Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 24

Chapter 42: The Limit of an Ordinary Person 2/28

"Fujimaru, the first lesson I'm teaching you today is the essence of a magus."

Even though taking him on as a disciple had been reluctant, Fujimaru Kyoya's character was indeed without issue—his fights and brawls were always against petty thugs.

Even the Fuyuki police had to admit that ever since Fujimaru Kyoya made his debut, minor crimes in Fuyuki City had steadily decreased year by year.

Fujimaru Kyoya was written as "Delinquent" but read as "Criminal Crusher."

"A magus is someone who studies magecraft, striving to reach the Vortex of the Root. In terms ordinary people can understand, they're scientists pursuing truth."

Though the paths differed, the "truth" that science sought and the "Root" that magecraft aimed for were essentially the same thing.

"But magi aren't as gentle as scientists. The key difference lies in the Magic Crest."

A Magic Crest was the inheritance of a magus family.

To reach the Root, even a once-in-a-generation genius specializing in a single field of magecraft might not succeed. So magi crystallize the magecraft they've learned over a lifetime into a Magic Crest, passing it down to the next generation.

This way, the next magus essentially stands on the shoulders of giants without having to do anything.

"With the inheritance of the Magic Crest, generation after generation of accumulation means that a magus family's history can basically determine a magus's lower limit of strength. It's not just that excellent bloodlines produce children with better talent—it's also the inherent advantage of ancestral accumulation."

Although Tohsaka Rin had noticed Fujimaru Kyoya's decent talent over the past few days, she still had to give him a warning: without a Magic Crest, he had no foundation and was destined to be a step behind.

About ten years ago at the Clock Tower, some hothead thought this theory was wrong and was thoroughly refuted by his teacher.

Now ten years later, that hothead had become a Lord Delegate, but his personal magecraft level still hadn't improved.

No help for it—his limit was right here.

"We live in a society governed by law now. Even if you become a magus, don't go around fighting and killing. Stockpile knowledge of mysticism, decide your magecraft research direction, pass down what you've learned generation by generation, and let some future generation reach the Root—that's what magi should be doing in this era."

This wasn't just Rin being talkative; considering Fujimaru Kyoya's tendency to throw fists at the slightest disagreement, she figured a little extra guidance was better.

These days, magi should prioritize harmony and avoid infighting.

"I get it. So when do we learn Avada Kedavra?"

"I can see you don't get it at all."

Rin's temper flared. Earlier, she'd told Fujimaru Kyoya to read some books on mysticism, and instead, this guy was reading Harry Potter...

Was that a book on mysticism?

You're so impressive—why not read Twilight City instead?

"To put it simply, if you understand magecraft with a modern person's mindset, then magecraft is a kind of applied science, right? But this science needs Mana as a catalyst, or else it won't work."

To keep his theory class going, Fujimaru Kyoya reined in his joking attitude a bit.

"For now, that understanding is fine. Then I'll briefly demonstrate the Tohsaka family's Jewel Magecraft."

Rin took out a gem, and a red light emitted from her hand. The gem began to change color and shape—quite miraculous.

"That should be altering the atomic structure, turning the original gem into a different substance without any auxiliary equipment. That's definitely more convenient than science."

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't know if this was difficult by 2003's scientific standards, but directly changing material structure without precision instruments—that was magecraft's unique advantage over science.

But...

"Tohsaka, that's your family's hereditary Jewel Magecraft, right?"

"That's right."

"So it uses gems?"

"That's right."

"Self-provided?"

"That's right."

Rin seemed to catch on, and her smile immediately turned malicious.

Although the Tohsaka family had declined, Tohsaka Tokiomi had left behind quite a few magecraft patents. Rin lived off patent royalties—not enough for great wealth, but she never lacked gems for training magecraft.

As for Fujimaru Kyoya, though...

"Fujimaru, you don't have any gems, do you? Hehe, if you beg your teacher nicely, I might be willing to help you out a little."

Rin had indeed hit Fujimaru Kyoya's weak spot.

Fujimaru Kyoya did have some family savings, but it didn't even touch the edge of "middle class," let alone asking his family for money to buy gems.

If he didn't get a slap across the face for asking, that would already mean they were his real parents.

I win. Even though I used a dirty money-based attack, this young lady has won for once.

Rin forced herself not to laugh. After years of losing to Fujimaru Kyoya, she had finally achieved a complete victory.

But after a brief silence, Fujimaru Kyoya seemed to come up with an idea.

"No choice. I'll have to take some from Shinji first."

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

Rin wondered if she'd heard wrong. The cost of training Jewel Magecraft was far from small. Even if Fujimaru Kyoya and Matou Shinji were close friends, there was no way he'd lend out that much money.

"You don't know, Tohsaka? The Matou family's finances are in Shinji's hands now."

"Shinji? The old man of the Matou family let a brat handle the money?"

Even though Tohsaka Rin had heard that the Matou patriarch was eccentric, she never thought he'd hand over the purse strings to a minor.

"Tohsaka, while you were studying magecraft, Shinji was already dominating the stock market. The entire Matou family now relies on him to rake in cash by fleecing the market."

Matou Shinji was a genius—there was no doubt about that.

After getting beaten up by Fujimaru Kyoya back then, he seemed to have turned over a new leaf and started asking Fujimaru Kyoya for advice on how to get stronger.

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't have any real method for getting stronger, but in his eyes back then—before he'd encountered any mystical forces—money could solve ninety-nine percent of the world's problems. So he suggested Shinji find a way to make some cash.

As it turned out, that kid, probably influenced by his old man, dove headfirst into the stock market.

