Chapter 16: Vector Control

Chapter 16: Vector Control

[Audience emotional fluctuation threshold exceeded. “Severe Sweet Dependency” has been officially added to the character setting: Masamune Tendou.]

[Popularity Point +2000 (Moved Audience Bonus)]

“…Huh? Wait, so you can gain new character traits this way too?”

Tendou blinked at the sudden system pop-up, surprised.

After all, his love for sweets wasn’t anything complicated. He was just greedy—liked to nibble on something whenever he was bored.

But thanks to that “flashback scene,” the audience had reinterpreted his sweet tooth as a hidden trait, a bittersweet scar veiled by sugar.

It was a misunderstanding… but a very useful one.

Meanwhile, in the real world.

As the flashback scene faded out, the live comment stream—silent for a moment—exploded all at once.

Mom-fans:

“This child is far too mature for his age… it hurts to watch.”

“Rename the show to ‘Turns Out My Bias Is a Beautifully Strong, Tragic Character’.”

“His left hand’s still bleeding, yet his first thought was whether the chocolate was too expensive… stab me right through the heart, why don’t you!”

Looks-fans:

“Damn, he’s cool even as a kid.”

“Those lashes! Those eyes! Now that’s the face of a true protagonist.”

“This is shōnen battle manga energy fused with shōjo romance vibes—my fav genre reigns supreme!”

Casual viewers:

“Pain? Tendou’s dictionary doesn’t even have the word pain! (Compared to a certain ‘hero’ who can’t even fight back when bullied…)”

“Tendou: three-on-one, and I still win.”

“So that’s why he’s addicted to sweets… ‘if you eat enough candy, life won’t taste so bitter.’ Damn, I thought it was just a quirk, but now it’s tragic.”

“Tendou: you’re all working hard to get stronger, but I was born strong! (Record: 3/0, verifiable.)”

With this flashback, Tendou’s “born-strong” persona carved itself deeper into everyone’s hearts.

It also made his overwhelming suppression of Chen Xing in the present story far more believable.

After all, if Tendou could solo three mutated wolf-beasts at just eight years old, then of course he’d be this strong now.

Even though the show hadn’t yet explained the beasts’ exact rank, the size difference alone told the audience how insane that feat had been.

But this left the actual protagonist, Chen Kong, in an awkward spot.

Without Tendou for comparison, Chen Kong’s weakness was tolerable.

Put side-by-side, however, and Chen Kong’s cowardice became unbearable.

Still, as with many anime where the seemingly weakest lead hides something unusual, Episode 2 dropped its own hint.

“It’s been two whole years, he hasn’t even managed the most basic star energy resonance! And you call this garbage—”

“Oi, oi. I can let a lot of things slide, but badmouthing your own brother like that? That’s going too far.”

“…Did I say anything wrong?”

“Out of all thirty-six students in the Stellaris Program, he’s the only one who hasn’t even—”

“That’s because his Star Core is… special.”

The moment Tendou uttered that last line, the audience sat bolt upright.

“Wait. Wait wait wait. Something’s off here. No way a guy like him’s the protagonist unless he’s hiding some busted cheat ability.”

The barrage of comments grew sharper:

“So what if he’s got a cheat? With that kind of personality, he’d still be useless trash.”

“Fake protagonist: Chen Kong. True protagonist: Masamune Tendou!”

And thus, Episode 2 of Stellaris: Embers drew to a close—with Tendou and Chen Xing’s wager, and the sudden arrival of Tachibana Yume.

From their exchange, the viewers also learned of the final assessment looming ahead, and just how crucial it would be for the so-called Children of the Stars.

The first two episodes hadn’t delivered explosive plot twists or jaw-dropping spectacles.

But the production quality was absurdly high, and aside from the protagonist himself, every character already shone with distinctive charm.

That alone was enough to leave Crustyroll’s audience with burning anticipation—

Anticipation for the final exam.

Anticipation for whether Chen Kong, the apparent weakling, would stage a dramatic underdog reversal.

Anticipation, most of all, for Tendou—the “born strong.” Would his brilliance continue, or would he flame out after just two episodes like a clown stripped of his mask?

No matter the doubts, one thing was clear: Tendou’s popularity-domination plan had scored a flawless opening victory.

The proof was right before his eyes.

[Name: Masamune Tendou]

[Current Popularity Point: 12,000]

[Popularity Ranking: 1st Place]

Twelve thousand points. That was what Tendou had reaped after just two episodes.

Was that a lot? Too little? Tendou couldn’t say.

He had no idea how many people in the real world were watching Stellaris: Embers. Nor could he guess how many would keep watching this anime.

But numbers aside, the fact that he currently sat at #1 was enough.

Enough to calm the nagging fear of being scripted into an early “death flag.”

More importantly, Tendou remembered perfectly well:

As long as he held the #1 spot until the season’s end, he wouldn’t just secure more screen time next season. He wouldn’t just harvest millions of popularity points from promotional campaigns.

He would also receive one, unparalleled prize:

[Exclusive Character Background Modification Permission: Allows one free rewrite of character background, including adding a custom backstory or up to one additional innate talent.]

In his opinion, that was nothing less than a bonus cheat code.

With it, he could simply slap on something like “Innate Combat Mastery: MAX”—a god-tier trait that would skyrocket both his potential and his persona as a “born strong.”

But he wasn’t reckless. He already had a plan for how to use it.

Because in the world of Stellaris: Embers, what mattered most?

It was like asking, in One Piece, what was the most important thing.

The answer was obvious.

In Stellaris, the most vital element was the Star Core—the equivalent of Devil Fruits.

After all, why did Ember showcase the final assessment? Why invite so many important figures?

The core reason was simple: to ensure all thirty-six Children of the Stars obtained a Star Core suited to them.

After all, Ember alone could never provide thirty-six Children of the Stars with thirty-six Star Cores—each one of those things were unimaginably rare.

Nor could they guarantee that every child’s Star Core would perfectly synchronize with them.

That was why the final assessment existed, and why so many great figures had been invited to witness it.

The exam would serve two purposes:

First, to sift out the most exceptional Children of the Stars, and match them with the few compatible Star Cores already in Ember’s possession. In this way, precious resources would be maximized.

Second, to display the value of the project to those powerful spectators, luring them into joining the plan and providing their own Star Cores to the remaining candidates.

Once Tendou fully grasped just how vital Star Cores were in this world, his decision came naturally.

His precious Background Modification Permission would not be wasted. He would spend it on enhancing his Star Core ability—specifically, by granting himself an additional innate talent that would further boost the ability of his Star Core.

After all, the Star Core he intended to claim was one rarely spoken of within Ember’s vaults:

Vector Control, a Trait Type Star Core.

But for him to unleash the true potential of Vector Control, he would need more than talent. He would require a top-tier Machina Type gift—

Overclocked Computation.

Only with both Overclocked Computation and the Star-Eclipse Eye—his existing ability for star energy observation—could Tendou assemble what he alone envisioned:

An almost unsolvable, perfect Vector System.

At present, Tendou had already secured the Star-Eclipse Eye.

After the final exam, Vector Control would soon follow.

That meant only one piece of the puzzle was missing—Overclocked Computation.

Once he obtained it, he would no longer be merely a so-called “born strong.”

He would become… a true powerhouse of this World.

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