Nia smiled, a little awkward, but it was there.
Maybe this was her version of trying to be friendly.
Rhian looked over at the pods again, curiosity all over his face.
"How do we even use these?" he asked, glancing at her.
Nia pushed herself off the wall and stepped closer, motioning toward one of the pods.
"It's simple," she said, her voice more relaxed than before. "Once you register, the pod reads your core signature automatically. No one else can use your account unless you give permission."
She tapped on the screen near the pod, pulling up more options.
"You choose the environment you want to fight in... it could be a plain room, forests, ruins, even portal-like settings. Then, you set what kind of fight. You can go solo training, AI opponent, or challenge real people in the academy."
Rhian's eyes scanned the options as she kept talking.
"If you're just training alone, it's safer. But if you enter public duels..." she paused, giving him a small look, "prepare to be watched. Especially if you don't have premium to hide yourself."
He nodded slowly, taking it in.
"You lay down inside," Nia continued, pointing at the inside of the pod. "It'll close, scan your body and core, and then you'll feel like you're somewhere else completely. You'll feel pain, exhaustion... everything except death."
Rhian blinked.
"So... it feels real?"
"Very real," she answered simply. "But safe."
She smirked lightly.
"Good place for someone like you to throw punches without worrying about getting folded into the wall again."
Rhian gave her a dry look.
She shrugged casually.
"Hey, not everyone likes waking up sore like me."
He couldn't tell if that was a joke or if she was dead serious.
Probably both.
Nia tilted her head slightly, her eyes still calm but curious.
"What type of carrier are you?" she asked.
Simple. Direct.
But to Rhian… it felt heavier than any question so far.
His body tensed.
He didn't expect to be asked that so soon, not like this, not so casually.
His mind spun quickly.
'Does it really matter?' he wondered.
But another thought crept in.
What if they hate me for it?
Being a cursed wasn't something people cheered about. He knew that well enough. Discrimination, fear, rumors, all common. Especially if his kind turned into something monstrous right in front of others.
Rhian didn't care about bullies. He'd fought things worse than kids with loud mouths.
But… total isolation?
No friends?
Nobody wanting to even stand next to him?
That was different.
He wasn't the most social person, but that… sounded sad.
And in this academy, even if they focused on individual growth, there were probably group missions and team classes. You couldn't always avoid people.
He stood there lost in thought longer than he realized.
Nia narrowed her eyes slightly, watching him. Then she asked again, this time more directly.
"Are you a cursed?" she said it plainly, like it wasn't a big deal.
Her tone didn't change to mockery or judgment only curiosity.
Maybe she suspected it from his fighting style, but that wasn't it since he had been allegedly a cursed for only few hours.
Maybe he took too long to answer.
"I-I... I didn't s-say that," Rhian stuttered, almost choking on his words.
The reaction was all she needed to comfirm her thoughts.
Nia smiled faintly.
"You didn't have to," she said.
Rhian didn't respond right away. He just stared at her for a moment, wondering if this was the part where things changed and she suddenly pulled back.
It wasn't like they knew each other well enough for Rhian to be her by her not wanting anything to do with him.
But Nia seemed like a great person, and felt would be a great companion.
But Nia didn't move away, and her expression didn't twist, she didn't even blink differently, all she fid was just stand there, same as before, as if he'd told her the sky was blue.
Rhian looked away, scratching his neck. His hand lingered over the glove, covering the back of his hand.
"So…" he said, clearing his throat, "you been using this simulation room for long?"
"Since I enrolled so for a couple of weeks, i also had it back home," she replied. "I like it more than sparring in front of people."
Rhian nodded. "Yeah. Makes sense."
There was a small silence, but it was a bit awkward.
"You're the first person who's asked that straight up," he said.
'Mmmh, wait, ash did.'
"I figured," she replied. "Most people tiptoe around it. I don't care what you are. Long as you don't try to eat me in the middle of a fight."
That got a small smirk out of him. "I think I'm good."
"Then we're good."
He nodded again, glancing at the pod. The screen still displayed the menu from earlier. She stepped back to it and tapped through a few settings, adjusting something.
"You already got your settings figured out?" he asked.
"Mostly. I rotate through environments every week. Keeps things fresh."
He didn't have a response for that, but he liked hearing her talk. She was more relaxed now than she had been earlier.
"I haven't used the premium features yet," he said. "Trying to figure things out first."
"You should. It's worth it."
She stepped back again, folding her arms. "You planning to get stronger through here or just checking it out?"
Rhian looked down at the blades on the wall, then back at the pod. "Both. I don't know what I'm doing yet. But I need to figure it out fast."
"Then use it often. You'll learn fast. Faster in here than out there, if you pay attention."
She looked at the pod one more time. "If you're going in, don't stay in too long today. First time can be rough. It'll drain your core even if you're not using it. Simulation sync takes a toll at first."
He nodded. "Got it."
She turned like she was about to leave, but paused.
"You'll be fine, Rhian. Don't overthink it."
Then she walked off.
Rhian stood there, watching the pod door open.
He wasn't sure what just happened exactly. But it didn't feel bad.
Not at all.
Rhian glanced down at his school phone, checking his schedule again.
His next class read clearly: Evolved Class.
Just the name alone was enough to pull a reaction out of him.
'Evolved…' he repeated in his head slowly.
Immediately, like a cursed memory, only one person came to mind.
That barefoot, white-eyed, smiling sadist.
Liane.
Rhian felt his shoulders stiffen.
A quiet shiver crawled down his spine just remembering her voice, cheerful but with a weight that promised violence.
'No way...' he thought. 'Don't tell me she's actually teaching…'
But deep down, he knew.
She did leave him in the hospital and casually said, "See you in class."
And if there was any class in this academy that fit cursed carriers specifically… this was it.
Rhian slowly dragged his feet toward the direction of the classroom.
'Great,' he sighed inwardly, 'out of all the teachers in this giant school, I get the one who probably wakes up smiling at horror movies.'
This was going to be pain.
Rhian made his way through the halls, following the directions on the signs, until he reached the designated building for Cursed Classes.
The moment he got closer, he noticed it.
Stares.
Not the curious kind from his earlier classmates.
These were sharper. Judging. Eyes filled with unspoken thoughts.
Some students hanging around the hallway paused their conversations when they saw where Rhian was heading.
To them, stepping into the Evolved Class meant only one thing.
Cursed.
The big bad scary kind.
The kind most wanted nothing to do with.
Rhian caught a few faces shifting from curiosity to clear disdain.
He shook his head lightly, unfazed.
'People really hate Cursed this much, huh…'
Without slowing down, he entered the room.
Immediately, he froze because this was not what he expected.
No rows of desks or chairs.
This room was practically empty.
There were a few scattered objects, a bench against the wall, some lockers at the far end, but no real seating.