A/n: Sorry if its been a while, I was stuck with writer's block and couldn't find the motivation to write this chapter. But I've finally gotten it done, though sorry if its shorter than my usual ones. Hope you enjoy it.
Narrator Pov
Early morning, the sun just starting to rise, the birds sang their songs. Silva was brewing some coffee for herself, yawning softly as she glanced over to the living room, a small smile forming. Y/n had just finished his daily workout, grabbing his towel to dry himself off.
As he did, Silva found herself starring for a second, his lack of a shirt revealed his lean, well-defined muscles. Sweat trickled down his body, giving it a faint shine. Feeling her cheeks burn, she shook her head to dispel the thoughts that were forming. 'Stop it, he's your son!' She mentally scolded herself, her blush remaining.
"Morning mom, sleep well?" Y/n's voice snapped her from her thoughts, she hummed softly, nodding her head. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw his back was turned as he poured some juice for himself. Silva's eyes drifted over his body, admiring the muscles as her mind wandered, remembering how she felt when he hugged her last night.
The firmness of his chest, how his arms wrapped around her, giving her a sense of safety, along with his warmth. Silva felt a chill down her spine, her breath hitched as she wished to feel his touch again. She quickly turned her attention back to her coffee, her heart racing a mile a minute. 'No! Don't think like that, it's not right!'
Y/n glanced over his shoulder, seeing his mom staring at her cup, clearly lost in thought. He smiled a little, something at the back of his mind found it cute. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him. "You ok mom, something bothering you?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Silva tensed up at first, but soon relaxed, unconsciously leaning back into him, his warmth calming her nerves. "It's nothing dear, just... A little tired is all." She replied, feeling her heart calm as he held her. 'Why does his hug feel so nice? So comforting.' Her thoughts trailed off, her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes.
"If you say so." He whispered, resting his head next to hers, making her heart flutter. Silva smiled softly, placing her hand on his, rubbing the back of his hands gently. They remained like this for a moment, until Silva reluctantly pulled away to pour her coffee, missing his warmth already.
As Y/n put his shirt on and ate his breakfast, Silva browsed social media while sipping her coffee, humming happily as she enjoyed the warm beverage. As she skimmed over several posts, one particular post caused her to nearly spit her drink, quickly swallowing what was in her mouth. "Oh god." She muttered, her eyes wide in shock as she checked the post.
"You alright mom, nearly choke on your drink?" Y/n asked, his worry showing, though she was too busy reading. She didn't reply, her focus solely on her phone as he moved next to her, wondering what had her attention. It was pictures of Haru and his friends, all unconscious and brutally beaten.
The post also had a video from a camera just outside the alley, showing Haru and his friends following after the girls. Then showed a masked figure walking into the alley, and after a time, leave the alley, but with blood splattered on him. The video cut out as the person walked past the camera.
Setting her phone down, she turned to Y/n with a stern expression. "Please tell me you didn't do this." She asked, her nails digging into her palm, quietly hoping he wasn't the culprit. Y/n was silent, his eyes never left her own as she waited silently.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally broke the silence. "It wasn't me, mom." His reply didn't fully convince her, part of her still held some doubt, which she hated.
"Are you sure? Did you have anything to do with it?" She asked, hating the fact she had to, but her worry and concern for her son were greater.
Y/n's eyes softened, his hand placed itself on her shoulder. "Mom, I promise you, I had nothing to do with this. Yes, I would have loved to beat them to a pulp, but I didn't cuz I made a deal with you." Silva felt her heart sink at his words, her shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry." She muttered, tears building in her eyes as she pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry for doubting you, I know you're a good boy." Her words came out a sob as she cried into his chest. As he gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her, he felt a twinge of guilt.
He didn't regret what he did, but he knew that if he told her the truth, she would feel disappointed in herself for failing as a parent, and he didn't want that. 'You've done so much for me mom, the least I can do is give you the peace of mind.' He thought, remembering what he did last night.
Flashback
Blood dripped from his blade, his clothes and mask stained with the crimson liquid. With a flick of his wrist, his dagger was clean before it returned to his inventory. "Consider this a mercy, you deserve worse." He muttered, glaring at Haru who was had passed out from pain.
