The best Fake News is entertaining, wild, and terrifying. This one is no exception. ENJOY!
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RUMBLE!
The entire corridor quaked.
“Y-You, what have you done?! O-Oh god!” Brian cried out in horror as soon as they left the Editorial Room, only to be confronted with a sea of students rushing their way.
Even Jack paled quite a bit; this felt like a damn zombie Apocalypse! There were so many Supers running at them that the marble floor in the distance couldn’t be seen anymore!
Tap! Tap! Tap! The quaking of their boots was already terrifying, but their gazes were even worse as they collectively glared forward, many already pointing at them.
Wouldn’t they torture them with questions?
Wouldn’t they feel super suspicious?
Wouldn’t they feel angry?
…
It was all FAKE NEWS!
Brian, especially, was already sweating.
“Jack, we have to get our stories straight! We absolutely can’t tell them we’re linked to this. As for our presence here, how should we—” He wanted to strategize, but Jack didn’t.
Stories straight? Alibi? He had the perfect explanation for his presence here. Just as Brian’s sentence trailed off, Jack made his move. Void of grace or hesitation, he sucker-punched him!
PUNCH! And it was freaking beautiful.
Fist collided with a jaw, a head sprung back, and soon an entire body followed, flying backward. Just like that, Jack’s surprise attack had been Super Effective!
[A Certain Arcane Dealer Stares Shellshocked!]
[A Certain Arcane Dealer is Betrayed!]
[A Certain Arcane Dealer Might Cry!]
…
Even the System joined in on the fun, the poor guy looking so unfortunate that it was almost pitiful, his now dislocated jaw not helping. Yet, that was merely the beginning.
Jack was already red and trembling in pure anger.
“Student Council Enforcer? Who are you to stand in our way?! You’re just passing by, so let this be! We, students of Legendary-U, deserve answers! WE DESERVE TO KNOW!”
Jack spat out as if a beast, and then a second later disregarded the fallen Brian, rocking toward the White Barrier that protected the Editorial Club and punching it like a madman.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! He thumped on it, his fists merciless.
Yet, there was no result, only a spark of White Mana and some of his own blood staining the white barrier. Punching so hard that he bled?! Many gasped; this guy had clearly lost his mind! And that was the moment their opinion changed.
“B-Bloody barrier, go down already!” He uselessly kept thumping at it, all the while begging whoever was inside for answers. And that’s when everyone understood what had happened.
They who had been glaring at them suddenly softened…
“He’s just like us, he wants answers. That’s all.”
“Like us? He’s clearly mad. Just listen to him.”
“No wonder an Enforcer showed up.”
“For sure, public safety and all.”
…
With this, what could have easily turned into a conspiracy theory was simply interpreted as a guy with a screw loose and an enforcer doing his job, both unrelated to the other.
As for Jack hiding his face under a large cloak? This much was easy: he was out there vandalizing the barrier leading to the Editorial Club. No wonder he was hiding it!
In fact, many approved of him even as they shook their heads…
“We want answers as well, friend. You’re not alone there.”
“For sure, a near-impossible class is bad for grades.”
“Still, that’s probably not the way to do things.”
…
They had charged, ready to fight for the truth, but seeing a fool smashing his knuckles on the barrier until they were bloody was enough to give them a sort of wake-up call.
Just like that, a few patted his back encouragingly. They would stand by his side and await an answer. At the same time, they were giving the Enforcer looks that clearly meant:
‘Please let this one slide, will you? We won’t go overboard.’
Sensing their intentions, Brian got up, cleaning himself. Then, sighing as if it wasn’t the outcome he had been hoping for in the first place, he moved aside, letting them siege.
Of course, that didn’t stop him from giving a death glare to the “bastard” who had attacked him: “The others can stay, but this guy leaves. This isn’t the place to be violent.”
“W-WHAT?! But I-I…”
“No buts, now!”
In a matter of seconds, Jack had been kicked out of the place, a walk of not-so-shame awaiting him, a few scoffing, a few encouraging him, all the while inwardly laughing.
See? That’s how it’s done! As the crowd parted before him, he had to force himself not to grin. And the Oscar goes to— he was about to think ‘myself’ but suddenly froze.
As the crowd parted, what appeared wasn’t a tunnel but an army.
< Official Fact Enforcer. Sinners Beware! >
< Official Fact Enforcer. Sinners Beware! >
< Official Fact Enforcer. Sinners Beware! >
….
It was an entire troupe of students wearing similar emblems. In fact, it was the same one as that guy with the prayer beads who had attacked him a long while back.
