The math teacher droned on about quadratic equations, but Ryuu's brain was buffering on 10% battery. Numbers blurred together like NPC dialogue he'd heard a thousand times before.
He doodled in the margins of his notebook—little anime chibi versions of himself, all sweaty and buff from his new "Body Refinement" mission. Honestly, it was a small miracle he hadn't fallen asleep yet.
Then, out of nowhere, a sharp *ping* echoed in his mind, louder than the teacher's monotone voice.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Heroism Side Quest Triggered – Priority: HIGH]
Ryuu blinked, eyes scanning the room for the source. Nothing obvious. Just the usual suspects: bored classmates, Lance shooting daggers from across the room, and Hinami quietly scribbling notes two rows ahead.
Suddenly, Hinami froze mid-sentence, her pen dropping to the desk with a tiny click. Her face paled like she'd just seen a bug crawl out of her textbook.
"What the—?" Ryuu started to ask but stopped. His system overlay flickered to life, flashing warnings:
[Karmic Parasite Detected – Low Level]
[Target: Hinami]
[Time to Act: 30 seconds]
[Failure Penalty: -20 Karma, Mission Fail]
His heart rate spiked. This wasn't the usual "ignore your problems and survive math" scenario. This was something else.
The air around Hinami shimmered subtly, like a bad graphics glitch. A shadowy, writhing mass pulsed near her neck, unseen by everyone but Ryuu and his system HUD.
"Uh... Hinami?" His voice barely a whisper.
She looked up, eyes wide and scared. "I... I don't know what's happening."
Ryuu felt that same familiar panic brewing in his chest — that same "gamer who just realized they forgot to save" dread. But there was no restart button here.
"System, what now?"
[Heroism Side Quest Active: Save Hinami from Karmic Parasite]
[Recommended Action: Engage Parasite and Defend Target]
Ryuu glanced around. The teacher was still talking, oblivious. The other students? Zoning out or buried in their notes. No one else could see what was happening.
Great.
He took a deep breath. "Okay, Ryuu. You can do this. Just like in those RPGs. But, uh, with more sweat and less epic soundtrack."
He clenched his fists, feeling the USB Blade — still dormant in his pocket — buzz faintly, as if waiting for him to level up.
The countdown in his HUD ticked down. Time to prove the reboot wasn't a glitch.
Ryuu's fingers closed around the USB Blade.
Well—"blade" was generous. It looked like a thick, old-school flash drive with glowing blue circuitry and a suspiciously sharp edge. There was even a tiny engraving on the side:
"PLUG INTO FATE."
"Please don't make me stab someone with a USB stick," Ryuu muttered.
[Weapon Activated: USB Blade – Fate-Linked Tier 0]
Compatibility: 82%
Damage Potential: 1D4 + Luck Mod]
The parasite—now fully visible in his system overlay—was coiled tight around Hinami's spirit signature, leeching invisible threads from her soul. She clutched her head and trembled, lips moving but no sound coming out.
The countdown hit zero.
Ryuu stood up. Desk clattered back. People turned.
"H-Hey, what's wrong with you?" the teacher asked.
Ryuu ignored him. Focused only on the pulsing aura choking Hinami.
He sprinted across the classroom, heart pounding like it was trying to escape his chest. The USB Blade vibrated in his grip.
"Hinami!" he shouted.
She looked up—eyes clouded. Not quite present.
Without hesitation, Ryuu jammed the USB Blade into the air just above her shoulder—right where the parasite shimmered like glitch fog
[SYSTEM: STRIKE CONFIRMED]
[Direct Hit – Parasite HP -22%]
The room dimmed.
Reality cracked.
Suddenly, they weren't in class anymore.
Just Ryuu, Hinami, and a spiraling void full of fragmented code, static screeches, and a floating shadow with too many eyes.
[Karmic Parasite – Tier F]
Mood: Hungry.
Status: Agitated.]
"Oh come on, even the monsters have moods now?" Ryuu groaned, getting into a shaky stance.
The parasite lunged.
Ryuu dodged—barely—and slashed again.
[Glancing Hit – HP -7%]
The blade hummed. Light arced through it. Ryuu's muscles burned from earlier gym pain, but adrenaline overrode everything.
The parasite reared back. Shot a tendril toward Hinami.
"Nope." Ryuu dived between them.
