"Ooh? Sounds fun, but I'm not sure how to help." Elise did the casual arms up, hands behind neck anime pose. She was still dressed in her gi, and to be honest, I don't know if she even has any spare clothes besides that. "Though, if I were there, I would've used my ninja powers to outrun the guy!"

"Great... that helps a lot."

This was the first time I managed to catch her outside before class. I don't know why I thought it was a smart idea to consult her.

"What are you asking me for?" Audi shrugged, jotting down notes from the board. "Isn't that your job?"

"Well, yeah, but don't you think-"

The teacher cleared her voice and stared at me very angrily. I lowered my voice.

"Don't you think you can help me a little bit?"

"Well, we just have different stats, don't we? For the main part, what is it that you can do?"

...?

"Erm, I believe that there is nobody out there quite like you. I encourage you to hold your head high as the one shrouded in darkness."

Stu was focused on mixing the purple concoction that we were brewing up in class. Some funky fumes started to rise.

"I was asking for advice, not for you to just praise me for doing absolutely nothing."

"Well, erm, I actually wasn't. I was being honest. You should be yourself. I think that would be all you need to win."

I watched as he recoiled from the boiling liquid, which was starting to melt the stirring rod.

"Um. Okay? I'll see how that works out."

For today, I decided to have lunch at the rooftop. It was actually empty and the view was really nice, so I might consider hanging out here more often. Plus, it solidifies my protagonist status.

Hmm...

I'm thinking back on what they said earlier.

Ninja powers. Different stats. What I can do. Shrouded in darkness. Be yourself. Win.

...

Are there any rules for searchers?

I want to practice again.

"Keep going!" Tomas shouted, jogging with the rest of the team. "Ten more laps and we're done with warmups!"

I opened the bag once more, watching the medium mode beetle zip away.

After yesterday, something felt a bit strange. I was expecting to be sore and tired, but I woke up perfectly fine. Maybe I didn't push myself hard enough, but my sweat and tears were proof otherwise.

"Status!"

Boles Bose | Age: 16 | Title: Novice

Strength: 19

Fortitude: 13

Intelligence: 4.99

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Magic: 1.01

Luck: 22

Idiocy: 40

My stats increased, as I had thought. My strength is just a bit higher than before.

Let's see how things go this time.

I chased after the beetle without any strategy. There was no point trying to outmaneuver or trick it.

?

I was shocked yesterday at how agile this body was before, but... I'm even faster now. My first few steps nearly made me fall over. Is this really the result of an increase of two points?

Still, I'm lagging behind. I can't catch up unless I make a leap for it.

Here we go!

CRASH!

"AARrrughhh...? Hm?"

I fell over and tumbled, rolling around until I was starting to get dizzy. Despite that, I wasn't feeling too hurt for some reason.

Lucky me?

Let's try again.

My eyes were able to barely manage to keep up with every sudden jolt that the beetle made. Still, I was far too slow. By the time I would realize what had happened, my body wouldn't move until an entire second afterwards.

This isn't gonna work. Not even this body is enough. Decent stats from the start, but not enough.

...

Wait a minute.

I'm right. This body alone isn't enough. I don't even know who I really am. I can't expect to do good if that's the case.

Think about it. What did they say earlier?

What is it that I have? What is it that I can do?

What makes me special? What are my skills?

.

.

.

I searched for the old grimoire locked deep within my soul.

That familiar sensation. The rough cover and stained paper.

"Open."

I commanded, summoning the book in front of me. It was levitating, glowing with a sinister red aura.

With the flick of my finger, it flipped through the pages, showing me the spells that I had access to. So far, I had accumulated seven out of the possible five hundred.

...

!

This might be the one.

"Slippery Power, activate!"

My body became shiny. It was like I doused myself with oil. I went to take a step but slipped, landing on my back. It wasn't painless, but my fortitude could keep up.

"I understand it now." I said, rolling onto my stomach and getting on all fours. "How could two limbs possibly compete with more? I must understand the beetle in order to catch it."

My legs pushed forward, and my arms swung ahead. It was like I was swimming on land, in a sense.

However, with no proper experience, I found myself crashing face-first into the Colosseum walls.

"Aaaaaagggg..."

That wasn't fun.

I should learn how to steer, first.

"Hrnk! Ha-ah!"

I temporarily stopped crawling to extend my hands, barely missing the golden beetle.

Damn! I'm so close!

Now I have the speed to keep up just enough, but I lack the... dexterity? Precision?

Woah!

The beetle just ran under some obstacle! Something!

But wait, I'm-

Bonk.

"OWIE! What on earth? Did I hit steel or something?"

I lifted my head to see a silhouette. The sky was already turning orange now.

Captain Tomas was standing tall in front of me. He's basically a big hunk of muscle.

"You really are putting in the work, huh?" He smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth. "You seem fired up today."

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't believe it. Let me tell ya."

I grabbed his surprisingly soft hand which he extended out for me, easily lifting me back onto my feet. The little reserves of magic I had were completely expended trying to maintain my slippery form.

"Some random kid challenged me to a searcher battle last night. I thought he was ignorant and talking trash, but he made me look stupid. Seriously, he's too good to not be on the team. He even said he wouldn't let me play for the tournament."

"...What?"

"Oh, yeah, I know, right? I couldn't get his name. He was weird, y'know. But if I saw him in person, I could point him out. He's dressed in-"

"In all black, pale face, shadows under his eye and tall like a tree."

"Right! I was gonna say he was basically average height, but you totally got it!"

I laughed, but he wasn't laughing. In fact, his face was super serious.

Did I say something wrong?

"I... I should've known. I'm sorry." He muttered, taking a deep breath. "You see, there was a searcher before you joined. His name is Alvure Kiel."

"Oh, no wonder why he was quiet about that. That's such a dumb name. I can't even imagine."

"Well, he basically... I- There's not an easy way to put it."

"Did he die?"

"N-no, but he was... trying to?"

How am I supposed to respond to that?

"He was a strange kid. A real good searcher, yeah, but he was odd. Still, he helped us reach finals. The qualifier for nationals, y'know. We hadn't made it since my first year. But anyway, he was playing against a real strong opponent. It was neck and neck. One thing led to another, and he... just let loose. He threatened to blow himself up."

"What? How? But- I...?"

"Apparently he had some kind of magic like that. I heard some rumors, but I didn't think he would commit. Luckily, he was stopped before he actually did it, though he was permanently banned from playing ever again. And that's what happened."

"So... now what? Did he challenge me to get revenge? So that I wouldn't ever play again and suffer like he did?"

"To be honest, I'm not so sure. All I can say is that you shouldn't worry too much about it. I have high hopes for you, kid. You should take a rest for today."

He left and waved goodbye.

I'm not really sure what to do now.

On an unrelated note, I'm feeling a little odd again. I dunno if that means I'm getting stronger, or if that's just my body shutting down after getting concussed multiple times today.

...

Oh. Yup.

I'm definitely feeling something right now.

Is that me? Am I... seeing myself?