"MISTER MAKO GREY!" a loud voice thundered across the bakery.
Mako froze. Ah, s**!* He slowly turned to face his boss.
"Y-yes, Sir Derek?" Mako stammered, standing timidly as the towering figure loomed over him, casting a shadow over his entire body.
"You're almost on time," Sir Derek said, his voice heavy with disapproval. "But almost is not acceptable. Make a habit of this, and I won't be so lenient next time."
Mako swallowed hard as Sir Derek turned back to the counter, getting back to his paperwork.
He stood there for a moment, stunned. He wasn't usually late; if anything, he was either on time or early. A simple warning was a little surprising, but what really puzzled him was Sir Derek's lack of reaction to his absence yesterday.
This was the same man who had once fired a kid for skipping work without notice. Yet Mako had missed an entire shift, and there had been no reprimand, no angry message, nothing.
That didn't add up.
He hesitated before walking up to the counter, where Sir Derek was jotting something down on a piece of paper. Choosing his words carefully, Mako asked, "Um… Sir Derek, aren't you mad at me?"
Sir Derek didn't look up. "I am mad at you," he said in his usual gruff tone. "But being a few minutes late isn't enough to warrant punishment. Doesn't mean you can make a habit of it, though."
Mako furrowed his brows. "So… you're not mad about yesterday?"
Sir Derek finally glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "Why would I be mad about yesterday?" He set down his pen and leaned slightly forward. "The shop was closed. Don't you remember? I told you not to come in on Friday, right before you left."
Mako blinked.
His brain crashed.
He wanted to ask the system to display his Intelligence stat as NULL because, at this moment, he was convinced it was at zero.
Of course! Sir Derek had mentioned it! But after everything that had happened in the last two days, Mako had completely forgotten.
Sir Derek narrowed his eyes. "Something wrong?"
Mako quickly shook his head, forcing a sheepish grin. "Nope! All good, Sir Derek. Just… uh, forgot for a second." He scratched the back of his head, feeling like a complete idiot.
Sir Derek stared at him for a moment longer before exhaling.
"Well then... GET TO WORK!"
Mako nearly jumped as the booming voice snapped him back to reality. "Yes, sir!" he shouted, rushing off to start his shift.
He immediately bolted to the lockers, where he quickly changed into his baking outfit before helping the other chefs create the pastries and other goodies for tomorrow morning.
**********************
Mako silently thanked his lucky stars for everything that had worked out in the end. But now that his situation was starting to settle, he had to face a much bigger problem, one he couldn't afford to ignore.
He needed to become significantly stronger in less than two months if he was to have any chance of passing the military entrance exam.
Mako originally planned to enlist through the volunteer program, which was the lowest tier of entry for people without abilities. The military barely cared about these recruits, offering them basic abilities upon signing up but treating them as expendable. Their real focus was on the cadets selected through the official entrance exam, which was reserved exclusively for ability users.
But now, things had changed.
Mako had the system now, his great-grandfather's legacy. Although he still lacked abilities, he trusted what he had been told in the video log: that this system would make him stronger than anyone else.
And he wasn't about to waste that chance.
Before, he thought he'd have to join as a volunteer, just another nobody getting thrown into battle with whatever ability they gave him. But now? Now, he wanted more. He wanted to stand with the real cadets, the ones who actually had a future.
The entrance exam wouldn't be easy, not even for ability users. But Mako didn't care. He was going to train, get stronger, and when the time came, he'd prove that he belonged there just as much as anyone else.
It was Sunday tomorrow, so Mako did not worry about rushing to school after work, which was a bit of relief as well.
As Mako worked, his great-grandfather's words from the video log continued to echo in his mind. He focused on the task at hand, whisking the egg yolks into a smooth custard, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
'I won't waste this chance,' he muttered under his breath.
*****************
During the next ten days, Mako worked harder than ever. He was never late to work at the bakery, excelled in his monthly tests, and secretly trained in his free time.
