Place : Eiyuuin Academy – Central Corridor, Class 1-A Wing
The tea had already soaked into the carpet.
A steaming pool of fragrant gold, spilled from a silver chalice, now being smeared across the floor by a rag and a boy's shaking hands.
Shinya Shihara crouched with his sleeves rolled up, wiping the mess slowly. His fingers ached, his knees stung, and every time he looked up—
More laughter.
"Oops~ You missed a spot, mopper boy."
"Be careful not to stain that ugly uniform."
"Does your family even exist anymore?"
A group of upper-class girls giggled near the marble pillar. One of them sat on a boy's lap — a pretty-faced, smug bastard named Rento Kaizuki. A noble heir with flame affinity. He was the one who had "accidentally" spilled his tea onto Shinya a few minutes ago, while showing off to the girls.
Now he was whispering into one of their ears, fingers sliding casually up her thigh.
No one looked at Shinya except to mocking him not even pity give it to him.
"This is normal now," Shinya thought.
"My name is Shinya Shihara. I'm sixteen years old, ranked dead-last in Eiyuuin Academy, and the final embarrassment of what's left of the House of Shinya — a noble family so far fallen, even dogs piss on our crest." He wrung out the rag in a bucket. Brownish water sloshed, "I have no affinity. No talent. No strength. No one respects me. The girls don't look at me. The guys use me as a prop. I'm a breathing reminder that even among nobility… you can be born worthless."
10 years ago
Place : The Grand Cathedral of Ikaris
Shinya stood in a line of twenty youths, all dressed in ceremonial white robes. Incense swirled in the air. Blue mana crystals floated around the altar. A priestess raised her hand and called his name.
"Sihara Shinya. Step forward to receive your divine revelation."
He had walked forward — heart pounding, palms sweating he had dreamed of this moment for years. To awaken his power. To claim a bloodline gift. To prove he wasn't broken He knelt in front of everyone who sit behind them The priestess pressed a glowing relic to his forehead light surged and window its bathed with the with light.
A glyph burned into the air above him and the crowd gasped then fell silent.
[AFFINITY: UNDEFINED]
[SKILLS: NONE DETECTED]
He opened his eyes — confused. Expecting applause. Hoping they hadn't seen the same thing.
But they had.
The silence turned into murmurs then scorn audience began to laughter their whispers become venom
"No skill?" said the lady in the place
"Not even a weak one?" a nun beside the priest
"Did the gods forget him?"
"Poor House Shinya… what a joke."
The day was ending, but the academy's iron gates still shone like polished obsidian under the orange sun.
Place : Eiyuuin Academy.
A fortress of elite bloodlines, built on a mountaintop in Shinkou City's royal district — half palace, half battlefield" Shinya Sihara stood by the outer walkway, his hands still damp from cleaning duty, watching the sunset reflect off the stained-glass towers.
"They call this place the temple of queens, Only nobles with inherited magic and combat pedigree get in. Commoners don't even get close. And guys like me… we're just here to lose the academy wasn't lacking in male students — there were plenty, but talent? Power? Prestige?
That belonged to the women" said Shihara while looking at the girls walking with their mans bodyguard .
"Female students dominated the rankings, the bloodlines, the titles.
Most of them had entourages of boys orbiting them like moons around a queen.
And boys like me?, They were invisible — unless someone needed a floor cleaned but if the bottom is hell…then the top is Mount Olympus." Walking out to the school gate
As if summoned by his thoughts, the gates hissed open — and a convoy of black limousines arrived, engines purring like tamed lions.
Shinya stepped back. Everyone nearby did.
They knew who was coming.
She was always first.
"The Blade of the King" – Amagiri Reina
The door opened.
Polished leather heels touched the stone.
Her uniform was tailored with sharp edges, black with gold trim — a katana sheathed at her hip, its hilt wrapped in sacred silk.
Her presence made the air sharpen.
Amagiri Reina, heir of the Amagiri Sword Dynasty, descended from the imperial line of Japan. She was called the "Blade of the King" — and unlike anyone else in the academy, she held an S-rank affinity for Sword Law.
She didn't speak.
She didn't need to.
Everyone bowed their heads as she walked by — like royalty.
Shinya didn't bow.
He couldn't.
His legs wouldn't move.
But his eyes followed her.
"That's the girl who beat five instructors in a mock duel. She can cut spells. Even time-based ones."
Another car pulled in behind.
This one bore a coat of arms: lions and roses.
"The White Lioness" – Evelyn Arkwright
A tall girl with platinum-blonde hair stepped out, her posture perfect.
She wore modified knight armor with her uniform — an elegant white chestplate engraved with her family sigil.
Her name was Evelyn Arkwright. The daughter of House Arkwright, a legendary British order of knight-mages dating back to King Arthur.
"She's the youngest to ever receive the Order of the Crown. Ranked 2nd in the school overall. Her divine gift? Authority over Light and Vow-based magic. Her word is literal law."
She nodded politely to Reina as they passed, but there was tension in the air — two predators acknowledging each other.
A third car screeched in next.
No formal escort Nor emblems and then another girls with Just American horsepower and attitude.
"The Gunsaint" – Cassidy Monroe
Out came a girl with red streaks in her hair and a cocky grin.
Cassidy Monroe — the American prodigy, daughter of a private arms-tech family and the #1 ranked sharpshooter in the western hemisphere.
Twin custom revolvers hung at her hips. Her school badge was scratched, worn like a battle scar.
"She doesn't use mana spells. She just shoots. Her divine gift? Bullet projection. She can summon and accelerate ammo made of pure elemental will. She's killed real monsters… and probably some humans too."
She gave Shinya a wink as she passed.
Not out of kindness.
More like she was saying:
"Look at you. Still alive, huh?"
Then the fourth car arrived.
Unlike the others, this one came silent.
Smooth like smoke in moonlight.
"The Witch of Winter" – Selena Weiss
She stepped out slowly, her steps soundless.
Her uniform was the same as theirs — but cold. Immaculate.
Her hair was silver-blue. Her eyes were pale. She looked like a ghost made from snow and aristocracy.
Selena Weiss, heir of the Weissblood Covenant — an ancient Germanic bloodline known for icecraft, curses, and mental dominion.
"They say she can freeze a soul, not just flesh. That once, a noble tried to flirt with her… and forgot his own name for a week."
She didn't look at anyone, but everyone looked at her.
The four passed the gate and in their presence, even the elite students moved aside.
They were the Queens of Eiyuuin and for someone like Shinya Shihara?
They were gods.
Untouchable.
Unbeatable.
Unreachable.
But me?
I'll never reach the peak.
Because I'm… just an unblessed human..
I'm Shinya Sihara — fourth son of House Shinya, born into power… but treated like I never had any In a place ruled by queens, I'm the disappointment they all forgot.
