Chapter 143: Blackmail
The group conversation didn’t last long. Ahmed and Devonte were tired and needed rest; they even canceled today’s knight-mage training. Keesha was still on edge for some reason, and Evans was also in a bad mood. Zane needed to train, so the group separated. After the meditation and training session, Zane returned to his dorm, and for some reason, as soon as he lay in his bed, the weight of today’s decision finally dawned on him: he had rejected over $300,000.
Two weeks ago, his bank account had only $12.45, but today he calmly and decisively refused more than a quarter of a million dollars. "Was I too rash?" he thought. However, he erased this thought from his mind as soon as it appeared. As he told Devonte, not all money was good money. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to be a goon for the US government.
He raised his hand parallel to the ceiling for a good look at his palm. Zane muttered, "As long as I’m alive, there are ways to make money. However, I can never get my soul back if I lose it."
The list of tasks in his schedule was too long, so Zane didn’t waste much time on it. Building the [Magic Analysis Program] required a lot of work, and that was on top of his other tasks, like his strict schedule and his dark web work. Although Zane still had 10 months to build this program and he planned to hire help, he still couldn’t relax. So, as usual, he worked until 3 AM. Lord Anansi visited him in his dream and, just like his mother, praised him for turning down BEAST’s offer. Three hours later, his alarm and the morning light woke him up.
The day was peaceful and quiet, with everybody going about their affairs. In the afternoon, while heading to the Virtual Lab for his math course, Zane ran into a familiar face.
"Devonte? What are you doing here?"
"Um, I-I —"
"Do you need any help?" Most knights didn’t come here unless they wanted to swiftly master a weapon. But he knew Devonte didn’t need that kind of help. "Why are you hesitating?"
"To be honest, I’m here to see if I could get some high school courses."
"Oh?"
"I dropped out of school, and I failed the GED test twice. But lately, I’ve been thinking about, you know, at least getting a high school diploma — or at least, the knowledge."
"That’s great," Zane said, nodding. "People are never too old to learn. But are you doing this for the right reason?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it’s a great thing if you’re here for yourself, but if you’re here because of what happened with James, then..."
Devonte shook his head. "No, no, not because of that — well, not completely. All of you graduated from these fancy schools, and I...Anyway, I just feel the academy is an opportunity for me, and I want to use every resource available."
Zane nodded. "I can respect that."
"So, you think I should do it?"
"I don’t see a reason not to."
"Good, good. Can you suggest something? I don’t really know what to do."
"Did you have a job you’ve always wanted to do? A dream, maybe?"
"Dream? I wanted to play ball and go to the NBA, but I suck."
Zane chuckled. "I’m not the athletic type either." Myk was always the athletic type in their group; he even received a scholarship to attend their private school and could have played D1 football in college if he didn’t want to be a boxer.
"What about the future? Any plan?"
"Right now, I just want to be the best knight I can be."
"In that case, I suggest you pay for direct knowledge transmission for a high school diploma. You can master all the knowledge at a basic level in just a few hours," Zane stated. "Then, you’ll have two options: if you think you can focus on studying, register for a biology and anatomy class. Learning is a great way to nourish your soul and improve your mental energy.
"However, if you think studying is not for you or you don’t have the time, do a second transmission of the anatomy class. Anyway, as a knight, it won’t hurt you to know more about the human body."
Devonte thought briefly. "I’m not really good at studying, but if it can help me improve my mental energy, I can try."
"Wise choice." Zane helped Devonte register before proceeding with his own lessons. The day passed swiftly, and soon, it was nine o’clock and time for the Elite Class. As soon as Zane walked in, Keesha and Evelyn called him over.
"Do you know how to hack?" Keesha asked.
"Hello to you too."
"Now is not the time for joking."
Zane frowned. "Why are you asking?"
"I need your help with something."
Zane listened without speaking.
