Who Is Fallon?

The Monday after the disciplinary committee adjourned, X sat in the classroom before morning assembly and took stock of his situation.

So only my brain's still alive. Fresh as can be, too.

A sigh slipped out before he could stop it. Then again, looking at it the other way, he supposed he should be grateful he had even that much left.

The status window's acting weird, too.

No number appeared. It was as if the thing were still calculating — nothing but a string of dots, flickering like a loading screen.

Did Elysia pull something?

Questions crowded in, but there was no chance she would have the answers. He ran through every theory he could think of. None of them held water.

Can't get any information. This is infuriating.

Infuriating or not, he had no other options. All he could do was sigh and try not to dwell on it. What mattered now was what came next.

Villain Number One should be making his move soon. What was that guy's name again... Fallon, was it?

In the original novel, Fallon and Leon clashed before long. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The exact date had never been mentioned, so X had no idea when it would happen — one of the sloppier holes in the original setting.

Hero Leon's awakening event...

This one mattered more than most. It was the incident in which Leon — the only person capable of stopping the ruin that was coming — first awakened to how special he truly was. Fortunately, there was no part in it for X to play. Leon simply realized his own power through a fight with a villain; left alone, the scene would run itself.

Assuming Elysia doesn't interfere, that is.

For now, he would focus on growing stronger. He was still turning over how to go about it when morning assembly began and Roxwell walked in.

Same as last week. He said only what was required, showed the students no particular interest, and walked straight back out.

...So nothing's really changed.

There had been a stir when Roxwell collapsed unconscious, but he had gotten back on his feet and returned to work soon enough, so it hadn't become a real problem. The problem, if there was one, was how he treated X.

Who the hell are you?

Roxwell had lost every memory of him.

Circe's the same, I bet.

The outlook was bleak. She might have been his only real ally. That brief flicker of hope had gone out as if it had never existed. Who would have guessed she'd go rummaging through his notebook? That wasn't her personality — not no matter how he turned it over.

...It changed because of me. That's what intervening got me.

She was the sort who wouldn't offer a sincere apology to anyone except the Hero. And she had apologized to Lola. From that moment on, she was already a different person. A clear miss. A painful blunder. There was no telling what kind of current this incident would set in motion. The list of things he had to worry about had just gotten longer.

In the end, all he had to show for it was 16,100 Editing Points.

What I need to do with these is obvious.

Dumping them into Vitality, Intelligence, and Agility would set off explosive growth. By any common-sense measure, that was the right call.

But the stats that don't grow on their own...

Magic Power, Luck, Charm. The prices on those were downright obscene. They were also stats he couldn't afford to ignore.

No point saving them. I have to survive right now.

And so, during the break, he secretly purchased Magic Power and Luck. Five thousand points each. A total expenditure of 10,000... or so he thought. Nine thousand disappeared.

"...Ah."

So that was what it meant. You could only buy up to 1.0. He'd already had 0.1, so it had refunded him the difference.

"The explanations are ridiculously unhelpful.... Oh?"

He could feel magic power stirring to life in his body. At this level, he was certain he could cast 1st-Circle magic without any trouble. The improvement wasn't theoretical — he could feel it in his bones.

I should really study how stat increases translate into actual effects at some point...

He turned the other stats over in his mind.

Charm, Vitality, Agility... I can buy all of them. I can push every last one to 1.0.

Having tasted growth once, he found himself greedy for more. He could afford the lot — but there was no telling what might happen later, and that made it hard to commit. The hesitation didn't last long.

Now I actually feel like a human being.

With that thought, he headed out to the field for physical training. A ripple of confusion passed through the students who looked his way.

"Was that kid always in our class? I don't think I've seen him before..."

"Isn't that the Screaming Herb? The vibe's similar..."

"For real? Why does he look so... normal?"

So the Charm stat affected how people perceived him. The students accepted his changed appearance without a second thought. No risk of catching a penalty for it, either.

Not getting winded just from walking. I'll take it.

