The dim, flickering orange glow of the emergency bulb overhead cast a warm, steady light over the narrow alcove, contrasting sharply with the cold, neon-soaked shadows of the surrounding slums.
Inside Kim Miyoku’s small workshop, the air smelled faintly of cooling copper, ozone, and the clean metallic tang of repaired electronics.
Miyoku sat on her crate-seat, wincing slightly as she applied a cool, antiseptic gel pad to a minor bruise on her collarbone.
Standing just a few paces away, Deku Kwanoh stood with immaculate posture, his ruined, slime-stained high school uniform acting as a bizarre badge of honor amidst the poverty of the undercity.
Inside his mind, the digital interface hummed with a deep, resonant vibration.
A fresh window materialized smoothly in his field of vision, detailing the milestones of his recent exploits.
[Bully system]
New milestone achieved: Protection of subordinate asset completed.
Mutation Pathway Unlocked: Path of the Overclocked Flesh.
Rewards:
Inner Mutation Density +25%
Spatial-Kinetic Regeneration (Tier 1)
Deku stared at the glowing blue text, feeling a sudden, intense wave of internal heat surge through his veins.
Unlike the external manipulation of space-time used by the corporate mercenaries or the high-tier magic users, the path of inner mutation was entirely about self-mastery through extreme physical stress.
It was the art of systematically tearing down human biological boundaries and rebuilding them stronger, denser, and faster with every single exertion.
A low, dark chuckle rumbled in Deku’s throat.
”What are you smiling at?” Miyoku asked softly, tossing the empty wrapper of the antiseptic pad into a nearby bin.
She looked up at him, her dark eyes carrying a mix of lingering shock and deep, unspoken gratitude.
“You just humiliated three Iron Syndicate enforcers in broad daylight and forced the rest to flee. Barok’s people aren’t going to let this go. They control the entire water distribution grid in Sector 9.”
Deku turned his dark, piercing gaze toward her, stepping closer until he stood right beside her workbench.
The cold indifference he usually reserved for the weak softened just enough to reveal the sharp, unyielding intellect beneath.
”Let them try,” Deku replied, his voice smooth, calm, and absolute.
“Water distribution, scrap collection, security checkpoints—they’re all just assets waiting to be managed by someone with actual authority.”
Miyoku let out a small, breathless sigh, though a faint, admiring smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
“You really think you can take over an entire district in a world ruled by corporate armies and alien beasts, don’t you?”
“Hierarchy is universal. Whether it’s a high school classroom or a dystopian wasteland, the strong dictate the rules, and the weak obey. The only difference here is that the ceiling is higher.”
Miyoku stared at him for a long moment, watching the way the digital light from the system interface reflected in his dark, unblinking eyes.
She reached out, picking up a small, intricate circuit board she had been working on before the syndicate thugs had interrupted.
”If you’re going to keep playing the role of principal,” Miyoku murmured, her voice carrying a quiet, genuine warmth, “you’re going to need better equipment than a tattered uniform and bare knuckles.
The corporate factories down in Sub-Level 3 might have left behind some raw materials when you raided them.”
Deku’s eyes flickered with sudden interest.
He remembered the Class-A corporate intel package he had downloaded during his infiltration—the schematics for advanced spatial-kinetic weaponry and high-tier mutation amplifiers.
”You know how to synthesize corporate-grade tech from raw scrap?” Deku asked, raising an eyebrow.
Miyoku held up the circuit board, her grease-stained fingers catching the light with practiced precision.
“I told you, Deku. Just because I didn’t get evolved by their alien experiments doesn’t mean I can’t build tools that rival their magic. Out here in the dirt, we survive by making things work when the system fails.”
Deku looked down at her, a profound sense of mutual understanding passing between them.
The system in his mind chimed softly, recognizing the silent partnership forming in the shadows of the wasteland.
The corporate elites above the clouds and the syndicate lords hiding in the undercity had no idea what was coming.
The bully system had given Deku the power, but with Miyoku’s genius and his unyielding discipline, they were about to build an empire from the garbage up.