Jay lay sprawled across the academy courtyard bench, his tie as crooked as his sleep schedule. Above him, clouds drifted lazily. Below him, chaos brewed.
"Jay Sama!" Alicia’s voice thundered from the west gate. "Get up this instant—They’ve deployed the Gold-Rank Disciplinary Squad!"
Jay didn’t move. Not out of fear. Out of principle.
"System," he whispered with a yawn. "Auto-dodge if anyone yells at me."
> [System Notice: ’Ignore Responsibility (Passive)’ activated. +200 Mental Resistance. +999 Calm Aura.]
He yawned again, eyes barely open as several armored students leapt from the rooftop toward him with glowing cuffs and electrified chains.
"Target acquired! Use bind magic—"
That was the moment everything stopped.
Midair, the squad’s leader froze. Literally. Time around him slowed to a crawl.
> [Hidden Skill Unlocked: ’Sleepwalk Dominance (Lv. 1) — Activates upon intentional disengagement from reality.’]
Jay blinked again. The squad dropped mid-chant as if their magic had misfired.
"Did he... just blink them into unconsciousness?" Echo, watching from a nearby bush, whispered in awe. "What kind of cursed anti-magic is that?!"
Alicia approached warily, her silver armor shining. "Jay... what did you do?"
"I thought about lunch," Jay replied calmly. "And the world listened."
He sat up slowly. "I’m going to need a nap after that."
From behind the academy towers, a new figure emerged—robed in black, face hidden, eyes glowing blue like broken glass.
> [Warning: System Class Conflict Detected.]
> [High-Level System Hunter: S-Class Executioner has entered your zone.]
Jay stood up for real this time. Not because he wanted to—but because something in the air finally woke him.
The executioner’s presence triggered a strange echo in Jay’s chest. Like he’d met this person before—before the System, before the academy.
"Finally," the figure said, pulling back their hood. "Subject 03-999. You were supposed to be dismantled years ago."
Alicia stepped forward, sword drawn. "Jay... who is that?"
"I don’t know," Jay murmured.
Then, after a pause, "But I think they know me better than I do."