Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Vince's voice grew more serious. "Thanks to you, Axel, the higher-ups realized something—raw power isn't everything. Sometimes, guts and smarts are more valuable than a high level."

Axel sat up straighter, a little caught off guard by the compliment.

"Because of that, Whisper Syndicate's opening recruitment to War Academy students."

"Didn't Captain Wesley say there were only five official slots?"

"Yeah," Millers said. "But that's just the official front. The five of you—you're in, no question. And now, they're looking at another five with solid performance."

"Elijah's one of them," Kaia added. "He's strong. He'll likely make the cut."

"And that's not all," Vince continued. "They're also building a logistics team. Special times call for special measures. We don't just need fighters. We need infrastructure—support."

Axel nodded slowly. This mission sounded manageable. Definitely easier than getting his ass kicked around Sin City. No backstabbing maniacs. No life-or-death standoffs.

"Don't underestimate this mission," Vince said, leaning forward with a serious look. "You're not heading to just any academy—you're heading to the Four Great War Academies."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"These students? They're geniuses among geniuses. Most of them get snapped up by the Havoc Division, Wild Hunter Company, or some big corporation before they even graduate. If you want to recruit them, there's only one way: beat them."

Axel blinked, a little thrown off. Wait, isn't that basically bullying? Whisper Syndicate members taking on students sounded a little... unfair.

Seeing the confusion on Axel's face, Vince chuckled. "Relax. It's not what you're thinking. You'll be fighting people your own age."

Axel, just 18 himself, figured he could probably handle that. Freshmen at the academies couldn't be that much stronger, right?

But then reality kicked in. The students they were targeting were seniors—people a year or two older, many already at Level 3 Awakening. If he had to face those guys? He wouldn't even get a chance to swing.

Sensing Axel's nerves, Millers grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't sweat it. You're not leading the charge. We'll send a squad of elite under-20s—you'll just tag along and help out with the smaller stuff."

Axel let out a breath. Okay, this mission isn't so bad after all. Just follow along, get paid, and maybe—finally—take my sister on a proper trip.

Then Vince's tone shifted. "Oh, right. You're already a Level 2 Awakener. You don't need Bloodstones anymore. You should be absorbing Force from the environment naturally."

Axel nodded. He remembered that. Problem was, he was so used to relying on life crystals that he'd barely practiced absorbing raw Force.

At Vince's urging, he took a deep breath and tried.

Slowly, he reached out with his senses, pulling at the ambient Force around him. It was there... but sluggish, like sucking air through a clogged straw.

Frowning, Vince put a hand on Axel's arm to monitor him. After a few moments, his expression darkened.

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"Were you... not in good health before?" Vince asked carefully.

Axel's stomach dropped. Shit. Bad news was coming. He could feel it.

The others had been watching quietly, but Vince's reaction made them stiffen. After a moment, Vince spoke. "Axel's original veins are at... Stream Level."

The room chilled instantly.

Axel didn't fully get it, so Vince explained, patience in his voice.

"You know the difference between a Level 1 and Level 2 Awakener, right?" Vince said. "But not all Level 2s are built the same. How fast you absorb Force—how efficiently you use it—depends on your original veins. Think of them like pipes. The thicker the pipes, the faster the Force flows."

He raised four fingers.

"Original veins are categorized into four tiers: Stream, River, Torrent, and Flood."

Vince's expression hardened. "You're Stream Level. Bottom tier. Meaning your absorption rate is way slower than others at the same Awakening level."

Axel understood why. Years of malnutrition... draining his own blood to keep his sister alive... It had cost him more than he thought.

"And once you get into prolonged fights," Vince continued, "this stuff really matters. Rosaline and I both have River Level veins. If two people are evenly matched, the one with the weaker original veins burns out first—every damn time."

Sensing his frustration, Vince softened his tone. "But don't get discouraged," he said. "If you were just another freelance Awakener, yeah, you'd be screwed. Your veins would be stuck like this forever."

"But you're with Whisper Syndicate now."

Vince leaned in, grinning."There are ways to fix it. The Havoc Division, the military, even pharmaceutical giants like Deep Sea—they all have methods to strengthen original veins. It's just... pricey."

Vince held up two fingers again. "Internal cost: two million dollars. I'll have it transferred to your account by tomorrow."

Axel's heart almost stopped. Two million? And this wasn't some consumable item—it was a training method.

"This shit was developed by a top-tier Awakener," Rosaline added. "If regular people want it, it's ten million minimum." Seeing Axel's wide-eyed expression, Rosaline couldn't help but tease him a little with a small smirk.

"And one more thing," Vince said. "The Original Vein can only be reshaped while you're at Level 2. That's why this stage is called the 'Original Pulse Shaping Phase.' Once you hit Level 3, your veins are locked in."

"After that?" Vince shrugged. "No matter how much Force you pump in, you can't change them anymore."

Axel had already picked up the tab during dinner. Afterward, Vince pulled him aside to explain a few important things. "The principle behind original vein training is actually pretty simple," Vince said, tapping a finger against the table for emphasis. "You just have to keep absorbing Origin Force. Flood yourself with it."

"Don't use regular Origin Stones anymore," he added. "If you need to, use Blood Refining Stones. I'll have another batch sent to you."

"It's gonna hurt like hell, though," Vince warned seriously. "You'll have to endure it. Let the Origin Force completely fill your veins."

Axel listened carefully, nodding along. But then Millers, sitting nearby, suddenly chuckled wickedly.

"Oh, fill up?" Millers grinned. "It's gonna hurt.... You better man up."

Vince and Phoenix didn't catch the deeper meaning behind Millers' tone—but Rosaline and Kaia did. Their faces immediately darkened.

"Millers, you piece of shit! Go to hell!" Rosaline barked, slapping him upside the head.

After getting the rundown, Axel went ahead and bought a few Blood Refining Stones through the Whisper Syndicate's internal network. He burned through most of his mission earnings in one shot.

But honestly? After hearing Vince explain it all, Axel wasn't worried about his original veins anymore.

Absorbing massive amounts of Origin Force to reshape his veins? Ordinary folks might struggle because Blood Refining Stones were ridiculously expensive.

But Axel had something better: Life Crystals.

Normally, he would absorb Life Crystals and immediately refine the energy directly into his body. But if he changed his method—if he absorbed it through his veins first—it would work just the same for vein training.

And he still had a Life Crystal from a Level 4 Awakener tucked away, completely untouched.

Thinking of that, Axel's mind wandered—specifically, to a certain face twisted with hatred. His eyes narrowed.

"By the way, Captain," Axel asked, turning back to Rosaline. "What's gonna happen to Maxen?"

"Compensation," Rosaline said simply, giving him a look. "You're the most cunning one in the team. I'll give it to you straight—about ten million."

Ten million bucks?! Axel's eyes widened. Level 4 Awakeners really were loaded.

"Don't think that's a small amount," Rosaline added. "It's actually a lot for someone like him. A Level 4 can pull maybe a million per Havoc Division mission. After a year of missions, they might barely clear twenty million—and that's before deducting training costs and expenses."

"If you squeeze too hard, Maxen might just refuse to cooperate," she warned.