[Location: The Grand Library, Upper Alcoves]
High above the stone floor, concealed within the dusty gloom of the vaulted ceiling, Cyra watched the chaos unfold below with a bored expression.
She was a High Dark Elf, a Shadow Assassin of the Kayser House, and currently, she was relegated to the most tedious duty imaginable: babysitting the trash son of the Archduke.
She watched as the guards rushed in, lifting the groaning, unconscious body of Mikel onto a stretcher. The boy's leg was bent at a nasty angle, and a knot was forming on his skull. But he was alive and breathing.
He fell. How... pathetic, Cyra thought, suppressing a yawn.
From her vantage point, she had seen the ladder give way. To an untrained eye, it looked like a simple structural failure caused by the weight of a chubby, mana-enhanced demon child climbing aggressively on rotten wood.
She then shifted her gaze to Axel. The six-year-old was currently sobbing into his hands, his small shoulders shaking as he wailed about "warning his brother."
A convincing performance for a child, Cyra noted, though she wasn't impressed.
Moments before the guards arrived, she had seen the real Axel. He first did something to the ladder and when his brother fell, he didn't panic. He had stood over his injured brother, rummaged through his belt, and stolen a dagger.
He's a scavenger, she concluded with a mental sneer. The boy has no resources, no mana, and no status. He sees his brother unconscious and steals a weapon because he's too weak to earn one himself.
She considered reporting the theft to Archduke Magnus but paused.
Reporting this is a waste of breath. The Archduke despises weakness.
If he hears Mikel was defeated by a 'rotten ladder' and had his weapon stolen by a 'cripple,' he'll just be annoyed at Mikel's incompetence.
Deciding it wasn't worth the paperwork or the Archduke's irritation, Cyra dissolved into a mist. She repositioned herself to follow Axel as he went out of the library. She just thought he was a weird, desperate little thief.
[Location: Northern Annex - Axel's Quarters]
Axel closed the heavy wooden door of his room and leaned against it, sliding the deadbolt home. The moment the lock clicked, the sobbing ceased instantly.
His face went blank and his breathing was steady as he walked over to his bed.
"Heart rate stabilizing," Axel whispered, his voice devoid of the childish tremor he had used in the hallway. "The adrenaline crash is milder than expected. [Gamer's Mind] is functioning within parameters."
He reached into his tunic and pulled out the loot: the Obsidian Dagger (Rank E) and the metal stylus stained with Mikel's blood.
"A broken leg and a blow on the head," Axel mused, placing the items on the bedside table. "He survived unfortunately, but statistically probable given the height and his demonic constitution. Still, the objective was humiliation and resource acquisition."
He sat on the bed, crossing his legs. "Zero. Status."
As he wished, a blue holographic screen flickered into existence.
It displayed the same notification from before.
[SYSTEM ALERT: ENEMY HUMILIATED][Target Mikel suffered significant physical trauma and defeat by a 'weaker' opponent.][REWARD: +15 TYRANNY POINTS (TP)]
Axel stared at the number, his brow furrowing.
"I saw this pop up the moment Mikel hit the floor," Axel muttered, his voice cold. "Fifteen points. But that brings up a question."
He looked up at the empty air. "Zero, explain. For six years, I've endured abuse, hypothermia training, and neglect. I've survived infancy in a hostile environment. Yet, the System remained silent. No points. No shop access. Why start paying me now? Why was there nothing before today?"
The holographic screen rippled, and Zero's voice echoed in his mind, sharp and metallic.
[Answer: The Tyranny System functions on the principle of Dominion. For the last six years, you were merely surviving.]
[Just surviving generates no energy. Today, for the first time, you stopped enduring and started imposing your will. You manipulated the environment to harm a superior foe. The System rewards the Tyrant, not the Survivor.]
Axel's lips twitched. "So I have to be a monster to unlock the features. Fitting. But, why only 15 points?"
[The reward is calculated based on the threat level. Target 'Mikel' is a low-intelligence adversary with minimal combat experience.]
He then gestured to the interface seeing that something new appeared. "And the Shop. How does it function? Is it just a magical vending machine, or is there a logic to it?"
[Welcome to the Tyranny Shop, Host. This is not a mere merchant's stall; it is the engine of your ascension.
The Shop operates on the Law of Equivalent Exchange, but here you do not pay with gold, but with Entropy. The Points (TP) represent your weight in destiny—your capacity to force the world to bend.
Here, you trade that influence for resources, knowledge, or biological enhancements that the laws of physics would otherwise deny you. Accumulate influence, and you may eventually purchase divinity itself.]
"Entropy for power. Simple enough," Axel noted, satisfied with the introduction and glanced at his balance. "But fifteen points is pathetic. It barely buys anything."
He tapped the air, opening the [TYRANNY SHOP - TIER 1]. The interface shifted, displaying a new screen showing a considerable number of items, most of them were grayed out, costing hundreds of points, but a few low-level items were highlighted.
[
[TIER 1 CONSUMABLES]
Nutrient Shot (Restores Stamina) - 10 TPBasic Analysis Token (Single Use) - 15 TPMinor Healing - 15 TP
]
Axel's eyes locked onto the Basic Analysis Token.
He looked at the stylus with the blood sample. His innate skill, [Analytical Eye], was currently Level 3. It gave him structural data and basic stats, but it couldn't tell him why. It couldn't explain the biological difference between him and Mikel.
"I need data," Axel murmured. "Why does his body process mana while mine rejects it? If I can understand the mechanism, I can hack it."
"Zero, purchase the Basic Analysis Token and then use it on the biological sample: Mikel's blood."
[Purchase Confirmed. Balance: 0 TP.]
[Analyzing Sample...]
A beam of light from the system interface scanned the dried blood on the stylus. Complex diagrams of double-helix structures and mana pathways floated in Axel's vision.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[Subject: Mikel von Kayser]
[Race: Fire Devil]
[Genetic Finding: The subject possesses standard active mana conduits in the bone marrow. Comparison with Host physiology indicates a critical anomaly.]
[DIAGNOSIS: Host's mana conduits are not broken; they are 'Safety-Locked.' Your soul density is too high for your current biological vessel. If your mana conduits were fully open like the subject Mikel, the mana pressure generated by your soul would detonate your physical body.]
Axel leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The realization washed over him.
"So the 'Energetic Starvation' isn't a disease," he whispered.
"It's a failsafe. My body is starving because it's trying to keep me from exploding."
[Correct. The Divine Seal is capping your output to 1% to preserve your life. To unseal your power, you do not need to fix the magic; you need to upgrade your body. You must strengthen your physical body to withstand your own soul.]
"I need to get moving," he murmured. "Since I can't use magic yet, I just have to focus on my body. I need to exercise, build up my stamina, and toughen up this weak frame."
He picked up the Obsidian Dagger, feeling its balance in his palm. "Mikel will heal," he thought. "And he is going to be furious when he wakes up."
Then, his expression tightened slightly as he remembered a strange sensation back in the library, as if he weren't alone.
"Someone was watching me". He didn't know who they were or why they were there, but he trusted his instincts. "Well, let them watch. If they think I'm just a desperate child, that works in my favor. By the time they figure out the truth, I'll be ready."
He tucked the dagger safely under his mattress.
"Step one is done. I have a weapon. Now, the real work starts."