Chapter 23: Earth Soul Remnant
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Tetsuya was using the shovel for at least three hours, "Cosplaying the world, huh?!" He used one of the earth's terms while cursing at the hill. His whole body then threw the dirt to the side.
Next to him was Reyas, "What's… cosplay?" She asked while panting roughly. She and Tetsuya were located in a deep hole that was constantly retaliating against them. Each progress was halved as the soul hidden in the hill just moved the soil around.
It was hard and arduous work, but the game master wouldn't stop now, "Cosplay is when you dress and act like another person or book's character." Tetsuya spat, then pushed his shovel into the ground. The ground trembled as if angered by that.
"So it's like a disguise? What's the difference?" It was a good way to kill time, so Reyas became a little talkative. She hated all that hard work, though.
Tetsuya just spat again, "Cosplay is done for fun." He then gritted his teeth and took out more soil. This image didn't look 'fun' at all and Reyas was sure that the earth remnant was feeling and possibly looking the same.
She just shrugged and then helped him with the work, "So that earlier skill was called Ego Eyes? What's the third one? Am I allowed to know that?" Reyas finally got influenced by the game master, her tongue rolling some saliva, "Ptfu!"
"It's called Sovereign's Throne." Tetsuya didn't mind sharing this info with her. This woman was already his 'worker' and as she had no place to go, his village will be her home from now on.
Furthermore, Reyas was not that stupid to give up the moderator role. The quests were one thing, but if she could at least control a portion of those quests, then she would be able to build her own network around here.
It was fun to have power and she was ready to build that hierarchy here. There was no problem that there was someone stronger than her. Why? Because Reyas was never 'the strongest', but someone who worked for her own gain while keeping an eye on her surroundings.
Who in the world would expect a demon bloodline's game master with a system and heaven-defying power to enter one's store?
"If Ego Eyes allow the world and its people to look at me, Sovereign's Throne forces the world to accept me anywhere." Tetsuya also explained his ability, but Reyas just rolled her eyes, then spat.
"So you can teleport?" She then decrypted his words.
"This ability puts me whenever I want. But this world and its schemes continue to surprise me… I need to mark someone."
"..." Reyas felt like punching him, but she was too exhausted to even move her shovel. Looking at the hole that was like a black hole, she slowly leaned down and just laid herself on the ground.
"I can't… keep going." As this tired apology escaped her lips, Reyas narrowed her eyes and nearly fell asleep.
This day could be called eventful and rewarding already, so Tetsuya surprised the lady, "Good night." This alone made Reyas just close her eyes as she went asleep with a satisfied smile on her face. Then, Tetsuya's eyes dilated.
"Can you do it?" He asked Ashley inwardly.
"I think I can! Let's try it!" Ashley was likewise satisfied with Reyas and was happy for her to get that recognition. When Tetsuya said 'Good night' her heart fluttered as it was sweet! She had a lot of work to do with this partner, but there were good things about him!
As her voice conveyed all those emotions, Tetsuya said, "How easy." Then smiled like Reyas!
His shovel then let out purple light. This light coiled around his shovel for around a minute then took the form of a snake. It was Ashley's Q spell that was making its first appearance in the world!
"Suck it."
BOOM!
Ashley's skill caused more than just the hole to shake. The whole world despaired at the appearance of the demon's descendant! Its raw might dug more than Tetsuya did for the whole day which was amazing! "That's my wife. My strength."
"Ah, just be happy!" Ashley was likewise happy, her voice saying so. She thought about this for a long time, even before Tetsuya began this arduous work. But before Ashley could go more into details, she told Tetsuya to catch Reyas.
She was sleeping so nicely as if she finally got a good sleep after all these years. The explosion and the world's despair didn't even wake her and she continued to just sleep quietly.
Before her body hit the ground, Tetsuya reached for her. He did it even before Ashley spoke out loud, "This world and its schemes have limited even me. How many?" He asked as he went underground! It was time to enter the hill.
"It's confusing since I am soul only, but it goes through your body and also uses your mana… I think I could shoot five if I were to use it with your full mana!" Ashley straight explained the weakness, but her power was really outstanding.
It was clear that she was the one with the demon's bloodline!
"Mana potions." Tetsuya just noted this within himself, then spoke a new term. "What do you think we need for mana potions? Energy? How do I make others extract energy out of their living bodies?" Tetsuya asked, but Ashley made a conflicted expression within him. There was a case that the rune would help, but the 'energy' would be needed. It was a topic that was studied in the academy, but Ashley didn't reach that class.
She also took lessons from her royal court and they focused on something else as their resources were just bountiful.
"We should… go to the academy." Ashely finally confessed.
"That might be the case. It will be hard to find a teacher for me in this world, though." Tetsuya spoke about the teacher, a person that was above the students. This made Ashley dumbfounded.
"What?" She even uttered these words mindlessly.
"My former world was helping me. This one continues to betray, instead. People with long experience in their field are worthy of a little respect from me. Since sharing one's knowledge is dangerous here, I shall reward those people with respect and an appropriate loyalty system."
"Ah, that's what you meant… I think the extraction should be common knowledge, at least part of it. But it will take you some years to get access to the books. Besides, a lot of people will try to hinder you if you keep being yourself."
"We will see. The academy and mana potions can wait." Tetsuya then raised his eyes at the earth remnant. But Ashley was curious about something else.
"How did your world exactly help you?" She probed with big eyes that Tetsuya had yet to see.
"Old rules and laws applied to everything in my age. Here, it's all different and constantly betrays me with its simplified versions. And what's old is buried even deeper... So deep that this scheming world can only laugh and laugh from here..."
"I am sorry I asked. Oh, that remnant… He died so early… I feel bad for him."
The earth soul remnant was a boy around nine years old.
"Leave! Leave, you bad people!" He waved his hand while trying to shoo away Tetsuya and Reyas. He looked a little scared, but his eyes rarely trembled as if there was one hidden weapon ready to be unleashed.
"If I am a bad person, then your whole lineage is filled with criminals," Tetsuya answered.
"Eh? What is lineage?" A boy wondered, but his eyes stood wary!