Ryder's Pov
For the first time, Alyssa handed me a cup of tea.
Our eyes met briefly, her blue-colored eyes staring back at me with a distant feeling that I couldn't quite figure out.
'She gave me something to drink…?'
Absent-mindedly, I took the tea and drank it, the fragrant steam curling around my face as I lost myself in thought.
'Mmm, not bad.'
Out of nowhere, I called out, my voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the silence
"Let's spar."
She looks at me with shock etched through her face, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, as she takes a step back
'Hmm, she now fears me?'
As I approached her training room, I wondered to myself what she might be thinking. Suddenly, a sharp shout echoed from within, making me falter for a split-second.
"Wait!-"
'Is she hiding something from me?'
As I opened the door, the metallic scent of blood engulfed me, its pungent aroma filling my nostrils and making my stomach churn.
"Ugh-"
I covered my mouth, staring in horror at the scene before me
The AI robot, designated for each training room, was now busy cleaning dried blood stains in the left corner. While one side of the room was completely clean, the other was a gruesome display—dried blood smeared across the walls and fresh, liquid blood pooling in parts of the right side
'This.. this is a torture room.'
'Wait, it can't be? Alyssa wouldn't do this to herself right?'
I stumbled backwards as Alyssa hurriedly closed the door in front of me.
---
Alyssa's Pov
'This guy…'
He actually opened the door to the training room, despite clearly hearing my frantic shout.
"You… shouldn't be torturing yourself, even if you clearly fell off the rank 1 spot. This is too much."
'Of course he is misunderstanding the whole situation'
"It's not what you think. I was training."
"..."
He stared at me with his eyes wide open, clearly stunned and taken aback by what he had just seen.
"Torturing yourself is.. training?"
'Where did he even learn to think about that?'
"No... Well actually it might be? It is an advanced form of training, created by me!"
I added a hint of playfulness to ease the awkwardness.
"..."
"Oi, talk. You can't be ignoring me now can you? First of all, you barged in a girl's room and you also had the audacity to ask for a spar with me? Are you crazy?"
"..."
"Oh right, you are a crazy bastard. Now you can get out"
I seized him with every ounce of strength I had and dragged him toward the entrance of my room
I swung the door open towards the hallway and swiftly gave him a firm kick, sending him stumbling out into the corridor.
"Phew, now that bastard finally decided to leave, I can get ready for the trip."
While others might be excitedly packing their cool swimsuits, I'm here bracing myself for a goddamn war.
Tapping my bracelet, I found the names of Class S-1. On the second row, there was a name displayed.
[Liora von Karavia]
The third princess of Emperor Arion von Karavia who occupied one of the nine highest positions in the Union. These nine seats represented the pinnacle of power on the Eldoria continent, each held by a sage-level being with extraordinary abilities. These individuals wielded immense power and influence, controlling the fate of the entire continent.
Strong as they boast they are, each one of them excluding maybe four of them is weaker than the weakest grand demon.
"Tsk."
Anyway, in both the novel and game, she's one of the wealthiest companions of the hero. So, if you're in need of some Lumi credits, it might be time to make a plea for some financial aid
Tapping on her name, it revealed a profile page just as the internet but shown in a holographic window.
"Ah, this world's technology never fails to surprise me."
Tapping the message button, a keyboard materialized before me
I quickly typed out a message saying:
[Let me borrow 20,000 Lumi Credits, please and thank you!]
"Hehe, I even added a please and thank you."
Anyway, until she provides the credits, I need to take a bath and change my clothes.
As I entered the room, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror: my lips were parched, and my skin felt uncomfortably tight.
"Isn't this a severe sign of dehydration?"
"!!!"
I hurried into the kitchen and drank the remainder of the tea I had made for Ryder. Unsatisfied, I quickly turned on the cold tap and drank from the sink until I felt full.
"..."
