The only sounds in James's apartment were the tapping of rain on the windowpane and the distant shout from the streets of Sector 7 below.
The room was small, smelled of damp, and consisted of a bed, a desk, and a sink that may or may not work. On the desk lay the 92 Credits left over from the 100-Credit bill he had rescued from a muddy puddle.
This money was the proof of his shame. And it was also his lifeline.
James had already thrown his wet jacket aside. Now, barely controlling his shivering, he sat on the edge of his bed. His eyes were closed, but his mind was sharper than ever. His exhaustion and humiliation had given way to a cold, methodical rage.
He focused on the bright blue interface in his mind.
[Skill: Temporarily Shoo Pigeons (Level 1)]
[Description: For 5 seconds, pigeons within a 2-meter radius will be annoyed by you and fly away.]
[Cooldown: 10 Minutes.]
"Alright," he whispered to the empty room. "Almighty System... let's see just how almighty you are."
This wasn't an act of hope. It was an autopsy. If this system was his only chance, he had to dissect it, analyze every single screw.
First, he needed to set up his "lab."
He tore off a piece of moldy bread from what he called a kitchen cabinet. He opened the damp window latch and sprinkled the crumbs on the concrete ledge outside.
Then he waited.
Sector 7 had an abundance of two things: desperation and vermin. Before five minutes had passed, an ugly, gray pigeon noticed the crumbs and landed on the ledge.
James didn't move.
"Test one: Basic function," he muttered.
He "pressed" the button for the skill in his mind.
He said nothing. He didn't raise his hand. But at that moment, he felt it—an invisible needle lancing out from the center of his forehead. Not physical pain, but a mental nudge. A focused wave of annoyance.
The pigeon suddenly squawked, its feathers puffing up, and it frantically flapped away into the rainy sky as if pushed by an unseen hand.
A new line appeared in James's mind: [Cooldown: 10 Minutes.]
"Ten minutes..." James frowned. This was to ensure it was useless in a fight. The system had done everything it could to make sure this skill was garbage.
James waited in the cold for 10 minutes. Like an alarm clock, he heard a "ping" in his mind as soon as the cooldown finished.
"Test two: Target lock."
By sheer luck, a massive sewer rat was exploring a pile of trash in the narrow alley opposite. James focused on the rat, hating it.
He pressed the button.
Nothing.
The rat continued to rummage through the garbage. James's "nudge" passed harmlessly over it.
"Only pigeons," he confirmed through gritted teeth. "Because it's a joke. Isn't it? Just another way to humiliate me."
He sprinkled more crumbs. Another pigeon came. Another 10 minutes passed.
"Test three: Transmission vector."
This time, he closed the window. The thick, cracked glass stood between James and the pigeon. As the bird pecked at the crumbs, James pulled the mental trigger again.
Squawk!
The pigeon, despite being behind the glass, panicked and flew off just like the other one.
James's eyes narrowed. For the first time that day, his heart began to pound for a reason other than humiliation.
"I see..."
It wasn't sound; the glass would have blocked it. It wasn't smell. It wasn't a visual threat; James hadn't moved.
"This..." James brought his fingers to his temple. "This is a 'thought.' A targeted energy that can pass through glass. A... push."
The system hadn't given him a "Pigeon Shoo-er." It had given him the weakest, most specific form of telekinesis imaginable. It had given him a "Psionic Skill" and mocked him by naming it "Pigeon Shoo-er."
The skill wasn't "Shooing Pigeons." The Principle behind the skill was "Weak Mental Push."
And the System had put a software lock on it, ensuring this push would only lock onto targets labeled "pigeon."
James's lips curled into a dangerous, cold smile. "Well, System... what if I lie to you?"
He waited another 10 minutes. This time, he left the window ledge empty.
He fixed his gaze on that single, shiny piece of metal on his desk.
The 1 Credit coin from the [Quest: Economic Awakening!].
"This is not a pigeon," James thought. "But what happens if my brain decides it is?"
He gathered all his will. He didn't imagine the coin was a pigeon; that would be stupid. Instead, he replicated the exact mental "nudge" he'd felt when pushing the pigeon, and he aimed all his intent at that shiny piece of metal.
"Push."
He pressed the button in his mind.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, the interface in his mind flickered wildly. It flashed from blue to red, nonsensical characters scrolling across the screen.
And then...
Tink.
The 1 Credit coin on the desk slid one centimeter to the side, as if a breath of wind had blown on it.
James held his breath.
It was a moment as impossible as moving a skyscraper.
And then, instead of the System's usual cheerful voice, a metallic and annoyed tone, as if it had been caught in a software bug, rang out:
[...SYSTEM ERROR! Inconsistency detected.]
[Host has operated outside the licensed user agreement!]
[Parameter 'Pigeon' is no longer sustainable. Force-merging with parameter 'Inanimate Object'...]
[Redefining skill...]
[SKILL HAS MUTATED!]
James watched as the old description in his mind was erased and replaced.
[Skill: Temporarily Shoo Pigeons (Level 1)]
[New Skill: Faint Nudge (Tier F)]
[Description: Pushes an object weighing less than 100 grams 1 centimeter in 1 meter area.]
[Cooldown: 5 Minutes.]
The interface returned to normal, and the cheerful voice was back, though this time its sarcasm was palpable:
"Congratulations, Host! You can now annoy coins, not just birds! Cosmic power is at your fingertips! What's next, are you going to whisper at dust motes?"
James didn't even hear the System's insult.
His eyes were locked on that single credit, which had moved one centimeter.
"Pigeons..." he whispered. "Dust motes..."
His gaze drifted out the window, toward the bright lights of the OniCorp Spire. He remembered the arrogant face of that woman as he cleaned her shoe.
"Yes," James said, his voice quiet but lethal. "If I have to, I will tear down that tower for you, one dust mote at a time."