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The Genius Paradox
Chapter 16 - Fear

Chapter 16 - Fear

“Sorry, but I don’t think that’s a great idea. We should be—” Nolan began, trying to intervene, but Kian turned to him with a calm expression, holding neither hatred nor resentment. Caught off guard, Nolan paused mid-sentence.

“… Don’t sweat it. This isn’t about revenge or anything like that. Just one round, and I’ll stop even if there’s no clear winner,” Kian explained, his tone steady. Nolan still seemed skeptical, glancing between Kian and Lin, who was still seated on the floor. Sensing this, Lin finally decided to speak up.

“Are you stronger than Jim?” Lin asked, referring to the man with a casual nickname. Kian paused, his eyes showing a bit of surprise as if taken aback. He seemed to consider his words and responded afterward,

“Well, I beat him once, a year before he started blowing up. We had a promise to fight again on the world stage, which kinda makes us rivals, so a fight could go either way,” he explained, his tone sounding nostalgic as if recalling a good memory. Lin, however, didn’t seem amused. In fact, his expression showed slight annoyance as he bluntly repeated,

“Are you stronger than Jim?”

Kian paused, then smiled before finally answering, “I believe I am.”

His answer was clear, but Lin’s expression remained unimpressed, even more bored than before. He looked away from Kian, turning to the person standing on his left, and said,

“Let’s continue with the introductions.” Everyone’s faces soured a bit at Lin’s disinterest, and Kian, now on the receiving end of a cold shoulder, wore an annoyed expression as he muttered,

“Is that a no?”

“That’s right,” Lin replied without further explanation—a choice that seemed unwise, given that Kian, the boxer, was still looming over him.

“Is there a reason?” Kian asked, sounding unexpectedly ready to back down despite his initial eagerness. Relief washed over the group, glad they wouldn’t need to intervene. The bald man, in particular, looked especially relieved, sensing that the task of keeping the two in check would have likely fallen on him. But Lin’s next words only stoked the small spark that was already present.

“You’re weak,” he said simply, without a hint of hesitation—neither condescending nor hesitant, as though he were stating a fact. Rather than feeling insulted, Kian seemed amused, chuckling and replying,

“I guess if you beat Jim, I might look that way. But maybe I’ll surprise you,” he said, surprisingly taking no offense to Lin’s words and instead humoring him.

Lin seemed to calculate multiple factors in his head before reaching a conclusion and muttering,

“Your name was likely on a list among other skilled boxers for the selection. Jim wasn’t chosen because he was famous but simply because he was considered the strongest. Even the current you wouldn’t have won against him—that’s what it meant,” Lin explained firmly, and Kian paused, letting the words sink in.

No one dared ask why Lin, someone who seemed so young, would have been forced to fight someone considered the strongest boxer in the world. Just what kind of family did he come from? Many questions floated in their minds, but none left their lips.

“I see,” Kian finally said, though his words didn’t convey true understanding. He bent his knees, lifted his arms into a fighting stance, and muttered,

“And what if I forced you to fight me?”

Lin, however, remained seated, looking up at him with a slight frown.

“You’ll die,” he answered coldly, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine. The words felt more like a promise than a threat, yet Kian didn’t back down. A cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he shot back,

“Heh, then we’ll just have to see,” he said, and at the same time, his leg came flying toward Lin’s face at breakneck speed.

How annoying.

Lin thought to himself. The man before him reflected the second type of person he hated:

Someone who glorifies pointless struggle—a hard worker.

A small breeze swept past Lin’s face as the leg grazed his bangs, Kian’s body jolting back as a bulky man yanked him from behind, preventing the kick from connecting with Lin’s face.

“That’s enough. Calm down,” the bald man said, holding Kian firmly as he braced himself. Kian, momentarily surprised by Lin’s casual demeanor, tried to pull free but quickly realized he couldn’t move—he was completely restrained. Surprised, he shot a glance back and met the bald man’s steady gaze before finally relaxing, as though acknowledging he couldn’t win in a contest of raw strength.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

He might be stronger than Jim, Lin thought, meeting Kian’s gaze.

“Tsk,” Kian clicked his tongue, the tension in the room dissipating as he turned around and walked away. Returning to his spot, he bent down beside the woman who’d just woken up, speaking softly,

“Are you alright now?” he asked, his tone surprisingly gentle, as if the earlier display was all an act.

Is he a ladies’ man? the others wondered, watching him closely.

“Y-yeah,” the dark-haired woman, still disoriented, nodded.

“What’s your name? We were actually introducing ourselves,” Kian continued, seemingly trying to forget what had just happened. The woman seemed momentarily confused, casting a quick glance around before meeting Kian’s gaze and stammering,

“O-oh, right. Um… I’m… I’m…” She looked around again, visibly lost, her face clouding with confusion. “I don’t…” she murmured, her eyes drifting over the strangers around her, none of whom she recognized.

