NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: Chapter 12: New Technique
[Ding!]
"Congratulations to host for highly deviating the plot. Reward: 100,000 system points."
The voice of the [System] rang clearly in Leo's mind, as crisp as crystal struck in silence. He didn't flinch. He'd been expecting it.
Lying on the woven mat in his private chamber, Leo slowly opened his eyes. The chamber was dimly lit by golden candlelight, and a thin ribbon of incense smoke coiled lazily in the air above him, dispersing the calming scent of wild sage and starwood bark.
But the peace of the room was a poor match for the intensity gleaming in Leo's eyes.
A slow smirk crept across his face, and then came the laugh.
Not mocking.
Not cruel.
But genuine.
"So predictable," Leo muttered, sitting up. His body shifted fluidly, years of cultivation making his every movement smooth and weightless. He stretched once and reached for the tea placed on a nearby tray.
The ceramic cup trembled slightly in his hand, not from fear or weakness—but the leftover rush of adrenaline that even a seasoned transmigrator couldn't completely suppress.
100,000 points.
From one move.
All because Alex, the ever-so-blessed protagonist, had tripped into his own "lucky fate." Or so he thought.
Leo took a sip, savoring the flavor.
Jadefire blossom. Rare. Refreshing. Lightly spiced.
But not nearly as satisfying as the thought of what Alex had picked up in that cave.
He leaned back against a padded cushion, resting the cup on his thigh, and chuckled to himself.
"A celestial dragon egg? Oh, Alex… you poor bastard."
The image in Leo's mind was vivid. He could practically see it—Alex's face filled with glee, his thoughts bursting with dreams of power, of grandeur, of fame and redemption.
All for an egg that would hatch into… that.
A chubby, perpetually sleepy, food-obsessed glutton of a dragon that wouldn't fly, breathe fire, or even grow beyond the size of a large dog—unless bribed with rare snacks and pampered like a spoiled noble's pet.
The contrast between Alex's expectations and reality was too rich.
"Worth every damn point," Leo muttered, laughing again.
He set the cup down and waved his fingers, calling up the interface of his [System]. Lines of gold and white light assembled before him, forming a translucent, floating panel of options.
The [System Shop] burst into view—an endless stream of techniques, relics, potions, soul arts, and even titles, each with their own gleaming cost tags.
The sheer number of options was dizzying.
Leo's brows furrowed slightly. He wasn't impatient—but efficiency mattered.
"System," he said calmly, "recommend the most compatible attack techniques. Prioritize synergy with my current cultivation method—Nature Vein Overdrive."
The System didn't delay.
[Ding! Based on host's energy compatibility and cultivation alignment, the following recommendations have been compiled:]
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1. Divine Punishment
Type: Long-Range Attack
Description: Convert ambient natural energy into a compressed energy projectile. Once released, it tracks and detonates upon impact, dealing massive damage. Especially effective in wide-area engagements.
Energy Consumption: Medium–High
Upgrade Potential: Yes
Price: 50,000 points
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2. Energy Strike Out
Type: Close-Range Burst
Description: A swift, single-target strike that condenses natural energy into a devastating palm attack or weapon thrust. Nearly silent, nearly invisible. Capable of breaking defenses when executed cleanly.
Energy Consumption: Low
Upgrade Potential: Yes
Price: 30,000 points
---
3. Verdant Veil Divine Armor
Type: Defensive Equipment
Description: A semi-permanent defensive aura formed from natural energy. The armor adapts to environments rich in nature elements, boosting both energy regeneration and defense.
Attributes: Increases natural energy absorption, grants passive protection, reacts to elemental surges.
Price: 50,000 points
---
Leo studied each carefully.
The armor certainly intrigued him. Defensive investments were smart—but right now, Leo wasn't planning to hide behind shields.
He needed to dominate the battlefield.
Overwhelm. Suppress. Destroy.
Fast.
And the attack options covered both fronts perfectly.
"Divine Punishment for range, Energy Strike Out for finishers. That's balance," Leo reasoned aloud, eyes glinting.
Without hesitation, he gave the order.
"System, purchase Divine Punishment and Energy Strike Out."
---
[Ding! Congratulations to host for purchasing Divine Punishment technique.]
[Ding! Congratulations to host for purchasing Energy Strike Out technique.]
