Arc 3: Unknown Discovery - Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Arc 3: Unknown Discovery - Chapter 22

"Alright, class," Shaher called for everyone's attention after the fight among students. "Now, with the friendly fights over, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee nearly lost at the last second. If the last person had pushed themselves a bit further, then they would have at least obtained one of the two Protagonist Badges. I'll now start teaching a basic concept of the Action Genre that everyone should learn about."

Everyone remains out in the open field, listening in silence. However, a few students can't help but glare at Ruby and Weiss. At the same time, others attempt to draw their attention with subtle yet not-so-secretive, seductive tactics. These attempts are far from sneaky, as they're plainly visible to all. Those engaged in such behavior seem oblivious to those around them.

"Character roles are among the Action Genre's basic concepts and extend to other genres." Shaher begins. "It doesn't matter the setting or the story, not even if you're already considered a god in your home world by now. Depending on the character role you're assigned in the future, you'll either continue to be the god of your own world or fall and become nothing."

Upon hearing this, some whispered among the crowd. Some nodded in understanding, while others looked confused.

"A prime example of a character role is the Protagonist Badge, which bestows good luck upon its bearers, tipping the scales in their favor. This is precisely why Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee narrowly emerged victorious; those badges were their saving grace. Without them, defeat was certain. The protagonist's role is designed to ease one's journey through life. Yet, it's important to note that there are many types of protagonists, and a story can certainly feature more than one." Shaher continued. "Moreover, while one may assume the role of a protagonist, this status is not eternal; inevitably, there will come a time when their role ends."

In other words, when the story concludes, so does the protective cover of plot armor—unless a sequel is made, in which case they may continue as the central characters. If not, they would have a higher risk of death if things go down badly.

"Yet, there's no cause for concern if the mantle of protagonist is given to someone else. The antagonist emerges as the protagonist's counterpart, equally key to the story. Admittedly, the role of the antagonist may not seem desirable as the story nears its climax. Nonetheless, antagonists often possess more influential backstories in the story's infancy than their protagonist counterparts." Shaher said over the muttering of whispers going on below her.

"Take note of this." I whispered to Ruby and Weiss as I reached through a random world by creating a gap with Boundary Manipulation and handing them the notebooks and pencils.

Then, to make it more comfortable for the two of them, as well as for Shiki, Alma, and myself, I brought out a round table decorated with a crisp white tablecloth. Ruby and Weiss were seated in cozy chairs while the rest of us settled onto a luxurious couch nearby, ensuring everyone had a comfortable spot as we listened to Shaher's lecture for the class.

Seeing this, the crowd improvised in their own unique ways. A sweatdrop formed as I half-expected someone else to have already brought their own seats through their own method, or perhaps Shaher would use her magic to conjure up a school desk and chair for everyone—anything, really.

"Alright, we'll stop here," Shaher announced to everyone. "It's lunchtime, so let's take a break and resume class afterward." She vanished without another word, leaving those who had questions and wanted to ask after class to frown.

"Man, high school has become somewhat boring after you learn most of the stuff here." Alma let out a tired yawn. Then, she stood up from her seat and stretched, causing her large breasts to jiggle. That made many men in the crowd look at her with lustful eyes.

"This is why our generation left high school, even though we didn't learn everything here. We were too bored at the time." Shiki points out, her eyes scanning the surroundings while completely ignoring the mutterings of the crowd. "Anyway, I'm curious if they have improved the lunch specials. The ones we had became useless near the end."

"Is there something special about the lunch foods other than giving us a temporary boost with a risk of severe stomachache?" I ask Shiki, forming a subtle barrier around us with Boundary Manipulation, ensuring our conversation remains private.

"About 90% of the lunch specials give you a permanent boost compared to the normal school food." Shiki explained. "But here's the catch: they only work once. So, eating the same special again won't do anything for you except let you enjoy the flavor."

"What's the catch?" Weiss asked, very curious about the potential side effects compared to normal school food. "Also, what do you mean by 90%? What about the other 10%? Are they different in some way?"

"The 10% are weapons. Actually, weapons that could be used to murder people." Alma grins mischievously. "As for the catch: well, you've got to fight others for them since they are limited in quantity. So, not everyone will get one. It's like a lunchtime battle royale. And as for the side effects, there isn't one other than you might become everyone's hated enemy for wasting a lunch special when you already had one."

"Has no one tried to make their own version or replicate these lunch specials?" I rub my chin, wondering if it's possible to use Supernatural Trainer to teach myself the recipes and create them with the help of the Food Wars' superhuman abilities.