His eyes had rolled back, his mouth hung open. On his cheek was a small cut, leading to a larger one across his chest. The wound was cauterized as it was made, preventing a major loss of blood, but the pain was excruciating. Y/n took one last look, the strange feeling from before now gone.
He had every intention of killing him, yet at the last second, something urged him not to, and he complied. He didn't know why, but even as part of him wanted to finish him, another didn't. As he walked away, a gust of wind blew past, making him stop for a moment. 'What the...?'
He thought, looking over his shoulder, he could have sworn someone had just embraced him and whispered something in his ear, but sensed no one close by. Shaking his head, he left the scene before vanishing into the shadows, leaving no trace.
Flashback End
"Y/n?" Silva's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts, she stared at him, concern showing. "You ok dear, you spaced out." She said, her hand rubbed his cheek gently, causing him to smile lightly.
"Sorry mom, just had something on my mind. Don't worry about it." He replied, letting go as she nodded. She was still worried, but knew he would tell her if something was wrong. As he put his shoes on, Silva filled a water bottle for his run. "Thanks mom, you're the best." He grinned, kissing her cheek before heading out the door.
Y/n Pov
After a few laps around the area, I stopped at a local park, taking a moment to relax and stretch my muscles. 'Even though I don't need a break, it's still nice to relax a little.' As I drank my water, I glanced around the park, a few kids played soccer, some teens played Frisbee, others played with their pets, while some people just walked through.
'Alright, I've ignored it long enough.' With a sigh, a screen appeared at my side, the icon flashing in time with the notification pinging. 'Said it was processing something after I dealt with that scum, now it's done.' Mentally clicking the notification, the screen opened, revealing what it had to offer.
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[Outside influence has granted the Player a New Perk]
Restoration - Upon leveling up, Hp and Mp will be fully restored.
[Player has been given a temporary skill by an outside force]
Minor Creation - Max level
Allows the user to create or modify an item or weapon to an extent.
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I sat there in silence, just processing what I read for what felt like an eternity, though only a second had passed. 'Slow down Y/n, go through it slowly.' After clearing my head, I reread the screen, ignoring the skill and perk for now, my focus instead on the cause.
'An outside force, maybe the same one when I was in the dungeon?' It made the most sense, but there was no way to prove it. 'Doesn't matter for now, it's helped me so far.' With that I looked over the first gift, seeing how helpful this perk would be in the early stages of my growth.
But later down the line, it would still be useful, just not to the extent I would have liked. 'But what's this nostalgia I'm feeling? Like before, when something urged me to spare Haru.' Brushing the thought aside for now, I moved onto the skill, which made me raise a brow.
'It definitely has some limitations, but creation is still an extremely useful skill, even if I can't go full god mode. Might as well test it out, something easy first.' I thought, focusing on what I wanted. In my hand, a Repair Kit formed, identical to ones I've bought before, but with one difference.
'Makes sense, System wouldn't want me to get rich by selling things I create. Still, saves me a fortune on Repair Kits for the future.' As I stored the item away, I realized something and nearly facepalmed. 'I could just make clothes with it instead, though don't know if the System would class them as an item or armor.'
Glancing at the screen, I saw the skill was on cooldown for an hour, which wasn't too bad. As I closed it with a thought, another screen took its place.
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[Outside influence has offered to upgrade the skill Mana Infusion]
(Skill will be unavailable until upgrade is complete.)
Will you accept? [Y/N]
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'Another sign of goodwill? Already gave me two gifts, but no reason to refuse another.' After accepting, the screen changed to show the skill was greyed out. Curious, I focused on my hand and made an attempt to channel mana to it. After some time, I felt my mana gather slightly in my hand.
'Not easy without the skill, but least I can still do it. Though if I get into any fights, it will take more concentration than I'm used to.' Mentally noting that, I got up and stretched a bit before my eye started to ache a bit. 'What now?'
"Look out!" A woman shouted, a tennis ball flew towards me, but I easily caught it. As the woman jogged over, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, then spoke. "Sorry about that, didn't mean for it to hit you." She bowed her head slightly, but I waved it off, noticing some sweat as I gently threw the ball back.
