Gazing Into the Abyss (5)
"Took you long enough. Heading out now?"
"Yeah. The book I was looking for wasn't there."
"There's not much in there anyway. Just stuff that's inappropriate for students or a few dangerous summoning circles, that sort of thing."
"Right, that's what I figured. Haha..."
"They're books that are difficult for students to read. You're sure you didn't sneak any out, right?"
"Feel free to check. I didn't take anything with me."
I casually tossed the words over my shoulder as I passed the gatekeeper and kept walking. Even if he checked, he wouldn't find the missing book anyway.
Once I was outside the library, I pulled Fundamentals of Spirit Arts from inside my coat and tucked it under my arm.
Bella had given me permission, but there was no reason to let the gatekeeper or any other librarians see it.
I hurried back to the dormitory, spread out both Fundamentals of Spirit Arts and Elements and Spirits Existing in Nature, and began going through their contents.
It was pretty shameless of them to have sold the book I was looking for, but since I hadn't paid for it myself, I decided to let it slide.
The problem was that the books had been split up for sale. To find the corresponding section, I had to look at the reference number written in Fundamentals of Spirit Arts and then flip to that page in the other book.
"This is such bullshit. They have knights and all that, so it's not like they don't have civilization."
I'd honestly thought the demonic beasts were no different from animals, so this revelation caught me off guard.
If the ones that seemed intelligent could understand speech, maybe I could find some way to deal with them?
With that thought in mind, I kept turning pages until I finally found what I was looking for and began reading carefully.
"Depending on the level of communion... this was in the basics... Signs that can predict a spirit's advancement... One of the following appears at random..."
1. Due to excessive mana overload, the rampaging spirit enters a state of confusion and attacks its contractor.
2. The spirit experiences extreme pain throughout its body, causing disruptions in its ability manifestation.
3....
"I can't make out the letters here... Is my intelligence still too low?"
The third item was covered in heavy noise, making it nearly impossible to decipher.
The biggest issue had been my intelligence, so the fact that it had risen through equipment was an unexpected windfall. From now on, I decided to dump all the stat points I gained from leveling up into vitality, and hunt for items that boosted intelligence based on my game knowledge. That seemed like a solid plan.
"First... I guess Kasa falls under number two?"
I couldn't tell exactly how Kasa was experiencing pain. After saying it hurt, all she could do was breathe heavily.
Come to think of it, do spirits even breathe? I had my doubts, but since they took on the form of nature to materialize, I forced myself to accept it.
"Let's call it growing pains, then. How the hell do I fix this?"
I ended up staying up all night flipping through both books.
Chosen One (Communion) Advancement Quest - Strengthen Your Spirits
📍 Time Limit: 2 days
"Huuuaaaahm..."
"You look pretty nervous. There's still about... a day left, right?"
"Huh? Uh... yeah. I didn't get much sleep."
Eve examined my face from various angles, looking worried. She offered to heal me, but I shook my head.
Holy Power couldn't relieve fatigue. God's grace wasn't some kind of energy drink—it was the power of miracles. The greater the wound, the stronger the Holy Power became. The stronger one's desire for a miracle, the greater the power that manifested.
"Panzy's going to show up in perfect condition. I should face her in my current state too."
"R-right..."
Eve flinched and nodded like someone who'd been caught doing something wrong.
Anyway, Class B would be dueling first. Class A was after them... so there was nothing I could do right now. I just had to focus on what needed to be done.
Come to think of it, I'd given Eve a notebook and asked her to watch Class C's matches and take notes for me.
I held out my hand, signaling for the notebook.
"U-um? Cain, this..."
"Yeah. Give it here."
"H-here? Right now?"
"Yeah. I need to check it."
At my words, Eve's face suddenly turned bright red.
Oh shit. Don't tell me she forgot to write anything?
I frowned slightly and shook the hand I'd extended toward her.
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
"Eh? Ah, y-yeah... If Cain says so..."
Eve spoke shyly, then suddenly placed her own hand on mine and turned her head away in embarrassment.
What the hell was she doing?
Was this some kind of cute act because she hadn't written anything in the notebook and wanted forgiveness?
"Eve. Do you realize you look exactly like a dog who's done something bad and is trying to act cute while watching its owner's reaction?"
"Huh? No, I didn't do anything bad! Didn't you ask for my hand?"
"?"
There was clearly a serious misunderstanding here.
Eve's warm hand rested on top of mine and gently held it. I could feel her heartbeat through her palm—she must have been incredibly nervous.
"Um... I meant the notebook..."
"Eh? Ah? Ohhh~ The notebook? I knew that! I was just joking!"
Her face was turning even redder, and she looked like she was getting angry... Must be my imagination, right?
I took the notebook that Eve handed over with trembling hands and thanked her.
"Thanks. I was really... swamped."
"T-that's what friends are for! Ask me anytime!"
"Yeah. Thanks a lot."
Even after that, Eve followed me around with a flushed face, muttering things like "Cain is my friend, after all" and "Of course I can do something like that." She was like a cat that had suddenly had its switch flipped, chattering nonstop. It was actually pretty cute.
With Eve's constant chatter as background noise, I entered the dueling arena in a good mood, only to make eye contact with Panzy. She was leaning against a pillar as if she'd been waiting for me.
She glanced at Eve, whose muttering had escalated from chattering to full-on grumbling, and let out a small laugh before approaching me.
"You look good. Compared to the Saintess, your condition seems pretty terrible though."
"Ah, I'm just really nervous. Honestly, I'm fucking shaking. Still, I just hope I can at least take one hit."
"Haha. That's actually something I should be saying. I only saw you that one time and haven't run into you since. I'd rather not get knocked out the moment we start."
Panzy humbly accepted my words as usual.
Since Kasa was out of commission, I'd have to think a bit harder to face Panzy. I rubbed my complicated head for a moment and gave her an awkward smile.
"See you in the duel. Oh, and don't forget our promise after it's over."
"Mm... I remember."
"Promise? Wait, Cain. Are you making secret promises with people again? You didn't cause another accident, did you?"
No, Eve...
Seeing her stick to me and meow like a cat scolding its owner made me want to grab her by the scruff and pet her thoroughly, but that would probably cause a huge problem.
"Everyone, please take your seats. The Class B duel will now begin."
Hearing the professor's announcement, I headed up to the spectator seats to find a spot.
Eve looked like she was going to follow me all the way, but she was suddenly grabbed by the back of her neck by the Class E professor who had appeared out of nowhere and was dragged away.
The expression on her face as she was hauled off while being lectured about "just how many classes have you been skipping to show up only for the duel" was quite a sight. She looked like a cat that had been thrown into a bathtub.
When I found an empty seat and sat down, a familiar guy plopped down next to me as if he'd been waiting.
It was Alex.
"What the hell? Why are you sitting here?"
"We're friends. Friends."
"Fuck off. Is 'friends' the definition of a relationship where you put a knife to someone's throat and try to kill them? Just get lost."
I couldn't manage a single nice word with this bastard.
The moment I cursed him out according to my true feelings, Alex giggled as if it was amusing. Before my personality could twist any further, he covered his mouth and swallowed his laughter with a snort.
"I think the funniest thing is when you curse at me."
"Go fuck yourself. Asshole."
This is bullshit.
"You're fighting today too, right? I paid good money to get this so I could watch properly. It's made with magic engineering and can even record the scenes I see."
Alex looked genuinely excited as he pulled out something that resembled a camera and held it up to his eyes, looking around.
When I stared at him with a lukewarm expression, he gave me a sly look before lowering the camera and pouting.
"Smile a little. You don't have any close friends in Class D anyway."
"Do you?"
"More than you. The commoners love me for beating up all those nobles, you know?"
"...Sure."
Having run out of things to say, I turned my gaze back to the arena. Alex chuckled in that annoying way again and pointed across the way.
"See her over there? That demon girl."
"Shub?"
"She's been out of it lately, hasn't she? Maybe she's fallen too deep for my sword?"
"..."
"You already knew, you hypocrite."
Alex cackled as if something was hilarious and stabbed me with his words.
I tried my best to keep a straight face, but there was no way it would work on Alex.
"That stupid sword. To me it just makes a humming noise, but apparently that voice reaches her really well. It's quite the spectacle, don't you think?"
"Shut your damn mouth already."
"As you wish. Hehehe... I'm so fucking excited to see what happens next."
The thought of killing Alex right here and now flashed through my mind for a second, but I endured it with superhuman patience.
He was definitely someone I would have to deal with eventually.
No matter what, this world revolved around Alex. Even to stop God's plan, his existence was necessary.
Despite Alex's mockery, I stubbornly kept my eyes on the duel.
There were many students in Class B worth watching, but unfortunately, I didn't have the mental capacity left to observe them properly.
"Cain, it's time to head down to the waiting room."
A student council member in charge of guiding approached and informed me it was time to prepare.
I flipped Alex off in response to his obnoxious "Good luck~" cheer and headed to the waiting room.
Once my duel with Panzy was over, I would proceed with the plan.
The plan to complete the advancement quest and stop Shub at the same time.