Haruto stared at the door for a few seconds, the rhythmic knocking echoing softly in the dark room. He had absolutely zero desire to talk to anyone right now. Moving like a ghost, he walked back to his bed, slipped under the covers, and closed his eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.
The knocking continued for a while, persistent and worried. Finally, after a long silence, the lock clicked. The door slowly creaked open, and a sliver of light from the hallway cut across the dark floor.
Toya, Ivory, Bellona, and Asobi quietly stepped into the room, trying to keep their footsteps muffled. Aetherna stirred slightly in her chair but remained asleep. They all gathered around Haruto's bed, looking down at his still form.
"See? I told you so," Toya whispered, shaking his head casually as he crossed his arms. "We just had a misunderstanding. He's completely out cold. The guy fought a literal war today; let him sleep."
Ivory stepped closer, her sharp eyes scanning Haruto's covered frame. "I was certain I felt a shift in the room's energy data just a minute ago. My sensors detected a brief spike in movement."
"Well, I felt something shift too," Asobi chimed in, tossing her hair with a slight pout, though she quickly waved her hand dismissively. "But whatever, let's leave him be. More importantly, you guys need to stop cutting your stories in half! You always drag me away before the good part. Come on, go back to the beginning and tell me exactly what happened during the final frame of the Kings Duel!"
The group turned around quietly. Shushing each other in hushed whispers, Toya, Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra tiptoed out of the bedroom, gently closing the heavy wooden door behind them to leave Haruto to his rest.
Left entirely alone in the quiet dark, Haruto lay motionless beneath the sheets. The distant, muffled voices of his friends faded down the hallway, leaving only the sound of his own slow breathing. With the crushing weight of the emptiness locking down his chest, he finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless slumber.
The next morning, the bright rays of the early sun pierced through the large glass windows, illuminating the room.
Haruto's eyes fluttered open. He sat up slowly, looking around. The room was completely empty. Aetherna had already stepped out, and the quiet layout of his mansion felt larger and colder than usual. He remained frozen on the edge of his bed, his legs dangling over the side, completely paralyzed by a strange, heavy hesitation.
A wave of severe anxiety—devoid of any real heat or emotion, just a cold, logical panic—washed over his mind.
How am I supposed to walk out there and look them in the eye? he thought, his jaw clenching in total silence. I can't even speak to them. I can't smile, I can't laugh, and I can't feel a single thing. What the hell is happening to me? What did that God of Nothingness actually do to my body?
He gripped the edge of the mattress, staring blankly at the floor as the reality of his glitching, dual-core body began to set the parameters for a terrifyingly unpredictable new chapter.
Before Haruto could fully sink into his thoughts, the bedroom door swung wide open. Aetherna bounded into the room, her eyes bright and a playful grin plastered across her face.
"Ah! Caught you red-handed! Good morning, Papa!" she cheered, her voice bursting with a morning energy that felt completely foreign to the heavy silence in the room.
Haruto slowly turned his head to look at her. He wanted to return the greeting, to smile, or to give her his usual dry response, but his throat remained tightly locked. Not a single sound came out. Seeing her waiting for an answer, and desperately wanting to ensure she didn't feel hurt or ignored, he simply gave her a slow, mechanical nod.
Aetherna blinked, her cheerful smile faltering slightly as she crossed her arms. "Uh, hello? What's with the silent treatment? I literally just said good morning to you."
Haruto couldn't explain the missing files in his throat. He just looked at her with his mismatched eyes and gave another heavy, silent nod, hoping it would be enough.
"Wow, okay," Aetherna huffed, throwing her hands up in mock annoyance. "I was actually about to tell you something incredibly important that happened downstairs, but forget it! I'm not telling you anything now. Look at you, getting a victory yesterday and immediately waking up with a massive attitude!"
Haruto frantically gave a firm nod, trying to show he didn't mean it that way, but his frozen expression didn't change a bit.
"Hmph! I'm leaving!" Aetherna turned on her heel and marched right out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Haruto sat entirely still on the edge of his bed, staring at the closed door. His mind logically understood that he should probably feel guilty, or sad that he had just upset his companion. But as he searched deep inside his chest, there was absolutely nothing there.
He didn't feel bad. He didn't feel worried. The emotional void left behind by the cosmic entities was absolute, leaving him trapped in a terrifyingly blank space where even guilt couldn't touch him.