"It's no problem, nobody was hurt. Guess you've been playing for a while?" I asked, raising a brow. Realizing she was sweating, she quickly wiped her forehead, looking away embarrassed. Seeing how familiar she looked, I quickly used Observe to get her name.
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[Kiyome Abe]
Age: 18
Rank: D+
Race: Human
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'I remember now, she's a fellow student at Kuoh. Think she was the captain of the tennis club.' I thought, recalling the few times I saw her around school. Smiling a little, I tried to lighten the mood a little. "Thought I recognized you, Kiyome. Captain of the tennis club, right?"
She looked at me confused, her grip on her racket tightening slightly. "How did you know?" She asked, taking a step back. Seeing her tense up, I mentally cursed myself for a second, raising my hands to defuse the situation, but stopped as she squinted her eyes at me.
"Wait... Y/n?" She asked, her posture relaxed as her eyes went wide, looking me up and down as she got closer. "Sorry, I barely recognized you. I remember you being more, uhm..." She paused, unsure how to word it, not wanting to sound rude.
"Chubby? No offense taken, I think a lot of people won't recognize me, not that it bothers me." I shrugged, a slight chuckle leaving my lips, Kiyome smiled lightly.
"I heard about the accident, right after we left school. Glad to see your doing well, in more ways than one." She muttered the last part, her gaze drifted over my body. A small blush formed on her cheeks as she quickly looked away, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Yeah, started to workout more after I recovered. Not a big deal." I shrugged, smiling at her as my eye stung again, rubbing it lightly. Kiyome asked if I was fine, to which I assured her I was, just something in my eye. "I'll let you get back to your practice, probably kept you long enough."
Before I could walk away, Kiyome called out to me. "Uhm actually, I was just finishing. If you're going home, wanna walk together?" Her request caught me by surprise, but I agreed nonetheless. Grabbing her things, we started walking down the path. "So, are you looking forward our third year?" She asked, breaking the silence.
"Guess so, it's gonna be lonely without Jake or Henry, but I can manage. How about you?" I replied, glancing at her for a second. She smiled slightly, saying she would continue being the tennis captain and focus on her studies. "Sounds like a plan, just try not to burn yourself out, I've seen what stress can do." She chuckled, promising she wouldn't.
After going our separate ways, I wandered for a bit, taking in the scenery before sighing. 'Those bums still following me?' I thought, glancing back subtly, spotting the same two people, though they were suppressing their mana, my eye revealed the small residues coming from them. 'This eye is quite useful, though wonder why it was activated.'
Brushing that thought aside for now, I walked aimlessly for a bit, keeping an eye on the duo as I did. I was able to get a better look at them, both were around the same height, one a male with blonde hair, and the other a female with black hair. Both wore trenchcoats, making them stand out amongst the crowd. 'Alright, I'm bored of entertaining these bums.'
Tensing my legs, I suddenly shot forward, sprinting down the street before turning into an alley. Activation Phantom, I leapt up onto the rooftops and waited, not a moment later the duo entered the alley, looking around frantically. "Where did he go?!" The male exclaimed, scanning the area.
As they looked around the alley, I sat on the edge of the roof, watching them with a smirk. 'Not too bright are you, didn't even consider checking the roof.' Raising my hand, I focused a small amount of mana into it, channeling wind magic. A small ball of compressed air formed, floating just above my hand.
Without a word, I shot the ball at a trash can, making it clang loudly. "Over there!" The woman exclaimed, pointing towards the source, and without another word, the two sprinted off. Before they turned the corner, I used Observe to get their names.
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[Riku Himetsu]
Age: 19
Rank: D+
Race: Human
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[Ava Himetsu]
Age: 18
Rank: D+
Race: Human
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'Sibling huh? Wonder why they were stalking me. If I run into them again, I'll ask.' I thought, turning visible as I jumped down, putting my hands in my pockets and walked back home. As I did, I felt some people staring at me while others moved out of the way, confusing me a bit.
The strangest thing was even animals kept their distance, with ones that noticed me too late ran off with their tails between their legs. 'What the hell is going on? I my Bloodlust active?' A quick check showed it wasn't, which didn't help in the slightest.
