Optimistic Game Chapter 96 (Patreon)

Edited by: Priapus

– Winter –

As she closed the door of the Titan Slayer’s office behind her, the Atlesian Specialist couldn’t help but curse herself under her breath before walking away. Something she seemed to be doing more and more frequently these days, but why wouldn’t she? She was a terrible, terrible sister to Weiss.

Couldn’t she at least have said hello to her little sister? Was that truly that difficult? Even after a whole week, Winter was unable to do something so simple. She didn’t even smile at seeing Weiss, treating her like a stranger.

What’s there to smile about? She thought to herself, grimacing. I don’t even deserve to face her.

She had hoped that there would be an opportunity where they’d maybe reconcile, but each and every time she’d seen Weiss, Winter would just… freeze up. Like deer in headlights, as if all the military and diplomacy training she had gone through meant nothing. The words she longed to say died in her throat as guilt crept up to her heart, preventing her from even apologizing to her sister. An apology was the least Winter could give after abandoning her to that bastard of a father.

And then, Weiss would look away in disappointment, twisting the knife in her older sister’s heart further. But she had every right to be disappointed, didn’t she? Winter was lucky and grateful her sister had enough patience not to start screaming at Winter for ignoring her.

I’m really no better than him. She thought, reflexively clenching her fists.

Winter shook that thought out of her head, taking a deep breath and calming herself. She didn’t want to dwell on those poisonous thoughts anymore, not when she had a job here. Although the Titan Slayer had told her to retire for tonight, Winter hadn’t made it this far by doing the bare minimum. There was still paperwork to be done.

Though admittedly, Winter did feel curious and suspicious of what’d been happening in Beacon. There seemed to be some strange things going on in the background, which she wasn’t being informed of. While she knew about the Maidens and Salem, Winter didn’t think that was it.

Moreover, it was clear that Weiss and her team knew more than they let on if the Titan Slayer was willing to accept their request to speak to him privately. Naturally, as team Wildberry were his first students before he took the position of professor at Beacon. But what could they possibly be talking about?

Finally, the existence of Trivia Latte, if that really was her name. Winter had taken the time to read her records, and things weren’t really adding up. She was apparently a transfer student from Shade who’d arrived at Beacon a day before Astera’s tests. And somehow, she was one of the few who’d made it into his class? Yes, she knew that Vacuo students were typically more battle-hardened than Vale’s trainees, but that still felt too convenient.

She brought up her scroll, reading through the girl’s files one more time. Winter wasn’t accusing the girl of anything, but she was still suspicious. She knew to trust her gut when it came to these things and decided to keep it in mind until enough evidence of her treachery came to light.

Through the wide hallways of Beacon Academy, Winter blinked as she had accidentally bumped into someone. Almost scolding the student for not paying attention to where they’re going, she paused, realizing it wasn’t a student who stood in front of her.

“My bad. I didn’t see you there.” The lady said, setting her cane aside and away from Winter.

“That’s quite all right,” Winter replied, strangely compelled to act polite.

She’d never seen this woman before. Clearly not staff, and most certainly not a student. Unless they had students who were forty-ish in age. And didn’t adhere to the academy’s dress code. Some kind of visitor? Seeing how nicely she was dressed, Winter assumed so.

As Winter was about to move out of her way and continue on hers, the woman’s strange-colored eyes shone as she spotted the card holder around the Specialist’s neck.

“Excuse me, do you work here?” She asked.

“I do,” Winter confirmed with a nod. “Is there something you need?”

“There is.” She answered with a smile. “I’m looking for the Titan Slayer, but I got lost on the way to his office. Could you lead me there?”

“What for?” She asked in curiosity.

“I have some unfinished business with him,” The strange woman replied vaguely. “And it’s rather urgent,”

Winter frowned in suspicion. The way she phrased it was bizarre. ‘Unfinished business’? What kind of reason was that supposed to be? She could just be paranoid, but Winter almost swore she picked up on threatening undertones there. She almost wanted to tell the woman to turn around and go back to where she came from.

But there was an odd compulsion to do what she was asked to. One that seemed to grow stronger and stronger the longer she stared at the woman’s strange eyes. Until, eventually, it became something she couldn’t quite deny.

