I Became a Wanderer
Class changed to Wanderer.
…What?
My brain simply could not keep up with what was unfolding. Why was a class change happening all of a sudden?
Enlightenment… If it’s Enlightenment, then that has to mean…
It was an unfamiliar concept, but not one I was meeting for the first time. I vaguely remembered a message containing the word Enlightenment floating up when I’d been beaten half to death while apologizing to Alice.
Back then it definitely said I’d gained Enlightenment by defying my natural disposition.
The system must have sensed that Enlightenment in me, finally recognized me as a seeker of the Way, and pushed the class change through.
So does that mean the truth I’m supposed to seek as a seeker of the Way is tied to this Enlightenment?
I couldn’t be certain, but for now that was as good a guess as any.
“Well, either way, this is a relief. At least we didn’t have the disaster of watching a legendary-grade class slip away right in front of our eyes.”
Then let’s take a look at what power this Wanderer actually holds.
The World Is My Home
Uses Tao Power to become one with the surrounding nature. All senses sharpen, allowing you to perceive phenomena occurring around you.
Still lacking in Enlightenment.
Still lacking in Enlightenment.
……
…
“There’s quite a lot here.”
As expected of a legendary-grade class—there was writing everywhere.
In short, I could use Tao Power to perform various Taoist arts, and the more Enlightenment I gained, the more kinds of arts I’d be able to wield.
For a legendary class, the foundation feels a little thin…
Just look at the Savior of the World that Shiina was supposed to obtain in the future—it came plastered with buffs and active skills. Compared to that, Wanderer was almost modest.
Maybe that’s just how it is for a seeker of the Way. Not enough Enlightenment yet.
Right. Think positive. This was a class I’d gotten for free without lifting a finger. At this point I should be grateful.
As I kept accumulating Enlightenment, I’d only get stronger. How exactly I was supposed to gain that Enlightenment, though, I had no idea.
That aside, I could feel it clearly.
“This power circulating around my body must be Tao Power.”
It was nothing like mana, which flowed through me like blood. This followed me the way a puppy trails after its master.
A force that drifted around me like this… Its usage was bound to be completely different from mana.
“If my guess is right… Yeah. No good.”
Unlike the mana swirling inside me, Tao Power didn’t seem capable of reinforcing my physical abilities themselves.
But it wasn’t all downside.
With mana, you had to carefully draw out just the right amount from within for anything other than body reinforcement. Tao Power? I could simply take the force already hanging around me and use it.
As a test, I moved the Tao Power and condensed it in midair, just a little off the floor. Then I stepped onto that condensed mass—and stood on it as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Of course, to anyone watching it would look anything but ordinary. From the outside, I’d simply be standing on empty air.
“Ooh. This is basically midair walking.”
Actually pulling off a technique I’d only ever seen in cheap Chinese movies left me with a strangely mixed feeling.
“The more I look at this, the more useful it seems.”
Call it Tao Power all you want—in practice, it was like having an extra arm no one else could see. Used well, I could assassinate an enemy without leaving a trace, or flick Chloe on the forehead while she was being full of herself and then play innocent.
“I’ll have to keep thinking about how to put this to use. For now, the Taoist art I can actually use with this Tao Power is… The World Is My Home? That’s an absurdly long name.”
A Taoist art that used Tao Power to become one with the surrounding nature. It sharpened the senses and let you perceive phenomena happening around you.
All well and good—except the skill name was way too long. Hmm. Calling it Nature Realm for short ought to do.
“Heightened senses, huh… Perfect timing. I was worried I’d have to keep buying disposable cognition-acceleration trait stones, but looks like I won’t need to.”
In a situation where an ability that strengthened dynamic vision was practically essential for cleaner Retaliations, Nature Realm would fill that role beautifully.
“All right. Let’s give it a try.”
The moment I activated Nature Realm, a portion of the Tao Power drifting around me spread outward—and the change hit instantly.
“This is…”
I felt the flow of air brushing my skin. The faintest tilt of the ground. The mana trembling inside the mana lamp lighting my room. Even the motion of a leaf falling from the ornamental tree far away came through with startling clarity.
A sensation as if I could see straight through my surroundings.
“I take back everything I just said.”
This wasn’t merely sharpening the senses. It wasn’t simple awareness of the area—it was taking in every scrap of information around me in fine detail.
I let myself sink into that omnipotent feeling I’d never known in my life. Then the side effect arrived.
“Ugh… My head’s throbbing a little.”
It ached as if my brain had been overloaded. Probably from taking in too much information too quickly.
“Maybe it’ll get better if I use it often?”
With a headache stabbing at me like little needles, I went to cut Nature Realm off.
Or rather—I tried to.
“…What?”
The instant I meant to stop, I felt a familiar movement of mana from outside—specifically, right in front of my dormitory door.
“That feels like Lady Cervantes’s magic.”
The shape of the spell unfolding out there was extremely similar to Dimensional Rift, the magic Charlotte had used when she came looking for me earlier today.
