章 168: Politics
Time flew by in a blur.
Finishing off the remaining bullies to complete the chain quest turned out to be a piece of cake.
[A Capable Brother: I — Chain Quest Completed]
I didn't bother holding back. Patience wasn't my virtue, especially when dealing with trash like them.
Brute force, lopsided duels, merciless rumors shredding their reputations overnight—it didn't matter how far I had to go.
If the System was not satisfied, I continued without a care in the world.
At some point, two of them broke. Tears streaming down their contorted faces, they groveled at my feet, offering me everything they could think of.
What followed was almost comical. Seeing the second bully offer more, the first scrambled to outbid him, which only spurred the other to raise the stakes.
Their desperation escalated into an absurd contest, their begging replaced by venomous arguments aimed at each other.
Pathetic.
I didn't react, though inwardly, I scoffed.
When this identity had once begged you to stop, did you show mercy?
Did you care?
No.
You reveled in his misery.
To people like you, crushing someone weaker is sport.
Coddled by parents who shield your every misstep, spoiled to the core, it's no wonder you turned out like this—utterly irredeemable.
After indulging in those thoughts, I kicked them both aside, silencing their pitiful bickering. I wasn't interested in their empty offers.
This chain quest had been an irritation from start to finish.
To humiliate, one needs to follow society's rules.
It's inevitable, especially in this World.
Their families weren't just "decent"; they had money, influence, and enough donations flowing into the school to keep their reputations intact. If I'd crossed certain lines, I'd risk more trouble than it was worth.
As for me? Sure, I'm the so-called genius, the ace of Class A—but without my family's full backing yet, I had to pick my methods carefully.
That is to say, I never truly went too far, and that made it impossible to 'punish' me.
After a while, those people lost their composure, thus the begging.
You'd think that after discovering my "talent," my so-called family would rush in, offering their support while quietly seeking to profit from it.
But they're not fools. Of course not.
The fact that I'm still 'free' proves it.
They won't waste this opportunity by extending a genuine helping hand. No, they'll wait for the right moment to act. After all, a talent like mine is too valuable to let slip away without a leash.
Young brats are unruly, and their loyalty is easy to sway.
Thus, it was necessary to take hold of me.
But slapping a collar around my neck isn't so simple. To bind someone, you need a justification—a reason.
And this situation? It's perfect for creating one.
Right now, they're probably sitting back, waiting for me to escalate things. The logic is simple: A youngster's emotions are impulsive. How could someone who's been bullied all his life possibly hold back his anger now that he has power?
They won't care why I stayed silent in the past. They'll only see me acting now.
That alone will be the evidence they need.
When the threat of expulsion looms over me, they'll step in, "graciously" offering to resolve everything. But their generosity will come with a price. Compensation, they'll call it. And by then, I'll have no choice but to agree.
I'd end up shackled, the leash tight around my neck, reduced to nothing more than a prized possession—a tool to exploit in the future.
It's the same thing they did to my sister.
Back then, this body was far too weak to protect her. To shield him, she sacrificed her freedom and became their puppet.
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, after all.
But back to those bullies—they sure were lucky.
The System's Quest only demanded that I "humiliate" them to death, rather than outright taking their lives.
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded. In fact, it would've been much quicker to just kill them all.
Disposing of someone without leaving evidence? It's not exactly rocket science. I had plenty of practice studying such methods during the 1st Trial, back when I had to predict every move that madwoman might make.
While I can't exactly call myself an assassin, I have tools at my disposal that make it laughably easy. [Mirage Veil] lets me completely alter my appearance, and [Shadow Step] allows me to vanish into the darkness, leaving no trace behind.
But I suppose there's no point in entertaining those thoughts now. As long as the quest is completed, that's all that really matters.
But now, another problem reared its head.
"[Psion Understanding] and [Pushion Understanding], huh."
When I first saw these as rewards for my Chain Quests, I couldn't suppress a spark of joy. Who wouldn't? A skill that enhances your grasp of a concept is a monumental advantage.
It's like the difference between heaven and earth.
If it weren't for my recent Enlightenment, I probably would've dived into these skills, using them to their fullest potential. In just a few weeks, my Magic would've improved by leaps and bounds.
But reality, as always, had its thorns.
Those two enticing "gifts" were nothing more than poison apples, sweet on the surface, but lethal beneath.
As their names suggest, these are passive skills. I have no control over them.
Simply existing in this World—where Magic revolves around Pushions and Psions—triggers their effects. I'm passively absorbing knowledge about this World's Magic System whether I want to or not.
Now, if I leveled these skills to the extreme, which would be inevitable, I'd essentially reach the level of Shiba Tatsuya, analyzing spells faster than a magician could finish casting them. And surpassing even that wouldn't be far-fetched.
Sounds incredible, right?
Except for the glaring downside: this advantage only applies here.
Magic systems differ between Worlds, and by the time I move to another, my understanding of Magic—polluted by these skills—could become a massive liability.
Worst-case scenario? My grasp of Magic might be so deeply entwined with Psions and Pushions that I'd be forced to adapt or perish.
Before my sudden Enlightenment—an unexpected stroke of luck—I'd been blissfully ignorant, skipping along the System's preset path like a fool.
Now, I can't help but marvel at how cunning the System is.
Fortunately, the situation now is different.
A hidden threat is terrifying, but one out in the open is manageable.