“…I understand,” Winter replied, still a little unsure why she was listening to this stranger. “Follow me. I’ll lead the way.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

Although the woman walked a pace or two behind her, Winter made sure to keep an eye on her when she could. Something about her felt off. It was almost as if she wasn’t meant to be here, yet her words about why she’d come didn’t quite seem like a lie. The Specialist felt conflicted, and this feeling only grew as they drew closer to Astera’s office.

It had gotten to a point where this felt wrong, but even that wasn’t enough to make her stop her advance.

Well… Winter thought to herself, glancing at the woman as she tried to rationalize this strange situation. She does look important, so maybe…

And before she knew it, they were right in front of his door. She couldn’t hear the voices of Weiss and her team, so she knew they weren’t there anymore. Winter knocked on the door a few times after hesitating for a split-second.

“Sir?”

The Titan Slayer took a second to respond.

“Come in.”

And so she did, giving the woman one more glance. She waited for her outside, both hands resting on the knob of her cane.

“Someone wants to see you.” She said, looking at the Titan Slayer.

He raised an eyebrow.

“This late?” He replied with a confused tone.

“Yes.” She confirmed. “She says she has some ‘unfinished business’ with you.”

Astera hummed, becoming curious and a little cautious.

“Sure, let her in.”

Winter turned to look at the woman again, giving her a nod. She fully opened the door for her, and when she walked in, something strange happened.

As Winter glanced at the Titan Slayer once more, she saw his expression shifting into confusion, recognition, and finally, utter shock as he gasped and stood up. His pupils shrank, and his face went pale. Almost as if he had seen a ghost. A reaction she didn’t expect from him.

On the contrary, the woman remained calm.

“Good evening.” She greeted.

It took Astera a few seconds before he said anything, his eyes darting all over the room before he met Winter’s gaze.

“Leave us,” He said in a tone that left no room for arguing.

Winter nodded slowly, having no idea what that reaction was supposed to mean, then exited the office and closed the door. As she took a few steps away from the office, Winter frowned.

Why was that so tense? She thought, genuinely confused.

Was it that bizarre compulsion to listen to that woman? Astera’s reaction when he saw her? Winter wasn’t sure.

…She didn’t know why, and it wasn’t like her to feel that way at all, but a large part of her didn’t want to know who that woman was.

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– Reid –

I’m… not really sure what to think about this situation. I have countless questions running through my mind right now, wondering if I did something wrong that prompted her to come here in person, but honestly? I’m too nervous to say anything.

First time for everything, I guess. Though considering who she is…

I watch as the Goddess, sitting on the sofa on the other side of the table with her cane next to her, sips from the tea I just made for her. She doesn’t say anything, either, almost as if she’s patiently waiting for me to speak first.

I’m not particularly scared, as I am confused and anxious. I’m almost 100% certain that she didn’t come here to kill me or anything like that. If she wanted me gone, I’d be erased from existence without me ever realizing it, that much I’m sure about.

There’s the idea that she wants to destroy everything I know or love before killing me, but that can’t be it either. The thing is, even if she’s kinda annoying sometimes, she’s been relatively reasonable and even helpful sometimes. I don’t think she’s that cruel.

But the question remains. What is she here for? What’s so important that she’d visit me in person, rather than speak it into my mind like always? The deal we had pops up in mind. Could she be here to finalize it?

…I guess you can add immense curiosity to the things I’m feeling at the moment. I wonder what would happen if I used Observe? Probably infinity in all stats or something like that. I don’t know, I’m not gonna check. Because I imagine she’d sense it since, y’know, she’s the person who made the system. I’d rather not piss her off.

“Go ahead. I don’t mind.” She suddenly says, looking up at me. “You’ll be left feeling disappointed, though.”

I blink, realizing she must’ve read my mind, then, with her blessing, I use Observe.

