CHAPTER 13 - FIRST BLOOD

Coulomb promised to explain everything later and ran out into the streets. For a moment, everyone of them were stunned then Stein suggested that they get something to eat.

The triplets ignored the rest and made themselves at home immediately. Laplace trailed after them to the living room and the rest followed her. They found the triplets already setting up a game on the TV.

While Stein argued with his brother over what to eat, Joule noticed a crack on Newton's glasses.

"Hey, your glasses are broken."

The sound of gunfire and explosions ceased. So did the twins argument and Laplace's inspection of the activities of other Savants on her panel. Schrodinger and the triplets froze with game pads in their hand. The room became silent.

All of them were subjected to the crushing weight of Newton's pressure.

Did I say something I shouldn't have?

And why does my body feel heavier?

The pressure disappeared as quickly as it had manifested. However, the Savants (except Joule) were well aware that the problem wasn't solved yet.

"It's not really broken, it's just a crack."

"Yeah, it looks more like it was scratched. I'm sure the triplets can do something about it."

Laplace quickly supported Schrodinger's consolation and beckoned Gamma to say something. He spoke with a shaky voice devoid of any confidence.

"It's barely visible, we don't even have to do anything about it."

"Is that so?", Newton asked softly.

"Yeah, don't worry about it.", Schrodinger said.

Bomb defused.

Schrodinger sighed in relief.

Then Joule felt a surge of pressure again. This one was imaginary. It was the product of the harsh glares she received from all the Savants.

Their panels appeared displaying information about an emergency update in the guide.

I'm saved. But someone should explain. What did I do wrong?

The information was puzzling. It simply stated that Savants couldn't own more than 3 properties in any form of buildings. They all wondered why it was urgent and dismissed their panels.

They didn't think too much about it and returned to their activities. Newton went upstairs and left Joule who was praying for Coulomb to return quickly so that they could explain everything.

Her prayers were answered immediately.

Coulomb entered the living room and looked restless. His odd behavior got everyone's attention. He was walking around the room, clearly thinking of something.

He stopped in front of Laplace and smiled.

Another oddity.

Schrodinger pinched her arm to check if she was dreaming. Then she remembered that he acted oddly just before they met the triplets.

Does it have something to do with them?

"Can you come with me right now?".

"Um... Sure?".

He was almost dragging the confused Laplace across the room. He laughed in a way befitting for a Demon Lord.

What's going on here?

Their panels appeared again when he was about to leave the room. It was another emergency update for the guide. This time it limited the total amount of credits that can be transferred to Savants to a thousand a day.

Another odd update. It's urgency was an enigma. But the Savants weren't too interested in it.

Except Coulomb.

He hissed and then collapsed in the nearest chair. He asked if he could join in the next game and he reverted to his normal expression after a sigh.

"We're getting nowhere with this, let's compromise and go for anchovies."

"How is that a compromise for sushi or neapolitan?".

"Stein can get his junk food and you can get your fish.Why do you have to eat the same thing?".

Schrodinger's question hit them like a ten ton boulder.

Normally, the idea would be equivalent to blasphemy but this time they found it welcome. Like they suddenly had the ability to view the world from a different perspective.

"I'm sorry I thought you were useless up till now."

"Huh?".

Schrodinger didn't know if she was angry that Ein just casually said that she was useless or happy that he finally recognized her as a person and honestly apologized.

"Then what will you guys have?".

"I'll make some pancakes or something. Don't worry about me."

"Oh, you can cook?".

"Sure. My older sister was always busy so I did everything in the kitchen."

The twins, Schrodinger and Laplace appeared in front of him. He instinctively backed away.

"Cook for us."

It was then that Coulomb knew he would forever regret this moment. He walked right into this one. Schrodinger's harmless question traumatized him.

He was too focused on the game to realize what was going on until it was too late. He had answered both questions without thinking.

He would have preferred to keep playing but his opponents were more interested in what he could do. He gave up and went to the kitchen. Once he started, however he couldn't stop. To save time, he explained everything that had happened to him.

