As he entered the infirmary, the embers of hope burned whilst his desire to be freed from these runic characters steadily rose.
But this was only momentary…
"We've had the A.I run multiple checks on his blood, but we really can't find anything wrong with him…!"
When Nickyle heard such words, it sent a numbing buzz into his mind.
It was as if a bucket of black paint was spilled onto the world in its entirety, what he saw were shadowy figures that conversed with each other.
When they remembered his existence, they glanced at him before cackling madly.
Their teeth were jagged, long, and sharp, and they approached him as if to devour his flesh and drink his blood.
He did not, no he could not allow this…
Nickyle fainted.
"I suggest we place him into the healing pod."
One of the nurses said, "If even that doesn't work, we'll have to notify the higher ups. Only the researchers in U.S.A.P might have an idea of what's taking place."
Since the great rebirth, countless diseases appeared.
Of which, many were incomprehensible, and since contracting sicknesses weren't common in the first place, research done to understand these diseases and formulate countermeasures was very rarely initiated, and even rarer, were they completed.
To add to that, there were various races that inhabited other regions of the galaxy and universe which had their technology 'absorbed' by humans.
Though earthlings saw it as technological advancements, whether it was or was not, didn't matter.
What mattered was the fact that due to this, even if someone contracted some special disease that saw them appear before the doors of death, by the time they reawakened, they'd be fine.
Maybe they didn't know how, going along with what the government said, about their restoration of health being thanks to their advanced technology, and well, this was true since the healing pod had a role to play in this.
Due to that, when Nickyle's body was submerged in the fluids within the healing pods, the nurses, even though they weren't aware of what kind of disease it was, were half expecting that he'd emerge as a renewed man, fully healed.
Fully healed…
Nickyle slowly regained consciousness.
When his eyelids trembled, the healing pod opened, releasing a thick gas as the fluids had seemingly evaporated.
Stepping out of the healing pod, Nickyle stared into his palms before taking in a deep breath of fresh air.
His nose wasn't clogged.
His body wasn't trembling.
His mind wasn't haunted by a despairing feeling.
At this moment, he felt good, he felt great.
Staring at the individuals—Mr. Park, who observed him, and the nurses who scrutinized him—Nickyle placed one foot behind the other and, with one hand on his chest, bowed to them in a regal manner.
"I, Nickyle Orland, am grateful to you all," he said, a grin stretching across his face.
His eyes shone with a dangerous light.
For he who had healed, Seth and Anon—these two were like a pair of fishes trapped in the depths of a bottomless ocean.
In his overwhelming hatred, they would be swallowed, for this was what destiny had written after hearing the whispers of faith.
It had been etched in stone by inevitability.
…
For the group of geniuses, their classes went on quite normally after Nickyle's departure to the infirmary. After defeating Nickyle, Andrew sparred with Catharina.
Interestingly, Anon and Seth weren't present.
Rolan and Parkinson had secretly allowed the two to do whatever the hell they wanted.
Once they didn't do anything dumb, like kill a student, and once their dominance remained unmatched amongst the group of stellar geniuses, they were given as much freedom as they desired.
Anon had made a request for exemption from these classes, so even though classes were still ongoing, the two were in another gravity room.
It had been the case for the past few days, he had been utilizing the gravity room along with Seth.
Anon and Seth stood before the other, about to confront each other.
Interestingly, though he had on a pair of gauntlets, in his grasp was a rod.
In the past few days, his mastery over the staff was drastically improving, to the point that he could already be considered to have pseudo mastery over the staff.
Interestingly, there were also principles related to staff weapons. Swords, spears, axes, blades, sabers, and hammers... all these concepts had their own relative principles.
"Did you know, a staff-wielder with a staff-related principle would grasp mastery over the staff upon awakening their principle." Seth circled Anon with a long rod resting across his shoulders.
Because this man was his teacher, Anon too had unknowingly adopted some of Seth's casualness when maneuvering the staff.
So, as they circled each other, Anon's pole rested across his shoulders as he cracked his neck and lightly chuckled.
"Let me guess," Anon glanced towards Seth, "Even if they had true mastery, they would not even be the slightest bit comparable to you."
Hearing this, Seth couldn't help but smile.
"Well, unlike the Man Like Beast art, which is merely a technique, grasping mastery over the staff itself, and not just a staff 'technique', is many layers more complex."
He said, "So, if someone grasps true mastery over the staff itself, even I would find that commendable."
"Commendable..." Anon groaned, "But, with true mastery, are they comparable to you? What I'm asking you is, have you grasped true mastery of the staff?"
Seth's footsteps came to a halt.
Skillfully manipulating the staff in his hand, he stepped towards Anon once, then again, and on his third step, he struck.
Anon, expecting this, parried with his staff, sending Seth's rod offtrack, successfully defending against Seth's sudden assault.
Yet, Seth's staff seemed to have a mind of its own, arcing through the air and slipping around Anon's defenses before crashing into his chest.
In that instant, Anon felt as if all his strength had dispersed throughout his body, leaking from his pores. He let go of his staff and stumbled back.
Simultaneously, he clutched his chest in pain.
Seth did not reply to Anon's question.
At least, he did not utilize his voice to do said action.
Instead, he asked a question of his own, "Why ask such things when you already know the answer."
Anon's chest bore the mark of Seth's staff, a circular dent.
Walking up to Anon's staff, Seth flicked it up with his foot.
As it rose into the air, he grabbed hold of it and flung it back to Anon, asking, "In the midst of battle, after suffering an attack from the enemy, are you so magnanimous as to gift him another weapon while simultaneously disarming yourself?"
Catching his staff, he used it to prop himself up and rise to his feet. Masterfully maneuvering it, he entered a basic staff stance before stamping his foot into the ground.
The distance between him and Seth was instantaneously devoured as he struck out.
With a bang, the two poles clashed as Seth's staff altered Anon's rod's trajectory and sent it of course. As it stabbed into the ground, Seth placed his foot on it, preventing Anon from pulling it out.
"It's the same thing all the time."
Seth growled, "You have a long-ranged weapon, so stop fucking coming in so close!"
Shouting this, he swung his staff, slamming its body into Anon's chest and causing the boy to cough up a mouthful of blood.
Since neither of them activated their principles, every attack landed on Anon as it would on an ordinary person, making him feel as if his sternum had at least fractured.
Still caught in the momentum, mid-air, he spotted Seth below, staring at him. With a tight grip on his staff, Seth struck out.
Anon didn't have his staff in hand, and yet Seth's staff lunged toward him while he was more than two meters in the air. The staff landed on his body, sinking into his gut and crushing his ribs.
In a single motion, Anon felt at least three differing bones fracturing.
Honestly, his bones felt as if they had completely shattered under this blunt force as Seth ruthlessly attacked, not even allowing Anon's body to descend from the air.
…
Whilst Seth was busy bullying Anon, Nickyle stepped out of the infirmary hall.
As soon as his foot stepped out, he came to a halt.
'Wait...'
'The fuck?!'
Nickyle frowned, 'Why didn't I expose Seth just now?!'