Name: Akane

Title: The Devil of Entropy

Age: Secret~

Race: Metanovian Deity

Level: 0

HP: 0

MP: 0

AP: 0

STR: 0

VIT: 0

DEX: 0

INT: 0

WIS: 0

CHA: 0

LUK: 0

Akane, huh? I don’t know what I expected her name to be, but that’s certainly not what I had in mind. It’s a Japanese name, isn’t it? Or I guess, in this context, a Mistrali name. Very weird. Very… human.

And I don’t know what a ‘Metanovian’ is, but really, I’m more distracted by her stats.

“Zero?” I mumble, a little confused. “Huh… Are you using an apparition or something to talk to me?”

Also, the ‘Age’ section is partly why I didn’t use the skill immediately. Felt like the one thing that would annoy her at least a little.

I kinda knew she’d be pretty old.

“No. This is the real me. It’s why you instantly recognized me, even though we’ve never physically met before.” She answers. “Your system, at least in its current state, starts to freak out when it can’t process the stats it tries to read. Would’ve given you a massive migraine, so I tricked it into thinking my stats are zero. For your sake.”

“Ah…”

“Told you you’d be disappointed.” She says with a smile.

Seeing her acting a little casual makes me relax. I guess she’s not mad at me.

“I suppose…” I mutter a reply before chuckling a little.

“What’s so funny?”

“I dunno. Talking about the system with someone feels oddly pleasant.” I confess.

“We always talk about it.” She points out.

“Nah. I meant like, in person. It feels different.” I clarify. “I never had the chance to actually talk about it out loud with anyone, y’know?”

“And what’s stopping you from doing that?” She questions, making me pause. “You have friends, don’t you? It’s not like I’m forbidding you from sharing information about the system.”

“Well…” I trail off, not knowing how to answer that.

“It’s because you don’t trust them enough, isn’t it?” Akane smirks.

“It’s not about trust.” I deny it.

“Then what is it about?”

I struggle to answer, not because she’s right, but it’s just… really complicated to talk about. To explain. Something like this would eventually lead to the whole ‘your world is fictional where I’m really from’ and I don’t want to freak them out.

Also, what if the information somehow reaches Salem’s ears? Her knowing about the system would be disastrous. Yeah, I highly doubt she could counter it per se, but to plan around with it in mind? That’s very possible. And very bad for me.

“I think… something like this should be kept a secret just in case,” I argue. “You know what I mean.”

“So it is about trust.”

“It’s not.” I deny it again, making her giggle.

I know she understood what I meant. We’ve had this conversation before, and she can read my mind after all, so she’s just saying that to piss me off.

I guess that attitude just confirms who she is even more.

The next couple of moments are silent, with me staring at her, not really knowing what to say. She quickly notices as she raises a brow.

“What is it?” She asks, tilting her head to the side. “Something on my face?”

“No, it’s…” I pause for a moment. “I never really thought we’d meet like this. And not so soon, either.”

“You’d be correct. Usually, I don’t meet system users until after they ‘complete’ their first world. Mostly to congratulate them.” She says, before giving me a sly grin. “So what do you think? Does the old woman in front of you meet your expectations? Or am I not good enough?”

Understanding what she means, I answer truthfully.

“To be honest? I thought you’d look more cosmic. Or divine.” I say, feeling a little more comfortable. “But you seem pretty normal.”

For a god of unfathomable might, I really thought she’d look way more… well, godly. Perhaps a head or two taller than me, with a radiant presence where reality shifts around her. Forever youthful. Less human, and something… more. It’s difficult to put into words.

I guess I’m thinking about how the gods of Teralos are described to look, or what the brother gods of Remnant are like, from what I can remember. This really wasn’t what I had in mind, especially for someone who more than likely far dwarfs the gods of both worlds in power combined.

The person in front of me seems relatively normal. A pale woman in her forties, perhaps, with jet-black hair and one white fringe on the right side. Slightly above average height and a very impressive figure. She wears something less ‘celestial’ and more professional— a black-and-red suit with the jacket hanging on her shoulders.

Don’t get me wrong, though. She is exceptionally attractive, better-looking than nearly anyone I’ve ever met. Older woman or not, she’s the definition of ‘aged like fine wine’. And the only ‘unusual thing’ about her is her eyes. Red irises around icy blue pupils, which isn’t something I’ve seen yet.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. I see no reason to flaunt my divinity left and right. Not when you already know who I am,” She shrugs. “Now, I’m sure you’re just dying to know why I’m here, and it’s simple.”