---
Total Cost: 80,000 points.
Remaining: 20,000 points.
Leo waved the panel away, the light scattering like dust.
A new set of glowing runes began inscribing themselves around his arms and chest—the symbol of newly integrated skills syncing with his meridians.
He stood.
Now was not the time for celebration.
It was time for testing.
Moving to the far side of his private chamber, Leo pressed his palm against a circular emblem carved into the wall. With a faint click and rumble, the wall slid open, revealing a hidden passage that led down into a stone-lined training field.
The space was lined with spirit-enhanced dummies made of fortified wood and steel-infused bark, arranged at varying distances and angles.
The walls shimmered with defensive barrier runes, capable of suppressing shockwaves and heat from high-tier techniques.
It was a battlefield built for experimentation—and destruction.
Leo stepped into the center of the arena and exhaled, rolling his shoulders as energy slowly gathered around him.
He raised one hand, palm open toward a dummy fifty meters away.
The air shifted.
Natural energy responded like a tide answering its moon.
The light around him bent faintly, drawn inward. The leaves etched into the arena walls glowed.
"Divine Punishment."
In an instant, raw energy surged into Leo's hand, coalescing into a tight sphere of radiant light above his palm.
It pulsated like a miniature sun, humming with contained violence.
He locked eyes on the target.
Then flicked his wrist.
The sphere shrank—then shot forward.
WHHHHRRRM—BOOOM!
The explosion was immediate and deafening.
The dummy evaporated in a burst of light and fire, wood splinters scattering across the arena.
The protective barriers flickered once, absorbing the impact.
Leo didn't blink.
"Good compression. Perfect balance of precision and devastation."
He walked toward another dummy, this one only a few meters away.
No glowing. No buildup.
Just a stance. Calm. Measured.
His right hand slowly curled into a loose palm.
"Energy Strike Out."
The energy formed instantly—clean, almost invisible. A blade-shaped arc rested in his palm like a living thing.
He struck.
No roar. No crash.
Just a faint hum, like a string being plucked.
Crack.
The dummy split in two.
From shoulder to hip, perfectly bisected. The halves fell away in silence.
Leo lowered his hand, observing the smoke rising from the cut edges.
There was no overkill.
No wasted motion.
"Fast. Silent. Deadly. Exactly what I need."
His lips curled into a small, quiet smile. Not the smug kind.
But the kind only warriors wore when their blades felt right in their hands.
He returned to the center of the field and tilted his head toward the sky above the dome.
There was no sunlight.
Only softly glowing ceiling crystals, set into the dome's surface like artificial stars.
Still, he felt the connection.
The flow of life. Of progress.
He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, but his expression didn't fade.
"Now… let's see how Alex handles the truth."
Far away—across the forest trails and through the academy dormitories—Alex sneezed violently while tending to the egg in his room.
He shivered, rubbed his nose, and looked at the egg that still hadn't moved.
"…Weird."
Leo returned from the training field, the heavy reinforced door sliding shut behind him with a quiet thud. The air within his chamber felt cooler now, touched with the lingering flow of natural energy still swirling faintly around him.
He moved slowly, with purpose, the after-effects of his technique tests making his body buzz—not with exhaustion, but with calm excitement.
Seated once again on his cushion, he poured himself another cup of tea, steam rising in gentle coils.
This time, he didn't drink right away.
His mind was already at work again, piecing together the shifting puzzle of events.
The system had rewarded him handsomely for derailing Alex's fate.
100,000 points.
That wasn't just a number. It was a clear message.
"The deeper the deviation, the higher the reward."
And Leo wasn't even close to done.
He took a slow sip, then waved his hand again, pulling up the [Timeline Deviation Map].
The panel hovered mid-air, displaying glowing threads—some thin and straight, others knotted, frayed, or twisted entirely out of place.
At the center, a golden thread pulsed faintly: Alex.
The original protagonist.
Beside it, in radiant violet, was Leo's own line—once small, now spreading like veins of lightning across the entire board.
More and more events were now orbiting him.
"So Sophia has already detached from Alex… and Selena's connection is weakening. One or two more nudges and it'll snap completely."
He narrowed his eyes, dragging his fingers across a few smaller nodes:
Goblin Elimination Quest → Dragon Egg Discovery → Emotional Spike → Overconfidence Boost → Timeline Split.