He could feel that his body had improved as well. At this level, he could handle intense exercise. He was still taking inventory of himself when class began and Roxwell appeared.

Roxwell only ever assigned self-study anyway. Which meant X was free to—

"X. Get up here."

"...What?"

Roxwell had called him forward. No idea why. Puzzled, X approached. Roxwell shook his tied-back long hair, clicked his tongue, and let out a sigh.

"Starting today, you're training with me. One-on-one."

"Pardon?"

"I've gotta make your grades number one."

Roxwell clicked his tongue again and drew a sparring blade in the same motion.

"If you want a reason, go ask the old me."

The words were barely out of his mouth before he lunged, sword already in motion.

You've got to be kidding—!

Fast. Sharp. The blade's path was aimed unmistakably at his vital points. Practice sword or not, taking a hit would be ugly.

Clang—!

He drew Lung's sword on instinct and caught the blow. He hadn't brought a training blade because he hadn't expected to spar. And then something strange.

The sword is heavy! Way heavier than before...!

Lung's sword felt bizarrely weighty. He'd been pleased that his body had gotten stronger — but he still couldn't stop Roxwell's blade. A fierce, rough power pressed in on him, fast and relentless.

"Do me a favor and try to last. Got it?"

There was no time to answer. The sword came swinging again.

"Okay, that's just pitiful..."

"He's been getting beaten on for thirty minutes already..."

"Wait. Maybe he wasn't a Screaming Herb. Maybe he was just a weed."

Someone had meant it as a joke. Nobody laughed. X's current state was that wretched.

"Ghhk—!"

"The hell are you sprawled out for? Nothing's broken. You think I'd make a mistake like that?"

"N-no, sir..."

"Then get up. For crying out loud... why the hell did he tell me to raise a brat like this."

"Raise me...? What is that supposed to mean?"

X shot the question back at a remark that made no sense. Roxwell sighed, turned it over, and tossed the words out like they were nothing.

"...You don't need to know."

"I'm the one getting hit, though?"

X gripped his sword and pushed himself up on shaking legs. He was still turning Roxwell's reaction over when the meaning of something the man had said the day before finally clicked.

So THIS is what he meant by trusting him...!

Cornered like this, he would grow — that much was certain. As long as he couldn't raise his abilities through the status window, this was the only method left.

But is this actually working...?

He was still floundering in the pain when the status window, with spectacularly poor timing, bloomed in front of his eyes.

...Okay. So this actually works.

X crumpled. Roxwell stood over him. The bell rang, mercifully, to end the class. Roxwell looked down at him and spoke.

"Starting today, you're under intensive supervision."

"In-intensive supervision?"

"Show up in your gym clothes two hours before morning assembly. When class ends, come back to the classroom and wait. We'll do two extra hours of training."

"F-four extra hours a day?"

"Got a problem with that?"

Yes. Many. A whole list.

"I-I'll be in your care..."

He surrendered to the status window floating in front of him with such infuriating timing. It would be hard. It would be miserable. He still needed the stat gains.

And so X's infernal training began.

After the disciplinary committee, the attitudes of students and professors alike had shifted in no uncertain terms.

The students no longer laughed at X. They simply steered clear of him. It was all thanks to the absurd misunderstanding that he had been willing to kill his opponent in a duel even at the cost of Rebound — and he had no opportunity to clear it up.

"Looks like everyone's finally starting to see a commoner's worth. Hmph. Far too late, though. This commoner already pledged himself as my servant, after all."

"I never did any such thing."

Somewhere in there, his title had been upgraded from peasant to commoner. The sudden promotion left him with a peculiar feeling.

"You say that, but you threw yourself in harm's way to protect me, didn't you? If that isn't pledging yourself as my servant, then what is?"

"Give me strength..."

Lola was the only one whose attitude hadn't changed. If anything, she'd gotten haughtier — or perhaps just more sure of herself. She puffed up with pride on his behalf at the way the other students treated him now, which meant the embarrassment was all X's to bear.

The professors' attitudes had shifted considerably as well, splitting more or less into a camp that supported him and a camp that despised him. The supporters' reasons were unexpectedly human.

"Oh my, so you're Student X."

"Ah — yes..."

"I heard you got the class-attitude grading system abolished. Honestly, having to score every student's 'attitude' was exhausting. Give them a slightly low mark and they'd come complaining, you know."

Reasons of that thoroughly earthly variety. The haters' reasons were clearer. Most of them were professors who had been running a seat-trading racket and were sour about the lost income now that they couldn't. The other common complaint was that an incompetent student like X tarnished the Academy's prestige — and Hans, the professor of Protego Swordsmanship, had hated X for exactly that reason. He had sworn to himself that he would be even harsher the moment X stepped into his class.

And then.

"...You all right, student?"

"I'm fine — I'm fine.... Cough..."

X's condition was wretched enough to break even Hans, who had sworn the oath more firmly than anyone. There was not a single unswollen patch on his face or anywhere else on his body. He used his sword as a cane just to walk. He looked like a defeated soldier who had rolled across a battlefield and barely crawled out alive.

"...If it's too much, you can rest."

"No, sir.... I have to take this class..."

"Why?"

"If I skip.... He said he'd break me..."

"Who?"

"Professor Roxwell..."

"..."

It was a humbling thing to admit, but Roxwell was a powerhouse Hans himself could not defeat. Hans was 5-Star now; Roxwell was a 6-Star martial artist — and rumor had it he was knocking on the door of 7-Star. All Hans could do was offer an awkward bit of encouragement.

"Hang in there. I'll go as easy on you as I can."

"Thank you, sir..."

Most of the faculty had a similar reaction. The combat professors in particular felt a very human pity at the news that X had been marked by Roxwell. Nobody could put a stop to one of Roxwell's rampages except the Headmaster, someone at the Chairman's level, or Professor Lung. In this world, strength was absolute power.

A few professors even found themselves quietly impressed that X still dragged that wrecked body of his into class and tried to learn.

That's the Charm effect too, isn't it.

The magic professors' interest, in particular, ran hot. They were fascinated by the speed of X's growth — how a 1st-Circle mage had used 3rd-Circle magic to defeat a 4th-Circle, and how he had endured the Rebound. Curiosity and unanswered questions had piled up in equal measure. Thanks to that, his classes went reasonably well.

However.

"Student X. You're going to be my teaching assistant, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry!"

"And you can't even run away~"

"Please spare me!"

Maria's obsession had only grown stronger. X had been worried Circe might cause another incident, but—

"..."

Unexpectedly, she was quiet. Lately she spent long stretches staring into empty air, lost in thought.

What's she thinking about...? The gaps in her memory?

X knew that look. It meant she was in the middle of some enormous calculation. He had no way of knowing what the calculation actually was, which left him with nothing but unease. Maria noticed him watching Circe and answered the question he hadn't asked.

"Is it because Student Circe became my teaching assistant?"

"Huh? She did?"

"She applied first, you see. I did accept her, though. Why not use this chance to make up? Or shall I arrange a meeting so you two can reconcile?"

"No — that's quite all right...!"

There had been a few twists and turns, but it had landed where the original novel said it would. Circe's power-up shouldn't be a problem now. Relieved, X finally managed to wriggle free of Maria's clutches.

"..."

He did not notice Circe watching his retreating back with a strange look in her eyes.

"Hmm. A mind method of the original lineage, just as I thought."

"Sir?"

The unexpected remark came during Introduction to Mind Methods. Lung studied X's technique with genuine interest.

"Your internal energy, I mean. It's accumulating in your dantian."

"...Ah!"

The implications of that were considerable. Lung took X's hand and examined his meridians.

"So you've entered the third-rate already. Fast."

"Th-thank you, sir."

"But an external force has intervened. That is not good."

"Sir? What do you mean by—"

"It means your essence, your qi, and your spirit are each going their own way. You have not accumulated your power properly."

X flinched. The status window flashed through his mind.

How did he even... Is this what an 8-Star martial artist looks like?

