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[Clean]
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| A week later… |
…
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[COMPLETE!]
[Change that horrible appearance of yours and make yourself presentable for your next day of school!]
Conditions for completion:
▸Learn proper hygiene and skincare techniques.✔
▸Style your hair appropriately.✔
▸Present your improved self to your classmates.✔
▸Maintain this lifestyle for at least one week.✔
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
<+100 Aura!>
<+Skill [Clean]!>
"Huh?"
The notification popped up the moment Taka applied some shady and supposedly hydrating ointment he had bought at a Chinese store to his face.
He immediately dropped the product like it was toxic, before tossing it into the never-to-be-touched-again corner of the bathroom. His usually deadpan expression broke into a bright grin.
He was free.
Sure, his skin did look cleaner than it had ever been… but he couldn't care less. The effort it took was simply not worth it—at least for him. There may be weirdos out there who are willing to put up with it, but not him. He simply wasn't one of them.
Now that the quest was finally over, he could stop wasting his mornings applying weird goop in front of the mirror for hours and instead do—uh, well, anything else.
What exactly? Taka himself had no idea.
But free time was free time.
So, sighing in relief, Taka smirked confidently at his reflection and pulled up the status page, dumping all the newly gained Aura into Aura Projection—or AP for short, since typing the whole thing out is starting to get annoying.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: 53
▸ Defense: 106
▸ Aura Projection: 179
─────────────
Total Aura: 179
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Skills:
▸Clean
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Taka grinned. His AP was now almost back to what it had been during the Quirk test a week ago. Lacking just 20 points, but that much was negligible.
"If I throw in my other stats as a backup in case I need that extra aura… I should hit over 300 points in AP. Wonder how much I'd be able to lift then?"
He raised a hand, counting on his fingers.
"If 199 points barely let me lift that 100kg dumbbell… that means each kilo needs about 2 Aura (1 Aura = 1 pound). So with 300 AP, I should be able to lift that 150kg (300 pounds) one I could only make twitch before."
Finished with his math, Taka nodded, satisfied.
A 50% strength increase in just one week. That was massive.
Next up: the other reason he endured the whole grooming quest in the first place.
His eyes darted to a specific point on his status page.
The Clean skill.
"I swear, if it's something useless, I'm gonna...—uh, well, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I'll do something, that for sure."
So, with the resolution to do "something" in the case the skill let him down, he tapped on the skill, and a new screen popped up with its description.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Clean] (Passive)
Description: A proper Aura Farmer can't go around dirty and unkept. This skill grants your Aura cleaning and purifying properties, so you can be clean at all times.
▸Automatically keeps all parts of your body clean at all times.
▸Dirtiness does not stick to your body for long.
▸Impurities no longer surge on your skin.
▸Aura Projection can be used to apply this effect to clothes as well.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"Hah…?!"
Taka stared, dumbfounded, as he let out a loud exclamation.
He wasn't mad, despite what his earlier tone might've implied. Just… confused. This definitely wasn't what he expected. Though, to be fair, he didn't even know what he had expected from a skill called clean.
But still…
"It looks… useful?" He raised an eyebrow.
Still a bit unsure, he ran a hand through his hair.
"Whoa."
It felt like he had just stepped out of the shower—smooth, light, and grease-free, even though he hadn't bathed since yesterday.
Next, he glanced around the room with squinted eyes to make sure he was alone... despite being in his own bathroom.
When he was sure no one was watching, he raised an eyebrow, cleared his throat, and looked around innocently… while one hand slipped into his pants.
A few seconds later, his hand came out—and went straight to his nose.
"Damn."
With extremely raised eyebrows, Taka washed his hands and left the bathroom like nothing happened—leaving behind a crime scene with no witnesses…
…except for the unfortunate few still reading this.
With a confident stride, he made his way into the living room, where he came across a wild Seiji, sipping morning coffee on the couch while bobbing his head to music only he could hear.
The instant he stepped into the living room, Seiji noticed Taka and shot him a mocking smirk upon seeing the young aura farmer's satisfied look.
"Well, don't you look good? Maybe I should amp up the training?"
Taka deadpanned. "No, please."
Ever since a week ago—after Taka underwent the Quirk test and had both the doctor and Seiji think his "telekinesis" worked by consuming his physical force—Taka had been forced to undergo special training to build up his strength by Seiji.
Naturally, Taka had tried to refuse at first. He wasn't exactly the training type.
He didn't get a rush of dopamine each time he pushed his limits; the only thing that came after each "Plus Ultra" was a wave of nausea.
A light one, but nausea nevertheless.
Unfortunately, like the obedient little system slave he was, all it took to change his mind was a shiny new Quest.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[This is the start of your Aura Farming Path, and as is to be expected of you, you must be prepared for the many hurdles ahead. Endure the brutal training, and ascend—ready to carve your path to glory!]
Conditions for completion:
▸ Do not use your Aura to boost your physique in any way during training.
▸ Complete at least one month of training without missing a single session.
▸ Get your fighting skills acknowledged by Murata Seiji.
▸ Get your physical condition acknowledged by Murata Seiji.
Reward: +200 Aura | Gain the skill: [Trouble Radar]
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
After that damned quest notification popped up, Taka had given in and started training without complaint.
A week had passed since then, and after all of it, his Strength and Defense stats had gone up by 9 points total. Strength 3 points, and defense 6.
He wasn't sure if that was fast or not, but seeing his stats rise without spending a single point of Aura? That was a pleasant surprise. It motivated him to endure the training, as that way, there would be more "emergency use only" aura points to spend.
