Chapter 81: Two-Thirds of a Month

Chapter 81: Two-Thirds of a Month

A wave of wounded dignity came through the bond.

Glitch was completely certain he had perfect control over an ability he had possessed for roughly three seconds.

"Not inside this room," Jin told him. "Not tonight. And not until we find somewhere you’re actually allowed to melt."

Glitch kept staring at the wall for another moment before reluctantly shutting his mouth.

The pressure behind his jaws faded without being released.

Then the hunger arrived.

Glitch’s focus snapped toward the feed bags so hard that Jin felt the turn through their contract.

This time, Jin had prepared for it.

He opened the first bag, measured out a portion, and added water while monitoring Glitch’s circulation. Glitch tried to swallow the serving whole. Jin removed the bowl before he managed to choke himself.

"If you survive four boss clears and die because you forgot to chew, I’m leaving that out of the official report."

Glitch glared at him, finished swallowing, and immediately demanded the bowl back.

The routine worked exactly as Jin had hoped.

There was no panic. No frantic search through the family cupboards. No realization halfway through that Glitch had just eaten food meant for the following week.

The amount required was where Jin had miscalculated.

The new acid channel consumed nutrition almost as quickly as Glitch could take it in. His denser muscles needed more. Corrosion Resistance was still spreading through his tissues, and the 3-Star breakthrough was rebuilding the rest of his body around the stronger foundation.

The first bag emptied.

Then the second.

Jin continued feeding him, pulling the bowl away whenever hunger started overriding common sense. At last, Glitch’s heartbeat slowed toward normal and the empty ache flooding their bond weakened.

By then, about two-thirds of the monthly allowance was gone.

The remaining feed might support an ordinary beast for a little more than a week.

How long it would last Glitch now that he had advanced was less certain.

Meridian’s allowance had been calculated to maintain a normal Iron-quality beast. It was nowhere near enough to support the Engine’s accelerated development.

Before Jin attempted another major Sync, he would need Credits, higher-quality feed, or school rewards he could earn legitimately.

And seven new dungeons were waiting to create the same problem all over again.

Glitch cleaned every trace from the bowl, then looked personally offended when Jin sealed what remained.

"That has to last the rest of the week."

Glitch stared at the bags.

"No."

His expression suggested that Jin had dragged him all the way to Meridian only to discover more advanced methods of cruelty.

[Synchronization Complete]

[Combat Rank Increased]

[Rank 1 Novice: 2-Star → 3-Star]

[Skill Acquired: Corrosion Resistance]

[Skill Acquired: Acid Breath]

[Digital Combat Experience Integrated]

[Synchronization Load: High]

[Recommended Recovery Period: 24 Hours]

Nothing remained in the Rustwater bank.

The growth, both skills, and all the stored combat experience now belonged to the real Glitch.

Glitch attempted to stand with dignity.

His front legs shook beneath him.

He dropped back onto the blanket with a quiet thump and stared at them as if they had committed a personal betrayal.

"Twenty-four hours," Jin said. "No running. No fighting. No trying to prove anything until your body finishes adjusting."

Glitch complained through the bond, but he lacked enough energy to make a proper argument. He curled beside the remaining feed and fell asleep in less than a minute.

Jin was not in much better condition.

Moving his eyes too quickly blurred his vision. The headache had left his thoughts heavy and slow.

When he touched his phone, Meridian’s regional dungeon catalogue opened. Seven signals waited inside it.

Jin closed the screen.

One final use of Data Appraisal confirmed that Glitch’s new rank had stabilized. The strength was permanent, not a temporary spike. Corrosion Resistance and Acid Breath had also integrated without any sign of damage.

He would still be recovering in the morning.

The Engine recommended a full twenty-four hours, and Jin intended to follow that recommendation. A medical verification at six-thirty should be manageable. Anything physically demanding would need to wait until the recovery period ended, even if Jin had to request a delay.

For a moment, he considered concealing the breakthrough.

The idea survived for perhaps three seconds.

Meridian owned proper medical equipment. Glitch would be measured again during the assessment. Pretending he was still 2-Star would transform an unusual breakthrough into a clear lie.

Limited honesty was safer.

Jin would report the change in Star level before someone else found it.

He would not mention the Engine.

He would not mention the dungeons, Acid Breath, Corrosion Resistance, or the actual source of Glitch’s growth.

The explanation he could offer was built from real facts.

Glitch had developed during the entrance examination and through the training afterward. Jin had managed his nutrition and recovery with Data Appraisal. He possessed records supporting that.

It was possible Glitch had already been close to advancing, and Meridian’s reliable supply of feed had finally given his body what it needed to complete the breakthrough.

Possible.

Backed by genuine records.

Whether Kade Marrow accepted it was a separate problem.

Glitch had gone from 1-Star to 3-Star within a few weeks. Kade had already considered the first breakthrough abnormally fast for a beast of his species.

No feeding record could make the second advancement look normal.

Still, the evidence gave suspicion nothing concrete to attach itself to.

Jin entered the school system and submitted an amendment.

Glitch experienced an unexpected breakthrough after registration. Current Data Appraisal indicates Rank 1 Novice, 3-Star. Requesting independent verification before physical assessment.

He did not claim Meridian’s feed had caused it.

He simply reported what had happened and asked for verification, which was exactly what a sensible student with nothing to conceal would do.

Jin expected an automated response.

A familiar name appeared instead.

Kade Marrow: Your beast was independently verified as 2-Star this afternoon.

Jin Astor: I know.

The next reply took a little longer.

Kade Marrow: Evaluation Hall Three. 06:30 tomorrow. Bring your nutrition and recovery records. Do not exercise him before arrival.

The message was professional and controlled.

There was no accusation in it.

Kade had also answered personally, only hours after Glitch’s first verification, instead of leaving the report in the general queue.

Jin looked through the records saved on his screen.

Actual feeding logs.

Actual recovery schedules.

Actual Data Appraisal readings.

Every one of them genuine.

None of them capable of explaining how fast Glitch had advanced.

That afternoon, Meridian had officially recorded him as a healthy 2-Star Grey Rock Lizard.

Before midnight, the Engine had raised him to 3-Star.

At six-thirty the next morning, Kade Marrow intended to find out how.

Jin looked toward Glitch.

He slept among the flattened feed bags, stronger than he had ever been and exhausted by the power he had earned.

The answer to Kade’s question was easy.

It was also the only answer Jin could never provide.