After the call with Sayuri, Dignitas headed straight for his personal training hall. He wasn't there to try out what he thought The Penguin was, but instead to finally see the answer to a question he had long asked himself.
Dark, Chaos, or Reality?
That could only be found out when he saw his new skill in action.
"Good evening, Student IB-401."
The A.I greeted Dignitas with the same voice, and quickly got to adjusting the hall's settings based on how Dignitas liked it.
Dignitas' visits here were frequent, and as such the A.I had already developed a detailed profile on who and what kind of person he was.
"Hey. For starters, could I get some training dummies? I wanna test something out."
"Certainly."
In an instant, ten dummies manifested themselves twenty meters away from his location. They were the perfect distance for his new skill.
"Alright, let's try this out."
Taking Dainsleif out, Dignitas prepared to channel his mana into his sword.
Then, taking a deep breath, he swung it, chanting "Affinity Wave."
Right at the apex of his swing, a transparent, almost ethereal shape flew off his blade, taking the shape of the sword.
The shape shot forward, eventually hitting the lone dummy that stood in its way.
There didn't seem to be that much damage done. All it did was knock the dummy over.
"That's… weird. Could've sworn the skill would fuse with my affinity. Did a bug happen, or something?" He scratched his head.
Just to make sure, Dignitas swung Dainsleif again, this time uttering Affinity Wave with a louder voice.
The same thing happened. A wave broke off and crashed into another dummy.
"Damn, this has gotta be a joke…"
Just as Dignitas was pondering whether to go back to Bigsby's to refund the card, he felt a slight tickle in his head.
Then, out of nowhere, a familiar brown book instantly appeared in front of him. He didn't even call for it, either.
"The Log? I never summoned it…"
And at that very moment, the Log was opened. The pages were flipped over so fast, it was like someone was skimming through them at top speed.
Then it stopped. Directly in the middle of the book, a page was torn off and began levitating above it.
With a whoosh, the page flew towards Dainsleif and fused itself with it! It was as if the sword had absorbed the page entirely.
All this happened in the span of ten seconds. But the only one watching it, Dignitas, knew this could only mean one thing.
Without another word, he raised Dainsleif. A swift swing, and another wave was "broken off."
Except this wave was different, very different. For one, it actually had color, unlike before. It was white, pure white. White as snow, and whiter than the whitest.
But that wasn't all. As the wave traveled in those short moments, Dignitas spotted small parts of the wave randomly disappearing and reappearing, like they were being removed and added back into reality.
This made it look like the wave was "glitching" in and out of existence.
After that, the next thing he noticed was how the wave had no set shape. Earlier, it had taken on the form of Dignitas' slash. His almost vertical swing was reproduced as a carbon copy that was the wave.
But this time, he spotted small curves in the wave. His third slash wasn't as swift and disciplined as the last two, but was instead a swing that held expectations within it.
Expectations that were achieved, to say the least.
To really make sure, Dignitas did it again. He chanted, "Affinity Wave."
But this time, he did not swing yet. Instead, he moved his sword, flailing it in all directions like a madman.
After three seconds of rapid movement, Dignitas then stopped.
It was just as he had thought. The swing was imitated perfectly! All the curves, lines, and even shapes that he had hastily drawn were replicated in the wave.
"I guess this answers it. Reality it is."
While at first, Dignitas was surprised to see it there, it was the only affinity that could have been given to the Author.
The Reality Affinity, or the element that allows people to change the world around them. In terms of power, it was just about the same as Time. It lost to the latter in speed, but could store a higher creativity ceiling to it.
The different ways the Reality affinity could be used were boundless. It was the power to change everything in the world around.
With this newfound power, Dignitas continued training. For now, the waves seemed to have no special effect on them yet, but with time, Dignitas could see himself creating structures with the swing of his sword.
While there were three initial outcomes that could occur as a result of Affinity Wave, deep down, Dignitas knew that Reality was the only one he would've wanted.
After all, what better affinity was there for an author who could change the plot of the very story he was in?
