I realized I'd grown stronger the moment nothing exploded.
No ringing in my ears.
No migraine behind my eyes.
No emotional system crash followed by a cursed grin.
Just… control.
Fifteen cards hovered in the air in front of me, arranged in a loose arc like a lazy constellation. They rotated slowly, edges glinting under the afternoon light pouring into the training hall.
I exhaled.
They didn't wobble.
They didn't fall.
They didn't try to give me brain damage.
"…Huh," I muttered. "So this is what progress feels like."
From the doorway, Helior crossed his arms. "You look disappointed."
"I was expecting at least one nosebleed for old time's sake."
Joshua, sitting on the floor with a juice box, raised his head. "Big brother, bleeding isn't a milestone."
"Tell that to my past self."
I flicked my wrist.
Three cards shot forward, curved midair, and neatly sliced through the hanging practice targets before returning to formation.
Still no headache.
Still no cursed smile.
Just smooth, obedient motion.
'So I really can handle fifteen naturally now…'
A year ago, twelve cards nearly fried my brain.
Now fifteen felt… comfortable.
Which was mildly terrifying.
My status screen blinked into existence.
Name: Julien Morvain
Class: Jester
Current Rank: C
Potential: SS
Unique Trait: Happy Face (2/3)
Unique Skill: Kartenokinesis
Affinities: Wind, Water
Weapon Style: Half Reaper Style
Skills:
– Dash
– Barrier
– Flow Step
– Condensed Barrier
– Phantom Card
– Reflex Draw
I stared at the trait line.
Happy Face (2/3).
"…Yeah, that tracks."
Over the past year, Happy Face had activated so many times due to fatigue that I'd lost count. Late-night training. Overusing Kartenokinesis. Kama drills until my arms felt like noodles.
At some point, the system apparently decided my nervous breakdowns were inefficient and upgraded the curse instead.
Now it didn't activate from fatigue anymore.
Or small emotional turmoil.
Which was… good.
Probably.
The problem was, the side effects stayed.
I'd become more joking. More playful. More stupidly relaxed about things that should've stressed me out.
At first, I thought I was just adapting.
Then Maria gently asked why I was laughing while slicing training dummies in half.
That was when I realized something was off.
'Emotional desynchronization,' the system called it.
Basically:
Inside: calm, calculating, mildly traumatized.
Outside: smiling idiot with questionable priorities.
Honestly?
It suited me a little too well.
"Julien."
Helior tossed something at me.
I caught it.
My kama.
Black handle.
Blue patterns etched along the blade like frozen lightning.
Balanced just a little forward for momentum cuts.
I spun it once and felt the familiar weight settle into my palm.
A year of training.
A year of blisters, bruises, and Helior hitting me with a wooden stick every time my stance got sloppy.
My status screen updated faintly.
Weapon Style: Half Reaper Style
I still didn't know why the system named it that.
But it sounded edgy enough that I wasn't complaining.
I stepped forward and slashed.
The blade moved like a whisper.
A water-coated crescent followed the arc and shattered the far target.
Cards snapped into formation behind me, mirroring my movement.
Helior nodded slowly.
"You've stopped fighting your own weapon."
"High praise."
"You also stopped panicking."
"Low expectations."
Joshua clapped. "Big brother looks like a video game character now."
"…I don't know how to feel about that."
The day before the academy arrived like a small family apocalypse.
Maria cried twice.
Once while packing my clothes.
Once while packing snacks.
David tried to act normal and failed spectacularly.
"Remember," he said, adjusting my collar for the fourth time, "if anyone bullies you, just—"
"I'm not allowed to mutilate my classmates, Dad."
"…Just slightly traumatize them."
Helior calmly sipped tea. "Violence builds character."
"Grandfather."
"Discipline builds restraint."
"GRANDFATHER."
Alicia video-called in from the academy dorms.
She stared at me for three seconds.
"…You look taller."
"That's emotional damage."
"You better not embarrass the Morvain name."
"I'm a Jester. That's literally my job."
She sighed. "Be careful."
Then she smiled softly.
That scared me more than any warning.
At night, my room felt too quiet.
Suitcase packed.
Uniform folded.
Cards resting inside my watch.
Kama leaning against the desk.
I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
'So this is where the main story starts…'
Daniel was already A-rank now.
He'd enter the academy tomorrow.
So would I.
So would a lot of future disasters with tragic backstories and unresolved trauma.
'Guess I'm really doing this, huh…'
I thought of the original Julien.
The second-rate villian.
The guy who died like a dog's death.
Then I remembered my dream.
Where Noah and Julien merged.
Where I realized they were the same.
Where I told myself not to forget my aim.
'Enjoy life.'
Second chance.
Not as Noah.
Not as original Julien.
But as me.
I laughed quietly.
"…This is going to get stupidly complicated."
Outside, the night wind rustled the trees.
Tomorrow waited.
And for once…
I was looking forward to it.