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Broken Contract
Chapter 20 – Undefined Value
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After returning from the Black Forest—
The academy was no longer the same.
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There was no official announcement.
But the news had spread.
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"The ancient magic array couldn't classify Rei."
"Not a flaw."
"Not applicable."
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A small change—
But enough to shake the belief of many.
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If the system cannot classify—
Then is the system truly complete?
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Rei didn't care about the rumors.
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But he realized one thing:
No one called him "flaw" anymore.
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They called him—
"That thing."
Or—
"Rei."
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A step forward.
Or a different kind of distance.
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That day's strategy class—
The teacher didn't lecture as usual.
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He wrote a question on the board:
> "If there exists an individual that cannot be defined—
what is its value?"
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The class fell silent.
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One student said:
"Uncontrollable → dangerous."
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Another:
"Unmeasurable → worthless."
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Arlen spoke:
"Unbound → capable of exceeding limits."
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The teacher nodded.
Then turned to Rei.
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"And you?"
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Rei looked at the question.
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0.8 seconds.
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"Value depends on its purpose."
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"Specifically?"
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"If the goal is system stability—"
"An undefined entity is a risk."
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"If the goal is development—"
"That entity is a necessary variable."
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The class fell silent.
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The teacher did not refute.
He only asked further:
"And for yourself?"
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This time—
Rei didn't answer immediately.
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1.4 seconds.
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"… Undefined."
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No one laughed.
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After class—
Lira walked with Rei to the courtyard.
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"Do you think you are a risk or an opportunity?"
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Rei looked into the distance.
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"Depends on the perspective."
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"And yours?"
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Rei stopped.
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> Perspective on oneself
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A new variable.
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"… Processing."
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Lira smiled lightly.
"You really are Rei."
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At the training grounds—
Elias was standing alone.
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He wasn't training.
Not summoning.
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Just standing.
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Another instructor approached.
"You don't look well."
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Elias didn't deny it.
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"He's changing."
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"That's a good thing."
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"Not for me."
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The other person looked at him.
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"You're afraid of losing control?"
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Elias shook his head.
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"I'm afraid… of caring too much."
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Silence.
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"You know that will affect your magic."
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"I know."
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"Then why not stop?"
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Elias smiled faintly.
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"Not everything can be stopped by willpower."
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Afternoon.
An emergency announcement was issued.
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An abnormal phenomenon was detected in the northern border region.
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Not magical beasts.
Not a magic array.
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It was… a summoning system disconnection.
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A vast area—
Unable to summon.
Unable to call spirit beasts.
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The Council immediately investigated.
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A team was dispatched.
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The announced roster:
Elias – supervisor.
Lira – tactical support.
And—
Rei.
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In the preparation room—
Lira read the report.
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"That area… it's like the system was cut off."
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Rei looked at the data.
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> Cannot summon
No recorded souls
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An area…
Without classification.
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Rei said:
"Like my state."
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Lira looked at him.
"Do you think it's related?"
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Rei answered:
"High probability."
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At the Council room—
An elder whispered:
"The phenomenon appeared right after Rei activated the ancient magic array."
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Another replied:
"You think he caused it?"
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"No."
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A pause.
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"But maybe… he's the key."
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The night before departure—
Rei stood alone in the courtyard.
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Not thinking about the mission.
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Not analyzing.
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Just… standing.
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In his mind—
A new conclusion formed.
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> Value is not something assigned by the system
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> But something created through action
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Rei looked at his hands.
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No change.
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But the way he looked—
Was different.
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From afar—
A tall, thin man looked at a map.
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A point of light appeared.
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"The summoning dead zone…"
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He smiled.
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"Finally, it begins."
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End of chapter.
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Hidden status board:
> Rei (零)
Self-awareness of value: Initialized
Linked to out-of-system phenomenon: Verifying
Classification: Not applicable
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Arc 2 continues.
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And this time—
The world began to have places…
Like Rei.
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Unclassifiable.