He didn't talk about the message he received from Jolly when they arrived on the 2nd Level, he made it appear like he was offered the option after they left him in the first room of the casino. He didn't reveal that he created the game, he only spoke about changing the rules. He also withheld information about Laplace and Joule spying on him and everything about Jolly and the items he received.

Which made Joule figuring out that he was the traitor weird.

It was noticed but he kept talking and no one could interrupt him. Soon it was forgotten. When he was done Ein and Schrodinger both had questions to ask but he asked for their story first. Stein took over and explained.

When he spoke of Newton's attack, Joule realized what she had done and wondered how close to death she had been without noticing. When the attack hit, she subconsciously absorbed all the kinetic energy from the objects around her. That was the only reason she and Coulomb were alive.

She also realized the error she made in speaking of the broken lens.

"So where's the kid you spoke of?".

"He's.... still on the 12th."

They just realized that they forgot about him.

"We're limited to twice a day with the gold card, guess he's just going to have to chill there for a while. If he dies, we'll, I guess that's it for him."

Coulomb's statement made them feel like they were saints. Even though they probably just caused the death of someone for no good reason. The NPCs were just too real to ignore.

"Then..".

"What...".

Ein and Schrodinger tried to speak at the same time then stopped. Ein motioned to her to speak first.

"What were you doing when we got here, are those updates your fault?".

"That's.....".

"A personal issue. Coulomb feels like he was played by One-eye and is trying to get revenge by making it hard for him to keep things under control."

"... What Joule said."

She accurately deciphered his thoughts that he hadn't fully understood and explained it better than he ever could.

"What were you planning to do?", Schrodinger asked, "Buy everything?".

"Sure, then I'd see how he would handle the situation. He was supposed to make this a Floor for Savants to feel at home. I was planning to ruin his goal."

"So you were going to make all the Savants sleep outside on a grudge?".

"Precisely."

"Don't you see anything wrong with that?".

"How so?".

She sighed.

"I saw you leave the hotel the day we met Edison and Joule, where did you go to?".

"I also saw you returning from somewhere, where did you go to?".

".... A.... Answer mine first".

Oh..... Is he flustered?

Come to think of it, he was dressed strangely.

He wore a maid uniform and actually tried to look more like a girl than he already does.

In that case...

"And your clothes too.....".

"You know what, forget it. Let's just eat".

Coulomb turned around to hide his smile. At least he resisted the urge to chuckle.

How cute.

Stein held his brother's hand.

What was that about?

He blackmailed me.

What?

Don't worry about it. It's unimportant.

Coulomb had finished preparing a vast array of several dishes a few minutes ago. The Savants simply took whatever they wanted. Nobody was brave enough to invite Newton, so they had dinner without her.

After dinner, Schrodinger reminded the twins and Coulomb's that they had missed a lot of shows and had a lot to catch up on. They sent the triplets to bed to avoid any conflict with the game addicts with a snide about kids and bedtime. Surprisingly, they were quite eager to leave, albeit with Alpha making a witty reply that failed to infuriate Ein.

Joule and Laplace had to share a room and so they decided to sort things out early on.

"Yeah! , let's start with this first."

They all seemed to be watching pretty much the same shows and remembered where they were. This didn't surprise Ein, Stein or Coulomb who had begun to discover the secrets of their past. Schrodinger didn't seem to think too much about it.

==========================================

"I must admit that you're quite ingenious. How are you sending the sounds to me?".

"You're a smart girl, figure it out yourself."

"Can the others hear us?".

"Not at all. Ein isn't as good as I am with telepathy. He can only hear me if he focuses. I doubt he has any reason to right now."

"I see. What do you want?".

"Those glasses, they were given to you by someone important?".

"...".

"This person isn't in the Playground, that's also the reason you fell on the floor of Tests, right?".

"What are you trying to do?".

"Nothing. I just understand how you feel and I thought that maybe if you spoke to someone who understood, you'd feel better."

"I don't think you understand."

