Chapter 6
[Best Professional Clown System]
[Host: Jack Wilson]
[Points: 930]
[Talent: —]
[Skills: Card Trick (Expert), Magic Trick (Proficient), Throwing Knives (Proficient)]
[System Shop] [Inventory]
Jack lay on his bed, staring at the floating interface above him.
His face was pale.
A dull headache pulsed behind his temples, and irritation was clearly written across his expression.
The number 930 glared back at him.
Only seventy points short.
Jack clenched his teeth.
“Damn it…”
“I underestimated crowd management.”
“If it weren’t for the police, I would’ve already reached 1,000 points.”
His voice grew sharper.
“Damn… damn… damn it.”
“Stupid cops.”
Yesterday’s performance had earned him 930 points.
Just seventy more, and he could have purchased his first Talent.
But the police had arrived.
And everything had ended.
Jack didn’t want to risk getting arrested or dragged into unnecessary trouble, so he ran immediately after the officers appeared.
After escaping the park, he went straight home.
The first thing he did was remove the costume and change into normal clothes. There was no way he would allow anyone to connect Grim Mirth with Jack Wilson.
Then exhaustion hit him like a wave.
He collapsed into bed and barely moved.
Using his skills for such a long performance had drained far more energy than he expected.
Yesterday’s show had not relied on ordinary tricks or hidden setups.
It had been real ability.
And real ability came with a cost.
Take Magic Trick, for example.
With it, Jack could move objects to wherever he wanted.
Cards.
Small props.
Anything within range.
But the price was mental energy.
Every time he slipped a card into someone’s pocket or bag, his mind paid for it.
And the larger the crowd became—
the heavier the strain grew.
By the end of the performance, the mental pressure had been enormous.
Fortunately, Jack noticed something strange.
His mental reserves were unusually large.
He wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps this body had natural talent.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Or perhaps—
his soul, coming from another world, had brought something extra with it.
Unlike Magic Trick, Throwing Knives consumed no mental energy.
Instead, it drained his physical stamina.
That was why his final throw had missed.
His arms had simply reached their limit.
Meanwhile, Card Trick felt different from both.
Almost passive.
The moment the skill activated, Jack’s control over playing cards improved dramatically. The cards moved through his fingers as if they were extensions of his own hands.
And best of all—
there was no cost.
At least not at the current level.
Watching the progression of his skills, Jack began to notice a pattern.
The more he used his abilities during performances—
the more amazed the audience became—
the faster his proficiency increased.
But yesterday, something felt strange.
He hadn’t noticed any improvement at all.
Perhaps because of his previous life.
Before transmigrating into this world, he had already been a clown and magician. Even without supernatural abilities, he had practiced countless real-world tricks.
That experience might have accelerated his early progress.
“The beginner phase is always the fastest…”
He murmured quietly.
Then—
Grrrrrr…
His stomach growled loudly.
Jack stared downward.
“…Breakfast first.”
He sighed and slowly climbed out of bed.
His body still felt weak as he walked to the toaster.
While eating, he casually opened his phone.
Then he froze.
The screen was filled with videos.
His performance from yesterday.
Clips of Grim Mirth had spread across social media.
Different angles.
Different thumbnails.
Different titles.
But the same performance.
The internet had already turned it into a viral topic.
Jack quickly checked other platforms.
It was everywhere.
The comments were pouring in.
“How did he put the card inside someone else’s bag?”
“I replayed it ten times in slow motion and still don’t understand it.”
“The knife juggling was insane. I was mesmerized even through the screen.”
Even official accounts had begun reacting.
One message from the park’s management caught his attention.
“Attention: If you wish to perform in the park, please coordinate with the park authorities or relevant parties according to regulations. This is not meant to reject entertainment, but to prevent unwanted incidents.”
Jack scoffed.
“Hmph.”
“As if getting permission doesn’t mean paying fees.”
“And once the crowd gets big…”
“You’ll start selling tickets.”
“And I won’t get a cent.”
Still—
despite his complaints—
Jack couldn’t deny the feeling in his chest.
Pride.
His performance had been seen.
Recognized.
Appreciated.
“If so many people watched through video…”
He frowned slightly.
“Shouldn’t the system reward me?”
But the interface remained silent.
No notification.
No reaction.
“So points can only be earned from live audiences…”
He tapped his phone thoughtfully.
“But what about streaming?”
“…I’ll need to test that.”
Meanwhile—
in a government office building across the city—
on the top floor—
a meeting was underway.
The sign on the door read:
Special Division 13
Inside the conference room, a large screen displayed a video.
Jack’s performance.
Grim Mirth standing in the park.
Cards flying.
Knives flashing.
A man standing near the screen asked,
“What do you think, Captain?”
The captain narrowed his eyes as he watched the footage.
“So this is the man you suspected yesterday.”
“A newly Awakened.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The man speaking was the officer who had been on vacation.
“Yesterday, while I was spending my day off in the park…”
“I saw this clown begin his performance.”
“He calls himself Grim Mirth.”
The captain folded his arms.
“And?”
“I couldn’t detect any trick.”
The officer hesitated slightly.
“It looked like…”
“…magic.”
Another man leaned forward.
“Even with your Awakener ability?”
“Yes.”
“Even with my ability, I couldn’t confirm it.”
He exhaled slowly.
“I can’t tell if it was real magic…”
“An Awakened ability…”
“Or simply an extremely advanced stage trick.”
The captain spoke again.
“Did you make contact with him?”
“Do you know the identity behind the mask?”
“No.”
“I only observed him from a distance.”
“And I didn’t follow him afterward.”
A woman sitting at the table clicked her tongue.
“So you investigated halfway and stopped?”
“How useless.”
The man immediately shot back.
“Maybe you should stay quiet and read more books to fill that empty brain of yours.”
“Yesterday was my vacation.”
“Why would I work overtime?”
He leaned back slightly.
“Besides…”
“I enjoyed the performance.”
The woman’s expression darkened.
Before the argument escalated—
the captain raised his hand.
“Enough.”
Silence fell across the room.
“We do not know his motives yet.”
“We must not act recklessly.”
He paused.
“If he is truly an Awakener…”
“…we cannot allow him to grow unchecked.”
His gaze sharpened.
“If the clown appears again…”
“Report immediately.”
“No personal action.”
“Yes, Captain,” everyone replied.
The captain sighed.
“Hmph.”
“Meeting adjourned.”
“Return to your posts.”
Back in his apartment, Jack finished his breakfast.
He leaned against the counter and thought quietly.
“What should I do today?”
“Return to the park?”
“Or test livestreaming?”
He considered both options.
Then shook his head.
He only needed seventy more points.
A massive performance like yesterday wasn’t necessary.
And his body still hadn’t fully recovered.
“…Smaller street acts should be enough.”
“That will push me past 1,000.”
“As for streaming…”
“I’ll test it later.”
“I need preparation first.”
Decision made.
Jack began preparing for the day.
“Today…”
“I start experimenting.”
“I need to understand how this system judges performances.”
He put on his costume.
Applied the makeup.
Then stood in front of the mirror.
The familiar smile slowly appeared.
Quietly—
Jack spoke in Japanese.
“Sa… jikken wo hajimeyou ka.”
(Well then… shall we begin the experiment?)
Inside his heart—
Jack grinned.
Finally.
He had always wanted to say that.