She sets the teacup aside, crosses her legs, and then addresses me properly.

“I’m here to collect the debt.” She says. Thought so… “I believe I’ve given you enough time.”

“I’ve figured as much.” I sigh.

“Oh, come on now. You didn’t think I forgot, did you?” Akane rolls her eyes. “Now’s a better time than any. I did say I wasn’t going to take it in the middle of something important.”

“And I am grateful for the grace period,” I say. I definitely needed it. “I’m just confused why you showed up in person for it. I thought for sure you’d just talk to me like always.”

“That was the plan at first,” She nods. “But, well, I thought about it some more and decided that after everything you went through, you deserve to have an audience with me.”

“An audience?” I parrot, slightly intrigued.

“That’s right. See, you may not know it, but relatively speaking, compared to most of your predecessors, you’re actually doing pretty well for yourself.” She compliments. “Not perfect by any means, and if I were to grade you, I’d give you maybe a C+. But that’s still very commendable considering the restrictions you’re forced to work under.”

Restrictions? What’s that supposed to mean? Is she talking about how the system’s been acting recently?

“So as a reward, before I collect the debt, I thought I’d answer some of your questions.” She continues, making me pause. “Not all of them, of course, but the ones I’m willing to engage with, I won’t act all cute and coy anymore.”

Oh. That sounds useful, I think. I do have a lot of questions that only she could answer.

“Right… Well, there’s a lot I want to know. I honestly don’t know where to start.” I reply, taking a moment to think about it. “I guess I wanna know why you picked me. Been something I was wondering ever since my first day here.”

“As in why I chose to reincarnate you specifically?” She guesses, making me nod in confirmation. “I didn’t. I picked at random.”

“For real?” I blink, prompting an amused chuckle out of her.

“Yup. What? You thought there was some grand reason I picked you? Oh, please. You’re not special.” She snorts. “Just because you’re a Leviathan prince with powers I gave you means nothing. The multiverse is a big, big place. There are an infinite number of people like you. Some of them are better than you in every way, others couldn’t hope to match you. You, Reid, just won the lottery. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“A simple ‘yes’ would’ve sufficed,” I reply in mild annoyance. “You did not have to say all of that. Plus, I never thought I was special.”

“We both know that’s not true.” The Goddess rolls her eyes. “I will say, though, there is a reason I’m invested in your adventures.”

“Is it not for your entertainment?” I wonder. “That’s kinda what you’ve been hinting at the whole time.”

I don’t particularly mind that she views me that way since, at the end of the day, without her, I wouldn’t be here helping people. It’s a bit disgraceful and not something I exactly approve of, but consider who and what she is.

Everything to her, from this planet to the universe as a whole, is as insignificant as the speck of dirt beneath her boots. None of it really matters to her, and I don’t think she’d care much if this world suddenly disappeared. Distressing as it may sound.

“True. I’ve found a lot of entertainment value in watching you go on all sorts of adventures.”

“Does ‘adventure’ here mean suffering?” I reply in an attempt at dry humor.

Though that just makes her look at me with a raised eyebrow.

“You seem to be under the impression that I despise you.” She says. “I don’t. On the contrary, you’re just the kind of moron I adore.”

…I don’t know if she’s mocking me or complimenting me.

“I don’t hate you, nor do I derive sadistic pleasure from seeing you suffer. Instead, I like watching you discover and learn new things. I enjoy seeing you grow stronger and better after every encounter. I cheer for you when you succeed, and feel frustrated for you when you fail.” The goddess reveals, convincing me that it is a compliment. Kinda makes me feel a little embarrassed. “Watching a story like yours unfold before my eyes has been nothing short of delightful, so yes, it is for my entertainment, but that’s only a small part of it. Truthfully, you do have a purpose.”

“I thought you said I wasn’t special?”

“You aren’t. In a vacuum, no one really is. And that includes me.” She insists. “But like me when I was your age, you have the potential to be special. I picked you at random, true, but your time here has proven to me that maybe you have what it takes to achieve that potential.”