And when you can see the strings, there's always a way to untangle them.
To do this, I...
[[No Name] is looking at your Passive Skills in disdain]
[The Passive Skill [Psion Understanding] has been consumed]
[The Passive Skill [Pushion Understanding] has been consumed]
[The Talent [Mana Noble] is reacting]
[Your Talent, [Mana Noble] has leveled up]
[Your Talent, [Mana Noble] has leveled up]
[Your Talent, [Mana Noble] has leveled up]
.
.
.
ruthlessly plundered them. Like choice cuts of meat, I stripped them bare and fed them to my other skills, which thrived on the offering.
In the future, I could easily discard these poisonous trash skills the same way, without hesitation.
This was only possible because the Codex, after being fully absorbed, had become something like a core.
It had transformed into an entity akin to a "skill" within my Status, though it was still categorized under Magic.
And this transformation granted it unparalleled freedom.
Now, the Codex could seamlessly interact with Skills, Talents, Arts—whatever system-bound constructs it chose to toy with.
Of course, there were limits. Its current rank paled in comparison to the overwhelming might of Authorities or the prestige of Growth and Absolute Skills. But that wasn't the end of the story.
The Codex had endless potential to grow.
Instinct whispered to me that, given enough time, it could rise to a level that surpassed even those.
I'm not sure about the Authority of the Sword, but for the others, it could claim superiority over them all.
That's a thought for the future, though—a vision of what could be. For now, such dreams are just noise, far beyond the reach of the present.
Not that it mattered right now.
---
Wherever I went, the other students' eyes followed me, filled with either awe or unease.
It made sense.
If I offended him, will I be next?
That thought alone kept most people at a careful distance, treating me like plague. Honestly, I preferred it that way.
At least it meant some semblance of peace...
Or so I thought.
A select few in Class 1-A didn't seem to care about my reputation, ignoring the invisible barrier that kept others away.
Among them, Shiba Tatsuya was by far the most irritating.
My "sister" was attempting to connect with me on a personal level, trying to bridge a gap.
Shiba Miyuki, on the other hand, was simply obsessed with sparring. Every time she spoke to me, it was about improving herself, sharpening her skills so she could stand beside her brother.
But Shiba Tatsuya? He was different.
He approached me, a sheet of paper in his hand.
He held it out, his face as stoic as ever, and in a flat, emotionless tone, he asked,
"What do you think of this magic formula?"
I took the sheet, curious despite myself.
The formula was intricate, its complexity layered in a way that only someone deeply immersed in magic could appreciate.
I didn't recognize the specific Magic itself, nor did I want to, but its core principles were clear enough.
My eyes scanned the page, piecing together its purpose, and the realization hit me like a weight on my chest.
This was the Pledge Magic Formula.
Taking out this kind of classified information like it's grass.
I may have finally found a rival in shamelessness...
This specific formula was likely the one imprinted on both Shiba Tatsuya and Miyuki—a binding spell which worked in quite an amusing way.
A slave collar placed willingly on one's own neck, with even a convenient key to free the slave for a while.
I sighed, handing the sheet back to him.
Shiba Tatsuya wasn't trying to impress me; he was making a calculated plea.
He had never considered lifting the Pledge before now—it was the primary condition keeping the Yotsuba Family from attempting to kill him.
Being Miyuki's family, he didn't want to cause unnecessary bloodshed.
But now, with the world teetering on the edge of catastrophe, being their tool wasn't enough. With only half his true power accessible, he couldn't protect her the way he wanted to.
That left him with two options:
Break the Pledge himself, knowing full well it would trigger the wrath of the Yotsuba and likely lead to a full scale battle with them—or find a way to lift it quietly, keeping up the facade.
Since he had no clue how to accomplish the latter, he'd decided to come to me, someone whose understanding of magic might just eclipse his own.
I could see through his little schemes easily.
Honestly, I wanted to help him.
The stronger Shiba Tatsuya becomes, the greater a threat he poses to the System.
In fact, he might even help me deal with the Usurper.
His true power isn't just formidable—it's overwhelming, far beyond anything I currently possess. If he wanted to, he could obliterate this entire world.
I'm nowhere near strong enough to stand against someone of his caliber, and I doubt the Usurper would fare any better. That's just how terrifyingly powerful Shiba Tatsuya is.
But there's a catch: I don't have the time to indulge his request.
If I were still following the path of absorbing this world's Magic System, I'd probably be thrilled to study something so intricate. In a matter of weeks, I might have been able to crack its secrets and lend him a hand.
Things are different now.
I can only deal with concepts, a choice that gives me a massive advantage and a way to resist the System's influence. But it also comes at a cost.
I can no longer narrow my attention to understanding a single type of magic.
Perhaps, if I spent a few months on it, I might come up with something. But weeks were a resource I didn't have, much less months.
I don't know how long it will take to complete all my Chain Quests, and I still had to locate the Usurper, a task that was on the same level as finding a needle in a haystack.
When I explained this to him, he didn't seem fazed. Shiba Tatsuya was persistent.
Every single day, I told him to figure it out himself, and that I couldn't help him.
The next day, he was again at my desk, shoving the magic formula on my face.
...What a pain in the ass.
---
Author's Note:
For once, we get a glimpse on how stuff works, with various rankings for the stuff Akira has in the status made clearer!?
Impossible...
I have fallen from greatness.
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