[Target Identified.]

[Name: Caelum]

[Race: Human]

[System Detected: The Avenger System]

[Status: Dormant]

Judas blinked, a slight twitch appearing on his lips.

The Avenger System. Of course.

The bruised face. The dead parents (probably). The weak summon (a Mud Lizard). The bullies. It was the classic recipe. This kid was a protagonist in the making, a ticking time bomb of revenge and power-leveling waiting for a catalyst to explode.

And Judas had just found him before the fuse was lit.

"Sir?" Caelum whispered. He stared at Judas's hand as if it were a lifeline made of gold.

Judas didn't retract his hand. He grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him up. Caelum was light and malnourished. He stumbled, his knees weak from both fear and the beating he had just endured.

"Steady," Judas said, his voice calm and authoritative.

"Thank you..." Caelum stammered. He looked past Judas, his eyes widening as they landed on the group behind him.

Brog was sobbing. The giant armored man was wiping snot from his nose with a gauntlet. "Beautiful," Brog wailed. "You saved the weak! You scared the wicked! Judas, you are truly the light of this city!"

Judas ignored the idiot. He looked at Nyx. The dragon in human form was picking her teeth with a fingernail, looking bored.

"Good."

Judas turned his attention back to the boy, dusting off Caelum's shoulder. "What is your name, boy?" he asked.

"Caelum," the boy whispered, clutching his side. "I am Caelum."

"Well, Caelum," Judas said. "Do you want to get stronger?"

Caelum froze. His eyes snapped to Judas's face. "Stronger?"

"Yes. Strong enough so that no one can kick you in the ribs again. Strong enough to make them kneel." Judas leaned in. "Strong enough to kill them."

Caelum's breath hitched. A dark light flickered in his eyes. It was faint, but Judas saw it—the seed of the Avenger.

"I..." Caelum clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I want to. But I am trash. My summon is a Mud Lizard. Everyone says..."

"Everyone is wrong," Judas interrupted.

He activated his Administrator privilege.

[Accessing Target System...]

[Bypassing Firewall...]

[Access Granted.]

A blue screen appeared in Judas's vision, overlaying the boy's terrified face. The [Avenger System] was stuck in a loop, waiting for a "Traumatic Event: Death of a Loved One" to activate fully.

Judas frowned. 'How boring...'

'System,' Judas thought. 'Can I edit the activation requirement?'

[Affirmative.]

Judas grinned. He mentally reached into the code, finding the line: Condition: Heartbreak/Death of Kin. He deleted it. He replaced it with: Condition: Pledging Loyalty to Judas Iscariot.

[Modification Complete.]

[System Rebooting...]

Caelum gasped, grabbing his head. "Argh!"

"What is it?" Ezra stepped forward, her hand on her sword hilt. "Is he attacking?"

"No," Judas said. "He is awakening."

Caelum fell to his knees. A black light erupted from his body. It wasn't the golden light of a Hero like Brog; it was dark, red and black. The Mud Lizard cowering nearby hissed as its skin began to bubble. Scales hardened, and spikes erupted from its spine. The muddy brown color shifted to a deep, obsidian black.

[Evolution Triggered.]

[Mud Lizard -> Obsidian Drake.]

The transformation took seconds. The small, pathetic lizard grew, doubling in size, then tripling. Its eyes turned a burning yellow. It roared, the sound shaking the alley.

Brog gasped. "What's going on? Did his dragon evolve after being overwhelmed by your righteousness?"

Judas rolled his eyes. Brog's delusion was a superpower in itself.

Caelum panted, staring at his hands, then at the drake. "I..." He looked up at Judas. "What did you do?"

"I just unlocked your potential," Judas lied smoothly. "I saw it in you. The will to fight." He extended his hand again. "Now. I have a question. Will you follow me?"

[System Notification for Caelum:]

[Quest Generated: The Savior.]

[Objective: Serve Judas Iscariot.]

[Reward: Power. Revenge.]

[Failure: Death.]

Judas ignored the failure part. His own system always made things favorable for him, just as it had with the contract for Nyx. Caelum didn't see the "Failure" part—or maybe he didn't care. He saw the power. He saw the drake. He saw the man who had done in seconds what years of praying hadn't.

"I will serve," Caelum cried. "I will do anything! Just teach me how to kill them!"

"Good," Judas said, patting the boy's head. "First lesson: Stop crying. It's annoying." He looked at his group. "We have a new recruit. Let's go."

The group moved through the academy grounds.

"Where do you want to go, Boss?" Caelum asked, still trembling, his eyes darting between his newly evolved Obsidian Drake and Judas's face.

Judas looked at the towering walls surrounding them. They were already inside. The Dragon Academy wasn't just a school building; it was a massive, fortified city-state enclosed within the greater capital. It had its own economy, its own laws, and its own hierarchy. And Caelum, a student here, had been dragged into this dark alley within the Academy districts to be beaten.

"Brog," Judas said, turning to the giant.

Brog stood at attention, his golden armor gleaming even in the dim alley. "Take your pass. Go to the Assessment Grounds."

Brog blinked. "But... did not the nice man Valerian give us all entry tokens?"

"He did," Judas nodded. "But those tokens are for 'Special Guests.' That means we skip the line. But you... you are a Hero, aren't you?"

Brog puffed out his chest. "I am the Hero of the Sun!"

"Exactly. Heroes don't use backdoors. Heroes kick down the front gate." Judas placed a hand on Brog's massive pauldron. "Go take the standard assessment. Show them your strength. Make them tremble at the power of Justice. We don't need you holding back."

Brog's eyes welled up with tears. "You... you want me to shine? To inspire the masses?"

"Yes. Go shine. Blind them."

"I will not fail you!" Brog roared, turning around and charging out of the alley, heading toward the distant sounds of explosions where the combat exams were taking place.

Judas watched him go.

'You just wanted to get rid of him because he's loud,' Summer deadpanned in his mind.

Judas ignored her. He turned to Caelum. "Lead the way. Find us an inn. Something high-class, but discreet. I know this city has them."

The Silver Wyrm Inn

The inn was located in the commercial district of the Academy city. It was a massive structure made of grey stone and reinforced timber, catering to wealthy students and visiting merchants. Inside the suite, the atmosphere relaxed. Nyx immediately claimed the largest sofa, curling up with a basket of fruits. Ezra and Nina went to inspect the bath, while Luna sat by the window, cleaning her bow.

Judas sat at the head of the dining table and gestured for Caelum to sit. The boy sat on the edge of the chair, while the Obsidian Drake—now the size of a large wolf—sat faithfully at his feet, its yellow eyes scanning the room.

"Relax," Judas said. "Pour yourself a drink."

Caelum reached for a pitcher of water with shaking hands. "Thank you, Boss."

Judas leaned back. "Now. Talk. You've been a student here for a year. You know the lay of the land."

Caelum nodded slowly. "I... I tried to stay invisible. But it's hard."

"The Academy is a pit," Judas said. "I can smell it. Tell me about the power structure. Who runs this place? The teachers?"

Caelum let out a dry, bitter laugh. "The teachers? They only interfere if someone dies inside the classrooms. Outside class... the students run everything."

"Factions," Judas guessed.

"Yes. Three major ones." Caelum took a sip of water, organizing his thoughts. "First, there is The Gilded Fang."

"Nobles?"

"The highest," Caelum confirmed. "Led by Ignis Sol. He's a Duke's son. His dragon is a Sunfire Drake—a High-Tier beast with greater blood density. They control the best dorms, the high-grade cultivation rooms, and the equipment market. If you have a title, you join them. If you don't... you pay them 'protection fees'."

Judas tapped his finger on the table. "Classic arrogance. And the second?"

"The Iron Legion," Caelum said. "They are the Commoner faction. But don't let the name fool you. They aren't much better than the nobles. Their leader is Garret the Bulwark. He rides an Earth Dragon. They believe in 'strength in numbers.' They recruit aggressively. If you refuse to join, they beat you until you do. They claim it's for 'unity against the nobles,' but it's just another gang."

"So, tyranny of the bloodline versus tyranny of the mob," Judas mused. "And the third?"

Caelum hesitated. He lowered his voice, even though they were alone.

"The Silent Wing."

"Edgy name," Summer commented from the couch.

"They are dangerous," Caelum said seriously. "They don't recruit openly. They are the spies, the assassins, the information brokers. Their leader is a mystery. People call him Vesper. No one knows what his dragon is, only that it strikes from the shadows. They control the black market and the secrets of the Academy."

Judas smirked. "Information brokers. I like them already."

He looked at Caelum. "So, Ignis, Garret, and Vesper. Three Elite Dragon Riders running the show."

"Yes. They are the 'Three Kings' of the student body. Even the instructors don't touch them because their families are too powerful or their potential is too high."

Judas stood up and walked to the window. He looked out at the sprawling Academy city. He saw flags flying from different towers—Gold, Grey, and Black.

"Is that it?" Judas asked. "Three factions dividing the pie?"

"Well..." Caelum rubbed the back of his neck. "There is... an anomaly."

Judas turned around. "An anomaly?"

"Yes. She doesn't belong to any faction. Both Ignis and Garret tried to recruit her. Ignis offered marriage. Garret offered the Vice-Commander position. She broke Ignis's nose and threw Garret through a wall."

Judas raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Name?"

"Seraphina Frost," Caelum said with a mix of fear and admiration.

"The Ice Witch. She rides a Glacial Wyrm. People say her dragon has 60% purity bloodline of a True Ice Dragon. That's unheard of for a human student. Usually, anything above 30% is considered impossible."

"60%..." Judas muttered.

Nyx, who had been ignoring the conversation, suddenly perked up.

Judas clearly understood what was running through her mind the moment he saw a drop of saliva pooling at the corner of her mouth. This gluttony!

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