Jay Arkwell had mastered a rare and noble technique by the age of seventeen.
Not swordsmanship.
Not martial arts.
Not even magic or finance.
No—his technique was far more elusive.
Strategic Laziness.
The moment the teacher turned around to scribble formulas on the board, Jay leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Not asleep, not quite awake—somewhere in the sweet spot where reality couldn't bother him.
"Oi, Arkwell!" hissed a voice from behind. "The test is today!"
Jay responded with a soft snore.
Across the classroom, honor students panicked. Textbooks flipped. Pens scribbled. A girl in the front row was whispering equations like prayer.
Jay? He was busy wondering if lunch would be edible today.
That was his life—average grades, zero friends, permanent back-row seat. He wasn't bullied, but no one spoke to him either. Everyone assumed he was a lost cause.
Which was exactly how he liked it.
Ten minutes into the math test, Jay picked up his pencil.
Not because he cared. But because he didn't want to fail too badly. His guardian might yell. And yelling required energy to listen to—energy better saved for sleeping.
He randomly shaded circles on the answer sheet, mostly B's and C's, tossed in an A for variety. Then—he paused.
"Hmm," he muttered, scratching his head. "What's the square root of suffering?"
No one heard.
With a sigh, he turned it in early. The teacher blinked.
"You're done?" she asked.
Jay yawned. "My mind's eye saw the answer. Or maybe it was a bug on my desk."
After class, Jay wandered into the school courtyard and spotted a girl struggling with her backpack. Books had fallen everywhere.
He hesitated. Normally he'd walk right past. But… today was sunny. He was bored. And the bag had rolled near his feet.
He knelt and handed her a notebook.
"Uh… thanks," the girl stammered.
Jay shrugged and walked away, hands in pockets.
[Ding!]
He froze.
A soft sound rang in his ears—metallic, digital, and way too sci-fi for real life.
> [You have chosen to help another by your own will.]
[Activating: 999x Reward System.]
[Every action you willingly perform shall now be rewarded 999x.]
Jay blinked.
"…Eh?"
Floating in front of him was a transparent blue window, glowing faintly:
---
[System Online]
• Welcome, Lazy Genius.
• Effort Multiplier: x999
• Warning: System only activates when effort is voluntary. Coercion or orders will cancel bonus.
• Tip: One step today… is 999 steps tomorrow.
---
Jay stared at it.
"I must've fallen asleep standing up…"
He reached into his pocket.
Pulled out a half-melted candy.
Unwrapped it.
Popped it in his mouth.
Suddenly—the world shifted.
His vision sharpened. The candy's flavor exploded. He could hear heartbeats around him. See numbers in the air. Smell the perfume of a girl two floors above.
> [+Candy Enjoyment: +0.01 Physical Energy Regenerated]
[999x Activated: +9.99 Energy Gained.]
Jay's jaw fell open.
Then the System chimed again:
> [Congratulations. You've earned your first reward.]
[Unlocking Hidden Skill: Accelerated Absorption.]
His entire body buzzed—like something had been unlocked.
Then he heard it.
Footsteps.
Fast. Aggressive.
A group of students rounded the corner.
One of them pointed at Jay and shouted, "Hey! That's the guy who scored 100% on the test! There's no way that loser didn't cheat!"
Jay looked down at his hands.
The System chimed once more:
> [Warning: Host is being targeted.]
He sighed.
"…I just wanted a nap."