Side Story 1: A Villain, A Hero, And a God
Chapter 1: The Birth of a God
In a faraway place...
Inside the male bathroom of the AS School...
"Beat him!"
"Make him pay!"
Two boys wearing white shirts, and dark blue blazers, were holding a boy, who was wearing glasses, on his knees. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose.
"I, I... I didn't do anything!"
"Haa? Weren't you trying to look at my sister's panties, you pervert?" The boy in front of him asked, with an extremely disgusted expression.
He was fat and had a pompadour. His face looked like the face of an evil bully, from any manga, anime or movie.
"N-No! That was just a misunderstanding! I wasn't, I wasn't looking!" The boy, who was being held by the two thugs, tried to explain, desperately.
His hair was a mess as if the thugs had grabbed it and pulled him all over.
The glasses he was wearing...
...was broken by its left leg, which was now dangling on the right side of his nose.
And the mirrors were wet, with drops of blood running down them. It was the blood of his face, which was full of wounds, and had swallowed from his mouth, which was still dripping.
The fat bully looked at his face with a satisfied expression, and said.
"That's how a pervert looks like."
The two thugs holding him, laughed out loud.
"P-Please... Stop..." The glasses boy begged, but his voice only made the fat bully angrier.
"Ha!? What the hell is a pervert doing, begging for mercy? Die, you bastard!"
And, with a powerful kick, he sent the boy's body flying to the corner of the bathroom.
"Guaaaaaah!" The boy screamed, and after his back hit the wall, he rolled on the ground, and ended up falling on his side.
His glasses fell off and were shattered completely by the impact.
"Hahaha! What an ugly face! You want a girl to date you!? Hah! Good luck with that!" The bully said, laughing out loud, and then turned around.
"But remember if I see you near my sister again then the consequences will be much worse." He said, in a threatening tone as he walked out of the bathroom.
The thugs followed him, leaving the boy behind.
"Haha, what an idiot!"
"Yeah, what a loser! Perverts don't deserve mercy!"
The voices of the thugs, full of mockery, got further and further away.
The glasses boy laid there, for a few moments, feeling pain all over his body, trembling, and sobbing.
His vision was a bit blurry.
Because his glasses were broken.
Because his eyes were full of tears.
"...sniff... Why..."
He asked, quietly.
But he knew the answer already.
"...because I'm weak."
He slowly moved his body, sat against the wall, and looked at the shattered remains of his glasses, which he could barely see because of the blurriness in his vision.
It was a scene that, no matter how many times it happened, would always be painful.
He knew the reason behind his pain.
It was because he was weak.
No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted it, he couldn't change.
He couldn't get stronger.
No matter how hard he studied, he couldn't make up for the difference in natural ability.
He was born weak.
And no matter how hard he tried, that could never change.
He picked up his broken glasses from the wet ground with water mixed with some drops of blood in it.
His hand was trembling.
And his tears were dropping to the ground.
"...Why... Am I so...weak..."
His voice was shaking.
And he felt the pain in his heart growing bigger and bigger.
"If... If I had... If I was stronger... Then maybe... Then maybe..."
If he was stronger.
Then maybe his mother... And his father...
He was the son of one of the most richest person in the city.
His father had many mistresses, and had another family with them.
That other family, that lived with his father's money, had caused a scandal and broke his family.
His mother was left with nothing.
She lost everything.
His father didn't help her.
He abandoned her.
And then, his mother had no choice but to work multiple jobs to survive.
She didn't have time to take care of her son.
And that left him all alone.
Without friends.
Without a family.
The pain in his heart was growing even stronger.
He was crying so hard that it was almost like he was choking.
And sobbing so much that it was hurting his throat.
"I'm sorry... Mom... I'm so sorry... If only I was stronger... If only I could... Protect you... I'm sorry..."
If he was stronger, maybe his father wouldn't have abandoned his mother.
If he was stronger, maybe his mother wouldn't have to work herself to the bone.
If he was stronger, maybe they could spend time together, smiling.
