A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 35

Chapter 35   A Certain Student’s Change

When Seiji and the others were talking with Amamiya, the students who had been watching from a distance decided they couldn’t just keep staring and left the scene.

“Damn it… What’s with that guy? Just because his sister is a ‘Blessed One,’ he’s getting all buddy-buddy with Amamiya. If it weren’t for his sister, he’d be no different from us. I bet he only got into Class A thanks to her.”

One of the male students, bitter after witnessing Seiji and Amamiya casually chatting earlier, spat out his frustrations. He probably wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Other students likely thought the same, even if they didn’t say it out loud.

But it couldn’t be helped. After all, Seiji, despite being a ‘Blessed One’ himself, was keeping that fact hidden. So to those around him, he appeared to be some unworthy guy, using his sister’s influence to get close to the idol of a major clan. It was only natural for people to feel resentment.

But the student’s frustration wasn’t just because Seiji, who seemed like a hanger-on, was talking to Amamiya.

It was because, despite Seiji having no redeeming qualities, he still had the chance to join a major clan just because his sister was a ‘Blessed One.’

Meanwhile, the student himself had no shot at joining one. If he were to get in, he’d have to pass a tough exam and beat out fierce competition. Yet Seiji, without even trying, might just get in. At least, that’s what the student had convinced himself.

To make matters worse, the student hadn’t received any offers from any clans yet. The top students, the ones who had real potential, usually received invitations from clans right from the start of the recruitment period. But no one had reached out to him.

It might make sense if he had been hiding away in his room. But he was actively walking around the academy—whether consciously or not—in crowded areas, seemingly trying to get noticed by scouts.

And yet, not a single invitation had come. This fact only made him more irritated.

“–––Excuse me, do you have a moment?”

“What?!”

Had he finally been approached?

He whipped around, filled with hope, but…

“Huh? M-Me?”

“Yes, you’re Rikuto Komaba, correct? We were wondering if you would consider joining our clan after graduation–––”

What he saw when he turned around was a scout in a suit, not addressing him, but another male student.

His joy instantly turned into disappointment.

As he resumed walking, this time he headed toward a quieter area. He bought a drink from a vending machine and sat down on a nearby bench to rest. And then…

“Excuse me, but do you have a moment?”

“Huh?”

A man in a suit had appeared beside him as he rested on the bench, speaking with a cheerful expression.

He hadn’t even noticed when the man arrived. To him, it felt as though the man had appeared out of nowhere, leaving him so stunned that all he could do was let out a small sound in response.

Ignoring his confusion, the man continued speaking.

“I am a scout for a clan, and I’ve come to invite you to join our clan. So, if I may ask once again, do you have a moment to talk?”

“Uh, ah… Yes! I’m free!”

“Thank you. You see, our clan has recently succeeded in developing a groundbreaking new skill. And we would like you to be the one to use it.”

As he spoke, the man opened the case he was carrying, revealing its contents. Inside was a single orb, glowing with light.

“A… jewel?”

Yes, it resembled the jewels that allowed one to acquire skills.

However, something about it felt off. He couldn’t quite place what was different, but there was a strange, unsettling feeling emanating from the orb—an instinctive warning that something wasn’t right, a negative sensation rather than a positive one.

“Up until now, all ‘skills’ have been nothing more than degraded copies of existing ‘Blessings.’ No matter how hard one tries, they can never surpass a ‘Blessed One.’ But this skill is different. It’s a completely new skill, created by combining and refining multiple existing ones. It’s not a mere imitation of a Blessing, but an original skill with no limitations. The more you use it, the more it will grow, and eventually, it can even surpass the power of the ‘Blessed.’ It’s a growth skill!”

“A growth… skill?”

If what the man said was true, this was a revolutionary breakthrough. It was technology that could change the world. If such a thing really existed, it could allow him to rise to the top—he found himself believing that.

“If you continue to use this, you will one day surpass even the ‘Blessed.’ What do you think? Would you like to join us and change the world with your own hands?”

He wanted it. He genuinely thought so.

There was a sense of unease. It seemed too good to be true, and he couldn’t even be sure if the jewel was real. The eerie sensation he got from the jewel added to his doubts.

And yet, now, the jewel before him seemed like an incredible treasure. If he could get it, he had to.

