...

Naza gulped down the black-colored potion, but as the effect didn't kick in, she only looked at the white-colored potion. A moment later, it was too late, as her hands started to tremble and her pupils shook—the effect started.

Her fingers gripped the table's edge, knuckles white with tension, before her eyes rolled back, and her body slumped to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Janina's heart leaped in her chest as she bolted toward her, grabbing the white potion. She bit down on the cork, yanking it out with her teeth, and forced the flask to Naza's lips. 'What a moron!' she thought, irritated, as the liquid slid into the catkin's mouth.

The moment the flask was emptied, the reality of their surroundings hit Janina. Screams, gasps, and cries echoed all around them. The noise made her spine tense. 'Fucking great,' she cursed inwardly—the same happened to more students than just Naza.

"Fuck!" Janina barked at herself, forcing down the rising panic, seeing how the school already made severe mistakes on the first day.

Without looking back, she gave her orders, voice firm and cold, "Lacroux, help the others. And whatever pesky shadows are lurking around here, you too!"

Since arriving, Janina had made arrangements with her parents to bring Sarusos with her—a necessary evil despite Alexander's strict rules. The crazy fox-kin, now disguised as a juvenile thanks to a potion, was actually there to guard her, but due to these dire circumstances, he needed to aid the others.

An orange blur shot past her, and two shadows leaped into action. Their forms materialized into masked night elves marked with their household sigils, most likely to observe her at Alexander's command. Without a word, they dove into action, supporting the students and servants.

Janina straightened up, glancing over the railing, frowning as her eyes scanned the chaos below. 'So many... All are making the same mistake.' Her eyes narrowed, a mix of amusement and annoyance. 'Great idea, Alex... not like we warned you or anything.'

The schadenfreude was short-lived. Although almost everyone had anticipated this disaster, Alexander had pressed forward, insisting it was necessary despite the danger, and sadly, he had an excellent reason.

The student body would soon face the effects of Nature's Break, as they would increase their [Levels] in the following weeks—though extraordinary—came with immense risks.

To not hamper their potential, Alexander's solution was to do the same as he did—a body modification on a much smaller scale. Because of that, the so-called Yin-Yang potion became mandatory for all. Taken incorrectly, it didn't just hurt—it shattered you.

The potions they were given, weak though they may have seemed, could still kill them. Death was only a mistake away, and the adverse effects would tear a person apart from the inside out—body, soul, everything.

Janina's mind flickered back to her own experience. She had been forced through this horrific ordeal as her [Levels] surged, but she wasn't the only precedent.

Alexander had created many manuals, making it ridiculously easy to level up [Skills]. Even the servants who had stayed at the estate for a year or more suddenly gained the [Prodigy I] trait, a title usually reserved for true geniuses. They didn't need talent—just the resources and Alexander's instructions. It was absurd.

With this school, he had to ensure they wouldn't suddenly break down, making it a relatively risky decision, 'Well, at least nobody died,' she thought in relief while looking around the cafeteria, seeing no dead students. 'Can't say the same about their mind, though,' many were still struggling, their bodies convulsing, faces wet with tears, but most had started regaining consciousness. The hall was filled with the sound of whimpering and quiet sobs.

Naza's eyes fluttered open, making Janina snap back to her. "You idiot!" she barked, glaring down at Naza, anger masking her concern. "I told you to take the white one right after the black!"

Naza blinked blearily, her body limp and barely responding. Seeing her like this, Janina felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. She sighed and reached down, offering her hand. "Come on, get up, you idiot."

Naza grabbed her hand weakly and stood up on wobbly legs. The moment she was upright, she clutched at her chest and almost collapsed again. Janina quickly guided her back to her seat, voice laced with dark humor, "Oh, I know that feeling all too well—get used to it."

Naza's breaths came in ragged gasps, her eyes wide with panic. "What... what's happening to me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Janina stood beside her, steadying her. "Calm down. First, sit properly." Her tone softened slightly. "Breathe slowly and deeply. Close your eyes." When Naza obeyed, Janina continued, her voice low and reassuring. "You've pushed your [Levels] too far, too fast. Normally, you'd have passed out from the shock, but the white potion kept you awake. You need to calm your body before anything worse happens."

Memories of her own collapse flashed in Janina's mind—how she had blacked out after being assaulted with a multitude of divine calls. When Alexander saw her, he feared the worst and changed the formula to ensure no one could lose consciousness again. But the price of staying awake through this was its own kind of torture.

