Part-16

  The effect was immediate and shog. Ryan's eyes widened in surprise, his smug grin repced by a look of pure terror. A thunderous crack echoed through the hallway, seemingly emanating from the point of tact between James' hand and Ryan's fabsp; Ryan's body vulsed, a jolt of unseen energy c through him. He stumbled back, clutg his face, his bravado repced by a whimper of pain.

  The world seemed to stand still for a moment. The students gaped in stunned silehe weight of the unnatural phenomenon hanging heavy in the air. James, his hand throbbing with a straingliion, stared at Ryan, a mixture of disbelief.

  A wave of flig emotions washed over James. Relief flooded him – he'd pleted one part of the mission, the ever-present threat of being struck by thunder reg for the moment. But it was quickly overshadowed by a surge of as he withe aftermath of his as.

  Ryan, crumpled against the lockers, whimpered, his face torted in a mask of pain and fusion. There were no visible marks on his cheek, but the way his body vulsed with each whimper spoke volumes about the power c through him.

  A new line flickered on the blue s h in James' vision: [Mission 3: Sp Ryan with Thundercp Sp Skill (1/2). Reward: +2 CHA]. The single pleted "sp" mocked him, a stant remihat the ordeal wasn't over.

  Hesitation g him. Seeing Ryan in such a vulnerable state, a sliver of doubt crept in. Was another sp truly necessary? James wasn't use to fighting in real life, so he was still somewhat hesitating about whole thing happening.

  But the chilling message about the penalty echoed in his mind, and the invisible hand of the Bully System seemed to tighten its grip.

  With a heavy sigh, James steeled himself. He couldn't risk the sequences of disobedienbsp; Squaring his shoulders, he approached the whimpering Ryan, a strange mix of guilt aermination warring within him.

  Ign the shocked gasps from the crowd, James raised his hand once more. This time, fueled by a pragmatic desire to plete the mission rather than any animosity towards Ryan, he delivered a swift, open-harike to the other side of Ryan's fabsp; It wasn't a powerful blow, more akin to a boxing jab than a forceful sp.

  The effect, however, was just as dramatibsp; Rya out a startled yelp, his body vulsing as if struck by an unseen forbsp; There were no visible marks, but the bewildered look on his face spoke volumes. This wasn't a punch, it wasn't pain iraditional se was something strange, unnerving, and unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

  A wave of dizziness washed over James as he lowered his hand. The air crackled with a strange energy, a final echo of the bizarre power he'd unleashed. The hallway remained silent, the students frozen in stunned disbelief. Ryan, still whimpering, clutched his cheeks, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and fusion.

  Suddenly, a familiar blue s materialized before James. A triumphant fanfare bred – a stark trast to the tense silehat hung heavy in the air.

  **gratutions! Mission plete.**

  **Reward: +2 CHA**

  **Current CHA: 12**