Evaluation skill screen ❢
Age〖 20 〗｟ Max: 25 ｠
Permission〖 Lvl. 2 〗
Class〖 Apprentice 〗
Magic 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗
Authority〖 Lvl. 2 〗
【 Stats 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗】
【 Buffs 〔0〕】
【 Debuffs〔2〕】
➨ Reduction of body and mental stats 〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
➨ Reduction of Magic〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
【 Inherent characteristics 〔3〕】
➨ Universal characteristics of beings created by the System｟ Body, Spirit and Soul ｠
➨ Improved one body stat｟ Body ｠
➨ Improved eyesight｟ Body ｠
Evaluation skill screen ❢
Age〖 22 〗｟ Max: 25 ｠
Permission〖 Lvl. 2 〗
Class〖 Apprentice 〗
Magic 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗
Authority〖 Lvl. 2 〗
【 Stats 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗】
【 Buffs 〔0〕】
【 Debuffs〔2〕】
➨ Reduction of body and mental stats 〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
➨ Reduction of Magic〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
【 Inherent characteristics 〔3〕】
➨ Universal characteristics of beings created by the System｟ Body, Spirit and Soul ｠
➨ Improved one mental stat｟ Spirit ｠
➨ Improved sense of smell｟ Body ｠
Evaluation skill screen ❢
Age〖 21 〗｟ Max: 30 ｠
Permission〖 Lvl. 2 〗
Class〖 Apprentice 〗
Magic 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗
Authority〖 Lvl. 2 〗
【 Stats 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗】
【 Buffs 〔0〕】
【 Debuffs〔2〕】
➨ Reduction of body and mental stats 〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
➨ Reduction of Magic〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
【 Inherent characteristics 〔3〕】
➨ Universal characteristics of beings created by the System｟ Body, Spirit and Soul ｠
➨ Improved two body stats｟ Body ｠
➨ Improved muscle mass｟ Body ｠
Evaluation skill screen ❢
Age〖 24 〗｟ Max: 30 ｠
Permission〖 Lvl. 2 〗
Class〖 Apprentice 〗
Magic 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗
Authority〖 Lvl. 2 〗
【 Stats 〖 F-｟ Temporarily G ｠〗】
【 Buffs 〔0〕】
【 Debuffs〔2〕】
➨ Reduction of body and mental stats 〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
➨ Reduction of Magic〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
【 Inherent characteristics 〔3〕】
➨ Universal characteristics of beings created by the System｟ Body, Spirit and Soul ｠
➨ Improved one body stat｟ Body ｠
➨ Improved one mental stat｟ Spirit ｠
Evaluation skill screen ❢
Age〖 25 〗｟ Max: 35 ｠
Permission〖 Lvl. 2 〗
Class〖 Apprentice 〗
Magic 〖 F- 〗
Authority〖 Lvl. 2 〗
【 Stats 〖 F- 〗】
【 Buffs 〔0〕】
【 Debuffs〔2〕】
➨ Reduction of body and mental stats 〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
➨ Reduction of Magic〖 Permanent – Reversible 〗
【 Inherent characteristics 〔4〕】
➨ Universal characteristics of beings created by the System｟ Body, Spirit and Soul ｠
➨ Improved one body stat｟ Body ｠
➨ Improved two mental stats｟ Spirit ｠
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
➨ Improved stamina｟ Body ｠
I blinked frantically, utterly flabbergasted by the sight of my enemies' Statuses. I took a second look at my opponents, but nothing had changed. I had to face facts: this would be a tricky fight. This phrase was a euphemism for reassuring myself as best I could, even though I knew the probable outcome of this fight.
Of course, their physical and mental stats had dropped sharply, but that didn't mean they didn't pose a danger to us. Firstly, they had the advantage of numbers. Secondly, their leader still looked strong since his Stats and Magic hadn't dropped in rating.
Of course, if I could get a more precise rating for Stats and a more accurate rating for Magic as for my Status, I'd surely see that his power in these areas had indeed severely diminished. Nevertheless, it was a fact that they remained more powerful than me, both in Magic and in Stats. Mainly as I'd already used up most of my mana.
What's more, my sister's body was so bruised on all sides that it wasn't even necessary to compare our Stats to our enemies to see who was winning. Given the better condition of their bodies compared to ours, it was clear that they were far outstripping us at the moment, at least in terms of Stats. For Magic, it depended on their previous use, as one of the debuffs intrigued me.
After all, for body and mind Stats, I could understand it as being due to their injuries and fatigue. But what was the reason for the reduction in Magic? I found this question intriguing because of the possibilities it offered during a fight. Of course, I'd have to be able to recreate such a debuff, which would no doubt be excessively complicated.
