The transition from existential poverty to multi-millionaire status was, to Ren, not a life-changing event, but a necessary system update. The moment the ten million Aegis Credits (AC) hit his account, the Axiom's desperate gamble solidified into financial reality. He was now rich enough to be invisible, and that was the truest form of power.
The first stop was not the crumbling Section 31 gate the Axiom demanded, but the largest appliance store in a mid-level commercial block.
"We're poor, Haru. Comically, tragically poor. But a Main Character needs a loyal sidekick, and a loyal sidekick needs perfectly heated leftovers," Ren declared, adopting the persona of the weary but doting older brother. He pushed Haru—whose eyes were wide with genuine confusion—toward the stainless-steel appliance wall.
"Ren, this is the Diamond-Series, smart-touch model. It costs more than our rent for two months," Haru whispered, tugging on his brother's frayed hoodie.
"Nonsense, Haru. It's an investment. Think of the thermal efficiency," Ren said with a dramatic flourish, pulling the trigger on the purchase using his newly funded debit card. The Axiom's golden interface flashed a secondary warning in his mind:
AXIOM-02 (V.O.):Main Character! That purchase is a frivolous expenditure! You are delaying the critical objective! Section 31 Collapse Status: 48%!
'If the world ends, Axiom-02, at least my brother won't die hungry,' Ren thought back with ice-cold sarcasm, savoring the digital agony. 'Consider it hazard pay for Haru.'
With the microwave secured, Ren dropped Haru off at home, offering a cryptic promise that he'd be back by dinner, and then headed straight for Section 31—not the gate, but the designer retail district five blocks away.
The difference between Section 35 and 31 was sickeningly stark. Section 35 was rust, smog, and despair. Section 31 was polished chrome, holographic advertising, and the scent of money. Ren, still in his cheap hoodie, glasses, and beanie, looked like he was about to be tackled by security.
He walked straight into Valerius Tailoring, the most exclusive suit shop in the city. The store's interior was minimalist white marble and intimidatingly quiet.
A sleek, impeccably dressed salesman raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"May I help you, young man?" the salesman asked, his voice dripping with Section 31 superiority.
Ren offered the weakest, most apologetic smile he could manage, sinking into his nerd posture. "Oh, goodness, I'm so sorry! I think I took a wrong turn! I was looking for the thrift store on the corner of—"
He suddenly cut himself off, then produced his new black credit card—the one that still felt hot from the initial 10-million transfer—and laid it down on the glass counter like an executioner's axe.
"Wait. No. I'm feeling… adventurous," Ren said, the whiny tone dissolving into a low, compelling murmur. He glanced up, letting the salesman catch a glimpse of his intense red eyes from beneath the brim of his beanie. "I need a suit. Not heavy armor. Something tailored. Something that moves with me, but hides nothing. I want a suit that looks almost dangerously effortless."
The salesman, instantly detecting the scent of serious money and dangerous wealth, straightened up. The sale began in earnest. Ren spent two hours demanding a light, dove-grey wool, cut to an impossible sharpness that accentuated the hidden musculature of his shoulders and back. He wasn't trying to look like a corporate executive; he was trying to look like a weapon sheathed in silk. The resulting garment, even before final fittings, had a stunning effect, instantly transforming him from a bullied adolescent to a strikingly handsome, almost dangerously graceful young man .
"The fabric is perfect. It accentuates the lines of my natural combat stance. An investment in my brand, Axiom-02," Ren thought, running his hand over the silk lining.
AXIOM-02 (V.O., near hysteria):This is madness! The Collapse Status is 55%! I am detecting high-level dimensional static nearby! You're purchasing clothing while the inter-dimensional fabric is unraveling!
'Leverage and presentation are everything to a successful scam artist, Handler,' Ren replied, enjoying the internal scream. 'If I'm going to be forced into the spotlight, I'm going to make sure I look good enough to distract the audience from my lack of moral integrity.'
As Ren was leaving Valerius, now dressed in the impossibly sharp, tailored suit—his white hair still stuffed under the beanie, his face obscured by the thick glasses, his posture artificially slouched—the golden Axiom interface in his mind flashed violently.
CRITICAL ALERT: Section 31 Gate Breach! Low-Level Ingress Confirmed!
THREAT: One (1) C-Class 'Grave-Shade.'
STATUS: Currently terrorizing a pedestrian street two blocks east.
