If it was only about surviving until the end, Owen was fairly confident.
His plan was simple: since he wasn't the protagonist, he should avoid doing things that only the protagonist should do.
As long as he didn't provoke John, Owen didn't think someone with Emily's intelligence could affect him. After all, his strength was among the top in Crossbridge Academy, no matter what.
With an SSS+ quality mana core and a diamond-tier level 6 rank, Owen could even slap the head of the academy if needed. Being so young, reaching god-tier was practically guaranteed. There was no way someone as foolish as Emily could cause his downfall.
As for John?
Daniel thought to himself that if he didn't provoke John, surely John wouldn't cause trouble for him either. And if that day ever came, he could just run away. If he couldn't fight back, he could at least avoid the conflict, right?
Lost in his thoughts, Daniel didn't notice that he had already arrived near the girls' dormitory. Fiona tugged at his sleeve to signal him to stop. (From now on we all call him Owen instead of Daniel)
"Hmm? What is it, Fiona?"
"Emily is here."
Fiona shot a cold glance at Emily, her eyes filled with hostility.
"Master Owen, I'll wait for you over there."
With that, Fiona walked away in a huff without looking back.
"Ah, okay, go ahead."
Owen waved his hand and was about to speak as Emily approached. But at that moment, he heard a notification sound in his mind.
[Destined target detected. Binding Slacker System to host, please wait...]
[Binding successful! Congratulations, host, on activating the Slacker System.]
[This system is dedicated to creating a peaceful environment for the host's growth. As long as the host does not engage in combat and does not alter the story's course, daily upgrade rewards will be granted.
Double rewards on the first day, quadruple on the second day, and eightfold on the third day, and so on.]
Owen was a bit confused.
A system… isn't that usually the protagonist's thing? Wasn't he supposed to be a supporting character in this novel? He didn't remember Owen ever awakening a system before.
And this ability...
Being a slacker to level up sounds nice, but if he couldn't change the story's course, wouldn't that mean he's doomed?
"What are the restrictions on being a slacker?"
[It's simple, just as it sounds. No fighting and no training. The system will reward the protagonist with a fixed amount of experience points daily. The longer you do nothing, the faster you level up.]
This surprised Owen.
If doing nothing could make him stronger, then at this rate...
"Wouldn't I reach god-tier in a month and become invincible? I could just hide away in the mountains for a month and become the god of this world."
The power hierarchy in this world is quite unique. The tiers, from lowest to highest, are Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, Sage, and God.
Owen was currently a diamond-tier prodigy, only twenty-four years old and famous worldwide. It's no exaggeration to say he amazed an entire era.
By that time, who cares about the so-called protagonist? I could just crush him with a slap!
I can do whatever the fuck I want!
Just thinking about it made Owen excited!
[Assessing host's talent... Talent S... SSS+ Mana core… diamond-tier level 6?]
The system was puzzled too.
How did it get matched with such an exceptional host?
With this talent, even without the system, reaching god-tier within ten years might not be difficult, right?
Doesn't that make the system seem useless?
[Based on the host's current talent, an additional skill will be granted, allowing the host to let a target hear his inner thoughts.]
Upon hearing this, Owen's eyes lit up, and after a long silence, he smiled knowingly.
With this, things were starting to get interesting.
Recalling his thoughts, Owen looked up and cast his gaze at Emily. It must be said, there were reasons why the original Owen was so obsessively infatuated with Emily, even to the point of becoming her simp.
First, there was Emily's face, almost unreal in its beauty. Her watery blue eyes revealed a hint of impatience, and her ethereal aura made her appear like an unattainable ice queen, exuding a high and mighty air.
Of course, this was only in front of Owen.
In front of the protagonist, John, Emily was a different person, and no one understood this better than Owen.
Burdened with deep-seated hatred from a young age, Emily was wary of everything, except that she completely trusted the MC. This was probably the influence of the protagonist's halo.
Looking down, her bust, accentuated by the dress, seemed ample, while her waist was slender and graceful, with perfect proportions.
Her smooth, fair legs had an ivory-like sheen, with just the right amount of plumpness.
However, the most eye-catching thing was the black and purple flame demon crystal sword at her waist, which was extremely valuable!
As for how Owen knew this, it was because this sword was originally given to her by him in the novel, a diamond-tier longsword worth a fortune.
Overall, her appearance was truly worthy of being called the female lead. Even though more women appeared later, Emily lived up to her status.
Unfortunately, her mind wasn't as sharp.
Noticing Owen's gaze, Emily frowned slightly, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes.
As the top disciple, Owen's shamelessness, sticking to her like glue that wouldn't come off, only made Emily dislike him more.
"Owen, what do you want from me? If you're just inviting me to dinner, I advise you not to waste your time. I'm not interested. Also, please stop sending me those strange and expensive gifts. I have no relationship with you."
Hearing this, Owen was quite surprised.
Strange and expensive gifts?
After a moment of being dazed, Owen suddenly understood.
Come to think of it, this is indeed the right time. A few days ago, he and some students from the academy went to investigate the Celestial Tower in the easternmost part of the continent. This tower is said to have existed since the beginning of the world, its top reaching into the clouds.
They accidentally found a sealed box in a dungeon near the tower, and according to the clues, the tower was about to open. The box contained information about the treasures inside the tower!
Foolishly, Owen had given this precious item to Emily. Fortunately, Emily didn't know how to open the box; otherwise, Owen would have been drowned in the envy of other elite students.
Wasn't this just a waste?
The treasures hidden within the tower must be in Owen's possession, and he must not let anyone else covet them!
Inside the tower, after all, is a living dragon egg!
Admittedly, Emily does have decent talent; she became a gold-tier student within just a year of joining the academy.
But compared to those monstrous elite students, she is far behind.
Moreover, while others might not know how to open the box, Owen, being familiar with the original plot, knew exactly how to do it.
With this thought, Owen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well... you do have a point. If you don't like it, just give it back to me. After all, it's useless for you to keep it."
Emily: "?"
She even wondered if she was hearing things.
Owen actually wants the item back?
When did this simp become so assertive? He never dared to talk to her like this before!
But this was good! It was an opportunity to completely sever ties with her father's murderer, so she wouldn't hesitate when the time for revenge finally came.
However...
Emily felt as if she was hearing Owen's voice in her ears, even though he hadn't opened his mouth.
The voice seemed to say...
"Hurry up and give it back! Why are you standing there like an idiot? I must have been blind to be interested in such a foolish woman! Her talent isn't as good as mine, but that's not all—she's a total idiot with 0 IQ!
Wait, why is she staring at me like that? So strange. Should I say something?"