With a sigh, I ignored the strange behavior and got back home, sensing Silva wasn't in. 'Guess she's visiting a friend. Might as well play some games to pass the time.' Grabbing a snack, I plopped down on the couch, starting up my console.
Timeskip - Narrator Pov
Just a bit after noon, Silva finally arrived home, hearing Y/n's game as she hung her coat up. "Sorry for not leaving a message, I needed to do some shopping and ran into my friends, so I lost tra-" She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widened for a moment as she stared at Y/n. He asked if she was ok, pausing the game as he looked to her, seeing her shake her head for a moment. "Y-Yeah, sorry dear, was lost in thought for a second. Did you enjoy your run?"
"Yeah, after I hit my daily goal, I stopped at the park to stretch and relax. Got to meet a classmate too, Kiyome." Y/n replied, smiling softly. Seeing this, Silva smirked a little, raising a brow at him. "Not what you think, mom." He huffed, not needing to see her expression to know.
"Whatever you say dear." She chuckled, ruffling his hair as she got to sorting the groceries. After a while, she glanced over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes slightly. 'Did I imagine it? He felt... different, just for a second. Must have been seeing things.' With a mental shrug, she returned to her task.
Meanwhile, Y/n headed upstairs to the bathroom, feeling something was off since before. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' He thought while looking at his reflection, he found nothing unusual, but he could feel something. It was subtle, barely noticeable, but was there. As he looked into his reflection's eyes, an idea formed in his head.
'Maybe it can show me more than just a person's mana. Let's test it.' With that, he right eye was activated, the familiar sting coming back for a second. At first, he saw nothing, but the longer he looked, he began to notice a faint, purple aura around himself. It was hard to describe, like a shadow or a mirage, almost non-existent before it exploded.
Y/n stepped back in surprise, his back hitting the wall. Looking over himself, the purple aura vanished as quick as it came, but now he knew why people reacted the way they did. 'Maybe its also why those two followed me. As for the others, they might not have seen it, but maybe they felt it instinctively?' As he was lost in thought, a screen appeared before him, bringing a small smile to his face.
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[Skill Upgrade Complete!]
Mana Infusion ---> Mana Manipulation
Mana Edge has been integrated into Mana Manipulation.
[Mana Manipulation (passive) - Max lvl]
Allows the user better control over their mana, allowing them to shape it to their will.
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[???? Assimilation has increased to 8%]
'Talk about an upgrade, I can already feel the difference. And this assimilation thing went up as well. I'll test it another time, for now though...' He trailed off, seeing the aura return, but not as prominent. He at first tried to suppress it but found it rather difficult. Compared to his mana, it felt compact and dense, not wanting to budge an inch.
'Damn it, I have nothing other than Phantom to hide it, and being invisible for hours on end is not gonna happen.' Returning to his room, he spent over an hour both attempting to suppress the aura and trying to think of a solution. In the end, he was able to slightly dim the aura, but could only manage to do so for a minute before he lost focus and it returned to normal.
"Damn it! Why can't I do this?!" He growled, slamming his fist against on his desk before leaning back, dragging his hand over his face. After a moment, he heard a ping and looked to the side, seeing a notifcation.
[Lucky Hour activated! Lck increased by 20%!]
Y/n smirked slightly, chuckling lightly at the timing. "Guess luck is on my side now." Dismissing the notification, a light bulb lit in his head. Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out the Item Box. 'Maybe this can help.' He thought, mentally clicking yes as the prompt appeared. The box disappeared from his hand, in its place was a yellow stone with a rune inscribed on its surface.
"The fuck?" Y/n muttered, starring at the small rock for a moment. The thought of crushing it came to mind, but knew the System wouldn't give him a useless item and he was right a moment later.
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[Dungeon Rune]
[Rank: C-] [Item Type: Consumable]
A special rune stone that allows the creation of the Unique Dungeon - Vault. Will be consumed upon usage.
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"Now things are getting interesting." He smirked, tossing the stone up and down for a bit. He wanted to tackle the dungeon at a later date, but with how unpredictable things were, it would be better to tackle the dungeon now. 'Besides, shouldn't be gone for too long due to the time difference.' With that, he stashed the stone away, deciding to tackle it tomorrow while Silva was at work.