This isn't a power, he thought, a cold realization settling into his mind. This is a curse. He walked back to the bathroom mirror, looking at the strangers' features forced onto his skin. He hated the white strands cutting through his dark hair. He absolutely despised the piercing red eye staring back at him. What was all of this? Why did his life always have to twist into some unplayable glitch game?
With a heavy, silent sigh, he picked up his acvademy clothes. He carefully dressed himself, taking a deep breath as he resolved to go downstairs and just force himself to act normal. If he couldn't speak or feel, he would just fake the motions until the system stabilized.
But the moment he stepped out of his room, a bizarre sensation washed over his consciousness.
Everything around him felt intensely magnified. As he walked down the corridors, he realized he wasn't just looking at the world anymore—he was hyper-observing it. He could see the microscopic dust motes dancing in the morning light, hear the faint rustle of leaves outside from hundreds of yards away, and perfectly calculate the distance of every object in his path down to the millimeter.
Suddenly, his mind clicked, analyzing its own internal data structures. He realized exactly what the dual divine cores had done to his brain logic.
Before the duel, a massive chunk of his daily processing power and energy had been constantly drained by speaking, reacting, and managing human emotions. But now that his voice was locked and his emotions were completely wiped out, that wasted energy had nowhere to go. His brain had automatically rerouted all of that massive, leftover power directly into his cognitive centers.
He wasn't broken; his mind had just evolved into a flawless, hyper-efficient machine of pure observation. Every bit of energy he used to waste on feeling was now being used to analyze reality with terrifying precision.
Haruto walked downstairs into the dining area. Everyone was gathered around the table, casually eating breakfast just like any normal morning. The moment his boots clicked against the floorboards, the whole room lit up. Toya, Lustra, and Bellona beamed, genuinely relieved to see him up and moving after the nightmare on the track.
The only exception was Aetherna, who stood off to the side next to Rutherford, crossing her arms and crossing her legs with a dramatic pout on her face, still stubborn about the morning's silent encounter.
"Hey! Good morning! How are you holding up?" Toya called out, waving a piece of bread. The others chimed in, asking if his body felt alright and offering him a plate.
Haruto didn't say a word. He simply gave the table a single, calculated nod, sat down at his usual spot, and quietly began eating his food. Seeing him act so grounded, the initial tension in the room dissolved, and the companions went back to their breakfast chatter, assuming he was just exhausted.
After a few minutes of quiet eating, Ivory laid down her utensils. She leaned forward, her sharp analytical eyes locking onto the new white strands in his hair. "Haruto... after you drifted off yesterday, the God of Nothingness spoke with us. She confirmed that she has officially integrated her source code into your vessel, choosing you as her reincarnation alongside the God of Creation."
Haruto didn't blink. He calmly chewed his food and gave her a firm, slow nod.
Ivory frowned slightly, her voice dropping into a softer, worried register. "Are you absolutely sure everything feels stable inside your system? No data corruption or weird sensory feedback?"
Again, Haruto just gave a simple nod, keeping his face perfectly expressionless.
Finishing his breakfast down to the last bite, Haruto pushed his chair back and stood up. The rest of the faction immediately stood up with him, ready to move out. His hyper-observant eyes quickly mapped their coordinates and clothes—everyone was already fully dressed and geared up for the day.
Without waiting for a prompt, Haruto turned and walked straight out toward the courtyard where the transport cart was parked, the companions falling into formation right behind him.
Sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle was Kobi. The moment he saw Haruto approach, he offered a bright, respectful salute. "Good morning, Captain Haruto!"
Haruto simply gave Kobi a quiet, calculated nod, stepping onto the cart as his hyper-focused mind instantly began mapping out his next moves.
There's absolutely no real need for me to attend the academy anymore, he thought, his mismatched eyes staring blankly at the passing scenery. I'm already far beyond anything they can teach me. But if I want to secure my official graduation license and operate completely freely in this system, I still have to clear the standard two-year curriculum grid. It's a tedious requirement, but necessary.
His brain automatically pulled up the tactical logs from yesterday's duel. A cold, sharp realization hit him.
