I stood in the Occult Research Club, feeling like I was on stage during a py, and I was the lead actor in a very awkward drama. All eyes were on me—Sona and her peerage, Sirzechs and Grayfia, Rias and her peerage, and of course, Riser's whole crew. They looked at me like I was a monster. Seriously, I couldn't help but sweatdrop at the intensity of their stares. Do they really think I'm that bad?

  The silence stretched out, thick and suffocating, and no one dared to break it. That is, until Ravel Phenex, with a nervous gnce in my direction, spoke up.

  "Kazuya… what did you do to my brother?" she asked, her voice ced with concern and more than a little fear. Her wide eyes darted toward the blue marble I had casually pulled out of my pocket. "He—he was turned into a marble after I was eliminated…"

  I blinked. Ah, right. That. Riser. The whole 'turning him into a marble' incident… I wasn't trying to do anything crazy, but it sure looked like I was some kind of ice-wielding sorcerer to them.

  I sighed, shaking my head. "Ravel, you don't have to worry. He's fine." I held up the marble in the air, tossing it casually, just to show off how completely unbothered I was by the situation. As I snapped my fingers, the marble glowed and suddenly, Riser dropped to the floor with a thud, groaning as if he were coming back to life after a nasty nap.

  The members of his peerage rushed to his side, hovering over him like worried nurses at a hospital. I rolled my eyes. Come on, Riser, you've got regeneration. Stop acting like you're some fragile porcein doll.

  With a grunt, Riser groggily got up, rubbing his head with a look of absolute annoyance on his face. "Cheap trick!" he snapped, gring at me. "Turning me into a marble? Pathetic!"

  I couldn't resist a smirk. I leaned back with my arms crossed, looking far too smug for my own good. "Hey, Riser, you're fine. You've got regeneration, remember?" I waved it off. "It wasn't about how I won. It's just that I won. You should try it sometime."

  His face twisted in frustration, but before he could retort, Sirzechs, the ever-imposing Crimson Satan, stepped in, his voice smooth but commanding.

  "Riser," Sirzechs said, not raising his voice but still making the room feel like it was under his command. "If you feel that the match was unfair, feel free to speak up. However, the fight was recorded, and everyone here saw that Kazuya fought fairly."

  Riser didn't dare argue. He grumbled under his breath and teleported away with his peerage, leaving behind a lingering aura of frustration. Sirzechs gave me a quick nod of approval, but before I could bask in my victory, Rias walked toward me.

  She caught me off guard by wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug, a grateful look on her face. "Thank you, Kazuya… for saving me from that marriage."

  I stiffened for a second, blinking as I processed the unexpected dispy of affection. Wait, what's happening? Is this real?

  I awkwardly patted her back. "No problem," I muttered, then quickly added, "I didn't want you to go through with that either." I cleared my throat. "But, uh, I've got to go talk to Sirzechs."

  I quickly turned away from Rias, not giving her a chance to respond. As I walked over to Sirzechs, I made sure to give Grayfia a pointed look. Her eyes narrowed instantly, the usual icy gaze she gave me like a silent challenge. I grinned back at her, my smugness practically radiating. This never gets old.

  Rias, clearly still confused, followed me. "Wait, Kazuya, what deal are you talking about?"

  I shot her a pyful smirk, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going to rest, Rias. After everything today, I think I've earned that." With that, I summoned a silver magic circle beneath me and teleported out of the room, leaving them behind in the confusion of their questions. Well, Sirzechs will expin it to them so it's none of my concern anymore.

  Back at home, I appeared in the living room, greeted by Asia's bright smile and Espeon's happy yips. "Welcome back, Kazuya!" Asia said, her cheerful tone instantly calming my nerves.

  "Thanks," I replied, giving her a tired but appreciative grin. "I'm just going to my room to rest. I'm wiped out."

  I made my way upstairs, feeling the weight of the day's events catching up with me. Once I was safely in my bedroom, the familiar blue translucent screen of my system materialized before me. Time for the rewards!

  I grinned, the excitement in my chest bubbling up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Alright, let's see what I got for all that hard work."

  I tapped the screen eagerly, and the first reward revealed itself.

  Aokiji's Bicycle [ One Piece ]

  I froze. A... bicycle? I blinked and stared at the screen like it had just told me I'd won a lifetime supply of healing potions. "Are you kidding me?" I ughed out loud in disbelief. "Out of everything, a bicycle? What am I supposed to do with this, become a professional ice-cyclist?" I waved my hands in the air dramatically, as if asking the system, Seriously?

  The second spin came up, and I leaned forward, eyes widening as the reward revealed itself.

  Gravity Machine [ Dragon Ball Z ]

  My jaw dropped. Okay, okay, this is more like it! "No way! The Gravity Machine?!" I grinned ear to ear, tightening my fists. Now this is the kind of reward I was hoping for! My mind instantly began to race with the possibilities. I can finally train like Goku—minus the whole dying and coming back to life part. Maybe I should start working on my Kamehameha too, that explosion was sick af...

  I couldn't contain my excitement. My arms filed slightly as I imagined training inside that chamber, I could already hear Till I colpse song resonating in my ears "This is gonna be awesome!"

  The final spin showed the st reward, and my grin faltered for a second as I stared at the words that appeared.

  Shadow Extraction Skill [ Solo Leveling ]

  I gasped. "Holy—this is insane! This is huge!" I almost fell off my bed in my rush to sit up straight. "Shadow Extraction? I can pull shadows out of people? This!!!" My hands trembled with excitement as I pictured all the potential uses for this skill. "I might be able to extract shadows to control them or make my own army. That's like next-level type shit!"

  I flopped back onto my bed, exhausted but exhirated. My body ached, but the rush of new power kept me from feeling too worn out. It's all worth it, I thought, closing my eyes. The suffering, the effort, the pain—it all led up to this moment. This is what makes it worth it...

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