“It did?” I blink, curious to know how I got her favor. “When did that happen? What did I do to impress you?”

Akane takes a moment before responding.

“You have passed the two trials I’ve set up for you without realizing it.” She answers. Before I can ask her to clarify, she continues. “The two legendary dungeons you’ve completed? Well, originally, they only had one restriction each.”

My blood runs cold as I quickly connect the dots. But I make sure to ask, hoping she meant something else.

“What do you mean?”

“In the first one you went through, I personally added the restriction to disable Gamer’s Mind.” She answers, confirming my worst fears. “In the second one, I disabled Gamer’s Body.”

My hands ball into tight fists at what I hear. Memories of what I’ve gone through rush back into my mind, reigniting my fury and making my jaw clench. I barely keep my anger in check solely because I’m fully aware of who I’m facing, and have the self-preservation instinct not to do something I’d sorely regret.

“Why?” I growl out.

“Because I believed you were ready.” She says. “And you proved it. You passed the trials without even knowing about them.”

“I didn’t pass anything.” I disagree, lowering my head as I try to calm myself down. “The kid died and I…”

Trailing off, Akane responds with a cold retort.

“So?” She says. “You came out of it alive, didn’t you? That’s what matters to me, ultimately. The child passing away is a sad loss, yes, but one random casualty means nothing in the grand scheme of things.”

“It means EVERYTHING!” I shout in disagreement, standing up and scowling at her. “One life I fought so hard to protect— A kid dying before his time, a failure that tormented me ever since, and now you’re saying YOU caused it, and that it doesn’t matter?!”

“Settle down. I didn’t cause anything.” She replies calmly. “That kid was going to die with or without my interference. I turned off Gamer’s Mind, not your inventory. That was the dungeon’s challenge.”

“If I had Gamer’s Mind active, I could’ve—!”

“You could’ve what?” The Goddess raises an eyebrow as she cuts me off. “Came up with a plan and cured him somehow? Even though most of your resources are in a locked inventory?”

I open my mouth to argue, but no word comes out. Eventually, I look away with a grimace on my face.

“As I said, that boy was fated to die. You couldn’t have done anything to save him.” She adds. “You can curse my name for causing that boy’s death all you want if it makes you feel better, but if you want to talk about pointless hypotheticals, then sure, we can do that.”

I once again remain silent as I sit back down.

“Had you not gone through that incident, you wouldn’t have felt motivated enough to clear out more dungeons and grow in power. The failure that ‘tormented’ you wouldn’t have existed, and thus, not pushed you to achieve that transformation skill against the vampires. And then, you would’ve died against them, Vaeri would’ve gotten her blood drained, and your failure there would’ve awakened a new god of blood that would go on to oppress Teralos for centuries to come,” She continues, giving me a grin. “So tell me, Reid, am I really in the wrong?”

“I… I would’ve figured something out.”

“So frustratingly stubborn.” She scoffs playfully. “Yes, maybe you would’ve. Maybe you would’ve far surpassed my expectations and completely and perfectly cleared both dungeons had I not gotten in the way, but that’s my point. These hypotheticals are pointless. Meaningless. Torturing yourself by thinking about them won’t do you any good.”

My fists relax as I exhale. I hate to admit it, but she’s right.

That doesn’t mean I won’t think less of her for it.

“Any more questions? I do have things to do back home, so you should hurry it up.”

I don’t say anything for a while, and despite the warning, Akane patiently waits for me to speak.

“…You said I’m forced to work under some restrictions.” I point out. “What does that mean?”

“To put it plainly, your system isn’t very well-maintained.” She answers bluntly. “It’s deliberately left broken and struggling to catch up with your growing power.”

“Is that why it’s been lagging like crazy recently?”

“Yes. It’s also missing many features. A complete system has classes you could pick and choose from, for example.” She confirms. I knew I wasn’t being crazy. “Not ‘professions’, full-on classes that can massively increase your stats when you level them up.”

“Why didn’t you give me that?” I ask. “It could’ve helped me.”

