System Mission: Seduce the Final Boss [BL]-Chapter 39: Conflicted plan

Okay, maybe that wasn’t actually the first time he’d ever felt cornered like this.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that he had absolutely no idea how to come up with a sensible plan.

"Actually... this is even worse because Alfred knows who I am. And if he does, then who’s to say others in that tower don’t? I wouldn’t even realize it, not without Blake’s memories."

The thought alone made his chest feel tight.

Not just tight, but more like constricted, like something invisible had wrapped itself around his ribs and refused to let go. The more he thought about it, the more layers of the problem seemed to unfold, each one worse than the last.

"Even if I try to avoid it, seems like every single problem follows me to hell and back."

Besides, it was certain that he’d been walking into a place where he was already known and watched.

Frustration bubbled up as he reached for his phone, fingers hovering over the screen before stopping midway.

If he tried asking Blake’s family for some sort of exclusive access pass, they probably wouldn’t even respond. And even if they did, they’d immediately grow suspicious. They had already warned him not to stir up trouble, this would be the exact opposite of that.

And suspicion wasn’t something he could afford right now.

Not when he didn’t even understand the full extent of what they already knew.

So he let out a quiet breath and tossed the phone onto the bed instead.

Myles didn’t really cross his mind as a viable option either, even if a part of him did want to ask for advice.

It wasn’t that Myles wouldn’t help.

It was that involving him at all felt like stepping onto thin ice.

"It would honestly be easier if he knew that I knew his real identity sometimes..." he muttered under his breath.

There was a strange kind of irony in that, because the truth sitting right there between them.

He lay back, staring at the ceiling with a frown, irritation written all over his face.

The blank surface above him offered nothing... no answers, no hints, not even a distraction for his imagination.

"...Can’t I just get some kind of superpower and tear that tower apart until I find it?"

It was irrational. He knew that.

But intrusive thoughts didn’t exactly care about logic, especially when he lacked abilities compared to every other character, even minor ones.

For a brief second, he actually imagined it,: standing in front of the tower, something overwhelming at his fingertips, ripping through steel and glass like it meant nothing. No planning, no sneaking around, no second-guessing every move.

Just action and, well, destruction.

And then it faded, just as quickly as it came, leaving behind nothing but the same helplessness as before.

At this point, it really did feel like no one could truly be on his side that didn’t come with risks attached.

Letting out another sigh, Blake grabbed his phone again and started scrolling. Eventually, he drifted toward random forums, figuring he might as well see what people were saying.

If nothing else, it would distract him.

And... it was something, alright.

"So much admiration," he muttered, eyes scanning post after post. "Is there seriously no one even suspecting something like alien activity or anything remotely strange? I suppose this is truly how NPCs work."

Commentaries of how beautiful and perfect the tower was. Perfect staff, perfect guides perfect rooms...

Or there were also threads praising the hero’s strength. Others speculating about his origins. Some even debated his personality, as if they knew him personally.

Nothing that questioned the bigger picture.

Not that it mattered much to him. Most of it leaned heavily in the hero’s favor anyway. Still, compared to his previous life, the difference was almost ridiculous. Back then, people came up with conspiracy theories over the smallest things imaginable.

But here there was nothing.

Or at least, almost nothing.

Trail-X jumps over the tower yet another time, what is the connection between them?

That particular title made him sigh heavily, dropping his head back against the pillow for a moment.

"If only you knew," he muttered quietly.

If he really wanted to, he could probably take advantage of that connection. Getting closer to the hero, befriending him, it wouldn’t even be that hard. After all, Asher didn’t have friends to begin with, he was even bullied.

It would be simple.

Too simple.

But that path was far too dangerous.

It wasn’t just about him anymore. It would put Myles’ identity at risk too, and that was something he couldn’t afford. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Even thinking about it made him hesitate.

Still...

There was something else that caught his attention.

How exactly had Asher gotten into that tower in the first place?

Sure, he was smart. That much was obvious. But being a good student alone shouldn’t have been enough to grant him access to a place like that.

There had to be a system.

Some kind of selection process.

"Uh... I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look it up."

With that, Blake shifted his position slightly and started searching.

The soft glow of the screen reflected in his eyes as results began to load, one after another.

Although Asher’s name didn’t appear anywhere in the results, what he did find was... interesting, to say the least.

Apparently, it all revolved around research.

Every month, people would submit their work, and the best one would be selected. The winner would then be granted a free tour of the tower.

Blake stared at the screen, blinking.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

He leaned back again, clearly appalled.

"That’s such a stupid plot device... for both me and the hero, if that is actually how everything started."

The more he thought about it, the worse it sounded.

It was too clean.

And yet, somehow, it didn’t stop there.

What made it even more cliché was the fact that there was still time to apply. The deadline just so happened to be the day after tomorrow.

Blake slowly lowered the phone, staring blankly ahead for a moment.

"...Seriously?"

He rubbed his temple, trying to process it.

It felt like the world itself was nudging him in a very specific direction.

On one hand, this was perfect. If he could get in without being stopped halfway through, then he wouldn’t hesitate to take that chance.

It solved multiple problems at once.

No sneaking around.

No unnecessary risks, at least on the surface.

But on the other hand...

Wouldn’t that make things too convenient?

Too obvious?

If something like a gem, or whatever the last component actually was, disappeared on the same day that some random person got a tour...

"That’s way too suspicious man," he muttered.

Coincidences like that simply got investigated.

Blake scratched the back of his head, clearly torn.

He could already imagine it, security footage being reviewed, names being checked, questions being asked.

And his name sitting right there in the middle of it.

He wasn’t sure what the right move here was.

Every option came with its own set of risks, its own set of consequences.

But at the end of the day, it wasn’t like he had the luxury of carefully picking his options.

Standing still wasn’t an option either.

If anything, entering legally would still make him less suspicious than sneaking in.

"...Yeah."

But then...

"...There’s still one fat problem."

He glanced back at his phone, frowning.

"What would the research even be about?"

He knew basically nothing about this kind of thing.

Research wasn’t just writing something down and hoping it sounded smart. It required structure and deep knowledge.

Things he didn’t have.

In his previous life, he had been around the same age as he was now when he died. He hadn’t gone beyond high school-level knowledge, let alone into anything that could be considered impressive research material.

Even the things he did know felt shallow when he tried to frame them that way.

Blake let out a long, heavy sigh, dragging a hand down his face.

"I already feel like I failed this mission."

They would definitely prefer data, graphs, theories, things that required time and understanding he simply didn’t possess.

"...There’s no way I can compete with this."

For a moment, he considered giving up on the idea entirely.

Looking for another way in.

But every alternative he thought of circled back to the same problem, risk.

Too much of it.

His grip on the phone tightened slightly.

"...Unless..."

The thought came slowly, uncertainly.

He didn’t need to be the best.

Just present something that stood out.

"Yeah, like those content creators used to say to cheer people with bad grades up, and it actually worked. What matters in your essay for an Ivy league is your creativity."

It wasn’t a complete idea yet not even close.

But it was something he could work on.

And right now, something was better than nothing.