First trial
The thought of controlling others with my mind was too good to be true. I started shaking from excitement.
<I'm sorry Aisu. I'm so excited I can't even speak.>
<Heh. Don't you worry. Your reaction is pretty much understandable. You're actually better than your predecessor. Why, that Hitler brat almost wetted his pants the first time I spoke to him.>
Listening to her casually rattling on one of the most notorious mass murderers in the history of mankind felt very surreal.
She continued <Anyway, now that you have entered into a pact with me, I'll teach you how to use the Eye of Infinity System. Just now you already gain access to EIS user interface. It's like a menu with icons that you can click on to access different functions.>
I stared at the menu. There were various icons like:
─ Status
─ Skills
─ Level up EIS
─ Learn
─ Upgrade
─ Help
I selected 'Skills' in my mind.
The interface changed and a new window appeared. It had a list of all the skills I had unlocked so far.
[Skills]
─ Passive Skills: Area of Effect Lv. 1
─ Basic Skills: Hypnosis Lv. 1
─ Advance Skills (Locked - Select 'Learn' on Main Menu to unlock)
─ Ultimate Skills (Locked - Select 'Learn' on Main Menu to unlock)
─ back to [Main Menu]
I selected 'back to [Main Menu]' and selected 'Learn' next. It showed me another window.
[Learn]
─ Advance Skills
─ Ultimate Skills
─ back to Main Menu
I selected 'Advance Skills'
[Advance Skills]
1) ??? (prereq: Hypnosis Lv. 2, SP to unlock: 40)
2) ??? (prereq: ???, SP to unlock: 40)
3) ??? (prereq: ???, SP to unlock: 40)
4) ??? (prereq: ???, SP to unlock: 40)
─ back to [Learn]
─ back to [Main Menu]
***
<The interface adapts to the user. It resembles the interface of RPG game menus because you are a gamer.>
Yes, that much was clear. It was pretty easy to understand.
<Now then, Kouichi. Tell me, do you have any questions?>
I looked at the menu again. There were still some things I didn't understand.
<I don't understand the difference between EIS levels. Can you explain it to me?>
<EIS level is basically the amount of proficiency the user has in using the Eye of Infinity System. And the more proficient the user is, the more effective his/her mind control ability will be. Also, your max Stamina and Stamina refill rate are determined by your EIS level. Stamina is consumed every time you activate EIS power. The amount of consumption depends on the skills that you use. When stamina reaches zero you have to wait for a certain period of time for it to refill before you can use EIS again.>
<Oh! I get it now. So if my level increases, I'll be able to use the system more, right?>
<Correct. Also you will accumulate experience points and skill points with each EIS activation. Experience points are used to increase EIS level while skill points are for unlocking or upgrading skills.>
I started thinking about all the things I could do with this power.
<So there's no limit to how far I can go?>
<For now you are limited to Basic skill i.e. Hypnosis. It is a form of minor mind control where you can influence others to perform simple menial tasks like fetching water, picking up trash, or carrying heavy objects. But don't underestimate Hypnosis as it is the foundation for all other EIS skills. By using hypnosis you are putting the target on a trance-like state which make them more susceptible to your commands. Later on you when you unlock advanced and ultimate skills you'll be able to achieve greater feats such as manipulating their mind or thoughts, inducing certain moods and emotion, view their memories, controlling their actions, and in extreme cases you can even ask them to commit suicide. But there's a catch. You can only influence one person at a time. Also, the effects of your mind control will wear off after a certain period of time.>
I nodded in understanding.
<But enough talk for now. Better to start practicing your new power. Ah I forgot to mention that on level 1 you have to be more careful. If the target saw you while you were using EIS, they might notice a pinkish aura glowing from your body and they'll know you are trying to manipulate them.>
Ah. So that was what happened with Yumiko and Koyuki.
<So how do I prevent this?>
<You need to make sure you activate EIS when the target is not looking at you. But once they notice you, it will be hard to hide your intentions.>
I think I got it. I couldn't wait to try my new power.
***
After school was over I went to our class window and looked outside. There were a lot of people at the courtyard. I had decided to try my new power on one of the students. At level 1, my area of effect was only limited to 10 metres. So I decided to pick someone who was not very far away from me. I was inside the classroom so I would be harder to be discovered.
I looked around and spotted a guy sitting alone under the tree. He was engrossed in his reading. I would try 'Hypnosis' on him. I told Aisu about my intended target and asked her for guidance.
<So what do I need to do?>
<Target is in range. All you have to do is open the interface and select 'Hypnosis' on the menu. Then concentrate on the target.>
I opened the interface and selected 'Hypnosis'.
<Go ahead.>
I concentrated my mind on the guy. I started to feel a tingling sensation in my head. I felt my heart beating faster. It was time. I took a deep breath and exhaled.
I saw a pinkish glow from my body. It was coming from my eyes. Unlike before with Yumiko and Koyuki, now I could see it. He was still reading the book and not looking at me. Perfect! I had no fear of being caught. The moment the pinkish aura appeared, the time status started blinking and counting down.
[Time: 09:56]
At [Hypnosis Lv. 1] my time limit was 10 minutes.
The guy was still reading his book. I focused my mind on him and start imagining he tearing the book apart and throwing it into the trash bin. I pictured him ripping the pages and shredding them to small pieces.
I waited for the next 10 seconds while nothing happened.
[Time: 09:45]
Then I felt the tingling sensation again. It was starting. I saw the guy's face changing. His expression changed from calm and composed to angry and aggressive. Suddenly he grabbed his book and started tearing the pages apart. He was shredding the pages into small pieces. The sound of paper being shredded was loud in my ear.
It worked!
I watched as the guy tore the pages into tiny pieces and finally threw what left on the book into the trash bin.
