Chapter 4: Four New Abilities

Chapter 4: Four New Abilities

Chloe was the kind of girl every single guy in the academy daydreamed about, but she was completely untouchable. No drama, no scandals, no boyfriends. The guys trying to get her attention could easily line up around the block.

With zero money, zero social status, and a report card that looked like a crime scene, what chance did a bottom-of-the-barrel slacker like me have of winning this girl’s heart? And even if I pulled off some miracle and she actually noticed me, how was I supposed to survive the wrath of her mile-long queue of rich, athletic suitors?

[System Scan complete: Chloe Prescott’s current Favorability toward you is fifty percent (classified: respected classmate). You are eligible to integrate fifty percent of her active skill set. Would you like to proceed?]

Ada’s voice echoed in my head.

My jaw practically hit the floor. Fifty percent? And she was a legendary polymath! Fifty percent of Chloe's brainpower and talent would make me a god compared to my current self. Plus, if I got smarter, actually completing her mission would be a hell of a lot easier.

“Yes! Integrate!” I answered immediately. Of course I would agree—only an idiot would pass up an opportunity like this.

The instant the thought crossed my mind, a bizarre numbness washed over my scalp, as if my mind was being physically expanded. A flood of warm, hyper-dense energy surged directly into my neural pathways.

After what felt like an eternity, Ada’s voice cut through the haze.

[Neural integration complete. Congratulations, Master, on successfully fusing with fifty percent of Chloe Prescott’s active skill set. Unlocked skills: Intermediate Learning Ability, Aurelian Defensive Kata, Elite Classical Piano, and Advanced Rhetoric!]

I sat there in absolute awe as the newly unlocked knowledge settled into my brain. I always knew Chloe was a genius, but this was on an entirely different level.

The Intermediate Learning Ability alone was an absolute game-changer. My mind suddenly felt crystal clear, like a dusty old computer that had just received a state-of-the-art processor upgrade.

But the musical and linguistic abilities were what really blew me away. Advanced Rhetoric was a standard of vocabulary and debate structure normally only mastered by university scholars by the time they graduated. Even at fifty percent strength, my vocabulary felt limitless, my thoughts sharp and analytical.

And Elite Classical Piano? This wasn't some basic school hobby. I could literally feel the muscle memory in my fingers, knowing exactly how to play complex concertos I’d never even listened to before.

If this was just half of her potential, her full capabilities had to be absolutely terrifying.

But the biggest shock of all? The Aurelian Defensive Kata.

This quiet, elegant girl who always looked as calm as a still lake was actually trained in a high-level, practical martial art! If that ever got out, the school would lose its collective mind. I breathed a silent sigh of relief that I'd never tried to annoy or tease her. Getting absolutely dismantled by my quiet desk partner would have been a deeply humiliating experience.

The Aurelian Defensive Kata was legendary—a highly disciplined style focused on leverage, kinetic flow, and momentum redirection. Most people only ever saw older folks practicing its slow, meditative forms in city squares for their health. Genuine, practical application of the style was incredibly rare and heavily guarded.

Yet Chloe knew it. The discovery left me even more fascinated by her family background.

Until the final bell rang, I was still in a state of complete shock. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that casually taking a nap would somehow result in me gaining four incredible abilities. Was this a stroke of absolute luck, or what?

“Hey desk partner, I'm heading out first. See ya!” Chloe stood up, slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder as she said goodbye to me.

I instinctively raised my head and mumbled a stupid response. It wasn't until Chloe had already walked away that I finally snapped back to reality.

I wanted to call out to her, to say something, but my brain was scrambled and I couldn't think of a single logical excuse. All I could do was watch her elegant figure happily disappear out the classroom door.

How could I ever be worthy of a girl like her? She’s just too outstanding.

I had always known Chloe was incredible, but I never realized just how lightyears ahead she truly was. After all, the version of her talents I now possessed was only at fifty percent.

I didn't even realize how I made it back to my neighborhood. I was walking on autopilot until the warm, familiar voice of my neighbor, Mrs. Gable, broke my daze.

“Zach, you're back?” Mrs. Gable asked.

She was an incredibly friendly, outgoing woman who had a great reputation around the block. She was the head of the local community board or something like that, though I didn't know the exact details of her title.

“Yeah. Hey, Mrs. Gable. Are you starting on dinner?” I replied, forcing a polite smile.

“Sure am! Hurry on inside, dear. Your uncle seems to have dropped by today!” Mrs. Gable nodded toward my front door.

My brows furrowed slightly at her words. After saying goodbye to Mrs. Gable, I walked up the driveway.

Although he was my actual relative, I wasn't particularly fond of my uncle.

His name was Marcus Carter. He worked as a successful construction contractor in the city and had made a serious amount of money over the years. Out of my father's four brothers, Uncle Marcus was undoubtedly the most financially successful.

Perhaps because he’d endured too much gossip and been looked down on when he was younger back in their hometown, now that he had money, he acted like a total nouveau riche. He was constantly flaunting his wealth and putting on the appearance of a big-shot. Although he didn’t have any truly malicious intentions, his arrogant attitude was still incredibly annoying.

It would have been one thing if he only acted that way around strangers, but he treated his own family the exact same way. My other two uncles back home lived rather difficult, working-class lives, and although Uncle Marcus occasionally threw some money their way, his help always felt more like a demeaning hand-out than actual family support.

Because our two families lived fairly close to each other in the city, Uncle Marcus and his family came over to our place quite often. Although my parents weren't wealthy, we weren't scraping the bottom of the barrel either. They owned and operated a local convenience store, which brought in more than enough to cover our everyday expenses.

Because of that, we didn't have to walk on eggshells or tolerate his bragging. On top of that, my mother had an absolutely explosive temper. Whenever Uncle Marcus crossed the line and started boasting too much, she would immediately shut him down and argue right back. My father, being the peacekeeper, usually stepped in to smooth things over, mostly because he hated the idea of a family feud.