"It’s a bit embarrassing, but my ex has some nudes of me. I thought he had deleted them, but the bastard kept backups. Anyway, after learning about BEAST, he thought I had money —"
"Is he blackmailing you?"
"Yes."
"And you didn’t beat him up?"
Keesha gritted his teeth. "You think I didn’t want to? But the bastard threatened me with the tower rules."
"Surely that counts as self-protection?"
"I didn’t want to risk it, and I’m glad I didn’t. According to my professor, other regions might not care, but Director Keldithas is very strict. Unless I’m physically in danger, he won’t allow me to use my powers."
"I see," Zane said, squinting. This was good information to know.
"So, can you help me?"
"No problem. Give me your number, and I’ll send a link: do not open it. Instead, send it to your ex. Follow up with countless texts telling him this wasn’t meant for him and not to open it; when he does, I’ll have access to his phone, laptop, passwords, and everything else. I can then erase any backups he has, but let me warn you: if he already posted them online, then there is little I can do."
"He better not," Keesha said with gritted teeth. "But do I have to text him? Can’t you just hack his phone? I don’t want to deal with that bastard if I don’t have to."
"I could, but that would take too much time and effort; this is the easiest and most efficient way to do it."
"Fine." The two exchanged numbers.
"Can I get a copy of that link?" Evelyn asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don’t want to get involved in your family’s succession fight," Zane replied.
"There is no fight," Evelyn muttered. Technically speaking, her brother was the successor, but she was entitled to a decent share of the family’s fortune. Zane ignored her mumbling; he also decided to modify the link so that it would disappear from Keesha’s phone after she sent it.
For the rest of the class, Zane performed well; he realized the orc was still a computer program, just a more advanced one. It had tactics, patterns, and variations, and with each battle, Zane not only learned them but also created ways to defeat each one. After class, the group united with the knight for their training session.
Today’s training VIP was Devonte. He seemed to enter a flow state and annihilate any team that fought him. Only Zane, Khadijah, and Keesha on a team gave him a decent enough challenge. The other teams—especially Evans, who was distracted—suffered under his terror.
"Khadijah, did you see Myk in class today?" Zane asked. After each training session, the group usually sat in a circle to talk and recuperate.
"No, he’s in the infirmary."
"Why?"
"He was severely injured during a hunting session; he won’t attend class for at least three days."
Zane frowned. Myk never returned his call when he was on Earth, and he still hasn’t confirmed whether it’s the one he knows. Regardless, he decided to check the infirmary tomorrow after class.
"By the way, did Ahmed tell you about the party?"
"I did, and thank you for the invite. I will be there."
Evelyn nodded. "Do you need travel accommodations, or are you driving with Ahmed?"
"Hmm, I need to return to the US first. Then, I’ll decide what I’m going to do."
"That’s fine," Evelyn said. "I’ll give all of you my number so we can coordinate."
"You’re not in the US?" Zane asked.
"Most of my family lives in Spain, and I was vacationing there before the tower appeared."
"Are you a member of the North America or European Division?"
"Western Europe Division."
"So, it’s based on physical location, not birth or current residence," Zane murmured.
Keesha looked at her. "Who’s your director?"
"Grand Mage Sarifika."
"Is he strict?"
"She, and I don’t know. I’ve only seen her twice, and from afar."
Keesha nodded. "Same."
"I just had a thought," Tom Nguyen added. "What happens if a recruit misses a return deadline while in a plane? We know the tower forcefully retrieves all the mages, but my question is: where would they return the recruit? Do they teleport them to their plane’s destination, the original place of retrieval, or return them to their homes?"
"Probably to their homes," Zane said. "The original place is thousands of feet in the air, and their place of destination could cause problems." A random person suddenly appearing anywhere —especially the street — is a recipe for chaos.
"Not necessarily," Tom countered. "I think they will choose whatever place costs them less energy. If the destination costs less energy than their homes, then that’s what they’ll do."
"I can see that."