Chapter 8: I Regret Breaking the System During Morning Assembly

Morning assemblies were designed to crush souls.

The sun too bright, the national anthem too loud, and the speeches too long.

But today, the universe had a personal vendetta against me.

It started when the principal said:"Today, we'll begin with a moment of silence for students who bring shame to the school."

And everyone looked at me.

I was standing in the third row, sleepy, hoodie-clad, spiritually absent.

Shen Min stood three rows ahead, arms behind her back, posture perfect.

I tried to copy her.

I immediately regretted it.

[REGRET DETECTED]Regret: Tried to Look Respectable in Public+2 RP

Baozi floated lazily beside my head, invisible to everyone but me.

"I think your tie's on backwards," he whispered.

"I'm not wearing a tie."

"Exactly."

I rolled my eyes and pretended to listen as the vice principal read a quote about excellence and accountability.

Then something… glitched.

[SYSTEM ERROR]Warning: Regret Queue OverloadProcessing Failure – Cross-Link DetectedUnstable Quest Incoming……Calculating…

Suddenly, my vision flashed.

I saw a girl crying in the hallway.A guy standing alone on the rooftop.A teacher sighing in an empty classroom.

None of them were me.

None of them were now.

Then it was gone.

Just like that.

[UNSTABLE REGRET QUEST GENERATED]Regret: Failed to Notice Others' PainSource: External Emotional EchoType: Class-Wide Emotional Sync EventReward: ???Risk: Emotional Overload, Social Collapse, Full-On Breakdown

I staggered slightly.

"What the hell was that?" I muttered.

Baozi looked stunned. "You just tapped into ambient regret. That's… not normal."

"Cool."

"No! That's incredibly dangerous! You're not supposed to feel other people's regrets."

"Then why did the system let me?"

"It didn't," Baozi whispered. "It glitched."

As the speech droned on, I looked around.

I saw a student in the front row with clenched fists.A girl behind me blinking back tears.A boy laughing too loud, trying too hard.

Regret was everywhere.

And I could feel it.

[PASSIVE MUTATION DETECTED]Unlocked: "Regret Empathy – LV0" (Unstable)Effect: Briefly senses emotional regret in a 10-meter radiusWarning: May induce migraines, sadness, or sudden heroic impulses

"You okay?" Shen Min asked quietly after assembly.

"Nope," I said.

"What happened?"

"I may have accidentally synced with collective high school suffering."

She stared at me.

"You're so weird."

"Yeah, but now I'm psychic."

"Go to class."

I sat down in math period, head buzzing, eyes unfocused.

My desk was shaking.

Oh wait, that was my leg. I was nervous.

Baozi hovered above my book.

"You have two choices," he said. "Suppress the new ability… or master it before it masters you."

"Sounds like a shonen anime arc."

"No. Sounds like real danger."

I took a deep breath.

"Let's go with both."

I was supposed to slack.I was supposed to gain power by being useless.

But now?I might've just opened the floodgates to everyone's pain.

And somehow… I didn't hate it.