To our great misfortune, our fourth roommate fit perfectly into Scott’s earlier outburst; he was a pain in the ass.
“What’s with that look? Are you hungry? If so—No, forget about that. I’m more of a fan of women.” He snickered, making his way to his bed. He sat down, retrieved something from a small bag, and turned to us with a smug smile. “I’m Wesley, and I am pretty sure everyone here already knows what I can do. He—” Wesley pointed at Scott, “—said it already. I’m charming, with and without traits.”
Wesley was tanned. His muscles bulged and moved in ways that didn’t seem particularly practical. However, they emphasized his extraordinary physique and appearance.
His muscles are for show, aren’t they? I raised an eyebrow, studying Wesley for a moment to reaffirm my suspicion.
To be fair, that wasn’t stupid given his powers. A great appearance ought to do wonders for a Blessed who used their looks to manipulate others.
“Don’t worry, I don’t mind the looks.” Wesley winked at me, and I shuddered when our eye contact actually did something to me.
“That Charm of yours is crazy,” I muttered.
He let out a light laugh, accompanied by a trace of ether. “Crazy? In a good way, for sure. Charm fits perfectly to me—to my superior appearance. Coupled with my god-like physique, chef’s kiss.” He motioned goofily with his lips, which looked disturbingly good, and snickered.
“If not for my looks, Charm wouldn’t work half as well.” Wesley moved his hand through his hair while flexing his biceps.
“Woah…” Spencer exclaimed, clearly impressed by our fourth roommate, while Daniel rolled his eyes.
At the end of the day, Wesley was handsome. There was no denying it. However, it became disturbing when he activated his trait. I had no doubts about his ability to ‘convince’ people to do what he wanted. His influence on others had to be enormous, and I realized that I would have been in his grasp as well if not for Scott.
I threw a grateful look in his direction, but Scott didn’t seem to notice.
“So…” Wesley sat upright with a charming smile. “What are you guys up to? Wanna go hunt? Train? Spar?”
When nobody said anything, his smile widened. “What’s wrong? I am bored out of my mind. We won’t receive our monthly stipend until next week, and I have nothing else to do until then.”
“What about classes?” I asked, confusion replacing vigilance.
“Are you talking about the basic classes? No thanks,” Wesley waved dismissively. “I’d rather not waste my time with that nonsense.”
Were they really that bad? Sure, the basic classes were free, but that didn’t mean they were bad.
Daniel seemed to be of the same opinion. “How do you know they’re a waste of time? Basics are just that in the Bastion, but that doesn’t mean they’re as simple as you make them out to be. We’re in the Camp.”
That was right. How could Wesley know whether the basic classes were useful or not when he didn’t even try them? We arrived all at the same time, he couldn’t know that much more. Plus, the lessons hadn’t even started yet.
“One of my former instructors is giving lessons here. Survival101 or something like that.” Wesley shrugged lightly. “I mean, you guys can give it a try, but his teaching was rather basic. It’s extensive and creates a great foundation to build on, sure, but that is about it. Survival101 is definitely not something anyone here should need.” Wesley glanced at us, his eyes lingering on Scott and Daniel. “Well, at least these two won’t need it.”
He threw a look in my and Spencer’s direction but didn’t say a word. What was that supposed to mean!?
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Mean!
The bond was flooded with annoyance and the desire to piss in Wesley’s boots, but I held Aureus back from doing anything stupid—for now.
Yeah, he’s an idiot. Ignore him.
Regardless of what Wesley said, some classes were mandatory, so I’d join them anyway. Scott pointed out the same, but Wesley didn’t seem to care.
“To graduate from the Grand Camp all you need is to complete a few sets of classes, lectures, and whatsoever to get a bunch of points. Whether you complete the basic class Survival101, or the Advanced Class One with the Wild, it doesn’t matter for graduation.” The corner of his lips curled upward. “I’d rather pay a few thousand coins for intermediate and advanced courses that actually teach me something than waste my time in useless classes.”
Scott looked thoughtfully at Wesley with milky white eyes, and even he nodded slowly. “Excelling in a basic class won’t be nearly as beneficial as performing average in an advanced course.”
“Benefits like a better ranking?” I asked, my mind rattling from all the new information.
“That’s one example.” Wesley snapped his fingers my way, then turned back to Scott who seemed to interest him a lot more than the rest of us, “Then again, everything you do in the Grand Camp will change your ranking. The performance reports of your lecturers are just one of many factors in the equation. Your training results, including progression, hunting, and—if you decided to apply for an apprenticeship—the performance report of your superior is obviously included as well.”
That…was actually quite good to know. It was also reassuring because it meant my growth and training would naturally improve my ranking. As long as I outperformed the other cadets, of course.
The mandatory classes didn’t provide enough points to graduate from the basic version of the Grand Camp, meaning I would have to spend a few coins to join special courses. Or, I’d have to upgrade multiple basic classes to the intermediary and advanced level. Either way, I was going to pay a hefty price.
Even the cheaper special courses cost like 500 coins a month. That didn’t even mean they were useful to me. I would have to go through the lists of classes and courses offered at the Grand Camp later to devise an efficient plan. Anyway, I needed coins.
“How high was your stipend if you were just waiting for the coins to apply for advanced classes?” A deep frown marred my face, and I didn’t even dare to look at the cost of advanced classes.
“Close to 3,000 coins. It’s not that much. Definitely not enough to buy an Aspect until the Grand Camp’s over.” I pointedly ignored the part where Wesley mentioned his stipend of 3,000 coins and glanced warily at Daniel. “Anyway, is nobody going to have some fun with me?”
His Charm flooded out and engulfed me for a moment. Wesley retracted it with a smile, which made me feel like I had to punch him in the handsome face, but getting thrown out of the Camp for fighting my roommate was not on my to-do list. Not yet, at least.
“If nobody wants to have some fun with me, I’ll search for someone who will.” The way Wesley said that didn’t sit quite right with me, but I was glad when he left. Daniel stayed a little bit longer. He cursed Wesley for a good minute or two, but left to settle in his room. Scott didn’t stay long either, which left me alone with Spencer, who was busy with books and research papers.
As for me…I…I was at a loss about what to do.
Should I focus on training? No, I needed coins to purchase resources for myself and Aureus. And special courses.
Some courses were short, lasting no longer than a few weeks. Performing well in one of them would surely boost my ranking, and with it my monthly stipend.
“Earn coins. Train…” My stomach grumbled loud enough for Spencer to look over, surprised. “And to eat something.”
I excused myself, trying to hide my embarrassment, and rushed to the cafeteria for early dinner. The cafeteria was neat but simple. I scanned my ID and ordered a few free dishes. While nutritious enough to help Blessed grow and maintain their physique, the meals weren’t as precious as expected. The truly valuable meals had a price, which I was unwilling to pay until I earned some coins.
Seconds! Aureus thundered in my mind, his tray of Wild meat empty. His golden eyes met mine, longing for more, better food. Like the food he received in the Zerog estate. That was what he wanted, and I couldn’t provide it to him.
“You want seconds? Sure thing.” I smiled, but a searing-hot needle pierced into my heart. Even though we were allowed to get seconds, to take as much of the free dishes as we wanted, they wouldn’t last Aureus long.
Something has to change, I told myself when I returned to the table carrying two trays overflowing with food. Even if we couldn’t afford serums for a while, we needed high-quality food. It was the foundation of growth, and I was not going to skimp on that…starting tomorrow.
The Etheriam watch projected several holographic screens crowded with densely packed text at my command, fingers hovering above a different screen displaying a detailed map of the Grand Camp and the surrounding regions.
“Where should I go first?”