He completed his daily tasks, which were becoming a bit harder every day. For example, today's quest was the following:-
[Thursday]
[New Daily Quest]
[Task 1: Run 3500 meters.]
[Task 2: Stay in the plank position for a total of one hour.]
[Task 3: Lift a total of 500 Kg.]
[Reward: 50 EXP, 2 Attribute Points]
*****************
Mako had just finished jotting down the last of his notes and was ready to head home for the day. He still had his daily quest to complete, and earning those two extra attribute points was his main priority.
Since the day he broke his hand, he'd been saving up all his attribute points, waiting for the right moment to use them all at once and see how increasing his attributes by a large amount would affect his body, but just as he stepped out of the classroom, his path was blocked.
Seven boys stood in front of him, their faces he knew all too well. These were the ones who had made his time at Emerald High miserable. And leading the group was none other than Bill Johnson, displaying his usual smug expression.
"Hey, trash! We need to have a little chat," Bill sneered before raising his hand.
Mako barely had time to react before a pillar of earth shot up from the ground, slamming into his stomach and sending him stumbling backward into the classroom. He gasped, gripping his abdomen as pain shot through his body.
Before he could regain his footing, the rest of the boys followed Bill inside, and with another flick of his hand, Bill sealed the classroom door with a thick wall of earth.
Abilities weren't allowed to be used on school grounds outside of sanctioned training duels, but rules had never been a concern for people like Bill. With a wealthy family backing him, any trouble he got into would be swept away with little more than a warning.
Emerald High was full of kids like that, students from powerful families who had their abilities handed to them, treating those without the same privilege as nothing more than stepping stones.
Another boy, one with a lightning ability, started flicking small bolts of electricity at Mako, each one sending sharp jolts of pain through his body.
The rest of the group quickly joined in, each taking their turn. A water ability user lashed him with a water whip, leaving stinging welts on his skin. Another sent thin blades of wind slicing at him, drawing shallow but painful cuts. All the while, Bill held Mako's arms behind his back, keeping him completely defenseless. Not that he could fight back even if he wanted to.
They made sure not to go too far; after all, they didn't want to kill him, just remind him of his place.
After what felt like an eternity, Bill finally gave the signal to stop. He released his grip, letting Mako collapse onto the cold, hard floor. Blood dripped from his wounds, mixing with the dust on the ground. His body was covered in burns, cuts, and deep bruises. Every inch of him ached, and his breathing was ragged.
Bill grabbed a chair from one of the desks and dragged it in front of Mako's barely conscious form.
"You know..." Bill started, his tone dripping with mockery. "I still can't believe you actually had the nerve to talk back to me in our last duel."
He lifted his foot and shoved Mako onto his back, his head bouncing against the floor.
"It seems I've been too soft. Because somehow, worms like you are starting to forget their place."
Bill sat down in his chair, crossing his legs as he looked down at Mako like he was nothing more than an insect.
Mako groaned, his vision blurring from pain and exhaustion. Warnings from the system flashed across his eyes, but in his current state, he could barely process them.
[-15 HP]
[User Health nearing critical levels]
[Find emergency aid immediately]
[Emergency healing has been initiated]
"But you see, this is a big problem!" Bill sneered as he landed a brutal kick to Mako's ribs.
Mako gritted his teeth, groaning in pain, but Bill wasn't done. He crouched down, grabbing a fistful of Mako's hair and yanking his head up so they were face to face.
"No one talks back to me and just moves on with their life like nothing happened," Bill growled. "Yet here you are, walking around like you didn't humiliate me in front of everyone."
Without warning, Bill slammed Mako's face back into the ground.
"ARRRGHHH!" Mako screamed, his voice raw with pain. His head throbbed, and his body screamed in protest, but Bill didn't care. It looked like Bill also had a heart made of stone.
[Health: 22/120]
Mako's vision blurred. His whole body felt like it was shutting down.
"Please... I am... sorry..." Mako barely mustered the strength to apologize, praying that Bill would stop.
However, Bill quickly cut him off, "SHUT IT! I AM SPEAKING RIGHT NOW!"