In fact, it was impossible at the moment, given my minimal knowledge of algorithms and the workings of the Status... Nevertheless, I saved this information for later while trying to anchor it as firmly as possible in my poor memory. After all, I'd never forgive myself if I later forgot this idea, even if only inadvertently.
In any case, the only certainty was that as they approached our room, I could vaguely detect blood and severe wounds in multiple places on their bodies, proof that they wouldn't last much longer in this state. This fact reassured me a little. Even if, unfortunately, it made our death possible, especially if they no longer had enough mana to capture us.
Of course, I had no formal proof that they belonged to the organization. Even if they did, they were only a minor branch of the enemy organization. As such, the opponents had to be massively weaker than those at headquarters or even a main branch. To what extent there was a difference in power between the headquarters and its various branches was yet to be determined...
In any case, I was about to find out, as one of the Academicians spotted me and pointed roughly at us. Unfortunately, the cadence of their footsteps had noticeably increased, a sign that we deserved their undivided attention. If this was the case, there could be no doubt about their affiliation with the organization, much to my displeasure.
Wildly since they saw us, they instantly glared at us as if we'd done something unforgivable to them. I was tempted to retort that it was they who had perpetrated the dastardly deed of capturing us for more dubious motives than I had even dared to imagine. But after all the deaths I'd caused myself with my sister, I felt I had no right to judge them after all.
Especially as my first impression of them didn't make me feel any sadistic impulse or unhealthy pleasure in murder or capture for that matter. It was more like a simple, back-breaking, and unprofitable job, but the only viable alternative to be at least safe in the Academy. Of course, I could be wrong about the feelings conveyed, but that's what I could sense from the aura they gave off.
To clarify, this aura didn't exist and was merely the aggregation of the information received by my skill in analyzing the environment and other people. In any case, I couldn't extract any more genuinely helpful information in the immediate future from our opponents' Statuses or the environment. So, I could only hope that a miracle would happen one last time, as I had no viable plan.
"Too bad my evaluation skill is only level 5, and my analysis skill is complicated to increase in level," I repeated tirelessly in my mind. My incomplete preparation was, therefore, detrimental in the end. "Who'd have thought it?" I wanted to say selflessly. All the more so, if we didn't die from the Academicians who were now dangerously close to us, it would simply be due to our inability to move.
Indeed, with each additional second, my apostle's body was being devoured further by the noxious substance. So, my sister would die because of my desire to climb the Class, and I... I wasn't sure what would become of me once my connection with my sister was severed? Would I then become one of those beings floating around the World without a body, like a specter in any of the three planes known a priori to the World, i.e., without the entropic plane?
In fact, it would be even worse than a specter, for even they had a body. A physical body at best, a spiritual one most of the time, and an etheric one at worst. What could be more humiliating than knowing that I was a more miserable existence in the eyes of the World than a specter? If only the World didn't judge individuals by their ability to possess a body, whether it was their own or they were actually borrowing someone else's.
Wait a minute!? How do I know all this information? After all, I've never seen such creatures, and I certainly don't know the World's preferences... Unless... After all, this isn't the first time this has happened to me... It's happened before... A doubt suddenly appeared in my mind. This emotion penetrated so profoundly that my whole being was shaken.
Just as I was about to delve deeper into a fact that had bothered me for as long as I could remember... at least since my first awakening, I felt my apostle's body jump briefly. This happened twice more, moving it away from the puddle where it had been stuck until then. Suddenly, a flicker of feverish hope appeared in me as I thanked the process for not impacting the immediate surroundings too much.
While we'd been lucky enough to have flown only a few dozen centimeters off the ground and to have a landscape that had stayed the same from before, this was unfortunately not the case for some of our opponents. In fact, the twenty-year-old Academician was so severely shaken that he spun at full speed through the air and crashed into high ground some ten meters away.
Thus, his life ended before he even realized what had happened to him. As for the twenty-one-year-old enemy standing next to the previous Academician, his landing took him into a puddle. His body dissolved almost instantly. Such was his speed that I was utterly stunned. Clearly, I had completely underestimated the danger of this liquid.
What's more, it made me wonder about the nature of the materials used on my sister's skin alone. All the more so as it resembled natural human skin in every way. But no sooner had I taken a few seconds to reflect on this question than new tremors transformed the landscape.
This time, my sister flew a few meters before crashing into an elevated part of the ground to the left of our previous position. A few more wounds appeared on her body. Fortunately, none were fatal for the next minute. But I couldn't say the same for my opponents. Indeed, the twenty-two-year-old died while still in the air.
