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But something else nagged at him. Von Lucien had also given him a mana crystal, without specifying its value. Elio\'s heart raced as he contemplated the possibilities.

Could it be the 1000 points needed for the disposable fire sword? Or perhaps 500, leaving him to save for just under 3 months? Even 100 would be a tremendous help.

With trembling hands, he opened his System book to the last page, where he could store mana crystals. His current balance showed 7 leftover points from the day. As he touched the crystal to the designated square, it vanished instantly. Elio\'s breath caught as he saw the new balance glowing on the page.

10,007 points.

For a moment, Elio sat there, stunned. Ten thousand mana points. It was an amount he\'d never dreamed of possessing. A year of frugal living in the army wouldn\'t have netted him even two thousand. How long would it take his mother to accumulate such wealth?

A giddy smile spread across his face as he contemplated the possibilities. He could live like Varick, indulging in luxuries he\'d only ever imagined.

With that quantity of mana, he could purchase the disposable fire sword needed to challenge the third level without breaking a sweat. Even the hundred points he had hoped to recover had become inconsequential…

But the smile faded quickly, replaced by a somber expression. Would he truly risk attempting the third level? The danger of failure, of losing his life in the attempt, remained terrifyingly real.

Elio let out a deep sigh, carefully stowing the book away. There was no point obsessing over it now. He might as well procrasti... wait, for this year\'s vacation. Luckily he had come of age very close to it, so he could leave shortly after starting.

He still had nearly a month before his week-long vacation, when he could see his mother and hopefully alleviate some of his worries.

He looked forward to flaunt… sharing his experiences with Micah and Zara, his five younger sisters, and even little Rian. He\'d explain some of the tactics he\'d proven, hoping to give his friends an edge when they faced their own System challenges in a few months.

With a sigh, Elio lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling\'s perpetual light as his mind wandered. Despite Von Lucien\'s generosity, the weight of the decision before him was immense.

He shook his head, determined not to torture himself with those thoughts for now. He had a month to make his choice, and he intended to use every second of that time to procrasti... prepare himself mentally and emotionally.

Because one thing was certain: if he decided to follow in his father\'s footsteps, there would be no turning back. It would be all or nothing, and his life, and the fate of his family, would rest on his success.

With that thought in mind, Elio closed his eyes and tried to rest, though sleep took a long time coming that night.

♢♢♢♢

The following month was a rollercoaster of surreal moments and comical situations, largely thanks to Kriz, Brok, and Ren\'s growing paranoia about being assigned to the defender squad.

One night, as they shared a meager dinner in the mess hall, Kriz leaned in conspiratorially. "You think if we pretend to be crazy they\'ll just send us home?"

Brok snorted, spraying mash everywhere. "Crazier than you? They\'d just think it was business as usual. And if you\'re asking if it\'d work... fat chance, buddy."

Ren shook his head, ever the voice of reason. "Don\'t be an idiot. Fake insanity and you\'re more likely to end up at the tower. Say goodbye to your levels."

A chill ran down Elio\'s spine at the thought.

Kriz relented. "What if we make wills? Elio could take..."

He proceeded to scoop up some mash and began writing on the table, splattering it everywhere.

"I, Kristoff Alaric, being of mind as sane as is humanly possible..." he began dictating in a solemn voice. "Wait... no! That would prove we\'re prepared for the ultimate sacrifice!"

His performance was cut short by Brok flinging a spoon at his head. "Shut it, you moron! You want them to think we really have lost it?"

Elio couldn\'t help but laugh at his comrades\' antics, earning withering looks from all three.

"Look at the traitorous rookie laughing," Kriz growled. "Probably because he\'s got his buddy the Summoner watching his back."

Elio blinked, bewildered. "What? Von Lucien\'s not my friend..."

"Oh, of course he is!" Brok cut him off, pointing an accusing, mash-covered finger. "You\'re his little protégé! That\'s why he whisked you off to his office, isn\'t it, traitor?"

Ren frowned. "Keep your voice down, idiot. Unless you want the whole mess to find out..."

But it was too late. Several soldiers at nearby tables were already eyeing them curiously, and Elio felt his cheeks burn at the unwanted attention.

"Bah, leave him be!" A mocking voice rang out from behind. Elio didn\'t need to turn to know it was Varick, flanked by his goons as usual. "It\'s obvious little Elian is my uncle\'s favorite. He\'s probably sucking his..."

"Shut up, Varick!" Elio cut him off with a snarl, leaping to his feet. For a moment, it seemed a fight would break out, but Kriz quickly intervened.

"Hey, hey, easy there!" He extended his hands in a placating gesture, though the mocking grin on his face belied his amusement. "We don\'t want our friend Varick passing out again, do we?"

The entire mess had to stifle their laughter, many failed, as Varick\'s face reddened with rage. He huffed but stalked off, not without shooting Elio one last disdainful look.

Once he was gone, Brok turned to Elio with narrowed eyes. "So, is it true? Are you Von Lucien\'s little favorite?"