IMPERATIVE: Immediate Intervention Required!
Ren stopped, feeling a delicious prickle of adrenaline, but he forced his body to twitch slightly, mimicking the anxiousness of a civilian.
"Oh dear," he muttered, loud enough for a nearby shopper to hear. "A Grave-Shade? That's awful. I hope a hero gets here soon."
Internally, Ren's mind was racing, calculating the potential revenue. C-Class Grave-Shade. Weak durability, high spiritual resistance. Needs at least five solid strikes with the Aether to properly subdue. Five strikes times 500,000 AC per Subdual Loop… that's 2.5 million AC. For ten minutes of work. Delicious.
AXIOM-02 (V.O.):Ren! Do not delay! Neutralize the threat in one blow! Minimal collateral damage is the priority!
'Minimal collateral damage equals minimal VMP. Maximum efficiency in wealth accumulation requires maximum inefficiency in combat,' Ren mused, a predatory grin twitching beneath his glasses. He quickly ducked into a small, abandoned alleyway between two luxury buildings.
He ripped off the glasses and beanie. The slumping posture snapped into the aggressive, relaxed stance of a predator, his white hair catching the alley light and his red eyes shining with focused intent. The suit suddenly made sense—it was the uniform of his true nature, perfectly framing his lethal potential.
"Time to earn my first paycheck, Handler," Ren whispered, his voice laced with anticipation.
He held up his hand. The blue geometric tattoo pulsed, and the Aether sword—now perfectly sized and balanced for his new suit—snapped into existence with a flash of light and a sound like tearing silk. It was beautiful, terrifying, and utterly incompatible with the pristine luxury of Section 31.
The Grave-Shade was a hideous creature—a hulking, skeletal mass of shifting grey energy, reeking of dimensional decay. It was currently swiping its massive, clawed hand at a panic-stricken Section 31 boutique owner, ruining a display of twenty-thousand-yen handbags.
Pedestrians were screaming, but the Grave-Shade was C-Class; its objective was chaos, not mass murder, which meant Ren had time to work.
He leaped onto the roof of a parked limo, the move utterly silent and impossibly fast, completely abandoning the gravity-defying techniques Kaito relied on. Ren preferred ground-level, messy, tangible combat.
The Axiom's interface in his mind registered the target.
TARGET: Grave-Shade. VMP Value: 500,000 AC per Subdual.
Ren didn't strike for the kill. He struck for the initiation.
He darted forward, his Aether crackling. Instead of aiming for the core, he slammed the flat of the sword's blade against the monster's left femur. THWACK. The Grave-Shade howled, its leg fracturing, forcing it to kneel.
AXIOM-02 (V.O.):Why did you not terminate the core?!
'Because, Handler, that was Subdual Loop One,' Ren thought with cheerful malice.
VMP EARNED: 500,000 AC.
Ren spun, enjoying the movement, the lethal grace the tailored suit afforded him. He moved back a step, letting the crippled monster try to swing its massive arm. He ducked under the swipe, the force of the wind ruffling his white hair.
The monster was already regenerating the fractured bone, the dimensional decay slowing the process but not stopping it. This was perfect. The longer it took to die, the richer he became.
Ren feigned a direct attack, then pulled back, changing the angle mid-swing. Instead of striking the creature's core, he used the Aether's razor edge to slice off three of its regenerating fingers. SHINK.
The monster roared in pain, thrashing blindly.
AXIOM-02 (V.O.):You are prolonging the citizens' terror for financial gain! This is highly irregular!
'I am calculating the optimal economic return on my Main Character investment,' Ren corrected internally, his red eyes burning with the thrill of the fight. He loved this. The rush of power, the necessity of absolute violence, and the certainty of profit. This was why he preferred villains; their motives were honest.
VMP EARNED: 1,000,000 AC.
The Grave-Shade, realizing Ren was playing with it, mustered a surge of dark mana, aiming a blast of shadowy energy.
Ren didn't dodge. He stood his ground, letting the energy blast hit the pristine dove-grey suit he had just bought. The suit was instantly ruined, scorched and smoking, the carefully tailored lines now marred by black soot.
Ren let out a staged yelp of genuine outrage. "My suit! That was fifty-thousand AC! You overgrown bag of spiritual dust! You owe me a new wardrobe and dry cleaning fees!"