“What business could Lady Cervantes have?”
I tilted my head, walked over to the front door, and pulled it open.
There stood Charlotte, fingers already curled to knock.
“…What? I haven’t even knocked yet.”
Startled that I’d flung the door open without a knock, Charlotte took a step back as if a chill had run down her spine.
Ah. Yeah, that would definitely feel weird from her side. Time to bluff.
“Lady Cervantes’s radiance is so dazzling I could feel it through the door. I nearly went blind.”
The moment the nonsense left my mouth, Charlotte’s mana began arranging itself into a neat, regular pattern. A cold sweat slid down my back.
“Joke! Just a joke! The air in my room felt stuffy, so I opened the door to air it out—and there you were, Lady Cervantes.”
I scrambled, rolling my eyes and spitting out whatever came to mind.
“What, suddenly sharp, aren’t you? Still—you open the front door to air out a room? That’s weird.”
“The front door’s bigger than the window, so wouldn’t the ventilation be better?”
“Oh, right. You lost your memories. Got it.”
Truly, amnesia was a universal get-out-of-jail-free card. Peak performance.
“So, what brings you here, Lady Cervantes? Is there something you need?”
“Just something I was a little curious about.”
“You really do have a lot of curiosities, Lady Cervantes. If you ever get a lover, they certainly won’t be bored.”
Charlotte’s mana quietly began to array itself again.
“Kidding. What were you curious about regarding me?”
“…A few hours ago you received Merquin’s blessing. Anything change?”
Ah. So that was why she’d come.
“Oh, the blessing? As far as I can tell, I haven’t felt any particular change yet.”
“Funny, considering you bolted out of the grand hall like someone in a huge hurry.”
“I urgently needed the bathroom. I couldn’t remember where any of the restrooms around the grand hall were. Nearly had a heart attack. And you, Lady Cervantes? Did you gain anything?”
I couldn’t exactly say my luck had skyrocketed and I’d blown my entire fortune on gacha, so I glossed over it again.
“My mana circulation got a little faster, and that was it. Hmm. I see. All right. If you notice any changes later, can you tell me?”
“Hmm. If it’s a request from Lady Cervantes, of course—but may I ask why? I’m not used to receiving this kind of attention. Feels a bit awkward.”
Obviously her goal was to gauge my combat strength. To Charlotte right now, I was a potential risk factor who might even be a demonkin.
“Just because. I was curious what kind of blessing you got, and… I’ve gotten a little interested in you.”
“Hah— Lady Cervantes, suddenly confessing like th—”
“Listen to people until they finish, you brat.”
Charlotte rose onto her toes, clenched her fist, and cracked me on the head with a solid knuckle. It stung more than expected—she packed a surprising punch for how she looked.
“Not the kind of interest you’re thinking of, okay? I already told you. You’ve changed a lot since you lost your memories. That changed version of you is a little interesting, so I’ve got all sorts of questions.”
“Aww. You could’ve just said that from the start.”
“You’re the one who cut me off and started freaking out by yourself! Ah, whatever. No point getting mad. I’m heading back.”
“Huh? Leaving already?”
“Yeah. You might not, but I’ve still got a ton of work left. See you tomorrow.”
Charlotte gave me a small wave and turned away. Hmm. Ending it like this felt a little unsatisfying.
Watching her back as she walked off at a leisurely pace, I suddenly had a brilliant idea—and put it into action at once.
Payback for that knuckle just now.
I lightly condensed some Tao Power and tapped it against the back of Charlotte’s head.
“Ah! What was that—was that you? Don’t tell me this is because I flicked you earlier?”
Exactly as I’d hoped, Charlotte spun around with a mildly heated look and protested at me.
“Of course not. How could I possibly strike Lady Cervantes’s precious head?”
“Don’t play dumb. Besides you and me, who else would—”
Once more, right now.
I condensed Tao Power again and gave the back of her head another gentle tap.
Now then—what kind of reaction would I get? Getting hit in the back of the head while making eye contact ought to throw her into a fluster, right?
“…!”
Her expression hardened. She whipped around and scanned the area—but of course my Tao Power was never going to show up in her eyes.
“Shion.”
“Pfft— Yes? What is it?”
“Cover me for a second.”
“Excuse me?”
Cover her? That was not a word I expected to hear right now.
I tilted my head at the unexpected reaction, and Charlotte dropped low without hesitation, spreading her mana in a wide sweep around us.
“…I can’t sense it with mana. Some kind of stealth trait?”
“Lady Cervantes?”
“Someone’s here. Feels like an assassin.”
An assassin? Don’t tell me she means my Tao Power?
“Damn it—is it that blond assassin from before?”
Charlotte seemed to be jumping to a completely ridiculous conclusion.
“Lady Cervantes, I think there’s been a small misundersta—”
Charlotte snapped open a Dimensional Rift and seized me by the collar.
“Come with me.”
And without the slightest hesitation, she dragged me straight through the rift.