"As you all know, classes had been suspended for the midterms," the principal continued. "Use this time to rest, to heal, to mourn if you need to. Counselors are available in the administrative building for anyone who needs them."

"After that, we return to our normal schedule. Midterm exams will proceed as planned. I know this may seem callous, but maintaining normalcy is important. Life continues. We continue."

"Honor the fallen by living well. Honor their sacrifice by becoming the best versions of yourselves. Honor their memory by never surrendering to fear."

"That is all."

Principal Relsus stepped down from the platform and walked back toward the administrative building.

Lucas stood still, thinking about the principal's words.

Honor the fallen by becoming the best version of yourself.

I swear it, he thought. I swear I'll get strong enough to make the Legion pay for what they've done. For those forty-three civilians. For those six students. For everyone who died yesterday.

"Lucas, What are you planning to do now?" A voice said. It was Celeste.

"Train. We have two days of rest, then five days until midterm exams. I plan to use every moment to become even stronger." Lucas said.

"Same," Celeste said.

"Want a training partner?" Lucas said.

"You sure you can keep up? Your core is barely stable." Celeste said.

"Guess we'll have to find out."

---

After the speech Lucas went back to his dorm room.

He closed the door to his dorm room and immediately collapsed onto his bed with a groan.

Forty-three civilians dead. Six students. Dozens more injured.

And that was just from the main attack in the square. Reports were still coming in about scattered Legion attacks throughout the city.

Six students, Lucas thought. Six people my age who woke up yesterday thinking it was just another day. They didn't know it would be their last.

He stared at the ceiling, Principal Relsus's words echoing in his mind.

Honor the fallen by becoming the best version of yourself.

"System," Lucas said aloud, "show me my current status."

=====

[STATUS]

Host: Lucas Estellan

Villain Level: Novice Villain – Rank F

Age: 17

Race: Human

Rank: Copper (Low-Stage)

Villain Points: 63

Health: C+

Mana: B-

Strength: C

Intelligence: C+

Agility: B

Charisma: E+

Luck: F-

Overall Grade: C+

Titles: ["Born Survivor": All stats go up one rank when fighting a opponent two ranks higher than you.]

=====

His stats had improved significantly since forming his core. The mana stat especially had jumped from C to B-, and his overall grade had risen from C to C+.

But more importantly...

"System, I still have those two lottery spins from surviving the Legion attack, right?"

[Correct! Host received 2 Free Lottery Spins for completing the quest "Survival of the Fittest."]

[Would Host like to use them now?]

Lucas sat up on his bed.

"Yeah. Let's do this. What's the worst that could happen?"

[Famous last words,] the System said. [Initiating lottery interface.]

A spinning wheel appeared in Lucas's vision.

It was divided into colored sections: gray for common items, green for uncommon, blue for rare, purple for epic, orange for legendary, and a tiny sliver of red for mythical.

The wheel was covered in various rewards: skills, items, stat boosts, abilities, and even some question marks for mystery prizes.

"Okay," Lucas said, rubbing his hands together. "First spin. Let's see what we get."

[Spinning...]

The wheel spun rapidly, colors blurring together. Lucas watched it slow down.

Come on, come on, give me something good...

The wheel clicked past gray... past green... slowed down on blue...

And stopped on purple.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Host has won: Skill Book - "Mana Circulation Method: Flowing River Style"]

[Rarity: Epic]

[Description: An advanced mana circulation technique that increases mana regeneration by 200% and mana capacity by 50%. This method involves visualizing mana flow as a constantly moving river, with tributaries feeding into the main current. Mastery of this technique significantly improves combat endurance and reduces recovery time between spell casting.]

[Would Host like to learn this skill?]

"Holy shit," Lucas said. "Yes! Absolutely yes!"

[Learning skill...]

Knowledge flooded into Lucas's mind.

Not just theoretical understanding, but muscle memory, visualization techniques, breathing patterns. It was like he'd been practicing this method for years.

His core immediately responded.

The mana within began flowing in new patterns, smoother and more efficient. He could actually feel his mana reserves expanding in real-time.

[Skill Learned: Mana Circulation - Flowing River Style]

[Current Rank: Novice (0/100)]

[Mana regeneration increased by 200%]

[Mana capacity increased by 50%]

[New Mana Stat: A-]

Lucas's eyes widened as he looked at his updated status. His mana had jumped from B- all the way to A-.

That single skill had catapulted his magical potential into a completely different tier.

"Okay," Lucas said. "Okay, that was amazing. One more spin. Let's see if I can get lucky twice."

[Spinning...]

The wheel spun again. This time Lucas watched it even more intently.

Please be good. Please be good. I need every advantage I can get.

The wheel slowed... clicked past gray... past green... past blue...

Stopped on purple again.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Host has won: Item - "Shadow Sovereign's Mask"]

[Rarity: Epic]

[Description: A mask created by an ancient assassin king who ruled the underworld for three centuries. When worn, this mask provides the following effects:

- Complete facial anonymity (even magical identification fails)

- Voice modulation (user can sound like anyone they choose)

- Minor illusion magic (can slightly alter apparent height, build, and clothing appearance)

- Intimidation Aura (passive fear effect on those of lower rank)

- Night Vision (perfect vision in complete darkness)]

[Note: This mask cannot be removed by anyone except the bonded user. Once bonded, it can be summoned and dismissed at will.]

[Would Host like to bond with this item?]

Lucas stared at the description in shock.

I must be one luck MOFO.

This wasn't just good. This was perfect. This solved one of his biggest problems.

His Shadow identity had been stapled together with some cheap items and some consumables.

The voice modulation candy only lasted two hours. His face mask was just cloth. He had no real way to disguise himself effectively.

But this... this was the real deal.

"Yes," Lucas said firmly. "Bond with it. Now."

[Bonding initiated...]

A sleek black mask materialized in Lucas's hands. It was made of some material he didn't recognize. It wasn't metal, not leather. It was something in between.

The design was elegant and intimidating: smooth black surface with silver accents forming abstract patterns that resembled flowing shadows.

The moment Lucas touched it, he felt a connection form. The mask recognized him as its owner.

He lifted it to his face.

The mask molded itself perfectly to his features, comfortable and secure. It covered everything from his hairline to his chin, with narrow eye slits that somehow didn't restrict his vision at all.

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