Chapter 35: The Same Curiosity
With the examination concluded, the applicants rode back on the ship mentally and physically exhausted, gas tanks emptied and reduced to shells of humans slung over seats as the ship bobbed back to Sanshi. Whether it was a pass or fail, they had all gained valuable experience.
Nara stared at Vallis, Sen, and Malik, who, compared to the rest of the people on board, looked refreshed and clean.
“Why do you all look so nice?” she said, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.
“Crystal wash,” Vallis said matter-of-factly. Nara didn’t like her energetic tone.
“What's that?”
“Only the most quintessential component for every adventurer. Pricy, but worth it. Here—” Vallis tossed her a small bottle. “Give it a try.”
Nara looked at the small bottle in her hand. The liquid was completely clear, crystal clear, except for a slight shimmering rainbow reflection at its surface, like someone had liquified a light filled prism and filled a potion vial. She sloshed it: the consistency of the fluid was between water and honey.
“Stop playing with the wash and just dump it over your head.”
She did, uncorking the small bottle with a pop then dumping its contents over her.
The wash went to work, seeking out dirt and grime as if they were sworn enemies. It was thorough, almost uncomfortably so. She had a feeling that even bacteria had not been spared. The wash slipped off her clothes and body, dripping onto the floor where it continued its assault on uncleanliness.
“When it can no longer absorb filth, it disappears. See?”
It cleaned a whole swath of the deck of the boat before it dissolved into sparkling magic particles that fortunately did not smell of the stank of monster magic. The deck looked as if someone had begun to power wash it then gave up after just a few swipes.
Nara looked at her own body, feeling unnaturally clean. Even her sense of smell felt improved, like it had cleaned residue off her very scent glands, if she had any. She detected a pleasant floral scent from her body, like the freshness of spring.
“It’s even perfumed? That’s nifty.”
Vallis scrunched an eyebrow, “It’s not perfumed. You should smell like nothing, until your natural scent kicks back in.”
“Oh hm. Maybe I just smell nice?”
It was a little strange, but she’d take over the smell of sweat any day.
Thanatos looked up at her and whimpered, pawing at her leg. His paw left a smudge of dirt on her robes.
“…Can I get another one of those?”
*****
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Encio was waiting for her back at the Adventure Society. Results of the examination would be posted the next day: the actual evaluation had already been conducted by Mona. She just needed the approval of the guild higher ups. They were all to return home and get some much-needed rest after a weeklong examination.
“How did it go?” Encio asked conversationally.
“I thought you were confident I would pass?”
“I am, of course. But I still want to know all about it. Anything interesting happen?”
Fair enough: Encio was a gossip.
“Oh yeah, a few things…there was this silver rank monster Mona had to deal with. I guess that’s why she was there…and I saw the guy I knocked over the head with a shovel, but he didn’t recognize me... What was your test like? What lesson was your instructor trying to teach you?”
“Lesson? I have no faults.”
“Ah, so humility was the lesson, and the lesson failed.”
He snorted. Even that was pretty. “I was over trained. But there was something I needed to learn about precision. Damage to buildings and nature isn’t the highest concern when lives are at stake, but I was told I should avoid unnecessary damage when possible. I was overdoing on every enemy when a minimum would have sufficed, and caused a lot more collateral damage.”
“Wow, now I really wonder what your abilities are. Time confluence? You couldn’t have chosen something less flashy?”
He smirked. “Of course not. The real curiosity is, you had access to a Dimension Essence and didn’t choose time. What were you thinking? Were you?”
“What?”
“Thinking.”
She had chosen based on what her ability told her, so perhaps she was an unthinking meerkat. No, no, choosing based on what she was assured was her soul telling her the best set for her to absorb was a perfectly sane and intelligent decision-making process.
“After the celebrations, let’s go on some contracts together. I’ll ignore my lesson, just for you, and you’ll see something special.”
“Indiscriminate destruction isn’t special. Any poor sod with a Cataclysm Confluence can do that.”
“When I do it, it is.”
“And you’re confident I’ll pass?”
“I helped train you,” he said with intentional haughtiness. “I just don’t doubt myself.”
You bastard, she thought. It still made her smile.
*****
Nara only ever felt slight nervousness during examinations, her real anxiety came afterwards: Lying in her bed after a test, staring blankly stared at the ceiling. Thanatos lay beside her, eyes closed and calm.
Sleep would not come.
She had never cared so much about an examination in her life—not her SATs, not her university finals, not job interviews—nor had she ever prepared so much for one. Most of her waking hours for the past 6 weeks had been spent on training: sparring, parkour, meditation, ability use, mind practice, flexibility, strength building, monster slaying, ritual magic, astral magic, and monster slaying.
If she failed, this would be her most crushing failure. Her mouth spoke big, cringe words to Raja, but she felt the shakes of anxiety now. She could try it again next month, but she wanted to pass this time. What if she just wasn’t cut out for it? What if after another month, nothing improved? Maybe a former office worker from an age of safety and plenty just didn’t have the grit and gumption that those of this world had developed ever since their first decennial monster wave.
She wondered if this was how Sen felt after he was told of his failure? Or his failure to form his first team? It must have been demoralizing. Or… maybe he was made of stronger stuff than she was.
“How about we go out for a midnight walk, Thanatos? Get some air and calm the mind?”
He rubbed his head on her shoulder and got up from the bed.
The temperature and weather within the retreat was controlled by an array, but still pleasantly chilling, befitting of night.
The same curiosity sparkled in the sky—the milky way galaxy (probably?), augmented with an extra moon.
She sat down at her favorite spot on the retreat, the lake within the forest. She brought out her lute and began to play folk songs she learned in Aviensa and Sanshi.
There was no pressure to excel in her music. In her childhood, she had to play piano, a quintessential classic of Chinese parenting. Now, with no expectations, assignments, or recitals, she rediscovered her joy of performing music.
“What do you think, do you like it?”
Thanatos barked.
“That’s good. I’m glad. I like it too.”
If all else failed, maybe she had a future in music. (Or maybe not: the field was notoriously competitive in every world. Better stick with adventuring where she had some chance of success.)
She was just being dramatic. She went back to her room and fell asleep.