Elio shook his head, exasperated. "Of course not! He only took me to his office because..." He trailed off, remembering the Summoner\'s warnings about secrecy.

Kriz studied him suspiciously. "Because...?"

"Because..." Elio scrambled for a plausible excuse. "Because... I saved his nephew during the monster invasion!"

A stunned silence fell over the mess as his comrades processed this revelation. Then, to his surprise, Kriz burst out laughing, soon followed by most of the soldiers in the hall.

"Well played, rookie! Well played!" He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "You\'ve got to admit, that was a good lie."

Brok shook his head, though a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You\'re an idiot, Elian. But I guess that saves you from being a traitor."

Elio rolled his eyes but couldn\'t help grinning at the good-natured ribbing from his friends. Despite their neurotic behavior, their ability to find humor in even the darkest situations was still refreshing.

♢♢♢♢

The days blurred together for Elio, divided between the routine tasks of keeping the towers fed and staying far from the sporadic monster breaches. Through it all, his mind kept returning to the decision laid before him.

"Lost in your thoughts again, rookie?" Kriz\'s mocking voice pulled Elio from his reverie as they prepared for another tower feeding session. "At this rate, you\'ll end up losing your levels from all that daydreaming."

Elio shook his head, forcing a smile. "I never dream, I\'m always wide awake."

Brok snorted at that. "Yeah, and I\'m the next Summoner. Wake up, rookie, we don\'t need you losing a level like Galen did due to your distraction."

"He\'s right," Ren chimed in calmly. "Focus on the task at hand. You can return to your daydreams about siphoning riches from Von Lucien or whatever later."

Elio opened his mouth to protest but closed it again with a sigh. There was no point arguing, his friends were just ribbing him to pass the time. Instead, he focused on the impending battle against the mana-devouring tower.

♢♢♢♢

"Hey Elio, how come you can suddenly afford the 5-point dinner option?" Kriz eyed the plate piled with something vaguely resembling meat with suspicion.

Elio swallowed hard, thinking quickly. "Eh, you know, I\'ve just been saving up a bit here and there."

"Saving up?" Brok scoffed. "Buddy, even level 3 recruits don\'t splurge like that often."

"True, they prefer saving for their families," Ren frowned. "Are you sure you haven\'t been doing some... dirty work for Von Lucien? Because if that\'s the case I..."

"No, no, nothing like that!" Elio held up his hands in surrender. "I just… wanted to try the high life for once, alright?"

An uncomfortable silence settled as the three eyed his plate wistfully. Then Kriz shoveled a bite of his humbler ration into his mouth and shrugged.

♢♢♢♢

"Hey Elio, is it just me or is your bed a little... softer than ours?" Kriz flopped down heavily on Elio\'s mattress and nearly bounced right back up.

"No, it\'s just you," said Elio, trying to keep his voice even. "Maybe your bed\'s just gotten too worn out."

♢♢♢♢

One evening, as they gathered in their cramped quarters after cleaning the mess hall, Kriz looked at Elio expectantly. "Hey, Elio, you don\'t have any of your fancy luxuries to share today?"

Elio grinned and rose from his comfortable bed, rummaging in his small trunk. "Something better than that, actually." He pulled out an enormous round loaf with an exquisite aroma that filled the room.

Brok\'s eyes went wide with covetousness. "Is that what I think it is? Actual bread?"

"Not just any bread," Elio bragged as he set the loaf down in the center. "Leavened dough bread. Cost me 30 points, I saved up for 6 days."

"30 points..." Ren whistled in admiration. "That\'s nearly two weeks\' rations for one of us."

"Is it a good thing I\'m planning to share it?" Elio began slicing the bread into thick chunks. "Consider it my gift for guiding me these past days."

For a moment, a respectful silence reigned as the four beheld the baking masterpiece. Then Kriz noisily licked his lips.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let\'s eat!"

They descended on the bread like they hadn\'t eaten in days, gorging on the chunks and letting crumbs fall carelessly. Elio couldn\'t help but laugh at the spectacle.

"Mmm, thish ish gloriush!" Brok spoke around a mouthful, spraying crumbs.

"I know, right?" Elio took a more modest bite, savoring the flavor. "For once, we get to enjoy the small luxuries the rich take for granted."

Ren nodded with his mouth full. "If this is how they live, I almost understand why they exploit us."

For a precious while, there was nothing but the crunching and murmurs of delight as they devoured the bread. Last years had been hard on the food side, but…To Elio, seeing the looks of pure bliss on his friends\' faces made every point he had spent worth it.

At last, when nothing remained but a few crumbs, they reclined with satisfied smiles.

"Thanks for this, Elio," Kriz said with a contented sigh. "Sometimes a little luxury like that makes it all worthwhile."

"Yeah, even if you have to earn it with your secret job of... helping the rich Summoner," Brok joked, earning a grin from Elio.

Surrounded by the camaraderie and cozy atmosphere, Elio couldn\'t help but feel at peace, if only for a while.