Chapter 83: And the Beaten Learned to Strike Back
I strode through the garden’s arched exit, gravel crunching underfoot. Behind me, the waterfall’s roar faded into the hum of campus life—chattering students, rustling leaves, the distant clang of training swords.
I hope he understood.
The thought slipped out before I could stop it. Aeron wasn’t stupid—just tragically stubborn. But that flicker of warmth in his eyes at the end... Maybe, just maybe—
Ding.
A chime like silver bells echoed in my skull.
Oh, it’s about time, huh.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Scenario Completed: "The Hero’s Hollow Heart"]
"Guilt is a silent blade, sharpened on the whetstone of good intentions. You found the hands clenched around its hilt - not in malice, but in misguided protection. Where others saw only a warrior’s stubborn pride, you recognized the fear of a boy who loved too deeply to risk love again."
▸ Achievements:
- Allowed the cursed to spill his anguish without judgment, transforming silence into shared burden.
- Forced confrontation with self-destructive patterns through relentless yet precise verbal strikes.
- Used biting humor to dismantle emotional barricades, leaving no room for retreat into solitude.
- Presented not just hope, but an actionable map from darkness - training, research, and most crucially, reconnection.
Rewards:
- [Sword: "Echo of Remorse"] A blade that vibrates when its wielder’s resolve wavers, humming with the memory of their turning point.
- Favorability▸Aeron ↑↑, Emilia ↑, Livia ↑
"They will remember who returned the light to eyes grown dull with isolation."
Unexpected Effect:
The storyline’s trajectory has been slightly altered. Where there was only the certainty of further self-destruction, now glimmers the fragile possibility of a different ending - one where love is not a liability, but the whetstone upon which true strength is forged.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
"..."
Damn. Was Aeron’s story meant to be tragic, not a romcom?
That was the only way to explain the content of the unexpected effect.
Or, perhaps, Aeron might have lived with the curse, but no love....
I hope I did the right thing...
But I really hope that he does have a happy life...
The boy has suffered enough.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Title Earned: Heartstring Tugger]
You walk the razor’s edge between cruelty and compassion, wielding truth as both scalpel and suture. Where others see brokenness, you find the precise pressure points to mend - or unravel - a soul’s deepest wounds.
"The strongest chains are not iron, but untold stories."
━━━◇◆◇━━━
Oh, the empty titles are back now, huh?
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Achievement Unlocked: Reverse Psychology Works?!]
You’ve demonstrated that sometimes the straightest path to healing is a mirror maze of contradictions. By weaponizing expectation against despair, you’ve proven that even the most armored heart retains its keyholes.
"Not all locks require force - some need only the right twist of words."
━━━◇◆◇━━━
Are there some kind of requirements for them to have effects or something? Or are they just random?
Sure, getting praised and acknowledged is nice, but if they have actual effects, it’s always better, you know.
Hey, system, I’m asking you.
...
Ding!
Are you gonna finally ans-
Should have known...
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Hidden Objective Completed: Hero’s Light]
You did not merely pull the drowning man to shore - you taught him to recognize the weight dragging him under. In guiding Aeron to confront his curse without surrendering to it, you’ve forged a path where self-preservation and connection walk hand-in-hand.
"The strongest bridges are built when we first acknowledge the chasm."
Reward Granted: [Lantern’s Glim Lv2]
━━━◇◆◇━━━
Hm...
I was already settled on a nearby bench, flipping open a book as a cover while the system messages scrolled through my vision.
I see, I mused inwardly, scanning the latest prompt. But why is it already Lv2? Feeling generous today, System?
As if in response, a translucent window materialized before my eyes:
━━━━━━━━◆━━━━━━━━
[Lantern’s Glim - Lv2 (Active)]
"The darkest chains often glint when held to the light."
Effects:
▸ Reveals emotional burdens as visible stains on targets
▸ Identifies trauma types
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 8 hours
Range: Line of sight/light
Restrictions:
∟ Cannot discern specific memories
∟ Overuse causes temporary visual echoes
∟ Ineffective against C Tier and above mental defenses
Upgrade Conditions:
✔ Witness 3+ emotional breakthroughs (1/3)
✔ Prevent a mental collapse using this skill (1/1)
━━━━━━━━◆━━━━━━━━
My fingers tightened around the book’s spine.