Lung's gaze sharpened on him.

"I understand the desire to walk an unorthodox path. When I first saw you, you were weaker than anyone — so your hunger for strength would have been greater than anyone's, too."

The rebuke made X's head drop of its own accord. Lung sighed and went on.

"The sword I gave you. Does it not feel heavy when you swing it?"

"...Yes, sir. It does. My strength clearly increased, but the sword got heavier instead."

"That is what it means to be 'a sword forged for the purpose of cultivation.' The further your essence, qi, and spirit drift apart, the heavier that blade becomes."

"Th-that's what it was?"

Which meant the more he raised his stats through the status window from here on, the heavier it would get. He couldn't throw the sword away, either. It was proof of the bond he had formed with an overwhelming powerhouse like Lung — and, more than that, a precious gift from his benefactor.

Lung's voice turned stern.

"It is not too late. From now on, accumulate your power the proper way. For the present, I shall perform an adjustment."

"Sir? An adjustment?"

"It may hurt. Endure it."

Something seeped out of Lung's hands without warning. A burning agony raced along X's nerves.

"...!!"

"Oh, you bear it rather well. Indeed — a man ought to endure at least this much pain."

It simply hurt too much to scream. It felt as if his whole body were being branded with heated iron, as if red-hot needles were being driven under every fingernail. His face twisted with the pain; veins stood out along his throat in angry ridges. It was his body screaming for survival. Even watching from the side was enough to make the other students ache. They looked at X with pity. Lung simply did what he had set out to do.

"...!! ...!! ...!!"

"Not much longer. Hold on like this for another thirty minutes."

"...!!"

"This is what comes of taking power through unorthodox means. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

X swore to himself, then and there, that he would never raise his stats through the status window again.

And so passed a week in hell.

It actually works.... Why did Magic Power go up, though?

Probably from gathering internal energy in his dantian through the Samjae Mind Method. An unexpected side effect — and thanks to the pain that had come with it, he had walked away with the biggest prize of all.

I can use magic power and internal energy at the same time.

He could feel it: the proof of rank carved into his mind, a ring of magic power. One ring. He was still 1st-Circle. The size of his dantian was third-rate. There was no exact comparison, but if he had to put a number on it, 1-Star.

1st-Circle and 1-Star.

Even that was more than he had any right to. A clear path, wide open. With the professors' help, he would be able to grow even faster.

But.

But this week has gotten far too busy...

On weekdays, the barely-disguised beatings that Roxwell called sparring left nothing of his body intact. On weekends, he had to study on his own to prove his academic standing and catch up on overdue assignments.

Any more than this and I'll actually work myself to death!

According to the status window, this was the right call. It just wasn't a life a human being could live.

And while we're at it — when is the Fallon episode supposed to start?

Today, as always, he endured Roxwell's beating and dragged himself to Professor Hans's class. The lesson proceeded without incident, and the period was nearly over.

"Good. That's all for today. Use the remaining time for personal training or free sparring."

And so X was swinging his sword alone when it happened.

The status window appeared out of nowhere. The notice that came with it sent X's dread spiking to the limit.

The scenario's being changed? What is that supposed to mean?

There was no way to know exactly what had been altered. Anxiety prickled through his skull, but he forced himself to stay calm.

Assess the situation first.

X tensed and waited for something to change. He steeled himself not to flinch no matter what kind of chaos the status window decided to throw at him. But time passed, and nothing happened. Instead, he felt a wrongness he couldn't name.

...What is this. Something's missing.

It didn't take long to figure out what that wrongness was.

No. No way... She wouldn't have done something that insane—!

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

X turned to Hans at once.

"Professor — did a student named Fallon not come to class today?"

Fallon took this class. X had been attending it for some time already, quietly tracking Fallon's movements the entire while. And Fallon was nowhere to be seen. He might have stepped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out to the restroom — but X could not afford to be that careless.

Hans looked puzzled by the question.

The meaning of that answer was unmistakable.

Fallon was gone.

Which meant Leon's growth event would never happen.