And all I can do… is survive, the convoy moved smoothly through the marble-paved road that led from the academy gates to the inner dormitory district — a long stretch of elegance reserved only for the nobility In the second car of the procession — a sleek black limousine — three of the most prestigious students of Eiyuuin Academy reclined in silence, their uniforms flawless, their presence magnetic.
the first child the eldest daughter, Shinya Misora, lounged near the window, scrolling through her holo-tab, disinterested of her surroundings and the second child and the eldest son , Shinya Reiji, leaned back with one leg over the other, brushing dust off his lapel like he owned the mountain the school sat on and then The second daughter, Shinya Akari a white twintail ringlet hair , she chewed bubblegum and looked out with mild boredom, her eyes occasionally glinting with disdain.
Then, simultaneously, as if remembering something minor:
"Oi, Shinya," Misora said without looking up "Grab my bag before you forget," Reiji added lazily, "And mine. The heavy one," Akari yawned, and three of them close the door and the limo drive after that In the car behind it— not a limousine, but a standard escort vehicle for bodyguards and attendants — sat Shinya Shihara.
The fourth child He gave a small nod, stepping out as the cars came to a halt near the dormitory platform. He moved quickly, silently, bringing all three designer bags from them. Not a trace of resentment crossed his face. Just quiet acceptance.
Inside the bodyguard car, one of the escorts — a tall man with a scar under one eye — leaned back in his seat, watching Shinya with a tilted smirk "You've got some patience, kid," the guard muttered, arms crossed "If it were me, I'd have chucked those bags in the fountain." Shinya offered a small chuckle, more out of politeness than agreement. "Thanks, Gai-san. But that'd just get me more 'cleaning duty'." Said Shihara with little smile but with sad voice "Tch. Shinya clan or not, those three act like they piss stardust."
Shinya said nothing he just looked forward — past the limousines, past the golden dormitories, past the walls that had always held him back because deep down…He wasn't going to stay in the shadow forever.
Place :Shinya Estate, Western Hills of Shinkou City
The convoy of limousines slowed as the grand gates of the Shinya Estate creaked open.
Unlike the sleek skyline of Shinkou City, the estate stood as a relic of power — tiered rooftops crowned with silver dragon tiles, cedar trees thick with age, and stone lanterns humming with ancestral wards. At its heart rose the main house: imposing, silent, sacred.
Etched above the bloodwood gate:
House of Shinya – Lineage of Steel and Sovereignty
As the vehicles glided in, the staff lined up with mechanical perfection. The maids, retainers, and guards bowed low in unison.
The door opened as they have done first semester of this year, three of them enter with elegantly .
Shinya Misora. First child. Eldest daughter.
Perfect posture. Violet crest ribbon fluttering on her collar. Cold grace in motion.
Wielder of the Kingblade Style, a legendary martial art said to rival ancient battlemages. And beside her right
Shinya Reiji. Second child. Eldest son.
Sword on his back, judgment in his eyes. His aura cut deeper than steel.
Gifted in Void Edge Techniques — his strikes distorted space itself.
The third who is on the Misora`s left
Shinya Akari. Third child. Second daughter.
A voice like honey, a smile like poison. Dressed in pastel charms and glittering pins.
She mastered Charm and Illusion Magic — bending hearts, minds, and perception..
"Welcome home, Lady Misora," the servants chorused
" yeah~ i`m back, prepare my room i need to rest" said her with cold smile
"yeah i need to bath and enjoy my time...and perhaps send some maid to my bathroom" said Reiji with smug and disgusting face to butler
"Okaeri~. Get my mirror room lit, kay?" said her to maid.
And then came a man with noble face with happy face greets them before they go their room Shinya Tenrou, father of the clan with happy and proud face to them
" MAGNIFICENT... how delightful...this is what suppose to bet he Shinya house must rise, with this the glory of our noble family will know of all people, i`m proud of what you all achieve" said him with enjoyment that make him proud
"father, have no worries...we our power its only just beginning" said Reiji
"yeah, we still need to learn more and perhaps we can beat the top ladies in the school" said Misora arrogantly on the stairs
"don`t worry papa after we become stronger *CRHRKRKKRKRKK— CRACK* (destroying the doll) they will be bow to their knees hehehe..."said Akari with her evil smile looking at the doll on the ground
"ah~ of course my dear" Tenrou pat akari`s head "and after that we will taste the glory and every noble, even king its self will bow to our family" said him with ill intention.
"then father..."tenrou looking at Reiji "we need to rest" said him from the stairs
"of course my son, rest well my child" Together, the three siblings ascended the stairs — elegance, power, and cruelty wrapped in noble skin.
Then the final car rolled forward No one opened the door.
Shihara get inside to the house he opened the door himself three backpacks hung off his arms. A duffel slung over his shoulder. A wrapped sword he didn't own rested awkwardly in his hands one of the maid look at him and hesitated.
Aoi, the youngest with a blue french braid — took a step forward, eyes shining with quiet pity.
"Let me help, Young Master Shihara—"
"Stop right there." The words lashed through the courtyard.
Tenrou, had taken three slow steps down from the gate. His presence dragged shadows like chains
"If I see anyone carry that boy's burdens again, you're dismissed on the spot. Do you understand?"The staff froze.
Aoi trembled and lowered her head Sihara didn't speak anywords. He didn't flinch He simply placed the bags down one by one, without complaint, without noise.
Reiji smirked from above."Still crawling like a dog, huh? "
Akari flicked her hair and laughed. "Aww. Look at him trying so hard not to cry."
Misora didn't speak. She had already stepped out from there Tenrou's gaze burned holes through him.
"You're not staying in the main house you are only stepped in this house if it`s an order."
He turned to the servants without even looking at Sihara.
"The hut behind the east garden. The one the old woman clung to. she sleeps there so do you remember."
"But sir, it hasn't been a long da—"
"It's his problem now not us."He walked away.
Sihara said nothing not because he was weak but because he'd long learned it made no difference only one voice remained etched in his mind:
"Even a child with no crest can still grow wings, my ember. They just have to burn their own path." His grandmother's voice.
The only one who ever believed in him the small hut behind the garden had once been overrun with ivy, dust, and ghosts of memory. Paper windows had been reinforced with rune-threaded panes. Solar crystals lit the corners. A worn but polished kotatsu sat in the center. The shelves were stacked with modded tech, gaming consoles, magic scrolls, and spare mana cores. He had rebuilt this place With help.
Gai-san, a hulking bodyguard who'd served the Shinya clan for over twenty years, leaned on the wall with a toothpick in his mouth.
"Yo, Rat Prince," he grinned. "Looks like they stepped on you again." Sihara dropped his bags without a word, Gai chuckled. "I fixed the ventilation for you. Also restocked the fridge. And yeah — the thermal mana shield you ordered? Installed. So now you dont have to worry about overheating"
Sihara finally exhaled "Thanks, Gai-san."
The big man waved it off "You're the only brat around here that says thank you." As the door closed behind him
Sihara stared at the ceiling, the flickering screen of his console lighting the room.
Place: Shinya's Hut, East Garden
Night, 11:08 PM
The glow of LED glyphs pulsed gently across the darkened room.
Mana-reactive circuits hummed beside shelves of game discs and enchanted peripherals. Here, Shinya Sihara wasn't a disgrace. He was someone. A rogue. A strategist. A raid leader. He sat cross-legged on the tatami, controller in hand, eyes locked on the screen.