But…

“But… but I already have a skill…”

Yes, he had already acquired a skill.

It was impossible to learn multiple skills. If someone tried to learn a new skill, not only would they fail, but the jewel wouldn’t even react. This was true even for jewels that had previously responded to them.

Once a skill was chosen, it couldn’t be changed later. His teachers had told him this when he first selected his skill.

“Please rest assured. This particular skill has multiple effects, one of which is the ability to overwrite your current skill. So, having already learned a skill is not an issue.”

The problem of acquiring a new skill had been resolved. Now, there was nothing standing in his way.

As soon as he understood that, his hand unconsciously reached toward the glowing orb.

However, just before his fingers touched it, his hand suddenly froze.

It was still suspicious. Could this really be true? He’d never heard of such technology before. And if it was real, why would they offer it to someone like him?

–––Is it really okay to reach out for it like this?

“……”

Despite his doubts, he couldn’t form the words to reject it. More than anything, his eyes were already locked onto the orb in front of him, unable to look away.

He continued to wrestle with his thoughts, staring at the glowing orb, and then…

——◆◇◆◇——

A few days had passed since he overwrote his skill with the new one given to him by the man. The scouts who had once roamed the academy halls had all left, and the school had returned to its usual atmosphere.

However, there was one student for whom things were far from normal…

(Kill… kill… kill… kill… kill… kill––––)

Although he had overwritten his skill with the new one, he hadn’t noticed much of a change. While he could tell that something felt different when he used his skill, it wasn’t a significant enough improvement to make him feel stronger. Frustration built up inside him as he realized that the “growth skill” might only get stronger with continuous use.

To vent his irritation, he decided to train his skill alone in an unfamiliar location. That’s when it happened—an overwhelming flood of hatred and murderous intent filled his mind, directed at someone or something.

“Damn it! What is this voice…?! Kill, but who am I supposed to kill?!”

Staggering from the sudden surge of violent thoughts, he leaned against a nearby tree, trying to calm himself. However, the intense feeling didn’t subside. In frustration, he slammed his fist into the tree.

His punch, enhanced by the skill, caused the tree to splinter with a loud crack as his fist sank into it.

“Huh? What was that sound?”

A student who had been nearby heard the noise and began to approach. Realizing this, he quickly moved away and hid in the shadow of the trees.

“Strange… there’s no one here, but I definitely heard something. And this…”

The student turned his back as he inspected the damaged tree.

A completely defenseless back. He could kill him now.

Before he even realized it, his body had already started to move. And then…

“Damn it… What the hell is this?! Damn it! Why am I doing this…?!”

By the time he realized it, he had beaten the student to death.

His hands were stained bright red with blood. As he looked at his blood-soaked hands and recalled the sensation of striking the student, a euphoric expression crossed his face.

But something still felt incomplete. Approaching the dead student’s body, he reached out his hand and muttered:

“Reenact.”

At that moment, a glowing blue halo appeared above his head. However, something was wrong with it. Instead of being a solid color, as it should have been, the halo was clouded and tinged with a strange murkiness.

Unaware of the odd halo above him, he touched the corpse with his outstretched hand. The moment he did, something flowed from the dead body into him.

Once the flow ceased and nothing more came from the body, the corpse silently disintegrated into dust, which scattered in the air. The body was gone, and even the bloodstains had vanished, leaving only the student’s uniform behind.

“Ah… this feels… good.”

At first, he had felt a pang of guilt immediately after the killing. But now? That guilt had completely vanished, replaced by a strange sense of omnipotence that filled him with elation.

To test this newfound power, he punched the tree again to see what would happen…

“So that’s how it works. I just had to do this.”

This time, the tree didn’t just crack and dent. It splintered and crashed to the ground with a series of loud cracks.

It was then that he finally understood how to use the power he had gained: to grow stronger, he had to kill others.

“But with this… with this power…!”

Killing just one person had given him this much strength. If he could kill more—dozens or even hundreds—he could become even stronger. Strong enough to elevate a small clan into a major one, just like the man had promised. Strong enough to surpass even the “Blessed.”

“It’s not enough… not yet. I’ll become stronger. I will become stronger. And to do that…”

He muttered to himself as he staggered away from the scene, leaving the place behind.