Chapter 12
Still using his Transformation Jutsu, Ryo entered a decent-looking inn near the central district of Qinming Town.
The inn wasn't luxurious, but it was clean enough.
More importantly it asked fewer questions.
Which was exactly what Ryo wanted.
"I want a room for ten days," he said calmly while placing money on the counter.
The innkeeper immediately smiled warmly after seeing the small silver pieces.
"Of course, young master!"
Ryo took the room key and sat down for dinner first.
And then—
the entire dining hall slowly began staring at him.
Because the amount of food he ordered was absurd.
Three people's worth of food.
And not cheap food either.
Duck meat.
Rice.
Soup.
Vegetables.
More meat.
Then more rice again.
The waiters watched in disbelief as the slim scholar calmly continued eating.
One customer finally whispered,
"…Is he hiding another person inside his stomach?"
Another man muttered,
"I once saw a frontier general eat like this…"
A third person looked at Ryo's thin body suspiciously.
"…Where is it even going?"
Meanwhile—
Ryo kept eating calmly.
Because this body was starving so badly that it felt like a bottomless pit.
The system suddenly commented:
"Host."
"What?"
"You currently look like a refugee who robbed a military food storage."
"…That's because this body nearly died from starvation."
"That still doesn't explain the eighth bowl of rice. Besides you should eat nutritious food not soo much rice."
Ryo ignored the comment and continued eating.
About thirty minutes later—
the table looked like a battlefield.
Empty plates everywhere.
Even the inn workers looked amazed.
Ryo calmly wiped his mouth.
"…Better."
The system stayed silent.
Mostly because it was still counting how much this man had eaten.
After returning to his room, Ryo locked the door and sat cross-legged on the bed.
The playful attitude from earlier disappeared.
His eyes slowly closed.
And he entered meditation.
Through meditation, he began sorting through An Jin's memories and knowledge.
Mostly—
the things An Jin had studied for the Imperial Examination.
Classics.
Poetry.
History.
Law.
Governance.
Agriculture.
War strategies.
Economics.
Ryo completely ignored the rest of An Jin's memories.
Random local gossip.
Childhood stories.
Village traditions.
Religious nonsense.
To him—
most of it was useless information.
As he revised the material, a strange sense of familiarity appeared.
And slowly—
old memories from his previous life surfaced.
Back on Earth—
he had been exactly like this.
Playing games.
Wasting time.
Avoiding study.
Then reading the subject only one night before the exam.
Yet somehow—
he still scored over eighty percent most of the time.
His friends had even given him nicknames.
"One Night King."
"God of Backbenchers' Dreams."
Ryo's face twitched violently.
Then he physically shivered from cringe.
"…Fffffew."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I just need to revise properly and pass."
"Let's stay focused."
Ten minutes later—
"AHHHH!"
Ryo grabbed his own hair.
"Why the hell can't I focus?!"
The system jumped slightly.
"I am Uchiha Ryo!"
"Leader of Bloodmoon Night!"
"Top student of the Ninja Training Camp !"
"A assistant scientist!"
The system quietly corrected:
"…Technically an assistant researcher."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
Ryo stood up angrily and started pacing around the room.
"I learned countless theories to support my research!"
"I studied chakra biology!"
"Sealing!"
"Genetics!"
"Combat structures! And many other useful-useless knowledge."
Then he pointed furiously at the books.
"So WHY…"
"…can't I focus on THIS?!"
The system thought for a moment before replying calmly.
"Host."
"What?"
"You don't hate learning."
"You hate exams."
Silence.
"Especially," the system continued carefully, "when you're taking the exam in someone else's place."
Ryo froze.
Then slowly sat back down.
"…Yeah."
He sighed deeply.
"You're right."
For a moment, his tone became strangely honest.
"What does it matter to me whether An Jin passes or fails?"
"What does it matter if I revise his knowledge?"
"My actual goal…"
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"…is simply making sure An Jin's name enters the passing list."
"That he gets an official position."
"And that his mother gets healed."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm even helping him by dealing with Dong Ji and the Dong family."
Then—
Ryo suddenly looked enlightened.
Like a sage who had comprehended heaven itself.
"…I understand now."
The system immediately felt trouble.
Not physical trouble but intellectual crime danger of trouble.
"…Host."
"What are you understanding?"
Ryo slowly looked up.
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"System."
"Oh wonderful system."
The system replied with unease: "…Why are you talking like that host? Are you possessed?"
Ryo ignored the comment about possession completely.
"The mission says I must pass the exam."
"…Yes?"
"To pass…"
Ryo spread his hands slightly.
"…the examiners simply need to approve my answers."
The system froze.
"…Host."
Ryo ignored it and continued explaining excitedly.
"You may not know this…"
"But I'm a genius of illusion and my illusion techniques are excellent."
The system's anxiety rapidly increased.
"With my Eternal Mangekyō ability 'Creation,' I can produce a special ink."
"And using that ink as a medium…"
Ryo's smile widened.
"…I can maximize the effectiveness of my Illusory Writing Technique."
The system immediately screamed internally.
"Anyone reading my answers will subconsciously perceive them as better than they actually are and pass me instantly."
"HOST—"
"A person with strong mental strength or chakra disruption could resist it…"
Ryo tapped his own chest proudly.
"But this world has no supernatural power system."
The system felt despair.
"And compared to normal humans…"
"…Uchiha mental strength is naturally superior."
Ryo's Rinnegan faintly glowed.
"I even possess the Rinnegan."
"At most…"
"I'll only need to use half my mental strength."
He leaned back calmly.
"Even if the Emperor rereads my paper six months later…"
"…he still won't notice anything wrong."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Finally—
the system spoke very slowly, very tiredly.
"…Host."
"Yes?"
"I told you to study."
"…And instead…"
The system sounded genuinely defeated.
"…you created an entire supernatural cheating strategy."
Ryo smiled proudly.
The system sighed.
A long, exhausted sigh.
"I have nothing more to say."
"Do whatever you want."
"And let the world collapse on its own."
The scene inside the room became extremely strange.
One man sat there laughing like a lunatic after discovering the greatest treasure in existence.
Meanwhile—
a floating blue system panel radiated visible depression.
Even from far away, one could feel its disappointment in life.
Ironically—
the only person who couldn't sense that depression…
was the man causing it.
Chapter End