While he seemed to be watching the ground, undoubtedly to see where he was going to fall and protect himself as best he could, he was impaled on the pointed top of a portion of the rising ground. Thus, another life in this World came to an end. But it wasn't the last to end with this tremor. Indeed, the twenty-four-year-old enemy had been more intelligent.
In fact, he had protected himself from the sudden rise of part of the ground beside him with a kind of magical shield while still in the air. However, a few seconds after landing, he fell to his death as part of the ground suddenly dropped almost ten meters. Unfortunately for him, his shield had just been deactivated, certainly for lack of sufficient mana to power it.
One wondered whether the System had waited for the right moment to kill him. In any case, even after all these ordeals, there was still one Academician, the leader of the original group, who had survived. It was likely because his mana reserve was more significant, his overall stats were higher, one of his inherent abilities gave him greater endurance, and his luck had been better than his companions.
He remained in thought for a few minutes, his face shocked, as the tremors were again absent. The easy death of my enemies by the walls and floor of the Academy itself made me wonder how they could be so inexperienced when they lived in this place every day? They must have been perfectly aware of the types of traps.
At the very least, they must have been prepared to fight death traps. No doubt they'd already experienced it once in their lives, although I admittedly didn't know how often it happened. I suspected, however, that it couldn't happen very often, although I couldn't imagine it being that rare. Then, an apparent thought occurred, illuminating me with all its wisdom.
Of course, they were already so tired that their reaction time became extremely high. What's more, their mana reserves must have been almost empty. In short, their overall physical state and their certainly defeatist spirit after wandering countless corridors and rooms for several hours had also sealed their fate. After all, they must already have lost the battle against the Academy's traps in their minds.
This was to be expected, as they had already passed through the traps while they had been active. Systalia and I had been lucky enough to wander around when the traps had deactivated. At the same time, the Academicians had already had to consume most of their mana to protect themselves from the previous trap activation while undoubtedly being hampered by Ælyana in their movement.
Indeed, some of the corpses did not look as if they had been killed by the traps but rather by a person. What's more, this wasn't counting the number of people Ælyana must have gently guided to the traps during the fights without them realizing it. Strangely enough, I could see her using this kind of ruse just to save her energy and not have to take responsibility for the deaths.
Once again, this feeling of knowing something was strongly manifesting in me. Not since my first awakening had this feeling that memories could finally be recovered, at least partially, been so vivid. Moreover, my Void held the key to my lost memory. Ever since I had integrated the mysterious book written in runic language into The Book, I had constantly felt the Void's calls.
I knew intuitively what I had to do to uncover one of my forgotten memories. I just had to unseal my Void for a short while to allow it to further break the seal that hindered its freedom to continue the purpose of its existence in this World. At least, that was the intention I perceived from him every time. Whether it was true or false, I didn't know. In fact, it didn't really matter.
However, I knew that, in any case, the Void would not disappoint me. It was impossible, just like it was a betrayal of me. Once again, I couldn't prove it; I could only feel it with all my being. Besides, I had long since decided to trust my intuition and instinct, which had helped me so much since my first awakening.
Thanks to them, I survived all the deadly adventures I took part in during my first steps in this World. That's why... I looked at the former leader of the Academicians group, who now belonged to the past. Yes, I resolved to use the Void's power despite the consequences. The reward was simply too tempting and crucial to my future choices to ignore.
Indeed, by helping the Void to temporarily get rid of the seal, he owed me a favor that I could use to obtain one of the memories I presumed to be stored within it. Indeed, I discerned in it an intention to take advantage of such an opportunity to irreversibly weaken the seal and enable it to extend its Will further into this World.
In fact, it may surprise you, but at the time, I wasn't against greater freedom for the Void. Even if I understood that the long-term consequences would not be taken lightly. In any case, I had no choice but to resolve the situation... Only the Void's energy could help me, despite the unknown and irreversible cost it would have on me and my sister.
I watched as the only remaining Academician approached my sister, anger evident on his face as he stared at her as if she alone were responsible for the misfortune that had befallen his companions. The tears flowed down his face, showing me again that most humans hold their companions dear. This is despite their jobs, which drove them to kill people and thus disregard life, at least those of the targets to be slaughtered.
Was he wrong to see us as the cause of all these unfortunate events? It was a painful possibility until the reason for the organization's interest in us was clarified. I didn't know if I could take responsibility or if I should even take responsibility for my past in the first place. After all, nobody was forcing me to, so why should I?
