The Mastermind of Multiverse: Starting from *Fullmetal Alchemist*

"I can agree to that."

"However..."

Horikita Suzune shifted her tone, her words carrying an awkward sense of condescension:

"I don't like owing people favors."

"Since you yielded the credit to me... in exchange, I can help you with your studies."

"Huh?" Su Wei was stunned, doubting he had heard correctly, "Help with my studies?"

"That's right."

Horikita Suzune said as if it were only natural:

"I've seen your entrance exam results. Your score was only two points above the passing line; you're on the dangerous edge."

"Since we are going to be cooperating in the Black Sphere Space for the long term, I cannot tolerate my teammate being expelled for failing their academic subjects."

"I plan to organize a study group for the underperforming students in the class, so you should come along too."

Watching the girl wear an expression that said "you should be thanking me," Su Wei couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Horikita, you really are someone who talks only to yourself."

"Have you ever considered changing the way you speak?"

"What?" Horikita was slightly taken aback.

"It's clearly good intentions, yet coming from your mouth, it sounds like charity." Su Wei walked past her toward the exit. "If you use this attitude to invite Sudo and the others, I think you'll get nothing but rejection."

"Instead of worrying about my grades, you should worry about your own terrible interpersonal relationships first."

Having said that, Su Wei walked out of the classroom.

He left Horikita Suzune standing there alone, frowning.

What the hell, is there something wrong with my tone?

In the hallway.

Su Wei had only taken a few steps out of the classroom when a faint citrus scent wafted toward him from behind.

He didn't need to think to know it was perfume—a little trick from a seasoned "green tea" girl.

"Su Wei-kun~"

Kushida Kikyo walked up with her hands behind her back, her steps light and a signature angelic smile on her face:

"Horikita-san has been like that since middle school; she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and she isn't very good at reading the room... Please don't take it to heart, Su Wei-kun."

Su Wei stopped and glanced at her, somewhat surprised:

"You were middle school classmates?"

"Yeah."

Kushida Kikyo's steps faltered for a moment, a flicker of darkness passing through her eyes, but it was quickly masked by her perfect smile:

"Well~ although it seems she doesn't remember me at all."

She didn't linger on the topic for long, naturally shifting the conversation as she pulled her phone from her pocket and gave it a shake:

"By the way, Su Wei-kun. Yesterday, I followed your advice and went to see Vice President Nagumo of the Student Council."

"That information sold for a full 1.5 million points!"

Kushida Kikyo leaned in closer, lowering her voice:

"I gave Ichinose-san 500,000 as a referral fee, and for the remaining million... how about we split it fifty-fifty?"

"After all, whether it was the last Black Sphere exam or this one, it was all your contribution. All I could do was run errands..."

Facing Kushida Kikyo's sincere expression, Su Wei did not refuse.

500,000 points.

In this school, that wasn't a small amount.

Although he was the GM and could change the data whenever he wanted if he needed money.

But that would be too boring, and he wouldn't actively break the rules unless necessary.

Seeing Su Wei agree, Kushida Kikyo's eyes curved into crescents.

She lowered her head, and while operating the transfer on her phone, she spoke as if it were an afterthought:

"Oh, right, Su Wei-kun."

"I heard from Ike Kanji and the others that they saw you carrying a black briefcase back to the dorms last night?"

Su Wei nodded and admitted it directly.

"Yeah, Gantz Suits."

"Or what you'd call powered suits."

"Eh?!" Kushida Kikyo jerked her head up, her eyes filled with astonishment. "You actually redeemed it?"

Su Wei had no intention of hiding it.

After all, that thing was bought specifically to serve as bait for this group of leeks.

If he didn't make them covet it, how could he stimulate them to struggle and improve?

"So, how are the effects? Is it as dreamy as it looks in sci-fi works?"

Kushida Kikyo pressed, even unconsciously closing the distance between herself and Su Wei.

"As for the effects..."

A vibrant, energetic voice suddenly drifted from the front of the corridor.

"Yahallo~ Su Wei-kun, and Kushida-san!"

Following the direction of the voice.

Ichinose Honami was walking toward them, waving from afar.

"I was just looking for you two!"

Today's update will be posted in the evening.

As the title says.

As compensation, I will be adding extra chapters. I beg everyone for their continued reading, thank you very much!

