Rain fell the night Jeather died.
Not poetic rain. Not the kind that forgave sins or washed away regret. Just cold, indifferent rain that soaked through worn fabric and turned blood into diluted pink streams running along cracked pavement.
He tasted rust.
He tasted betrayal.
He died face-first in a puddle.
There were no final words. No heroic last stand. No dramatic monologue about friendship.
Just Jefferson.
Standing over him.
"I didn't have a choice," Jefferson said quietly.
The rain slid down his jaw like fake tears.
Precious stood beside him. Dry under an umbrella Jefferson held for her.
"It's not personal," she said.
Jeather wanted to laugh.
It was always personal.
Then the world dissolved.
He woke up choking.
Not on blood.
On humiliation.
"Zero affinity again?"
"That's his third awakening."
"Three failures… is that even statistically possible?"
Jeather forced his eyes open.
A grand hall stretched before him—marble polished to mirror shine, gold-veined pillars rising toward a painted ceiling depicting ancient summoned beasts conquering the heavens. Hundreds of students in academy robes formed a wide circle around him.
And he was kneeling in the center.
Like a demonstration model for disappointment.
Memories crashed into him.
New world.
New body.
Same betrayal-shaped void in his chest.
This world revolved around Beast Cards. At fifteen, every citizen awakened affinity—forming a contract with a sealed entity. Dragons. Elementals. Demons. Spirits of catastrophe. The stronger the card, the higher one's status. Nobles monopolized rare summons. Geniuses climbed fast.
The weak were erased quietly.
This body had awakened three times.
Three ceremonies.
Three failures.
No spark. No mana response. No card formation.
Cardless.
A defect in a society built on power.
Jeather inhaled slowly.
Different world.
Same script.
At the front of the hall stood Jefferson Vale.
Even here.
Even now.
Tall. Composed. Perfect posture. Five elemental cards orbited behind him in slow rotation—fire, water, wind, lightning, earth. Each one glowing at Rare-tier brilliance. Students watched him with reverence bordering on worship.
Jefferson didn't look surprised to see Jeather fail.
He looked disappointed.
"In a world ruled by summoners," Jefferson said, voice calm and carrying, "being cardless is worse than being dead."
The hall fell silent.
Because he was right.
Dead people weren't liabilities.
The headmaster adjusted his silver-trimmed robes. His sigh echoed heavier than thunder. "Jeather Ardent. Three failed awakenings confirm zero affinity. By academy law, you are officially expelled."
Expelled.
Again.
Jeather lowered his head.
His chest burned.
Not grief.
Not shame.
Rage.
Raw. Clean. Precise.
It didn't scream.
It sharpened.
Different world, he thought. But betrayal feels identical.
Jefferson's earlier words echoed in memory.
"I didn't have a choice."
That was the worst lie of all.
There was always a choice.
They just chose themselves.
Something shifted inside him.
Not emotionally.
Structurally.
As if the universe had been waiting for a specific frequency of resentment.
And he had finally tuned correctly.
[Emotion Detected: Extreme Resentment]
A translucent blue interface materialized before his eyes.
Jeather blinked slowly.
"…You activate now?"
He almost laughed.
Die once.
Transmigrate.
Get expelled publicly.
Humiliated by your parallel-universe best friend.
And now the cheat ability arrives.
Late.
Fashionably late.
Typical.
Core Function: Convert Grudges into Power
Growth Type: Level-Based
Primary Fuel: Betrayal
Secondary Fuel: Humiliation
Efficiency Bonus: Public Settings
Jeather's eye twitched slightly.
"Public settings?"
The screen flickered.
Starter Reward Available.
A new prompt appeared.
Would you like to remain weak?
A) Yes
B) Obviously Not
He stared at it.
"…Are you mocking me?"
No response.
He selected B.
Forging Initial Card…
Source Emotion: Betrayal (Past + Present)
Calculating Depth of Grudge…
Result: Abnormally High
Amplifying Hostile Atmosphere…
The marble beneath his palm fractured.
A sound like cracking bone echoed outward.
Students stumbled back.
Jefferson's eyes narrowed.
Mana shifted.
Not outward—inward.
Condensing.
Something heavy formed in Jeather's grasp.
A card.
Pitch black.
No insignia.
No glow.
No decorative frame.
It didn't look prestigious.
It looked wrong.
Jefferson stepped forward slowly. His five elemental cards rotated faster, reacting defensively.
"That mana signature isn't registered in the academy archives."
His tone had changed.
Not fearful.
Alert.
Dangerously alert.
Jeather examined the card. It trembled violently in his hand.
"…Please don't explode," he muttered. "I just started existing again."
The card split open.
Dark vines erupted outward.
They coiled around his wrist—not piercing, but claiming.
The air thickened.