Wiping away Kallen's physical injuries and setting up that ridiculous scenario with the girly clothes and dressing... What an absolute waste of analytical resources, he criticized himself, his thoughts dripping with robotic, mechanical logic. How completely stupid of me. It didn't optimize my position, nor did it serve any tactical purpose. It was just useless data processing.
But the moment that thought crossed his mind, a sudden glitch of panic sparked in his consciousness.
Wait... what the hell am I even thinking right now? Haruto gripped the edge of his seat, his fingers tightening against the frame. I live my life for the thrill of the game. I exist to beat boredom, to find entertainment, to treat this entire world like a playground. My emotions might be dead on my face, but they shouldn't be dying inside my head! If my mind starts thinking like a cold, heartless machine, then the game is over. What the hell is this dual-core doing to my brain? He stared out into the wind, desperately trying to hold onto his core identity as the cold, calculating logic of the twin gods kept rewriting his thoughts.
Toya, Bellona, and Lustra climbed into the carriage right after him, all dressed in their sharp academy uniforms, and took their seats. Kobi called out from the front, "Alright, everyone, next stop—the academy!" With a slight tug on the reins, the carriage began rolling smoothly down the stone road.
The ride was quiet for a few minutes until Ivory suddenly snapped her fingers, remembering something. "Oh, that's right! Haruto, I completely forgot to mention—your status updated after yesterday's chaos. You've officially leveled up. You're at Level 6 now."
Haruto's eyes widened slightly. He placed a hand against his chest, focusing inward to pull up his personal status display.
Level 6? he thought, completely stunned. How is that even possible? I was barely Level 4 yesterday before the duel. Is the system glitching out? No... wait. It has to be because of the two gods. Having both Creation and Nothingness rooted in my soul must be acting like a permanent double-experience boost, pushing my growth at twice the normal speed. Well, I guess that's one massive perk.
Ivory leaned in closer, studying his completely frozen expression. "Hello? Earth to Haruto? You've been acting like a total ghost since this morning. You just jumped up two whole levels in one go! Aren't you going to say anything? Did you unlock a new skill, or maybe some hidden power? Talk to us!"
Before Haruto could figure out how to respond without a voice, Kobi called back from the driver's seat, his tone turning a bit serious. "Actually, Master Haruto... you might want to keep your guard up today."
That caught everyone's attention. Except for Haruto, who just observed quietly, Toya, Bellona, and Lustra all leaned forward at once. "Why? What's going on, Kobi?" Toya asked.
"Well, word on the street is that a massive surprise is waiting for you at the academy today," Kobi explained with a grin. "And think about it—now that the King has officially declared you're marrying Princess Lilith, you're basically the future ruler of this whole region. Every single girl in the area is going to be eyeing you. Plus, whatever happened to your hair and that red eye... I don't know how you did it, but it looks incredibly cool. You've got power, status, and the right to marry multiple women if you wanted to. Trust me, the girls at the academy are going to target you like crazy today."
Oh, wow, Haruto thought, his analytical mind quickly processing Kobi's words. That actually makes perfect sense. Once the official engagement with Princess Lilith goes through, my position will be locked in. Becoming the future king means inheriting absolute authority over this entire territory. The sheer amount of resources and control I'll have... yeah, that's bound to make this game a whole lot more entertaining. However, as his mind calculated the part about having multiple women chasing after him, a faint glitch of hesitation crossed his thoughts. Though, the whole multiple wives idea still sounds like a massive, exhausting headache.
Before he could even finish the thought, a sudden, familiar resonance echoed inside his mind. Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra linked their thoughts, speaking directly into his head via their telepathic bond.
"Just so you know, Haruto," Ivory's sharp mental voice cut through the silence. "We are fully aware that you aren't exactly thrilled about this forced marriage with Princess Lilith. And given what Kobi just said about the other girls today, we are going to have to be extra vigilant. We're keeping a very close eye on you."
Haruto kept his face completely blank, choosing not to give them a mental reply as the carriage finally began to slow down.
The heavy wheels ground to a halt right in front of the academy's grand entrance. Outside, hundreds of students were already crowding the courtyard, and the moment they recognized Haruto's custom transport, every single head snapped in their direction. The loud chattering of the crowd instantly died down into a sea of intense whispers.
Kobi hopped down from the driver's seat and stepped over
to open the carriage door, revealing Haruto to the entire academy.