CHAPTER 55: MIRA’S PLAN

By the end of the Weapon Proficiency class, compared to yesterday, all the freshers were exhausted and tired after a grueling practical class.

They learned a lot, but they paid for what they learned with their energy.

The dormitory halls of Nexus Academy were finally quiet again.

The chatter, boasting, and laughter that filled the corridors after classes had long faded, replaced by the hush of exhaustion. Lamps glowed faintly along the hallways, throwing long shadows on polished stone floors.

Inside his room, Kairo slumped onto the edge of his bed, chest heaving.

Sweat clung to his skin, and for the first time since gaining scholarship into the academy, he couldn’t hide how thin he had become. Though he didn’t actively use his ability during the practical class, the passive usage alone ate at his calories.

And now, he was calorie-deprived.

His body looked... wrong.

His shoulders, once broad from training, had shrunk down in size. His muscles sagged as if they were starving for fuel, even his face looked hollowed out.

Just like Kairo expected Nexus Academy to be, it was a full upgrade on his previous standard of living. Here in the academy, the daily food ration promised 3 square meals a day.

To Kairo of a few weeks ago before Muscle Genesis, added to his room, this would have made it the greatest luxury of his life.

But unfortunately, he was no longer the same Kairo of a few weeks ago.

Muscle Genesis made him a glutton. And due to this, despite the sumptuous daily 3 square meals that the Academy provided, he was not satisfied, especially not after he exerted himself physically like today.

He grimaced as his stomach grumbled. ’This is troublesome’.

Right at that moment though, the knock came before he could collapse.

Tap... tap...

"Oi, meathead. You alive in there?"

The greeting alone gave her away as Kairo groaned. "Go away, Mira."

Of course, the door opened anyway.

When did Mira ever listen to him? ’This is a breach of privacy!’ He thought grievingly. Kairo was beginning to regret meeting her back in the Trial of Steel.

Mira strolled in with her usual swagger, her short hair damp from the shower, dagger still at her hip like she couldn’t stand being unarmed. She stopped when she saw him, like, really saw him.

Her cocky smirk faltered. "What happened to you? You look like death."

Kairo tried to wave her off. "It’s nothing. Just... training fatigue."

But trust Mira, she wasn’t buying that as her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Bullshit," she spat. "Don’t give me that crap".

"I’ve seen you fight constructs, Kairo. I’ve seen you survive things that should have broken you. But this..." she gestured at his shrinking frame "This isn’t training fatigue, this is clearly something else. This is your body eating itself up".

Silence followed as soon as she said that.

Kairo clenched his fists.

For a long moment, he hesitated. Telling someone meant admitting weakness, and this was something he loathed doing having grown up in the slums where weakness meant starving, being bullied, and sometimes even death.

Heck, he’d sworn never to show weakness again. But Mira’s stare pinned him down, sharp and unrelenting.

Finally, he muttered in surrender. "It’s my ability."

Mira leaned against the wall, arms folded. "Interesting... explain".

But as soon as she said that she clicked her tongue as she remembered. "Is that why you chewed on raw meat that day?" She asked, an amused smile lighting her features as she remembered that brutal battle.

Kairo snorted. "You’re one to laugh at me, huh? You savage brute of a girl".

Mira didn’t react to his insult at all, she just chuckled and gestured impatiently for him to explain.

Kairo sighed.

"My ability... Muscle Genesis... it’s not just pain and growth." His voice was low, almost ashamed. "It burns through everything".

"My metabolism is insane. The daily food rations aren’t even close to enough for me. Every fight, every training session, it drains me. That’s why I’m shrinking."

He laughed bitterly. "If I don’t eat, my own muscles eat me alive. That’s the curse of my power."

For once, Mira didn’t crack a joke. She just stared at him, long enough for Kairo to avert his gaze.

Then, softly but bluntly, she said, "So you’ve been killing yourself on purpose".

Kairo’s jaw tightened. "I didn’t have a choice."

Mira sighed, then pushed off the wall and stepped closer, her tone sharp again. "I always knew you were stupid, but not this stupid".

She shook her head. "Don’t be stupid, you do have a choice now".

"This isn’t the slums anymore, this is Nexus Academy fool. Apart from the daily ration, food is not free, but you can buy it with contribution points. And you earn contribution points by fighting."

Kairo blinked. "You mean duels?"

"Exactly." Mira smirked again, the fire back in her eyes. "You fight, you win, you eat. Simple math."

Kairo groaned, rubbing his temples. "Why didn’t I think of that?"

"Fine, I’ll start tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow?" Mira barked a laugh. She grabbed his wrist before he could react, yanking him to his feet. "No, meathead. Not tomorrow, right now."

Kairo stumbled, eyes widening. "Wait, you mean, right now?"

Her grin was wolfish. "Of course, right now. Did you think food was going to walk into your mouth?"

"Mira, I can barely even..."

"Shut up." She dragged him toward the door with surprising strength. "If you’re strong enough to complain, you’re strong enough to fight. Stop pretending to be some tragic slumrat. You want to survive? Then prove it."

The corridor lamps flickered as Mira half-dragged and half-marched him out of the dormitory. Other freshers poked their heads out of their rooms, murmuring in curiosity as they watched the pair head toward the sparring arenas.

Kairo muttered under his breath. "What kind of lunatic drags a starving man into a fight...?"

Mira didn’t even look back. "The kind that plans on keeping him alive."

The heavy arena doors loomed ahead, the muffled sounds of steel and shouting already echoing beyond.

Kairo’s stomach growled as he clenched his fists.

And for the first time since arriving at Nexus Academy, he realized... tonight, his survival wasn’t just about training.

Tonight, his survival was about eating. ’The f*ck!’