[PROJECT OMEGA: REMNANT]
The title blinked faintly on the menu — a long-abandoned online RPG that had lost its player base years ago. Outdated. Glitchy. Dead. Only nostalgia kept it alive for a few stubborn diehards. And Shinya was one of them. "One last dungeon," he muttered.
He knew every exploit, every frame-perfect dodge, every meta-breaking strat. This ruined world of crumbling towers, forgotten gods, and labyrinth cities — it was more home than the mansion he'd been born into.
The system clock ticked over to 11:11 PM.
You Have 1 New Message
Strange No one suppose to be can able to send a message to him because its a dead game its suppose to be only him who play the game. The servers barely worked and most NPCs looped like broken dolls, Shinya frowning but he selected the icon.
A wall of binary code filled the screen — flickering white on black.
01111001 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100111 ...
Translation (via a quick auto-translator):
"Young and poor boy... will you accept this task... and take it?" Shinya blinked.
"...That's not creepy at all."
He hovered over the response options.
[ACCEPT] | [DECLINE]
He clicked [ACCEPT] — cause he more curious about the message and suddenly
"WHIRr..."
then the screen went black in the blink of an eye, make Shihara flinched when his screen turn black
"eh...HHAAAAAHHH!!?" he became anxious an panic and began to hit the monitor from behind "what the... hey what happen...dont tell me its broken right" said Shihara while he smack back of he`s screen
Then—
A massive pair of glowing eyes flared across the monitor, followed by the sudden appearance of...a fluffy...cat?
With a cloak And a scowl.
"What the—"
The cat—slender, silvery white with two more orange ears, back and tail, and clearly female—hovered in the air, its tail twitching impatiently. pendulum.
"You call the overseer of the great system... a cute cat?"
Shinya blinked. "Well, you are kinda—"
BOO~
Her face suddenly filled the monitor Shinya yelped, nearly tossing his controller.
"I will not be patronized by a boy who still plays dead games in his pajamas!"
"Wha—are you breaking the fourth wall right now?"
"I don't know what that means, and I don't care."
Her tail whipped in annoyance. "Listen well, pathetic mortal. In the north mountain of this city lies a sealed terminal — a core unit of the original Omega System. You must retrieve it. Immediately."
"…you're joking to me right."
"I. Do not. Joke."
Shinya stood and poked the screen skeptically. "This is just an elaborate Easter egg, right? Some glitched dev message or—"
CRACK.
His monitor sparked. The cat recoiled, eyes wide with panic.
"W-Wait! Stop! Don't hit me! I'm real—!"Shinya stared and then slowly sat back down this... might not be just a game
"What game are you talking about?" Shinya raised an eyebrow.
"I don't remember installing any creepy sage-cat DLC."
The horned feline bristled. Her fluffy tail spiked up like a static-charged broom.
"I'm not part of your glitchy little nostalgia server!" she snapped. "I'm a real sage!"
Sihara didn't answer he just stood up…and picked up the monitor and the cat's eyes widened.
"H-Hey now, hold on—!" He raised it overhead and began to shaking it. "ABABABABABA...WAITWAITWAIT!...STOP IT I SAID...SHINYA SIHARA!!"and then he froze mid-air.
"…What?" His voice dropped an octave "how do you know my name?"
The cat`s head spun after being shaken around and try to regain his vision and then she talk to Shihara
"…Ahem."
Her image flickered the screen reset with a pixelated chime, and a new message box appeared in glowing script:
[SYSTEM INITIATED: PROTOCOL RECOGNITION // USER: SHINYA SIHARA // LEVEL: UNRANKED]
The cat floated calmly now, tail curling in a dignified loop.
"Greetings, candidate," she said, her voice formal and composed."I am designated as Galia, the contracted overseer of the System's Lost note ."
"…Lost Note?" he repeated, still half-suspicious.
"Due to your acceptance of the encoded contract, this node is now temporarily synced to your access. Further instructions will be provided upon verification of capability."
Her smug smile returned.
"…But if you shaking me, I will hex your save files out of existence."
Shinya stared this night just got weird And for the first time in a long while..he felt curious Galia floated with a puff of mana static, her hologram stabilizing again as a faint wind rustled outside the hut.
"I suppose I must enlighten you, pitiful boy," she said with grandiosity, striking a dramatic pose in midair. "For I see your entire pathetic, underdog existence like an open scroll."
She snapped her paw and suddenly an images flashed across the screen — his childhood failures, the countless times his father's back turned, his siblings' mocking laughter, the sting of carrying bags he didn't own the every moment of humiliation. Every ignored effort that good deeds he do, and every silent night in this hut Shinya's legs trembled he collapsed to his knees, his eyes began wide, jaw locked, breath caught.
His fingers gripped the edge of the kotatsu as the tears came — hot, silent, defiant.
"…Tch." Galia crossed her tiny paws. "So fragile. Humans really are all bark and No. bite."Her voice softened slightly, though her smirk stayed intact."Still… I suppose I can't fault you. I mean, you're you — Shinya Sihara. Zero magic crest. Zero combat rating. Zero presence. Meanwhile, I am Galia the Horned, Overseer of the lost note, Chosen Spirit of the Lost Protocols, Emissary of the Code Beyond Reality—"
*Grab*.
"H-Huh?"
Galia blinked, her speech interrupted as Shinya calmly reached out…
…and wrapped both hands around the monitor.
"W-Wait. What are you doing?" she blinked rapidly.
"Hey—HEY. H-HOLD ON—!" Shinya stood up slowly, tears still in his eyes, but his face blank his grip tightened on the screen.
"No no no no NO—!" Her voice turned panicked — high-pitched and squeaky like a furious chibi mascot.
"I'M STILL EXPLAINING YOU UNGRATEFUL MONKEY! I HAVE EXISTENTIAL PURPOSES—!!"He raised the monitor over his head.
"GAAHHHHH—!! DON'T SMASH MEEEE!! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CHEAT SYSTEM SO WAAAAIIIIIITTTT!!"
Shinya paused.
"…Hmph."
he slowly lowered the screen Galia panted, eyes spinning but Sihara still gripping the sides of the screen, squinted suspiciously.
"Did you just say… cheat system?!" His voice cracked — not from fear, but from a rare flicker of hope Galia's hologram, still wobbling from her spinning panic, blinked dizzily.
"Uuuggghhh… i though i`m going to die…" She breath heavy cause she got panic attack and almost die by shihara act.
"Bhbhlbhhbh—bah! Can you not react like a maniac?! Do you want to give your first magical companion permanent trauma?!" She puffed her cheeks like an angry marshmallow Sihara stared he unconvinced Galia let out a long, theatrical sigh.
"Fine. Sit down, monkey boy. You clearly can't handle anything standing up."
Shinya sat cross-legged in front of the monitor again, a bottle of mana soda in one hand, controller tossed aside and the screen glowed faintly as Galia hovered a few inches above it, flicking through floating glyph menus with her tiny paws like she owned the universe.
"Now then…" she cleared her throat with a dignified ahem.
"Let me properly introduce your salvation. You're now bound to a sacred artifact — the Node artifact." She flipped a holographic scroll dramatically.