“Because when I’ve given your predecessors complete systems, they got themselves killed pretty quickly.” She snorts. “They conquer one world, think they’re the cream of the crop, and proceed to pick a fight they couldn’t win in a million years. It’s actually hilarious in hindsight.”

I pause, picking up on the implications.

“You think I would’ve been the same?”

“Probably?” She shrugs. “You’re already obnoxiously arrogant with an incomplete system. The difference is you’re starting to learn you’re not as special as you think you are, and that is a massive improvement.”

I bite down a scathing retort, not wanting to risk my own hide over dumb pride.

“Thanks, I guess…” I sigh. “But you said I have the potential to be special. That I do have a purpose beyond your entertainment. What is it? What am I supposed to do?”

“That, my adorable little ‘divine champion’, is a secret.” She says. “And you’ve not earned the right to know yet. Not until you’ve actually attained your full potential.”

“Right…”

“I did say there are some questions I won’t answer.”

“I know, I know…” I sigh. “Okay, then…”

“Is that all?”

One more question flashes in my mind. One that makes me hesitate to utter it, but I know I should. It’s something I need to know, even if I don’t like the answer.

“…The body I’m using right now. This… Leviathan's body. That belongs to Alaric Delmar.” I look at her with an expression of discomfort, expecting the worst. “You didn’t steal it for me, did you?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” She asks.

I hesitate again, but nod anyway.

“I have to know.”

Akane says nothing for a moment, staring at me with an analytical expression. Something I’ve not seen from her yet, despite our short time together. And honestly? I don’t like it. Unlike everyone else, it feels like she knows everything that’s going on in my head. And she probably does.

I don’t like being in this vulnerable position.

After a few seconds, she smiles again.

“That’s too bad.” She teases. “Because I’m not going to.”

“Oh, come on.” I groan. “All of the questions I could’ve asked, I would’ve been fine with you not answering. But this is the one thing I feel like you should answer. You owe this much at least.”

“Really?” She chuckles. “I owe you?”

Realizing what I just said, I wince and try to explain myself.

“W-well—”

“I bring you back to life, give you a second chance in a world where you can live out your fantasies, lend you a hand when you need it, demand basically nothing in return, and yet I owe you?” She argues. Though I don’t detect any anger or annoyance in her tone. Just mild amusement. “Well, I politely disagree. I don’t owe you anything. In fact, you owe me more than you could possibly pay in your lifetime.”

I remain quiet, letting her continue.

“Besides, you don’t need me answering that question because it’s something you’ll figure out on your own eventually.” She says vaguely. “And I’d rather not spoil the surprise.”

…

Silver-lining, I guess…

“Well, I think it’s about time I went back home.” Akane suddenly says, checking her watch. “I do actually have a few responsibilities outside of overseeing your progress, and they demand my attention at the moment. I hope my answers were satisfactory.”

“More or less,” I reply. “I do have a lot more questions, but I doubt you’d answer those specifically.”

“Why would you think that?” She glances at me with a puzzled and curious expression.

“Are you really going to answer me if I ask you to tell me, in detail, how to reach my full potential?”

“Haha, fair enough.” She stands up with a laugh and grabs her cane. “Before I go, there’s the matter of your debt to me. Easy to settle, really. For each item you took out of your inventory during your first legendary dungeon, I’m taking away a perk.”

“So two perks, huh…” I respond, remembering exactly what I took. “The items were Eero’s corpse and the Principle of Life and Death.”

I hope she doesn’t take something important.

“Correct. Don’t worry, I’ll take two perks you’ve just proven you don’t need anymore.” She says, almost reading my mind. “And frankly, they’re just holding you back at this point anyway.”

Akane then snaps her fingers, and although I expected to feel something, the process was instantaneous. I didn’t feel a thing besides the system notifying me of the two perks she took as payment. Seeing them, however, made my heart drop.

[Gamer’s Mind] Removed

[Gamer’s Body] Removed

Oh fuck…

“Are you serious?!” I complain. “Of all things you could’ve taken away, you pick those two?!”

“What?” She blinks, either genuinely not seeing the problem with this or trying to piss me off. “As I said, you already proved you don’t need them.”