By the way, I'll take this opportunity to list the Black Sphere equipment mentioned yesterday. To make it easier for everyone to immerse themselves, I'll briefly explain the effects of each piece of gear, though in reality, the Black Sphere hasn't revealed this information yet.

--

Gantz Suits: See the end of Chapter 2, omitted here.

X-SHOT GUN (Enhanced Standard Gun)

Also known as the Cannon, it consists of an X-Gun with an extended barrel and an added attack device. Its range is over one kilometer, and it offers higher precision for long-distance shooting. Its power is twice that of the X-Gun, and it can lock onto and attack multiple targets.

Gantz Bike:

Has no offensive capabilities but moves very quickly. There is a designated spot for a sniper in the back seat. According to official claims, it can climb walls directly. A special computer connected to the bike can calculate the point value of prey.

Controller:

Can display the enemy's location and remaining time. It also has a stealth function by changing frequencies; after entering stealth, one is only visible to other players who are also in stealth, though some aliens can see them as well. It can be fixed to the hand. However, if the Gantz Suit fails, the stealth function will also fail.

Z-GUN (Gravity Gun):

A powerful weapon worth 100 points. It has immense destructive power. Its attack mode involves setting a wide circular area in front of the weapon, from which a massive force is exerted from the sky, often instantly turning the area where the enemy is located into a pool of blood.

Flight Unit:

A powerful weapon worth 100 points. A machine capable of flying freely in the air. Its appearance is a Gantz Bike equipped with flight gear. It can also serve as a cockpit for the Gantz Robot.

Hard Suits:

A powerful weapon worth 100 points. Also known as the Gorilla Suit, it possesses attack and defense capabilities far exceeding the standard Gantz Suit, as well as combat functions like elbow blades, palm energy cannons, and elbow energy cannons. The palm energy cannons are used for close-to-mid-range shooting and can fire in bursts, while the elbow energy cannons are used to strengthen the speed and force of strikes. The cable on the back can connect to and control the Gantz Robot, and the visor has X-ray vision.

Gantz Robot:

A powerful weapon, obtained when a Gantz member earns another 100 points after acquiring the Hard Suits and chooses a more powerful weapon. It is massive, can turn invisible, has slow movement speed, and possesses a certain level of durability. In the manga, Oka Hachiro only uses it for boxing, with no other special functions. However, in the theatrical version, it can carry a large broadsword and use sword energy.

Chapter 17: Attempting to Bug the System

"What is it?"

Looking at the girl whose hair color inexplicably reminded him of a certain pink dumpling, Su Wei asked.

Ichinose's footsteps faltered, and the opening line she had prepared was choked back.

Kushida Kikyo covered her mouth and chuckled, smoothing things over quite naturally:

"As an international student, Su Wei-kun must still be a bit unaccustomed to the customs here, right?"

"The way of getting along for Japanese people is to first pretend not to see them, then act as if you just discovered Ichinose-san, exclaiming happily, 'Ah, isn't this Ichinose from Class B?', and finally chat for a while about trivial things like the weather or hobbies before slowly getting to the point~"

"This is what they call 'reading the air'."

"Eh?!"

Hearing this, Ichinose's fair cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she waved her hands repeatedly:

"No, it's not to that extent! Kushida-san, you're exaggerating!"

"Su Wei-kun, please don't take it seriously!"

Su Wei didn't dwell on the matter.

He looked down at the time:

"So, what is it?"

"If it's not urgent, I still need to go buy some Dr Pepper. You know, class is about to start."

"Ah! Sorry, sorry!"

Only then did Ichinose remember the main business, quickly putting away her shyness, her expression becoming a bit more serious:

"The main reason I came this time is to ask for your thoughts on the Black Sphere trials, Su Wei."

She paused for a moment:

"Especially regarding that... powered suit."

"I want to know its actual effectiveness and whether it's worth us pooling our resources to prioritize equipping everyone with one."

Looking at the earnest expression on the girl's face, Su Wei was not surprised.

As the leader of Class B, Ichinose Honami possessed a sense of the big picture and a spirit of self-sacrifice that far exceeded the average person.

Having experienced last night's pyrrhic victory, she was more desperate than anyone to increase the team's survival rate.

He pondered for a moment before giving a definitive reply:

"As for the effects... personally, I think they're quite good."

"But just hearing me talk about it probably won't give you a clear concept..."

Su Wei thought it over and proposed: