Arima Kanna (1): The Ceiling Rises
“Ugh…”
With dizziness and a pounding headache, Arima Kanna opened her eyes. She staggered to her feet—the situation was already over. For some reason, the area was littered with what looked like scrap metal swords, and the purple-robed mage lay collapsed in front of Yi Han-su and the White Night Guild master.
At that moment, Arima Kanna's eyes widened.
No way… did the two of them take her down?
Arima Kanna blinked in disbelief, scanning her surroundings. The two swordsmen who had seemed to be the mage's companions were nowhere to be seen.
……
Arima Kanna couldn't help but be impressed.
Even inside the Domain, they'd dodged every one of the mage's attacks while landing counterstrikes here and there—and in the end, they'd finished her off. It was power that made her question if they were really students like her.
That's when Arima Kanna spotted her brother, Arima Kisho, collapsed on the ground. Tiny sparks crackled across his body.
Crackle. Crackle, crackle.
……
In that instant, a flood of thoughts hit Arima Kanna. Her brother, whom she'd always seen as the ceiling above her. The genius of their family, praised as a prodigy who'd even mastered the Golden Eyes and Beast Transformation. To think there existed someone who surpassed even Arima Kisho…
Arima Kanna felt the shadow that had darkened her life drifting away.
Haha…
The ceiling over her head felt like it was rising higher—much higher. So high it no longer blocked the light. Unlike the ceiling right above her, anyway.
Arima Kanna hugged her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Her fingertips and toes tensed slightly.
Students at Orbis Academy came from all walks of life. With that diversity came all sorts of goals. Some wanted to become great heroes. Others craved fame or power. And so on…
Arima Kanna's goal was to gather exceptional talents and elevate the guild Shinsen—the one she'd inherit—to greater heights than ever before. For that, she needed top-tier recruits, which was why she'd come to Orbis.
Unlike her brother, who'd refused to take over the guild for some inexplicable reason and enrolled at Orbis anyway, claiming it was his calling. She envied him. Envied that power born of exceptional talent, letting him choose his own path freely.
But…
But…
Arima Kanna knew it deep down. She didn't have talent on that level.
If she couldn't reach it alone, she'd do it as a group. If something was out of reach, she'd abandon it cleanly.
But… still, going it alone was tough.
And the desire for strength she'd thought she'd discarded? It hadn't been discarded. Just twisted.
Arima Kanna lifted her bowed head and looked at Yi Han-su.
Ah, I want him.
Someone to grab her when she felt like collapsing and hold her steady.
****
Dozens of ambulances and people who screamed high-up authority—like from the Relic Management Association, for example.
“That's Melian, the one who vanished a while back.”
A few heroes shot them dirty looks. Hard not to resent the Relic Management Association, which regulated relics—and was now starting to eye heroes too. They were the ones risking their lives diving into gates, after all.
But cleanup? They were pros at that. Melian was dragged away in restraints, ranting the whole time. Mostly cursing that blind gay swordsman, from what she could gather.
“You have my debt.”
Kim Su-han, master of the White Night Guild. The epitome of the strong preying on the weak.
But to Kim Su-han, Yi Han-su was one of the strong.
“A student? A first-year, no less…?”
He'd assumed third-year and nearly laughed in disbelief.
Another chosen one has appeared.
Someone qualified to reach the heavens. They called them the chosen.
“It might take time today, but I'll reward you as soon as possible. I don't forget favors.”
Yi Han-su looked utterly baffled at Kim Su-han's words.
“And if you haven't picked a guild yet, consider White Night.”
Kim Su-han figured it'd be a no. He wasn't big enough to embrace the heavens, after all. He was a petty youth who lived by strong-eat-weak, but he had enough vessel to lead a guild.
The relics Yi Han-su had absorbed were written off as stolen by the missing swordsman or destroyed in combat. Few students were seriously hurt. Some witness statements, for example…
Yi Han-su was unknown to them; he'd shouldered the attacks alone, leaving the other students relatively unscathed. At the same time, the swordsmanship club students' gazes toward Yi Han-su shifted. After all, he'd deflected and evaded a waterfall of top-tier spells.