***
Time soon passed. Days turned to weeks. During this time, nothing much happened. Dignitas had made no significant progress in his training, as he was busy taking care of other matters.
The day after he learned his affinity, Dignitas went to Class 1-AL and handed Kiara the recipe. She was surprised to see that he actually had it, but asked the former to leave her alone for a bit so that she could analyze the recipe.
But after a few days, she was able to see that it was actually possible. With that, she got straight to creating Dignitas' homunculus as a reward. It wouldn't be finished until the second term arrived, but Dignitas was still happy that it was working.
His training sessions with Lorelai had already come to a close as well. The girl was disappointed that even after tens of sessions she was unable to beat Dignitas.
So for now, she abandoned the sword and went back to archery. She warned Dignitas that the next time they dueled, she would defeat him with her swordsmanship AND archery.
As for Alicer and Andrea, there was some good news. The latter had responded, and had agreed to meet with Dignitas to talk.
Alicer was nowhere to be seen. His friends had passed by Class 1-F to see if he was there, but they never once saw him.
So Dignitas decided to put that on hold. For now, Andrea would have to do. After the meeting, Dignitas would finally start getting things together.
The first major event of The Academy's Regressor would soon begin. During the first term practical exam, the entire Academy would be attacked by demons.
Their main goal? To take down Curie Mortem, the single daughter of the Mortem family.
Dignitas knew John could handle it by himself (the log said so) but there was this small itch that something unforeseen would happen.
The exams were still two weeks from now, so there was still time. Time for the Global Studies Club to start their operations!
That's right, Dignitas hadn't been doing nothing these past few weeks. He had been working with Professor Shib to get the club up and running. They were eventually able to secure a club room on the fourth floor.
And now, Dignitas would be sending out everyone to go on their own missions in order to get stronger. But in terms or artifacts that were vital to strengthening everyone as a whole, there were two people in mind.
Alter and Percivale. Both would go on their own missions, by themselves. He would send them to different parts of the world to dig up some artifacts that would be beneficial to their growth.
It wasn't that the Eri siblings weren't strong. In fact, in terms of raw power potential, Alter and Percivale were in a different league.
The only reason Dignitas did so was to prepare them for when they eventually have to face their past.
Alter would be sent to find the B rank artifact, "Void Mirror." This artifact had the power to store heaps upon heaps of mana inside it. And when the user wanted to, they could take out mana from its storage and use it to power themselves.
That seemed like any other mana storage artifact at first glance, but that wasn't all. The area inside the mirror would change in order to suit the mana stored.
For example, if Fire mana was stored inside, the mirror would instantly change into a mana-home suitable for Fire, thus purifying and strengthening the mana.
It was very strong, and a key artifact that would be used by opposing demon factions in the storyline later on.
As for Percivale, he would be sent to find the B rank artifact, "Feather Shifter". This one would be useful for aiding in his manipulation of gravity.
Feather Shifter worked by drastically lowering the required amount of force needed to move a person. Let's say it takes half of Percivale's mana to move a truck and fling it.
Then the Feather Shifter would lower that requirement until it only needed Percivale to use ten percent of his mana.
It was very useful, especially for spatial magic users.
Those were the two artifacts the Eri siblings would have to obtain. Alone.
***
After school, Dignitas headed for Tetrapine, the biggest mall in the Academy District.
Just the main building alone was half the size of the Academy, and that wasn't even mentioning the concert grounds, the large courtyard located behind it, and the countless establishments surrounding the mall.
Complete with restaurants, shopping centers, libraries, cafes, and even hotels, Tetramania was the signature hangout spot for the Hero Academy students.
At the end of the day, where else would you go after a long day of school? For some students, just hanging out with friends at Cafe Bean and sipping iced coffee was more than enough to replenish their energy.
Speaking of Cafe Bean, that was where Dignitas was headed to right now. Andrea Bolkins, the only one who had responded to his messages, had agreed to set up a date to meet up.
Throughout his time in school, Dignitas still hadn't seen, nor even passed by Andrea in the halls. He wasn't sure whether to blame it on the academy's excessively large halls or Andrea's natural disdain for large crowds.
