"I… I… I meant if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to have your number for uh… uh… in case you want to take more books, y-yeah, that." Hiyori bowed several times as though apologizing to the air itself, her fingers trembling as she clutched her phone.
It was honestly surreal to watch.
Kōya had seen characters like her in manga… the shy librarian type who only looks at handsome guys.
In his old world, she wouldn't have even looked in his direction, let alone asked for his number.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
'It wouldn't be that bad to take advantage of my looks… I'm not aiming for a girlfriend or to save heroines or whatever nonsense this world wants. I just want to see how far "pretty privilege" can get me.'
"Sure you can." Kōya extended his phone to her casually. "How do numbers get shared again?"
The only contact in the device was the apartment landline. This world's version of him was apparently handsome as hell… but had absolutely zero game.
"U-uhm… A-Amagi-sama…" She whispered the honorific like it was holy text as she pressed her phone to his.
A soft chime sounded as their devices exchanged information automatically.
He took his phone back and looked at the contact name with both hands.
「Amano Hiyori」
"Oh, Hiyori. That's a nice name."
And she exploded.
Her entire face went red, ears included, and even her neck flushed pink as though steam were about to shoot out.
'M-m-my… my first name… he called my first name…'
He wasn't sure if she said that or thought it loudly. It was all over her expression anyway.
"Th-th-thank—"
"I'll see you later," Kōya cut in gently, already turning away, because honestly he didn't know what to do with that level of fluster.
He reached the first shelf and mentally sighed in relief.
'Okay, focus. This is Keropolis City history. Not what I need.'
He walked past it, glancing at the tags until he found a large shelf divided into two sections but he was more focused on the top section.
「Crests」
'Perfect.' He grabbed the thick volume titled:
「Study Of Crests by Haganeteku」
He tucked it under one arm, the ease with which he held something that thick reminded him that this body was seriously buff and continued browsing.
A soft ding echoed in front of him as texts began appearing on screen.
「She's still looking at you」
'Huh?' He turned his head slightly.
And sure enough, Hiyori was staring at him from behind the counter like a startled kitten frozen under a flashlight.
The moment their eyes met, she jolted upright and began wiping the already spotless counter like her life depended on it.
'Damn… am I really that handsome? Or are manga worlds just built different?'
Before he could dwell on it, another line of text flickered.
「Sigh…」
'Oi. Did you just sigh at me?'
The system typed nothing, which was worse.
He made his way deeper into the library, finding an equally massive book under the World History section.
With both books in hand, he finally claimed an empty seat thankfully far from the whispering groups of people who kept glancing at him.
Some guys stared with obvious irritation, jealousy practically showing beneath their drooping bangs.
The girls whispered with sparkly eyes like he had descended from a shojo manga panel.
Kōya ignored all of them.
'Time to get reading.'
He opened the first book reluctantly. If only he had one of those cheat skills that let you absorb a whole book in a blink… but no, this was reality, even if it was a manga reality.
"Even though the power system in the manga was peak… I was really confused about a lot of things." He muttered under his breath. "Like, what is the sure method of breaking into Two-Line from One-Line? Why four marks? Why not five? Why not ten?"
Then a thought struck him.
'Ah. System.'
「Your wish is my command」
'Great. Read this book entirely and give me the important parts about crests and how they evolve. Summarize everything.'
The system paused. A trio of blinking dots appeared, like a typing indicator.
「Order received. Study Of Crests by Haganeteku is being analyzed…」
Kōya flipped the pages idly, pretending to read while actually waiting.
「Analysis complete. Summarized version will now be displayed.」
Then the text flooded in like revelation:
「A Crest is a supernatural mark that manifests on the human body upon Awakening. It serves as a conduit for mana, physical reinforcement, and skill development, creating a measurable hierarchy of human capability.
A Crest is identified by: Color, number of Lines, and its location on the body, all determined by genetics and mana flow.
Crests strengthen both body and mind, allowing humans to exceed normal limits.
Most Awakeners begin with the Black Crest, developing through four foundational stages known as Lines.」
Kōya's breath caught slightly.
The level of detail… he had never seen the manga explain it this clearly.
The system continued regardless:
「A One-Line Crest (Shodan) is the initial awakening that enhances health, appearance, and senses while granting basic mana sensitivity; although unstable, it naturally evolves once the user cultivates a calm mind, consistent physical training, and steady mana-breathing practices that strengthen internal pathways.」
'Damn… that's a clean explanation.'
The text flowed like a professor lecturing:
「A Two-Line Crest (Nidan) amplifies muscular efficiency and allows basic mana circulation and simple techniques; advancing further requires enduring continuous circulation, anchoring mana in the core, and training under controlled stress until the body adapts and stabilizes into the next stage.」
「A Three-Line Crest (Sandan) offers stable mana output, superhuman physical ability, and the formation of personal skills shaped by affinity; breakthrough occurs only when an Awakener masters a skill, achieves full-body mana synchronization, and reaches the rare aligned state known as Full-Body Resonance.」
Kōya leaned forward now, truly invested.
「A Four-Line Crest (Yondan) represents the peak of the Black Crest stage, enabling visible affinity effects and advanced technique usage; evolution beyond this point demands deep self-understanding, intense mana amplification in high-density environments, and a moment of clarity that pushes the Crest to choose either the Red or Blue specialization.」
Then…
「A Gold Crest (Ōkyūmon) is an exceptionally rare innate evolution granted at birth, immediately placing the Awakener far above ordinary talent by providing a naturally heightened physique, accelerated growth, and a Crest that bypasses the Four-Line progression entirely; although overwhelmingly powerful from the start, it develops properly only when the user sharpens their mana control, shapes a clear combat identity, and exposes themselves to higher-level environments that allow the Crest's innate potential to mature.」
Kōya blinked.
'This isn't just OP… it's straight-up protagonist cheat material… I know several clan nepo babies have it, I'm the protagonist so why don't I have?'
The system didn't stop:
「A Red Crest (Akamon) is the physical evolution of a Four-Line Crest, reshaping the user's body into a vessel optimized for strength, speed, and weapon mastery while granting explosive mana reinforcement; it grows only when the user continually pushes their limits through intense combat, resistance training, and refinement of their instincts.」
「A Blue Crest (Aomon) is the magical evolution of a Four-Line Crest, refining the user's mana pathways for precise spells, high-output casting, and elemental manipulation; further development depends entirely on discipline in mana theory, repeated spell refinement, and meditation to expand inner capacity.」
Kōya's brows rose.
'Okay… that sounds insane but fair.'
Then came the big guns.
「A Silver Crest marks the point where an Awakener surpasses mortal limits entirely, gaining flawless mana efficiency and techniques powerful enough to distort terrain with a single strike; their affinity manifests so intensely that proximity alone can warp heat, pressure, or elemental flow, making confrontations inherently one-sided.」
Kōya's eyes widened.
And finally…
「A White Crest is considered a divine-tier evolution, granting seemingly bottomless mana and world-altering capability that causes lower Crests to weaken instinctively; scholars speculate that praise or reverence may transfer minute mana to a White Crest user which is an unproven theory, yet the White King's endless strength and longevity leave no more convincing explanation.」
Kōya froze and then the only thought left him like a whisper.
'What the absolute fuck?'