A smirk touched his lips.
He'd made sure Alex would find the egg. He'd predicted the desperation. He'd even told the Shadow Force to prepare that one banana peel—not just as a prank, but to amplify Alex's embarrassment and offset the narrative energy of his "fated discovery."
Because Leo knew how the world worked.
This world was governed by invisible plot anchors—cause and effect influenced by the invisible weight of protagonist privilege.
And the only way to crush that privilege was to pull every lever and thread connected to it.
Disrupt expectations.
Hijack outcomes.
Turn blessings into burdens.
Alex had no idea that the dragon egg he'd found was once meant for a completely different event: a high-rank quest designed to unlock an ancient guardian.
A dragon of prophecy. One who would've bonded with him in a life-threatening crisis and turned the tide of war in a future arc.
Now?
It was a lazy glutton, the failed offshoot of the celestial line—a being genetically unstable and stunted due to dark alchemy interference centuries ago.
It had only one ability: absorbing food and converting it into burps that sometimes ignited small flames. Mostly useless. Occasionally dangerous to its own surroundings.
Leo smiled wider.
He leaned back, folding one leg over the other, still watching the Deviation Map.
The best part?
Alex would keep feeding it.
Why? Because the protagonist syndrome demanded it. He'd believe. He'd hope.
He'd invest his emotions, time, and resources into this "fated companion," waiting endlessly for it to "awaken."
Leo's smile faded into a more thoughtful expression.
He touched a node on the map—Selena.
Her glow had dulled slightly, flickering.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"Her faith in Alex is shaken. But she's not ready to fall yet."
He considered his options.
He didn't need to seduce everyone. That wasn't his goal. His system didn't reward cheap conquests.
It rewarded deviation. Control. Subversion.
If Selena turned against Alex out of disappointment, that would grant a small reward.
But if she actively chose Leo instead—defying her original fate and reshaping her purpose—that would create a major timeline rupture.
Another fork.
Another reward.
He tapped his knuckles against the floor in thought.
The next step had to be subtle.
Draw Selena closer.
Create a moment of clarity. Of contrast.
Let her see who's actually growing. Who's stable. Who sees the world clearly.
Let her watch Alex spiral—just enough.
Then… offer her a hand.
Let her think she's the one reaching out.
Leo dismissed the panel.
No need to rush. Everything was unfolding exactly as he planned.
The tea had gone cold in his cup, but he didn't mind.
He stood again, moving to the arched window of his chamber.
Outside, the sky was turning from orange to deep indigo.
Twilight over the capital.
Torchlights lit the streets in slow succession, and students began returning from missions or training rounds.
Leo gazed at the Academy tower in the distance.
Its spire reached upward like a challenge. One he was ready to conquer.
He wasn't just content with plundering fate.
He would rewrite it.
And as the stars began to pierce the darkening sky, Leo whispered to himself.
"The real story hasn't even started yet."
---
[Far Away…]
Inside a small cottage on the outskirts of the Academy, Alex hunched over a wooden table, brows furrowed.
The egg hadn't moved. Not once.
He had fed it fruit, wrapped it in his blanket, and even hummed lullabies to it out of pure desperation.
Still nothing.
The villagers he'd saved from the goblins had sung his praises. The guild had even granted him bonus merit points.
Yet this... this egg remained his deepest concern.
He stared at it now.
Fat. Green. Glowing slightly.
Unmoving.
"C'mon… give me a sign. Anything," he whispered.
Then—just for a second—it let out a low snort.
Followed by a burp.
A small puff of smoke trickled from the shell.
Alex stared.
Then smiled wide. "Yes! Yes, it's hatching! I knew it!"
He didn't realize that this was just the egg digesting the plum he'd stuffed it with an hour ago.
Outside his window, in the shadows, one of the Shadow Force members covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.
He whispered into a communication orb.
"Reporting in. Target has entered delusional stage. All going as planned."
---
[Back in Leo's Chamber]
A new notification appeared before him.
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[Ding!]
"Hidden Achievement Unlocked: 'Master of Subtle Sabotage'"
+20,000 system points
+New Title: Weaver of Fate
---
Leo's smile was calm, almost unreadable now.
Not because he was hiding it.
But because victories like this had become expected.
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[End of Chapter 12 ]
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