I broke contact with the guy and the moment I did it, the pink glow disappeared from my body.
[Time: 07:28]
[Congratulations! You earn 7 XP (5 + 2 XP first timer bonus) !]
[Congratulations! You earn 3 SP (2 + 1 SP first timer bonus) !]
Stamina: 10/20 (refill rate: 5/hr)
The guy stared incredulously at his hands. He looked like he was trying to figure out what just happened.
I smiled. Success!
The guy looked around his feet at the small pieces of paper that were scattered on the ground. He picked up a piece of paper and looked at it.
"What the...?"
He looked at the other pieces of paper. "What just happened? Who did this?"
I stepped out of the window before he noticed me.
***
<Nice work Kouichi. Poor guy must be wondering what happened to him. The look on his face is priceless.>
Yes, it was. I could not stop laughing after that. I felt a bit guilty but I couldn't help myself.
<Once more Hypnosis and you can level up.>
<Sweet!>
I brought out the [Status] window:
The Eye of Infinity System (EIS)
EIS Level: 1
XP needed to level up: 10
Stats:
Stamina: 12/20 (refill rate: 5/hr)
XP: 7 (used to increase EIS Lvl)
SP: 3 (used to unlock and level up skills)
Learned Skills:
[Passive Skills: Area of Effect Lv. 1]
[Basic Skills: Hypnosis Lv. 1]
I needed 10 XP to level up and 20 SP to upgrade [Hypnosis] skill or to upgrade [Area of Effect].
I was in the cafeteria having lunch with Kyougo. It seemed like forever since we last talked. We were sitting at a table near the window. The cafeteria was crowded as usual. I was having curry rice and Kyougo was eating curry noodles.
"Man, Yamaguchi sure knows how to make a boring lesson." Kyougo said while slurping his noodles.
"Yeah. But I'm glad that's over." I replied.
I used to share everything with Kyougo but EIS was another story. I didn't want anybody to know about it, Kyougo included. We chatted about random stuff like what we were going to do after school and so on. Suddenly topics like anime, manga and game didn't interest me anymore. I just wanted to go out there and practice my new power.
"Say Kouichi. I got my hand on a new 'Guropeji' video. This time, the voting list is different." Kyougo said this casually, probably gauging my reaction since the last time I reprimanded him for casting a vote.
The mention of 'Guropeji' brought me back down to Earth. I stopped eating my curry rice and looked at Kyougo. "Oh yeah?" before adding, "I hope you don't cast a vote this time."
"What? No, no, no. I promise. I just watched it. Since the voting candidates are different this time, I thought I'll share it with you."
Just how many videos have you watched, Kyougo? I wondered.
"So, what do you think?" Kyougo asked.
"Okay, give me the link."
"Here it is."
Kyougo handed me a piece of paper with the link written on it. A sense of unease came over me as I saw the link. What kind of abomination will I find this time?
I pocketed the piece of paper and decided to check it out later.
"Don't watch it at night. It's quite disturbing." Kyougo warned.
When is it not so?
"Thanks for the warning." I replied.
We chatted for a while longer before heading home.
***
After school I went straight to the park near our house. There were some kids playing around the park and there was a couple who were walking their dog. I sat at the bench beside the playground. I took out my cell phone and plugged my earphone into it. After making sure nobody was looking, I took out the piece of paper and typed in the address on my browser.
I pressed enter.
After showing the logo of severed head with dripping blood, the website finally loaded.
<Hey hey. What's this Kouichi? It looks interesting!> Aisu sounded excited.
I forgot this time I had Aisu with me. Having someone else watched the video with me in some way reduced the tension.
<You'll see.>
<Ho! Intriguing.>
I wondered how a being like Aisu would feel watching a video of a human being being tortured to death. But recalling the roster of people she tutored over, some of which were mass murderers, somehow I didn't think it would bother her too much.
I clicked through the terms of service and stared at the screen for a while until the video started playing.
***
It was a woman sitting on the floor. Both of her hands were spread wide open to the side, with what looked like sturdy manacles around her wrists. The manacles were then tied to thick ropes which extended both sides of the room. I could not where they were attached to as they were out of the camera's range.
The woman's eyes were closed. Her face was pale and she had a small mole under her left eye. I could not see her face clearly due to the angle of the camera. She was wearing a white robe which looked like it was made of cotton. The robe was opened slightly on her chest revealing her breasts. Her long legs were exposed from under the robe. The robe was covering her groin but I could still see the dark hair between her legs.
The room was dimly lit, giving the video an eerie atmosphere. The source of the light was coming from a single white LED lamp on the ceiling.
A man stepped into the camera's view. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie. His hair was combed back and he had a short beard. Half of his face was covered by a black mask, hiding his features other than his mouth and chin. He walked forward and stopped in front of the woman. He kneeled down beside her and whispered something into her ear. I couldn't hear what he said since the voice was muffled by the mask. After a few seconds, the woman stirred a little before finally opening her eyes.
Her eyes were filled with fear. Her eyes looked like they were about to cry. She looked at the man kneeling before her.
"Why...why are you doing this to me?" she asked.
The man did not answer.
She looked around the room and saw the ropes tied around her wrists. "Please...please don't do this!" she pleaded.
The man still did not respond.
"Heeeeelp!!! Heelpp!! Please help meeee!!" she cried.
"Save your breath, miss." the man finally spoke. "Nobody can hear you here."
The woman's eyes widened in shock.
"W-what are you going to do to me? I'll tell you anything you want to know! I'll give you anything!"
"Really? Anything?" the man asked, this time with a hint of amusement in his voice.
The woman hesitated for a while before answering, "Yes! Anything!"
The man laughed, "Okay. I want your..."