"The assessment ended without incident.That alone made it feel strange."
At least, that was how it looked on the surface.
Kaisel sat through the entire process quietly, his head lowered, answering when spoken to and failing exactly as expected. His cultivation level remained unchanged in the records. His ranking stayed firmly at the bottom.
Dead last.
A familiar result.
The students barely spared him a glance as they left the hall. To them, he was already irrelevant. A problem that would solve itself soon enough.
Kaisel walked back to the dormitories alone.
Spirit lamps fueled by crystallized mana burned without flicker, their light steady and cold—each one worth more than most families earned in a lifetime. The pathways were inlaid with mana-reactive stone—material too unstable for weapons, too expensive for anything except being walked on. Places meant for the talented. For Rich
Not for him.
His dorm was located at the far edge of the academy, close to the outer wall. Old. Poorly maintained. Shared by students no one cared about.
He entered his small room and closed the door behind him.
Only then did he relax.
He leaned back against the door for a moment, letting out a slow breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Alright," he muttered quietly. "Let's see what I'm dealing with."
The moment the words left his mouth, the familiar presence returned.
[Emotion Devouring System online.]
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
Clean. Minimal.
No unnecessary decoration.
He appreciated that.
[Host: Kaisel]
[Cultivation Realm: Body Tempering (Low)]
[Status: Weak]
[Hidden Mission: Ongoing]
He frowned slightly at the word Weak.
"Blunt," he said. "But accurate."
Another panel slid into view.
[Emotion Storage]
[Envy: 312 Anger: 198 Hatred: 47 Fear: 0 Greed: 0]
He stared at the numbers.
"These are from today?" he asked quietly.
[Yes.]
He remembered the glares in the assessment hall. The whispers. The irritation in the bully's voice. Even the instructor's faint disappointment.
So all of that turned into this, he thought.
He reached out experimentally, focusing on the Envy count.
"What happens if I use it?"
The system responded instantly.
[Consume Envy to increase physical attributes?]
[Recommended: Strength, Vitality.]
He hesitated.
Not because he was afraid.
But because he was cautious.
He sat down on the narrow bed and thought carefully.
If I grow too fast… If someone notices…
The academy was not a kind place. Sudden changes attracted attention, and attention brought questions. Questions brought trouble.
"No," he said after a moment. "Not yet."
The system paused.
[Processing.]
He nodded to himself.
Good. It listens.
He lay back on the bed, staring at the cracked ceiling.
The body he'd transmigrated into was weak, yes—but it wasn't hopeless. Years of neglect had left it fragile, but not broken beyond repair.
And now, he had time.
That was the key.
Time, patience, and an endless supply of negative emotions.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
That night, Kaisel didn't sleep.
Instead, he slipped out of the dormitory quietly and made his way toward one of the academy's lesser-used training yards. It was small, poorly lit, and mostly ignored by students who preferred better facilities.
Perfect.
The yard was empty.
He stood in the center, breathing slowly, feeling the air settle around him.
"System," he whispered, "how do I improve without being obvious?"
There was a brief pause.
[Suggestion: Controlled reinforcement.] [Apply stat increases gradually. Avoid sudden spikes.]
That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Good," he said. "Start with Vitality. Slowly."
[Consuming Envy…][Vitality increased by +1.]
The effect was subtle.
No explosion of power. No dramatic surge.
But Kaisel felt it immediately.
The lingering soreness in his ribs faded just a little more. His breathing became easier. His body felt… steadier.
Not strong.
But less fragile.
He exhaled.
"That's manageable."
He repeated the process twice more, carefully spacing each use.
By the time he stopped, his Vitality had increased by three points.
Still weak by academy standards.
But no longer collapsing from a single kick.
Kaisel clenched his fist experimentally.
His fingers curled with less resistance than before.
"His breathing went uneven for a moment before he forced it back under control."
Progress. He thoughht Not enough — but it would do.
Satisfied, he returned to his dorm before dawn.
The next few days passed quietly.
Too quietly.
Kaisel attended classes, sat in the back, and spoke only when spoken to. He answered incorrectly when necessary and avoided standing out in any way.
Outwardly, nothing changed.
But the emotions didn't stop.
They never did.
Students looked at him with irritation when he took up space. With envy when he survived another day without being expelled. With anger when instructors didn't bother punishing him anymore.
Each glance fed the system.
Each whisper added to the numbers.
At night, Kaisel trained.
Slowly. Methodically.
He consumed small amounts of Envy and Anger, reinforcing his body bit by bit. He practiced basic movements in the empty yard, focusing on balance and control rather than power.
No flashy techniques.
No breakthroughs.
Just refinement.
By the fifth night, something unexpected happened.
[Notification.] [Emotion quality increasing.] [Cause: Repeated focus from the same individuals.]
He paused mid-movement.
"Quality?" he asked.
[Confirmed.] [Repeated negative emotions from the same source increase efficiency.]
He frowned slightly.
"So… if the same person hates me long enough—"
[Rewards increase.]
He straightened slowly.
That was dangerous.
And useful.
He thought of the boy who had kicked him in the assessment hall. The irritation in his eyes. The way he'd looked annoyed that Kaisel still existed.
A long-term resource, he thought calmly.
That same night, another message appeared.
[Hidden Mission Update.] [Condition nearing completion.][Requirement: Endure one more public humiliation without retaliation.]
He stared at the message.
Public.
That meant it wouldn't take long.
The academy never disappointed in that regard.
He closed the panel and continued training, his movements smooth and controlled.
One more, he thought.Then I'll start collecting seriously.
As he returned to his dorm, footsteps echoed behind him.
"Hey."
He stopped.
Slowly, he turned.
The boy from the assessment hall stood a few steps away, arms crossed, expression annoyed rather than amused.
"Try not to get in the way tomorrow," the boy said. "You're already embarrassing enough."
Kaisel lowered his gaze.
"Yes," he said, lowering his head a fraction too late.
The boy snorted and walked away.
The system chimed softly.
[Hatred detected.][Conversion efficiency increased.]
he watched the boy's back disappear into the shadows.
His expression remained neutral.
But his fingers curled slightly into his palm.
Tomorrow, he thought. That should be enough. He wouldn't strike back today. But one day, they would kneel without knowing why