Chapter 5: Unexpected Connection
From the corridor's windows, Erik could see countless floating cars streaming in to leave the kids near the entrance.
Thornton High School was famous inside Frant since influential individuals from the Blackguards came from it.
The Blackguards were a special group of fighters. Their main job was to keep dangerous thaids away from the Mannard Continent and its cities. They also fought against criminals all over the world, especially those involved in international terrorism.
One might have thought that the threat of human annihilation would have deterred people from doing weird or stupid shit. Instead, it only exacerbated it.
Brain Crystal Powers led to an increase in crime. How could one resist the temptation of robbing a convenience store or a bank if they had the power to do so?
As a result of the increase in crime caused by Brain Crystal Powers, many criminal groups emerged in various countries. It was especially severe in Frant. The Blackguards were tasked with stopping these criminals and keeping people safe, but it wasn't like they always acted. They only took action when they considered it significant enough.
A large metal building with an eye-catching industrial design housed the school.
A big skylight allowed natural light to fill the interior. Students could see outside without opening doors or windows. This kept the air fresh year-round, with only small temperature changes between seasons.
Long hallways connected with many classrooms, creating a maze-like layout. A large cafeteria ensured students could get food quickly, even during busy times.
There was also a snack bar selling drinks like coffee and tea, along with pastries and sandwiches. The cafeteria served meals throughout the day, from breakfast to dinner. While the menu wasn't as varied as some restaurants in New Alexandria, it offered decent options for students. By paying a premium, cooks prepared whatever the students wanted.
The food here was excellent quality, and many people enjoyed eating in this area of the school.
Many students used the library to study, especially those who couldn't pay for tutors or didn't have internet at home. It was strange that in such a high-tech world, some people were still poor, but that was a sad reality, which Erik knew well.
The most important part of the school was the gym. This was where students learned how to use their Brain Crystal Power properly and somehow safely.
The facility included a swimming pool, several martial arts and gymnastics training rooms, and two gyms equipped with treadmills and exercise bikes, dumbbells, and the like.
All these facilities allowed the students to work out whenever they felt like doing so, regardless if it was raining or snowing outside.
This school was attended by all the young people in the city, and since every student had a Brain crystal power, the school focused on teaching the students how to use them. It was the main point of going to school.
The school focused on two main things when teaching students about their Brain Crystal Powers. First, they taught students how to make neural links.
Second, they taught students how to use their powers safely. This helped prevent accidents and injuries.
After school, the students were presented with three immediate options. The most prestigious path, if a student was skilled enough or possessed a particularly powerful or useful brain crystal power, was to join the Blackguards.
But that was rare. If they didn't fancy the blackguards or refused to join them, they might end up at the Red Palace, the most prestigious training institution in Frant.
Otherwise, before they could truly begin their lives, they were compelled to join the military. This was the most common path taken by the students.
At the military academy, both men and women learned to use their powers for fighting. Some top students also got special training in martial arts and combat skills, but Thornton High School already gave the basics to everyone.
That morning, Erik had a class about making neural links. He often felt embarrassed in such classes since he never made any.
The other kids picked on him often for this reason.
Yet it wasn't like Erik didn't try. Instead, he trained daily, sometimes to the point of obsession.
But it was futile, as the mana he could control was too low to achieve results. Luckily, he was pretty good in the other classes since he naturally had an excellent memory. The problem was that theoretical classes were few.
The school hallways were busy with students moving between classes. Many of them looked at Erik strangely. Some even called him names like "plant hugger."
Erik hoped to have a quiet day without drawing attention. However, his plans were ruined when Logan Reid appeared.
"Ah, plant fucker!"
Everyone laughed.
Erik usually avoided confrontations, but today was different. He felt confident because of his new power. It was a false one; of course, Erik had not gained a single thing from the system yet, but he was a kid, one that had been tormented by the same person in front of him many times.
He got sick of it, and his eagerness to solve the problem once and for all made him stay. Erik stood tall and looked straight at a laughing Logan.
"What, you got balls today?" Logan smirked.
"You're an idiot."
Logan punched Erik without an ounce of hesitation. The young man fell on his backside and rolled onto the floor. Blood trickled down his nose.
"What did you just fucking say?"
A crowd gathered around to watch the show. Logan walked towards him, with his friends close behind.
"I'll teach you not to talk shit; you plant fucker."
Logan then gave Erik a good beating. Kicks in the stomach, punches in the face. Blood spilled out of Erik's mouth.
"GAH!"
Erik could do nothing, and yet his young and hopeful mind made him endure the beating with a smile on his face.
After a while, Logan felt someone grabbing his arm. Conal and Orson stopped him.
