The Deepening Darkness
Having discovered Shade's true name, I was able to seal him without any trouble.
There was no reason to hesitate just because he was a spirit of darkness.
I figured this was far better than letting the Spirit King's Whistle go to waste.
His true name was quite difficult to pronounce, but it didn't pose much of an obstacle to the sealing process.
The moment Shade was sealed, he muttered something in what sounded like the language of spirits. Judging by the sheer venom in his tone... it was probably a curse word.
Immediately after, an excruciating pain flared through me.
'Forcibly' sealing a spirit within one's own body was no trivial matter.
Shade had now become a black furball—Sheddy.
Sheddy could recognize Sierra.
He could touch her, and he could communicate with her.
Communication.
Yes, Sheddy could speak, albeit only in very simple words.
Perhaps his status as a high spirit played a part in this.
Thus, Shade became 'Sheddy'.
The little creature, who was already staring with wide, dinner-plate eyes, opened his mouth.
Sheddy's very first words, uttered in a low murmur, were...
"...Fuck."
I could understand his frustration.
From a spirit's perspective, suddenly losing his free will to an unfair contract was bound to elicit some profanity.
It wasn't even a proper summoning, but a forced call via the whistle.
Even Maegredo had warned me to be prepared for the spirits' resentment.
Sheddy continued to mumble curses as if he had lost his mind. Unable to watch any longer, Sierra scolded him for his foul mouth and gave him a sharp rap on the head.
Despite the repeated thumps, the stubborn creature kept swearing. It was only after about the fifth blow that—
"......"
Sheddy abruptly fell silent.
He could touch Sierra and hear her voice clearly.
[ Sheddy... Does that not sound like a maiden's name to thee? ]
"Spirits don't have genders to begin with, so I think it should be fine."
[ Very well. Sheddy, dost thou favor thy new name? ]
Sierra asked, looking up at Sheddy, who had perched himself atop my head.
"...Kerr."
Sheddy glared at Sierra for a moment, then turned his short neck away, completely ignoring her.
[ Hah. ]
Snorting in disbelief, Sierra also whipped her head away.
Even if they didn't get along right now, I was sure they would warm up to each other soon enough.
Overall, Sheddy was quite adorable.
His fluffy fur felt incredibly soft and warm. Despite his tiny body, his face was quite large.
If there were a golden ratio for cuteness, Sheddy would fit it perfectly.
"Food."
The voice of Sheddy, still perched on my head, drifted down.
Though high-pitched like a child's, it still carried the rough, gravelly undertone from when he was Shade.
Do spirits even eat food?
What was I supposed to feed him?
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Chomp.
A strange, sharp sound echoed from the top of my head, as if something pointed had sunk deep into it.
Sierra's expression darkened as she asked me,
[ My... my disciple...? ]
"Yes?"
[ That... that creature hath sunk its fangs into thy scalp... Art thou truly alright...? ]
"Ah."
So that was the sound of Sheddy sinking his teeth into the crown of my head.
I didn't feel any pain, though...
Soon, Sheddy began making wet, smacking noises, as if he were sucking blood.
Yet, I still felt absolutely no pain.
[ What in heaven's name is it consuming...?! ]
Sierra hurriedly tried to pull the creature off my head.
But perhaps because his teeth were sunk too deep, Sheddy wouldn't budge.
I gently stopped Sierra and spoke.
"He is likely consuming my life force. I think it is fine to leave him be."
[ I... I see... ]
"Haha, it doesn't hurt at all, so please don't worry."
I smiled to reassure her.
At that, Sierra gave me a deeply unsettled look.
[ It is a relief that it paineth thee not, but... shouldst thou not at least wipe the blood trickling down thy face? ]
"Blood? Ah..."
Sierra immediately reached out and wiped away the blood smearing the corner of my mouth.
It seemed my life force was indeed being drained.
The sensation was quite similar to the physical toll of using the Second Form of Reverse Heaven.
Leaving Sheddy to finish his 'meal,' Sierra's soft voice echoed in my mind.
[ That aside... to think thou even knewest the true name of a spirit of darkness. Thou truly art a wellspring of mysteries, my disciple... ]
"...I suppose so."
I scratched my head, giving a noncommittal reply.
