A tall teacher stood there in a long suit, his hair neatly combed and well-groomed. Why would he want to talk to a D-class student like him? And the tone he used to call him just now didn't sound friendly at all.
"How may I help you, teacher?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Solomon asked.
The teacher gave him a strange look, holding his gaze steady and intense for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"Student Solomon, follow me. Just now, you bribed a teacher. That is not good conduct."
Solomon almost laughed when he heard that.
Why was it him who had caught this weird-speaking teacher's attention? Had he been watching him this whole time? Where was he even standing earlier?
Solomon stared at the teacher for a moment before finally taking a step forward.
A step to follow him.
The teacher turned around and led the way, while Solomon's eyes stayed fixed on his back until they reached a quiet area of the school.
Very quiet. Hidden from everyone's eyes.
This is weird. Why would a teacher bring him here instead of the office?
Solomon's eyes narrowed as he became alert, no longer treating the man as an ordinary teacher who only knew how to look down on lower-class students.
"Who are you?" Solomon asked, his brows furrowing and his lips tightening into a firm line as he watched every movement the teacher made.
"Haha… nice question."
Laughter followed.
Weird. Cold. Chilling—like the devil laughing.
Beads of sweat formed on Solomon's palms.
It felt wrong. Deeply wrong. Like a monster wearing human skin. The thought came to him without warning.
"Boy, you smell of money… so much money. Rich soul coins."
Soul… what?
Confusion flashed through Solomon's mind at the strange words.
[The SSS-Rank Cashback Billionaire System was too negligent. The host did not receive most of the information. The system failed to provide proper intel.]
[Host, you are in danger!]
[A default system user is right in front of you.]
[Enemy system rank: A]
[Skills: Soul Sucker]
[Goal: To take the host's money-making luck—also known as the luck that brought me to you.]
What was the system even saying?
Solomon's body tensed instantly just from hearing the warning.
He hadn't calculated this. Not even close. The idea that the teacher could be a threat never crossed his mind. And of course, his system never warned him early enough that this man was a default user hunting him—his life.
Someone trying to take the future he promised himself… the future he was going to build for his family.
And kill him?
That can't happen.
"Kid… you're silent like a corpse, but your body is tense." The teacher stared coldly at Solomon, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips the entire time. "Do you know who I am?"
What is this?
Solomon asked himself again and again, unable to properly analyze the situation. This was the first time he had faced something so supernatural.
He was good at calculating things. His family even thought he was strange for always living inside his own mind. Not bragging, but his IQ was twice that of an average person.
That was why even when five guns were pointed at his head, he never panicked. He didn't feel fear like normal people. Instead, he calculated everything in seconds and calmly negotiated with the hitman who was supposed to kill him.
"Give me your soul coin, boy!"
The teacher suddenly shrieked like a beast.
His voice exploded in volume, and his tongue stretched out unnaturally—long, grotesque, like something no human should have.
Instinct kicked in.
Solomon flipped his body back just in time, stumbling away from the direction of the attack.
Dum-dum—his heart pounded violently.
Sweat dropped from his skin.
"System, how do I survive?" Solomon gritted his teeth, eyes locked on the teacher who had stopped attacking but was now grinning with his tongue still slightly extended, studying him like prey.
Because that's what he was.
[Host, I did not inform you earlier, but the money in the system wallet can be converted into energy. You can use it to mutate—]
"Mutate?"
[Yes, host. Mutate like this being and reach equal power to fight him… but the funds in the system wallet are too small.]
"Too small?"
One million dollars… was too small?
[The default user attempting to kill you has already swallowed a billion-dollar soul coin. Therefore, host—]
"Damn it."
Solomon cursed inwardly as the teacher attacked again.
Seeing the strike coming, he sprinted sideways, his body sliding behind iron bars to use them as cover against the long, whipping tongue aimed at him.
If this continued, he would die.
The system had already confirmed it—his current funds weren't enough to evolve him. And that man was actively hunting his life.
Was this it? Giving up?
No.
He refused.
Better to try and fail than die without resistance.
The default user must have a weakness. Every living thing did. If he could just figure it out, his survival rate might rise by at least thirty percent.
Small… but still something.
"System, what is the weakness of a default user?" he asked quickly.
[Host, the heart. The brain. Those are their most fatal points. Most defaults store their energy there.]
Heart and brain…
So how was he supposed to reach those with that monster's long tongue attacking him?
Sweat gathered on Solomon's forehead.
"System, I want to absorb the money in the system and evolve."
Survival chances were higher if he evolved rather than staying ordinary.
The idea of evolution didn't scare him. This was life and death. His mind was running purely on instinct and calculation now.
There was no room for fear when fear meant death. Everything else became irrelevant.
[Emergency evolution protocol activated. Drawing from soul coin reserve and mission credit pool in addition to wallet balance. Total energy pool available: $1,200,000. Wallet contribution: $7,000. Remainder drawn from soul coin energy reserve.]
[Converting system funds into energy.]
[Progress: 10k converted… 50k converted… 70k converted… 900k converted… 1,000,000 converted…]
[Conversion complete.]
[Brace yourself. Energy injection beginning.]
"Okay—"
His words were cut off.
The teacher attacked again.
Solomon reacted instantly, leaping backward just barely out of reach.
For a split second, he was stunned by his own movement—he hadn't even realized he could move like that.
Then it started.
Light blue and green energy poured into his body.
Even as he moved, the energy didn't stop. It followed him, sinking into his skin like it had nowhere else to go.
Heat surged through him—like being boiled alive in a sealed pot.
Solomon clenched his fist hard, forcing himself not to scream.