Novak 'invited' me over. Still, he was fairly gracious about it, taking into account that I had a session with the 'mutual support club' — in other words, dodging Bao Feng's wooden mace. But he didn't let things drag on for too long, and I had to bow out earlier than the other cadets.

Kate and I ran into each other on the way, and Lina was already waiting for us there. Vaclav had gathered nearly everyone involved in the recent incident, with Kate replacing Bat-Erdene. I had to give her an emergency briefing while our host was busy making tea.

Honey and citrus — Clear Thoughts, I caught the scent immediately. No bourbon this time. The familiar teapots appeared on the table: the dark green one with raised patterns like pine branches, and the nearly white one, etched with a delicate spiral design like a dance of wind.

Without a word, Novak reached for the green one — the same teapot he'd poured both Gunpowder and Clear Thoughts from before. The familiar amber colour, the familiar aroma — honey and citrus. This conversation was going to be serious.

Then he took the white teapot and poured tea for himself, Lina, and Kate. That one had a familiar note too — nutty, perhaps — but the citrus still dominated. Or maybe it didn't dominate, maybe this tea had a similar blend and its overlapping notes with Clear Thoughts made the citrus stand out even more.

Lina had made herself comfortable in the chair I usually sat in. This time, I was seated with my back to the window with the stunning view. I was the weakest in this group, so I had to make do with the sight of the host instead. Novak, as the master of the house and a Fifth Stage cultivator, could look at us — or, if he preferred not to, at the marvellous view behind my back the girls only caught with one eye.

Lina, though, didn't seem interested in the view. She crossed her legs, gently rocked back and forth, and sipped her tea with visible pleasure. A playful smile curved her lips, and her eyes gleamed with mischief as she watched me.

"You do realise that L.P. literally saved your life?" she said with the smile of a cat cornering a mouse. That little detail, I had conveniently left out when explaining things to Kate.

"L.P.?" Kate asked.

"Lesbian porn," Lina replied. "Jake's favourite. It's become our secret code!"

Kate blushed, and Lina hid her grin behind her cup.

I kept quiet, hoping Lina would shift her attention to a new target — but she wasn't done.

"By the way," she continued. "Adam didn't agree with your explanation. He said it's not about possessiveness, it's about aesthetic appreciation — men like lesbian porn because they enjoy looking at beautiful women and don't enjoy looking at beautiful men."

How much did she have to pester him to dig that out?

Well, I agreed with the second part. As for the first... I had the feeling he was just trying to find an answer that wouldn't get him kicked to the sofa.

"You don't agree?" Lina asked, noticing the doubt on my face.

I could have answered — but Adam had my essence. Making his life harder wasn't exactly in my best interest.

Novak saved me.

"That's enough," he ordered. "Take this seriously, Lina. The demons pulled off a very clean and complex operation right under our noses. And it's only thanks to Jake that we didn't give ourselves away."

"Him and lesbian porn..." she muttered under her breath.

Novak pretended not to hear her.

"I don't understand," I admitted. "They should've connected me to you already. What was the point of all that theatre? How hard could it be to figure out I keep coming to see you?"

"Not hard at all," he agreed. "What's hard is figuring out what we talk about. And it's easy to confirm that Kate, your mentor, knows nothing about demons in the School. At least, she didn't, the last time she was checked."

"Checked?" Kate asked, tense. "By who, and when?"

"That's not important," Novak waved her off.

I glanced at her.

So she's not really his granddaughter? He didn't keep her out of the mess because he was protecting her — but because she was supposed to be cover?

That... I didn't even know how to feel about that.

Judging by her face, neither did Kate.

"You could have a thousand guesses," Novak said calmly, "but until you know for sure, you know nothing. I've suspected for a while that demons infiltrated the Hall of Medicine, but..." He shrugged.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"You've infiltrated it too," I said, nodding.

"It just so happens that a few of my former students are members," Novak replied.

A few? So not just Bursala?

"Let's get back to what happened. We analysed the ring — very delicate work. It was packed with functions: geolocation tracking, DNA collection, and of course, a neurotoxin — lethal to anyone below Third Stage."

"If I'd just left it there, someone could've died."

"Unlikely," Novak said. "The neurotoxin activates only if someone tries to open a spatial pocket. It wouldn't have killed you — you don't even know how to do that. Our enemy both overestimated you in some ways and seriously underestimated you in others."

He took another sip from his cup, savoured it briefly, then finally continued:

"We pulled the camera footage. From the carriage, the platform, even the corridors. All in high resolution. And we can clearly see a second-year cadet, who sat next to you for two stops, calmly placing the ring. No rush. No hesitation. Professional."

"And who is he?" I asked — not really expecting a straight answer. He was either a throwaway, used without knowing, or a pro who left no trace. Otherwise, Novak wouldn't be debriefing me — he'd be interrogating the guy.