"But I do, I know that you don't want to be in the Playground. You would have left immediately but you're doing this for the sake of that person. You feel like you have something to prove to yourself and the person."

"Can you stop saying person... his name is Rodney."

"Your friend?".

She looked towards the direction of the voice but she didn't see anything. She was expecting him to say something caustic, no, she wanted him to. Nice Stein made her feel uncomfortable.

"Sort of."

"Then I'm sure he would want you to do what you want, stop restraining yourself. Make the most of your situation. Aren't you having fun in the Playground?".

"Please leave."

"Sure."

"Stein ?".

There was no reply. He had really gone. She couldn't sense any distortions in the gravitational field she generated.

But he's not like Ein. He doesn't care about what I do. I'm just another pawn on his chessboard. Perhaps I should give myself more credit..... I'm his king-side knight. Still, I'm a piece in the end. Nothing more.

I don't think he would ever acknowledge anyone except his father.

I can't believe it took my glasses breaking to remember all this, I have to get up. I have to get out. I have to meet him. If I can reach the end of the Playground, he wouldn't be able to ignore my existence anymore.

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It was almost two in the morning when the four finally went to bed. Schrodinger tried to sneak into the room she shared with Newton but failed. Newton woke up the second she opened the door.

Coulomb bid the twins goodnight and went to his room. He had the largest and had already worked on it to the extent that he could live there comfortably for a month.

Ein suggested that Stein should rest first so that he wouldn't get tired when he was checking his memories. Stein accepted.

Once he was asleep, Ein tried to leave the house but he couldn't open the door. He had only a few options.

The first was to use his gold card to go up by one floor and then return to the 2nd floor by the regular cylinder.

The second was to go back to his brother and then teleport outside.

Both were valid, the second was better but they had the same flaw. He wouldn't be able to return to the house.

Which left only the third option.

=========================================

Coulomb had been waiting for a knock on his door.

He expected a green haired girl to come complaining about her temporary roommate.

The knock did come but when he opened the door, it was a brown haired girl who was there.

"Ein?".

"Were you expecting someone else?".

The surprise must have leaked out from his voice. He didn't know how to answer him. Fortunately, Ein spared him and asked to be let out. Then Coulomb remembered one of the reasons he got the house.

"Come in, we have to talk."

"I don't have much time, I have to get there before two."

"You control time, don't try to escape."

"I wasn't, I just didn't think of that."

Ein stepped into his room and sat at the chair near the door.

So reserved, he's more of a girl than Laplace.

"So, what do you want to talk about?".

"What....".

"Wait....".

Ein closed his eyes and then he took out his pistol and tossed it into the air. It remained there. He moved to Coulomb and touched him then he returned to his chair and snapped his fingers.

Like a zombie rising from the grave, Coulomb came back to life. All he had seen was Ein closing his eyes and now his eyes were open and his blue pistol was dropping beside him extremely slowly.

"Wow, have I ever said that you have the coolest power?".

Ein looked smug when he asked Coulomb to continue.

"What's the get-up for?".

"I'm part of the Planetary System. Subordinate to The Earth, The Moon. I go like this to hide my identity. Our names are already hidden and all the bigwigs mask their appearance somehow. I told them that I have inhuman agility and used my time control to make it believable. They not only fell for it but made me a Satellite even though I was new. My plan is to get to keep an eye on the group to prevent any dangerous activities".

"That was easy, the pistol has barely moved a centimeter. Why did you slow down time by so much then?".

"I've wanted to speak with you too, there are so many things I have to ask you. Firstly, when and how did you meet Jolly?".

"I've already answered that."

Ein smiled and crossed his legs, then placed his elbow on his raised knee and rested his head on his fist. The effect was alluring.

"C'mon, I know that's a lie. Answer my question and I'll answer questions you never dreamed of asking. For example, about your past. I've been remembering things lately, I have a lot to tell you. So, you created that game, didn't you?".

Coulomb weighed his choices and quickly decided what to do. He told Ein about Jolly and the game, the message and the time of arrival and Joule spying on him because she knew him.

"Interesting."