Janina studied Naza's spasming muscles. The girl's body was locked in an internal war, her body and mind constantly trying to adjust. 'The white potion isn't an antidote but just heals while damping the effect. It just makes the process more bearable. It doesn't stop the destruction.' Her eyes flicked toward the others, their wails still filling the air like a morbid chorus.

"I don't want this anymore!"

"Please, make it stop! My heart's going to explode!"

"I... I can't take it!"

After the initial shock, the servants became as steady as ever and worked tirelessly to reassure the students. Their words repeated the same message—this suffering was necessary to grow strong, to become like Alexander. And it wasn't just hollow encouragement. Everyone knew that if one wanted to soar, they had to endure far worse, her brother being the living proof that this nightmare was worth it.

Slowly, the students began to calm down, though tears still stained their faces.

Janina's eyes swept toward the late arrivals who had just entered the hall. They sat nervously in front of their bowls and flasks, horrified at what they were about to experience. Yet, when the time came, they drank the potions. Those who took the white one immediately after seemed to handle it better, though they still looked dizzy.

'This process is an absolute mess,' Janina thought bitterly. 'No one reviewed this crucial part properly. Alex is going to tear them apart when he finds out.' She could already picture Alexander's fury directed at Anastasia and the school administration.

But a part of Janina found the chaos mildly entertaining. 'It's not my problem,' she told herself, leaning into her role as an observer. Her goal wasn't to micromanage but to help from the shadows.

Minutes passed, and Naza's tears finally ceased. She wiped her face with a handkerchief, sniffling as she looked up at Janina. "Am I... dying?" Her voice wavered with genuine fear.

Janina's lips curled into a small, amused smile. "No, you're just growing."

"I don't want to grow," Naza mumbled, her face still flushed from the ordeal. She sniffled again, voice barely above a whisper, "Thank you."

Janina chuckled, returned to her seat, and pushed Naza's bowl of colorful mush in front of her. "Eat."

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Naza stared at it suspiciously. "What is this? Will this... skin me while my teeth fall out?"

Janina burst into laughter. "Haha, No! It's good for you. It'll help you recover. Alex eats this five or six times a day."

Naza hesitated, then took bravely a spoonful, her eyes widening. "This is... actually good?" After another one, trying to enjoy the taste, her face scrunched slightly. She rubbed her stomach. "I'm... almost full already."

Janina pointed at her with a spoon. "Yeah, don't overeat. It's dense."

Janina leaned back slightly, watching Naza with a faint smile as she ate, 'She is stronger than she looks,' she thought, noticing the determined glint in Naza's eyes despite her exhaustion.

"Alex eats something similar five or six times a day?" Naza repeated, still savoring the taste as much as possible, her voice filled with disbelief. "How does he manage that?"

Janina gave a slight shrug, "He has to. With how fast his [Levels] shoot up and the amount of potent poisons he drinks, his body needs constant sustenance and healing. I wouldn't be surprised if he still eats too little."

Naza, clearly struggling to imagine that kind of lifestyle, looked down at her half-empty bowl and sighed, "I can't imagine eating that much... or having that much power."

Janina smirked, putting her spoon into the empty bowl, "You'll understand soon enough. The more you grow, the more you need to rebuild your body; since it is made of food, it will obviously need more. It becomes second nature after a while, a kind of hunger that never really goes away." She paused, letting the silence settle for a moment. "But that power comes with a price besides constant hunger."

Naza blinked at her, the exhaustion beginning to dull her curiosity. "What price?"

Janina's gaze grew distant momentarily. She remembered how her parents had told her this too often, and she now wanted to share it with Naza.

With a wave of her hand, two cups standing beside the miniature tree made their way to her, and Naza, with another one, conjured water to fill them up.

She took a sip of water before answering, her voice low. "Responsibility. Control. You're never really free of it, you know? Once you reach a certain [Level], everything you do affects everyone around you. One mistake, and people die."

Everyone would soon learn it, as it was the basics of the ethics classes. But it wouldn't hurt to tell Naza this a little sooner.

Naza's eyes widened. The weight of Janina's words seemed to hang in the air between them. "That's... terrifying."

"It is," Janina agreed, her tone somber. "But it's also why Alex and this school pushes us so hard. It's not just about power, for power's sake. It's about being able to control it and wield it properly. The stronger you get, the more careful you have to be."

