Curious, Axel opened the package. Inside was a new card with a balance and password marked on it. There was also a small, heavy package. He opened it and carefully counted the contents—twenty fine raw stones, each one pristine.

The value of the raw stones alone was at least 40,000 dollars.

On top of that, there was the 50,000 dollars on the bank card. The total value of the reward from Freya and her team exceeded 100,000 dollars.

Flipping through everything again, Axel found a small note written in beautiful handwriting: “The captain was worried you’d refuse, so he didn’t bring it up. This is yours—don’t turn it down.”

Axel was stunned. This was the greatest act of kindness he and Annabelle had received since they’d been on the streets.

Even though Skye came across as carefree and generous, Axel had sensed that Skye hadn’t fully trusted him that day. But now, not only had he not investigated him further, he’d given him such a large sum of money.

"I’m so sorry," Axel muttered to himself. Axel knew better than to flaunt wealth, but he decided to treat Annabelle to a meal at a restaurant.

.....

After dinner, Annabelle wore the cute rabbit headlamp they’d gotten from the restaurant, smiling with joy.

For people in the city, a hot pot might be a regular meal, but for Axel and Annabelle, it was a rare luxury.

As they ate, Axel fiddled with his phone and noticed that his classmates had been mentioning him in their group chat.

“Wow, Axel, a hero!”

“Killed the infected?! Isn’t a joke?”

.....

Axel clicked on the news link. The interview had barely finished in the morning, and by evening, it was already online.

“Confidence in awakening? That’s... a bit shit,” one comment read.

.....

By the end of the day, Axel’s name had spread through Dune High School. After doing some digging, they all relaxed. Axel's role was clear: he was just a lucky pawn picked to cooperate with the propaganda.

Axel’s last test had shown a Force value of 72, far from the threshold needed to awaken, let alone qualify for the War Academy.

Axel wasn’t surprised by the comments. After all, his goal had already been achieved.

Now that Area C had been unsealed, there were less than 20 days left before the Awakening Ceremony, and Axel was finally returning to school.

Compared to more than ten days ago, he looked healthier and more energetic.

On the one hand, he’d continued using life crystals to boost his Force. On the other, after not having to bleed constantly, his malnutrition had improved, and his overall condition was getting better.

......

That morning, as soon as he arrived at the school gates, someone stopped him.

"Axel, come here. Ryder wants to see you." The girl speaking was Vale, a classmate from the next class over. She wasn’t particularly striking, but she had long black hair, light makeup, and a pair of bright eyes.

Vale was a social butterfly at School, known for befriending students with potential.

When Axel had first entered school, his Force value of 42 had been impressive for his age, and Vale had gone out of her way to be friendly with him.

But as his test scores dropped over the years, Vale's attitude had cooled, and their relationship became more distant.

"What’s going on?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Vale gave him a faint smile. "Something good for you."

As they walked, Vale continued casually, "I heard you got a lot of fine raw stones from the LEB. Congratulations."

"And you were so brave. I honestly wouldn’t have the guts."

She smiled, trying to flatter him. If it had been any other student, they might have started chatting right away. But Axel simply kept walking at his usual calm pace, talking casually in return.

"By the way, Axel," Vale said, with a more pointed tone, "I know your test results are far from standard. I also know you don’t have much money, and it just so happens that Ryder is looking to buy raw stones."

Vale led Axel to a small group, where a pale-faced boy in a light-colored handmade leather jacket was absorbed in his phone, playing a game. A few others were gathered around, chatting. The boy didn’t even look up from his game.

"Why are you so slow? Axel?" His follower, standing beside him and blowing out a puff of smoke. "Name your price. We want to buy your raw stones."

Axel frowned slightly. Vale quickly stepped between Axel and Ryder, wearing a smile.

"Axel, you know Ryder isn’t short on money," she said, her voice smooth. "This is a win-win situation. He’s not very talkative, but he won’t treat you unfairly."

It was a lie about him being "quiet". Ryder was a rich, second-generation student at Dune High. His father was an awakener, and his family ran a well-known boxing gym in the city.

Having an awakened father was far more powerful than simply being a rich second-generation kid in this era.

Ryder was also a well-known vendor on campus. He frequently sold Force-enhancing items to other rich students, so he made a decent profit.

Axel had no intention of selling. Not only was he low on raw stones himself, but was a gift from Skye and the others.

"No sale." Axel began to walk away.

"Axel, don’t rush off." Ryder quickly set down his phone. "My man was out of line. He would apologize," Ryder said with a smile.

"The price is negotiable," Ryder continued. "If you’re low on raw stones, I can offer you an exchange. One raw stone for three of yours. You know my reputation."

Axel didn’t really care about the exchange rate. In addition to raw stones, he had life crystals—much more efficient for cultivation than raw stones.

Vale noticed Axel’s silence and hurriedly leaned in, whispering, "Axel, it’s rare for you to be friends with someone like Ryder. Don’t miss this chance."

"Sorry, I’m planning to use them myself," Axel said, shaking his head. "I really don’t want to sell."

His refusal made both Vale and Ryder frown. "Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?" Ryder pressed. "These stones are useless to you. If because of my man’s attitude, I’ll apologize on his behalf."

"I’m not reconsidering," Axel replied firmly.

"Axel!" Vale’s face flushed. She had promised Ryder she would make this deal happen. In her eyes, it was a done deal.

"Do you really think you can awaken just by relying on some lucky stones?"

"Enough," His tone final. The condescending superiority and the thinly veiled mockery was enough for him to walk away.

"Are you really not going to do me this favor?" Ryder’s voice darkened. He hadn’t expected dealing with a shit from the slums to be so difficult. But so many people wanted these fine raw stones, and the thought of missing out made his face waver between irritation and calculation.

Seeing Ryder’s expression, several of his followers quickly surrounded Axel, blocking his way from all sides.

Axel’s gaze narrowed slightly. So, was Ryder planning to rob him openly now?

Even though Axel had no powerful background, there were still rules on campus. How dare they be so bold?

The followers surrounding him all exuded Force energy, their auras becoming aggressive. Ryder, however, remained silent.

Axel couldn’t help but smile. He felt a spark of excitement. He’d never had the chance to properly test the extent of his Force.

"Huh?" If Axel showed fear, this situation could be settled without bloodshed.

Axel was completely calm, but his body had subtly shifted into an almost imperceptible combat stance, his eyes sharp as knives. He looked like a predator ready to strike at any moment.

Even though Axel wasn’t directly facing Ryder, the older boy—whose Force was over 90—felt an instinctive sense of danger.

“Only at 70 Force?” Ryder thought.