The next morning, Veridian Academy looked exactly the same, yet felt entirely different. The familiar grey stone buildings, the well trimmed lawns, and the streams of students in their crisp uniforms were no longer just a backdrop to Kaelen's regular existence. Now, he saw them as a landscape of opportunity, a vast hunting ground for Rage Points. Every scowl, every frustrated sigh, every angry whisper was a potential treasure waiting to be collected. He walked through the main gates with a newfound confidence, the golden system panel hovering in his mind's eye, displaying his current balance: 80 RP. He was so close to his first spin.
His target for the day was Brayden Rourke. Brayden was the classic school bully, he was built with muscle and arrogance. He was two years older than Kaelen, with a square jaw and arms that strained the seams of his school uniform. He moved through the halls with an entourage of smaller, submissive followers, his presence sucking the air out of every room he entered. Brayden wasn't just a bully; he was an artist of irritation, a master of making others feel small. And for that very reason, he was a potential goldmine of RP.
Kaelen knew that provoking him directly was risky. Brayden had a notoriously short fuse and fists like hammers. Kaelen's strategy had to be subtle, a quiet poke rather than a direct punch. He needed to plant a seed of frustration and let it bloom on its own.
He found his chance just before the first bell. Brayden and his crew were holding court by the lockers, laughing loudly as one of his friends, a wiry boy named Leo, recounted a story. Brayden, clearly the center of his own universe, was leaning against a locker, flexing his bicep for no apparent reason other than to admire it himself.
Kaelen took a deep breath. His heart was hammering against his ribs. This was it. The first real test. He clutched his books to his chest and began walking towards the group, pretending to be distracted, looking for a book in his bag. He angled his path so he would have to pass right in front of Brayden.
"And then, you won't believe what he did," Leo was saying, his voice full of admiration.
"Of course I believe it," Brayden scoffed, puffing out his chest. "When you've got the strength, you make the rules. It's all about power."
Kaelen "accidentally" stumbled, bumping lightly against Brayden's arm. It was barely a touch, but it was enough to interrupt the bully's monologue.
Brayden shoved him back, not with real force, but with pure annoyance. "Hey! Watch where you're going, runt."
Kaelen looked up, his face a carefully constructed mask of innocence and surprise. He looked from Brayden's angry face down to his flexed arm and then back up again. He let a small, thoughtful frown cross his lips, as if he were genuinely pondering a deep philosophical question.
"Sorry about that," Kaelen said, his voice just loud enough for the group to hear. "I was just thinking… it's amazing how some people's muscles have to work so hard compensating for their tiny brains."
He said it quietly, almost to himself, as if it were an observation he hadn't meant to say out loud. He immediately looked down, pretending to be embarrassed by his slip-up.
Silence.
The air grew thick and heavy. Leo's jaw hung open. Brayden's other friends froze, their eyes darting between Kaelen and their leader. Brayden's face, which had been smug and arrogant, began to transform. A slow, creeping red blush started at his neck and climbed all the way to his hairline. His eyes narrowed into furious slits. He had been insulted, not with a direct challenge, but with a subtle, clever jab that questioned his intelligence in front of his followers. It was the one thing his muscles couldn't protect him from.
Kaelen kept his eyes down, bracing for the inevitable punch. But instead of a fist, he was rewarded with the most beautiful sound he had ever heard—a series of silent, golden chimes in his mind.
[+150 RP gained from Brayden Rourke's intense frustration and humiliation!]
A massive wave of pure elation washed over him, completely erasing his fear. It had worked. It had worked better than he could have ever imagined.
Rage Points: 230 RP
He had more than enough for a spin. He had enough for two.
"What did you just say?" Brayden growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Kaelen finally looked up, his eyes wide. "Nothing! I swear, it just slipped out. I was thinking about a documentary I watched. Sorry." He gave a panicked little bow and ran away before Brayden's brain could fully process the insult and decide on a physical response. He could feel the bully's furious gaze burning into his back as he disappeared into the crowded hallway.
