DamDamien looked at the heavy security around the academy's main gate, and his face turned pale.
"Damn! Did they already find out I snuck out?" he muttered, clenching his fists against the tree.
He gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling inside.
"How!? How did they find out? Damn it!!"
Taking a few deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down.
"No... calm down. I'm sure they don't know exactly who snuck out. Judging by the increased security, they probably just see it as a system failure.'
"But what are they doing there?" He narrowed his eyes.
"I can see two security vans, some buzzing drones, and guards… they're not just patrolling. They're focused on something at the gate."
"Damn it. I can't get any closer. If I activate [Stealth], I'll only have 10 minutes to figure out what's happening and sneak back in."
He clenched his fists.
"I become a bit clumsy when I activate stealth."
With a steadying breath, he whispered, "Let's do this."
Gripping his spear tightly, he muttered, "Activate [Stealth]."
His jacket started glowing in faint white colour. His body started gradually vanishing when touched by invisible mana causing ripples in air as it was surrounding him.
Now completely invisible, he stepped out from behind the tree. He adjusted the long spear across his shoulder, his right hand holding the wooden shaft, and increased his pace.
---
As he got closer, he could finally see and hear clearly.
It looked like they were installing something.
A few more cautious steps, and he noticed changes at the main gate.
'They installed new cameras... and even covered the emergency gate from every angle.'
He could also see that the doors of the main gate were being replaced with large, mechanical ones—thick and reinforced, and currently wide open to allow two trucks to pass.
'Damn it... did their budget suddenly increase? Why are they upgrading everything now?'
They're even surrounding the whole gate with cameras... and not just one per angle—two?
What a waste of money.
> [One of each pair is a heat-sensor camera.]
"What?!" he almost shouted, clapping his hand over his mouth in shock.
You're telling me those weird ones are heat sensors?!
> [Yes.]
Then how the hell am I supposed to get through? They'll detect my body heat instantly!
> [They're currently offline. If you're going to move, now's the time.]
Damien gritted his teeth. He was starting to notice the system's tone was changing lately... but now was not the time to think about that.
He carefully increased his pace.
Just let me through safely this one time, please.
He was definitely better at moving under [Stealth] than last time. He no longer fumbled his steps, and his pace was steady.
Drones weren't an issue anymore, but he was terrified of bumping into someone. And with his long, invisible spear on his shoulder which he cannot see or feel, paranoid him.
He shifted it so the base touched his waist while holding the shaft with his left hand along his shoulder. That way, it moved with his body.
Finally entering the entrance area, now crowded with guards, he tensed.
So many people—he had to slow down and step carefully. He couldn't afford to bump anyone.
He cursed himself for not able to diminish the sound from his shoes.
He dismissed the shoes into inventory.
Now tip-toeing in a clean pebbles free ground.
Even his breathing was slowed, paranoid that someone might hear him.
As he passed a few guards, his confidence grew. His all what if scenarios faded. Now, he only had to reach a clear stretch of road and sprint out of sight.
---
He finally slipped past the densely packed entrance area. The moment he was free, he let out a quiet, satisfied breath.
Only about four minutes of [Stealth] remained. He sprinted down the clear road shaded by trees.
He was lucky it was noon—there weren't many students out to challenge this scorching sun,
drones were non of his concern as in day time they didn't hover overhead.
As his ability wore off and his body reappeared, no one had seen him. Out of danger, he turned his thoughts to grimmer matters.
He thought in frustration, 'This was my first and last trip. I won't be able to sneak out again, even if I wanted to. I know it was pain in the ass but still, I could grow stronger.'
'Whatever the reason for these upgrades—mechanical gates, heat sensors—it's bad news.'
'Why the hell they are even bother doing that now..,' he add frustratingly '...when in a month or so there gonna be energy crises or they think they can handle Stage 7 dungeon themselves.'
With a sigh, he asked, "Hey, system. Is there any way [Stealth] can bypass—"
> [No.]
His eye twitched.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Just a few days ago, you ignored me no matter how many times I called. And now you're cutting me off before I even finish my sentence?!"
"And don't think I haven't noticed. Your attitude has changed lately—especially since yesterday."
He waited for a response.
Silence.
"…Hey! Don't start ignoring me now!"
He groaned.
"Fine! Go to hell, you useless system."
---
Back in his dorm room, Damien threw himself onto the bed, tossing the new brace and spear aside.
"That was exhausting," he sighed.
Surprisingly, he'd made it back without being noticed. Only a few students were out when he crossed the courtyard. And they, thankfully, didn't care enough to question why a guy with wild hair and a massive covered spear looked like he just returned from war.
He grabbed his wristwatch and waited for the usual time to head to the cafeteria.
---
At his usual corner table in the cafeteria—where it was quieter and less crowded—he devoured his food like a starving man. One plate wasn't enough today.
He stood up, grabbed another, and came back. Forgetting that he is broke and can afford only one cheapest meal a time.
"Aaah... that hit the spot."
"Thanks to that day of starvation, I was able to afford a second plate today."
Then his expression darkened.
"Ugh... I promised that Gallian guy I'd treat him, didn't I?
With a long pause he added.
"Forget it, i can't even feed myself."
"How did I even end up making that promise...?"
He sighed, talking to himself. But no one heard—and that's exactly how he wanted it. With that he stood up and left the cafeteria.
On his way back to the dormitory, Damien's thoughts drifted toward more pressing matters.
Now that the main gate was equipped with heat sensor cameras, sneaking out undetected had become nearly impossible.
It was never his plan to keep sneaking out and hunting for Stage 1 dungeons deep inside the forest.
The only reason he dared to do it once was because of his newly awakened [Stealth] ability.
Originally, his plan was to join the monthly expedition, which allowed students from all branches to gain dungeon experience.
His body's original owner had never taken part in it, and Damien had followed the same routine—until now.
He had also considered joining the professor on one of his private expeditions, especially now that he had powers to back himself up.
And then there was the third option: switching his branch to Combat.
He had avoided that choice at first, fearing it would disrupt the storyline too much. But now that he'd already caused a major shift with his actions, he didn't care anymore.
The academy's policies were remarkably flexible.
After the January exams, students were allowed to switch branches as long as they scored above average in the subjects of their chosen division.
The Combat Branch focused on all things practical—Training for survival in the Abyss and inside dungeons.
They were drilled inside artificial dungeons created by the academy, simulating real-life combat conditions.
These dungeons typically ranged from Stage 2, Tier 5 or lower, as higher-tier artificial dungeons required far more resources to create.
Only final-year students were granted access to Stage 3 and above.
Most importantly—combat branch students were awarded credits for killing monsters in those dungeons.
And Damien was almost certain—That alone would earn more than anything he made working in the lab.
---
Back in his dorm room, sitting on the chair, he reflected on his first dungeon experience.
He thought back to what the system had told him—how complex his power was. How every gear had its own properties and unique ways to be used.
He wanted to run some tests.
Standing up, he began equipping each gear one by one, checking how much they influenced his stats.
First, he looked at his base stats:
> [Damien – Base Stats]
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 6
Agility: 4
Stamina: 4
Endurance: 5
Dexterity: 6
Luck: 3
He sighed.
"Ugh... what terrible stats