Especially as I preferred to bury all my past mistakes as far as possible if it meant I could get to the top of the World more peacefully. At the time, I still had a sufficiently naive conception of the World to imagine that it was possible for me to become one of the strongest beings in the World with relative discretion. Obviously, events turned out differently than I had imagined...
If only I'd known all the trials and losses that awaited me on my journey... Poor me from the past... So pathetic... I'm so ashamed of the me who believed in such nonsense... Won't you ever leave me alone, dear System? But I can't blame you. You had your own goal, which was considered better than mine. However, I still refuse to call you by your Intrinsic Name.
After all, Names have power, so recognizing someone's Name means something special in this World. But then, I've already said too much, so let's get on with the story if you don't mind, my dear Successor. As I concentrated on unsealing the Void for a brief moment, I saw the Academician come within a few meters of me in the field of vision not covered by blood.
I could now see the extent of the damage with his bruised, bloodied body and torn clothes. Indeed, with all his open wounds, he was going to die within minutes. Besides, it was still a miracle that he could move at all. Just as I thought, he collapsed to the ground. But he kept walking or crawling towards us, shouting incomprehensible words.
Unfortunately, Systalia could no longer translate these words for me, and her vocal cords were no longer functioning. His actions were pointless in any case, as he was now too weak to be a threat. Even the scroll he'd managed to keep with him was useless, as his mana reserve seemed almost wholly depleted, given his vain attempts to activate the spell.
I regained my concentration, always watching the enemy's actions in case he held on to one last trump card. His crying intensified as he struck the ground with his fist so hard that it became even bloodier than before. In a way, he impressed me, as he seemed impervious to pain. In any case, he came ever closer to my apostle.
Three meters, two meters, one meter, a few centimeters, twenty centimeters, ten centimeters, and finally, his right hand grabbed my sister's neck. Then, I understood the extent of his devastation with his utterly desperate expression. An unhealthy yet sweet smile graced my etheric face. "Don't worry; your torment will soon be over," I wanted to tell her vehemently.
Indeed, his life would soon be a bad memory. I exhausted myself deeply, having finished gathering all my Will. I took one last look at my enemy. I felt a little sorry for him, for he didn't even have enough strength left to strangle my apostle. Suddenly, I pressed my Will against what seemed to be the Void's seal. As I could not perceive it, I let my intuition guide me.
My plan was working, and I could feel an external force trying to stop me as I surrounded the Void with my Will. Of course, my Will was too weak to temporarily destroy the seal, at least in its current form. That's why I did my best to channel the energy of my Will into one point. Ever denser, ever more powerful, ever more radiant – that was the reality of my Will for a brief moment.
Finally, the seal was perforated where my Will was located. My Will instantly withdrew from the seal, driven by the Void's Will, which almost immediately mingled to form Our Will. In the blink of an eye, Our Will manifested itself in the outside world. Fortunately, my sister had acquired the reflex of always touching The Book in one way or another, especially in desperate situations.
The surrounding area was transformed into a kaleidoscope of black and white as soon as the World's Will was submerged by Our Will. This time, however, the Void's reach was more remarkable, and the kaleidoscope took on more complex forms as if another space were superimposed on that of the World. Even so, this place remained inaccessible, and its contours blurred.
The Academician barely had time to open his eyes before he was absorbed by the accelerating expansion of Our Will. In his final moments, his face expressed a fear that seemed to be rooted in the depths of his being. How did I appear to him? How did the Void appear to my victims? As an enemy? A friend? Neither? Both? How abnormal was my Void's vision compared to the beings of this World?
Although I longed to find out, I quickly curbed the growing excitement accompanying this wish. For the time being, I had to be content with a facial expression of almost divine contemplation mixed with profound incomprehension and absolute despair on the part of my victims. Could I ever admire another expression on their faces in their final moments?
"I'd like that to happen one day. Yes... Indeed... That would be rather interesting..." was my last thought before I felt a sharp, gentle burn in an unknown place deep in the abyss of my mind. It was as if something had entered me. But surprisingly, it was warm and peaceful, as if I'd rediscovered a fundamental element of my existence.
Then, my etheric eyes gently closed as I seemed to float away to an unknown and familiar place. During that brief moment when my mind was neither quite awake nor entirely asleep, all I could feel was deep anguish... mixed with a surprising sense of fullness.
And so it was that I witnessed one of my memories of yesteryear, allowing me to obtain some answers and a few Truths... but also many more questions.
In any case, this reminder of my past further increased my motivation to reach the summit of the World to question the System about the enigma that was my existence.
Was I ready to face all the Truths about to be revealed to me and those still hiding in plain sight? Unfortunately, only time will tell.