Force-Recovery Pills, developed by Deep Space Pharmaceuticals, were a game-changer for anyone who had exhausted their Force. These pills could quickly replenish large amounts of Force energy. Typically, only the military had access to them, but some awakened individuals and wealthy families can also get their hands on them as well.

  "For a single dose, you’re looking at $500,000 on the black market," Ryder muttered under his breath. His words hit the crowd, and the eyes of the students around him began to widen. Though many came from well-off families, Dune was still a small, border city, and $500,000 wasn’t exactly pocket change. Even the richest here couldn’t always afford that kind of price.

  Kieran, unbothered, waved his hand dismissively. "The school applied for these. There’ll be one available each day for the next five days. Whoever wants to take it, just run the laps. Simple as that."

  He wasn’t just talking about Force-Recovery Pills either—there were also Force-Increasing Pills on the line. Though not as potent as the recovery pills, a single one was still worth around 50,000 dollars each.

  While running laps didn’t seem like anything extraordinary, the reward was real, and that caught the attention of the students. A few were still hesitating, but the majority had already moved to the track, each determined to get in on the action.

  "Jesus, Cole, you’re shameless! You were just complaining, and now you’ve already knocked out half a lap!" someone yelled from behind.

  "What? No, I just started running," Cole replied defensively.

  "Wait up!" Another student shouted, sprinting after him.

  Seeing the others take the lead, the rest of the group slowly fell in line, running with the same quiet desperation to not be left behind.

  As the students started running, Kieran casually plucked a blade of grass, pulled out his phone, and recorded a quick video to send to Mason.

  "Kieran," Mason’s voice came through, light with amusement. "The Force-Recovery Pills were going to Theo, Cassia privately. Why set up a competition like this?"

  The five Force-Recovery Pills were meant for Theo and the other top students. They had the highest chance of breaking 100 Force or even awakening in the grade. But Kieran, always a stickler for fairness, decided to make a competition out of it.

  Most of these elite students didn’t take physical fitness seriously; they relied more on the Force they already had. For most of them, running a few laps would barely be a challenge. So, with a little nudging, Kieran could turn it into something that actually made them push themselves.

  "If I don’t make it a competition, none of these geniuses are dumb enough to run laps for me," Kieran said with a smirk, his eyes still following the students. "But this? This makes them fight for it. No danger, just a chance to push their limits. It's exactly what they need."

  He paused, watching the runners with a knowing expression. "And as for the pills... in the end, only a few of them will actually get them."

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  Kieran's gaze sharpened as he scanned the field. Theo! Cassia!

  Before today, only these two broke the 100 mark. They were the ones with the highest potential, and the pills had been prepared specifically for them. Kieran was using this as a bargaining chip to motivate the others.

  But 100 was the magic number. No one in this class could match Theo and Cassia in terms of pure physical strength and fitness. Kieran knew this, and Mason understood it too. So, the competition, such as it was, was already decided. The difference in Force was simply too great.

  Thirty students were running hard on the 400-meter track now, their form similar in the early stages.

  .....

  One hour later...

  "Have you heard? The elite class is running laps around the playground."

  "No way. Is this their so-called 'special training'?"

  "Yeah, they've been at it for almost an hour now."

  The students, who were initially curious about the elite class, had gathered near the railings of the teaching building to watch the spectacle.

  "Sure enough, Theo’s still leading."

  At the front of the pack were Cassia and Theo. They weren't speeding ahead, maintaining a steady pace that kept them just under ten meters ahead of the rest of the class.

  This gave some of the onlookers a glimmer of hope. Ten meters isn’t much—if they pushed themselves, maybe they could catch up.

  "It's like boiling a frog in warm water," Kieran said from his seat, tossing the grass stem he had been chewing to the side.

  Theo and Cassia were clearly exceptional. Not only were they talented, but they were also seasoned. They could push themselves harder, but they were pacing themselves for the moment that counted. Their strategy was simple: conserve energy, force the others to fall back, and then when the time was right, they’d step it up and leave the competition behind.

  Just as Kieran was thinking of ways to provoke the others into making a move and creating chaos, a loud, unexpected sound interrupted his train of thought.

  Pffftttttttt—puff puff puff!

  It was the unmistakable sound of air escaping rapidly, followed by a long, continuous hiss—like a balloon deflating.

  Kieran’s face dropped, his eyes scanning the scene. A faint yellow smoke was rising from the crowd. And then...

  "Jesus Christ, Cole! Are you even human?! You trying to suffocate us all?!"

  "Cough, cough, cough... I'm dying over here!"

  "What the hell did you eat last night, man?!"

  It was Cole—the chubby kid who had questioned Kieran earlier—looking positively relieved. "Ah, finally! Got it all out!"

  Fuck.

  The carefully arranged formation of runners broke apart instantly, as if someone had tossed a stone into a calm lake. The chaos sent more than a dozen students scrambling, covering their noses, and quickly overtaking Cassia and Theo in the process.

  "Well done," Kieran muttered, a satisfied grin creeping onto his face. This was exactly what he had been hoping for.

  Though Theo and Cassia were thankfully oblivious to the smell, they had no choice but to speed up in order to regain their position at the front. The ripple effect of the yellow smoke was pushing everyone to run harder.

  But Kieran’s smile quickly faded. As the wind shifted, the smell of Cole's “release” began drifting toward him.

  His face went purple with disgust. "What the hell did that kid eat? shit!"

  Meanwhile, the students on the railings of the teaching building were in tears, laughing at the unfolding chaos. Their opinion of this "special training" had taken a sharp nosedive.

  Taking advantage of the chaos, Axel held his breath and surged forward, moving up into the lead pack.

  A few minutes of mayhem later, the group began to settle back into a rhythm. Now, there were six students in the front, alongside Theo and Cassia. But the surprise for everyone was that Axel was among them!

  Kieran glanced at his watch, his brow furrowing. One hour and thirty-three minutes left.

  "This guy’s got some fight in him."

  Kieran glanced over at Axel, who had been steadily pushing himself in the front pack. He knew a little about Axel—most of the info coming from the principal.

  Watching Axel in the lead made Kieran feel a slight pang of regret. It would’ve been great if such a promising student had been discovered earlier.

  Ninety points of Force—the gap is indeed a bit big.