My System Doesn't Give Power

The moment Matilda left the room, conversations erupted throughout the classroom.

Students whispered among themselves, speculating about who could have killed the ten second-years and whether the culprit was truly sitting among them. A few even cast suspicious glances toward Zac.

Zac paid them no attention and remained slouched in his chair as though none of this concerned him.

Marty slowly turned toward him. "You... did you do it?"

"Yes."

Marty’s entire body froze. "What?" His voice came out far louder than intended, instantly drawing the attention of the entire classroom.

Zac quickly covered his mouth with one hand. "Don’t shout, Marty."

Marty pulled his hand away and lowered his voice to a frantic whisper. "You killed them? You’re the one who did it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"They tried to kill me. What did you expect me to do, talk them out of it like some shonen hero?"

Marty dragged both hands down his face. "God, why does everything around you always turn into something like this?"

He leaned closer and whispered even more quietly.

"If they examine your VSB, they’ll discover everything. You’ll be expelled, branded a murderer, and possibly dragged before the Variant Association."

His distress visibly intensified.

"What am I supposed to do then? What if they accuse me of being your accomplice? How am I supposed to face your mother and Carrie after that? I should have taken better care of you."

Zac glared at him. "Enough with the theatrics. Nothing is going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Because someone will take care of it for me."

Marty blinked in confusion. "What are you..."

Realisation suddenly dawned on him as the image of a terrifying woman who had already given him nightmares surfaced in his mind.

"Oh."

He leaned back in his chair. "Right. I completely forgot you have the vice principal in your pocket."

[How amusing. Isn’t it the exact opposite? You’re the one firmly lodged inside her pocket. You even performed maid duties for her on your very first day at the academy.]

Zac ignored the comment, and before Marty could say anything else, Kelly approached them with Sabrina beside her.

"Zac, do you think they were the same second-years who trapped me inside the realm?"

"Maybe. I don’t know."

Sabrina studied Zac with undisguised suspicion. "I hope whoever killed them is discovered and punished soon."

Zac slowly raised his eyes and met her gaze.

Marty immediately tensed and stepped between them. "Sabrina, I don’t think that’s the right attitude."

She looked at him with her usual deadpan expression. "Why not?"

"What if someone from our class did it in self-defense?"

"So what?" Sabrina replied coldly. "Killing is still killing. The culprit should be punished regardless."

A faint smile appeared on Zac’s face. "What if the culprit was actually the victim?"

Sabrina frowned slightly. "What?"

Daniel, Shobin, and Adrian had also approached after overhearing the conversation and now stood nearby them.

Zac lazily leaned back in his chair. "What if those ten went after someone with the intention of killing him, only to be killed themselves?"

Sabrina answered without hesitation. "That still wouldn’t necessarily justify their deaths."

Zac raised an eyebrow. "Then what should the victim have done?"

"If he was powerful enough to defeat all ten on his own, he should have subdued them and handed them over to the academy for punishment."

"So people aren’t allowed to kill when their lives are being threatened?"

"That isn’t what I said." Sabrina folded her arms. "Accidental deaths or killings committed out of desperation are understandable. The same applies when dealing with cultists, terrorists, or criminals carrying official kill orders."

Her gaze sharpened. "But if the victim possessed overwhelming strength and could have ended the confrontation without killing anyone, then deliberately taking their lives is murder."

The atmosphere between them grew increasingly tense.

Zac’s expression remained composed, while Sabrina’s stayed as cold and impassive as ever.

"So the attacker’s life suddenly becomes more valuable when the victim happens to be stronger?"

"No. Strength brings responsibility," Sabrina replied. "If powerful people started killing others over every altercation, there would be no order left in society."

Her eyes narrowed. "If someone possesses enough control to spare a life, then they should."

Zac tilted his head. "And what if sparing that person allows them to return later and threaten you or your family?"

"Then laws and the Association exist to prevent that."

Zac let out a quiet laugh. "Right. Because they’ve never failed anyone before."

"Enough. Both of you, stop." Kelly hurriedly stepped between them.

"Why are you making this so personal? They were ten people none of us knew, and judging by what Miss Matilda said, they weren’t exactly good people either."

She raised both hands helplessly. "So can we please stop turning the classroom into a courtroom?"

Sabrina gave a faint snort before turning and walking away.

Kelly looked at Zac apologetically. "Sorry, Zac. She’s always like that."

"You mean painfully righteous?" Marty asked.