"Mom..."
He was crying so hard he didn't notice the school bell ringing, announcing the start of the next period.
He was too immersed in his own grief.
Too immersed in his own weakness.
Too much pain, and regret.
"Mom..."
That was his cry of despair.
And...
[Ding!]
A system voice rung out inside his head.
A screen appeared in front of his eyes, which was blurry because of his tears.
"...W-What..."
He had no idea what was happening.
All he could see was a bright blue light with some white, moving all over it.
And that's all.
He couldn't read the text.
"Is this some sort of hallucination...?"
But, even though he couldn't understand what was happening, all he could see was the blue light and the 'Ding!' he heard, which made him think of something else.
It made him remember the many stories of isekai and reincarnation he read on the internet.
A fantasy world.
With swords, and magic.
Strong heroes, saving people.
A world without suffering, or sadness.
"If only... If only this was real..."
He wished.
But he knew these things didn't exist.
But still, even if it was a dream, he wished.
"Please, let me... Let me be stronger."
He begged.
"I don't want to suffer anymore! Please, let me be strong! Let me live in a different world, where I can be happy!"
And...
Nothing changed.
The blue light persisted, and his wish didn't come true.
"Of course, I knew it would never happen."
Even his wish didn't become true.
Just like all his other wishes.
He slowly stood up, and cleaned the dirt from his clothes. The blood on his face was now dry, and only looked like a few scratches.
He walked toward the sink, and splashed water on his face.
"I'm pathetic, aren't I?"
He laughed, and looked at the mirror, which had water and drops of blood running down its surface.
But he couldn't even see that clearly.
"Pathetic..."
He put the remains of his glasses in his pocket, and walked out of the bathroom.
But unbeknownst to him the blue light which he could not see clearly had changed when it had heard him say 'I wish to be strong'.
It had changed, and...
It was now showing something else...
Something...
New.
[Congratulations! You have Awakened SSS+ Class Skill 'Machine Learning (Maximum Output)'!]
[Congratulations! You have Awakened SSS+ Class Skill 'Machine God Physique'!]
[Congratulations! You have Awakened SSS+ Class Skill 'Divine Mechanic'!]
[Congratulations! You have Awakened SSS- Class Skill 'Programming (Maximum Output)'!]
...Something incredible had happened.
...something...
Unprecedented.
[Machine Learning]
[SSS+]
An ability to learn and grow infinitely faster than others.
An ability to acquire any knowledge and improve it, at a speed, impossible for even machines, or the most genius of humans.
An ability that allows its user to learn, and grow, infinitely, and beyond the limit of any other living thing.
An ability that defies all logic.
And...
[Machine God Physique]
[SSS+]
An ability that allowed its user to manipulate the very nature of reality, by making its user, into a machine.
An ability that granted its user, the power of a God, through their body, turning it into the perfect container for it.
An ability that allows its user, to become the absolute master of all technology.
[Divine Mechanic]
[SSS+]
An ability allowing its user, to control, and create, any kind of technology, and turn them into an extension of their own body.
An ability that allows its user to control every machine that they come across.
[Programming]
[SSS-]
An ability to turn the world, itself, into a program.
An ability to create a world, that is governed by their own rules, and desires.
An ability to turn the user's mind, into an infinite library, storing every kind of information.
An ability to use that information, to create, and build, whatever they can imagine.
An ability that is capable of creating, a perfect, and infinite world, based on its user's knowledge.
And...
With these four skills...
An impossible, and absurd, wish had been granted.
And thus, an impossible, and absurd, power, was born.
The ability to turn a weakling into a God.
The ability to turn the strongest hero, into a joke.
The ability to make an isekai protagonist, obsolete.
The ability that was more than any of those things, and more than anything else.
The ability to become a 'True' isekai protagonist.
The 'Absolute' hero.
The 'Infinite' power.
The 'Perfect' fantasy.
And the 'Final' power.
But the person which these abilities had been bestowed upon was too busy going back to class to notice.
And that person...
That person didn't know what a blessing he had received.