Naza stared at her bowl, processing the gravity of what she'd just heard. She took another spoonful of the colorful mush, but her earlier enthusiasm had waned. The thought of endless responsibility and the constant need for control seemed to weigh heavily on her already fatigued body.

Janina's eyes flicked up to the large clock hanging over the entrance, the intricate design catching her attention. Two trees hugged a pond, with fish happily swimming inside. Their branches formed the clock hands, indicating they still had thirty minutes until their next class.

"We still have some time before class," Janina muttered, more to herself than to Naza. "You can rest for a bit."

Naza, as she was about to say something, burped unexpectedly, covering her mouth with embarrassment. "Sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing red.

Janina chuckled softly, waving dismissively, "No need to apologize."

Naza smiled weakly, clearly still overwhelmed by the physical strain. She leaned back in her chair, her hand still resting on her stomach. "I feel like I'm going to burst. Is this what happens every time I increase my levels? I need to poison myself, heal, and then eat until I burst?"

Janina nodded, conjuring a small piece of brioche into her hand and casually tossing it into her mouth. "It gets easier with time. Eventually, your body adjusts, and it won't be as hard. But until then, it's going to feel like you're pushing your limits constantly."

Naza's eyes darkened with a mix of fear and resignation. "I don't think I want to increase my levels that much... I don't think I can handle it."

"You'll have no choice if you stay in the school," Janina replied, her tone flat but honest. "The [System Window] doesn't care what you want or not—once you start to learn and attend classes, even if you are an untalented moron," she snickered, remembering all the idiots getting the [Prodigy I] trait. She continued, "You will inevitably raise your levels and need to adapt since everyone will do it soon, too."

A tense silence filled the air, but Naza suddenly blinked, her expression shifting. Her mind seemed to catch up with everything that had just happened. "Wait... my system window... I haven't checked it." Her hands trembled as she opened her [System Window], her eyes widening as she took in the massive leap in her levels.

image [https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Chiruschka/Supersum/refs/heads/main/character_cards/naza/system_window/chapter_204/naza.svg]

"Oh!" she gasped, her fingers hovering over the glowing text that floated before her. "My levels... they've gone up by six... eight... no, more!"

Janina raised an eyebrow, intrigued herself. She peered at Naza's window, seeing the drastic changes as she got all the necessary resistance [Skills]. Naza's joy was palpable, her pupils dilating with awe as her hand lightly traced the numbers. But the happiness was short-lived as her expression fell, her body trembling again.

"Why is my HP fluctuating so much?" Naza's voice was tinged with fear, the numbers on her [System Window] spiking and dropping as if her body was still caught in the aftermath of the potion. She looked over her body, fearing an injury.

"The potions are still fighting inside your body," she explained, her voice gentle but firm. "It is absolutely normal. Just don't panic. Breathe."

Naza nodded shakily, trying to calm her racing heart. "I see... it's just... insane... I don't feel any different?"

"Don't worry. All servants have healing talismans and will immediately use them should someone about to die," Janina reassured her. However, her mind lingered on something else she'd noticed in Naza's window. Her eyes briefly narrowed, catching a glimpse of some disturbing [Skills]. Her tone shifted to one of concern. "Naza... can I ask you something personal?"

Naza looked up, still caught in the wonder of her growth. "Go ahead."

"Your skill list..." Janina hesitated for a second, choosing her words carefully. "Why do you have [Sexwork] listed?"

The question hit like a punch to the gut. Naza's smile faded instantly, her hands trembling as her joy evaporated. Her mana, calm moments before, suddenly became turbulent. "Oh," she muttered, her voice hollow. "That..."

Janina's heart clenched, realizing the weight of her question, 'I shouldn't have asked... not like this.' But the concern was genuine, and she had to understand. "I'm not judging you," Janina said softly, her voice filled with quiet empathy. "This school doesn't care about things like that. I just... I want to understand. How did it come to this?"

Naza's breath hitched, and for a moment, Janina feared she might have broken something delicate inside her. But then, Naza spoke, her voice steady but filled with a deep void, as if part of her soul had been hollowed out long ago. "I was hungry," she whispered. "I was three years old. I hadn't eaten for two weeks, and the Temple would only give out food in three days, but I couldn't wait."

A wave of helplessness and fury surged through Janina. 'Three years old?' She struggled to keep her composure, but anger simmered beneath her calm exterior. "But the food from the Temple and our Mother—doesn't it come twice a week?"

