[Well, what do you think?]

Kai leaned back against the classroom wall, his hand continuously rubbing at his chin as if trying to scratch off his unshaved stubble. The conversation with Sydney hadn’t lasted long, but it did a lot to further his guesses of what was going on.

The similarity of the temple structure, the suspiciously familiar statue, and now the name of the sect.

“I don’t know… Are you sure that the others didn’t somehow end up in an earlier time period than us?”

[Yes. After spending more time talking to Brewan and looking through his magic book, I understand all of the runes I saw on the tokens. None of them relate to time. All of the symbols that I couldn’t recognize before are only there to augment and alter what the main ones are doing.]

“Didn’t you say before we used them that you didn’t know anything about them?”

[I didn’t know their exact use, but I did recognize some of the runes. A few of them were closely related to the research I did for the other disciples.]

Kai didn’t have any of the tokens on him, but Halia instructed him to hold up her necklace, then started pointing out the runes that had also been on the tokens.

[Soul] [Guard]

She then pointed out a rune scribbled on one of the blackboards, a [Link] rune that she had used when making the ruby staff she gave to Edwin.

[They probably have different names here, I’ve just been making up stuff as I go.]

Kai walked over to the blackboard, his gaze scanning over the lines of chalk as he recognized some of the runes Halia had just pointed out.

“Halia. I just realized something.”

[Hmm?]

“I understand none of this. I don’t think I will, even if I try to.”

Kai could do swords, and he could do political interactions with other sects. The voodoo “math and magic science” that Halia proclaimed herself a master of made less sense to Kai than a flying pig.

[Heh, then don’t worry about it. I’m stuck in this necklace anyway, it’d be dumb if I didn’t at least use my time to cover some of your many deficits.]

“Oi, where’s your respect for your seniors?! Me going out and exploring the region instead of hiding in the sect isn’t a deficit!”

[...]

Something in the back of Kai’s mind itched like he’d just said something wrong, but he brushed it aside and continued the conversation.

“Back to the main topic. This place is definitely related to our sect. Everything, even down to the name, is too similar.”

Kai paced around the room, his hand idly rubbing at the stubble on his chin.

“What if other tokens were used in the past? If they were used to bring previous disciples here, that could explain everything!”

A tired sigh echoed in Kai’s mind.

[You’re the sixth person who joined the sect. Who before you do you think could’ve come over here to create this place?]

Ah. Before I joined, the only members of the sect were Enla, Edwin, Dwight- the third disciple, and Lilli, the fourth disciple. Aside from them and the sect’s founder, who is buried on sect grounds, there weren’t any other members before me.

There wasn’t anyone from the sect that could’ve come over to this world in the past. The opposite, though…

It actually makes a lot of sense. The runes back home, the unknown ruby material, and how a tiny sect like ours could have a bunch of disciples whose talent could topple the ranks of sects hundreds of times our size. Halia and I were the only outliers among the core disciples…

Kia’s expression darkened a bit as he slumped back against the wall behind him.

Or rather, just me. She isn’t normal either. Me, on the other hand…

[Hey, are you mad at me for not telling you right away when I figured it out? Hmph, it’s only natural that the one who hid in the sect researching and learning instead of being able to go out and explore without worrying about dying to a random beast would figure it out first.]

The dripping bitterness in Halia’s tone only plunged Kai deeper into his own mind.

Right. If she’d had a constitution that could support cultivation, Halia wouldn’t have been stuck in the sect doing research. She might’ve even been the one slated to lead the sect in the future...

“...Sorry.”

Kai’s mind went silent for almost a minute as his mind continued to stew progressively more uncertain thoughts. Eventually, Halia spoke up again.

[It’s alright. People tire me out quickly, I could never deal with all of the competitions and political stuff you handled for the sect. I’m sure even if I got to go out and adventure, I’d end up wanting to go back to researching most of the time anyway.]

Halia’s voice started to regain its normal playfulness as she continued.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

[Besides, playing support for the famed first disciple sounds like a good time. It’s a good change of pace to be able to bug someone who tries to seem mature.]

“Tries? I am!”

Kai’s previously depressed expression turned into a scowl as Halia cackled mischievously in his mind.

Hmph, I apologize to her, and she just goes right back to trying to make fun of me?! I don’t even know why I was feeling bad before. Halia wouldn’t’ve been able to replace me, even if she could cultivate. I’m still the only one who’s mature enough to lead our sect!

[Right, I was going to work on fixing your robes. I’m pretty sure I will figure out a spell for them with a bit more help from Brewan.. After that, I’m going to start learning more magic!]

Kai could practically feel the excitement returning to her voice as she refocused on her pursuit of magical knowledge.

It’s almost like she has two states of being. She’s either resolutely focused on her research, or doing her best to annoy and embarrass me. Or both.

Still, a small grin couldn’t help but linger in the corner of Kai’s mouth. Even if talking to Halia made him perpetually rub at the bridge of his nose, her positivity was infectious. Somehow, listening to her swept away all of the self-doubts that threatened to creep into Kai’s mind.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have her around.

“This time, I’ll try to show you more of the world.”

[Eh?]

“It was a bit like you were trapped at the sect before, right? Even if you liked researching, I know you also loved it whenever we went out into the wilderness with the other disciples.”