"It is a forgotten artifact that system buried deep in the remnants of this world — a last legacy of an ancient code civilization. It links reality to digital, mana to logic, and guess what?"She grinned smugly."You're the only person who accidentally tripped the trigger."
"...Accidentally?"said Shihara while blinking
Galia shrugged. "Well, you did accept the binary message from an unverified glitched protocol. That's like clicking 'yes' on a cursed pop-up. Honestly, what were you thinking?"
Shinya grumbled. "You baited me with creepy code."
"And you fell for it like a rookie," she snorted.
"Anyway…"She spun in the air and pointed at the screen.
"You now possess access to the Hidden System — a cheat-level interface that can scan, upgrade, and even rewrite your reality stats."
A glowing prompt appeared on the screen.
[ Welcome, Shinya Sihara ]
[ Activating Hidden System v0.1.1. ]
[ Scanning Host... ]
[ Status: Crestless – Grade F – Potential Unknown ]
[ Error: No Primary Magic Signature Found. ]
[ Recommendation: Custom Path Creation Enabled. ]
Shinya's jaw slackened while he looking at the status
"...This is real?"
Galia crossed her arms proudly as a sage of the lost note. "More real than your social status."
A slow smile crept onto Shinya's face for the first time in months. "…So I can really… change everything?"
Galia's holographic tail flicked "Only if you survive what's coming next," she said with a smug grin.
Shinya narrowed his eyes. "You said something about a cheat system?"
Galia clapped her tiny paws together. "Ah, so your monkey brain can retain important words. Yes — a system beyond the system. Something that shouldn't exist in this world." She raised her paw, and three glowing kanji shimmered in the air
[CHEAT SYSTEM INSTALLED: HIDDEN CODE - VERSION 1.0]
Override Take: system of truth
BASIC TIEREvolution Path: 0 / 5
Shinya's eyes sparkled with the system notification he see and Shihara for the first time in his life and forever — he smiled a glimming of hope that his life can change.
"…It's real," he whispered. "I can actually… fight back." His shoulders trembled. Not from fear — but hope, Galia watched him with a smug expression.
"Yep. All yours. Welcome to the cheat life, my tragic protagonist."
Then—
"Wait, did it say my …(he`s eyes focus on number) 'basic tier is 0 '?" he asked, blinking."
Mhm," Galia nodded proudly, puffing out her fluffy chest.
"but you say i have cheat system right?" Shihara ask for certain
"You're starting with Version 1.0. You can evolve it through 8 stages. Eventually, you'll reach Godbreaker level!"
Shinya's smile vanished his eyes went dead A full internal reboot.
"…So I'm still weak, doesn`t it?" he ask
"of course you are, don`t think you can be easily be stronger without a fight" explain her
"wait...so what must i do to be stronger" he ask curiously
"simple you finish the tutorial and then you can activate the system"
"okay and how long the tutorial is" with proudly she answered to Shihara
"40 years"
"HHHAAAAAHHHHH...GIVE ME ABREAK 40 IN THAT TIME I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MORE GIRLFRIEND " said shihara with loud mad voice "come on you can`t be serious like i don`t wanna be a virgin forever you know" said shihara with depressed
"heh~...virgin" she mock him in chirped with low voice. he heard it and didn't respond.
Just…
Grabbed the monitor. Again. And he opened the window outside in his left house there`s a big panorama but outside near the window the ground beneath the building rested on a gentle incline, rising slightly above the lower plains before gradually descending toward them.
"W-WAIT—NO NO NO—NOT THIS AGAIN—!!"
Galia's hologram flickered violently as she panicked, her voice squeaking like an anime mascot being squished.
"STOP IT JUST DON`T TRY TO DROP ME YOU TRAUMA GREMLIN—!!, ANYWAY WHY YOUR HOUSE IS NEAR THIS NEARBY STEEP SLOPE "
"I thought I'd finally escaped hell," Shinya muttered, eyes blank. "You showed me light. And then told me it's a flashlight with dead batteries."
"YOU LITTLE DEPRESSIVE WORM I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED THE TUTORIAL—!!"
He raised the monitor.
"GAAAAH! I'M TOO CUTE TO DIE!!" Galia squealed, her chibi avatar started flailing midair like a balloon animal stuck in a fan. Little panic emojis appeared around her.
"OKAY OKAY I GET IT! HERE—HAVE A FREE BONUS SKILL!! I'LL EVEN MAKE IT SPARKLE—!!"
Shinya froze."…Sparkle?" and then Galia snapped her paw.
BONUS ACQUIRED: [Inventory Expansion: Reality Pocket (5 items)]
Bonus Skill: [Minor Adaptive Shift] — Allows basic element change on any item.
"You can now turn a stick into a fire stick. Or a lunchbox into an ice bomb. Don't ask how."
Shinya slowly… lowered the monitor Galia floated midair in screen, panting, face white. Her horn tilted sideways.
"…You need therapy," she said with gasp.
"I need sleep," Shinya replied flatly then he looked at the glowing HUD again.
And a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "…Eight evolutions, huh."
"so...what now i must do, you can`t be serious right to train me for 40 years
The monitor flickered erratically, casting prismatic glows across the room like some cursed rave lantern. Galia hovered in digital form, wagging her holographic tail like a villain mid-monologue.
"well i`m not lie about that, but doesn`t that mean you need to train in this world" said her
"what do you mean in this world" ask him
"you`ll understand after i show you everything" said Galia
"okay so what must i do now?"
Alright, listen here, i see you have mana-deprived meat popsicle," she said, arms folded. "and you need to get me out of here" said her
"and how i suppose to do that" ask Shihara
"honestly, it`s on me i just need more mana but you don`t have any of mana so, i want you to raise this dump with mana voltage by, oh, I don't know… a billion percent."
Shinya blinked. "Excuse me??"
"Look, I can't guide you properly from inside this flat-screen prison. You want a real cheat? You want real power? Then let me out! Raise the flow! Melt the seals! Detonate the spiritual firewall!"
"You sound like you're trying to explode my house."
"I AM TRYING TO EXPLODE YOUR HOUSE—for enlightenment purposes!!"
Shinya looked at the mana panel in the corner with the face of a man considering if death by overload was preferable to dealing with this gremlin forever. And then he take the battery cable from storage and put it a clip on electric battery that charged with sunlight for generator and go back home and put the other clip to mana panel that use for pc power source
"…You're insane."
"DO IT."
She struck a pose like she was accepting the power lightning. "LET THE VOLT FLOW, MORTAL."
Shinya gritted his teeth, walked to the mana panel nearby garden, muttered a quiet prayer to whichever god wouldn't laugh at him, and cranked the sigil and put the voltage .
BZZZTT—!!
The hut instantly exploded in color of white light and Neon arcs zapped across the ceiling. The walls glowed. The kotatsu flipped. A stray mana lantern burst into fireflies.
The windows flashed pure white.
Outside, in the bodyguard's barrack—Gai, friend of Sihara and the bodyguard who bleary-eyed and half-conscious, blinked at the pulsing glow seeping through his shutters.