Of course, that didn't make the training any less brutal.
Taka had never worked out so much in his entire life. Seiji really went all out with the planning of his training.
Not a single muscle was left untouched after each session.
"Hahaha, come on! Seeing your dying face yesterday was amazing!" Seiji chuckled.
Taka grumbled and turned away. "Fuck you."
He grabbed his backpack and made for the door.
But just as he was about to leave, Seiji called out to him.
"Hey, Taka."
"What?"
"Have a nice day."
"...?" Taka raised an eyebrow.
"'Cause I'm increasing the intensity of your training once you get back."
"..."
Black lines appeared on Taka's forehead.
Without saying a word, he simply opened the door and left the house.
…
°
°
°
| Hours later… |
…
'The hell is this…?'
Taka found himself cornered by three of his classmates.
The day had been going smoothly. He was no longer ridiculed for being Quirkless, and after his power move last week, most of the class just ignored him.
But then these three suddenly popped up next to his seat after class ended, and asked(forced) him to follow them to a hidden corner of the school.
Not that it was shocking. These guys weren't exactly model students, and everyone knew they had ties to shady guys. So… yeah, it wasn't exactly a surprise when they pulled something like this out of nowhere.
"Oi oi oi, Takahashi, you've been acting all smug this past week, haven't you?!"
"Yeah, it's already starting to piss us off."
"Just 'cause you got a Quirk now doesn't make you better than us! Wipe that smug look off your face!"
Taka raised an eyebrow, confused.
This was just his normal face.
Unfortunately, it seemed his "normal face" was exactly what pissed them off.
"Hey Takeo, this guy's seriously getting on my nerves."
"Yeah, Toshio, he's still looking smug even after our warning… What should we do, Aniki?"
The biggest of the three, Shoji, sneered. A vicious grin spread across his face. "I think we should show him why he needs to learn to keep his head down."
At that instant, his two minions smirked and moved in to grab Taka by the arms, locking him in place.
With his target restrained, Shoji grinned wider, then slammed his knee into Taka's gut, folding him in half. His cronies chuckled like it was the funniest thing they'd seen all week.
Sadly, their smiles didn't last.
Taka slowly unfolded himself, completely unbothered, and stared at them with an unreadable expression.
"You done?"
The three froze, shocked by the calmness in his voice.
Wasn't he supposed to be gasping for air right now?
Taka, meanwhile, glanced at his status window.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUSPAGE]
▸ Strength: 53
▸ Defense: 106→285
▸ Aura Projection: 179→0
─────────────
Total Aura: 179
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Skills:
▸Clean
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
'This thing's seriously convenient.'
Smirking widely at how effective the stat interchanging was, Taka then gave the two still-in-shock delinquents on both sides a look and poured all his Aura into Strength with a savage grin, boosting it up to 232—basically multiplying his raw strength nearly fivefold.
Then, with one casual swing of his arm—
"Woah!"
"Aagh!"
—he sent the two goons grabbing him flying like potato sacks.
"Wha—?!"
Shoji could only gape as his friends hit the ground in crumpled heaps. But his pride wasn't about to let him back down.
"You dare?!"
With a roar, he charged, fists erupting in flames.
"Taste the difference between our Quir—!"
He didn't get to finish that sentence.
Taka raised his hand in the blink of an eye—and Shoji suddenly found himself floating several meters in the air. His so-loved Quirk useless as in the air he was completely at Taka's mercy.
"W-what the?! Put me down!" he screamed, flailing like a brat whose mommy had said no to him for the first time.
Taka just smirked, thoroughly amused.
And then he started spinning Shoji. Fast. Like, blender-on-max fast.
"SsSssTOooOoOp!"
By the time Taka graciously returned him to the ground, Shoji was green in the face—and instantly threw up his lunch.
-Blergh!-
Still smirking, Taka turned to the two goons lying on the ground, who were now staring at him wide-eyed, utterly speechless after witnessing their "leader" get absolutely decimated.
Still, the fire in their eyes hadn't completely gone out.
They got up, rage written all over their faces.
Then—
"Sorry, Aniki!"
They turned and bolted, leaving Shoji alone with Taka.
"..."
"..."
The two stared silently at the fleeing duo.
In the end, Taka gave the still-nauseous Shoji a pat on the shoulder, then turned around and began to walk away.
"Just leave me alone from now on."
Shoji didn't respond. He looked like he might throw up again at any second.
With that, Taka casually walked off.
He paused, however, when a notification popped up in his vision.
<[+30 aura!]>
He raised an eyebrow, confused.
Then, as he turned the corner—
There they were. All of his classmates. Just standing there, awkwardly trying to act nonchalant, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
'These guys were watching…?'
He deadpanned. Seriously, didn't they have anything better to do?
'Well… I was having trouble finding moments to be cool. I guess this works too.'
Pleased with the unexpected bonus, he instantly redirected all his new points into AP—bringing the stat up to 209—and strolled past his classmates, keeping his expression cool and unbothered.
At this rate, by the time U.A.'s entrance exam rolled around in nine months, it'd be a walk in the park.
Or rather…
'A perfect aura farming spot.' Taka smirked deviously.
…
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: Fair warning, most skills Taka will gain will be for Aura Farming, not for increasing his power. This isn't a power fantasy... or maybe it is, but you know, the main focus is flexing as much as possible. Of course, I might always change my mind if I feel like he needs more power.)