Ein also told him about his dreams and how they knew about each other. By the time they were finished, the pistol was halfway through it's journey.

They spent a few seconds processing what they acquired in silence, then Ein asked to be let out.

"I'm following you, just say I'm a subordinate with a similar but weaker ability that you trust."

"You can move fast now?".

"For quite a while I've had the ability."

"Interesting, there's still a lot for me to learn. I'm glad I chose you. But what about Laplace, weren't you waiting for her?".

"I'll leave her a message, also I hope you understand that everything you told me, I'm going to tell her."

"No problem, I intend to tell my brother as well."

"Including the Planetary System?".

Ein fell silent.

"I'm still not sure, I just feel like I shouldn't tell him."

"I understand. If you can't rely on your brother then Laplace and I will pose as your underlings to help you."

"Thanks."

"I'm just doing what I want."

"Then let's go."

Coulomb left a message for Laplace. He told her he'd explain to her later and that she was free to stay in his room.

The duo went to the hotel where they met Edison and Joule. It was now the HQ of the System and they boasted an astounding 12% of the Savants under them.

The rules were free, only those close to the top were restrained by strict rules. So it was quite enticing to enjoy all the benefits with only the cost of affiliation and reporting information to them. They offered support in forms of items, mercenaries to help with tests and a wide variety of services including healing and rescue operations. Some of the Savants left behind on the 2nd Level were using these services to pass their tests and were already at the 4th Level.

Incidentally, Jolly dished out gold cards to all Savants who passed the 2nd Level's test. So it was still teeming with Savants looking for a place to stay.

They wore matching grey masks, a full moon was etched into Ein's and the last quarter was etched into Coulomb's. A quick trip transformed Coulomb into a butler that would put any other to shame. With their strange attire, they barged into a room where a muscular Savant sat. He wore a tux and a blue mask with green streaks and had an air of refinement. He merely flickered his blue eyes in their direction and then faced the screen in front of him.

"I apologize for my lateness, Master. I have acquired a subordinate, he has a similar but weaker ability. I would like to give him the first number. "

Whoa..... A bow and a curtsy.

"I trust your judgment, Luna. Do what you want."

"Thank you."

"The meeting will begin soon, please stand behind me, Luna. Close the door and stay out of sight, Number One, but pay attention."

"Yes, Master.", Coulomb replied in sync with Ein, no Luna.

God, this is weird.

The screen spontaneously came to life. The section at the centre was black while the eight around it slowly came to life one after another.

It seemed that Ein and Earth were oddballs, the rest were pretty normal in dressing and demeanor. In comparison at least.

"Yo, Earth. I see you and Luna are prim and proper as usual."

A savant wearing a white mask with a slight red tint and a t-shirt teetering on the edge of psychedelia spoke cheerfully. He had his legs clad in ripped jeans crossed and on the table.

"Please, call me Terra."

"Earth, gimme Luna and I'll give you all my subordinates".

Another savant spoke seriously. He had a red mask with white streaks and wore a black tunic. His blonde hair left spikes around the edge of his mask. Coulomb tried not to laugh.

The unmasked Savant behind him pulled his cheeks for that comment.

Earth laughed in a deep baritone that made Coulomb doubt he was less than 20 years old.

"Sorry, Venus but I'm not giving her to anyone also please, call me Terra."

"It is as Master says, I have no intention of switching sides."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud."

"Now, now, Venus, that's exactly why we want her isn't it?".

"Venus, Mercury, Are you going to make this a regular event?", A dark skinned tiny boy spoke he wore a mask with orange and brown swirls. He wore a simple blue shirt and carried a backpack. He was also surrounded by several masked subordinates, "And send that girl away, Venus, she shouldn't be here."

"Whatevs, leave us Jaz."

"Thank you for your help, Jupiter."

"No problem, Earth."

"Please, call me Terra."

Oh, shit.... I feel like I stumbled into an anime. Or did I watch so much anime with Schrodinger that I'm dreaming about it?

It's really sad how he keeps insisting and gets ignored.