"…Huh. Oh." He rubbed his eyes. "Sunrise."
Then promptly went back to sleep Inside—
Shinya screamed.
"MY EEEYEEESSS—!! MY PRECIOUUUSSS EEEEYEEESSS!!!"
He rolled on the floor, smacking random furniture. Meanwhile, Galia looked completely unfazed.
"Hmm… nope," she sniffed. "Didn't work."
"WHAT?!" Shinya gasped, holding an icepack against his scorched corneas.
"Maybe we need more juice. Triple the overload. Reroute your blood to the leyline capacitor. Burn your lungs as a sacrifice. Y'know—simple stuff."
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
"Define 'kill.' Spiritually? Physically? Emotionally? Because two out of three are already done."
Shinya wiped the tears from his eyes, still recovering from the failed light-blast experiment.
"…By the way," he muttered, "how do we even find stronger power?"
Galia's holographic form spun in midair like a whimsical loading screen and then she pointed toward the distant skyline with her paw.
"That building. Right there, what building is that."
Shinya turned his head toward the glowing tower piercing the night sky like a monolith. The top shimmered with magical barriers, rotating drones, and a hum of concentrated mana.
"…huh, oh~ That's the City Core Power Facility that use the power all energi using meteor core," he said slowly. "And… wait—"
His eyes widened and voice cracked.
"WAIT—YOU WANT ME TO GO THERE!?"
"Of course," Galia replied casually. "It's bursting with surplus mana, enough to boot me into full autonomy mode. I could stretch my tail in there~."
"IT'S GUARDED BY HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS WITH RIFLES! AND—AND—they ALSO HAVE ELITE RANK SORCERERS IN THERE!"
Shinya flailed like he was trying to swat away death itself.
"Well i see... there's a forcefield checkpoint just to get into the parking lot!" said Galia and tilted her head.
"And you… what rank is your magic again?" Shinya stared blankly.
"…Fifteen."Galia blinked Then started chuckling A tiny sound at first.
"Khkhkhkhkhkhkhkh so what it means you are worse…"Like a kettle trying not to whistle and Shinya's hand slowly reached toward the monitor again.
"OKAY OKAY!" Galia flailed her arms like noodles. "Let me think—wait—yes—aha!" She raised one glowing paw dramatically.
"I, the ever-brilliant Galia, bestow upon you… a sacred skill!" A soft chime echoed in the air as her claw tapped his forehead.
📜 [Skill Acquired]: Velum Umbrae Transitum
(Cloak of Shadow Transfer)
Enables the user to bypass magical detection, visual fields, and carry encrypted spirit data (i.e. Galia) through high-security zones, Shinya blinked at the floating screen.
"…Latin again? Really?"
"Don't question the divine presentation," Galia said smugly, arms crossed. Another system prompt blinked.
🌀 Skill Activated: Velum Umbrae Transitum
Galia's data signature bound to your laptop. Cloaking active.
Shinya slumped down, eyes still twitching.
"l
"…I'm gonna die before school event starts."
Place: Shinkou City — Core Sector Guard Post, Southern Gate
Time: 2:13 AM
The floodlights hummed overhead, casting sterile white across the empty road. Mana runes flickered faintly underfoot, reacting to the mist that curled around the checkpoint like lazy smoke there 2 guard guarding the gate, guard 1 leaned against the post wall, munching crackers straight from the foil while the other one sat nearby, stirring his cup of noodles with a flick of wind magic.
"So then my wife tells me it's not dinner — it's performance art," Guard 2 muttered.
Guard 1 blinked. "...She served you a steaming sculpture of sadness?"
"She called it 'Emotionally Fermented Broth.' Even the carrots looked traumatized."
"You eat it?"
"My son named it Gary. I couldn't."
Guard 1 shook his head. "That's not food. That's a cursed summon."
Before Guard 2 could respond, headlights cut through the fog ahead there`s a truck approached — slow, steady, boxy. Military plate. Civilian tarp.
Guard 2 straightened "Here we go...another package."
Guard 1 took one last bite and wiped his hands on his jacket. "yup this the 20th ti time."
"you count it?" said the guard 2
The truck rolled to a halt, the window on the driver's side cranked down with a mechanical wheeze the driver looked half-asleep, wearing a standard-issue uniform with a low-ranked insignia and a crooked cap.
"Evening," Driver mumbled.
"ID," Guard 2 said, already scanning the vehicle with a mana scope Driver handed over a military ID chip.
Guard 1 raised an eyebrow. "Transport from East Sector? Bit late for a run."
"Supply backlog," Driver replied with a shrug.
"Got told to run this tonight or get reassigned to toilet crystal duty."
Guard 2 winced.
"Oof. I`ve Been that job before. The screaming ones?" driver said
"Yup."
Both guards instinctively stepped back in sympathy.
"Alright," Guard 1 nodded, scanning the chip. "Everything checks out. Open the tarp?"
The driver hopped down with a sigh and walked around back.
As the tarp peeled up, Guard 2 muttered to Guard 1, "Bet it's either ammo crates or toilet paper."
"Or cursed soup Gary."
From behind a thick line of shrubs, far from the guardpost gate, Shinya Sihara crouched low through the gaps in the leaves, he watched a security truck rumble toward the facility checkpoint. Two guards stood lazily at the post, laughing as they waved the vehicle in and checked IDs.
Shinya whispered, "That's the entrance."
A soft rustle came from the half-open bag on his back. Galia in the ipad moving head popped out, eyes gleaming with mischievous light.
"Obviously," she said flatly, "you want a medal for basic observation?"
"Shut up, you're the one hiding in a backpack, and how do you move my ipad like that."
"is it necessary to told you that now, beside I'm not hiding. I'm strategically embedded."
They both turned back to the scene. The truck passed the gate. The fence shimmered faintly—layers of runes glowing, distorting the air.
"There it is," Shinya murmured "The barrier. I can't get through that."
"Leave the barrier to me," Galia said with a flick of her tail. "It's child's play for someone like me. You just focus on sneaking past those guards."
"They'll see me the moment I move." Shihara muttered under his breath
"Not with that cheat skill. Use the cloak."
Shinya hesitated, then exhaled slowly. He tapped the interface in his mind.
Skill Activated: [Vestis Umbra – Cloak of Shadows]
Mana rippled around him. His outline shimmered, then dissolved. His footsteps fell utterly silent. His shadow disappeared. Even to magical senses, he became a blank space — invisible, undetectable, unreadable.
"…Whoa."
Galia smirked from the bag. "Told you it was modified. Even their detection wards can't sense you now. You're a literal ghost."
Shinya nodded, heart thudding then he began to sprinted low to the ground — quiet as mist, unseen as the wind — cutting across the open space toward the inner facility.
From the gate, the guards stood bored, after that Shinya knelt behind the overgrown bushes, his laptop perched on a flat rock he connect his Wires to mana conductor to the facility's side security node he guard cameras flickered briefly—then looped back on an empty feed
"thats it...Perfect"
From inside the half-open sling bag, Galia inside ipad peeked her head out, eyes glowing softly in the dim light.