He grabbed Mako's face by the hair again, lifted him off the ground, and looked him in the eyes. Then, he proceeded to say what he had come to say.
"So, for your punishment, I have decided to make it easy for you by giving you a choice," Bill said without a speck of emotion, as if nothing was wrong.
"Huh?" Mako asked in a barely conscious manner.
A blunt earth spike came out of the ground and hit Mako right in the face.
"I wasn't done talking, you little worm!" Bill shouted as he continued.
Bill crouched down beside Mako's battered body, his voice dripping with malice.
"I've decided to give you a choice," he said, his tone mockingly casual. "Either the school hears about a boy who jumped to his death before midnight… or you face me in the training duel tomorrow."
He leaned in closer, whispering. "And don't worry, I've already paid off the instructor overseeing our match. He won't stop it until you're dead. So, one way or another, tomorrow is the last day of your pathetic life. Make sure you choose how it ends wisely."
With that, Bill stood up and delivered one final, merciless kick to Mako's gut.
*CRACK!*
Mako's body curled as he was sent flying backward, slamming hard against the classroom wall. A wet, sickening cough followed as blood spilled from his mouth, staining the floor beneath him.
Bill dusted off his hands and turned to two of his lackeys. "You two, clean this place up. And you," he pointed to another, "give him a healing pill. I want him conscious enough to think about his options."
The boys moved quickly, following Bill's orders without hesitation. Meanwhile, Bill walked toward the door, lowering the earth wall blocking the entrance.
Before stepping out, he turned back to look at Mako one last time with a twisted grin.
"Tick tock… tick tock…" he taunted, his voice echoing in the now-empty room.
Then, he was gone.
***************
By the time Mako became conscious again, it was evening. He slowly got up and examined his body, finding that almost all of his outer injuries had healed and that he was barely in any pain.
[Medium tier healing pill consumed]
[84% completion in recovery]
Mako remembered everything that had occurred before Bill left and also the choice that Bill had given him.
Mako was at a loss as to what to do next.
Bill had never gone this far before. The bullying, the beatings, the humiliation... he had endured all of it. But now, Bill wanted him... dead. This wasn't just another torment session. It was an execution.
Mako clenched his fists, staring at the faint traces of blood on the floor.
"A choice?" he thought bitterly. "This isn't a choice. It's a death sentence."
For a moment, Mako considered running. He didn't have to show up tomorrow, just like the countless times he had skipped school to avoid a duel before. He could disappear, stay out of sight, buy himself some time.
But then reality set in.
Bill wasn't the type to let things go. If Mako didn't show up, Bill would just hunt him down. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even next week, but eventually. And when he did, it would be worse. Much worse.
'What about the police?' The thought crossed his mind, but he dismissed it just as quickly.
Bill's family had deep ties to the military. His father was a high-ranking officer, and people like them always had ways of making problems disappear. Would anyone even believe Mako? A weak, ability-less nobody against someone like Bill?
The answer was clear.
No one was coming to save him.
Mako was still unsure what to do next when the system ping suddenly brought him back to reality.
*DING!*
[New Quest Received]
[Accept Bill Johnson's challenge and face him in tomorrow's duel]
[Rewards: Instant level-up]
[Penalty: Death]
[Bonus Quest: Defeat Bill Johnson]
[Rewards: One new random skill]
"Well, I guess the system already made the decision for me," Mako said while gulping as he read the penalty of his new quest.
Mako had not considered facing Bill in a one-on-one, all-out fight so soon. Although he wanted revenge against him so badly, he knew it was still quite some ways before he got to his level, but now he didn't have a choice.
He carefully made his way out of school, hoping to avoid being spotted at that moment, and headed home to strategize how he would deal with this situation.
**************************
Author's Note: Hey guys! Universal Power System is one of my favorite projects, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This is my very first work, so expect some amateur writing and a few slips. However, I always try to learn and correct myself so I can create a more coherent narrative. I hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to check out my other works!
Come say hi to me on Discord: https://discord.gg/TvjkrdnbE2