"They have. In fact, the high school encourages many to do so as a way to make it a challenge for those who create the lunch specials to be more motivated in their endless pursuit of improving them." Alma replied. "It's like a culinary competition within the school walls." Then she pouted. "Too bad, only students are allowed to buy these lunch specials, while non-students would have a harder time getting them. It's an exclusive perk of being enrolled here as a student."

"Hear that, Weiss? We don't need to worry about eating Jin's food only." Ruby nudges Weiss with her elbow, grinning cheerfully. "We can try our hand at crafting our own lunch specials and spice up the cafeteria competition."

"No." I said firmly, cutting off any potential objections before they could form, making both girls look at me. Even Shiki and Alma are looking at me. "Ruby, you and Weiss are not cooking at all." I restated, my tone leaving no room for negotiation. "I'd rather not have you two make something similar before if you two don't remember. Noodle and potato." I look at Ruby and Weiss.

Ruby and Weiss shiver at the memory of the noodle and potato monsters created by their hands simply from cooking, their faces paling at the memory of the chaos they inadvertently caused in the kitchen.

"Oh? Did Ruby and Weiss already inherit the Eldritch pantheon's cursed cooking?" Alma asks with excitement, her eyes wide and smiling brightly.

"You could say that," I said dryly, looking at Alma with a wary smile. "Alright, enough of this. How do we head to the school cafeteria?" I glanced around, eager to change the subject and move on before our lunch break ends before we realize it.

"That's the fun part. Ruby and Weiss here have to figure out how to do it in their own way. Each student would think up a way to travel throughout the high school. Otherwise, you'd be stuck in the classroom for your first class for a long time until someone finally found a way out." Alma explains. She winks at Ruby and Weiss, and her expression is encouraging. "Shiki and I would use our own method of traveling, but that would prevent you from creating your own method of traveling, which is worse than you would think. Trust me, you don't want to miss out on the chance to make your mark on the school's unique culture."

Shiki didn't say anything, but her silence alone was enough to show that she stood by what Alma said, her expression carrying a subtle hint of agreement.

I look around, and sure enough, I can see some already yelling at each other while others are demanding their contractors to help them reach the cafeteria instead of coming up with their own method of traveling now that they've been informed of it. At the same time, some are already trying to do so, ignoring the noise around them.

I guess I'll take this time to read a new glowing book to obtain a new cheat. Sure, Perfect Timing didn't say I should, but nor did it say I shouldn't. I remade the barrier made by Boundary Manipulation to make it so we don't have to hear the sounds made by the crowd. Afterward, I reach into my shadow and take out a random glowing book. I begin to flip through the pages, and the soft glow shines on my face.

Glitching... What the fuck.

I did a double take, then reread the entire book, even though I've already absorbed the new cheat.

The Power of Glitching is the ability to exploit short-lived faults common in video games and operating systems that affect technology; however, if glitching is considered a fault, there may be a backlash from using this cheat. Additionally, Glitching may sometimes become uncontrollable and happen at random, disrupting even the most carefully laid plans. Moreover, using Glitching on something has a high chance of causing its destruction through multiple faults, rendering it unusable or even dangerous.

Well, shit. Crazy voices, I might have picked an extremely dangerous cheat. Furthermore, I could understand why Perfect Timing didn't say anything since Glitching, from what I can tell by reference from the other cheats.

It's a fucking ninja... Like, I get the feeling it's sneaking around and looking for the best moment to attack. Aka, glitch the fuck out of it until it breaks.

The mental image of a stealthy, glitching ninja wreaking havoc fills me with a mixture of dread and fascination.

I drop the non-glowing book into my shadow to reread again in the future in case I might have missed anything.

"Hey, Jin." Alma calls for my attention, making me look at her.

I choke on the words I was about to say upon seeing everything around me glitching, and to my horror, upon seeing Alma's appearance change from the sexy succubus to a mass of words, colors, everything that made me see her as something beyond comprehension. It was similar to the time I visited The Room.

"Something wrong, Jin?" Alma's glitched voice echoed strangely, the words warping and distorting as they reached my ears. I could see her lips moving, but the sight was surreal, as I could physically see her words appearing and nearly hitting me in the face. Her appearance flickered between forms, each one more unsettling than the last.

Then, suddenly, everything became normal again.

Crazy voices... I didn't even blink once. Holy fuck.

"Nah, I'm fine. Did you need something, Alma?" I tried not to react to whatever that was, but I could easily feel Glitching was just briefly showing me its powers. Then, it went back into hiding, which is what I'm getting from this new cheat.

"Just wanted to let you know that people are trying to get our attention but can't due to your barrier, and they are too afraid of you murdering them for getting too close to us." Alma points to my right, where there is a bunch of random people shouting in our direction about something.

"So they are." I look back at Alma with an eyebrow raised. "So, how is Ruby and Weiss' progress in creating their own method of traveling?"