For the next two weeks, the Royal Library became Kaito's sanctuary. To the rest of the world, he was a broken prince hiding from reality, buried under piles of useless, dusty scrolls. Even the palace guards mocked him as they passed the library doors, whispering about the "Scholar Prince" who had traded his sword for ink.
But inside, Kaito was doing something far more dangerous than studying history.
"Kenji, look at this section," Kaito whispered, pointing to a series of etched runes in a manuscript titled The Laws of Ether. "Everyone reads these as metaphors for spiritual balance. But look at the syntax. It's an If-Then statement. If the Mana density reaches a certain threshold, then the atmospheric pressure shifts. It's a trigger, Kenji. Just like a software trigger."
Kenji adjusted his glasses, staring intensely at the page. "I see what you mean, Kaito, but how are you reading this so fast? It took the Royal Scholars decades to translate just three pages of this. You've finished the whole volume in three days!"
Kaito couldn't tell him the truth—that his invisible interface was running a background 'Optical Character Recognition' (OCR) script, translating the ancient runes into clean C++ and Python-style logic in real-time.
"I just have a feeling for it," Kaito lied smoothly.
Deep within his mind, the holographic blue screen flickered.
[Directory: /world_assets/physics/gravity]
[File: friction_coefficient.sys - Permission Denied]
[File: air_density.sys - Read Only]
"Still too many restrictions," Kaito muttered to himself. He was like a user without Admin privileges. He could see the files of the world, but he couldn't change them yet. He needed to write his own Compiler.
That evening, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the training grounds in shades of deep orange. Hiroshi was waiting for him, leaning on a massive practice claymore.
"Late again, Kaito," Hiroshi said, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. "A prince's mind must be sharp, but his body must be a fortress. If a mage closes the distance, a book won't save you."
"I know, brother. Let's begin," Kaito replied, picking up a wooden training sword.
The session was brutal. Hiroshi didn't go easy on him. He believed that the only way Kaito could survive the upcoming 'Inter-Kingdom Duel' was through sheer muscle memory and instinct.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Faster!" Hiroshi barked, swinging his heavy blade. Kaito parried, his arms vibrating from the impact. He was physically weaker, his 'Level 0' status making every movement feel like he was dragging weights.
I need an edge, Kaito thought, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Just a small exploit. Just one bug in the system.
He backed away, wiping sweat from his forehead. With a subtle flick of his fingers in the air—a gesture Hiroshi mistook for a nervous habit—Kaito summoned his terminal.
[Executing Script: tiny_glitch.sh ...]
[Target: Training Floor / Zone_A1]
[Action: Reduce Friction by 40%]
[Warning: High CPU Usage... Mana Leak detected...]
Suddenly, the ground beneath Hiroshi's feet felt different. To the naked eye, nothing had changed, but to the system, the stone floor had become as slick as thin ice.
Hiroshi stepped forward for a finishing blow, his most reliable move. But as his heel planted, it slid. His massive frame wobbled. For a split second, the invincible First Prince was completely off-balance.
Kaito didn't miss the chance. He lunged forward, his wooden sword stopping just an inch from Hiroshi's throat.
Silence fell over the training ground. Hiroshi stared at the wooden tip, then down at his feet, then back at Kaito.
"What... what was that?" Hiroshi asked, genuinely stunned. "I've never lost my footing like that. Not once in ten years."
"Even the strongest wall has a crack, brother," Kaito said, his heart pounding. He quickly closed the terminal. His head throbbed; even a simple script like 'Friction Reduction' had drained his mental energy. He wasn't strong enough to hack people yet, but he could hack the environment.
"You've improved," Hiroshi laughed, clapping Kaito on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Whatever you're reading in that library, keep doing it. It's making you unpredictable."
Kaito smiled, but as Hiroshi walked away, Kaito's invisible screen flashed red. A notification appeared that made his blood run cold.
[!!! CRITICAL ALERT !!!]
[Intrusion Detected: An external 'System Admin' has noticed a packet anomaly in Zone_A1.]
[Firewall Integrity: 88% and dropping...]
[Location of Admin: Heading towards the Royal Library...]
Kaito's breath hitched. Someone else in this world had 'Admin' powers? Or was it the world's self-defense mechanism? Whoever it was, they were going straight for the place where Kenji was currently alone, sorting the forbidden scrolls.
"Kenji..." Kaito whispered.
Without a word to Hiroshi, Kaito turned and bolted toward the library. He had just performed his first hack, and he had already triggered a silent alarm. The hunter was now the hunted.