Naza smiled weakly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It does. But my brother was sick... he needed extra food. Even when I begged, the Temple could barely keep up with demand—there were too many mouths to feed—and the Lady, well, it was the same situation. One bowl of gruel per person."

Janina clenched her fists, struggling to rationalize it. "And the orphanage? There wasn't enough there?"

"I wasn't in the orphanage," Naza murmured, her voice distant, as if recalling a time when survival was all that mattered.

Janina felt a thread snap inside her, something deep and fundamental. Her worldview shifted as if she had only seen a fraction of the truth until now—like a painting, she only focused on the corner while there was so much more, full of struggles. Hearing the reality of Naza's past brought it all into painful clarity.

'This is... unacceptable.' Janina's mind raced, connecting the dots. Alexander had fought tooth and nail to force their Mother to distribute food daily. He'd had countless screaming matches with Green over the need for more healers and to make the process free. Janina had never fully understood why he was so aggressive about it. Looking at Naza and imagining countless others like her, she finally understood.

Alexander wasn't just trying to improve life for all subjects, no. He was trying to make life liveable—trying to stop puppies like Naza from making these choices—choices no one should have to make.

Janina stared at Naza, who sat there, quiet and small, her frame thin and fragile despite the will she'd shown today. Janina had always thought she understood Alexander's urgency, but now, seeing Naza in this state, it hit her like a slap to the face. 'His efforts... they can't be in vain... never to be tarnished.'

Suddenly, her self-imposed role in this school felt heavier. She was no longer just protecting its reputation, no longer just a spy in the shadows. Now, she felt the weight of Alexander's ideals so much more tangible and needed than before.

"You made a sacrifice... for your brother," Janina said quietly, her voice soft but edged with newfound determination, "I am sure he is forever grateful."

Naza's mana flared again, her hands clenching into tight fists around the fabric of her skirt. "He didn't make it."

The words hung like a dark cloud, and Janina felt a heavy silence settle over them. The air felt thick with grief, and it was like a blanket of despair covered them both for a moment. She had no words to console Naza and no easy platitudes to offer. How could you comfort someone who had lived through such pain?

Janina's pupils trembled as she fought back her own emotions, the empathetic link between them pulling at her. 'I can't let this conversation drag her down further.' She steeled herself, taking a breath and deciding to change the topic, if only for now. There would be time to address the grief, but now it wasn't. They needed to move forward.

"Hunting skills, huh?" Janina said, forcing a bit of lightness into her tone, though it still felt heavy in the air. "Did you go out often? I hope you made some good memories, at least."

Naza laughed—though it was a laugh filled with bitter irony. "Haha! Good memories? I set traps for rats. That's how I got food for us."

Her laughter, tinged with desperation and sadness, echoed around them. It wasn't the joyful sound of nostalgia but a grim reminder of the harsh reality she had lived. Janina sighed deeply, rubbing the back of her neck, frustration, and helplessness mixing in her chest. "I'm sorry," she muttered, her voice low. "I just... don't know what to say."

Naza's laughter faded into silence, and she looked at Janina with a soft, tired smile. "You don't need to say anything. I'm just... thankful Mr. Alexander is here. He's helping people like me."

Janina's thoughts flickered back to Ocilia, another who admired Alexander with the same kind of quiet reverence. There was something pure in the way they looked up to him—an admiration that was less about power and more about what he represented for them, even though different. 'Interesting,' Janina mused, feeling the same warmth of loyalty rise in Naza's eyes.

Janina straightened up, pushing herself away from the chair. "Come on," she said with a hint of encouragement in her tone. "We've got classes to attend. And if you ever need anything, come to me, okay?"

Naza blinked, clearly surprised by the offer. "Thanks..." Her voice was uncertain, as though she didn't quite know how to respond to the unexpected kindness.

Janina chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "What? Not like I'm going to bite."

Naza stood up slowly, wobbling a little before steadying herself. "No, it's just... thanks." Her voice was filled with genuine gratitude, though the awkwardness in her tone made Janina smirk.

Janina laughed out loud, suddenly understanding why Alexander disliked being thanked so much. Gratitude always seemed to come with an awkward sincerity that left the other person fumbling for words. "Haha! Come on, we'll miss the introduction classes if we stay here any longer."

As they started walking, the tension between them eased, though the undercurrent of their conversation still lingered in the back of Janina's mind. Naza was just one of many students here, each with their own story and their own struggles. But something about her made Janina feel like she had caught a glimpse of a much larger picture, a part of Alexander's vision that she hadn't fully understood until now.