"Okay, hold on—you can't even use magic properly, but you can hack military-grade surveillance?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Ahh~ I play games, you know," Shinya said with a smug grin. "And Gai-san always taught me about programs and coding since I was a kid. So, this kind of stuff? Child's play."
Galia raised a furry eyebrow and smirked.
"Heeehh~ you're talented, aren't you? But why doesn't anyone in your family see it? If I had a familiar like you back then, I'd have called you 'Master' already."
Shinya's smile dimmed slightly.
"Well… my family are all heroes of the nation. Big names. They gain glory through battle, not from 'normal' skills like mine."
He paused, his eyes narrowing, thoughts drifting.
"But Gai-san… he always stuck with me. Always believed I had something different to offer. Even when the others… didn't." He remembered the laughs. The dismissals. The bruises
Galia tilted her head. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Shinya shook his head. "Nah, nothing. Forget it."
Beep.
[MODIFICATION COMPLETE]
The laptop chimed and displayed a green screen.
"Alright," Galia asked, ears twitching,
"Why'd you go through all this trouble? And how the heck does this hack work?"
Shinya reached over and grabbed a dusty mask and
"Well, you see this?" he said, holding them up. "Cheap enchanted gear. But with some light code injections, I modified their effect range."
He slid the mask on and adjusted the cloak.
"with this mask i can see every movement in camera even i have a magic cloack now i still need to be careful I used code logic to trick the motion detector pattern. Magic is just another type of rule, like programming. You break it, bend it, or rewrite it."
Galia blinked "You enchanted items using a laptop?"
"Yep," Shinya replied confidently.
"Gai-san always told me, 'Even if you're the strongest, always have a Plan B.'"
Shinya opened his laptop as he knelt behind the shrubbery, the glowing screen reflecting off his glasses. The image of a glowing blue dome flickered onto the screen — the magical barrier surrounding the city's core facility.
Inside the screen, Galia stretched like a lazy cat, blinked twice—then her eyes widened.
"HUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH???!!! This is the barrier?!"
Shinya glanced calmly at the screen. "Yeah? What's wrong?"
Galia practically launched herself against the screen, her fur puffing out in all directions "HOW CAN A LOW-GRADE MAGIC LIKE THIS BE USED TO GUARD SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT?! THIS ISN'T EVEN A HOLY BARRIER LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER!!"
S
hinya scratched his head. "Huh? But everyone in the city says this is the strongest barrier humanity ever made…"
Galia froze cause Shihara said, then squinted "STRONGEST YOU SAY? Listen here, nerdy glasses, this thing can't even block a rubber bullet!" She pointed at the flickering outline of the dome on-screen. "Tell me this—has anyone ever actually attacked this barrier?"
"Of course," Shinya said. "The Chief of the Department even tested it himself. He brought a whole squad to strike it last year. Couldn't break through at all."
A cutaway memory flashed in Shinya's mind, Soldiers in gear charging at the barrier with rifles and low-level spells, bouncing off the glowing dome like flies on glass.
Galia narrowed her eyes.
"...Huh. That's weird. Okay, my turn."
Shinya blinked. "Wait—wha—?"
Too late a spark jolted from the ipad. Outside, the shimmering edge of the dome suddenly cracked — and with a flicker, snapped like fragile glass.
*CRRRRRSHHHHHH!*
The entire barrier evaporated in a burst of light and make Shinya's jaw dropped.
"AWESOOOOOMEEEEEEE!! You just destroyed it like that?!"
Galia, still inside the ipad screen, stood awkwardly on her tiny digital feet, looking like she just knocked over a priceless vase.
"Uh… oh... yeah. I… totally meant to do that," she said, her voice shaky.
Shinya tilted his head. Her reaction wasn't excitement or pride — it was something else. Doubt? Regret? Or maybe she think something fishy
"Galia?" he asked gently, stepping closer to her
She snapped out of it and forced a smile. "O-oh! Right, yeah! Let's go. There's definitely a huge energy signal inside. We don't wanna waste time, right?"
Shinya gave her a look — half concern, half curiosity — but said nothing..
He carefully shut the laptop, placed it into his half-open sling bag where Galia could still peek through, and crept closer to the gate. The barrier was down with Neither alarms Nor patrols are triggered with the situation.
Now it was up to him to sneak in—and finish the mission.
Sihara moved like a whisper through the dim hallway, his Cloak Skill activated. His footsteps left no trace, his presence blurred against the shadows—neither seen nor sensed, even by magic, He slipped through a corner and found the surveillance control room just as planned. His fingers danced across the console, opening the panel and patching into the system with the same precision he used outside.
"Click... Done."
The facility's internal monitoring network dimmed all the cameras now looped a harmless empty feed. With the surveillance system neutralized Sihara moved through the corridors freely.
"Shounen~…" Galia's voice buzzed from the slightly open laptop screen tucked in his sling bag. "It's still long? My tail is cramping…"
"Ssshh! Be quiet!" Sihara whispered with panic. "Is it okay to talk here like that?!"
"It's fine~ Look." Ahead, a bored-looking guard stood post near a heavy steel door.
Galia didn't hold back. "HEEEEEEEEYYYYY, MR. BLOCK-HEADED OFFICER!" she bellowed from the laptop speaker. "YEAH, YOU WITH THE FACE SHAPED LIKE A MINECRAFT VILLAGER! WHAT YOU WANNA BE, HUH? FARMER? LIBRARIAN?!"
Sihara's jaw dropped "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" But the guard didn't even flinch. He stared ahead, completely unaware.
"See?" Galia smirked. "Cheat skill for the win."
"Huff~ Fine… Let's check what's behind that door."
Sihara crept silently past the distracted guard and into the sealed room. The faint glow of blue and purple light filled the space. Inside were crates of raw mana stones, unstable and unrefined—pulsing with volatile energy.
Beside them sat large transparent containers of
"Ætheryl Gel" said shihara with strangely feeling
shimmering golden-blue liquid used in magical energy transfer and synthetic ritual arrays. Highly flammable and magically reactive when exposed to raw mana.
Sihara paused, immediately feeling a chill crawl up his spine.
"...This... is not what we're looking for." Said Galia
"Yeah, but why a mana power source need this stone, usually this stone use for explosion" said Shihara with curious
"is there any reason for them to put in here?" ask her
"well even for another purpose this is wierd because this stone are modificated to flammable object not power core object...(Shihara touch one of the stone) hmm...? but why put in here?" Shihara muttered
Galia muttered, her voice low for once. "Let's not poke the magical nuke. Move."
Without another word, Sihara closed the door behind him, slipping away into the next corridor.
Place: Shinya Estate — Chamber of the
Time: 2:15 AM
The soft rustle of flame-silk robes echoed faintly beneath the layered silence.
The inner library of the Shinya clan was a tomb of knowledge — lined with grimoires sealed in cursed chains, generation-old scrolls bound by blood ink, and quiet shelves that had seen more betrayal than any battlefield, the atmosphere was cold, but not lifeless It breathed slowly like it listened there are three wine glasses sat on the obsidian table Only two had been touched.
