MY LEVEL SYSTEM, WHO IS THE WEAK ONE NOW?

009

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE WEAKLING’S DISGUISE

Theo had barely slept when the morning bell rang.

His body still ached, his stomach felt hollow despite the scraps of food he had managed to find, and the strange energy inside his chest refused to settle completely. Every few minutes, he felt a faint pulse beneath his ribs, reminding him that his martial veins were no longer the same.

He had to keep it that way without letting anyone find out.

Theo pulled on his uniform, hid the black metal fragment inside his pocket, and left the dormitory with the other students.

At the training ground, Instructor Halden stood beside the assessment stones, watching the students line up.

“Today, we will test your ability to draw martial energy into your dominant hand and transfer it into the stone,” he announced. “Your output will be measured against your current rank. Anyone who fails to meet the minimum standard will receive additional training.”

Theo stared at the stone in front of him.

Yesterday, he would have given anything to make it respond. Today, he needed to make certain it did not.

One by one, the students stepped forward. Some produced a faint glow, while others sent visible pulses through the stone. Cassian earned approving nods from the instructor when his palm released a clean burst of silver energy.

Then Halden called Theo’s name.

“Vale. Step forward.”

Theo approached the stone, keeping his expression blank.

“Place your hand on the surface and circulate your energy,” Halden instructed.

Theo did as he was told.

The moment his palm touched the stone, he felt the first God Vein respond. Energy gathered beneath his chest, ready to flow into his arm. He could sense how easily he might complete the exercise, and the thought made his stomach tighten.

If he performed well, the instructor would question him.

If he demonstrated power he had supposedly never possessed, Cassian would become suspicious.

Theo deliberately disrupted the flow.

The energy faltered before reaching his wrist, and the stone remained dull.

He tried again, releasing only a weak pulse that disappeared before it could register.

Halden frowned.

“Again.”

Theo repeated the exercise, making certain that the result remained unimpressive.

The instructor shook his head. “Still nothing. You have made no progress whatsoever.”

A few students laughed.

Cassian watched from the other side of the assessment line, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Theo lowered his hand and stepped away without responding.

A mechanical tone sounded inside his mind.

SYSTEM WARNING: INTENTIONAL UNDERPERFORMANCE DETECTED.

Theo kept walking.

Concealing host capabilities may reduce exposure risk, but repeated suppression of measurable progress can limit access to training missions, academy resources, and advancement rewards.

I understand.

Recommendation: Maintain a performance level consistent with the host’s demonstrated abilities.

I said I understand.

Host response indicates resistance to guidance.

Theo nearly smiled.

Then stop giving me advice I didn’t ask for.

The system fell silent.

He returned to his place in line, ignoring the students whispering about his failure. He could endure their laughter. He had endured it for years, and he would endure it a little longer if it meant keeping his transformation hidden.

What he could not afford was another beating before he understood the power inside him.

⸻

The morning lessons dragged on.

Theo struggled to keep his eyes open as Instructor Halden explained the principles of energy circulation. Normally, he would have listened carefully, desperate to find some technique that might help him overcome his weakness. Now, however, he found himself fighting exhaustion that seemed to sink into his bones.

His stomach growled loudly enough for the student beside him to glance over.

“Did you even eat breakfast?” the boy whispered.

Theo ignored him.

He had eaten two portions before leaving the dormitory, yet the hunger had returned before the first lesson ended. It was not ordinary hunger either. His body felt as though it were demanding fuel to replace something being consumed from within.

He pressed a hand against his abdomen.

The system responded immediately.

Host energy expenditure exceeds current nutritional intake.

Can you explain that in a way that helps me?

The first God Vein is adapting to the host’s physical structure. Reconstruction and stabilization require additional energy, nutrients, and rest.

How much food do I need?

Insufficient data to calculate an exact requirement.

Theo closed his eyes briefly.

Of course.

He had gained a mysterious system, but apparently it could not even tell him how much he needed to eat.

A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Vale!”

Theo jerked upright.

Instructor Halden stood beside his desk.

“Since you appear to be somewhere else, perhaps you can explain why uncontrolled circulation damages the body.”

Several students turned to look at him.

