Chapter 13: In a week

“I wouldn’t have given you my number just to ignore your call.” Grey’s lazy voice came from the other side, leaving Lia momentarily speechless.

“You… Do you even know who I am?” Lia asked, stunned that the other party didn’t recognize her.

“Yes, aren’t you Miss Lia… Lia Carter?” Grey replied after a pause.

“It’s Lia Voss!” She clenched her fists in irritation. “At least get the name of the person you scammed right, you damn scammer!”

“Hey, I didn’t scam you!” Grey’s exaggerated protest echoed through the receiver. “Like I said, I helped you awaken sword energy and even pushed you to basic mastery. Honestly, for awakening sword energy alone, I should’ve charged you at least 10,000 Union Credits. Do you even realize how much of a difference sword energy makes?”

“But you still tricked me in the end! You weren’t even the real Instructor Daniel!” Lia exclaimed. “Why didn’t you just admit it was a misunderstanding?”

“Huh? Why should I?” Grey replied matter-of-factly. “No one’s going to refuse 5,000 Union Credits tossed in their face unless they’re stupid. Besides, you were the one who came up to me calling me Instructor Daniel.”

When he repeated her words, he deliberately imitated her voice.

Lia’s face heated with embarrassment. She had indeed mistaken him for someone else. She couldn’t deny that part of it was her fault for rushing in.

Then, Grey suddenly let out a heavy sigh. “Sigh… kids these days. Can’t even appreciate good things. Aiya…”

“What the hell do you mean?!” Lia shouted, her chest rising and falling. “You’re the same age as me!”

“Oh?” Grey’s tone turned sharp in an instant. “So, you even managed to dig up my age? Looks like you’re more influential than I thought.”

Lia froze. This guy… he really didn’t know who she was. For the first time in a long while, she felt invisible. In Nova City, everyone knew her name. She was the top talent of her generation. And yet, this guy—this arrogant brat—treated her like a random nobody.

But what stung even more was the truth. Grey, someone four months younger, had already reached a higher level of mastery and even helped her touch sword energy in a single session. That wasn’t normal. It was monstrous. For a moment, she even wondered if he was the reincarnation of some old demon.

“No, I’m not a reincarnation of an old demon,” Grey’s voice interrupted, startling her.

“You—! How did you know what I was thinking?” Lia’s eyes widened in shock.

Grey chuckled. “I mean, even I would think I was some reincarnated monster after what happened in that training room.”

“Then you’re really not?” Lia asked hesitantly.

“No. I’m just extremely talented, that’s all.” Grey said smugly.

“No shame!” Lia cursed under her breath. She wanted to strangle him.

“Anyway, why did you call me, Lia? I’m a very busy person, you know. If it was just to confirm whether I’m an old demon, then you already have your answer. I’ll cut the call now.”

“W-Wait!” Lia panicked.

“Yes? Please speak your mind.”

“I want to ask you something.” Lia took a breath, trying to calm herself. “Look… I’ll admit, it wasn’t entirely your fault earlier. I was the one who mistook you for Daniel Carter. And… you did help me break through. I can’t deny that. But…” her tone hardened, “it says here that you’re incapable of becoming an evolver.”

Grey smirked. “You must be wondering how I can move and fight on par with a Pseudo first-level evolver, right?”

“Yes!” Lia blurted out.

“Oh. Won’t tell you. That’s a secret technique, limited to my disciples.” Grey’s tone was annoyingly casual.

“…” Lia’s jaw tightened. Her patience was running thin.

“If you want to become my disciple, feel free to visit me. After kowtowing three times, you can officially become my student—for the small price of 100,000 Union Credits.”

“Pft—!” Lia almost spat blood. “Who the hell would want to become your disciple?!”

“Plenty of people, actually.” Grey replied without missing a beat. “I’m the best teacher on Blue Star. No one is more qualified than me. If I published the method to awaken sword energy, there’d be a line in front of my house. And believe me, sword energy is only the beginning. I know a lot more.”

“Boastful.” Lia rolled her eyes, though her heart wavered. Against her better judgment, she couldn’t fully dismiss his words.

She hesitated before asking, “Then… will you teach me? If I train under you, can you promise I’ll surpass Alissa Lockhart?”

She had to force those words out. It wasn’t easy admitting her fear. But with Alissa’s rapid rise, Lia couldn’t shake the feeling that her position as Nova City’s number one talent was slipping away.

“Surpass my sister?” Grey mused. “With just the Zenith Sword Art? No. She’s not normal—you know that. Almost everyone in Nova City knows that.”

“So it’s impossible?” Lia’s shoulders drooped.

“Who said that?” Grey laughed. “With my teaching, and by refining your sword energy, you’ll surpass her easily.”

Lia’s heart thumped. She wanted to believe him. But… was it really that simple?

“Really?” she asked cautiously.

“You think I’m joking?”

“Yes.”

Grey sighed. “Well, I’m not. From now on, you’ll train under me. I’ll help you master sword energy, then teach you sword control. After that, we’ll push your Zenith Sword Art all the way to completion.”

“Completion?” Lia blinked, stunned. “Does that mean you have reached completion yourself?”

“You heard me right.” Grey’s tone was calm. “How else do you think I awakened your sword energy? Do you think I was just winging it?”

Lia’s lips parted in disbelief. Completion. Only the creator of the Zenith Sword Art had ever reached that level—centuries ago.

This guy… he was a demon.

Her resistance wavered. Her pride screamed at her not to bow her head, but another part of her whispered that refusing now would only mean falling behind forever.

“…Fine.” Lia said at last, though her voice was stiff. “But if you try to scam me again, don’t blame me when I make you regret it.”

“Relax.” Grey chuckled. “Also, the next session will cost 6,000 Union Credits. That’ll cover you until you reach intermediate mastery. After that, the price goes up.”

“That’s not a problem.” Lia huffed. “My dad is rich.”

“Alright.” Grey said. “When would you like to start?”

Lia paused to think. She was already tied up this week with several meetings, plus the endless parties hosted by Nova City’s young masters and mistresses. On top of that, she had promised her father she would attend, so she couldn’t just back out.

“How about a week from now—next Tuesday?” she finally asked.

“Alright. We’ll meet at 10 AM next Tuesday,” Grey replied with a faint smile.

“Perfect. Then we’ll start next Tuesday at 10 AM.” Lia hesitated briefly, then muttered, “…Fine. I’ll be there.”

“Good. Until then.” Grey hung up without another word.

Lia stared at her phone, her expression complicated. Against her better judgment, she had agreed.

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