There were a dozen of them, yet they were merely a backdrop to the real action, for before them was a girl that looked straight out of a Chinese painting.
Ink was the only way to describe her, as if her her countenance was too good for this world. From her lotus blossom black qipao to her slender traits, she almost seemed otherworldly.
Yet, that was nothing compared to the Ink Bat that flew next to her head. The little critter waved its tiny wings, splashing ink droplets on her followers, the latter not caring.
They looked like a small militia descending upon Legendary-U.
“Oh? What do we have here? A revolutionary— or a fake?”
As her eyes landed on him, there was none of the support the others had shown. No, as she stared at him, there was only a profound sense of doubt oozing out of her as she raised a brow.
Then, a small smirk escaped her, one that seemed to be directed straight at him and yet at no one in particular either. “Don’t worry, you all. The Ink Knight is here to Fact Check!”
She had barely uttered the most cheesy line ever when excitement rushed over the students assembled, their grins showing how much confidence they had in her, which was bad.
Then, just as she walked over to the White Barrier, she stopped…
“Oh? Interesting. Why is it that you both smell so familiar? Almost like… typewriters.” Her grin widened and turned sadistic as she stared at Jack and Brian as if prey in her net.
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And just as gasps resounded in the background, she added more than playfully. “Guess that’s because you both touched the barrier. No worries, the truth will come out soon.”
She didn’t even bother turning back, entering the White Barrier.
And that’s when everything changed. Brian did his best to look as confused as possible, playing it off as if it had been a mere joke on her part, but he was inwardly freaking out.
Jack’s new text messages proved how rattled he was…
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THIS IS BAD! DID YOU HEAR THAT? SMELL LIKE TYPEWRITERS AND KNOW THE TRUTH SOON. SHE’S ALREADY GUESSED WE’RE THE ONES WHO DID IT!
I BET SHE ALREADY KNOWS LINDSEY’S INVOLVED, AND SHE’LL DO EVERYTHING IN HER POWER TO SCREW HER OVER. THEY HATE ONE ANOTHER WITH A GODLIKE PASSION.
SHE’LL COME AFTER US JUST TO MAKE THE CLUB PRESIDENT LOOK BAD. DAMN, I KNEW SHE WAS SHARP, BUT NOT THAT SHARP. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? IT’S NOT LIKE WE CAN REDACT THE GAZETTE. PEOPLE ALREADY SAW IT!
JACK, I HAVE A SHITTY FEELING ABOUT THIS. FIRST, SHE FIGURES OUT IT IS FAKE NEWS, AND THEN SHE UNCOVERS YOUR IDENTITY. BE CAREFUL; I’M SURE SHE’LL SEND HER FANS TO SPY ON YOU. MAKE SURE YOU DON’T FALL FOR IT, OR ELSE IT WON'T END WELL.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Talk about opportune advice. Jack had barely walked away, and he could already feel a pair of eyes on him, the very subtle kind that made him feel restless in his bones.
It was the same feeling as back then in the White Plane….
[The Shadow Overlord is Hunting You!]
[The Shadow Overlord is Hunting You!]
[The Shadow Overlord is Hunting You!]
….
Hunger, anger, and desire.
It felt so weird and was almost palpable.
Actually, it truly felt palpable once he finally realized who the offenders were, yes, with an “s”. There was a group following his every move like flies to shit, always from a distance.
They were never next to him either, always in the periphery of his vision, as if they would stalk him forever, a feeling that intensified until it didn’t. At one point, he lost them all.
In fact, Jack couldn’t help but chuckle as he pictured them reporting to their boss with the Ink Knight raging to no end. “What do you mean you lost them?!”
It was heartwarming just to think about it, yet there was something that was even more heartwarming. Sharky, who had been stuck at home, was finally coming back.
Jack had messaged him for help, and he had answered his call…
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
JACK, I’LL BE THERE ASAP! ALFRED WANTED TO TRAIN MORE BUT I TOLD HIM ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, MY BROTHER NEEDS ME SO I AM GOING!
THEN AGAIN, IT’S A GOOD THING. MY HEAD’S STILL SPINNING FROM ALL THAT WILLPOWER TRAINING. ALFRED SAYS I PROBABLY WON’T DIE A SECOND AFTER LANDING AT SIREN’S LAMENT!
NOW, HOW’S THE PROGRESS WITH THE PROJECT RUNE MAGIC? WHAT DO YOU NEED ME TO DO? SHALL I BRING ANYTHING SPECIAL? HELL, IF THE BOTTLES AT HOME WEREN’T LOCKED, I’D DEFINITELY BRING SOME SPIRIT WINE FOR BRIBERY PURPOSES.
