Dawn light filtered through the thin curtains. Emma moved with purpose. A cool shower washed away the lingering hospital scent. As she meticulously washed her face, focusing on technique learned from forgotten high-society skincare routines, the System chimed softly:
`[Hygiene Protocol Executed with Enhanced Technique. Charm Attribute +1. Charm: 90.]`
A subtle shift, barely noticeable, but a confirmation. *Growth requires focus.* Breakfast was oatmeal. Careful stirring, avoiding lumps. `[Culinary Arts Proficiency +5. Lv.1 [20/100]]`.
School was a gauntlet. Whispers followed her like ghosts:
"...Emma Jackson? Back already?"
"...looks better than she should..."
"...Rachel won't like this..."
Emma moved through the noise, expression a mask of detached calm, her new-found **Resilience (Lv.1 [15/100])** a faint buffer against the stares. At her locker, gathering books, the air turned cold.
"Well, look who's not in a coma." Rachel Madison's voice was honey laced with arsenic. She stepped close, envy radiating like heat. The sight of Emma, seemingly unharmed, was an insult. "Enjoy your vacation?" she sneered.
Emma turned slowly, meeting Rachel's glare. "Move, Rachel."
Rachel's brittle smile faltered. "Or what? Going to cry again?" She shoved Emma's shoulder.
Emma's hand snapped out, not a wild slap, but a controlled, open-palmed strike to Rachel's upper arm, pushing her back a step with surprising force (`[Strength: 45 → 46]` - *a tiny surge from controlled aggression*). "I said move." Her voice was ice.
Rachel stumbled, shock then fury contorting her face. "You bitch—!" She lunged, nails raking.
Emma sidestepped, using Rachel's momentum to shove her hard against the lockers (`[Basic Leverage Applied. Hand-to-Hand Combat Proficiency +5. Lv.0 → Lv.1 [5/100]]`). "The next time you touch me," Emma murmured, low and dangerous, "you won't walk away." She walked into the classroom, leaving Rachel sputtering amidst stunned silence.
Ignoring the stares, Emma opened her math textbook. The equations swam. She focused, re-reading basic algebra concepts the original Emma knew but *she* had long forgotten. Slowly, painstakingly, understanding dawned:
`[Focused Study: Algebraic Principles. Proficiency +10.]`
`[Academics (Mathematics Sub-Skill): Lv.1 [15/100]]`
`[Proficiency +5. Academics (Mathematics): Lv.1 [20/100]]`
A flicker of satisfaction. *Knowledge is the foundation.* The café job paid pennies. *Livestreaming? Cooking?* A seed of a plan, needing cultivation.
The math teacher entered, startled. "Miss Jackson? The office said..."
"Misdiagnosed concussion, sir," Emma replied evenly. "Cleared for class."
He eyed her bandaged temple warily. "The entrance exam looms. Focus is paramount." The lesson was calculus. Emma strained, grasping fragments, the System logging incremental gains: `[Proficiency +2...+3...+4]`. By the bell, she understood the *concept* of derivatives, not mastery. `[Academics (Mathematics): Lv.1 [45/100]]`.
---
Locker exchange. Biology text acquired. The hallway buzzed.
"Emma?" Ethan's voice, hesitant. "You okay? I heard..."
She turned. His concern felt alien, trivial. "I'm fine, Ethan." The dismissal was absolute. She walked away. His world was small; hers was vengeance.
School released her. She summoned her Status Panel:
> **<< SYSTEM STATUS >>**
> **HOST:** Emma Jackson
> **ATTRIBUTES:**
> - **Charm:** 90 (+1)
> - **Strength:** 46 (+1)
> **TALENT:** [Unlimited Proficiency] (Active), [Unlimited Growth] (Active), [Limit Break] (Dormant)
> **SKILLS:**
> - **Resilience (Passive):** Lv.1 [15/100] - *Faster healing, minor stress resistance.*
> - **Academics (Mathematics):** Lv.1 [45/100] (Beginner)
> - **Academics (General):** Lv.1 [20/100] (Other subjects)
> - **Culinary Arts:** Lv.1 [20/100] (Beginner)
> - **Hand-to-Hand Combat:** Lv.1 [5/100] (Beginner - Basic Leverage/Deflection)
> **UNALLOCATED ATTRIBUTE POINTS:** 0
> **NOTES:** Attribute gains observed during high-stress physical exertion. Talent activation requires focused intent and consistent effort.
*Slow. Deliberate.* She needed an edge. *The livestream. Start small.*
As she turned down the deserted side street by the school, Rachel stepped out, flanked by three thugs radiating cheap menace. Her earlier humiliation burned.
"Leaving, *Jackson*?" Rachel spat. "We have unfinished business."
Emma assessed the thugs. The leader, green hair, leered. "Gonna teach you some manners, rich girl." He grabbed her arm.
Instinct flared. Emma twisted her wrist, breaking his grip (`[Hand-to-Hand Combat Proficiency +5]`), and drove her knee towards his groin. He twisted, taking it on the thigh with a grunt (`[Strength Check: Partial Success. Proficiency +10. Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv.1 [20/100]]`).
"Feisty!" another laughed, lunging.
Emma sidestepped, shoving him into the third (`[Proficiency +5]`). The leader swung. She ducked (`[Dexterity Implied. Proficiency +5]`), the fist grazing her temple (`[Resilience Check: Minor Damage Absorbed. Proficiency +3. Resilience: Lv.1 [18/100]]`). Pain sparked. She retaliated, a hard palm strike to his solar plexus (`[Focused Strike. Proficiency +15. Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv.1 [40/100]]`). He wheezed, staggering.
The other two recovered. Emma scrambled back, putting distance between them, breathing hard. They were stronger, but slower. She feinted left, then darted right, sprinting past them down the alley (`[Evasive Maneuver. Proficiency +10]`). Their curses followed, but they didn't give chase far. Rachel screamed in frustration.
Emma leaned against a brick wall blocks away, heart pounding, temple throbbing. `[Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv.1 [40/100]]`. Not effortless. *Earned.* And dangerous. She touched her temple; a faint bruise was forming. `[Resilience: Lv.1 [18/100]]`. *Endure. Adapt.*
Home. The shower was a balm. `[Charm +1 (Consistent Hygiene). Charm: 91]`. Dinner was reheated rice and vegetables, carefully seasoned. `[Culinary Arts Proficiency +5. Lv.1 [25/100]]`.
As she lay in the dark, the day replayed. The confrontation. The incremental gains. The stark reality of her vulnerability. Ashley's face, Josh's smirk, haunted her. The thugs' leers. Rachel's venom.
*Patience,* she commanded the cold fury. *Grow. Strengthen. Learn.* *Piece by piece.*
Sleep came, not restful, but purposeful. Dawn would bring the first stream. And the long, hard climb towards retribution.