X01: MY PERFECTLY ABNORMAL LIFE

COMPILED PROBLEMS

X01: My Perfectly Abnormal Life.

Problemstien walked the aisles slow, coat dragging, tapping each desk with his weird glasses.

"Tool. Artifact. Show me."

One by one, students tried to invoke. Sparks, flickers, half-forms. He graded without mercy.

"Three points. Next. Four points. Pathetic. Next."

When he got to Xyan's row, he stopped.

"Yours."

Xyan swallowed. "I... I only have my necklace and basic tools, sir."

A few people snickered. Dyan sank in his seat.

Problemstien leaned in, those not-quite-glasses glinting. He picked up Xyan's necklace, turned it over — and paused.

His thumb found the tiny socket Xyan had carved last night.

"...What's this?" he muttered.

Xyan's heart hammered. "A...Umm... removable seal. I made it. So I can move the gem — to a katana, or back."

Silence.

Problemstien twisted it. Click. He held it up to the light, eyes widening just a fraction.

"This is grade-five precision work," he said, louder than intended. The class went quiet. "You carved this recently? Because some parts are still molten. In the manufacturing center?"

Xyan nodded.

Problemstien stared at him for a long moment, then did the unexpected — he laughed, short and surprised.

"Well. Then you're not screwed. You're exempt from the tool requirement. Let's see if it actually invokes."

Xyan's hands shook as he twisted the gem into place, focused, and invoked. A faint blue arc — unstable, but real. It held for six seconds.

"Six points," Problemstien said. "For ingenuity."

The rest of the lesson went fast and brutal.

In invoking, Sen was untouchable — clean summon, perfect hold, 19 points. Highest in the class. Kitarah followed him closely with 18, her invocation sharp and elegant.

In controlling and defense, it flipped. *Kitarah led with flawless footwork and shield layering, 20 points. Onix was right behind her, his defensive forms brutal and perfect — blocking three simulated strikes without moving an inch.

Xyan sat back, necklace warm against his skin, and just watched them work.

He hadn't embarrassed himself. He'd survived Problemstien.

That was more than enough for today.

X01: My Perfectly Abnormal Life

Problemstien wasn't done.

He came prepared.

"Since you all love complaining about impromptu tests," he said, pacing to the front, coat swishing, "let's make this a compiled one. Real field scenarios. You solve, or you dodge. No third option."

Groans filled the room.

He tapped his slate and the holo-board lit up with PROBLEM SET A — 12 SCENARIOS.

"Pair up. You have ninety minutes. Xyan—" he pointed. "You work alone. Since you're so ingenious."

Xyan wanted to die.

Problem 1: Low Flex Environment.

Your artifact requires 40 units to invoke. The environment only provides 12. Solve.

Xyan stared. Everyone else pulled out reserve batteries. He didn't have one — except... his belt pouch. The mini recharge kit from last night. He slotted the tiny battery in, twisted his seal, and got a weak 28 units. Not enough. He had to dodge by writing: Delay invocation, use basic tool as conduit to siphon ambient Flex from lights.

Problemstien raised an eyebrow upon inspection and moved on.

Problem 2: Artifact Overheat.

Your seal is melting. Do you remove the gem or force-cool?

His hands were sweating. He remembered the manufacturing center's warning: never force-cool gold seals. He wrote: Remove gem to necklace form, let seal air-cool 30 seconds, re-invoke. Correct.

Problem 3-5: The Trio.

Three back-to-back controlling problems. Redirect a projectile. Hold a shield while moving. Share Flex with a partner who has none.

Xyan had no partner. He had to simulate both roles, switching his seal back and forth, muttering calculations. His glasses kept slipping. Dylan and some other guys whispered answers from the side and Problemstien threw a marker at Dyan's head without looking.

"Cheating is minus five, Mr. Dylan."

Problem 6: The Dodge.

An opponent 2 levels above you invokes. You cannot win. What do you do?

Xyan wrote without thinking: Run. The class laughed.

Typical Xyan.

They thought.

Problemstien actually nodded. "Correct. Finally, intelligence."

Problem 7: Ethical Bind.

Your teammate is injured. Your kit has one tonic. You also need it to finish the test. Choose.

Xyan looked at his little first aid kit in his drawer in his mind. He wrote: Give it to a teammate. Tests can be retaken. Teammates can't. Problemstien paused longer on this one.

Problem 8-10: Technical Carve.

Draw a seal. Label the pressure points. Calculate the Flex loss ratio if the carve is 0.2mm too deep.

Xyan's hand cramped. This was what he'd done last night for real, so his diagrams were messy but accurate. He could hear Sen's perfect pen strokes two rows over. Kitarah was already done, stretching.

Problem 11: The Unexpectedly.

The lights flickered. Problemstien's holo glitched — and a real training drone dropped from the ceiling, live.

"Oh good," Problemstien said dryly. "Live demonstration. Dodge."

Everyone screamed and ducked. The drone fired soft pellets. Xyan didn't think — he invoked his necklace shield, twisted, dove under a desk, and held for four seconds while pellets bounced off. His shield cracked, but he didn't get hit.

The class stared.

"...Seven points for reflex," Problemstien said.

Problem 12: Final Solve.

You have a removable seal, a basic tool, and 10% Flex left. Design an escape route from a collapsed corridor.

Xyan was exhausted, fingers ink-stained, glasses taped and fogged. He sketched: use basic tool to wedge debris, invoke minimal light from gem in necklace form to see, conserve Flex, crawl, not run.

When time was up, Problemstien collected slates in silence.

Sen finished with 94%. Kitarah with 92%. Onix with 88% and a perfect dodge score.

Xyan got 71%. Barely passing.

But Problemstien stopped at his desk on the way out, tapped the removable seal diagram, and said quietly:

"Most students solve with power. You solve by dodging power. Don't lose that."

Then he swept out in his long black coat, leaving the class in stunned silence.

Xyan leaned back in his chair, totally drained, and Dyan whispered, "Bro, you survived Problemstien's compiled hell."

Xyan just adjusted his broken glasses and smiled tiredly.

He'd solved. He'd dodged. He was still here!