*** Twenty-five days after arriving in Luminosa ***

"Again!" The training instructor barked as I squared off against another noble initiate. Unlike in my early days here, I no longer resembled a helpless punching bag. With Air Mana coursing through my muscles, I could match most initiates in pure speed, even if their technique still surpassed mine.

My opponent, a skinny boy from some minor noble house, charged with his practice sword. Three weeks ago, such an attack would have ended with me face-down in the dirt. Now I saw it coming as if it were in slow motion. I sidestepped, letting his momentum carry him past me, then struck his back with my wooden blade. He stumbled forward, caught off guard by my enhanced strength.

"Point to the Chosen Hero!" the instructor announced, unable to completely hide his surprise. It was my third victory today.

From her usual spot at the edge of the training ground, Lia watched with an unreadable expression. Since it became clear she was actually the strongest initiate, they had stopped pairing us exclusively. Now she mostly fought—and defeated—the more experienced disciples.

After training, I found her in our usual meeting spot—a secluded corner of the castle gardens where the magical flowers changed colors with the setting sun. She sat on a stone bench, still in her training clothes.

"Your Mana Boost is getting stronger," she said as I approached. "Though your swordsmanship still needs work."

"At least I'm not getting my teeth knocked out every day anymore." I dropped onto the bench beside her, careful to maintain a proper distance. Even in this private moment, castle etiquette had to be observed.

"True. Soon you might actually present a challenge." She smiled, then quickly looked away. "I mean, for the other initiates. Not for me, of course."

"Of course," I agreed, noticing how the shifting colors of the sunset played across her face. "I'd need another year just to..." I trailed off as she suddenly leaned closer, presumably to examine a bruise on my arm.

"You should be more careful," she murmured, her fingers barely brushing my skin. "Even with healing magic, too many injuries can leave lasting damage."

The moment stretched, neither of us moving, until a distant bell signaled the evening meal. Lia jumped up as if burned, her cheeks flushed.

"Well, keep practicing your Mana control!" she said hurriedly. "And maybe try not to look so smug when you win. The nobles hate that."

She hurried away, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined the lingering touch and the quick glances she had been giving me lately. Then again, I had more pressing concerns—like surviving tomorrow's training and figuring out why my attempts at more advanced Air techniques kept literally blowing up in my face.

*** Current time***

As we talked, the peculiar pair led us to a place called "The Happiest Chicken"—apparently one of the more affordable establishments in this neighborhood.

"Even though we won some points in the exhibition, I still don't think we should squander our money too much," Sergio explained. "Everything costs points here, even food. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they told us to pay for air."

"Well, don't worry about it for the time being," I said, then noticed Alisa pointing at our three unconscious companions. "We'll discuss how to earn enough for a comfortable life later."

"What about those three gentlemen?"

I looked at the three ex-gangsters, still dazed and traumatized from their ordeal. The question was whether to erase their memories or leave them as they were. On one hand, wiping away their memories of torture and mental conditioning might help them function more normally. On the other hand, they might need to remember what happened to make better choices going forward. Plus, messing with memories was always risky—I might end up doing more harm than good.

My internal debate was cut short when the Asian man suddenly dropped to all fours and started barking at a passing child. "Woof! Woof! Good boy, good boy Kusogaki! Master said good boy gets treats!"

Yeah, no. This definitely needs fixing. With a sigh, I carefully used my electricity to erase two and a half days from their memories.

The black man was the first to shake off his daze, muttering to himself. "I remember seeing this strange dream about an amusement park... weren't we kidnapped twice? Once to the park and another... wait, weren't you guys in a cage?"

"Yes, yes!" the Latino chimed in, his panda-like bruises making his fearful expression even more pronounced. "I remember we tried to sneak in to save Kusogaki after some giant gremlin decided he looked like a perfect new species of human... and then I don't know what happened next. And who are you guys?"

"Yes, who are you guys?" the black man asked, squinting at us suspiciously.

I stepped forward with a grin. "Don't worry, I am your lord and savior. You can call me Boss."

The gangsters exchanged incredulous looks before bursting into laughter. "What are you, crazy?" the Latino asked between guffaws. "Haha, who could call you boss? You're too lame, just look at yourself!"

Well, he wasn't wrong. Even though the previous battles hadn't done any actual damage to me, my once decent clothes were in tatters. They simply hadn't been designed to withstand the speed and attacks I'd had to evade. Even the mere shockwave from T-Rex's tail swipe had been enough to shred the fabric. I probably looked more like a hobo than a hero at this point.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Did you guys see yourselves?" I shot back.

The black man looked at himself in shock. "Where are my stylish clothes? No, wait—isn't this the same as back when we found ourselves in that back alley? It was probably that same unknown guy again! The infamous Strip Man!"

What wild imagination did this guy even have?

Kusogaki finally seemed to regain his senses, his eyes widening as he took in his surroundings and then called upon his System screen. "And why is my Archetype set as a Doggo?!" he yelped indignantly.

I could only shake my head at the absurdity of it all before turning to Sergio. "Hey, vampire, do you by any chance have the ability to hypnotize people? I think that's something vampires are supposed to be able to do."

Sergio shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, but I'm not particularly good at it..."

"You just need to make them obedient until we're done discussing our course of action," I urged. "And later, I'll deal with the rest."

The vampire glanced at his wife, clearly uneasy with the idea of messing with the gangsters' minds. But given the dangerous and bizarre nature of our situation, we didn't have the luxury of debating ethics.