He spent the rest of the morning in a daze, his mind buzzing. He couldn't focus on history or math. All he could think about was the lottery. As soon as the lunch bell rang, he skipped the cafeteria and headed straight for the one place he knew would be empty: the old, disused section of the library.
He found a dusty corner between shelves of forgotten books and summoned the system panel. Its golden glow seemed brighter now, more welcoming. His 230 RP balance shone like a badge of honor. He navigated to the Lottery screen. The ornate wheel appeared; its surface covered in glowing symbols representing different categories: abilities, items, resources, and even plain old duds.
His finger hovered over the [Spin - 100 RP] button. His breath caught in his throat. This single action could set the course for his future. With a final, decisive tap, he pressed the button.
[-100 RP]
The wheel erupted in a silent explosion of golden light. It began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster until the symbols blurred into a continuous ribbon of color. A small, white needle at the top remained stationary as the wheel spun wildly beneath it. Kaelen watched, mesmerized, his heart pounding in time with the flashing lights. The wheel gradually began to slow, the individual symbols becoming clear once more. Click. Click. Click. It passed a glowing sword, a stack of gold coins, a crackling ball of energy. Kaelen held his breath as it ticked past a dreaded grey skull symbol—a bust. Finally, with one last, agonizingly slow click, the wheel came to a stop. The needle was pointing at a small, simple icon of a potion bottle.
A notification filled the screen.
[Congratulations! You have won: Minor Focus Elixir (Item)]
[Description: A simple alchemical potion that temporarily enhances the user's mental concentration and clarity for one hour. Perfect for studying or complex tasks.]
A focus elixir? Kaelen felt a pang of disappointment. He had been dreaming of a legendary weapon or a secret cultivation technique. A potion that helped with homework felt… anticlimactic. It was a "minor" item, after all. Still, it was his. It was the first thing he had ever earned from the system. An image of the small, corked vial appeared on his screen, with a button beneath it that said [Withdraw]. He knew better than to make it appear in the middle of the library. He would wait until he was home.
Just as he was about to close the panel, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was a call from his little sister, Mira. He answered, a smile on his face.
"Hey, Mira. Is everything okay?"
"Kaelen!" her voice chirped from the other end. "Mom packed me a juice box, but she packed the apple one. Not the berry one."
Kaelen sighed. This was a common lunchtime crisis. "Okay? So, drink the apple one."
"But I don't like the apple one today. I wanted the berry one. Did you bring your snack today? Mom packed you those little chocolate cookies. Can I have them? Please? I'm at a lunch table with Chloe and she has berry juice and chocolate cookies and I only have stupid apple juice."
Her voice was a perfect blend of childish desperation and strategic complaining. It was so transparently manipulative, yet utterly harmless. He pictured her pouting at the lunch table, her world momentarily ruined by the wrong flavor of juice.
"Mira, I'm at school. You're at your school. I can't give you my cookies," he said patiently.
"But it's not fair!" she whined, her voice rising in pitch. "You always get the good snacks!"
And right on cue, the little golden notification popped up in the corner of his vision.
[+30 RP gained from Mira Thorne's snack-related frustration!]
Kaelen's smile widened into a grin. "Tell you what," he said, feeling generous. "If you can survive the apple juice today, I'll save you one of my cookies for when I get home."
"Just one?" she grumbled, but he could hear the hint of victory in her voice. "Okay. But don't forget!"
She hung up. Kaelen looked at his new balance: 160 RP. He had provoked a bully, won his first prize, and earned points from his sister's lunch crisis, all before noon. The Minor Focus Elixir might not have been a legendary sword, but it was a start. It was proof of concept. He now had a tangible reward for his efforts. He leaned back against the dusty bookshelf, a sense of profound satisfaction washing over him. The waters had been tested, and he was ready to dive in headfirst.