So it leveled up during Aeron’s breakdown...
The "prevent mental collapse" condition was also already checked—likely the moment I’d stopped him from spiraling further.
A useful skill, no doubt. But a thought slithered through my satisfaction:
Am I destined to become some kind of emotional punching bag/healer now?
The System remained silent, but the answer seemed obvious. With people like Aeron Cassandra, Zephyr, and who knows how many other walking disasters in this world...
Yeah. I’m gonna need this.
I snapped the book shut with finality. The skill’s description lingered in my mind, particularly the upgrade conditions. Two more emotional breakthroughs?
Guess I’d better stock up on tissues and patience.
━━━━━━━━ ◆ ━━━━━━━━
Guess I also need to stock up on ointment and bandage too...
The familiar, stomach-churning sensation of spatial displacement hit me as Virion’s portal spat me out onto the training grounds.
My boots skidded against the polished stone, the weight of the new weapon at my hip a strange but welcome presence.
Almost immediately, four pairs of beady eyes locked onto me.
Mike, twirling his nunchaku, was the first to break the silence. "Oi, oi, what’s this?" He jabbed a finger at the sword. "Didn’t we spend the last three days beating dagger techniques into that thick skull of yours?"
Leon’s katana glinted as he tilted his head, unimpressed. "Pathetic. Can’t even commit to one weapon."
I grinned, rolling my shoulders. "I’ll keep learning daggers. But today, I’m using this." My fingers brushed the hilt of Echo of Remorse , its weight humming faintly against my palm.
Since it gets stronger with my resolve, I won’t get beaten that badly, right?
A dry chuckle slithered through the air. Virion, coiled lazily around a training post, flicked his tail. "Jie jie~ What’s the difference? A weapon’s a weapon. Let’s start the show already."
Ralph cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Yeah, what’s it matter? You don’t know how to use any of them!"
The four of them lunged.
Ok, let’s do it, me.
Observant Eye flared to life, sharpening the world into a grid of trajectories.
The slight twitch in Leon’s shoulder before his katana strike. The microsecond delay in Dono’s staff swing. The rhythm of Mike’s nunchaku spins, predictable after three days of eating dirt to them.
I sidestepped Leon’s slash, pivoted under Dono’s staff, and Echo of Remorse met Ralph’s sai with a resonant clang .
The blade vibrated, a pulse of warmth flooding my grip—not just a weapon, but a mirror to my will. So I amplified it.
I won’t break.
Mike’s nunchaku came whirling toward my ribs. I twisted, letting the chain whip past, and countered with a downward slash. He yelped, hopping back. "Hey! Since when could you—?!"
Leon’s eyes narrowed. "Hmph. Sloppy form, but..." His katana blurred, a silver streak aimed at my throat. I barely parried, the impact rattling my bones, but I held my ground.
"His learning speed’s annoying," Leon muttered, though there was a grudging respect in his tone.
Virion’s laughter echoed like wind chimes made of knives. "Jie jie~ Not bad, boy! But let’s see how long that lasts!"
The turtles shifted .
No more playful teases, this was going to be a coordinated assault.
Swoosh-!
Leon’s katana became a storm of precision, Dono’s staff a relentless metronome, Mike’s nunchaku a chaotic whirl, and Ralph—
Ralph was a battering ram with a sai in each hand.
I weaved, blocked, countered, Echo of Life thrumming beneath my skin, mapping their movements like ripples in a pond. For the first time, I wasn’t just surviving—I was fighting back .
A feint from Leon. A dip of Dono’s shoulder. I ducked, swiping at Mike’s ankles—
THWACK!
Ralph’s foot collided with my spine, sending me face-first into the dirt.
" Guh—! "
The turtles loomed over me, weapons poised. Mike grinned. "Still ended up on the ground, huh?"
Leon sheathed his katana with a click . "...But you lasted two minutes this time. That’s something."
Virion’s tail flicked, the training grounds resetting. "Jie jie~ Progress! Now, do it again."
I spat out a mouthful of dust, groaning.
...Still getting beaten. But not as badly.
And for the first time, as I pushed myself up, the turtles’ smirks held something new—
The faintest glint of anticipation.
And I, too, had the same emotions.