I Received System to Become Dragonborn
Chapter 955 - 955: Intruder

Adrien let out a long sigh and dropped back into his chair with a heavy thud. He rubbed his temple before muttering, "I already expected something like that to happen. But damn, it still pisses me off." His jaw clenched. "They know this project's dangerous and huge and yet they're still trying to shove their golden boy and daughter into it through a fucking bribe!"

Billy leaned back, stretching his arms with a tired groan.

"They just want their kid to rack up some glorious achievement, Captain. This project is big, even without us disclosing the whole truth and just labeling it as a high-level classified project it's still enough to make it sound heroic. Makes sense that all those parents in the military want their sons or daughters to be part of it."

"Yeah," Erend added quietly. "But they have no clue what they're asking for and what they're playing with."

He leaned forward, flipping through a few of the remaining folders.

"I expected this too. But none of us, Major Jessica, or the General will let this project get corrupted like before. We all know what the stakes are. The moment we compromise this project, we're inviting disaster."

He paused, fingers stilling on a name tab. "Sometimes, the real motivation to do things right is just knowing what fear looks like."

Billy glanced at him.

"That fear is why I keep pushing. Training harder and getting stronger. Because something is coming and when it does, I won't have time to fix mistakes for being too weak." Erend thought.

The room grew quiet. The tension from the earlier encounter still lingered but now there was a heavier weight of resolve.

They returned to sorting the files, the rhythm of their task broken only by occasional glances and the quiet hum of the overhead lights.

Night crept in. There was an unspoken expectation that this wouldn't be the last bribe attempt.

—

Meanwhile, in Eternal Earth, Arty was still grinding through her training inside the Projection Arena.

For the fourth day in a row, she and Sylmira were there, relentless in their routine. The arena that was usually reserved for top-tier academy students had essentially become their private domain. And no one dared stop them. Not when the one using it was Sylmira herself.

Officially, Arty wasn't affiliated with the academy. No student identity or merit points. But none of that mattered.

Sylmira, as the Archmage, didn't need permission to bend the rules. And nobody had the authority—or the courage—to tell her otherwise.

Most professors stayed silent, well aware they couldn't challenge her. But the students? They were growing restless.

"She's not even one of us!" one student had protested the day before. "We spend months earning merit just to apply for arena time. And this… this girl gets it for free? Every day?"

More and more complaints surfaced, thinly veiled in frustration and envy. But beneath the surface, another realization was forming.

Sylmira had never taken a private student before. Not even once. So whoever this mysterious girl was… she had to be special.

Even so, they continued to protest. They didn't want to accept it yet.

Arty, of course, knew about the complaints. She just didn't care.

BOOM!

Another explosion echoed through the arena. A fireball, infused with wind, spun violently before transforming into a blazing ten-meter fire tornado.

Arty stood motionless, eyes narrowed. "That wasn't supposed to happen…"

She had only intended a basic cast. Just a simple fireball. But something in her wild and stubborn Magic kept magnifying her output.

It was like her subconscious refused to hold back, always eager to unleash the most dangerous version of her power.

Three days now, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't scale it down. The power always wanted more. Her shoulders sagged slightly in frustration.

"I just want a small one this time, come on!" she said, brushing her bangs back with a sigh. Then, with more focus, she straightened and held out her hand again.

"Please become smaller, damnit. Later… When we fight strong enemies, you can go wild. Not now!" she said aloud, as if reasoning with her own Magic.

The wind stirred faintly in response, and Arty squinted. "Here we go again."

Arty let out another fireball and again, it spiraled wildly out of control. The explosion roared through the arena, flames lashing out as the blast rocked the ground and sent heat waves rippling through the air.

Scorch marks crawled along the barriers, and wind from the impact whipped her hair into her face.

She gritted her teeth and slammed her foot into the cracked earth.

"FUUUCCKK!!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the silent arena.

Frustration boiled in her chest. No matter how many times she tried, no matter how much she focused, the result was always the same, an overwhelming surge of power she couldn't contain.

Her hands trembled at her sides. Doubt crept in like poison.

"Maybe I can't do this... Maybe this is impossible"

Even the enchanted bracelets from Sylmira, meant to suppress and regulate her output, couldn't hold it back.

Then suddenly she felt a strange presence behind her.

She whirled around. A young boy had just stepped through the barrier like it wasn't even there. Blonde-haired, sharp-eyed, and wearing the Academy's uniform with a silver-trimmed cape.

His lips curled into a smug smile as he took slow steps toward her.

"So, you're the Archmage's private student, huh?" he said. "I heard you were some kind of talent. And yeah… I'll admit you can throw around some destructive Magic."

He tilted his head, lightning flickering at his heels. "But I can do that too. So why you? Why am I not her student?"

Arty stared him down, her expression turning cold. "How should I know?"

She took a subtle half-step back, eyes narrowing. "More importantly, how did you get in? Sylmira said no one else could enter."

The boy smirked wider. "I don't always follow the rules."

Before she could react further, he suddenly launched forward. A burst of wind cracked beneath his feet as he closed the distance in a blink. Lightning surged in trails along his leg and a thunderclap followed his movement.

Arty's eyes widened.

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