The Limits of an Ordinary Person 2/28 / Simulator, You're Such a...

The Limits of Ordinary People 2/28

"Fujimaru, the first lesson I'm teaching you today is the nature of mages."

Though she had accepted him as a disciple reluctantly, Fujimaru Kyoya's character truly had no major issues, and the people he fought were merely petty thugs.

Even Fuyuki's police had to admit that since Fujimaru Kyoya had made his debut, minor crime in Fuyuki City had indeed decreased year by year.

Fujimaru Kyoya was written as "delinquent" but read as "Crime Nemesis."

"Mages are people who study Magecraft and attempt to reach The Vortex of the Root. Put in terms ordinary people can understand, they are scientists pursuing truth."

Though their paths differed, the "truth" pursued by science and the "Root" Magecraft sought to reach were fundamentally the same thing.

"However, mages are not creatures as mild-mannered as scientists. The key lies in Magic Crests."

A Magic Crest was the inheritance of a mage family.

Even if an unparalleled genius specialized in a single form of Magecraft, they might not necessarily reach the Root. Thus, mages would place the crystallization of all the Magecraft they had learned throughout their lives into their Magic Crests and pass them down to the next generation.

That way, the next generation of mages could stand on the shoulders of giants without having to do much of anything.

"With the inheritance of Magic Crests, the accumulation of generation after generation means that the age of a mage family can practically declare the lower limit of a mage's strength. It isn't merely that superior bloodlines are more likely to produce children with better talent; it is also the innate advantage brought by their ancestors' accumulated achievements."

Though Tohsaka Rin had noticed over the past few days that Fujimaru Kyoya was quite talented, she still needed to prepare him mentally. Without a Magic Crest, there was no foundation, and he was destined to start beneath others.

Nearly ten years ago, there had been a hotheaded fool at the Clock Tower who believed this theory was wrong. In the end, he had been thoroughly rebuked by his teacher.

Now, ten years later, that hotheaded fool had become a Lord Delegate, yet his own Magecraft had still failed to improve.

There was no helping it. His upper limit was right there.

"We live in a society ruled by law now. Even if you become a mage, do not go around fighting and killing. Accumulate knowledge of mysticism, determine your direction of Magecraft research, pass down what you learn generation by generation, and eventually let someone in a future generation reach the Root. That is what mages of this era should be doing."

It was not that Tohsaka Rin was being overly talkative. She simply felt that, given Fujimaru Kyoya's tendency to throw punches at the slightest disagreement, it was better to remind him a little more.

Mages these days still had to value harmony. They could not turn on one another.

"I understand. So when are we learning Avada Kedavra?"

"I see you haven't understood a single thing."

Tohsaka Rin was furious. Earlier, she had told Fujimaru Kyoya to read some books related to mysticism, but this guy had actually been reading Harry Potter...

Was that a book on mysticism?

You sure had some nerve. Why not read Twilight City while you were at it?

"To put it simply, if we use modern thinking to understand Magecraft, then Magecraft is a kind of applied science, right? But this science requires Mana as a catalyst, otherwise it cannot be carried out."

In order for her theory lesson to continue, Fujimaru Kyoya finally reined in some of his joking.

"For now, it is fine for you to understand it that way. Next, I will briefly demonstrate the Tohsaka Family's Jewel Magecraft."

Tohsaka Rin took out a gemstone. A burst of red light then emerged from her hand, and the gemstone began changing color and shape. It was remarkably magical.

"This should have altered its atomic structure, turning the original gemstone into another substance. It did not require any auxiliary equipment. This really is much more convenient than science."

Fujimaru Kyoya did not know whether this would be difficult with the scientific technology of 2003, but directly altering the structure of matter without precision instruments was Magecraft's unique advantage over science.

But...

"Tohsaka, this is your family's inherited Jewel Magecraft, right?"

"That's right."

"So it requires gemstones?"

"That's right."

"Supply my own?"

"That's right."

Tohsaka Rin seemed to realize something as well, and her smile immediately turned malicious.

Though the Tohsaka Family had declined, Tohsaka Tokiomi had left behind quite a few Magecraft patents. Tohsaka Rin could not be called fabulously wealthy from patent royalties alone, but she certainly did not lack gemstones for practicing Magecraft.