"That's not your official name."

"But you call my satellite, Luna."

"That's.... She's exceptional and deserves a more fitting name."

And did I just imagine it or was that casual comment also a slight?

"You're too kind Jupiter, thank you for your praise."

"Oh.... Sure."

The centre screen came to life but the bottom screen was blank.

"The sun has risen!".

A child sat in the chair, she had a bright yellow mask and wore a green jumper. Behind her stood an unmasked Savant. He was tall and lanky, he wore a green tracksuit and he had slanted black eyes and hair. He was the one who spoke the weird chant.

"And we bask in it's glory!".

The Savants all responded at once.

"Welcome, Planets and Satellites, we have much to discuss. We'll be starting with the most pressing issue, the so-called strongest team and the berserker. "

"I would like to speak first."

"As expected of Luna, let us hear what you have to say."

"I believe that the 'strongest team' should be ignored as they are not a real threat. So far they haven't done anything disturbing or unnecessary. In fact, on two occasions Einstein saved the life of a Savant he didn't have to."

The rest stirred uneasily. They clearly didn't approve of her idea but they somehow did not want to go against her.

"This is unprecedented, it's almost like you have ties to that team."

"To be honest, yes."

Earth turned to face Ein, his eyes showed his surprise.

The others didn't know how to react, they were just frozen.

"Luna, what are...".

"Earth, she's not done. Please continue."

"Call me..."

His catchphrase died with a sharp glare from the girl.

"However, I believe that the berserker is a threat to all Savants. She has on several occasions caused the death of many Savants for no reason. She should be exterminated. I propose that we place a bounty on her, that way everyone would be aware of the threat she is and only those with power will get involved with her. Hopefully one of them might take her out."

The Savants looked impressed.

"Brilliant work, Luna."

"Thank you, Sol but I'm not done. The bounty should also bring unnecessary battles to their team and cause it to break apart. Her teammates would probably avoid her to prevent any unnecessary conflicts. Also nobody would want to team up with someone marked for death. This would cause psychological damage which would weaken her. And since her overpowered teammates are gone, eliminating her should be easier. And as for her teammates, without her strength they would be easy prey for our esteemed Planets."

Ein was out of breath and had to take a few deep breaths before raising his head.

Sol was clapping, she liked the idea and would probably take it and nothing else.

"Any objections?".

How can anyone object to that?

Far from it.

They look impressed.

Damn, Ein is twirling them around his pinky.

He just saved us from a death sentence by directing all attacks to the overpowered Newton.

"We're lucky to have you here, Luna, Earth, you should appreciate your subordinate more. That was solved easily, moving on. Our support team intercepted a distress call on the 5th, current evidence says no one has passed the 4th's test so this is quite..... ".

The rest of the meeting passed quickly and soon after, he introduced himself to Earth and displayed his rapid movements.

They dispersed and made plans to meet within the next few days to solve more issues.

On their way, Ein slowed down time and they walked back to the house. He was probably trying to avoid being followed.

He and Coulomb changed outside and he entrusted Coulomb with his clothes.

"Say, we're you having fun in this outfit."

"It's just a disguise."

"It seemed like you were having fun."

"It's to follow Earth's dress code and it's just a disguise."

"Sure, but why don't you help him out. If you asked, they'd call him Terra or Gaia or whatever he wants."

"It doesn't concern me."

"If only Earth could hear his loyal subordinate now."

Ein laughed.

He tied his hair back into his trademark ponytail.

"'Till the afternoon, I have to wake Stein now."

Coulomb packed the clothes and walked boldly to his room. That way he'd look less suspicious if he was caught. Then he could just say that he was considering getting NPCs from another Level to take care of the house.

Actually, maybe I should.

He walked into his room and saw the letter as he left it. There was also the absence of a green haired girl.

He sighed and told himself that the disappointment he felt was imagined.

He lay on his bed and set his room on lock down. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

Gravity, Light and sound seem to work well in Ein's frozen time. At least on objects that he wants it to work on. I wonder what I can do with this information.

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