The Outer Disciple dorms smelled like a gym locker room that hadn't been cleaned since the previous dynasty.
I slipped through the door of Room 47, my heart finally slowing down from the wolf encounter. The room was a cramped box. Four straw mats, a leaky roof dripping into a cracked bucket, and the overwhelming scent of unwashed robes and cheap sandalwood incense.
Home sweet home.
My roommates were already there.
Wang Jun was doing push-ups in the center of the room, grunting with every rep. He was the type of guy who made sure everyone knew he was working out.
Chen Hao sat in the corner, reading a scroll. He didn't look up.
I walked to my mat in the far corner—the one with the darkest shadows—and sat down. Neither of them acknowledged me.
Perfect.
"System," I whispered, barely moving my lips. "Explain yourself. What exactly are you?"
The blue text materialized in my retina, hovering over the water bucket.
[I am a localized data processing unit. I provide information you could have known but missed or ignored.]
"So you're not omniscient? You don't know the future?"
[Correct. I have access to data your sensory organs encountered but your conscious mind failed to process. I notice patterns you overlooked.]
"Like a perfect memory assistant?"
[Essentially. I am the background process running while your main application is distracted.]
I rubbed my chin. In my old job, I was the guy who scanned the error logs nobody else read. I could work with this.
"Okay. You mentioned a 'Background Character Cultivation Method' earlier. Show me."
A new window popped up. It looked less like a mystical scripture and more like a software patch note.
[BACKGROUND CHARACTER CULTIVATION METHOD UNLOCKED]
[Principle: Cultivation requires Heaven's attention (Qi). 99.9% of cultivators attempt to grab this attention through force of will.]
[They scream at the universe: "LOOK AT ME!"]
[This creates resistance. The universe does not like being screamed at.]
I blinked. "So standard cultivation is just... annoying the universe?"
[Correct. Your method is different. You will become so unremarkable that Qi flows THROUGH you naturally, like water filling an empty cup.]
"I cultivate by being a void?"
[Poetically inaccurate, but functionally correct.]
[Hidden Influence Multiplier: Active.][Formula: Speed = Base Rate × (1 + Hidden Influence Factor)]
"Hidden influence?" I asked. "Like doing things secretly?"
[Correct. The more you affect the world without recognition, the faster you grow. If your impact exceeds your reputation, the universe balances the equation with Qi.]
I leaned my head back against the damp wall.
In my past life, I fixed the CEO's email server five minutes before a shareholder meeting. He took the credit. I got a nod from the secretary.
Here? That same dynamic would make me a god.
"Wait," I whispered. "If this method is so good, why doesn't everyone use it?"
[System Scan: Ego Detection.]
[Result: PASS.]
[Most cultivators secretly believe they are the protagonist. They say they want to hide, but deep down, they want to be found. The method detects this vanity and fails.]
[You, Host, possess authentic self-awareness. You genuinely believe you are ordinary.]
"That's..." I paused. "That's not a compliment."
[It is a qualification. Your lack of ego is your greatest asset. Impostor syndrome is now a feature, not a bug.]
"Hey!"
Wang Jun's voice boomed through the small room. He jumped up from his push-ups, sweat glistening on his forehead.
"I feel it! The Qi is surging!" He flexed a bicep that was arguably average. "I'll reach Layer 5 by next month! Then, the Inner Disciple exam!"
Chen Hao turned a page of his scroll without looking up. "That's ambitious."
"Ambition separates protagonists from extras!" Wang Jun pointed a finger at the ceiling. "I am destined for the peak!"
I watched him from the shadows.
Buddy, you're an extra too. You just don't realize it yet.
"Good luck," I said.
My voice was flat. Monotone. The voice of a man who just wants the ticket closed so he can go to lunch.
Wang Jun grinned, not hearing the dryness in my tone. "Thanks! At least someone supports me!"
Chen Hao finally looked up. He glanced at Wang Jun, then his eyes slid to me. He held my gaze for a second longer than usual.
He sounds... tired of life, Chen Hao's expression seemed to say.
I looked away immediately. Eye contact attracts attention.
Time to test this system.
I crossed my legs into the lotus position. Standard cultivation manuals told you to visualize a burning sun, or a roaring dragon, or a sharp sword. You had to pull the energy in.
Be unremarkable, the System had said. Be furniture.
I closed my eyes.
I didn't think about dragons.
I thought about filing cabinets.
I visualized a beige room. No windows. Fluorescent lights humming. I imagined I was a stapler sitting on a desk. Just sitting there. Doing nothing. Expecting nothing.
I am not a hero. I am not a villain. I am office supply inventory #402.
A sensation washed over me.
It wasn't the violent rush of heat described in novels. It felt like cool water trickling down a dry throat. It was gentle. Silent.
It felt like relief.
[Qi Absorption Efficiency: +200%]
[Stealth Mode: Active. No spiritual fluctuations detected in the room.]
I peeked one eye open. Wang Jun was back to grunting, straining to force Qi into his meridians. His face was red. He looked like he was constipated.
Meanwhile, I was thinking about tax forms, and the energy was pouring into me.
This is the weirdest power fantasy ever, I thought. Instead of battle meditation, I'm doing middle-management dissociation.
I closed my eyes again.
The night deepened. The rain outside turned into a steady drumbeat against the roof. Wang Jun eventually collapsed on his mat, snoring like a chainsaw. Chen Hao blew out the candle.
Darkness filled Room 47.
I kept "filing" in my mind. Organizing imaginary spreadsheets. Categorizing data.
Row 4, Column B. Sum equals zero. Format cells.
The Qi flow increased. It loved the boredom. It loved the lack of resistance.
Hours passed.
Suddenly, a chime rang in my skull—sharp and clear, like a microwave finishing its cycle.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Background Character Achievement Unlocked: "Unnoticed for 24 Hours"]
[Reward: +1 Cultivation Layer]
A surge of power exploded in my chest. It wasn't gentle this time. It was a solid thump of energy, expanding my meridians, clearing out the sludge, and settling into my dantian with a heavy, metallic weight.
Layer 3... gone.
Layer 4... established.
My eyes snapped open. I sat bolt upright, gasping.
"IT ACTUALLY WORKS?!" I shouted.
The silence of the room shattered.
"SHUT UP!" Wang Jun groaned from his mat, kicking the wall. "It's midnight, you trash! Some of us are actually training tomorrow!"
I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs.
I slapped a hand over my mouth, sinking back down into the shadows.
"Sorry," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Sorry. Background characters should be quiet."
[Correct,] the System text floated in the dark, glowing with smug blue light. [Please be silent.]
This System is sassy, I thought, pulling the scratchy blanket over my head.
But under the blanket, I clenched my fist. I could feel the new strength coursing through my arm. It was real.
I was a nobody. And I was going to be the strongest nobody who ever lived.