She mumbled under her breath, causing a flicker of concern to cross their faces as they remembered the previous trial’s events.

“Hey, are you okay?” the blonde-haired woman, Sera, said loudly, snapping the woman out of her daze as she looked up.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yes, I’m fine,” she said before falling silent again. No one had the heart to remind her that she hadn’t introduced herself, noticing how her eyes darted around the unfamiliar space. Kian, visibly concerned, tried to prompt her gently.

“Do you remember what happened in the—” he began, but another voice cut him off.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lin interrupted, snapping everyone’s attention back to him, including Kian, who looked slightly agitated.

“What was that?” Kian asked, trying to keep his voice calm, though Lin’s composed expression seemed to stoke his barely-contained frustration. Unfazed by the glare, Lin replied,

“It might be post-traumatic amnesia. I don’t think it’s wise to remind her of what happened—unless you want to end up carrying her through all of the trials?” he explained, and the others turned to the woman, who looked slightly surprised, her gaze dropping to the floor.

Kian seemed to understand, opting to stay silent. He extended a hand, helping her to her feet before turning back to the group.

“I guess it’s my turn,” the golden-haired boy said, shifting the atmosphere as everyone turned toward him. Unperturbed by the adult gazes on him, he continued,

“My name is Isadore. I’m still a student, but I’ll do my best to keep up with all of you.”

A wave of sympathy passed through the crowd; they realized how challenging such a life-altering situation must be for someone so inexperienced, though his calm demeanor gave them some hope, hinting at his competence.

“Rick here. Worked in finance, no special skills to speak of,” another man added promptly. He had short red hair that gave him a fiery look, though his downturned eyes made him appear slightly sleepy. Lin glanced at him curiously, recalling the number that had hovered above his head—the third highest in the group: 905/1000.

“Roben, military,” the bald man finally said, concluding the introductions as everyone’s attention returned to Nolan.

“Well, I guess that’s everyone,” Nolan said, gazing into space as a bluish screen suddenly appeared in front of him. The screens seemed to materialize and vanish at will, triggered by thought alone, and everyone seemed to pick up on this quickly.

“Now then, I won’t pretend to understand everything here, so it’d be nice to go through the elements together,” he said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

“Then should we start with Echo?” Sera suggested, and they all agreed. Since it was the first item on the list, they assumed there might be some significance in learning it first.

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[Echo]

Allows the user to monitor their environment, detecting any Soulex abnormalities within a specified area and displaying alerts on a status screen.

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Variations:

● Normal – Scans a minimum radius based on the user’s Soulex level, marking everyone within range as a "target" and monitoring any fluctuation in their Soulex.

● Echo Target – Focuses exclusively on a single individual/object and ignores all else unless it directly involves the target’s Soulex.

● Echo Sight – Enables the user to see Soulex visually, allowing real-time monitoring of surrounding Soulex signals.

Note: All modifications made to Echo will have varying Soulex consumptions. Increasing the environmental range, number of targets, or combining different variations and elements will naturally consume more Soulex.

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Danger Levels:

Upon activation, each target within range displays a number indicating their danger level based on Soulex fluctuations.

* [Target #][1] — Low or normal Soulex emission, suggesting minor use of the God System’s elements (Identifies a Soulex user).

* [Target #][2] — Moderate to high Soulex emission, typical of defensive or offensive actions in combat, possibly involving [Pulse].

* [Target #][3] — A large, temporary spike in Soulex followed by a drop, suggesting energy injection into an object or person, potentially via [Pulse].

* [Target #][4] — Steady high Soulex emission for an extended duration, indicating that an Eternal Soulex may already be active.

* [Target #][5] — Significant Soulex surge, implying imminent activation of an Eternal Soulex or a potential high-level [Pulse] attack.

* [Target #][6] — Objects exhibiting a flow of Soulex, mainly created by [Form].

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It seems very strict, Lin thought as he reviewed the screen, committing everything to memory so he wouldn’t need to reference it constantly.

"I think we should start by using Echo Sight to see exactly what this Soulex energy looks like," the golden-haired boy suggested, seemingly excited to test their new powers.

“Oh, yeah. Good call. Alright, everyone, let's give it a try,” Nolan nodded in agreement as tension rose with everyone looking at each other, waiting for someone to be the first to take the step.

“Echo Sight,” Nolan muttered, and the others repeated the phrase as they activated the ability and looked around.

Echo Sight, Lin thought to himself, and the element activated just as everyone else’s did. His vision shifted, revealing faint auras around everyone’s bodies.

So this is Soulex…