He channeled a small burst of the Aether's mana, not enough to kill, but enough to deliver a powerful, debilitating strike. He drove the sword's pommel—the flat, blunt end—directly into the Grave-Shade's knee joint. CRUNCH. The creature collapsed completely.
VMP EARNED: 1,500,000 AC.
Ren leaned against the hilt of his sword, breathing normally. The Grave-Shade was stunned, immobilized, and rapidly regenerating. It was the perfect moment to deliver the final, highly profitable strikes.
"Okay, Handler, time for the bonus round," Ren whispered, his grin now a feral crescent.
He used the sword to lift the creature's head. He didn't execute it. Instead, he delivered a series of rapid, blunt-force strikes to the creature's skull, like a fighter delivering calculated body blows to his opponent to secure a high point count. THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.
The Axiom's counter went wild.
VMP EARNED: 2,000,000 AC.
VMP EARNED: 2,500,000 AC.
VMP EARNED: 3,000,000 AC.
"Okay, that's enough for a replacement suit, plus interest for my inconvenience," Ren decided. "Final blow."
He raised the Aether, focused the blue mana, and this time, struck directly into the Grave-Shade's dissolving core. The creature was extinguished instantly, its mass vaporized.
STATUS: TARGET NEUTRALIZED.FINAL VMP EARNED: 3,000,000 AC.Total Balance Update: 13,000,000 AC.
Ren dismissed the sword. The blue tattoo pulsed, confirming the transaction. The thrill of the fight—the lethal dance, the enjoyment of his own terrifying speed and power—was exhilarating. He was smiling wide, a victorious, utterly unheroic smile.
Ren immediately began to wipe the blood and residual dimensional decay from his pristine suit—only to realize the suit was, in fact, ruined. The dark mana blast had scorched the fabric beyond repair.
AXIOM-02 (V.O., calming down now that the threat was gone):Target Neutralized. Excellent work, Ren. Despite the unnecessarily prolonged combat.
'The combat was optimally priced, Handler. Now, for the critical phase: The Cover Story.'
Ren instantly adjusted his face. The predatory look vanished. He slapped the beanie back on and snatched his glasses from his pocket, scrambling to put them back on his face. He quickly rubbed dirt onto his white hair, dulling the unnatural brightness. He began hyperventilating, forcing his body back into the persona of the panicked, clumsy student.
A Section 31 security team, finally daring to approach the chaos, found a scene of ruined luxury storefronts, a collapsed limo, and Ren standing over the residue of the Grave-Shade, tears streaming down his face.
The security captain, a grizzled veteran, rushed over. "Kid! What happened here? Did a Section Chaser handle this?"
Ren collapsed dramatically onto the ground, pointing a trembling finger at the residual smoke.
"I—I was just going to the library, sir! And then that thing appeared! It was terrifying! I grabbed the only thing I could think of to defend myself!" Ren cried, his voice soaring with believable hysteria.
"What did you grab, kid?"
Ren held up his hand, revealing a cheap, plastic-cased Umbrella he had purchased moments before entering the alley. The umbrella was bent at a ninety-degree angle, scorched, and absolutely useless.
"I—I hit it with my umbrella! And then it screamed, and the big blue light came! It just… it just collapsed! I must have hit a vital spot! I think I may have scared it to death, sir! I'm so clumsy, I trip over air!" Ren wailed, making sure to accidentally step on the bent umbrella handle and fall over again.
The security captain exchanged a baffled look with his partner. The idea of a terrified, clumsy nerd vanquishing a C-Class Grave-Shade with a cheap umbrella was hilariously absurd. They glanced at the wreckage—a perfect, precise annihilation—and then at the hysterical, sobbing boy. It was obvious one of the city's covert Section Chasers had intervened, and this boy, unfortunate enough to witness the climax, was now in shock.
"Right. Kid, you're safe. We're calling a mental trauma counselor," the captain sighed, patting Ren awkwardly on the shoulder.
Ren sniffled, internally counting the VMP. The perfect deception. Zero suspicion. All the profit.
As he was led away toward a waiting ambulance, Ren glanced at the scorched dove-grey suit. It was a failure, but a lucrative one. He quickly used his phone to transfer 50,000 AC to a local Section 35 repair shop with a note: "Repair this, tell Haru it's his turn to pay the debt."
The Axiom, watching its Main Character being taken away by medical professionals after deliberately misrepresenting his own power for monetary gain, could only watch in stunned, digital silence.