The lead thug, a man named Grog whose Level 12 'Heavy Thug' badge glowed a dirty orange, spat on the cracked pavement. He swung his vibrating mace, the humming sound of the weapon cutting through the quiet evening like a chainsaw.
"You heard me, kid," Grog growled. "In Dorm 44, there's a tax for breathing. You're Level 0. That means you're basically a public resource. Hand over the girl's sword and your credits, or I'll use your head as a training dummy."
Leo didn't get up. He didn't even take his hands out of his hoodie pockets. He just leaned his head back against the rusted fence, watching the golden notifications scroll by.
[Environmental Stress: 8/10]
[Hostility Detected: High]
[Activating Skill: 'The Heavy Blanket' (Domain Passive)]
Description: Within a 5-meter radius, the more aggressive an enemy's intent, the heavier their own gravity becomes. Peace is mandatory.
"I'm going to count to three," Leo said, his voice a sleepy whisper. "If you guys don't leave, I'm going to have to do something really annoying. Like... move my arm."
"One!" Grog laughed, stepping into the 5-meter circle.
The moment his boot crossed the line, his laughter died. His shoulders slumped. The vibrating mace, which usually felt light in his hands, suddenly felt like it was made of solid lead. His knees buckled, the concrete beneath his feet spider-webbing from the sudden, invisible weight.
"What... what did you do?" Grog gasped, his face turning red. "Gravity magic? You're a Zero!"
"I'm not doing anything," Leo replied, yawning so wide his eyes watered. "The world is just tired of your noise. You should take the hint."
The two lackeys behind Grog panicked. They pulled out rusted combat knives and charged. "Get him!"
As soon as they entered the 'Heavy Blanket' zone, they didn't just slow down—they face-planted. The force of their own aggressive momentum, combined with the 4x gravity of Leo's passive field, slammed them into the dirt.
[Notification: 3 Enemies Immobilized through Pure Laziness.]
[XP Gained: 400] [Level 4 Reached!]
Elena Frost stirred in her sleep. Her head, which had been resting on Leo's suitcase, slipped. Without thinking, Leo shifted his position—not to fight, but to make sure she didn't wake up. He caught her head, guiding it naturally until she was resting against his thigh.
The soft contact sent a jolt through the "Shared Slumber" link.
[Shared Slumber Resonance: 150%]
[Elena Frost's System is 'Deep-Cleaning'. Efficiency +300%.]
[Leo Vance is gaining 'Lunar Valkyrie' residual energy...]
Leo felt a cold, silver light humming under his skin. It felt... expensive.
Grog, struggling to lift his head from the pavement, saw the sight: a Level 0 trash-tier student sitting casually with the most famous fallen genius in the city resting on his lap, while three Level 10+ thugs were pinned to the ground by nothing but "vibes."
"You... you monster..." Grog wheezed.
"Shhh," Leo placed a finger to his lips. "She's sleeping. If you wake her up now, she'll probably kill you. I'm actually saving your lives by keeping you pinned down. You're welcome."
Leo looked down at Elena. In her sleep, the "Ice Queen" looked surprisingly vulnerable. Her brow was still furrowed, a habit of years of overworking, so Leo did something he'd never done for anyone: he reached out and gently smoothed the space between her eyebrows with his thumb.
Elena let out a tiny, soft sigh, her body finally relaxing completely against him.
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Emperor of the Sofa']
Description: When a member of the opposite sex rests within your domain, your Defense increases by 500%. You are the ultimate shield, mostly because you're too lazy to move out of the way.
The thugs eventually crawled away, literally dragging themselves out of the 5-meter radius like wounded seals. The moment they were out of the zone, they scrambled to their feet and bolted into the shadows of the city, too terrified to look back.
Leo checked the time. It had been ten minutes.
Elena's eyes fluttered open. She didn't jump back immediately. She felt a warmth she hadn't felt in years—a complete absence of the "System Pressure" that usually haunted her. She realized she was laying on someone's lap.
She looked up, her face inches from Leo's sleepy gaze.
"You..." she whispered, her face suddenly flushing a deep, brilliant crimson. "How long was I... why am I on your leg?"
Leo blinked, his thumb still inches from her face. "Ten minutes. You were vibrating like a broken fridge, so I fixed you. You're welcome."
Elena scrambled back, her hand flying to her sword, but she stopped. She felt... light. She checked her status screen and gasped. Her Level, which had been descending for months, had stopped dropping. In fact, her 'System Fatigue' had plummeted from 98% to 40%.
She looked at Leo, then at the cracked pavement where the thugs had been pinned.
"Who are you really?" she demanded, though her voice lacked its usual bite. "No Level Zero can do this."
Leo stood up, stretching his back until it popped. "I already told you. I'm Leo. And if you're done being loud, I'd like to find my room. Moving this suitcase is the most exercise I've done all year, and I'm retired."
Elena watched him walk toward the dark entrance of Dorm 44. For the first time in her life, she wasn't thinking about training. She was thinking about the strange, golden warmth of his lap.
"Wait!" she called out, her voice small. "My room is 404. It's... it's next to yours. I'll show you the way. Since you're so... nvm, you'll probably get lost otherwise."
Leo didn't turn around, but he gave a lazy wave. "Free GPS? Sure. Lead the way, Valkyrie."
[Relationship Progress: Elena Frost (Interest: 15%)]
[Note: The Ice is melting. Keep doing nothing.]