Theo forced himself to focus. He knew the answer. He had experienced the consequences firsthand, although for reasons he could not explain to anyone.

“Because the energy exceeds the body’s ability to contain it, Instructor. If the flow is too strong, it can strain the channels and damage the surrounding muscles.”

Halden regarded him for a moment.

“At least you were listening.”

Theo lowered his gaze.

Across the room, Cassian was watching him.

Not laughing.

Watching.

Theo recognized the look because he had seen it before, shortly before Cassian decided to make someone else’s life miserable.

He kept his head down until the lesson ended.

⸻

By nightfall, Theo had discovered two things.

First, his body was recovering faster than it should have.

Second, he could no longer sleep properly.

Every time he closed his eyes, he became aware of the energy moving through his first God Vein. Sometimes it flowed smoothly, warming his chest and limbs. At other times, it surged without warning, forcing him awake with sharp pains that made him fear the reconstruction was failing.

After dinner, he returned to the dormitory and waited for the other students to settle down.

When the room finally grew quiet, Theo slipped out of bed, pulled on his outer robe, and crept through the corridor.

He had no intention of using the old training grounds again. Someone might have noticed the strange activity beneath the central platform, and he did not want to risk being discovered there.

Instead, he found an abandoned courtyard behind the academy’s storage buildings. The place was narrow and neglected, with a cracked wall on one side and several discarded stone blocks near the entrance.

It was perfect.

Theo sat on the ground and closed his eyes.

“System, begin training assistance.”

Training assistance available.

Objective: Achieve stable circulation through the first God Vein without exceeding safe physical output.

Suggested duration: Until stable circulation is achieved or the host reaches the physical limit.

Theo took a slow breath.

He guided the energy from his chest toward his abdomen, keeping the flow as gentle as possible. At first, it moved smoothly, but when he directed it toward his shoulder, the familiar ache returned.

He stopped immediately.

Warning: Muscle strain detected.

“Then I need to slow down.”

Correct.

Theo tried again, moving the energy in smaller increments. He followed the path of the God Vein as carefully as he could, resisting the urge to force the energy through whenever it slowed.

Minutes passed.

His back began to ache from sitting on the hard ground, and sweat gathered along his forehead. Several times, the energy slipped out of control, but he stopped before it could cause serious damage.

Then, gradually, something changed.

The energy moved through his chest and into his abdomen without triggering the crippling pain he had experienced since childhood. It continued toward his arm, passed through his wrist, and returned to its starting point in one smooth circuit.

Theo opened his eyes.

He had done it.

He circulated martial energy again, more carefully this time, and the same result followed. The sensation was faint, but it was unmistakable.

For the first time in his life, cultivating did not feel like forcing a broken door open with his bare hands.

His martial veins were working.

A grin spread across his face before he could stop it.

“Did you see that?”

Stable circulation confirmed.

“Of course you saw it. You’re inside my head.”

The host’s observation is unnecessary.

Theo laughed under his breath.

The sound felt strange in the empty courtyard, but he could not help himself. He had spent years watching other students cultivate with an ease he could never understand. He had believed that he would always be the boy who failed every assessment, the boy whose body betrayed him whenever he tried to become stronger.

Now, he had completed a full circulation without collapsing.

It was a small victory, but it belonged to him.

Then his stomach growled.

Theo’s smile disappeared.

“Again?”

Host energy expenditure remains elevated.

“I know. You have told me about twenty times.”

Correction: The system has issued six nutritional warnings.

Theo stared at the darkness above the courtyard wall.

“That’s worse.”

He had no food with him, and returning to the dormitory meant risking the attention of anyone still awake. He drank a little water from the flask he had brought and returned to his training position.

He would complete one more circulation before leaving.

The second attempt was smoother than the first, and the third came more easily still. His control was far from perfect, but each repetition helped him recognize the difference between a steady flow and a dangerous surge.

He continued until his arms began to tremble.

When he finally stood, dizziness swept over him. He caught himself against the cracked wall and waited for the courtyard to stop spinning.

His legs felt heavy, and his vision blurred at the edges.

“System?”

Host fatigue has reached a dangerous threshold. Training should cease immediately.