I was right.

"He's not in any database. Not among second-years, faculty, staff, guests, or authorised civilians. The face was a mask — the same type Lina used."

Lina nodded.

"You can't tell it from a real face."

"And you couldn't track him. Where he put the mask on, where he took it off, where he went…" I was already guessing.

"He took the lift down into the metro and came back up the same way. If we trust the cameras, he appeared from nowhere and disappeared into nothing. The problem isn't with any specific camera — we reviewed hours of footage looking for unfamiliar people on every floor where the lift doors opened, both before he appeared and after he vanished. Someone tampered with the network. Unfortunately, it's not that difficult. We've done similar things ourselves."

Silence followed. Everyone was lost in thought.

I was thinking that Novak definitely hadn't gone through those hours of footage himself.

Lina looked a little bored, but to her credit, she didn't start pestering me about porn again. Kate, on the other hand, was visibly tense. This was all new to her.

"Jake," Novak said, looking straight at me. "You're wearing the amulet?"

"Of course."

"Don't take it off. It won't protect you from poisons, but against a strike to the back — it's your only real defence right now."

Kate looked over at me.

"What amulet?"

"Fourth-stage shield," Novak said.

Kate frowned.

"You didn't have it on during your match with Cinar."

"I did," I said.

"Then why didn't it activate when you lost?"

"It's a very good amulet," Novak said. "It only activates against a fatal strike. And recognising it isn't easy."

"Alan recognised it," I said.

"Alan's a fairly talented craftsman — and he knew the one who made it," Novak replied. "It won't interfere with your training."

Kate wasn't satisfied with the answer.

"We're moving into armoured sparring. His first opponent is a highly skilled Point, and he's going to strike with full force."

Novak paused, thinking.

"I believe the armour will be sufficient protection on its own," he said. "But the rest of the time, the amulet stays on. Kate, make sure of it."

"Understood, Master," Kate said.

I nodded.

"I'll be more careful." After all, it was in my best interest — and that ring had shaken me more than I cared to admit.

Novak gave a brief smile and leaned back in his chair, pressing his palms against the armrests.

"You handled it well, Jake. Better than most would have in your place. Do you need anything?"

The puppy had followed the command — now it was time for the bone. That was the point of all this, really. We could've skipped the tea and heart-to-heart, but Novak always made a show of respect and attention to his students, reminding them that loyalty and diligence were rewarded. And I wasn't about to miss out on mine.

"Actually," I said, "I'm almost out of Clear Thoughts. And since you're asking, sir… I'm curious if there's anything that could help with accuracy. I've got a chronic aiming issue with Chain Punch. I'm starting to think the problem might not even be me."

Novak shook his head.

"Tea won't help. Accuracy with Chain Punch doesn't come from focus — it already demands plenty of concentration. Its core strength is speed and volume, not precision. You've basically got two options — either learn to adjust the trajectory mid-flight, which isn't easy at First Stage, or upgrade the technique grade. Given what it is, I'd recommend the red grade," he said. "It's the only one with acceptable accuracy."

I grimaced. The red version cost more than two hundred points.

Novak laughed.

"I'll help you get it for units. It'll cost a bit more — but it's worth it."

"Thank you, sir!"

The pup wagged its tail — mission complete. And Novak let me go. I'd just received a fresh box of Clear Thoughts before leaving. Lina and I were dismissed at the same time, but Kate stayed behind with Vaclav. Looked like she was in for extra training.

Lina gave me a sly look but didn't make another joke about porn. She must've felt that the bit had run its course. Even though we were heading in the same direction and ended up in the same carriage, we didn't really talk.

I got home late. At the entrance to the block, I ran into two grim-looking medics. One was walking, the other floated slowly alongside on a jetboard. Behind him, a stretcher hovered — with a body on it. I froze for a second when I saw the face — blue, twisted, with unmistakable signs of overdose.

Another Arnaud.

The face was familiar. I definitely knew him. One of the bullying victims who had refused to join the resistance group. The whole block had come to see him off. Looked like he'd made a big enough scene.

What was his name…

I looked at him through the interface. Nothing. Blank.

It recognised the medic, but not the patient. Was the interface not working with unconscious people?

We passed the medics completely, and I opened the supervisor assistant chat.

Sullivan: Can someone tell me who they just took to the med bay?

Sullivan: Interface gave me no name.

Kowalski: Because he's already dead.

Kowalski: Varga.

Wait — dead? But they grow arms back here! Dead?

Sullivan: Overdose?

Dubois: Overdose and brain haemorrhage.

My jaw clenched on its own. I spun around sharply. That was the first real death I'd encountered in this world.

And honestly, it had taken surprisingly long. Two months without something like this — strange for a xianxia world. But according to the usual lore, it should've been a death in battle, by poison, betrayal—

Not a bloody overdose on illegal stimulants!

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