"Alright," he finally agreed with a sigh. "I'll do what I can."

The King of Pop look-alike stood before the Asian man, and for a brief moment, his eyes turned crimson. "You should be quiet and do what you are told. By me. And this nice young man," he said, nodding towards me.

"Hey! What the fuck are ya doin', ya bastard? Are you a hypnotist or somethin'?" The black man noticed what was going on and wasn't happy about it.

"Here, here. Don't worry about it," I said as I gently locked him with Air Mana, making him unable to move. The same went for the Latino.

"I guess maybe first we have to find a place that sells clothes," I said to Alisa while her husband was dealing with the other two men, taking them under his control.

My Mana Sense could feel the fluctuations that were eerily similar to the effects of the Lust Sin; it brought back some not-so-good memories. The way Sergio's eyes had flashed red, the subtle manipulations of the gangsters' minds—it was all too reminiscent of the most dangerous opponent I'd ever faced: the Demon Queen. Of course, the vampire was just like a harmless puppy compared to her.

"We definitely need something better for clothes if we want to be allowed in the Happiest Chicken," I said, eyeing our ragged group—two half-naked guys and one completely naked, save for a piece of cloth preserving the Asian man's modesty. I could create armor out of my Gravity Mana, which would be both functional and impressive, but that would require significant Mana expenditure and constant maintenance, reducing my maximum Mana capacity.

I checked my funds. Even with 90% of my points deducted due to my debt to the System, I still had earned 3,000 points.

"3,000? How did you earn so much?" Alisa exclaimed. "Oh right, you did something amazing, didn't you?"

"I have a debt to the System, so it takes away 99% of my income."

"What? You earned 300,000?" Alisa's eyes widened, clearly impressed.

"Well, dear," Sergio interjected, "he defeated opponents with their levels in the hundreds. Of course, he would earn that much. Honestly, I can't even imagine how powerful he truly is... I doubt even Clan leaders can compare."

The 3,000 points should probably be enough to buy normal or even enhanced clothes for all of us.

"About clothes," Sergio said, running a hand through his dark hair, "it's not like the normal world where you just walk into a store. The System provides a direct purchase option for armor sets and clothing through its interface. Though," he added thoughtfully, "I heard from some girls that there's a traditional clothing shop in the west zone. It's even more expensive than the System clothes, and you don’t need an Archetype to buy there."

"So those guys can buy clothes for themselves too?" I asked.

"Theoretically, yes. It's not a hard command, but I'm not sure if they even have enough points," Sergio replied.

We found an empty alley sheltered by towering carnival attractions, where we could change without drawing attention. As it turned out, both the black man and the Latino qualified for the "Novice Set"—a simple but practical outfit.

I opened the shop function—which had most of it still locked, either because of my level 0 or the System not being fully installed—and found it surprisingly advanced, with a holographic interface that would make any gaming enthusiast jealous. The menu displayed several options:

[System Shop - Basic Clothing]

Novice Set (Common) - 100 SP

* Basic linen shirt

* Sturdy canvas pants

* Standard sneakers

* Basic undergarments

* Effects: +3% Experience gained

* Durability: Self-repairing

* Note: Basic protection against environmental effects

Improved Novice Set (Common) - 1000 SP

* Enhanced fabric shirt with moisture control

* Reinforced tactical pants with multiple pockets

* Combat-grade boots

* Premium undergarments

* Customizable colors for every part of the set

*  

Effects: +5% Experience gained

* Durability: Enhanced self-repair

* Note: Basic protection against environmental effects and minor physical damage

[Additional Sets Locked - Select an Archetype and raise your Rank to view more options]

I chose the first option.

[Do you want to buy a Novice Set for 100 SP?]

Yes.

[Inventory function is still not fully installed. Direct transfer activated...]

As soon as I read the notification, I felt a surge of Space Mana ripple through the air. Moments later, a perfectly clean set of clothes appeared. It happened so quickly that I had no chance to analyze it with my Mana Sense. The System was far more powerful than I’d ever imagined. And the fact that this feature was available to everyone? Absolutely mind-blowing.

Creating a veil of black Gravity Mana for privacy, shimmering like the northern lights yet completely opaque, I changed into the simple Novice Set. Despite better options being available, I chose the basic version to conserve points for future needs. I also put the monocle in my pocket.

As we approached the Happiest Chicken, no longer looking like complete hobos, I learned more about my companions through the System interface and conversation. Sergio, whose Race was called Sanguine Human, had no Archetype yet, while Alisa was designated as "Hapfull Victim," a title she had chosen—that was like hapless victim, but the other way around.

Archetypes were similar to Classes or Jobs in RPGs, but players could acquire more as they leveled up. They were levels 25 and 7, respectively, with Sergio starting at level 21 due to his vampire nature. The System indicated his total stats exceeded 100, so anything above that was converted to levels, making it even more suspicious that I was still showing as level 0. His starting levels may not seem like much, but to put it into perspective—he was physically superior to any normal human on Earth, being fully capable of beating many Olympic records on his first try while also having goddamn magic, if very basic.

Since each level granted 5 points, I should have been equivalent to a level 500 being. Additionally, Sergio lost his chance to choose an Archetype at levels 0 and 20, as well as two Skill Slots in exchange for his vampiric powers. If this worked the same way for every other powerful being, it meant I was receiving special treatment by starting at level 0. Clearly, the System hadn't lied about the costly modifications it made to accommodate my existence.

It seemed that I really broke the rules in some way, and I was fully intent on using this opportunity to its fullest.