Late night, Sunday.
I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have come.
Those were the thoughts of Minori Nii. After his Saturday excursion he came to the gym at his usual time, only to find it bustling with people. He found solace in his corner of strange machines that hardly anyone uses.
But still, the amount of people was excessive.
It was then that he got a thought.
The gravity chamber! I'll go in there! Hardly anyone goes in there! And if they do, they usually leave pretty quick!
Minori thought as he walked over to the room, opening the door and silently slipping inside.
Once he got in, his clothes felt heavy, his bones weighed down on his muscles and with every step he took it felt as though his fatigue doubled.
The room was empty, with white tiles lining the walls, the lights in the room were dim and red, showing the multiplier of the gravity was on.
Looking around, Minori only found another person, Chae Nayun, standing with her arms folded, as if concentrating on standing upright.
He took steps to the other side of the room and channeled mana around his body in a circuit, making sure his blood didn't stop flowing.
He stood at the corner of the room and lifted his watch, finding it similar to lifting a 30kg weight.
"Hehe, no wonder people avoid this place like the plague." Hearing his amused voice, Chae Nayun dripping with sweat in her sports outfit opened her eyes and glared at him.
"I'm trying to concentrate over here." She grit her teeth as mana accidentally leaked out of her body, causing her to flinch and go back to flowing her mana.
"Oh? Are you not used to this gravity? If you're struggling maybe we should turn it down a notch." Minori chuckled and brought up a news article to pass the time.
"Hah? Don't make fun of me, this is n-nothing." She horsley laughed back and flinched again.
"Want me to keep distracting you? It'll help with making your circulation better."
"I don't need the help of someone who hasn't been in here for more than five minutes!" She pointed but quickly dropped her arm.
"Is that a challenge?" Minori smirked.
"Sure. Just try and outlast me! If I win… you have to bring me a drink everyday!" Chae Nayun grinned confidently.
"And if I win you'll bring me a coffee everyday."
"You won't."
"No sitting down." Minori chimed.
The clock said 10 o'clock.
The bet was simple and the game was on. High Stakes with simple rewards.
Chae Nayun uses it to push herself and Minori Nii uses it to ease his boredom.
At 10:15.
Sweat dripped down Minori's face.
"Still awake, little miss chaebol?" Minori looked over.
"Yeah. You're pretty good for rank 150."
Minori smirked.
10:30
"Huuu." Chae Nayun began breathing deeply.
"Oh, my. Are you perhaps struggling?" Minori playfully teased as he patted his hands on his trousers.
"Shut up."
11:05
"It's getting late. Why don't we call it a draw?" Minori looked at his watch.
"haaa…And lose the bet? If you want to leave…huuu… be my guest." Chae Nayun panted with a grin.
"Yeah right."
11:30
"Are you still willing to tie?" Chae Nayun staggered slightly.
Minori considered it for a moment before agreeing.
"...Sure. You don't look too good."
"Speak for yourself." Chae Nayun finally hit the button on the wall.
Minori immediately drew a deep breath. His ribs stopped pressing down on his lungs as his bones stopped trying to rip themselves out from under him.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned against the wall.
"Huuu, I seriously thought we were gonna be here till midnight." Minori chuckled lazily.
"Haha, You think I have enough time to play your silly games?"
Minori walked to the entrance.
"Let's continue the bet during the midterms."
"Sounds good to me." Chae Nayun gave a challenging grin.
Yes! I inadvertently just got another rivalry going!
Minori left the room, walking past a struggling Kim Hajin and into the changing room.
Chae Nayun followed out with a small smile but as soon as it landed on Kim Hajin it dropped into a glare.
…
When I entered the class on Monday the air felt different.
I saw the usual crowd, all sitting in their places, chatting in their cliques.
I nodded at Suho's group and got a cheerful 'Good Morning' in return.
I sat in my usual spot which was close to Rachel so I greeted her too.
"Morning."
"Ah, Minori-ssi. I saw you go to the gravity room yesterday." Rachel nodded elegantly.
"How is it? I've never tried it." She asked out of genuine curiosity.
"It's kind of like, a microwave of gravity." I said lazily, trying my best to give her a proper explanation.
"When you go in, you feel as though your body is being crushed, to avoid that you have to circle mana around your body to keep your bones inside. Strangely enough it warms you up when you circulate mana which is why people from the north used to during the winter subconsciously." I explained to the best of my knowledge.