A few second-years even thought of a certain third-year. Sky-blue hair, third-year overall rank 1. Rumor had it she was already stronger than most active heroes…
……
Before I knew it, the sun had dipped halfway below the horizon, painting the sky red. What a brutally exhausting day.
-Power surging through you.
Tyrbing seemed pleased. Apparently thrilled to unleash its full might after so long. But the backlash? All mine to bear. My body felt like lead.
Worse than the first time I'd drawn the sword, tanking cataclysm-level recoil with this hunk of meat.
Congratulations! You have successfully thwarted the villains' scheme!
Reward: +3 Stats, 3000 A Coins.
“Oh.”
Right, I'd forgotten about the A Coins.
Current A Coins: 24,000
More than I'd thought.
Penalty Updated: 25,000
Not quite enough… Probably no reward since I'd already died once during midterms. Stingy bastards, holding back 1,000 A Coins. I wanted that penalty gone ASAP. Couldn't just spam Tyrbing's penalty absorption whenever I felt like it.
That's when someone poked my back with a finger. I turned to see Arima Kanna—one hand in her pocket, the other jabbing away.
“V for victory.”
I'd only ever seen that pose once in my life. Arima Kanna was grinning ear to ear, looking surprisingly cute.
“Heading straight back to the dorm?”
Obviously. I was beat.
But just as I opened my mouth, Tyrbing murmured low.
-Say no.
Eh, too tired though.
“Nah.”
Eh?
My mouth moved on its own.
-Kekeke.
Tyrbing cackled slyly.
“Great! Hang out with me then.”
-Thought you could defy me forever? Tsk tsk, foolish.
Arima Kanna tilted her head slightly, peeking up at me expectantly. And my mouth moved again on its own.
……
As the sun that had lit the world sank away, streetlights flickered on one by one to brighten the streets. The sky grew dark, but the roads stayed lively.
A young man and woman strolled along, both wearing swords at their hips—heroes at first glance. But too young for that; probably students.
They walked a bit before plopping down on a bench right under a streetlamp.
Thud.
Arima Kanna—long black hair, obsidian eyes—sprawled on the bench, rubbing her knees before crossing her legs and folding her arms. She snuck a glance at the guy beside her.
“Days feel so long.”
Arima Kanna spoke first.
“Yeah.”
At Yi Han-su's curt reply, she smirked, uncrossing her arms and legs. She shifted closer to him.
“Y'know, I've got this one goal.”
“……”
“Hated it at first, but I came around eventually.”
Yi Han-su turned to look at her. He already knew. From what she truly wanted to her little quirks.
“Not thinking of taking up that offer I mentioned before?”
Arima Kanna said it like she knew everything.
“Sigh… Figured you'd rather make your own than join one.”
Like most heroes did.
“What about joining a guild from one of your friends?”
Arima Kanna probed. She meant Yui-seol, who'd inherit the Yu family business—and probably their guild too.
Arima Kanna swallowed hard, thinking.
Nah, that won't fly.
As her mind raced, Yi Han-su spoke up.
****
“Gah… cough…”
Baek Jin stumbled out of the portal and collapsed. Blood poured from his mouth.
“Huff… huff…”
Psssh! Pssssh!
His flesh tore in small patches, blood trickling out.
I definitely regenerated perfectly…
His trump card relic. Yet the wounds wouldn't heal.
The authority of Incurable.
Once inflicted, wounds never healed.
“Grrgh…!”
Baek Jin clutched his body, rolling on the ground.
That bastard… demon or fiend!
Which meant he'd used an authority.
Need a relic… one that heals wounds!
Hoisting the still-unconscious Yeon-woo onto his back, Baek Jin dragged his trembling legs across the desert.
A bit farther, and they'd reach the Clan's hideout.
“Oh! You look beat!”
Then, from afar, a man in clown garb approached slowly.
“Clo…wn…”
“Oh! You look beat!”
“……”
“Ah, important info, so I said it twice.”
The clown's soft chuckle echoed across the sands.