But Fujimaru Kyoya...

"Fujimaru, don't tell me you don't have any gemstones? Hehe, if you beg your Master here, it's not like I can't give you a little help."

Tohsaka Rin had indeed struck Fujimaru Kyoya's sore spot.

Fujimaru Kyoya did have a little money saved up, but he could not even touch the threshold of the middle class, much less ask his family for money to buy gemstones.

If they did not slap him across the face, that already counted as treating him like their biological son.

She had won. Though she had used a dirty money offensive, this young lady had won for the first time.

Tohsaka Rin forcibly held back her laughter. After seeing Fujimaru Kyoya come out on top for so many years, she had finally gained a complete victory.

However, after Fujimaru Kyoya fell silent for a moment, he seemed to think of a solution.

"No choice. I can only take some from Shinji first."

"Matou Shinji? Does he have that much money?"

Tohsaka Rin suspected she had misheard him. The expenses of practicing Jewel Magecraft were no small matter. No matter how good Fujimaru Kyoya's relationship with Matou Shinji was, Shinji would not lend him that much money.

"Tohsaka, didn't you know? The Matou Family's financial authority is in Shinji's hands now."

"Shinji? That old man from the Matou Family lets a kid manage the money?"

Though Tohsaka Rin had heard that the old man of the Matou Family had an eccentric temperament, surely he would not hand financial authority to a minor.

"Tohsaka, while you were studying Magecraft, Shinji was already tearing through the stock market. The entire Matou Family now relies on him making money by harvesting fools in the market."

Matou Shinji was a genius. There was no doubt about that.

After Fujimaru Kyoya beat him up back then, he seemed to have decided to turn over a new leaf and began asking Fujimaru Kyoya how to become stronger.

What method did Fujimaru Kyoya have for becoming stronger? However, Fujimaru Kyoya, who had not encountered supernatural powers at the time, believed that money could solve ninety-nine percent of the world's problems, so he advised Shinji to find a way to make some money.

As a result, perhaps influenced by the old man in his family, the guy plunged headfirst into the stock market.

Fujimaru Kyoya had initially thought the guy would become one of the harvested fools. Still, the Matou Family had a vast fortune, so losing a little would not have mattered. He had never expected that this guy was not prey at all. He had directly turned into a scythe, harvesting wildly through the stock market.

Afterward, he even traded futures and speculated in foreign exchange. Though nobody had calculated the exact amount, the Matou Family was undoubtedly now Fuyuki's Richest.

The Tohsaka Family was the one that had truly fallen behind the times.

"How is that possible?"

Tohsaka Rin was completely stunned. As someone obsessed with money, she had never expected to be utterly outclassed by Matou Shinji when it came to making money. She instantly turned to stone and entered shutdown mode.

The Simulator Really Was...

"No, that is still the Matou Family's money. Does he really need to lend you that much?"

Tohsaka Rin quickly came back to her senses. No matter how rich Matou Shinji was, it was still Shinji's money and had nothing to do with Fujimaru Kyoya.

"This involves a small matter. Since Shinji trades stocks, I merely reminded him that the market around 2008 would not look too good and told him to avoid the risks for the time being."

Even someone as inattentive to the news as Fujimaru Kyoya could not possibly be unaware of the 2008 Subprime Crisis.

Though the two worlds had some slight differences, Matou Shinji's investigation had indeed uncovered some signs of the Subprime Crisis. Shinji declared that he would make a massive harvest then, and at that point, he tacitly acknowledged that he owed Fujimaru Kyoya a favor.

Now, it was time to collect on that debt to practice Jewel Magecraft.

"How did this happen?"

Tohsaka Rin was utterly defeated. She could only curl up in a corner now. Her proudest trump card had unexpectedly... turned out to make her the clown.

"Tohsaka, what's wrong?"

"Fujimaru, you idiot. Go read these books yourself."

Tohsaka Rin threw several Buddhist Sutras she had already selected for their easy readability at Fujimaru Kyoya, then ran down the mountain in utter frustration.