Honestly, I didn't know how I had figured out his true name either.
Even if Shade had come into contact with my Qi waves... I had absolutely no memory of ever seeing a dark spirit's true name in the game or on any player community forums.
The only plausible explanation was the existence of the Blindfold That Pierces the Truth.
There had to be a reason why it carried such a grandiose epithet.
Come to think of it, the known effects of the blindfold did align rather well with the concept of 'piercing the truth'.
Its absurdly overpowered effects.
That alone defied the natural order. An absurd rate of growth, devastating critical damage—all of it shattered common sense.
What if I interpret 'truth' or 'reason' in a broader sense?
The laws of the world.
The nature of all creation.
The essence, the origin, the fundamental truth of all things.
...To pierce.
To see through.
If the blindfold, combined with my Ki Sense, allowed me to pierce through to the spirit's 'true name'...
For now, it was nothing more than a hypothesis.
However, there was a simple way to test if this theory held water.
Wasn't there a dragon acting as a village chief in a small town nearby?
Dragons, like spirits, naturally possessed true names.
Since his true name had never been revealed in the game, he would be the perfect subject to test my theory on.
Just figuring it out would be enough.
Lost in thought over the nature of true names, I strolled through the quiet forest.
Sheddy finished his meal quickly and let out a tiny burp.
I wasn't sure exactly how much life force he had consumed, but I felt much better than I did after overusing the Second Form. At the very least, it hadn't drained me to my absolute limit.
Soon, Sierra spoke up.
[ By the way, dost thou not wish to test thy new power? Judging by that furball, the sealing appears to have been a resounding success. ]
"Ah, the spirit's power..."
I murmured, coming to a halt.
This was the power of a high spirit.
Now that I could wield it freely, a massive influx of knowledge had flooded my mind.
The headache I felt immediately after the sealing was due to this mental overload.
Since the skill named Shade of the Shadow was already at its maximum level in my status window, I had temporarily forgotten to test its capabilities.
As his epithet 'Shade' suggested, his power was entirely related to shadows.
He possessed a wide array of techniques, but I decided to try one that seemed highly versatile for almost any situation.
I focused my attention on my shadow cast upon the ground.
Instantly, the shadow writhed and rose up, swallowing me whole.
In the blink of an eye, my vision was painted in an endless abyss of darkness.
I had slipped into the shadow realm.
Shadow Hide-and-Seek, is it?
That was the name of the technique that surfaced in my mind. Whether Shade had named it himself or the system had generated it, I couldn't be sure.
The space inside was pitch-black. However, since I possessed Night Vision, it was more accurate to say that the space itself was fundamentally composed of the color black rather than simply being devoid of light.
"Kerr! Kerr!"
Once we entered the shadow, Sheddy began hopping up and down on my head, seemingly thrilled.
I had no idea why he was so excited.
Hadn't he been furious just a moment ago?
Sierra was also visible beside me.
Since the Demon Blade was strapped to my waist, she was naturally able to accompany me here.
Sierra looked around the space and spoke.
[ Oh? A concealment technique... Or perhaps a pocket dimension? It seemeth more accurate to say thou hast completely vanished from existence, rather than merely hiding thy presence. ]
She grasped the nature of the technique instantly.
"Fortunately, my Ki Sense still functions."
I said, taking a slow step forward within the dark space.
The waves of my Ki Sense extended beyond the shadow, allowing me to clearly perceive the objects in the outside world.
I could exit this space whenever I wished, but there was one condition.
I could only emerge where a shadow existed.
It was a minor restriction.
After all, places completely devoid of even a tiny shadow were rare.
A faint intuition told me that this skill would be even easier to use under the cover of night.
After taking a few more steps, I decided to step back out.
Just by willing it, the transition occurred instantly.
With a soft, slithering sound, my body rose from the shadow cast by a nearby tree.
Sierra followed me out of the shadow.
Once I had fully emerged, I turned to her.
"Well, it is something like this."
"Kerr!"
Right on cue, Sheddy let out a proud cry.
[ ...It does indeed seem highly useful. ]
Sierra simply shrugged.
Aside from this, there were various other techniques, ranging from direct shadow attacks to defense and binding.
As I reviewed the list of skills, Kaen suddenly came to mind.
Shadow Erasure... was it?
