Athanasia: My Hacker System

Chapter 401: Making an Offer

Mond let out a long, weary sigh, his eyes wandering toward the other students.

Nikolas followed his gaze and smiled reassuringly. "You came here asking for their help, Mond. That requires a certain level of sincerity and trust, wouldn’t you agree?"

"I know, but..." Mond hesitated, his jaw tightening as he recalled an old wound. "The situation I’m in right now is a direct result of trusting the wrong people."

"We aren’t like Galbert," John said, his voice cutting through the hesitation. He could already see the shadow of the Formal Team leader in Mond’s eyes.

Mond sighed again, finally succumbing to John’s words. "Fine. I was poisoned by Galbert. He used Katherine to lure me in, tricking me into drinking a specific potion. She told me it was a Miraculous Drug that would unlock more of my hidden potential, but it was the exact opposite. It was a curse that stopped my growth dead in its tracks."

"Describe it to me." Nikolas’s expression changed instantly, his professional instincts flaring. "Describe its appearance, its scent, and specifically how it tasted."

Mond didn’t have to think twice; the memory was burned into his mind as if it had happened last night. "It’s the Ice Potion, as you’ve likely already guessed."

The mention of the name caused a visible reaction in everyone present, except for John. Seeing the sudden tension, John raised a hand. "Can someone fill me in? What does that potion actually do?"

"It’s a nasty piece of work," Luke said, struggling to find the right words to describe the cruelty of it. "It’s designed specifically to halt any and all progress anyone with unlocked attributes makes. It’s the perfect counter-agent, the total, bitter opposite of the Miracle Potion."

"Drinking it will essentially seal your special genes," Ricky summarised, his voice cutting through the heavy silence that had fallen over the group. He looked at Mond with a mixture of pity and grim understanding.

"It’s a biological lock. You won’t be able to unlock any new attributes, and you won’t even be able to enhance the ones you’ve already unlocked. Every path to growth is... Severed."

"It’s like being frozen in time at the exact moment you drank it," Elena added, her tone troubled. She crossed her arms, a shiver running down her spine. "For people like us, it’s a living death. It’s the hellish end of every dream we’ve ever had."

John stood silent for a moment, processing the gravity of the situation. He had grasped the function of the potion, and he could tell by the expressions on his friends’ faces just how infamous this Ice Potion truly was.

Everyone here had heard the horror stories; it was a ghost story used to keep many ambitious kids cautious. He was certain that if Cissel were awake and present, she would have recognised the potion instantly.

"I can’t believe someone actually went through the trouble of inventing something that cruel," John muttered. He looked at Mond, seeing the years of frustration etched into the older student’s face.

"That explains the stagnant growth you suffered, and people call it a bottleneck? Damn!" Nikolas noted, turning his sharp gaze toward John. "I believe you plan to use that thing on him, right?"

John looked from Nikolas to Mond, his mind already thinking the same as his teacher guessed. "I need to inspect him first," he said in a serious tone. "If there is a seal like that, I’ll likely need to purge or remove it before we can even discuss progression."

"Can you actually do it?!" Mond blurted out, his voice cracking with a sudden, desperate hope. It sounded absurd to his ears, too good to be true. "My father is a man of significant influence; he brought in the best doctors and specialists the world had to offer... They all failed. They told me the damage was permanent. Nothing would work to save me..."

John offered a calm, almost confident smile.

"He can do a lot of things," Luke interjected from the side, a cocky grin on his face. "And by the thing the teacher mentioned, he means a hell of a lot of magic that John could do to you."

"Nothing is guaranteed," John said, cutting Luke off before he could overpromise. He looked Mond in the eye, his expression turning deadly serious. "This is the first time I’ve encountered this potion. I need to check your body before I decide what’s possible. But..."

John paused, his gaze intensifying. "If I can help you, there’s a condition. You’ll have to join my side first. And I don’t simply mean joining the club..."

He then turned his attention to Ben, who had been standing quietly in the background. "And for you, Ben, I know I can help you fix that ability control problem that’s been holding you back. But the offer is the same. You need to decide right now if you want my help and if you’re willing to commit to my side."

"But... I’m already part of the club, right?" Ben asked, looking confused.

"I’m here to join your club, so consider me in!" Mond added, echoing Ben’s sentiment.

The two of them clearly mistook John’s meaning. They thought he was talking about the official club registration. Instead of explaining further, John reached into his inventory and withdrew a shimmering golden scroll. He tossed it toward Ben, who caught it with fumbling hands.

"If you’re in, then sign that with your blood. Only then are you actually in."

Ben looked down at the scroll, then exchanged a long, silent gaze with Ricky, Luke, and Elena, lastly at Nikolas. The message in their eyes was clear: this was something deeper than an extracurricular activity. This was a serious pact.

"A club within the club?" Mond asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his former teacher. "What’s going on here, teacher?"

Ben shrugged, his hesitation vanishing. Over the past few days, he had been a front-row spectator to the chaos and miracles surrounding John. He had seen the world shake beneath their feet, and yet they hadn’t broken.

He had been on the verge of running away many times, but every time he looked at them, he saw a loyalty that was rarer than anything he had ever seen before. He had seen the Headmaster himself take John’s side.

For Ben, the choice was simple: he could remain a one-time ace who had no way to show off his real potential, or he could join the only people who seemed capable of changing his world. He bit his finger and pressed a bloody thumbprint onto the golden parchment. Then the scroll vanished into golden specks of dust, startling Ben and Mond.

This spoke louder than any other words; this scroll wasn’t normal, and this pact wasn’t simple.

"It’s up to you, Mond," Nikolas said, refusing to provide a detailed explanation. He watched the proceedings with a satisfied, knowing smile.

"Are you in on this, Teacher?" Mond asked, and Nikolas slowly nodded.

Mond took a deep breath. "Then I’m in. I don’t know these kids well enough to trust them with my life yet, but I know you, I trust your judgment." He turned to John and extended a hand. "Give me that golden scroll. Whatever it’s for, I’ll sign it."

John tossed a second scroll to Mond, stealing a glance at Nikolas. The teacher’s content smile confirmed that they had just secured a major asset. As Mond pressed his blood to the paper and the scroll vanished into golden dust, the atmosphere shifted.

"Well," John said, the weight of his recent incident with Cissel finally lifting. "Since the two of you have officially joined us, there’s no reason to hold back. Let’s start this club properly. We’re going to turn the two of you into formidable powerhouses first."