[Thanks… I am kind of a necklace right now, though. I’m stuck with you anyway.]

Kai glanced down at the ruby stone resting against his chest, his cheeks heating up a bit as he realized how useless his statement had been.

“O- obviously that’s why I said it!”

[Sure. I definitely believe you.]

Kai tried and failed to ignore Halia chuckling in his mind as he stomped back to the sleeping classroom.

Hmph, and now she’s right back to being annoying.

“Here, take this!”

Pulling the necklace off his neck, Kai thrust it over toward Brewan.

“I’m going outside to fill up the water flasks!”

After having Halia stuck chattering inside his mind for almost a week straight, Kai needed a break. Even when Brewan was holding the necklace as they researched, he still had to listen to one side of the conversation.

I’m strong enough now, I don’t need to worry about the monsters around the academy.

Most of the remaining work Halia had to do on her robe repairing spell would require the help of Brewan, not Kai. For the time being, he knew that his part in the research would likely just be listening to Brewan’s half of the conversation and occasionally providing some of his mana for Halia to experiment with.

After passing the necklace to Brewan, Kai headed for the room with the broken window. Even a week later, they were still using the window to get in and out of the building.

“At least there aren’t any more glass shards lying around.”

Kai’s feet hardly made any noise against the floor as he leapt through the window with much more ease than a week ago. Outside, the sun was close to touching the western horizon, and it wouldn’t be too much longer before darkness would come for the academy.

“Aah, this feels nice.”

Kai rolled his shoulders as he took in a deep breath.

Sweet, early autumn air. A faint breeze peacefully brushing the overgrown grass before rippling through the nearby forest’s leaves. Somewhere in the distance, the faint trickle of the stream.

“After this week… walking around alone almost feels nostalgic.”

Kai chuckled to himself as he started strolling toward the top of the hill overlooking the academy. He felt confident in defeating any of the monsters they’d commonly seen around the academy grounds on his own, but he wasn’t going to completely forsake common sense.

The view from the top of the hill was even better than on Kai’s walk up it. The wind ruffled his dark, flowing hair as he scanned the surroundings before finding a decent spot to sit down.

“It’s so… empty.”

Kai softly spoke to himself as his eyes swept over the abandoned academy and the rotting town below it. Kai got the same eerie feeling every time they left the academy classroom, but it was even worse now that he was alone.

The sensation of aloneness was enough to choke out the comfort he got from the peaceful sound of the wind. It was stifling.

I almost wish I had Halia still chattering in my mind. Even if it would drown out the sound of nature-

Kai froze. The leaves that’d been softly rippling in the breeze were silent, and the peaceful churning of the stream was silent. Out of the corner of his eye, Kai could still see the top of the treeline swaying, but the leaves’ sound didn’t reach him.

All that was left was the eerie sensation of loneliness, prickling at the back of his neck. It was almost the exact same as the sensation of being watched-

“Shit!”

Kai leapt to his feet, drawing the ruby sword and spinning to face the incoming foe. A hulking, shadowy figure seemed to appear from mid-air just a couple meters away from Kai. His eyes flickered with terror as he instantly recognized the beast.

Deep Ursine! This thing is tier 2!

The one charging at Kai now was considerably smaller than the one he’d seen fall to the terror bird previously, but that wasn’t the only difference. A thick black fog trailed over the bear’s shoulders as it charged toward Kai, and even more mist was concentrated around its head.

Halia wasn’t there to check its exact mana level, but Kai was already certain that this wasn’t a battle he could win. Tier 1 beasts couldn’t use any magic, and whatever the black mist was, it was definitely magical in nature.

The bear was already too close for Kai to dodge its strike, so he could only brace himself for the impact and try to use the sword to block. What felt like a mountain of muscle crashed into Kai, and he felt something in his arm crack as his guard crumbled.

Just like when the terror bird struck him the previous time, Kai was thrown backward, his improved strength from leveling meaning nothing before a vastly more powerful beast. This time, there wasn’t a rotting wooden door to act as a cushion for his fall.

Kai had already been positioned at the edge of the hill, so the bear’s attack easily threw him over the edge.

“Aaaargh!”

Kai’s injured arm slammed heavily into the hillside, and he tucked himself into a ball as he rolled toward the bottom of the hill. Instead of trying to stop his tumbling, Kai squeezed his eyes shut and tried to estimate how far it was to the bottom.

As he neared the bottom, the sound of Kai’s own body tumbling over the dirt somehow started growing quiet to his own ears.

Shit, it’s coming again!

Kai broke out of his roll and tried to dodge to the side to avoid the bear’s next strike, but his body failed him. After tumbling down most of the hill’s length, Kai could hardly tell which direction was up. Even when he opened his eyes, he barely managed to take a couple steps before stumbling and starting to roll again.

Strangely, though, there was no impact. The sounds entering Kai’s ears continued to dim, but the bear didn’t lunge forward again. It didn’t even seem to be chasing after him.

Where did this thing go now?! I definitely should’ve noticed it sneaking up way sooner before, and it’s gone again.

If the strong sensation of being watched and Kai’s continuously dimming sense of hearing was anything to go off, though, the bear definitely wasn’t planning on letting go of its prey.