Theo pushed away from the wall.

“I’m fine.”

The host is not fine.

“I can walk.”

That is not equivalent to being physically stable.

Theo took two steps and nearly fell.

He caught the wall again, breathing hard.

“All right,” he muttered. “Maybe I’m not completely fine.”

He waited until his balance returned, then made his way back to the dormitory. By the time he reached his bed, his entire body felt hollow, and he was so hungry that even the smell of someone else’s leftover food made his stomach twist.

He had never realized how expensive strength could be.

Not in silver crowns or cultivation resources, but in food, rest, and the ability to keep his own body from breaking beneath the strain.

Theo lay down and tried to sleep.

His muscles protested whenever he moved, and the energy inside his chest continued to pulse beneath his skin. He drifted off briefly, only to wake again when a sudden surge travelled through his first God Vein.

By the time the morning bell rang, he felt as though he had slept for only a few minutes.

⸻

The next morning, Theo nearly collapsed during class.

He had managed to eat a little more than usual before leaving the dormitory, but it had done almost nothing to ease his exhaustion. His eyelids felt heavy, his legs were unsteady, and the sound of Instructor Halden’s voice seemed to come from a great distance.

He stood with the other students during a demonstration, trying to focus on the technique being explained.

Then the floor tilted.

Theo grabbed the edge of a nearby desk.

“Vale?”

He straightened too quickly, and the room spun again.

Halden frowned. “Are you ill?”

“No, Instructor.”

“You look as though you are about to fall over.”

“I did not sleep well.”

“That is no excuse for neglecting your training. If you cannot manage your health, you will never manage your cultivation.”

Theo nodded, unwilling to argue.

He stepped away from the desk, but a wave of dizziness forced him to stop.

Someone caught his elbow.

Theo turned and found Cassian standing beside him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Cassian’s grip tightened before he released him.

“Careful, Vale. It would be embarrassing if you died before the selection trials.”

Theo pulled his arm away. “Worry about yourself.”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed.

Yesterday, he had seen Theo beaten badly enough that he should have needed several days to recover. Yet Theo had appeared at the morning assessment, and although his performance had been poor, he had not shown the degree of injury Cassian expected.

Now he was exhausted, barely able to stand, and behaving as though he were hiding something.

Cassian studied his face.

“What are you planning?”

Theo forced a tired smile. “To finish class without listening to you.”

“Do not mistake my curiosity for concern.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Cassian stepped closer.

“You have been acting strangely since the old training grounds. If you think you can pull some foolish stunt during the selection trials, I suggest you reconsider.”

Theo’s stomach tightened.

He had not told anyone what happened beneath the platform, and he had no reason to believe Cassian knew anything about the system. Still, the warning sounded too close to the truth for comfort.

“I’m not planning anything,” Theo replied.

Cassian searched his face for another moment before turning away.

“Good. Because if you cause trouble, I will make certain you regret it.”

Theo watched him return to his seat.

His first instinct was to dismiss the threat, but he could not ignore the fact that Cassian had noticed his fatigue. He needed to become stronger, yet every step toward controlling his new power created another problem he had not anticipated.

He could not keep training through the night without rest.

He could not continue eating so little.

And he could not allow Cassian to become suspicious enough to investigate him.

When class finally ended, Theo returned to the dormitory and lay down without removing his uniform. He intended to rest for an hour, but exhaustion pulled him into a deeper sleep than he expected.

For a while, there was nothing but darkness.

Then the system spoke.

Training record updated.

Basic Martial Energy Control: Initial proficiency achieved.

A second message appeared beneath it, accompanied by a faint pulse from the black metal fragment hidden under his mattress.

Hidden legacy analysis completed.

Theo stirred in his sleep.

The system’s voice dropped into a lower register, and the words that followed did not appear among his ordinary status notifications.

Legacy compatibility confirmed.

Additional records sealed.

A final line flickered briefly before disappearing.

Access authorization: Unresolved.

Theo remained asleep, unaware that the system had just confirmed a connection far older than his newly reconstructed God Vein.

And somewhere beyond his awareness, the sealed records remained locked, waiting for a condition he had not yet met.