"Potions don't recover hydration, and I've only eaten endurance rations for the past 3 days. No, prior to that I was even out for 3 days. I almost died from dehydration."
I didn't even know [Null Taste] can affect my sense of dehydration.
I quickly broke into a cold sweat.
".. That was extremely dangerous. Now that I think about it, I haven't had any water for the past seven days, ever since I arrived in this world."
'To think I almost died of dehydration and not even the demons. Thankfully, in this world, mana can assist with bodily functions, but it can't fully replace them until you reach the sage level.'
"Haa.."
I quickly prepared the bath and removed my battered clothes before stepping into the tub.
I sank into the warm water and let myself relax.
"Haah.."
Ding-
"Seems like I've received the money."
I checked my balance.
[ Lumi Balance: 20,192 ]
[Thanks]
I replied to Liora who replied with
[Your welcome, just pay me back before this month ends]
[Okay]
"Phew"
Now that I have the funds, I scrolled through the holographic store and made my purchases.
[ 2x High-tier 4th-grade mana recovery potions, 2x High-tier 4th-grade Stamina recovery potions : 20,000 ]
"Ugh, I'm once again poor."
'After I survive this incident, I swear to myself to get richer.'
With a firm resolve, I stepped out of the bath and dried myself off.
"Phew, that was certainly a needed bath."
I dressed in a blue Lumi uniform and began packing my belongings.
"Hmmm, I will just take everything here and pack it in my subspace."
I gathered all the extra clothes from the closet—socks, shoes, undergarments, and various other items—carefully placing them in my subspace. Then, I made my way to the training room, where I retrieved two swords.
"Ugh, the scent of blood is something I really can't get used to.."
I walked out of the room and activated 'Appraisal' on the sword.
[ Harden Steel Sword ]
Rank: B+
Durability: 1560/1560
"Okay this can probably work, but I'll bring two in case."
I'd shattered around four swords during my training, so I couldn't help but worry that I might break yet another one while trying to survive this incident.
"... but, it's been so long since I've visited the beach. I should probably enjoy it while it lasts."
The last time I visited the beach was during my second year of high school. A friend had invited me to celebrate after we both passed our finals. We spent the day relaxing, enjoying the sun, and swimming in the sea.
"Heh. The good times I spent with my friends."
"..Hah.. I miss them"
Slap
I slapped myself to snap out of it. I'm getting too emotional—my life is on the line right now, so I need to focus and prepare thoroughly.
Ding
A window popped up from my bracelet
[Announcement to Class S-1, A-1]
Please report to your homeroom to be assigned to a group for the upcoming trip to Ardentis.
'I guess it is time.'
---
Ryder's Pov
I was forcefully dragged out of Alyssa's room, still reeling from the shock of what I'd seen.
'When did she gain that kind of strength?'
I wondered, struggling to grasp the situation.
But there was a more pressing issue at hand that required immediate attention.
I quickly sent out a message to Loria and Aldric, to gather them as soon as possible.
[Meet me in Professor Lida's Lab. It's about Alyssa.]
With the message dispatched, I made my way towards the lab.
Unbeknownst to him, a girl was peering around the corner, her eyes locked on him as he was walking down the hallway.
---
Liora's Pov
[Meet me in Professor Lida's Lab. It's about Alyssa.]
'That maniac actually went to Alyssa.'
I hurriedly jogged from the outside garden towards Professor Lida's lab. As I approached, I saw Aldric sprinting ahead. I quickened my pace and caught up to him and questioned him.
"Did Ryder message you too?"
"Yea, he did. Also I haven't seen Alyssa these past 3 days in her usual spots as well. Do you think something is going on?"
I found out she did visit a branch of the Moonlit guild but I can't really tell Aldric that.
"Perhaps. Something definitely happened during her visit to the slums."
"But why did Ryder call us to meet? Our gathering for the trip is going to happen in thirty minutes! We are going to be late."
Weird, he usually will tell us about something at the last minute. Something definitely came up.