"That girl... is pretty cute."

Fujimaru Kyoya sighed.

Making that proud Unreachable Flower show such a defeated expression—was this what they called gap moe? What an interesting trait.

"Um... did you two just have a fight?"

A little girl poked her head in from outside. She looked like a middle school student, yet she possessed a maturity that did not belong to her age, as well as...

"So big."

Fujimaru Kyoya could not help sighing. Were children these days really so well-nourished?

But carrying such heavy lumps of fat on her chest must make gym class very difficult for this girl.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just sighing that someone's was too small. I'm Fujimaru Kyoya. May I ask..."

"Kishinami Hakuno."

Kishinami Hakuno, who had lived isolated from the world, had clearly not realized what Fujimaru Kyoya had been referring to. Still, even if she had known, she probably would not have cared.

After a brief chat, Fujimaru Kyoya finally learned that Kishinami Hakuno had come down from the mountains to seek treatment for an illness.

"Sorry, I didn't know about your condition. Then I won't disturb your recovery."

Fujimaru Kyoya then prepared to stand and leave.

If her illness flared up while he was alone with this little girl, it would be impossible for him to explain himself.

There were no surveillance cameras in Ryuudou Temple. If something really happened, he would have no way to clear his name.

"Um... wait."

Kishinami Hakuno looked at Fujimaru Kyoya in slight surprise.

From childhood, she had possessed an innate demonic charm. Influenced by that charm, people around her would involuntarily "love" her. Yet someone like Fujimaru Kyoya, who avoided her as though she were a plague, was rare.

Huh? Who are you calling rare?

Oh, right. I'm Japanese now. Then it's fine.

"Brother Fujimaru, will you come here again?"

"Yes. Once I finish reading the Buddhist Sutras, I'll come back to return them and borrow new ones."

"Then can you come play with Hakuno next time?"

Kishinami Hakuno looked faintly expectant. Someone who did not mindlessly "love" her was highly worth observing.

"Sure."

The instant Fujimaru Kyoya made that promise...

"Detected that you have made an agreement with Kishinami Hakuno. You have exerted an influence of sufficient weight upon this world. The Hero Simulator has begun simulation... Please select three innate talents."

Well, that came out of nowhere.

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the ten spheres of light before him and casually chose three. Those three talents then revealed their original forms.

"True Eye of the Mind: An exceptional insight cultivated through training and discipline, capable of accurately predicting an opponent's actions and breaking through dangerous situations. Even when driven into a desperate situation, it allows one to calmly assess both oneself and the enemy from a disadvantage and find a path to survival—the 'theory of battle.'"

"Ghost Brain: Possesses mental strength beyond that of ordinary people. On that foundation, it not only makes it easier to master one's body and control all one's strength, but also allows one to use imagination to simulate 'real' opponents in one's mind and fight oneself, rapidly increasing one's strength."

"Tear of Love: A beauty mark with a charm effect. Whether male or female, anyone who sees you will feel favorably toward you at first sight."

Well, damn.

If Ghost Brain and True Eye of the Mind could both be considered decent combat abilities, then was this Tear of Love here just for comedy?

Fujimaru Kyoya was instantly at a loss over this talent. And this favorability effect worked regardless of gender. Could this simulator be gay?

Unfortunately, the system could not hear Fujimaru Kyoya's complaints. The next script had already begun selection.

"Talents confirmed. Beginning script import: See the Dragon Shed Its Armor."

[You were born.]

[When you were born, there was a beauty mark at the corner of your eye. Because of this beauty mark, everyone in your family loved you dearly.]

[Talent "Tear of Love" awakened: This beauty mark will bring you the favor of others. Unless necessary, no one will voluntarily fight you. Even if they do, their combat ability will decline. Magic Resistance or a powerful Counter Force is required to resist it.]

[You grew up under everyone's affection. Gradually, you learned that you had been born into the Zhao Family of Changshan. This era was not peaceful, and it was said that some people wearing yellow headscarves were rebelling.]

[Your family hoped that you would become a strategist in the future, devising plans for others rather than becoming a general who charged into battle. However, for the sake of strengthening your body, you still received some martial arts training.]