"I see. I have to try it some time." Rachel said thoughtfully, a curious gleam in her eyes.
I just smiled before quietly settling into my seat, resting my eyes.
So [The Prophet] can be used to predict conversations as well…
After a while the class began filling up. I gave Chae Nayun a wave as well when she came in, receiving a nod in return.
"Oh, you're here, loser?" An unpleasant grating voice greeted as the sound of a muffled slap rang out.
"What? You mad?" I glanced over to see Kim Hajin.
Hmm, should I stop it? It's a little too far for me to interfere without going out of my way.
I went back to lounging on the desk.
"Hey guys, the exam results are out for Phenomenon Realm Analysis."
At that moment, Yi Yeonghan walked in with an armful of scrolls.
I thought they'd have holograms… I guess Cube really doesn't throw their cash away.
Cube still had a traditional custom. The results of every written exam, whether small or big, were posted publicly on a large poster.
Yi Yeonghan put up the posters while other cadets groaned.
Rank 1. Kim Hajin
Rank 2. Minori Nii
Rank 2. Rachel
I tied with Rachel… Kim Hajin is smarter than I thought… I'm also a little competitive though.
…snap.
I looked at the desk in front of me and saw two halves of a pen rolling down the table. Next to them was the presumed owner of the pen, Rachel, who was staring down silently. The hair on her head had slight undulations despite her seemingly still body.
…guess that's the pride of a country for you. Looks like she can't stand being tied with rank 150, never mind being overtaken by rank 934.
…
During that week there was quite an uproar on Kim Hajins placement on the notoriously hard 'Phenomenon Realm Analysis' written exam. The professor on Friday also personally praised Hajins answers.
"I also looked at Kim Hajin cadet's answer sheet. His knowledge and vision were impressive to say the least. I hope other cadets can learn his passion for studying. Once again, theory is very important."
Seeing what the professor said, Minori's curiosity grew by the second.
The moment class ended Kim Hajin left the class room. Minori stayed a little longer before making his way to the professor's desk, opening a drawer and looking inside.
"Found it." I picked up the test paper and flipped through them, finding Hajins.
Reading over the contents, I hummed.
His answers are professional, clear, concise and more importantly confident. He states theoretical things like facts and backs it up with evidence… some of this… hasn't been recorded yet.
I hummed and put them back before leaving the classroom alone.
What a curious individual.
…
I acted natural as I walked into the medical practice club.
I made eye contact with Yoo Ah-Ra, she waved cheerfully and came over to greet me.
"Minori, welcome back. We're going to be doing an overview on medicinal herbs you can find in the wild today."
"I could use your help collecting some after the club is over. We can treat it as a lovely little excursion." She grabbed my hand with both of her while smiling sweetly.
I felt slightly perturbed by the edge in her voice.
"...Right. I'll put some thought into it." I felt the envious gazes of my club mates.
There's that scent again…
The rest of the club went on as usual but my instincts kept picking up increases in the room's mana density.
After the activities, Yoo Ah-Ra, walked up to my desk and stood in front of it, making sure every single one of our club mates saw.
"Alright, ready to go?" She smiled warmly.
She's going to do something… and seeing as how she declared it in front of the class it seems like she isn't planning on killing me off.
Is she planning on revealing herself? Neither of us are completely sure of what each other knows…
"Of course." I got up and walked to the door.
"I'll see you at the portal gate." I waved.
"You're not coming with me?" She tilted her head.
"If it's close to the field I'd want my weapon."
"Don't worry it's nowhere near."
"I still feel safer with my blade."
"It'll be completely safe, trust me." Her voice dropped an octave, although her tone was still gentle, she was no longer asking.
No one else seems to be noticing it… are they, charmed?
"...Alright."
I activated [Starlight Seer].
Shadows and stars engulfed the room as the truth revealed itself.
Silhouettes of the cadets were blurred, their heads cracked open, flowers blooming from their skulls. Slimy vines poured from their eyes and crawled towards a single source. Yoo Ah-Ra, her own body releasing a pink mist, wispy vines, mangled and sticky, attaching to anything they could grab.
Strangely they kept wilting when approaching me.
When I deactivated this, I put my hands in my pocket and walked out the door. Yoo Ah-Ra by my side…silent.
A cold sweat broke out on my back as we walked.
…sh*t, how do I keep giving myself away?