Kelly considered it for a moment. "Something like that." With that, she hurried after Sabrina.

Daniel, Shobin, and Adrian also began leaving the classroom until only Zac and Marty remained.

Marty moved closer to Zac. "You know, she reminds me of someone."

Zac looked at him questioningly. "Who?"

"Someone who was also painfully righteous only a few months ago."

Zac immediately realized Marty was referring to him. He stood and pushed his chair back beneath the desk.

"And what did that righteousness earn him?"

Marty fell silent, unable to answer.

"His girlfriend cheated on him. His mother had been poisoned and almost died. He had almost awakened with nothing more than E-rank potential, and his entire life had come dangerously close to collapsing."

"And when had everything begun to change?"

"When he changed himself."

"When he stopped viewing the world as he wished it to be and finally saw it for what it truly was."

Marty frowned. "Are you saying that being righteous is wrong?"

"No." Zac began walking toward the exit.

"I’m saying that being blinded by righteousness is stupidity. It will only bring suffering to you and everyone around you before eventually getting you killed."

With those words, Zac left the classroom.

After leaving the classroom, Zac did not return to his house in the residential district. Instead, he headed straight toward the cottage on the hill.

When he arrived, Armani was sitting leisurely outside, sipping tea as though nothing in the world could disturb her tranquility.

The moment she noticed him approaching, a smile appeared on her face. She quickly concealed it behind her usual stern expression.

"I knew you would come sooner or later." She lifted her cup slightly. "Would you like some tea?"

"Why is she suddenly being so nice?" Zac wondered.

[Relax. Not every cup of tea comes with a hidden assassination attempt.]

"Sure." He approached the table, reached for the teapot beside her, and lifted it, only to discover that it was completely empty.

"There’s no tea left."

"I know."

Zac stared at her. "Then why did you offer me some?"

"Because I want more. Go make another pot. Prepare enough for both of us."

He glanced at the cup already in her hand. "Aren’t you drinking tea right now?"

"I said I want more."

Zac stared at her for several seconds before releasing a resigned breath. "Fine."

He entered the cottage and returned several minutes later carrying a freshly brewed pot of tea. After pouring a cup for Armani, he settled into the chair opposite her.

"It always amazes me how well you make tea," Armani remarked.

She took a sip and nodded in satisfaction. "It’s almost as good as mine."

"You made me prepare it and somehow still found a way to praise yourself."

"Trust me. Comparing your tea to mine is among the highest compliments I could offer."

Zac poured himself a cup. "It’s probably a natural talent. I’ve been brewing tea since I was a child."

Armani leaned back slightly. "Perhaps you inherited it from spending so much time around me."

"You entered my life barely two months ago."

"Just because you never saw me doesn’t mean I was never around you."

Zac’s thoughts briefly spiraled at those words. He wanted to ask what she meant, but for some reason, the question never left his mouth.

Armani watched his face, clearly expecting him to probe further. When he remained silent, a trace of disappointment crossed her expression.

Zac picked up his cup and took a sip.

Armani drank from hers before asking, "So, you’re here because of those sloths, correct?"

Zac raised an eyebrow. "Sloths? You mean the ten second-year students?"

"Yes, yes. Them." Armani rested her cup on the table. "Why did you kill them?"

Her question was direct, without the slightest hesitation. She did not ask whether he had done it or even pretend to harbor doubts.

She simply went straight to the point.

[And this is why I like her. Why waste time circling the bush when you can set it on fire and ask the question directly?]

Zac’s expression remained composed. "They came to kill me, so I returned the favor."

"And you believe that justifies killing all ten of them?"

Armani regarded him with mild intrigue.

"I don’t particularly care whether it was justified." Zac took another sip of tea. "If someone tries to kill me or anyone close to me, I’ll kill them first."

Armani studied him quietly for several seconds. He was still sitting close to the edge of his chair, his posture subtly poised to move at a moment’s notice.

"Why is he always so guarded around me?" she wondered.

Zac could not hear her thoughts, but the system seemed to arrive at its own conclusion.

[Because he’s afraid you might swallow him whole.]

The system abruptly began laughing inside Zac’s mind. "Why are you laughing?"

[Nothing. I simply imagined something entertaining.]

"Sit properly and drink your tea," Armani said.

"I already am."

"You look as though you’re preparing to escape at any moment."

Zac reluctantly leaned farther back into his chair.

Armani continued, "Why did they come after you? Surely it wasn’t merely because you broke one student’s hand in the marketplace."

"It wasn’t."