Shinya Hizaburo, oldest head of the clan, sat still as stone, one hand cradling his glass lazily. His posture radiated effortless command. His smile was faint, unreadable.
Across from him stood Shinya Tenrou, the current family head and his direct heir. He was taller, younger, sharper in robe and jawline — but even his composed posture couldn't compete with the weight Hizaburo carried just by sitting.
"The Ascension Match draws near," Tenrou began, voice calm but purposeful."Eiyuuin's second semester won't be kind to the unprepared."
"It never was," Hizaburo replied without looking up. "That academy still runs the three-trial system?"
"Still does," Tenrou nodded. "Battle Monster match first will be imply in this second semester it`s a fight duel in the arena , the Ascension Magic Match second they will fought a magic tester to measure all of magic power they have, then the Top Royale Battle match in the third they will teleported to wide area than must fight until they one team defeated and the last will be duelist arena where all children will fight match thus who have best mark in the three match will finalized in the last match ." He set his glass down with a soft clink.
"They're splitting students into two class types now — strength-based and potential-based. Those deemed weak are assigned to lesser tracks."
"Smart," Hizaburo murmured. "Cull early." Tenrou's expression didn't change.
"Misora's already rising. Reiji's likely to dominate his bracket. Akari... is manipulating her way up as usual. She's reportedly teaching her judge how to 'properly measure elegance during magical strikes.'"Hizaburo let out a rare, short chuckle. "At least one of them understands that charm is part of warfare."
There was a pause.
Hizaburo sipped slowly Then, without prompt—
"And the fourth?"
Tenrou hesitated. His tone dimmed "Still unranked. No crest. No aptitude on record."
"Disgraceful," Hizaburo said plainly "He's isolated himself. Living in the old servant's quarters, just beyond the east garden." The elder's brow furrowed faintly. "That shack is still standing?"
Before Tenrou could answer—Soft footsteps approached. Measured. Graceful. Cold.
A gust of fragrance preceded her, floral and clean — like snow on fresh iron. Lady Eisetsu entered the room.Her robes flowed like morning fog, silver-threaded and immaculate. She moved without sound, her hair pinned with a platinum crescent moon, each step placed with surgical precision.
"Good evening," she said, her voice like velvet over ice tenrou straightened slightly. Hizaburo didn't react She moved to the third seat and lowered herself with practiced ease, her movements like a ritual A servant, unseen, refilled her wine glass with silent magic.
"I overheard something about the east garden?" she asked lightly, looking at them with faint amusement.
"The boy lives there," Hizaburo muttered.
"Mm," Eisetsu smiled politely. "Then I suppose he'll have to move." She raised her glass "I've submitted the order to burn and remake the entire garden. I want it expanded."
Tenrou blinked. "You didn't mention that."
"I didn't think I needed to," she said with a calm shrug. "The path behind the outer pavilion is too tight. Unfit for receiving nobility."
"
And the trees?" Hizaburo asked.
"All of it. Cleared. Replaced. I've already selected the new formation with the landscape designer."
"We'll burn it next week."Tenrou glanced at her.
"There was something growing there."
Eisetsu tilted her head. "Weeds?"
"A flower," he said. "Small. Blue. Looks crystalline when the moon hits it. One of the maids named it."
He paused.
"Hikayura Bloom."Eisetsu blinked, then nodded once. "Sounds fragile."
"Rare," Tenrou said. "Heals spirit injuries. Old kind of magic. Nobody cultivates it anymore."
"Then it's useless," Hizaburo said, voice flat. "If it mattered, someone would've turned it into a potion by now."
"Still," Tenrou said slowly, "I heard it only grows in places where a soul feels truly forgotten. Some say it blooms when someone suffers in silence or it will bloom in the place of happiness."
"Poetic nonsense," Eisetsu replied. "It'll be ashes soon, beside my potion have already exceed the expectation of that flower."She sipped delicately.
Silence again and Hizaburo rose from his chair.
"That garden was never a haven. It was a cage." He said and looking at the window at the hut "And if that boy thought it was a sanctuary, then this will be a fine lesson."He tilted his wine glass, letting the deep crimson liquid drip slowly onto the marble floor.
"People," he said, "are containers."He let the glass fall.
CRASH—
It shattered loudly. Red spread like blood across the floor.
"You fill them with talent. With loyalty. With results...And when they're empty…"
His foot pressed over the shards.
"You dump them."
A long pause then a chuckle First Hizaburo then Tenrou after that Eisetsu gave a soft, approving laugh behind her glass.
Their smiles were polite but their laughter casual with cruelty — generational.
Place : Shinkou City — Mana Facility, Upper Core Hall
Time: 2:16 AM
The hallway stretched ahead — cold, sterile, humming with quiet magical current.
Shinya moved like a ghost between the flickering lights. His Cloak Skill blurred his presence, bending shadows around his frame.
Ahead, a pair of massive reinforced doors pulsed faintly with barrier runes.
Access locked.
But luck — or timing — favored him.
Hiss...
The door slid open just as a white-robed technician stepped out, muttering into a crystal communicator. She barely looked around.
Perfect.
As the door began to close behind her, Shinya stepped forward — quick, fluid, silent.
Click.
He was inside.
The room on the other side opened into a towering chamber.
And in the center — suspended in midair — floated a massive rotating sphere of glowing blue and violet mana. Three energy rings orbited it at sharp, tilted angles — like a giant Saturn engine from a forgotten age. Runes carved along the rings pulsed with logic older than the Empire.
Shinya's eyes narrowed.
"That's it."
But the chamber wasn't empty Guards stood below, stationed in concentric formation around the platform. Some wore mechanized armor; others handled long-barrel staves etched with shimmering circuit-runes. Floating surveillance orbs hovered above them, blinking silently No chance of approaching from the floor.
Shinya scanned the structure — beams, scaffolding, cable rails overhead.
Then I'll take the high road.
He crept along the edge of the wall, slipped past a glowing vent intake, and grabbed onto a support bar.
His body moved like liquid through steel — climbing, gripping, balancing without sound.
Up. Higher.
Until he reached a metal platform tucked beneath the ceiling's lattice, directly overlooking the mana core.
The sphere's glow lit his face.
He reached into his sling bag and pulled out his Ipad.
The screen flickered on, and Galia blinked into view — pixelated cat ears twitching.
"Shounen~? You alive?"
"Look."
He turned the screen's camera toward the spinning sphere Galia's animated eyes widened. "...Whoa."She leaned closer as if it would help."That's the source?"
"Definitely. The mana signature matches what we traced from the outer district."
Shinya held the laptop up, angling the screen toward the glowing sphere Galia's face glitched into focus, her ears twitched and her eyes sparkled.
"You know how the core shares its mana to the rest of the city ?"
Shinya blinked. "No. Why?"She grinned.
That dangerous, smug grin that never meant anything good.
"Because I want you to fall into it."
He stared."…Huh?"
"You heard me."
"…HUH?!"His whisper shout echoed in the narrow scaffolding space.
"HUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH?! ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU WANT ME TO FALL?!"
"Shh—! Do you want them to hear you?" Galia whispered,
making a "zip it" motion on-screen Shinya's face contorted into all levels of disbelief."You're actually serious?!"