That person didn't know, just what would he go on to accomplish.
He was just sitting in his classroom, wearing a new pair of glasses, while his mind was wandering off somewhere far away.
But he did not know...
That...
A new world...
A new adventure...
Was about to begin.
And this...
Was just the beginning.
----------------------------------------
"Shen!" The teacher called out, looking at the very same glasses guy who was now in his class, wearing a new pair of glasses, and was spacing out.
"Uh, yes, Sensei!" Shen was startled, and woke up from his daydreaming.
"Pay attention! You've just been transferred here, so don't slack off, alright?"
"Y-Yes, Sensei!"
And, after giving his warning, the teacher turned around and started writing on the blackboard.
"Phew..." Shen let out a relieved sigh, and fixed his new glasses, which was the same as his old ones, except for the frame.
He had prepared it before hand, since he knew a moment like this would arrive.
He was the son of the richest man in the city.
And, because of that, a lot of things happened.
Being the son of the richest man doesn't mean you would lead a happy life, or even have a good family.
It is a curse, in a way.
"Shen! Come and solve this problem!" The teacher, suddenly turned around, and pointed at the problem on the blackboard, waiting for Shen, who was surprised, to stand up and walk towards the blackboard.
"Here you go, Sensei." He took the chalk and quickly wrote the answer to the question on the blackboard, then stepped aside, and gave the chalk back to the teacher.
"Alright, good job." The teacher nodded, satisfied, and turned back to the blackboard, but before he did that, he glanced at Shen, and said.
"You really are a genius, huh? Being able to transfer from another school, in the middle of the year, and even get into the top class, you are amazing, aren't you?"
Shen was a bit startled, hearing the praise from his teacher, but then just smiled, and scratched his head.
"Thanks, Sensei. But, I don't think I am that great."
"Haha! Don't be so humble, kid! You are a genius, and that's all there is to it!" The teacher said, with a wide smile.
"Hahaha, thanks, Sensei." Shen thanked him, and returned to his seat.
However, despite his teacher's praises, his heart was not filled with joy.
Instead, all he could feel was sadness.
Because...
"I am not a genius."
"I just work harder than others."
He mumbled to himself.
He knew he wasn't a genius.
All he had was the determination to keep going.
He was just a person, who wasn't born with natural talent.
"Geniuses, don't suffer."
He muttered, quietly, as his hands, which were placed on his table, started trembling.
"Geniuses, don't work hard."
He muttered, as his hands clenched into fists, and his nails dug into his palms.
"Geniuses, don't know the feeling of being betrayed by their own parents."
He muttered, as the trembling got bigger.
"All geniuses are... People, who are naturally born with a gift."
"They are the people, who have a power, that no one can compete against."
"They are the people, who have the talent to shine."
"But I, am not one of those people."
He slowly opened his fists, and stared at the little red marks left behind by his nails, on his palm.
"All I have is the desire to work hard."
He muttered, and looked around the class.
The students, who were listening to the lecture, had a relaxed expression.
Their eyes were filled with joy, and excitement, as if they were enjoying their time in class.
But, unlike them, Shen had no such feeling.
His expression was a mixture of sadness and anger.
Sadness, because he wasn't one of them.
And anger, because he wasn't able to do anything about it.
'Working hard for my mom, working hard to have friends, working hard for love, working hard to survive...'
His lips were trembling, as he thought about the things he did.
'All I ever did was work hard.'
'Work, work, work...'
His hands were trembling again.
'And for what?'
'To end up like this.'
He looked down, at his trembling hands.
'To be called a genius.'
'To be called a prodigy.'
'To be told that I will become someone great.'
'But... That's a lie.'
'All of that is a lie.'
'Because no one actually cares about you.'
'This World, this Universe, in this time and with this kind of System you will always be alone.'
[Ding!]
[The User has spoken the keyword 'System'.]
[Starting System awakening procedure.]
"...What?"
He muttered, as he looked up, and saw a familiar blue light appearing in front of his eyes.
[Awakening Complete]