CHAPTER 101: VICTORIA TEACHES, MARCUS LEARNS

"Seriously?" Victoria blinked, her crimson eyes wide in disbelief. "You’re saying it just... let you in?"

"Definitely," Marcus replied, leaning forward with a slight shrug. "We pretty much walked in, no resistance at all."

Victoria’s brows furrowed, her expression twisting into concern. "But why...? I mean, sure, both of us are definitely anomalies—but even that shouldn’t be enough to cause such a major divergence."

Marcus tilted his head, a faint chuckle slipping past his lips. "To be honest? I don’t really know. My memories are vague at best. And to make things worse..." He tapped his temple with a sigh, "this body is definitely messing with my brain."

He laughed again—light and almost carefree, not really minding what he was saying. After all, to him, it wasn’t a burden.

It was a second chance.

Living life anew, instead of being shackled to the version of himself from before...? That wasn’t a downside. It was liberation.

"But we shouldn’t worry about this too much," Marcus added with a calm smile, eyes briefly flicking to the window, where the faintest glow of approaching dawn painted the sky.

Victoria stared at him like he’d lost his mind. "What do you mean, don’t worry? This is serious! If events are shifting this dramatically, that means there might be other players involved!"

Marcus didn’t even flinch. He simply raised one hand—and with a shimmer of mana, summoned a sleek black pistol into existence. The familiar hum of a system-crafted weapon filled the air.

"Then we just have to get stronger than they’ll ever be." His grin widened, confident and wild, a spark of adrenaline in his eyes.

Victoria blinked. She didn’t know whether to smack him or admire the absurd audacity. But somehow... his confidence did make some strange kind of sense.

He wasn’t the protagonist of this world.

He was an extra. A background character. Someone who wasn’t supposed to be involved in the big picture.

So why should he bother worrying about it?

The main characters would handle the world-ending threats.

He’d just live the life he wanted.

"Well..." Victoria exhaled, a reluctant smirk tugging at her lips. "Sure, I guess. Both of us do have some unfair advantages."

Marcus clapped once, loud and cheerful, stretching his arms wide like he was welcoming an audience. "That settles it then! But while we’re on the subject, there is one more thing I want to ask."

He tilted his head toward her, eyes sharp now. "Tell me... what kind of system do you have?"

"My system?" Victoria echoed, blinking. "Sure, I guess. You’re... kinda the only person I can talk to about it anyway."

She let out a sigh, then held up a finger.

"I’ll keep it brief, since explaining it in full is a pain."

She raised her first finger. "I can instantly create runes."

Then a second. "I get system quests that reward me with EXP and skills. Pretty straightforward leveling path."

And finally, a third. Her face twitched just slightly. "I also have... a dating sim system. It shows me my relationships with other characters."

She dropped her hands, voice deadpan. "That’s it."

"...That’s it?" Marcus echoed.

"Yep," she replied with a nod.

Marcus chuckled softly, his eyes briefly narrowing as he processed that. He had expected something more elaborate, something that explained the massive power difference between them. But now he realized—she simply knew how to use the system far better than he did.

He, on the other hand... had mostly just fooled around.

"Well," he muttered with a grin, "we have the same system, then."

Victoria blinked once. Then twice. A faint blush crept into her cheeks as the full weight of his words hit her.

"...Wait." Her voice was small.

Marcus smiled, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Including the dating sim part?" she asked, tone dangerously quiet.

"That as well."

Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened—then closed again, brain stalling.

’Wait... does that mean... he saw that?!’ she screamed internally, panic flaring in her chest. ’Did he see me... starting to develop a crush on him?!’

Victoria froze, body locked up like a loading screen stuck at 99%.

Marcus, sensing the immediate danger of emotional overload, cleared his throat.

"Anyway," he said, voice loud and cheerful, "back to the topic of getting stronger!"

The subject change was so blatant it could’ve had flashing lights.

Victoria blinked back to reality and immediately latched onto the lifeline, nodding furiously. "Yes! Let’s—let’s do that! Strength! Very important!"

Marcus held her gaze for a beat, then leaned forward, voice quiet and serious.

"I want you to teach me about runes... and the magic system in this world."

Victoria tilted her head, considering. "Sure, why not?"

Her casual tone caught Marcus off guard. "Really? That’s it? No hoops to jump through, no weird requirements?"

She laughed, turning toward the massive bookshelf lining one side of his ornate room. Her eyes landed on a worn-looking volume tucked between glowing tomes.

"I mean, we are in an alliance as Earthlings, right?" she said, pulling the book free with one hand. "Gotta stand up for each other."

She flipped the book open, flipping a few pages, then turned back to him with a playful smile. "We can start now if you want."

"That would be perfect," Marcus said, then paused, glancing toward the curtain-covered window. A faint sliver of moonlight still painted the floor. "But... what about sleep? Or, you know, heading back home?"

Victoria just shrugged, completely unconcerned. "My parents won’t care. They’re too busy with royal politics to bother raising me properly anyway."

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"They’re not my real parents, after all."

Marcus blinked at the sudden, sharp honesty in her words. But before he could say anything, she continued:

"As for sleep, I have a rune that counteracts the need for rest."

Marcus’ eye twitched. "You’ve really got every cheat in the book, huh?"

"Talk about being a Mary Sue," he muttered with a snort.

Victoria laughed. "Right?"

Just outside the room, hidden in the shadows of the hallway, Aveline leaned against the wall, her ear pressed lightly against the door. Curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Average sibling dynamic.

She listened quietly as Victoria and Marcus talked about growing stronger, her expression unreadable. She’d missed the part about systems—thankfully for Marcus and Victoria—but caught just enough to fuel suspicion.

’Hmm... sounds like they’re just... tutoring?’ Aveline frowned, pushing away from the door. ’Not sure if I should be disappointed or relieved.’

She turned, quietly making her way back to her room, her footsteps barely audible.

Back inside, Marcus continued flipping through the rune book, completely calm. But inwardly... he was smiling.

He’d heard her outside the door.

Her footsteps were faint, but not faint enough. While his skills weren’t what they used to be, muscle memory and instincts still lingered.

That was why he’d changed the topic when he did.

Just in time.

’That was close,’ Marcus thought with a quiet laugh, eyes glinting in amusement.