The surge of magical energy circulating through his body made Maximus Sagaza feel something he hadn't felt in a long time:
Anticipation.
For months, he'd been stuck.
His strength had plateaued.
His organization had plateaued.
The Vonden District—his territory—was under the thumb of one of Orange River's biggest criminal organizations: WM, the White Mafia.
Its boss, Victor Vonden, was one of the most powerful espers in the underworld.
Every district leader in Vonden paid tribute to the White Mafia, and they all paid faithfully.
Maximus was one of them.
He feared Victor. Not just because the man possessed a level 7 skill, but because he also held a magic control manual—low-level or not, that alone put him above the crowd.
But now… things were different.
"Sir, the White Mafia's collection day is coming up. What are we going to do?"
Sullivan, his subordinate, stood beside the treadmill, holding a towel and frowning.
Maximus's feet hammered the belt at a frightening speed, getting faster with every passing second.
At Sullivan's words, Maximus gradually slowed the treadmill and stepped off, breathing hard but steady.
"There are still four days left," Maximus said, taking the towel and wiping the sweat from his face. "Ignore them for now."
He tossed the towel aside.
"Tell the Shadows they have four days to completely fill their cores. Anyone who fails loses the right to be a Shadow—permanently."
Sullivan stiffened.
"…Yes, sir!"
He bowed quickly and rushed out of the training room.
Maximus exhaled, shoulders relaxing slightly.
On the surface, he looked calm.
Inside, a crushing weight sat on his spine.
From his conversation with the two masked figures—and from the magic control they'd handed him—he knew Black Heavens was real.
They had even dug into his past.
If he refused them, they could contact the Sagaza family. His own bloodline would be the one to end him.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And a death sentence if mishandled.
Even though the White Mafia seemed like the peak of Orange River's underworld, Maximus knew there were still monsters above them.
For years, rumors circulated about men with no identities.
Men in black suits.
Eyebrows shaved.
Heads bald.
Faces eerily similar.
He still remembered the last annual underworld summit, where those "men with no IDs" annihilated Daniel Smith, once the strongest esper in Orange River.
Since receiving Black Heavens' proposal, Maximus had thrown himself into training like a man possessed.
It hadn't even been a full day since he'd met Dragon and Rose, but his stats had already shot up.
"Status," he muttered.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
STATUS
[Name]: Maximus Sagaza
[Race]: Human
[Strength]: 51
[Toughness]: 55
[Agility]: 56
[Intelligence]: 20
[Perception]: 16
[Magic Energy]: 223
Skills
[Nothing Manipulation: Imperceptibility {10}]
A branch of the Original 'Nothing' ability. Imperceptibility allows the user to become completely undetectable. While active, the user cannot be perceived by physical, mental, spiritual, or technological means. They emit no heat, aura, or energy, leaving no trace of their presence.
As one of the more distinct variations of the Original skill, it can still be pierced by certain powerful individuals or abilities.
[Discipline {Sub Skill}]
Born from countless resistance and endurance trainings, this sub skill allows the user to "self-discipline" under danger and stress. It keeps the user calm and rational, especially while acting stealthily.
Side effects include heightened control over bodily functions during stealth operations: breathing, heart rate, perspiration, and mental stability in cramped, dangerous, or high-pressure environments.
Maximus was already used to his abilities. Something not even the Sagaza family knew was that, during his training under them, he'd awakened a second skill from the Original book.
But that wasn't what shocked him now.
It was the numbers.
For so long, he'd been stuck below 50 in his physical stats. No matter how hard he trained, nothing moved. Eventually, he'd resigned himself to that ceiling.
But now?
He clenched his fist, feeling raw satisfaction surge through him.
"…I missed this feeling," he murmured as a shiver ran down his spine and a grin spread across his face.
The feeling of becoming stronger.
The feeling of progress.
The feeling of being alive.
[06:30]
I stood in front of the Tech Division door.
Some skills weren't meant for combat. Some were for people whose brains worked in ways that could merge human technology with magical energy.
Those people took a different entrance exam to join the Triangle.
If they passed, they ended up here.
The Technology Division.
Since the Triangle was a military academy, it spared no expense on equipment, labs, and experimental tools for this building. Every invention created here?
Triangle property.
I peered inside through the small window, watching the students work.
Then I sighed.
"Alright. Time to deal with this."
I'd skipped breakfast to come here. The monthly test was approaching, and Maya would soon be able to use her skill properly.
That meant it was time for me to get my last key skill.
An essential one.