In the game, it was portrayed as her personal secret technique through her dialogue, though no such actual skill existed in the game mechanics.
It was merely a grandiose name she had given to simple stealth.
...Regardless, there were plenty of flashy, stylish techniques here that would perfectly suit Kaen's tastes.
The only issue was that they were of the 'Dark' attribute.
If anyone saw me wielding Sheddy's power, I wouldn't be able to complain even if they mistook me for a demon.
It wasn't something I could easily show in front of others.
Though I can show it as much as I want to those who are about to die.
Still, I figured this was a thousand times better than gaining nothing at all.
In particular, Shadow Hide-and-Seek was an exceptional tool for evading public eyes.
Thanks to this, I could now move with far greater stealth.
As for my aura...
Since I had sealed a dark spirit within my body, I wondered if a faint, ominous aura would linger around me.
Maegredo did warn me that it would be best for my safety to avoid spirit summoners.
In the main story, there shouldn't be any reason to encounter a spirit summoner with high enough affinity to recognize a high spirit anyway.
Except maybe the Hero?
The Hero possessed an exceptionally high affinity for spirits.
Coincidentally, I had been formulating a plan regarding the Hero recently.
But since he... no, she had an easy way to distinguish whether I was a demon or not, it should be fine.
Though it had happened on a whim, the outcome was excellent.
In fact, perhaps it was a blessing that it was the dark attribute.
At least our attributes won't overlap, right?
...I decided to look at it that way.
It was purely for the sake of my mental peace.
All things considered, I had acquired a highly versatile set of abilities with minimal investment.
Having organized my thoughts, I turned my steps back toward the Academy, ready to return to my ordinary daily life.
I had been looking forward to a quiet, intimate meal with Zeto, but my plans had been completely ruined.
And it's all because of that redhead.
I quietly glared at Yuri, who was sitting next to me.
Usually, Zeto acted as a buffer between us, but for some reason, he was running late today.
Soon, Yuri rolled her eyes and shot a sideways glance back at me.
A sudden, silent confrontation.
According to 101 Ways to Captivate a Man, one had to clearly assert their charms in a situation like this.
But do I... even have any charm?
What kind of charm did I possess?
What should I emphasize?
My body...?
Even Zeto was a man, after all... and he was perfectly capable of touching and feeling.
During our last 'highly embarrassing physical contact disguised as an accident,' I had noticed something.
Although Zeto had brushed it off as if it were nothing, his ears had turned bright red.
With that thought in mind, I lowered my gaze.
"..."
Then, I glanced at Yuri's chest.
Fortunately, there isn't a huge difference... In fact, I might even have a slight advantage.
As long as that 'pink-haired pigtails' girl wasn't in the picture, no one could outshine me in terms of figure.
Being proactive wasn't enough.
And so, just as I was combing through my memories of the previous turn to think of what Zeto might like,
A man walked into the classroom.
The moment I recognized his face, the corners of my mouth naturally curved upward.
He walked over and sat down in his usual seat—right next to mine.
"Zeto, you're late today. That's unusual," Yuri spoke to him.
"...I believe I made it just in the nick of time," Zeto replied.
Yuri and Zeto conversed warmly.
I wanted to join in and say something as well, but...
The words wouldn't come out.
Ever since he drew near, my throat had felt tight.
In just one day.
In a single day.
The ominous aura emanating from Zeto had grown significantly darker.
No way...
Just then, Yuri's urgent voice cut through my thoughts.
"Wait, Zeto... you're bleeding...!"
"Ah."
With a quiet gasp, Zeto wiped away the blood trickling from his lips with his thumb.
"Are you hurt somewhere...? Do you want to go to the infirmary with me?"
"Haha, I am fine. I must have overexerted myself recently; my condition is just a bit poor."
Despite Yuri's worried tone, Zeto merely laughed it off with a bright smile.
"But still, overexertion shouldn't make you cough up blood..."
Yuri muttered in concern, but I felt as though I knew the true cause.
The deepening ominous aura, and now, coughing up blood.
Even his attitude of trying to laugh it off as if nothing were wrong.
As I reached the inevitable conclusion, my vision began to blur.
My head spun.
Why?
For whatever reason...
...Zeto's 'curse' seemed to have worsened.