“Of course, I need them! I would’ve died a hundred times without those two!”

“Once upon a time, yes. Not anymore.”

“But I—”

“Ah, stop whining.” She huffs. “I said it would cost you, didn’t I? Wouldn’t be much of a consequence if I took a spoon and a pair of underwear from your inventory.”

Knowing that arguing wouldn’t get me anywhere, I just click my tongue and drop the subject.

“The perks are useful, even to you as you are now, but ultimately? They’re holding you back.” She says. “They act more like… training wheels. They help you find your balance, but they also slow you down.”

“How?”

“You’ll have to figure that out on your own.” Akane winks at me. “Believe me, once you do, you’ll sing my praises for the rest of your days.”

With that, she walks away and toward the exit. I sit back down on the sofa and reflect on what just happened, knowing that I’ll need to live without those two immensely powerful perks and what that could entail.

Of all things she could’ve picked, she chose those two? Is she serious? Talking about proving myself— I didn’t prove shit. I got my shit rocked twice and got someone killed because of it.

Training wheels or not, I need them. What could the pros possibly be if she’s so confident that they’re holding me back? I mean, aside from the whole mental block thing with the transformation skill, what else?

Fuuuuuck…

Noticing that Akane has yet to leave the office, with her hand hovering over the doorknob, I look at her in a mixture of frustration and confusion. And as I’m about to ask her what she’s still doing here, she stares back at me with a contemplative look.

Which eventually transforms into one of… I don’t know, pity?

“Oh, I suppose I’m being a little too mean, so don’t give me that look. Here, I’ll give you a freebie. You want to know why I’m keeping an eye on you? Fine.” She suddenly says, hand on the doorknob. “The reason why you’re here, Reid. Why I’m invested in your adventure and want to see you reach your full potential…”

She then gives me a strange smile.

“…is because one day, I need you to kill me.”

I frown, feeling the weight behind that sentence.

“You want to die?”

“Of course, not.” She scoffs. “I have kids and a family. I’d never want to leave them if I can help it.”

“Then why are you saying that?”

“Why indeed…” She chuckles. “Well, I’ve said enough, but I’ll be nice and give you a quest. Literally. Here.”

She snaps her fingers again, and a quest pops up.

[Reason For Being] – Quest

Objective: Reach your full potential, then ask me that question again

Rewards: Everything and anything you want to know, and a whole lot more

“You’d better not disappoint me, Reid.” She says, opening the door. “There are a few things I hate more than wasting my time.”

She closes it behind her, and with that, her presence disappears completely, leaving me alone once again. I exhale deeply, scrolling through my perks and grimacing when I don’t see the Mind and Body perks in the list.

…Well, look at the bright side, Reid. Without Gamer’s Mind, you finally practice accessing that form for real again. Without Gamer’s Body, you can… feel pain exactly like how everyone else does. With zero benefits.

…This is gonna fucking suck.

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– Neo –

Silently stalking the girl from a distance, she was starting to wonder if they were going to stop any time soon. They’d been walking for a while now, having left the city thirty minutes ago already.

Ever since they landed in Vale, the girl immediately left the bullhead and went toward the gates, exited the city entirely, and, on foot, made it all the way to a ruined settlement that was illegal to enter unless you had permission from the council.

Coral easily avoided all detection by using her funny time-stopping Semblance, while Neo simply walked in unnoticed. Her semblance was also pretty funny, after all. Infiltration was child’s play for someone who can create all sorts of illusions, visual and auditory.

Though Neo had no idea what this girl could be doing in a place as dangerous as Mountain Glenn, she had to admit, this was becoming increasingly intriguing. Just who was she? Some kind of drug dealer or something? That was one of the things Astera forbade Roman from even considering, so she had to be some kind of upstart grasping at the power vacuum left by Piggy’s death.

…That was what she thought at first, anyway. Because what was truly intriguing was how none of the Grimm infesting this place attacked her. Avoiding Grimm was easy and all, for Neo anyway, but Coral wasn’t avoiding them. They all looked like they wanted to tear her apart, but something was keeping them in check.

