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Chapter 31 – The Underground Organization
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The academy system trembled after the incident.
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It was no longer a "minor fluctuation."
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All data reports sent to the monitoring center came to the same conclusion:
> "Subject Rei is uncontrollable."
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Elsewhere, outside the academy…
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A dark room.
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Magical crystals emitted a pale blue light.
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Four people sat around a table.
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A tall, thin man stood up.
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"Listen," he said, his voice cold, "the academy has a problem. They can no longer control him."
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Another person sneered:
"So he's… the 'system error' we've been waiting for."
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The tall, thin man nodded.
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"Not exactly an error. He is… an opportunity."
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> An opportunity to break the rules.
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> An opportunity for things the Council would never allow.
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"What do we need?"
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"Either research, or exploitation," he replied.
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"And if he doesn't cooperate?"
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A woman sitting beside spoke up:
"Just let him decide for himself. If he survives, it will only benefit us."
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Another man smiled:
"We can force him, but there's no need. As long as he exists, that's enough."
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Inside the academy, in the monitoring room…
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Elias stood by the door, silent.
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Lira asked:
"Can you guess who's watching Rei outside of the Council?"
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Elias closed his eyes:
"… Another force. More dangerous than the Council itself."
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Rei remained in his room.
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No orders.
No magic used.
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But this time, he knew…
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He was no longer just a subject in the system.
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He was a loophole, and anyone aware of this looked at him differently.
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A slight tremor around his body.
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The space tilted slightly.
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The surveillance matrix tried to compensate… but failed.
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Rei stood up.
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Slowly stepped toward the door.
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It did not open.
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He just stood there.
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As if testing.
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> "Who is watching me?"
The question needed no answer.
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Outside, the Council noted:
> "The anomaly remains stable. But the origin is unidentified."
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And from within the shadows…
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The tall, thin man smiled:
> "Finally, he has entered the range we desired."
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End of chapter.
Hidden status board:
> Rei (零)
Status: System Loophole
Effect: High-level observation by underground organization
Notes:
"The subject is no longer the academy's problem. He is an opportunity—or a threat."
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Arc 3 begins – The True Dark Force.
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