"It must be important."
Aldric nodded.
"Yeah, it must be."
We quickly approached our destination and opened the door to the lab.
Ryder sat in a chair, a deep frown etched on his face. As we entered, he glanced up and, with a curt nod, gestured towards the chairs across from him, indicating that we should take a seat.
As we sat down, Aldric suddenly interrupted the silence.
"..So, what about Alyssa that you hurriedly called us here for?"
I was wondering the same thing.
"...Alyssa changed."
Huh, why is he saying the obvious? Then he continued
"A massive one at that."
"How massive..?"
Aldric spoke in a wondering tone. Ryder then proceeded to shock us both with what he said.
"She is mentally insane."
---
Alice's Pov
"Hey, Hey Alice!"
A girl with striking blue hair tapped me on the shoulder.
"What's up Lucia?"
"Have you seen the latest news on the student forums?"
Hm? Did some weird guy ask out another girl and get dumped in an embarrassing way again?
"No, I haven't checked it today. What happened?"
"You have to check it out!"
She pouted, and I couldn't resist the urge to gently pat her head.
"Hehe"
"Alright, I will check later."
"No, now!"
"Fine, I can't resist your pleadings, can I now? Heh."
I tapped my bracelet, and found my way into the student forums. There I saw a intriguing title:
[ HOT NEWS ]
[ Rank 1 Ryder Valken went into Rank 37 Alyssa's Room! ]
[ Image ]
[ Image ]
Comments:
(Elena Aster):
"Did Ryder really just go into Alyssa's room? What's going on? This is huge news!"
(Marcus Fenton):
"Why would Ryder be going into Alyssa's room? Perhaps they are secretly dating?!"
(Lara Quinn):
"I heard they had a confrontation last week. Maybe this is related? Could be something serious."
(Tomas Rennix):
"Interesting. This could be a big turning point. Wonder what's happening behind closed doors."
(Jenna Brooks):
"Is this some kind of power play or are they just having a serious discussion? Either way, this is very unusual."
***
"Wow"
This is some big news.
"Right! This is hot news!"
She's oddly excited about this, but I guess it's her being herself.
"But remember now, we have to get ready for the upcoming trip, Lucia."
"Ugh fine, why are you so boring."
She again pouted.
'Ah so cute'
As Lucia left the room, a sharp pain shot through my right arm once more.
"Ugh."
'This curse is worsening with each passing day. I need to find the saintess quickly.'
---
Alyssa's Pov
'It's been a long time since I last checked the status window. I wonder how much I've improved.'
[ Status ]
Name : Alyssa Valenheart
Age : 16
Rank : G+ > D
Strength : E- > D
Agility : G > D-
Stamina : G- > D-
Intelligence : D > C-
Mana : G- > D
Mana Capacity : 11/11 -> 2043/2043
Luck : E
Charm : S
-> Profession
[Swordsmanship lvl. 1 > 3]
[Apprentice Mage lvl.1]
->Manual
[ Shinra Style (Unknown) ]
-> Major > Peak Mastery of 1st Realm
-> [Distant Slash lvl.7]
-> [Shinra's Steps lvl.8]
[ Overclock (Unknown) ]
-> Minor Mastery of 2nd > 3rd Realm
-> Skills
[Basic Sword Mastery (G- > C+)] [Quick Slash (G- > C+]
[Mana Manipulation (G+ > B-)] [Elemental Bolt (G > G+)]
[Sovereign's Path (EX)]
-> Effects
[Curse of Stagnation] [Wasted Vitality] [Null Taste]
"Not bad, but also not good."
Given my current skill levels and power ratings, I estimate that I should be able to effectively stall a C- ranked individual for atleast 20 minutes.
'But even that is not enough. I need to set traps to further delay them, but how exactly can I achieve that?'
Just as I was wondering-
Ding
"Seems like my potions have arrived. Perfect. I need to head to homeroom soon, or I'll risk being late"