The scent of wet earth filled the hall.
Students coughed.
"Why does it smell like a forest?" someone whispered.
"Why does the forest feel hostile?" another replied.
The marble floor ruptured.
Roots surged outward like veins spreading through stone. Flowers bloomed from cracks—brilliant, vibrant—
Then withered instantly.
Then bloomed again.
Then rotted.
Life and decay cycling violently.
Like nature couldn't decide whether to nurture or devour.
A claw tore through the floor.
Black.
Thorn-wrapped.
Then another.
Jagged horns rose next, twisted like ancient branches clawing toward the ceiling.
The figure pulled itself from the fractured marble.
Humanoid.
Towering.
Its skin resembled layered bark over corded muscle. Faint green light pulsed beneath the surface like corrupted sap. One arm was entirely composed of living vines that shifted and coiled independently.
Its emerald eyes opened slowly.
Old.
Cold.
Judging.
Rain leaking from the damaged ceiling evaporated before touching it.
A dark green aura expanded outward.
Grass erupted through marble cracks.
Jefferson's Storm Serpent manifested instantly beside him—lightning cracking across its serpentine body. He didn't hesitate.
He reacted.
That was what made him dangerous.
"…That's not a beast," a professor whispered.
The system chimed calmly.
Card Created
Name: Verdant Abyss Demon
Rank: Common (Corrupted Variant)
Type: Demon – Nature / Curse
Aura: Decay Bloom Field
Passive: Strengthens in hostile environments
Evolution Path: Unknown
Jeather stared at one word.
Common.
He slowly looked up at the towering demon radiating environmental catastrophe.
"…Common?" he repeated.
The demon turned its head slightly toward him.
The system updated.
Classification reflects starting tier.
Complaining will not increase rank.
"I wasn't complaining," Jeather muttered.
He absolutely was.
Jefferson raised his hand.
The Storm Serpent lunged forward, lightning striking with surgical precision—not wild, not emotional. Controlled. Calculated.
This wasn't a jealous childhood friend anymore.
This was a trained summoner.
Lightning collided with the demon—
And dimmed.
Not blocked.
Consumed.
Green mist rolled outward as if swallowing electricity itself.
The aura intensified.
Students collapsed under pressure.
Fear spread rapidly.
Fear Level in Surroundings: High
Malice Resonance Activated
Growth Speed Increased
Power flooded into Jeather.
Heavy.
Rooted.
Alive.
It didn't feel explosive.
It felt inevitable.
Jefferson's composure cracked—but only slightly. His eyes sharpened further.
"That entity is unstable," he said calmly, though sweat beaded at his temple. "If it loses control, this hall collapses. You'll kill everyone here."
There it was.
The moral angle.
Jefferson always positioned himself as rational.
Responsible.
Right.
The demon's vine-arm twitched.
The marble beneath Jefferson's boots split.
Roots crept toward him.
Jefferson stepped back.
One step.
Measured.
Intentional.
But visible.
And everyone saw it.
Jeather turned toward Precious.
Her face had gone pale.
For the first time—
She wasn't certain Jefferson would win.
Good.
"You said being cardless is worse than being dead," Jeather said quietly.
Jefferson's jaw tightened.
"Well," Jeather continued, voice steady, "I've already experienced both."
The demon's emerald eyes flared.
The hall lights flickered violently.
First Revenge Target Registered: Jefferson Vale
Suggested Objective: Overwhelm**
"…You really don't do subtle," Jeather muttered to the system.
The demon's vines shot forward—
Stopping inches from Jefferson's throat.
Perfect distance.
Not random.
Not berserk.
Controlled.
Jefferson didn't flinch.
But his serpent did.
Lightning crackled defensively.
Jeather stepped closer.
Rain from the broken ceiling parted around
him, hissing into steam upon touching the aura.
"Relax," he said calmly.
The thorn slowly retracted.
Gasps filled the chamber.
Control.
That was the real message.
Not power.
Control.
Behind him, the Verdant Abyss Demon stood like an ancient guardian of inevitable decay. The academy—symbol of order and hierarchy—was being quietly rewritten by creeping roots.
Jeather allowed himself a small smile.
Cold.
Measured.
"This world seals monsters into cards," he said softly. "But it never considered…"
The demon's aura surged, emerald mist swirling violently.
"…that sometimes the monster is the summoner."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Breathing.
Alive.
The system chimed one last time.
Bonus Earned: Dramatic Dialogue
+5 Presence
Jeather exhaled slowly. "I'm turning that notification off eventually."
Behind him, the Verdant Abyss Demon watched Jefferson without blinking.
Not angry.
Not enraged.
Assessing.
Like a forest deciding whether a tree was worth keeping.
And for the first time since dying—
Jeather didn't feel like the weakest person in the room.
He felt inevitable.