Bully Lord

Part-63

[Mission 12: Success!]

After the confirmation of his victory, abruptly, the Crisis Mode deactivated.  James felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, his legs giving way as he crumpled to the ground beside Sourov.  His vision swam, the cheers and gasps of the crowd a distant hum in his ears.

James packed his bag with leaden movements, the cheers and gasps from the fight replaying in his mind like a broken record.  He didn't stick around for congratulations or gossip.  He just wanted to get out of there, away from the prying eyes and the questions that swirled around his unexpected victory.

The walk home was a blur.  His body ached with a dull, throbbing pain, a testament to the punishment it had endured.  Every movement sent a fresh jolt of discomfort, a constant reminder of the fight and the terrifying power he had wielded under Crisis Mode.

Reaching his apartment, James practically stumbled through the door and collapsed onto his bed.  Ignoring the homework that lay forgotten on his desk, he opened his System interface.  He had a couple of notifications waiting for him: "Mission 12 Complete. Reward: Crisis Mode (Unlocked)."

He scrolled down and saw the second notification, one he hadn't checked before: "Hidden Skill Revealed: Know Your Enemy and Ally (Rank: F)."

The reward for completing Mission 11, the seemingly useless skill – "Know Your Enemy and Ally". He hadn't checked it since the notification appeared, brushed aside in the chaos of the fight.  With a heavy hand, he accessed his System interface and pulled up his skills list.  There it was, tucked away at the bottom:

Skill Name: Know Your Enemy and Ally (Rank: F)

Description: You can view the combined stats of STA (Stamina), CON (Constitution), DEX (Dexterity), INT (Intelligence), and WIS (Wisdom) of others. CHA (Charisma) will be shown separately.

James slumped onto the couch, his body screaming every time he dared to breathe. He couldn't believe he'd just pummeled Sourov – the school bully – into oblivion. Yet, victory tasted bittersweet. The whole "Crisis Mode" thing felt more like a horror movie than a power-up.

James flopped onto the couch with a groan that could wake the dead (well, maybe not his sister judging by her current TV show volume). His body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder run on "pulverize."  Despite the victory and the glimmer of hope from the new skill, a nagging suspicion lingered.  He glanced at his sister, Lily Khan, sprawled across the armchair, oblivious to his internal turmoil and completely engrossed in a reality show about competitive cake decorating.

"Hey, Lily," James croaked, his voice hoarse.

Lily, eyes glued to the TV where a particularly flamboyant baker was constructing a three-tier dragon out of marzipan, didn't even turn her head. "Mmm-hmm?" she mumbled, clearly invested in the baker's struggle with a stubborn fondant wing.

James, ever the strategist (or at least, aspiring strategist), decided a more direct approach was needed.  He focused on Lily, activating his new "Know Your Enemy and Ally" skill.  A translucent blue box materialized next to her head, revealing her stats:

**Lily Khan**

**Combined Stats: 272**

**CHA (Charisma): 356**