Kai spent the next two days in his apartment, trying to process what had happened in the Glasslands.
The fight with the Razorback alpha kept replaying in his mind. He wasn't bothered by the violence, he'd seen plenty of that in three years as a Hunter.
What bothered him was the aftermath: the spreading glass and the destabilisation. Just one fight caused fifty yards of dimensional corruption.
And he hadn't even used the Balance Protocol.
On the second night, alone in his room while Mira slept, Kai pulled up his Status screen.
[RECKONER SYSTEM - SSS CLASS]
[User: Kai Arren]
[Shard Rank: A (Apex)]
[True Rank: SSS (Mythic) - LOCKED]
[Balance Points (BP): 1,789]
Kai blinked. That was up from 1,247. He'd gained 542 points from killing the Razorback alpha. A C-rank Echo was worth significant points, apparently.
But then his eyes caught the next line, and his blood went cold.
[Current Debts: 9 years lifespan]
[Remaining Lifespan: 38 years (Age: 24)]
Nine years.
