Chapter 4: The 1HP Protocol and the Sigma’s Silence

The courtyard of Tung Tung Sahur Academy was thick with the scent of high-grade incense and the hushed whispers of the elite. As I walked toward the library, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. I didn't look at them. I didn't even look at the ground. I maintained a perfect Horizontal Eye-Level Gaze, my face a masterpiece of stoic indifference that would have made a marble statue feel insecure.

"Look at him," a girl whispered from behind a decorative mana-fountain. "He didn't even look at the Princess. Is he... a machine?"

Subaru was currently vibrating so hard he was blurring out of reality. He was perched on top of a floating stone lantern, his frying pan glowing a toxic green. "BODREI! THE MOG IS UNSTOPPABLE! Look at their faces! They’re NPCs! They’re bugs in your code! You’ve reached peak Ayanokoji-core. You aren't just a student; you’re the guy who manipulates the guy who manipulates the guy!"

I opened a book on 'Advanced Market Manipulation' while walking, never once tripping. It was a skill I’d perfected in my 700th life.

"Master," I whispered, my lips barely moving. "The Princess is following me. Variable Liora is persistent."

"She’s a distraction, Bodrei! A high-tier distraction, but a distraction nonetheless!" Subaru hissed, dropping down to crawl along the ceiling above me. "In the world of the grind, she is what the ancients called a 'foid'—a source of narrative entropy. She wants to pull you into a beach episode. She wants to lower your CPM! Be the Foidslayer. Not with a sword, but with the sheer, icy vacuum of your attention."

Liora caught up to me, her breathing slightly elevated. "Bodrei! Stop! You can't just walk away when the Dean is talking to you. And about that request... fighting a sophomore elite at 1hp? That’s not a duel, that’s an execution! It’s—it’s cowardly!"

I stopped. I didn't turn around. I simply closed my book with a sharp thud that echoed through the hall.

"Cowardice is a term used by people who lack the capital to outsource their risks," I said, my voice as cold as a margin call in a recession. "Why should I spend ten minutes swinging a sword at a full health bar when I can spend ten seconds finishing the job? My time is worth more than their entire lineage."

Liora gasped, her 'heroine' aura flickering like a dying lightbulb. I finally turned my head, just thirty degrees—the optimal angle for a Superiority Tilt.

"You see a duel, Liora. I see an acquisition. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a schedule to maintain. You’re currently occupying four seconds of my peak productivity window."

I walked away.

[Aura Gained: +3,000]

[Title Evolution: From 'Stoic Merchant' to 'The Ultimate Wall-Paper']

[Status: Mental Fortitude is 'Skibidi' (Maximized)]

Later that evening, in the private training hall my father had purchased for the afternoon, the Dean arrived with a grim-faced young man. This was Jax, the sophomore rank-1, a warrior known for his 'Unstoppable Rage' skill.

But Jax didn't look unstoppable. He looked like he had been through a meat grinder. His armor was shattered, he was coughing blood, and a tiny red bar floated above his head, blinking rhythmically at [1/5000 HP].

My father, Luca, stood in the corner, polishing a gold coin. "I paid a mercenary group to 'soften him up' in the dungeons for six hours," Luca said with a shrug. "Efficiency, son. It cost a fortune, but your mother always said you should have the best."

I stepped into the arena. I didn't draw a sword. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a single, sharpened silver coin.

Subaru was screaming, his pot-banging reaching a crescendo. "TUNG! TUNG! TUNG! FINISH THE TRANSACTION, BODREI! MOG THE SURVIVOR! SHOW THEM THE TRUE POWER OF THE 1HP PROTOCOL!"

I looked at the trembling Jax, then at the Dean.

"He’s ready," I said, my eyes devoid of any empathy. "Bring him to me. I don't care if he's a legend. At 1hp, even a god is just a decimal point."

I flicked the coin.

[The Battle Has Begun...]

[Estimated Duration: 0.4 Seconds]