Aaryan locked his bedroom door, his breath hitching as the red timer of the Emergency Quest pulsed in his vision. He knew he couldn't protect the school, train his body, and keep his mother from worrying all at once. He was just one boy.
"System," he whispered, "I need to be more than one person. Show me clone magic."
The blue screen flickered, shifting through its vast database of forbidden techniques.
[NOTIFICATION: CLONING MAGIC (LEVEL 1) - COST: 4 SC COINS.] [DESCRIPTION: CREATES A PHYSICAL DOUBLE WITH 50% OF THE USER'S STATS. ALL EXPERIENCE AND MEMORIES ARE MERGED UPON DISSOLUTION.]
"Buy it. Rapidly." Aaryan didn't hesitate. He watched as his SC balance dropped, but something incredible happened in the center of the room. A swirl of blue particles gathered, weaving together like digital fabric until a second Aaryan stood before him.
The clone was perfect. It had his same messy hair, the same tired Class 10 eyes, and the same uniform. 'This is it,' Aaryan thought, his mind sharpening. 'While I sleep, he will work. While I am in class, he will be my shadow.'
He spent the entire night pushing both bodies to the limit. While the original Aaryan engaged in a grueling workout that left his floor soaked in sweat, the clone was sent out into the night. It patrolled the perimeter of AKPS, scouting for terrorist activity, and spent hours in a cyber-cafe learning advanced coding to understand how to bypass the school's security.
[NIGHT TRAINING COMPLETE. TOTAL REWARDS GATHERED: 100 SC COINS.]
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
By morning, Aaryan felt like a different person. The 100 SC coins were a fortune. Following the cold, calculating logic of the Ayanokōji personality, he didn't waste them on flashy tricks. He invested in the fundamentals.
"System, upgrade my Stamina, Strength, and Movement Speed to the maximum allowed for my current level. Also, I need Invisible Magic and a Protection Barrier. I cannot let the world see who is behind the mask."
[PURCHASING ENHANCEMENTS...] [INVISIBILITY ACQUIRED. PROTECTION SHIELD ACTIVE.]
When Aaryan walked into the classroom that morning, he was a ghost. He sat silently at his desk, but his mind was running millions of simulations. He analyzed every entrance, every window, and every possible reaction of his classmates. He was no longer a student; he was a grandmaster at a chessboard.
THE SIEGE OF AKPS
The peace was shattered when the front gates of the school were blown open. Armed men in tactical gear stormed the hallways, their boots thumping like a funeral drum.
Aaryan didn't panic. He stood up, his invisibility cloak wrapping around him like a shroud. He summoned his clone to stand in the corner of the room to distract the gunmen while the real Aaryan moved like a flicker of light.
The terrorists didn't even see what hit them. Aaryan moved between them, his movements efficient and cold. A strike to the throat here, a sweep of the leg there. One by one, the invaders fell in the Class 10 hallway. He moved from room to room, a silent guardian, systematically clearing the school.
[QUEST COMPLETE: SAVIOR OF AKPS. REWARD: 1,000 SC COINS.]
The media erupted. By the time Aaryan made it home, the news was showing blurred footage of the "Invisible God" who had saved the children. But as Aaryan watched the TV, he felt a chill.
On a nearby rooftop in the footage, he saw a figure that shouldn't exist. A being with eyes that glowed like dying stars—a Demon or a God. It was looking directly at the spot where Aaryan had been standing. It knew.
THE UNDERGROUND ARENA
[NEW QUEST: THE PIT OF EVOLUTION.] [OBJECTIVE: WIN THE ILLEGAL BOXING COMPETITION.] [REQUIREMENT: BUY 'AGE-SHIFT' POWER (COST: 50 SC COINS).]
"Why does the System want me to get older?" Aaryan asked. But he knew the answer. A 15-year-old boy couldn't enter a blood-arena.
He accepted the quest and purchased the power. In a millisecond, his bones stretched with an audible crack. His muscles thickened into lean, hard cables. His jawline sharpened, and his voice dropped an octave. He was no longer a student; he was a man in his early twenties.
He left his clone at home to play the part of the "Invisible Boy" and walked into the dark underbelly of the city.
The Illegal Boxing Arena was a pit of sin and violence. The air was thick with the smell of cheap cigars and copper-scented blood. His opponent was a monster of a man—a giant named 'The Crusher' who had hands the size of Aaryan's head.
The bell rang.
Aaryan stepped forward, but his new body felt heavy. Before he could react, The Crusher lunged. A massive fist slammed into Aaryan's ribs. The sound of the impact echoed through the arena.
Aaryan flew backward, hitting the ropes so hard his vision went white. Blood sprayed from his lip, staining the canvas. He tried to stand, but his legs felt like jelly. The crowd was screaming for his death.
'Is this the limit?' Aaryan thought, his eyes blurred with blood as he looked up at the giant looming over him. 'I have the powers... I have the mind... but am I ready for the pain?'
The Crusher raised his fist for the final blow. Aaryan's heart slowed down. He saw the fist coming. He saw the opening.
'To win, I have to give up being human,' Aaryan realized.