Perhaps that was the Unseen blood in her veins.
"Sorry, did you wait long?"
Dignitas apologized. He stared at the beautiful girl who sat at the other side of the table.
Andrea's appearance could be likened to that of Dignitas', in the sense that she looked plain. If you compared her to Lorelai, who had bright brown hair, or Donna, with her stern attitude, you wouldn't be able to find a single noticeable quality from her.
Her hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, and her school uniform was clean, unkempt, and most of all, ordinary.
Another evidence of the guild's way of life being especially prevalent in its members. The Unseen would often dress up in the most insconpicious way possible in order not to draw attentiom to themselves.
"No, not at all. I appreciate you taking the time to seek me out." Andrea replied with a smile. With a hand gesture, she urged Dignitas to take a seat.
"No, thanks for entertaining me. I'm glad you even bothered to answer my message. Anyway, it's my treat. Order what you want."
"In that case, excuse me." Andrea grabbed the attention of a nearby waiter and began ordering food. "Anything for you?"
"Iced coffee's fine."
"I see." Andrea returned the menu to the waiter with a smile. "That will be all."
"Should we get on with what you wanted to meet me about? I may not look like it, but I am a busy woman."
Dignitas knew that Andrea was constantly piled high with orders from the guild. Being one of the very few members present in the Academy, she was the Unseen's main source of information on the students inside.
The Student Profile existed as a means to obtain information, true, but they were merely small overviews of the students.
"Then, I have a proposal for you. And I bought a contract, seeing as how you Unseen love your proof of word from your clients."
Dignitas took out a piece of paper and handed it to Andrea, who immediately started reading through it.
The former left her to scan its contents, fully aware of her careful nature.
A minute or so of silence, and Andrea finally showed an expression of shock.
"You… seem to know a lot about us. Still, why bother asking for our help if you can obtain this much information by yourself?"
"This is a misunderstanding." Dignitas interrupted her. "I don't want the guild's help. I want your help."
"My… help?"
"Your ingenuity and creativity are in a different league than mine. That's the talent I require of you. And in exchange, I will personally give you the information your guild needs. And faster, at that."
This was a plan with no downsides. The Unseen would be a vital ally in the coming years, and the faster they knew about everything, the faster everything would go well.
Bringing Andrea to his side and helping the guild do their job… it was killing two birds with one stone, no doubt.
"If we go by what the contract says…you want me to join your Global Studies Club as a Navigator? Do you realize I have no experience in leading groups?"
It was common for multiple roles to be present in hero parties. There were always bound to be the heroes who specialized in dealing damage, the heroes who were more attuned to the medical arts, and the heroes who preferred to stay in the front and tank hits.
It was similar to role playing games in that sense. Although mostly weaker parties in those gaes that employed this tactic, as they can hardly function by themselves.
But going back to the topic at hand, these parties were often led by "Navigators", people who excelled in taking information and using it to assist their party in more ways than one.
"That's totally fine, too. We all grow, don't we? It's best to learn through experience. And there's no downsides for you, besides having to be attentive to the more… rash members of our club."
"I still don't think it is a fair trade for me. The contract states I will spend at least four hours in the club room, navigating the people outside. Don't you think that's a little too much?"
"Then, what's your proposal?"
"The All-Seeing Eye Implant."
Dignitas immediately knew what she was talking about. The only artifact that could replicate the Seraph's famed hereditary skill.
Andrea most likely wouldn't use it for archery, but rather to spy.
Well, Dignitas didn't care what she did with it, as long as she meant no harm to him. The only problem was that…
The All-Seeing Eye Implant was an A rank artifact.
"Get it for me within the first three months I am with you, and I will do my absolute best to serve you for as long as you wish."
"Gee, that's a bit excessive, don't you think?" Dignitas joked. But he saw the look in Andrea's eyes. They were the eyes of someone determined to get what they wanted.
"Alright, alright. I gotcha. Three months, All-Seeing Eye implant. Might I have your signature now?"
"Gladly."