NAW, IT’S GONNA BE FINE. I’M SURE WE’LL FIGURE OUT SOMETHING. WORST COME TO WORST, WE CAN ALWAYS TRY OUR LUCK NEXT YEAR. DON’T STRESS YOURSELF AND WAIT FOR ME IF YOU DECIDE TO DESTROY THE SCHOOL. SEE YOU SOON!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
So enthusiastic! Jack felt his heart warm up.
He didn't have to wait long either for his best friend to appear. Sharky showed up as usual… in style! As soon as he entered Legendary-U, the hall quieted and got rowdy, too.
He barged inside, looking like a complete lunatic.
For some reason, his jagged teeth were even sharper and more defined than usual, and then there were his eyes that glowed a strange yet powerful yellow glint. As if to complete the set, he had the biggest headphones known to man.
Whatever he was wearing looked more like an ear-warmer than an actual helmet, the kind one would get at a ski station. And yet, there was only one thing more monstrous than his appearance and it was his smile.
“JACK! I’M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!”
Sharky didn’t just greet, he shouted and as he did the lobby went deadly silent. Yet, it was just the beginning. Noticing the weird reactions, he finally removed the ear warmers.
It didn’t help. Without the things to block his ears, what came out was blood….
Drip! Drop! Drip! Drop! It came out of him like a small stream. And that’s when Jack realized what kind of training his best friend had done in the morning, the heavy kind.
Yet, that didn’t stop his happiness from spreading as he eagerly rubbed his head. “Right, sorry about that, I forgot to change. Now, where were we?”
“Where? The admission.”
That’s all Jack said, as cryptic as humanly possible. Then, he simply led the way, the two of them landing in a queue that was growing larger by the second as well as restless.
The people in line already weren’t sure what to do…
“Hmmm, what are even the good alternatives to Runic Magic?” As one straight-up asked the others, many already had the school classes open on their laptops.
“Who knows, but I don’t really want an alternative; I just want something easy.” One replied, straight-up livid from hearing all the mad rumors about the class.
“Who knows, but that’s not the most important part. I’m here to check up on my other classes. I wanna make sure no requirement has changed with admission.”
It wasn’t just worrisome. It was downright scary. If the rumors were to be believed, then who could assure them that it wouldn’t be the same for other disciplines?!
As many students were clearly worried, Sharky silently gasped.
‘What happened here?! Jack, What did you do?!’
‘How is it that they’re all so damn worried?’
‘What made them so damn uneasy?!’
….
So many questions, and so little time, and yet answering it was as easy as checking the School Gazette and the forums, with rumors turning to speculations faster than a broke magician turned tricks by the side of the road.
In fact, for many, it was too much to handle. They stepped up to the admission clerk with their resolve already made. No matter what, they wanted out.
“Please change my Runic Class Registration to anything else!”
“Are you sure, student? Places are still limited.”
“It’s fine. Sign me up for beast rearing!”
…
At that moment, Professor Wilder’s mistake shone up again. He, who still hadn’t put a limit to the number of applicants for his class, was once again receiving more students. At this rate, half the damn freshmen would be in his class, but so what?
One after the other, students spoke to an Admission clerk who at first tried to change their mind, only to crumble before the inevitability of a mob spirit. And it didn’t take long for the poor clerk to sound like a robot.
As Jack and Sharky's turn came up…
“Let me guess? You want to cancel Runic Magic?” He asked, yet he was already getting the forms ready for it, his entire body language seemingly despairing as he did.
“Cancel? No, we’re here to join.”
As Jack stated, life returned to the poor man’s eyes. C-Could it be that someone had finally seen reason?! Or even better, could it be that the shady rumors had been debunked?!
He glanced at the line with hope, only for it all to be shattered.
No, the others were gesticulating for Jack to reconsider, their heads shaking almost as much as the ‘don’t do it’ signs they made with their hands. Everyone was calling him out.
Seeing them recommending him against it, Jack smiled…
“Oh, don’t worry you all. I DID hear about it. I just like a challenge. May come rain, or storm, or increased difficulty, I, for one, shall do my best to overcome it all.”
At that moment, he sounded so damn heroic that a few found themselves nodding in approval, impressed at his resolution of steel. Yet, the awe was very short-lived.
“May come rain or storm? Easy to say for liars…”
“WHAT?! W-Who said that?!”