Just what was she doing? Astera had warned her that the girl was pretty dangerous, but Neo thought the warning only extended to her semblance, not whatever this was. How was she stopping the Grimm from attacking her? Was it even her that’s doing that?

No wonder the Titan Slayer wanted to keep tabs on her. Maybe she was a Grimm in disguise or something. There was probably a Titan who could do that. Neo didn’t know. She’d never fought one.

The girl kept walking and walking, obviously not noticing Neo tailing her even as she got closer. Any other day, walking this long a distance all while keeping her semblance active would’ve been troubling, but Astera had given her a few potions to deal with that issue, having anticipated something like this.

He was pretty damn prepared, that much she could admit.

Eventually, the girl entered one of the dilapidated buildings, crossing over and through a broken window. Neo followed, and after entering a few rooms, she stopped and backed off as she saw the girl stand next to some… weird orb tentacle thing.

The hell is that? She thought. Looks like a Grimm.

One she had never seen before.

“Ah, there you are, my little Coral~” The orb thing spoke, spooking Neo a little. “I see you’ve been rather busy lately.”

“I have, Ms. Salem.” Coral bowed. “I didn’t mean to take so long to report back, but things have been… a little hectic.”

Salem. Neo’s eyes narrowed. That’s the name he warned me about, too.

Something about that voice made Neo feel creeped out, prompting her to create more distance. Even though she should be safe with her semblance active, her gut told her not to take any chances. And Neo hadn’t made it this far in life by not trusting it.

She was just close enough to hear what they were talking about, but far enough away that they couldn’t see her even if she were to deactivate her semblance.

“I’m aware. When I heard the news that Astera was going to be teaching at Beacon, I became a little concerned about your well-being. I had thought he caught you.” Salem replied. “But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Unless you’re here to tell me you’ve escaped his wrath?”

“He didn’t notice. Or, I don’t think he did, anyway.” Coral replied, completely oblivious that he had, indeed, noticed. “I think he’s suspicious of my semblance, but nothing more than that.”

“I see. It’s only expected. Astera is incredibly sharp,” She complimented Neo’s boss. “But I entrusted you with this mission for a reason, my little Coral. I knew you were the best for the job.”

“Ehehe…” The ‘best for the job’ giggled bashfully. “Well, I’m trying my best. I even made it into his class, so I can keep a closer eye on him.”

“Of course, you have.” The orb thing said. “More importantly, have you found the vault?”

“Not yet,” Coral shook her head. “But I did find out something about Astera that might interest you.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“He’s been teaching us something called ‘Haki’.” She explained. “Something about it being the manifestation of Willpower. It seems… different from magic. According to him, anyone can access it.”

“Is it now…” The Salem person sounded extremely interested.

“I’ll write and send you a proper report soon,” Coral said. “It’s… a lot. More than I can explain right now.”

“Oh, you little rascal. Teasing me like this~” Salem chuckled. “Very well. I shall await your report. Until then, keep at it and look for the vault. Ozma and his band of fools are bound to slip up eventually.”

“Understood,” Coral replied. “I won’t fail you, Ms. Salem. I promise.”

“I know you won’t.” Her boss said. “But as I’ve told you once before, if you find yourself in a bad position, ditch the mission and come back to me. Your gift is far more important to me than the relic.”

Coral’s expression wavered a little, becoming mildly sad before it returned to one of determination.

“I got it.”

With that, the odd and creepy presence of the orb thing vanished, and Neo took that as the signal to get the hell out of dodge. She had no fucking idea what the hell they were talking about— whatever they meant by vault or relic, but what she knew was that Mr. Hero was gonna be real happy about this.

Neo slipped away unnoticed, leaving the building and running back to Vale. Making the journey on foot sucked, but oh well.

As she went to bring out her scroll to text Astera, she didn’t feel it in her pocket before promptly remembering that she may or may not have ‘accidentally’ dropped it. After taking out its chip. And saving all her data. Tsk tsk. How clumsy of her.

But that was fine. Clearly, she deserved the latest model for her troubles. Preferably plated in gold, but she could do without.

She sure hoped someone kind and generous would give her a replacement after she risked her life on a mission so dangerous and scary.