The tendril hit his shoulder. Cold fire tore through him.
[HP -12]
[Minor Injury: Spirit Burn]
[+5 Heroism XP]
"Totally worth it," he hissed through gritted teeth.
With one last yell, he drove the USB Blade into the creature's core.
The void shattered.
The room snapped back.
Hinami gasped, her body jerking upright as if unplugged from a nightmare.
Silence.
Students stared. The teacher's chalk fell from his hand.
Ryuu stood there, panting, blade disappearing into digital mist.
Then collapsed.
Ryuu woke up to the gentle hum of fluorescent lights and a faint smell of antiseptic.
"Status report…" he groaned, trying to move.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Condition: Stable
HP: 62%
Spirit Burn: Treatable (Mild)
Cool Factor: 3/10
New Title Unlocked: "USB Stabber – Beginner Hero"]
He squinted. "I hate how this system is both helpful and petty."
A soft voice cut through his whining. "You're awake."
He turned.
Hinami sat in the corner of the nurse's office, legs crossed, sketchbook in hand. Her cheeks flushed slightly as their eyes met.
"You… jumped in front of me."
Ryuu chuckled weakly. "Guess I'm just into high-stakes cosplay now."
She rolled her eyes but didn't look away. "You really did something back there. I don't remember it clearly… but I felt it."
Pause.
"I was drowning. But then… you were there."
Ryuu scratched his neck, feeling a rush of warmth that wasn't from the spirit burn. "Well. Couldn't let my fellow weeb die in math class. That'd be too tragic an arc."
Hinami smiled, genuinely this time. She stood, walked over, and set something on the table beside him.
A can of cold peach soda.
"My thanks," she said. "Even if I don't understand it all yet."
Ryuu looked at it like it was a holy relic.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Peach Soda of Recovery (+5 Morale)]
[Affection +4]
[Hinami's Relationship Status: Budding Interest → Warming Connection]
Their fingers brushed for half a second.
The moment hung in the air.
Then—
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: Protect Her Again. You Know It Won't Be the Last Time.]
Ryuu leaned back, sipped the soda, and let out a sigh.
"Okay. I guess being a system protagonist isn't so bad."
The door creaked as the nurse returned, clipboard in hand.
Hinami slipped out with one last glance.
Ryuu smiled, staring at the peach soda can like it held the secrets of the universe.
Back home, Ryuu sat on the edge of his bed, shirt half-lifted as he inspected the forming bruise on his ribs.
"Looks like my reward for saving the day is internal bleeding," he muttered.
[SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE]
Quest Complete: Heroism Side Quest – "Protect the Innocent"
Rewards:
+1 Spirit Core Shard
+Weapon Unlocked: USB Blade – Plug Into Fate
+Karma +25
+Reputation Gained: "That Weird Guy Who Fainted" (School-wide)]
"Great," Ryuu groaned. "So I'm a hero and a meme."
The newly materialized weapon glitched into view on his bed—an old 8GB USB drive, sleek and obsidian black. He picked it up.
"…This is a joke, right?"
[USB Blade – Plug Into Fate]
Type: Spirit-Bound Weapon
Functions: Purify Low-Level Karmic Entities, Store Memories, Stab Evil
Durability: 100/100
Upgrade Potential: Unknown]
"System, be honest. Did you pull this from a bargain bin?"
[Correction: This model was retrieved from the 2008 Internet Archive of Destiny.]
"…That's not comforting."
He sighed and laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan spinning like the thoughts in his head.
Today, he'd fought a demon. Not in a dungeon, not in a VR sim—but in actual, messy, daylight school reality.
And he hadn't run.
[Body Refinement Tier: 39% Synced]
[Emotionally Motivated Bonus Applied]
[Spirit Core Shard: Absorbed into Dantian. Pathway Strengthened.]
His limbs still hurt, but deep inside, something clicked. A gear turning for the first time in years.
Then the lights in his room flickered.
[WARNING: SIGNAL BREACH DETECTED]
Source: Unknown Glitched Zone… Coordinates: Dorm Network Node]
"What now…?"
The screen pulsed once more.
[Initiating Tutorial Dungeon: Glitch Cavern…]
[System Note: You weren't supposed to unlock this yet.]
The room pixelated.
Ryuu barely had time to curse before gravity glitched sideways and sucked him into a blue-tinted digital void.