Sharky had barely spit out that silence suddenly reigned. The posses that Jack had escaped? They were back, and this time in strength. A certain girl with an Ink-Bat was at their lead.
< Ink Knight: She who Fact Checks! >
Her mere presence was enough to warn them all that something was about to happen. Ears opened wide as countless stared at the scene. As for her, she giggled as she called him out.
“Jack Bright. So it was you, wasn’t it? All of this madness...”
She pointed at the forums, at the restless line of students, and especially at the admission desk, which had turned into one heck of a mess as she kept going stronger than ever.
“Isn’t it strange how those ‘rumors’ just appeared out of nowhere? Isn’t it strange how everyone’s fleeing like rats on a sinking ship, yet here you are enrolling? Isn’t it especially strange that it happened right after you were refused, with the class completely full?”
Hearing her, Jack scoffed. That bitch, she was fishing. She was probably still trying to prove that HE was responsible for it all, yet at that moment, all that she needed was doubt itself.
As soon as she uttered, the gazes his way changed…
“WHAT?! Don’t tell me that’s what happened?!”
“Maybe she’s right. That would explain a lot.”
“Wait, is it all fear-mongering?!
…
Disgusting, lowly, and most especially cowardly. To them, it didn’t matter that he had missed the initial registration window because of his training. He was a filthy liar and a cheat, or at least an alleged one. Yet, that was merely the beginning.
“How about it, Jack Bright? I can confidently say even if you weaseled your way into Legendary-U that, you won’t be able to bribe the teacher of the Magic Rune Class.”
She gave him a teasing glance full of assurance…
“Save us all time, won’t you? Confess.”
With this, the entire line had suddenly turned against him. They were all glaring at him, awaiting his answer. The weight of their gaze alone would have made countless collapse.
He ignored them all, focusing on her. At this moment, he remembered the shitty posters she had plastered all over school on a whim, the ones calling him out for nepotism and all.
WANTED... NOT A SUPER
WANTED... NOT A SUPER
WANTED... NOT A SUPER
…
“You should write fiction. You’d be good at it.”
He didn’t even deign to answer her accusations. So what if public opinion was wary of him right now? As long as there was no proof, it wouldn’t impact his Rune Magic registration.
Still, it didn’t mean that it didn’t affect him either. It hurt, not because they were wrong, but just knowing that he had to rely on such petty schemes like that was aggravating.
‘No, it’s fine. Stay steady, just like a rock. Why should I feel bad if such a puny trick is enough to wither their resolve? I won’t be. I have way too many problems for that.’
No remorse. No remorse whatsoever. There was none of the squirming and the begging she would have liked to see. He wouldn’t give her that. He’d— actually, something was happening.
Before he knew it, notifications resounded, many clutching their phones.
“WHAT?! Everyone, look at this. The page changed!”
“Look at the description for Runic Magic!”
“D-Don’t tell me?! I was real?!”
….
At that moment, an entire lobby of students ravenously refreshed Legendary-U’s web page, Jack included. And just as they were about to lose their minds, they freaking saw it.
[Ding! A Class Has Been Renamed and Modified!]
[Rune Magic Class → True Rune Magic Class!]
[Why Settle for Less? Get the Best!]
…
It was at that moment that the atmosphere changed entirely. The air of accusation that floated all around suddenly volatilized like time on a weekend.
The entire conspiracy theory of Jack scaring every student with rumors suddenly took a turn, going from more than plausible to "What the fuck are you talking about?!"
Noticing this, he simply shrugged as if not surprised in the least.
“Actually, I take it back. You’d be GREAT at writing fiction.”
His words were so simple yet playful, a certain reporter already sneering and leaving with her crew of followers. Who would believe her now? Even the school took his damn side!
To be honest, he was equally as confused as she was.
What had even happened? Had someone intervened on his behalf? Had the teacher in charge liked the idea and taken it as his own? Would it come to haunt him later?
He didn’t know, yet he didn’t have time to dwell on it all, staring at the message before him with a grin that just wouldn’t go away.
[Successfully Joined True Rune Magic!]
[Successfully Joined True Rune Magic!]
[Successfully Joined True Rune Magic!]
….
With this, he’d grow stronger no matter what.
Yet, he knew it was merely the start. The real power would come from his Quirk. Right now, it was nearly useless, but it wouldn’t be for long, of that he was utterly convinced.
In fact, he couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come just so that he could get it analyzed already. How many mysteries would reveal themselves to him? He couldn’t sit still.
Soon, very soon, he’d be a real Super…