"Now that I'm the 'leader' of an organization, I need to be smarter," I muttered.
The situation with Maximus and the League of Shadows wasn't about being smarter than everyone in the world.
It was about being smarter than them.
But Black Heavens' long-term plans… would require more than that.
Enemies would only get stronger.
Plots would only get more complicated.
Mistakes would only become more expensive.
I pushed the door open.
The moment I stepped inside, the noise hit me—clanks, whirs, low conversations. None of it reached the hallway outside.
Only nine students were in the room, each absorbed in their work.
A man standing near the entrance raised a hand, stopping me.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" he asked flatly. "Regular students aren't allowed in here."
He wore the standard Triangle staff uniform.
"I want to talk to Alice Star," I said.
He stared at me, unimpressed.
"I want to talk to her too, but wanting things doesn't make them happen. Now get out."
He put his hands on my shoulders and started pushing me back toward the hallway.
The students glanced up at the commotion for a second, then went back to their work.
"I KNOW WHY YOUR CONTAINER CAN'T HANDLE MAGIC ENERGY!" I shouted before the door could close.
BEAT.
My back hit the opposite wall. My head throbbed dully.
"What's with all the violence…" I muttered, rubbing the back of my skull.
The door slammed shut.
I dusted off my clothes and leaned against the wall.
"She'll come anyway," I said under my breath.
The Tech Division was basically the S-Class for engineering.
And Alice Star was its ace. The most talented engineer in the entire Triangle.
Even she had problems she couldn't solve.
I waited.
Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, the door swung open.
"You're still here," a student said. He wore the Tech Division uniform and had a surprisingly deep voice for his slim build.
"Come in. She's waiting for you."
He stepped aside, and I walked past him with a nod.
The guard by the door stared straight ahead, pretending I didn't exist.
"Wow…"
The word slipped out the moment I stepped fully inside.
Even though the novel described this room as impressive, seeing it in person was another level entirely.
Machines hummed quietly.
Transparent containers glowed with a soft blue radiance.
Tables were covered in tools, wiring, metal frames, mysterious devices, and screens filled with schematics.
Some gadgets I recognized.
Some I didn't.
Many weren't even mentioned in the original story.
I passed the few students in the lab. None of them gave me a second look.
It felt strange.
Maybe I'd gotten too used to being stared at.
But it wasn't a bad feeling.
"How do you know about the progress of our equipment?" a voice called out. "And how do you know what's wrong with it?"
Her voice echoed before I saw her.
When I entered the side room labeled [ALICE], she was already there, hunched over some kind of tech glove.
Short blonde hair.
Blue eyes behind work goggles.
Triangle lab coat over her uniform—barely hiding the fact that she was very well-endowed.
Alice Star.
"The details aren't important," I said. "What matters is that I can help you finish it."
"I can finish it myself," she snapped without looking up. "What makes you think I need you?"
She clicked something on the glove, sparks flickering.
"And besides," she added, "I don't know you. The fact you know about our project is already suspicious."
"Alright then," I said. "I'll leave."
I smiled and turned to go.
That made her finally look up.
Alice Star was a future member of Lucas's harem—the only non-combat heroine.
She became interested in him after seeing him use a type of energy she'd never encountered before.
She was also the first one in the harem to discover his secret.
Because of her skill, however, she was suspicious of everyone. She struggled to connect with people who couldn't keep up with her intellect. Combine that with her arrogance, and… yeah.
Not easy to deal with.
I wanted to help her now mostly to build a early relationship. In the future, she'd become the greatest engineer in the world.
But before that, I had a simpler priority.
I wanted to steal her skill.
Alice had expected me to argue. To insist. To get angry at being dismissed so she could provoke and dissect me.
Instead, I just turned around and walked away with a calm smile.
That annoyed her far more.
"Well… I tried," I muttered once I was outside the room.
Could I have tried harder?
Sure.
But with someone like Alice, pushing too much would backfire. Thanks to her ability, she struggled to relate to people who weren't on her mental level. Her arrogance wasn't baseless either, which made people even more uncomfortable around her.
Most of the people she was close to were her own family.
After all, they all shared the same ability.
"At least coming here wasn't a waste."
I smiled as a familiar interface flickered across my vision.
[Congratulations! You have acquired the Skill Book: "Super Intelligence (9)"]
Exactly as planned.
I felt satisfaction bubble up inside me.
From now on, I would need to be very careful with this skill. Messing with my brain's capabilities was incredibly risky.
But in this world?
It was a risk I was more than willing to take.