Fujimaru Kyoya initially thought the kid would end up as cannon fodder, but since the Matou family had deep pockets, a little loss wouldn't matter. He never expected that Shinji wasn't the fodder—he turned into a scythe, reaping profits left and right in the market.

Then he moved on to futures and foreign exchange. Though no one had calculated it exactly, the Matou family was undoubtedly Fuyuki's richest now.

The Tohsaka family was completely out of the running.

"How is that possible?"

Tohsaka Rin was stunned. As a money-grubber herself, she never imagined being utterly outclassed by Matou Shinji in earning cash. She practically "petrified" on the spot, sinking into a self-isolation mode.

Chapter 43: Simulator, You Really Are...

"No, wait—that's still the Matou family's money. Would he really lend you that much?"

Tohsaka Rin quickly snapped back to reality. Even if Matou Shinji was loaded, it was his money, not Fujimaru Kyoya's.

"That's where a little matter comes in. Since Shinji was into stocks, I warned him that the market around 2008 didn't look good and told him to steer clear of the risk for a while."

Even someone like Fujimaru Kyoya, who didn't pay much attention to the news, couldn't have missed the 2008 Subprime Crisis.

Though he considered that this world might be slightly different, after Matou Shinji did some research, he did find some early signs of the crisis. At that point, Shinji declared he was going to make a killing, and he tacitly acknowledged that he owed Fujimaru Kyoya a debt.

Now, to fund his training in Jewel Magecraft, it was time to cash in that debt.

"How did it come to this?"

Tohsaka Rin was utterly defeated. She could only huddle in the corner, realizing that her proudest trump card... the clown was herself.

"Tohsaka, what's wrong?"

"You idiot, Fujimaru. Just go read these books yourself."

Tohsaka Rin tossed a stack of easy-to-understand Buddhist Sutras she'd already picked out at Fujimaru Kyoya, then, completely broken, sprinted down the mountain.

"That girl... she's kind of cute, huh."

Fujimaru Kyoya sighed in admiration.

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

"Um... were you two arguing just now?"

A little girl's head poked in from outside. She looked like she was still in middle school, yet she carried a maturity beyond her years, and...

"So big."

Fujimaru Kyoya couldn't help but remark. Were kids these days getting such good nutrition?

Still, carrying two lumps of fat that heavy on her chest—her PE classes must be brutal.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just lamenting how small someone else's is. I'm Fujimaru Kyoya. And you are..."

"Kishinami Hakuno."

The isolated Kishinami Hakuno clearly didn't catch what Fujimaru Kyoya meant, but even if she had, she probably wouldn't have cared.

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

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

Fujimaru Kyoya made to leave.

If this little girl had a relapse while they were alone, it'd be mud in his pants—impossible to clean up.

After all, there were no cameras at Ryuudou Temple. If something happened, he'd never be able to talk his way out of it.

"Um... wait."

Kishinami Hakuno looked at Fujimaru Kyoya with slight surprise.

She had carried a certain allure since childhood, and under its influence, people around her would involuntarily "love" her. But someone like Fujimaru Kyoya, who actively avoided her, was rare.

Huh? Who are you calling rare?

Oh, right, I'm Japanese now. Never mind.

"Will Brother Fujimaru come here again?"

"Yeah. Once I finish these sutras, I'll return them and borrow new ones."

"Then next time, will you come play with Hakuno?"

Kishinami Hakuno looked on with a hint of anticipation. Someone who didn't blindly "love" her—such a person was well worth observing.

"Fine."

The moment Fujimaru Kyoya made that promise...

"Detected that you have formed a pact with Kishinami Hakuno. Your influence on this world has reached a sufficient threshold. Hero Simulator begins simulation... Please select three birth talents."

Good grief, it came this suddenly.

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the ten glowing orbs before him and picked three at random. The three talents then revealed their true forms.

"True Eye of the Mind: An exceptional insight cultivated through training and tempering, capable of accurately predicting an opponent's actions and breaking through dangerous situations. Even when cornered, it allows one to calmly grasp the state of both oneself and the enemy from a disadvantage and find a way to survive—a 'combat theory.'"

"Ghost Brain: Possesses mental strength surpassing ordinary humans. With this as a foundation, one can not only master the body and control all power more easily but also simulate 'real' opponents in the mind through imagination to spar against oneself, rapidly improving one's strength."

"Tear of Love: A tear mole with a charm effect. Whether male or female, upon seeing you for the first time, they will immediately feel goodwill."

Good grief, Fujimaru Kyoya could only exclaim good grief.

If "Ghost Brain" and "True Eye of the Mind" could both be considered decent combat skills, then this "Tear of Love" was just here for laughs.

Fujimaru Kyoya was instantly thrown off by this talent. And this goodwill worked on both men and women—was this simulator a HOMO or something?

Unfortunately, the system couldn't hear Fujimaru Kyoya's complaints. The next round of the script had already begun selection.

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

[You are born.]

[You are born with a tear mole at the corner of your eye. Because of this mole, your family dotes on you.]

[Talent "Tear of Love" awakened: This tear mole will bring you the goodwill of others. Unless necessary, no one will willingly fight you. Even if they do, their combat ability will decrease. Requires Magic Resistance or a strong Counter Force to resist.]

[You grow up surrounded by everyone's affection. Gradually, you come to know that you are from the Zhao Family of Changshan. These times are not peaceful; it is said that some people wearing yellow headbands are rebelling.]

[Your family hopes that in the future, you will become a strategist who offers plans for others, rather than a general who charges into battle. However, for the sake of physical fitness, you still receive some martial arts training.]