Chapter 46 (Dealing with a Bully [Part 3]) – Getting an Upgrade

I'm currently standing in the hallway, leaning against the lockers with my hoodie up and my back turned toward Jack's locker. Stealth mode: activated. Subtlety: questionable.

Jack and his merry band of Neanderthals usually congregate at his locker before classes start. And after yesterday's incident with Luna, my new number one priority in life (above getting rich, above becoming attractive, above literally everything else) is getting Jack to stop harassing her.

The system apparently agrees with me, because I got a quest about it too:

Bully Begone!

Description: Throughout your life, you'll encounter people whose goals conflict with yours. That doesn't make them evil, they're just operating with different priorities and perspectives. Jack though? Jack's a bully through and through. He relies on cruelty to make himself feel powerful. Life has a funny way of testing you through difficult people. Bullies like Jack aren't just obstacles, they're opportunities to define who you are and what you stand for. You could ignore him, confront him, outsmart him, or find some other creative solution. Whatever you choose, this is your chance to prove that you're not the pushover you used to be. Plus, standing up for yourself (and maybe others along the way) feels pretty damn good. Time to show Jack that the old Adam is gone.

Quest Details:

Quest Progress:

Quest Rewards:

The problem is, I have no idea how to actually accomplish this. Do I try to get him expelled so he can't get into contact with Luna again? Just get him suspended to buy time? Or maybe Luna's already told her parents and they'll handle it through official channels?

Yeah, I'm not betting on that last option. Luna's family might be rich, but Jack's family is also loaded, and I think he's too used to getting his way to listen to warnings from the school administration. Rich people have this annoying habit of being immune to consequences.

Which brings me to my current strategy: intelligence gathering. As my boy Sun Tzu said: know thy enemy. Before I can formulate a proper plan of attack, I need information. And with how lustful, cruel, and, let's be honest, plain stupid Jack is, maybe he'll just blurt out something I can use as ammunition.

I've heard plenty of rumors about how shady his entire family is. Maybe Jack's involved somehow, and I can find actual dirt on him. It's a long shot, but I'm working with limited options here.

There's also Plan B: Luna's rich. Like, based on the sheer size of her apartment, her family might be worth billions. If something is really threatening Luna's safety, her family would definitely do something about it. I'd just need definitive proof of Jack being an asshole, which, honestly, isn't hard. Just snap a pic of him cornering Luna when he inevitably does it again.

The thought of that happening again makes my blood boil, but I shove the anger down. Photographic evidence would make Luna's family go ballistic. If they weren't powerful enough to get Jack to stop, they could at least hire a bodyguard to protect her.

Or... worst case scenario... they could pull Luna out of this school and enroll her somewhere else.

I don't want to think about that option. Not being able to spend time with Luna every day? I'm getting depressed just considering it.

Anyway, enough pointless hypothesizing. My first step is gathering information, time to test my current surveillance capabilities.

I focus, trying to pick out individual conversations from the general hallway noise. There's a group of sophomore girls nearby discussing weekend plans. Behind them, some guys are arguing about whether the new season of some anime is trash or just mid. Further down, I can hear—

Actually, no. I can't hear anything specific. It's all just blending together into an incomprehensible wall of sound, like trying to listen to ten radio stations at once. I can tell there are distinct conversations happening, but focusing on any single one is impossible. The voices overlap and merge into meaningless noise.

Well, crap.

I guess it's time to invest in an upgrade then. Good thing I saved those Evolution Points. I'm the type of guy who hoards stat points in RPGs until I'm absolutely forced to allocate them. You never know when you might need to suddenly pump all your points into Charm to unlock some crucial dialogue option, right?

But now those saved points are actually going to be useful. I mentally navigate to my System Shop, scrolling through options until I find what I discovered last night during my research:

Improved Hearing - Heightens ear sensitivity, offers minor protection against loud noises, and improves ability to distinguish between overlapping sounds [25 Evolution Points]

Twenty-five points. That's not cheap, but if it means I can actually gather useful intel on Jack, it's worth it. I select the upgrade, and a system pop-up appears:

Purchase Upgrade?

