Brog suddenly stood up straighter. His eyes glazed over for a second, then snapped back into focus.

"My intuition is speaking to me!" Brog declared. "Brother Judas! Are you going to the Academy today?"

"I was planning to," Judas nodded.

"Then I shall accompany you!" Brog announced. "The streets are dangerous. You need an escort. I will protect you from any other... predators."

He glared suspiciously at a passing waiter.

Judas smiled. It was a cold, calculating smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Thank you, Brog. You are a true friend."

[System Notification]

[You have successfully modified a Lower System Quest.]

[Warning: Overuse of Administrator Privileges may attract the attention of the Apocalypse.]

[Current Detection Risk: 0.001%]

Judas dismissed the warning. 0.001% was a risk he was willing to take for a free tank.

"Let's go," Judas said. "My wives are waiting upstairs. We need to get to the Academy before noon."

Valerian had given him direct entry cards. He and his wives could directly enter the Academy without assessment with these cards.

"Ah, wives," Brog looked at him in admiration.

Brog's brain short-circuited. "But... Valerian..."

"We all make sacrifices. After all, I am their husband," Judas said solemnly.

Brog nodded, his respect for Judas skyrocketing. 'To support four wives, he sold his body to a plant monster. What a noble man.'

Twenty minutes later, the group was assembled in the inn lobby.

Summer was eyeing Brog like he was a large side of beef. "Who is the mountain?"

"This is Brog," Judas introduced him. "He's a... friend. He's coming with us."

"Friend?" Ezra narrowed her eyes. "Since when do you make friends?"

"Since this morning," Judas said. "He has a System."

He whispered the last part so only his wives could hear. Their expressions instantly shifted from suspicion to calculation.

"Useful," Nyx commented, looking at Brog's massive shield. "High defense stats. Good for absorbing kinetic impact."

"Exactly," Judas said.

They walked out of the inn. The streets of Scale-Iron City were bustling.

The Academy assessment was today, and thousands of hopefuls were swarming toward the massive black citadel in the center of the crater.

Brog walked in front, clearing a path.

"Make way!" Brog bellowed, shoving people aside gently but firmly. "Make way for the... uh... innocent!"

People stared. A giant in full plate armor escorting a man in black robes and four devastatingly beautiful women was quite the sight.

"He called you innocent," Summer giggled, clinging to Judas's arm. "If only he knew what you did to Nyx's mouth last night."

"Hush," Judas hissed, his face heating up. "I'm undercover."

They reached the Academy gates. The line was miles long. Desperate students, nervous parents, and shouting guards created a cacophony of noise.

"We have to wait in that?" Nina whined, her tail drooping. "It smells like sweat."

"We don't wait," Judas said. He reached into his pocket and touched the Platinum Token.

"Brog," Judas called out. "Clear a path to the VIP entrance."

"On it!" Brog shouted.

He activated a skill. [Bulwark Charge].

A golden light surrounded him. He marched forward, simply wading through the crowd like an icebreaker ship through a frozen sea.

People were pushed aside by an invisible forcefield.

"Hey! Watch it!" "Who do you think you are?"

"Justice coming through!" Brog yelled back.

They reached the front. A group of Judiciary guards blocked the VIP gate. They looked bored and arrogant.

"Halt," one guard sneered, looking at Brog. "This line is for nobles and Direct Entry holders. The peasant line is back there, big guy."

Brog faltered. He looked back at Judas. "Brother... do we have a pass?"

Judas stepped out from behind Brog's massive shadow.

He didn't speak. He simply pulled the Platinum Dragon Token from his pocket and held it up.

The sunlight caught the metal. The engraving of the roaring dragon seemed to pulse with mana.

The guards froze. Their sneers vanished, replaced by pale-faced terror.

"Direct... Direct Entry?" the guard stammered. He looked closely at the token. It was genuine. It was the personal token of Captain Valerian.

"Open the gate," Judas said quietly.

"Y-yes! At once, my Lord!"

The guards scrambled, tripping over each other to unlock the heavy iron bars.

Judas walked through, his head held high. His wives followed, looking regal and untouchable.

Brog walked beside him, his mouth hanging open inside his helmet.

"Brother," Brog whispered loudly. "Where did you get that?"

Judas glanced at the giant.

"I told you," Judas said, pocketing the token. "I made sacrifices."

Brog's eyes filled with tears again. 'He earned it! He earned it with his blood, sweat, and... other fluids!'

"I will never forget your bravery!" Brog sobbed.

Judas sighed. Having a simple-minded guard was exhausting, but effective.

They entered the Academy grounds. It was a city within a city. Massive stone towers rose into the sky. In the distance, a huge chain extended into the sky.

They walked toward the central building. But as they crossed the main plaza, a commotion blocked their path.

A crowd of students had gathered in a circle. In the center, a young man was being beaten.

He was small, wearing tattered clothes. He was curled into a ball while three older students kicked him.

"Trash! You think you can enter the Academy with a Mud Lizard?" one of the bullies laughed, kicking the boy in the ribs. "Go back to the slums!"

"Stop..." the boy wheezed. "Please..."

Brog stopped. His armor clanked.

[System Notification for Brog]

[Quest Alert: The Bully and the Weakling.]

[Save the student!]

Brog looked at Judas. "Brother... justice calls."

Judas looked at the scene. He really didn't want to get involved. He wanted to get his dragon egg and sleep.

But then, he looked at the boy being beaten.

"But Brother! He needs help!" Brog cried.

Judas turned to Brog. "If you charge in, you just beat them up. They'll come back later when you're gone."

"Then what do we do?"

Judas looked at the bullies.

"We don't just save him," Judas said, his eyes flashing with the cold light of a schemer. "We recruit him."

He turned to Nyx.

"Are you hungry?"

Nyx looked at the bullies. Then she looked at the Mud Lizard cowering next to the boy.

"Not for the lizard," Nyx said. "But I could use a snack."

"Go," Judas commanded. "Scare them. Don't kill them. Just... traumatize them."

Nyx grinned. It was a terrifying expression.

She stepped forward. Her human form flickered. For a split second, a shadow of a massive, winged beast appeared behind her, blocking out the sun.

[Skill: Dragon Fear (Suppressed)]

The bullies froze mid-kick. A primal, instinctual terror seized their hearts. Their knees knocked together.

"Run," Nyx whispered.

The word wasn't loud, but it echoed in their skulls like a thunderclap.

"M-monster!" one bully screamed.

They turned and fled, tripping over their own feet, wetting their pants as they ran.

The boy, Caelum, looked up. His face was bruised and bloody. He saw a small, beautiful girl in a white dress standing over him.

And behind her, a man in black robes, a giant in armor, and four goddesses.

Judas stepped forward. He extended a hand to the boy.

"Get up," Judas said.

Caelum stared at the hand. "W-who are you?"

"I'm Judas," he said. "And I think you have something I need."

Brog wiped another tear. "He's saving the children too! What a saint!"

Judas ignored him. He looked at Caelum.

Judas was in awe.

'Another System user. What the fuck is this? Why am I feeling like after knowing about my bloodline, System users are going to surround me from now on!'

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