My Scumbag System

Beside me, Twitch violently jabbed his datapad's screen.

"Bullshit! Complete fucking bullshit!" he spat, knuckles whitening around his device. His eyes darted my way, narrowed with venomous hate. "Whatever. The Pacifica Academy exam is next week anyway. I'll get in there."

As he stomped past, he leaned close enough that I could smell his cheap cologne. "You got lucky this time, asshole."

I watched him get swept up in the current of failures shuffling toward the exits. Just another piece of human debris being cleared away. Irrelevant. Cannon fodder like him wasn't worth a single neuron of my attention.

A soft sniffle from my other side drew my attention. The pink-haired girl I'd mentally nicknamed "Puke Girl" sat frozen, staring at her datapad with trembling hands. Tears tracked silently down her cheeks as she stared at the PASS notification on her screen.

She was strikingly pretty, with the kind of wide-eyed innocence that didn't belong in a place like this. Long sakura-pink hair was tied in low pigtails, the color of cotton candy. Her wide, gradient-blue eyes were the most striking thing about her, dark at the pupil and fading to a pale, almost translucent blue at the edge. Her figure was unexpectedly lush – curves that rivaled even Reyna Cabana's, though she hunched slightly as if trying to minimize them. Everything about her posture screamed discomfort, like a rabbit who'd accidentally wandered into a wolf den.

Time to make an investment.

"Congratulations," I said, keeping my voice low and calm. "Looks like we both survived the Viper's little test."

She flinched like I'd just fired a gun, her whole body jerking back as she fumbled with her datapad. "O-oh! T-thank you! You too!" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, with a thick rural accent she was clearly trying to suppress. "I-I can't believe it. I was so sure I failed..."

"The test wasn't about the answers," I explained. "It was about knowing when not to play a rigged game. You figured it out. That makes you smarter than ninety-nine percent of the people who were in this room." I extended my hand. "Satori Nakano."

Her cheeks flushed scarlet as she tentatively took my hand. Her skin was surprisingly calloused – working hands, not the pampered softness I'd expected.

"Pan Soomin," she replied, eyes darting away from mine. "It's... it's an honor to meet you, Nakano."

"Please, just Satori is fine," I told her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. "We're desk buddies now, after all."

Her blush deepened. "Oh! Um, okay... S-Satori."

"SATORI!"

Emi's excited voice, practically skipping between the rows of chairs, blue hair bouncing with each step. Natalia followed close behind, her stride long and graceful, those purple eyes already scanning the interaction before her.

"We did it! I can't believe we actually did it!" Emi exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement. "I was so scared, but then I saw your signal and I just... trusted you!" She beamed at me, positively radiating joy.

Natalia's attention, however, was firmly fixed on Soomin. Her gaze moved from the girl's face to her impressive chest, then back to me. "Good work, both of you," she said smoothly. "So, who's your new friend, Satori?"

"This is Pan Soomin," I said, gesturing between them. "Soomin, that's my sister, Natalia Kuzmina and my friend, Emi Aoyama."

Soomin shrank visibly under Natalia's cool appraisal, shoulders hunching even further. "N-nice to meet you both," she mumbled, eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

"It's so great to meet you!" Emi gushed, immediately moving closer to Soomin. "Your hair is gorgeous! Is that your natural color? Oh! And you passed too! Isn't it amazing? I was completely freaking out, but Satori somehow knew what to do!"

The poor country girl looked utterly overwhelmed by Emi's tsunami of friendliness, eyes wide as she stammered out a thanks.

"Did you submit a blank exam too?" Natalia asked, her voice polite but probing.

Soomin nodded. "Y-yes. I couldn't answer any of the questions, and then I saw a few people just... giving up. I thought I might as well do the same."

"ATTENTION SURVIVING CANDIDATES."

Lieutenant Commander Reeves's voice boomed through the hall's speaker system, cutting off any further conversation.

"Congratulations on not being complete idiots. Now the real test begins. Phase Two will be an individual assessment of your combat capabilities. Proceed to the central transit hub. Those with primarily Combat-Oriented Aspects, you will be assigned to the Gauntlet Arenas. Those with primarily Support, Utility, or Non-Combat Aspects, you will be assigned to the Simulation Chambers."

I exchanged glances with Natalia. This was it – the real test was beginning.

"Combat for me," I said, mentally reviewing my arsenal of abilities.

"Same," Natalia replied, her fingers unconsciously touching the Cryo-Lich Ring.