"Dead serious," Galia replied cheerfully.
"Look down we are above them why you need make it harder"
"it`s not i want to make it harder but it is what you need to do" Galia said
"huff~...then Tell me why we need to fall why not just get near to the core"
"didn`t you see how fast that orb moving"
Shihara look at the sphere and sure enough we try to close it`s gonna throw us away
"the only way to touch it it`s to fall down with high speed when i near it i can take many energy at once after that i`m gonna teleport us into safe place
"and what if something goes wrong?" Shihara ask with doubt feeling
"we die" Galia reply with no worries and with wide smile while her thumbs up
"If something goes wrong and we fall down there? We die. No questions asked."
"So we die now instead?!" S
hinya hissed. "Why is that your solution?!"
"It's not a death plan, Shounen," she replied with a wink. "It's a synchronization plan."
"THAT IS NOT REASSURING!"
and then they both run again this time to the ladder and on an on they
"You touch it while holding me. That's all. Easy, right?"she said at the massive, unstable core glowing with energy.
"I CAN TOUCH IT — SURE, THEN I'LL DISINTEGRATE HALFWAY THROUGH—"
"No, you won't," she cut with Her tone shifted — softer, more precise "Not while you're holding me."
Shinya froze Galia continued "The mana will flow through me first — I'll convert it before it reaches you. Think of me like a surge filter… with a little attitude."
He squinted. "...If that's so, then I—"
"You were going to say 'drop me,' weren't you."
"…I was just considering options."
"Too late. I saw it in your eyes."
"Wait, how can you see my—"
"Anyway," she interrupted, "I need a conductor. My core's still unstable. If I go alone, this Ipad will melts before I even hit the energy field. Besides—"
She paused.
"If I'm too far from you, the Cheat Skill ends. Cause i disintegrate"
Shinya let out a long, pained sigh.
"Huff~ …Okay. I'll do it."
He shifted forward, stepping carefully onto the thin beam that stretched across the air above the spinning core. The wind generated by the arcane rotation howled around him — soft, rhythmic pressure pulses making his coat flap.
He was shaking.
But he kept walking.
Surveillance Control Room — Security Office, Sector B
A bored technician leaned on one elbow, flipping between magical surveillance feeds.
A flicker.
Then static.
Then lines of strange, unauthorized code scrolled across Monitor #12.
:: LOOP INTERFERENCE DETECTED :: HACKED CAMERA DETECTED COMMENCING REBOOT
The technician frowned, He clicked The screen jumped to a real-time view of the mana core and there he see Perched on the upper scaffolding A hooded figure With a glowing device.
"...We have a breach."
He slammed the red alert rune embedded in the console.
Bridge Rim, Shinya Sihara's Position
Galia grinned, watching Shinya tremble as he stood on the narrow beam above the core.
"All right~ You ready, Shounen?"
"Y-Yeah… okay."
"Good! On one, two, thr—"
*WEOOOHHHHHHHH—!!*
The sirens screamed loudly red klaxons flared on the walls.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Shinya panic and he realize
"Oi, Galia! What happened?!"
"Shounen! What did you do?!"
"I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WAS PLAN B!"
"YEAH WELL—PLAN B BACKFIRED!"
Lines of script exploded across the screen.
ERROR: TRACE DETECTED
SYNCHRONIZATION TERMINATED
STEALTH FIELD OFFLINE
"They found code!" Shihara cried while looking on his mobile phone. "And they just hit the reboot sequence! This place is going into lockdown!"
They try to run from the catwalk bridge but the bridge beneath him groaned and suddenly
SNAP!
The cable supporting the left side of the narrow walkway gave way — the bridge lurched 45 degrees down.
"GALIA—!!"
The Ipad slipped from his grip — spinning midair — clattering across the steel frame and sliding to the far edge and stop there.
"Shounen—!"
One of the guards below shouted. A beam of light shot upward, nearly grazing the platform A glowing command sigil opened at the north wall. A dozen soldiers surged in — exo-armor gleaming, an energi blade charged.
"We've confirmed intruder! Top of the core in the catwalk!, Send backup to the ceiling sector!
"DO NOT let him touch the core!"
Shinya clenched his jaw, his cloak fluttering.
"Mask on. Hood up."
No one had seen his face yet He ran across the beam toward the fallen Ipad — slipping once, catching a support bar with one hand, then swinging across to the opposite ledge.
The Ipad was there and he get the Ipad back Galia's voice was faint.
"...Shounen… don't you dare let me fall…"
"I won't." Turn around The soldiers had breached the top.
Weapons pointed at him and no escape route Galia's screen crackled. Her eyes narrowed.
"You still remember the skill that i gave, right?" she said, Shinya didn't answer right away.
"Then it's time…"
He stepped to the edge of the catwalk the core roared beneath him Shinya didn't wait.
He reached into the inner lining of his pocket pants, pulled out a simple red rubber band and then .
*Puff—!*
*Fiuuhh*
A cloud of thick smoke exploded out, shrouding the entire bridge in seconds.
"Visibility lost!" one soldier barked. "where is he—!"
Too late Shinya was already sprinting across the support rails, coughing through the haze.
"They'll be on me in three seconds—two—"
From the corner of his eye, four more soldiers burst from the eastern platform, weapons drawn, he skidded to a stop then pulled out his phone.
"Let's see how your suits handle a little overtime hack."
He tapped into the secondary override he'd from his phone the soldiers flinched.
"Ugh—!"
"What—what's that noise—?!"
A high-pitched sonic scream blasted through their communication channels — not enough to kill, but enough to shatter focus and make them stumble back clutching their helmets.
"Tinnitus mode. Activated."
Shinya smirked and bolted across the upper walkway he could see the exit scaffolding—one last jump—
*Bang!*
"AGH—!"
The shot hit him clean between the shoulder blades His body jerked and the Ipad slipped from his grasp Shinya twisted mid-fall, trying to catch it, but the impact knocked the air from his lungs.
"OOOIIII SHIHARA—!"Galia's voice blasted through the speaker. "THE HECK—WAKE UP, FOUR-EYES! WAKE UP—!"
She screamed as tracer rounds zipped past her screen, rain-like. Both were falling fast — spinning, twisting — and below them, the core spun like a glowing cyclone.
Wind tore at their clothes Galia's face twisted on-screen, screaming.
"WAKE UP—DAMMIT—WAKE—UP!"
Just as the mana core flared—A hand reached out Sihara's hand, he grabbed the laptop — steady, strong, eyes just barely open.
"…This is nothing…" he muttered, blood running from his shoulder.
"W-What—?"
"…Compared to getting bullied by everyone for ten years straight." He grit his teeth, locking eyes with her on-screen She froze and then she blinked.
"…Boy... you..."
Her voice faltered the core pulsed brighter below — rings spinning faster, preparing for impact "Just a little closer... just a bit more..." Galia whispered in her mind Shinya turned his body midair, angling them downward.
"Now, Galia—!!"He screamed "UWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!"
They fell like lightning a glow consumed them—
END OF CHAPTER 1