Kyle was finally able to step into his room and enjoy a moment of long overdue peace.
The room was quite big, a lot more than his bedroom but it explains since there was just one room in which they had adjusted the cupboard, a bed and a study table.
There were shelves for books as well, a door leading to kitchen and another for bathroom.
Quite a comfortable place to live but surely not a very comfortable welcome.
"Haah~"
He still couldn’t believe that an academy as prestigious as this, one that admitted the children of the most influential families every year, could feel more like a kindergarten than an actual academy of combat and sorcery.
Seriously, what had that even been?
First, a group of girls had practically swarmed him. Then, somehow, someone had bypassed his room’s security just to set up such a ridiculous prank.
"I always knew people with that name were idiots," he muttered with a helpless shake of his head. "Still... I have to admit, that was pretty funny."
Not even his old high school had been this childish. Back then, pranks like these had been rare. Yet the students here, despite having experienced far more than any ordinary teenager, somehow acted even more immature.
Kyle let out a quiet sigh and pushed the matter aside.
There was no point dwelling on it.
People like this thrived on getting a reaction. The best way to deal with them was to stay alert and wait. Eventually, they would grow impatient, overplay their hand, and make a reckless mistake.
And when that happened, he would make sure it was the last time they bothered him.
Here, victory had little to do with strength.
It was a game of patience.
"Anyway, System. Mind telling me about the quest?" Kyle asked.
He had already swept the room for any form of surveillance, so he felt comfortable speaking openly.
[Host, you have been perceived as someone possessing Special Grade combat ability, even though your true strength is barely comparable to that of a First Grade. That is... concerning.]
Kyle responded with a wry smile.
"You’re right."
He didn’t need the System to tell him that. Physically, he wasn’t even remotely comparable to someone like Layena.
Its concern was completely justified.
After everything he had accomplished recently, attracting attention was inevitable. People would begin investigating him, and sooner or later they would discover that the overwhelming power he had displayed was only temporary.
Once that truth came to light, it would become much easier for anyone planning against him to figure out exactly how to deal with him.
[Host, to compensate for your lacking physical abilities, the System has assigned you several tasks to improve your control over magic. Considering your new living arrangements, this will also serve as a valuable precaution.]
[Task: Keep God’s Eye active continuously for four hours without interruption and without any assistance.]
Kyle stared at the screen.
"Nice joke. Now what’s the real quest?"
He waited for the System window to flicker and admit it had failed to fool him.
It never did.
[That is your first task, Host. Keep God’s Eye active for four uninterrupted hours. If the skill is deactivated for even a single second, the task will be considered a failure.]
"..."
A hint of unease crept onto Kyle’s face.
"You can’t be serious. You know I can only keep God’s Eye active for around ten minutes on my own."
[That is only when you actively utilize the skill’s abilities. Simply maintaining God’s Eye as a passive visual enhancement places significantly less strain on your mind.]
"I understand your logic," Kyle replied with a weary sigh. "I just don’t agree with it."
Leaning back against the couch, he rubbed his forehead.
"Seriously... even one hour would’ve sounded reasonable. But four?"
He let out a dry laugh.
"That’s just excessive."
[Figure it out, Host. You have always found ways to work around your abilities. By now, you understand how they function, especially God’s Eye.]
Kyle couldn’t argue with that.
God’s Eye had been his very first ability, and it remained the one he relied on the most. Using it had become second nature. Before entering any unfamiliar room or location, his instinct was always the same.
Activate God’s Eye.
Scan everything.
Over time, he had come to understand its intricacies better than any other ability’s. More importantly, he had grown accustomed to the pain that accompanied pushing the ability beyond its limits.
"It still feels like chasing an impossible dream," he muttered. "But here goes nothing."
With a silent command, God’s Eye awakened.
The change was instantaneous.
His vision sharpened dramatically, the world around him snapping into astonishing clarity. The searing pain that had once accompanied every activation had faded into nothing more than a faint itch at the corners of his eyes.
He could see everything.
The thin layer of dust gathering atop the spinning ceiling fan. The neatly stacked napkins tucked inside the cabinet beside the bed. Even the tiny scratches carved into the wooden floor by years of use.
Nothing escaped his gaze.
Yet despite the overwhelming clarity before him, Kyle deliberately restrained himself.
Just because he could see everything didn’t mean he needed to.
He slowly closed his eyes and pulled his focus inward, forcing his wandering senses to settle.
A few moments later, he clicked his tongue.
"Nah... this won’t work."
Simply repeating the command in his head wasn’t helping.
Opening his eyes again, he raised one hand in front of his face.
His attention settled on his fingers.
The intricate ridges of his fingerprints.
The rough calluses spread across his palm.
He deliberately limited his focus to that single hand, observing nothing else. It was something his ordinary eyesight could have done as well, only now every tiny detail stood out with breathtaking clarity, without him needing to strain or squint.
"It’s working..."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
He could feel it.
Compared to earlier, he was expending far less energy to maintain God’s Eye.
Keeping his gaze fixed on a single target made a noticeable difference. With fewer details demanding his attention, the burden on his eyes eased considerably.
It was a promising start.
Unfortunately...
He had only made it through the first minute.
Three hours and fifty-nine minutes remained.
’Wait... what’s the reward for this quest?’ he asked.
Before he could read the System’s response, a knock echoed from the door.
Kyle instinctively shifted his gaze toward it.
"God!"
The moment his focus broke, his vision spiraled out of control.
His gaze pierced straight through the door, then through the visitor’s clothes, and even beyond their skin before he could stop it.
"Guh..."
Kyle let out a pained groan and forcibly reeled his vision back under control.
The image stabilized.
Standing outside was a blonde man dressed in a tailored dark suit, several books cradled neatly in his arms. His expression remained composed, and from everything Kyle could perceive, he carried no trace of hostility or ill intent.
He let out a long breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Getting through these four hours with God’s Eye active was going to be one hell of a challenge.