Emi's face fell slightly. "Oh. Support... I guess that's me."

"C-combat," Soomin whispered, looking like she might actually faint.

That caught my attention. Something didn't add up. The shy, timid girl beside me had a combat-oriented Aspect? I would have pegged her for a Support or Utility type without question.

The remaining candidates began to move en masse toward the exits. We followed the flow into a wide, gleaming white corridor that eventually split into two paths. A sleek digital sign hung at the fork: GAUNTLET ARENAS pointed left, while SIMULATION CHAMBERS pointed right.

This was where we'd be separated. Combat prospects to the left, Support to the right.

Emi bit her lip, looking suddenly small and uncertain. "I guess this is where we split up?"

"Don't worry, you'll crush it," I assured her.

Her eyes lit up at the simple validation. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," Natalia added, surprising me with her supportive tone. "Go show them what you can do."

Emi nodded. "You guys better do amazing too! I expect to see all of you at the next phase!" She gave Natalia a quick hug, then moved to embrace me.

"Good luck," I murmured, allowing the contact briefly before stepping back.

"You too!" She turned to Soomin. "And it was really nice meeting you! Good luck in the Gauntlet!"

With a final wave, Emi joined the smaller stream of prospects heading toward the Simulation Chambers, her blue hair visible until she turned a corner and disappeared.

"We should get going," Natalia said, already moving toward the Gauntlet Arenas. She looked back at Soomin. "Coming?"

Soomin nodded, looking like a woman heading to her execution rather than an exam. As we walked, I positioned myself beside her.

"So, combat Aspect," I said conversationally. "That's interesting. You don't strike me as the fighting type."

She flinched slightly. "I... I'm not. Not really."

"Then how—"

"I have a... a transformation Aspect," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the footsteps around us. "I become... different."

Now that was intriguing. "Different how?"

She hesitated, then looked up at me with those wide blue eyes. "Have you ever heard of the Kumiho?"

"Not really."

"Oh… what about Kitsune?"

I raised an eyebrow. "The mythological creature? Sure."

"That's... that's what they call my Aspect." She twisted her hands together nervously. "I can manifest a tail and claws, and my strength increases. But it's hard to control, and I can only maintain it for a few minutes before I collapse." Her voice dropped even lower. "The VHC thinks I might be able to manifest more tails with training. They say I have A-Rank potential."

I nearly stumbled. This timid, shrinking violet had an Aspect with A-Rank potential? The Gacha gods must have been feeling particularly whimsical when they handed out powers in this world.

"That's... impressive." High-ceiling Aspects were rare enough, but one hypothetically capable of S-Rank with full manifestation? That was the kind of power armies were built around.

She shook her head quickly. "It's not impressive at all! I can barely use it without hurting myself. I've never even been in a real fight." Her voice cracked slightly. "I don't know what I'm doing here. Everyone else seems so prepared, so confident."

We approached a set of massive doors marked "GAUNTLET ARENA C." Ahead of us, Natalia had already reached the entrance and was waiting, her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently.

I made a split-second decision. "Listen, Pan Soomin," I said, stopping her with a light touch on her arm. "Do you want some advice?"

She looked up at me with those ocean-gradient eyes, desperation written all over her face. "Please."

"In there, don't think. Don't hesitate. When they tell you to fight, just transform immediately and hit as hard as you can. Trust your instincts. Your Aspect is powerful, but your doubt is crippling you." I held her gaze. "You passed the first test for a reason. Remember that."

Her eyes widened slightly, and I saw something shift in them – a tiny spark lighting where before there had been only fear.

"Okay," she whispered. "Thank you, Nakano... I mean, Satori."

"You can thank me by surviving," I replied with a small smile. "Now come on. We don't want to be late."

As we rejoined Natalia at the entrance, I caught her questioning look.

"Making friends?" she asked, her voice light but her eyes sharp.

I shrugged. "Just being neighborly. After all, we're all in this together, right?"

Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Of course we are."

The massive doors to Gauntlet Arena C slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a stark, industrial staging area beyond. Metal lockers lined the walls, and the air smelled of steel and antiseptic.

"COMBAT PROSPECTS," an automated voice announced. "PROCEED TO YOUR ASSIGNED PREPARATION STATIONS. PHASE TWO WILL COMMENCE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES."

I felt a familiar thrill run through me as we stepped through the threshold. This was it – my first real chance to test my newly enhanced abilities and see where I stack up.