Body Enhancement: Improved Hearing

Do you wish to enhance your body now? The upgrade may take up to ten minutes to complete.

(Note: The user may feel a slight itch, and some pain during the upgrade)

[Yes] [No]

I'd already read this description at home. The body enhancement I had undergone last time really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and ten minutes isn't too long to wait. That's why I postponed taking it until now, I figured if I could listen in on Jack without the upgrade, I could save myself 25 precious points. These things are valuable! I have to be economical!

But since that didn't work out, here we go.

I mentally click [Yes].

And just like my first body enhancement, nothing happens for a while. I pull out my phone and decide to text Luna while waiting for the changes to kick in.

Adam: hey are you at school yet?

Luna: Hi Adam! No not yet, I'm still walking. Why?

Adam: just making sure you're okay, still worried about yesterday

Adam: text me if anything happens alright?

Luna: Oh okay

Luna: I'll be careful

Luna: Thank you for worrying about me

Luna: You always make me feel so safe

Oh god, my heart. Stop ambushing me with sappy texts, Luna!

Adam: of course I'm gonna worry! who else will I destroy at Fario Racers?

Luna: ...You've never beaten me though?

I gasp, staring at my phone. The audacity. The sheer audacity of this girl!

Adam: YET. I've never beaten you YET

Adam: next time you're going down

Luna: hehe okay, I'll be waiting

I can practically see her giggling at her phone right now, that cute little laugh she does when she's pleased with herself.

I smile despite myself. Luna's so cute... But I do need revenge. She's somehow able to play Fario Racers perfectly even when I'm tickling her sides. I need to up my sabotage game. Maybe she's ticklish elsewhere? Or maybe I should mess with her controller?

Yeah, I know I could just practice and get good at Fario Racers legitimately, but where's the fun in that?

Oh, the changes are starting.

I feel a slight tingle in my... ear canals? Yuck. This is deeply uncomfortable. It feels fundamentally wrong to experience sensations in a place where you normally feel nothing. It's like becoming aware of your tongue sitting in your mouth, or how your jaw has weight. Cursed knowledge.

The tingle disappears quickly and transforms into itching. I resist the overwhelming urge to jam my finger into my ear canal and scratch.

Finally, the pain comes. It's sharper this time, but it’s nothing excruciating, it feels like digging your nails into your palm just hard enough to leave temporary imprints. The pain is persistent, but very manageable.

And then it’s over.

Everything sounds... clearer. Like my ears previously had that clogged effect you get after taking off on a plane or going up a fast elevator, and now that effect has disappeared. Sounds have more definition, more texture. I can hear the individual components of what was previously just "hallway noise."

The effects are jarring. But it's not just the clarity, I realize I can more easily focus on specific sounds now. Instead of the blur of hallway noise, by concentrating, I can pick out individual conversations.

A group of guys near me are loudly discussing some trading card game, debating whether a card is "totally broken" or "completely unusable." Behind them, I can hear some girls chatting softly about their favorite actors and, more interestingly, hot guys at school.

I tune into their conversation more closely, partially because I need to test my upgrade, and partially because I'm curious if my name will come up.

It doesn't. Obviously. Did I really think it would?

I don't know what I was expecting. They're talking about the usual suspects: the popular guys with perfect hair and winning smiles. And of course, they're gushing about how "drop-dead gorgeous" Luke King is.

Fair. He is unreasonably attractive. I'm secure enough in my masculinity to admit that the guy looks like he was photoshopped into reality.

I'm still idly scrolling through my phone, pretending to be engrossed in absolutely nothing, when finally the asshole himself decides to grace us with his presence.

I focus my newly enhanced hearing and slowly pick out Jack's arrogant voice from the normal din of conversation. He's still too far away for me to hear clearly, but as he settles at his locker with his friends, the words become crystal clear.

And wow. He's just... gross.