent had become five percent had become seven percent over the past week. Slow but steady.

I needed Gold-tier essence eventually. Hikaru represented the closest source.

But that was a problem for Future Jace. Present Jace had a bottle to fill and a squad to train and approximately forty-three things to accomplish before bed.

Wednesday morning arrived with Misato’s familiar threats about punctuality.

We gathered at the staging area at one-thirty, each of us in full tactical gear. The gate shimmered in its containment field, a vertical slash of purple-blue light that made my teeth ache just looking at it.

Garrett stood nearby with a clipboard, reviewing final checks. "Obsidian Squad Eight. Midnight Foxes. You’re up at fourteen hundred hours. Any last-minute equipment issues?"

"We’re good," Misato said, her voice carrying that commander tone.

"Medical?" He looked at each of us in turn. "Injuries? Illness? Anything that will compromise performance?"

We all shook our heads.

"Your payout splits five ways. Current projection is three thousand credits total. Six hundred each if you clear efficiently." He glanced at his tablet. "Tier 2 gates have mortality rates around twelve percent for first-year squads. Mostly from panic or poor communication."

"We won’t panic," Belle said.

"Everyone says that." Garrett’s scarred face remained impassive. "Then they see a Ripper and suddenly formation doesn’t matter anymore."

"What’s a Ripper?" Jordan asked, his voice climbing an octave.

"You’ll know when you see it." Garrett checked his watch. "Five minutes. Use them wisely."

He walked toward the observation booth, leaving us standing in a loose cluster.

"Rippers," Jordan repeated. "Why did no one mention Rippers before now?"

"Because they’re rare," Misato said, though her jaw had gone tight. "And fast. And they hunt in mated pairs."

"Great. Wonderful. I love everything about this."

Belle elbowed him. "Shut up and focus."

"I am focused. I’m focused on not dying."

"Then don’t die," I suggested helpfully.

"Wow. Brilliant strategy. Why didn’t I think of that?"

Naomi caught my eye and smiled slightly, her nervousness visible despite her attempt at composure. I moved closer and took her hand, squeezing once.

She squeezed back.

"We’ve got this," I said quietly.

"You don’t know that."

"I know we cleared D-rank with an A rating. I know we’ve trained every day since then. I know you’re strong enough to handle whatever’s in there." I paused. "And I know I’m not letting anything happen to you."

Her eyes went soft. "That’s really sweet."

"I have my moments."

"Rare moments."

"Don’t push it."

She laughed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Okay. Let’s do this."

Garrett’s voice came through the speakers. "Midnight Foxes, you’re cleared for entry. Gate opens in sixty seconds."

The containment field hummed louder, the purple-blue light intensifying until I had to squint against the glare. My grip on the spear tightened, palms already sweating inside my gloves.

Misato moved to point position. Naomi fell in behind her. Belle and Jordan took flanks. I slotted into center rear, right where I belonged.

The gate stabilized with a sound like a thunderclap.

"On my mark," Misato said. "Three. Two. One. Move."

We stepped through together.

Reality twisted, my stomach flipped, and suddenly we were somewhere else entirely.

The Tier 2 gate stretched before us, massive and alien and absolutely nothing like the simulations.

And somewhere in the darkness ahead, something howled.