York College High School of Science and Technology,
New York, USA.
The school isn't particularly well-known in this massive city, which spans roughly 1,214.4 square kilometers, and it certainly isn't famous for producing a slew of celebrities. The reason Finney chose to attend this school was simple—it was the closest to home and had the best facilities.
"Well, looks like there's still one more year left…" Finney muttered under his breath, a hint of worry crossing his brow. He stepped onto the soft green lawn beneath his feet, planning to take a shortcut to the school entrance.
**"Sigh…"**
Looking at the crowd piling up near the school gate, Finney couldn't help but let out a long sigh. In just a year, the world would begin to change—dramatically and on the surface for all to see—something far beyond what most people could imagine.
**"I'll say it one last time—I don't want to go out for drinks with you. So please, just leave me alone, okay?"**
At that moment, a familiar voice reached Finney's ears, its tone laced with restrained frustration. He turned his head and spotted a tall, broad-shouldered guy surrounded by a group of people near the school gate, pestering a beautiful girl.
The girl had long flaxen-colored hair, delicate features, a high-bridged nose, and a pair of amber eyes that now brimmed with annoyance.
Finney's expression changed the moment he saw her. He strode over quickly, shoved the tall guy aside, stepped between them, and said in a firm voice, "Brian, what do you think you're doing?"
Carson Bryan, captain of the school's basketball team, was known for both his looks and his skills. He was also pretty popular, though Finney didn't know him well—just enough to recognize him.
"Finney Hellset!?"
Carson looked startled when he saw Finney, but then smirked and said, "Hey Hellset, this has nothing to do with you. I'm just trying to get to know the young lady here."
"Finney!"
The girl behind him cried out in surprise, and Carson instantly realized that the two knew each other.
"She's my sister. Now, do you still think it has nothing to do with me?"
Finney replied coldly. Carson might've been taller and stronger, but Finney didn't flinch in the slightest.
"Your sister!?"
Carson looked shocked—clearly not expecting that. His face turned a little awkward, and his teammates looked equally surprised. By now, a small crowd of students had gathered to watch the scene unfold.
Meeting Finney's cold gaze, Carson instinctively took a step back. But noticing the curious eyes of his teammates, his embarrassment turned into defiance. He stepped forward and said arrogantly, "I didn't know she was your sister. Besides, I was just inviting her out for a drink."
"Then what, are you deaf? She said no."
Finney stood his ground, staring Carson down without a trace of fear. He wasn't someone who went around looking for trouble, but he also wasn't the type to back down when provoked.
"Finney, forget it. Let's go."
The girl tugged on Finney's sleeve. Seeing the crowd grow bigger, she clearly didn't want to escalate things.
"Careful. The way you're walking, I'd say you're about to trip."
Finney glanced around at the spectators, not wanting to make a scene in front of everyone. He gave Carson a hard look, then turned and pulled the girl away from the crowd.
Carson blinked, confused by Finney's last words. As he turned to walk back toward his teammates, he muttered, "What did he mean by—"
Before he could finish, his left foot tangled with his right, and he fell face-first to the ground. He split his lip, and blood started trickling out. The injury wasn't serious, but it looked bad.
The surrounding students gasped, and a few girls even screamed. The girl with Finney turned at the sound and caught sight of the accident.
By the time they reached their car, the girl, seated in the driver's seat, stared at Finney with her large amber eyes, curiosity written all over her face.
"What happened to that guy just now?" she asked.
"Murphy's Law," Finney said with a shrug, his tone mock-serious. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. If you're worried about something happening, it's even more likely to happen."
"Bullshit!"
The girl scoffed. "Finney, just because I didn't go to college and don't have top grades like you doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to fall for that nonsense."
"Heh."
Finney pursed his lips and said nothing. That only made her angrier. She reached out and tugged on his ear.
"Spill it or I'm telling Mom and Dad about your drinking!" she threatened.
"Alright, alright, let go!"
Finney surrendered with a sigh. Then, muttering under his breath, he added, "You always use that to threaten me. If you didn't force me to go drinking with you in the first place, I wouldn't even be in this mess."
When it came to his sister, Finney could only feel helpless. If he'd had a choice, he might've picked a different sibling entirely.
Of course, what happened to Carson had nothing to do with Murphy's Law. It was actually one of the abilities Finney had gained after coming to this world.
Because Finney wasn't originally from this world. As for how he got here—he had no clue. All he remembered was waking up as a crying infant who couldn't even speak.
Fortunately, he wasn't completely defenseless when he crossed over. Along with his arrival came a system—one that looked powerful and mysterious, capable of extracting skills from various anime.
**"Golden Great Technique."**
That was the first skill Finney ever extracted. And it was *incredibly* powerful. So powerful, in fact, that simply saying it three times didn't do it justice. But there was a catch—he hadn't been able to fully use it yet.
> **Golden Great Technique**
> *From: Catalogue of Forbidden Books of Magic*
> *Description: Magic that alters reality according to the user's will.*
When Finney first acquired the ability, he'd been over the moon. He was so excited he stayed up all night howling with joy, dreaming about a bright future. The next morning, his parents had dark circles under their eyes.
But once he calmed down, reality set in. The ability didn't actually seem to work. He tried willing himself to grow up instantly—nothing happened. Not even a hair grew. (Okay, maybe it grew a little, but he didn't notice.)
He dove back into the system interface and discovered that while the system handled the *extraction* of skills, using them was another matter entirely—it depended on the user.
So the reason he couldn't use the skill… was him.
That crushing feeling—from cloud nine straight to rock bottom—almost broke him. But Finney didn't lose hope. Even if he couldn't use it *now*, he believed he would one day. That bright future he dreamed of could still become real.
So he temporarily put aside the *Golden Great Technique* and started studying the system itself—what he called the "Extraction System."
It was simple: it had one main function—extracting skills—and one mysterious experience bar. Before a new extraction, the bar had to be full. He tried all kinds of things to speed up the process, but aside from the tiny bit of natural growth over time, nothing seemed to help.
Until… that one accident.