"You better stop now, Logan..."
"Yeah, look at him. If you do more, the teachers will start asking questions."
"Grab him!" Logan said.
"Logan, you are going to kill him."
"I don't care!" Logan said. "The plant fucker just disrespected me!"
Hesitantly, the two did as their leader said.
They grabbed Erik and pushed him against the wall. Erik coughed hard as he hit the wall. While he was pinned there, he noticed a phone on the ground.
[Device found: Logan Reid's smartphone. Do you want to connect to it?]
Erik was shocked, but positively so. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, even though he had expected something like this might happen.
It was Logan's phone right there. Many ideas rushed through Erik's mind. He realized this could be his chance to get back at Logan, if even a little.
<YES!>
[Connection to the device: Logan Reid's smartphone, complete.]
Erik saw Logan's phone screen appear in the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile, which didn't go unnoticed.
"What the hell are you smiling at, Freak?" Logan punched Erik in the stomach again, this time stronger.
"UGH!"
Erik grimaced in pain. The other students watched and laughed, treating the scene like a funny show. They pointed at Erik, made jokes on him, and used names.
"Let's go, Logan!" Orson said. "You beat him enough!"
"Not enough…"
Despite wanting to inflict more torment on Erik, the trio left, and so did most of the other people enjoying the scene.
Erik struggled to get up, but when he did, he went to the bathroom. He locked himself in one of the stalls.
Once in, his body shook, partially losing the ability to breathe. He coughed violently, spitting out blood and mucus.
Erik was overwhelmed with emotions. He felt angry, anxious, and embarrassed all at once. The bullying had pushed him too far, but finally he had a chance to rectify that.
<Well, not that I can do a lot with this, and it all depends on what Logan has on his phone. But I swear, if the biological supercomputer does what it said it could, I will have my true revenge one day…>
Once Erik calmed enough, he stood up and washed off the blood on his face. The last thing he needed was for the teacher to ask questions.
<Yeah… they wouldn't help anyway.>
While looking at himself in the mirror, Erik saw a swollen face, bruises on both sides of his cheeks, and a small cut on his lower lips.
His stomach hurt badly, and he knew sitting down would be painful for a while.
Erik sighed. This kind of thing had happened to him before. It wasn't every day, but it happened often enough. He was used to being bullied, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.
This time was different, though. Erik had connected to Logan's phone. He smiled, thinking about what he might be able to do.
<Humiliation? Well, it depends. Does he have dick picks? Maybe I should just put him into trouble, but I don't think he will have proof of stuff he did on his phone, right? He can't be that stupid.>
Erik then gave a look at what time it was. <Damn… I need to check this out in class.>
Erik left the bathroom and went up to the third floor. He entered the still-empty classroom and sat down in a chair near the door.
Soon after, he heard someone coming in. Mr. O'Leary, the teacher, entered with a cup of coffee.
Mr. O'Leary noticed Erik's injuries when he looked at him.
"What happened to you?"
"I tripped..."
"You better pay attention then."
Erik was sure he knew about the bullying, but he never did something. <There is no point in telling him.>
Erik didn't care anyway, since he was going to take things in his own hands.
Erik checked to see if he was still connected to the bully's phone. He wished to see the phone's main screen. He was relieved to find that the connection was still working.
<Looks like I will have some fun. The problem is... for how long will the connection stay?>
There was also a distance problem. Erik didn't know if the biological supercomputer was going to work using the internet, nor if the device could connect to it.
<I will ask about it later. For now, let's see what Logan has on his phone.>
Erik looked through Logan's phone. At first, he didn't find much interesting. There were just some silly messages Logan sent to his friends and chats about girls, especially one named Amber. But then Erik found something he could use against the prick.
<It looks like Logan is not as smart as I thought…>
In Logan's photo gallery, there was a video of a bathroom fire. This wasn't just any fire, nor was it just any bathroom—it was a school's bathroom.
Erik knew about this incident because the school searched for the responsible ones for a lot of time but never found them. The fire had badly damaged the bathroom in question, costing a lot of money to fix.
Erik controlled Logan's phone through his interface.
<It looks like Logan can't see what I'm doing. Good.> He couldn't help but grin. Then he sent the video of Logan, Conal, and Orson setting the bathroom on fire.
Several phones rang throughout the school. He could hear it in the distance. They all received the video, teachers included.
Logan then received a text message.
—
Orson: Bro, what the hell are you doing?
Logan: What do you mean?
Orson: Bro, you just shared the bathroom video!
Logan: No way, man.
—
Logan checked his phone and saw that he had actually sent the video to many people.
"What the fuck?!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone