Chapter Nine: Alice's Abilities
When Akira woke up, he found her still there, staring out the window at the street below.
She turned toward him and said,
"Good morning… you finally woke up."
"Good morning."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Much better than sleeping in the alleys."
Alice nodded. "Good. Let's go downstairs for breakfast. We have a lot to do today."
After breakfast, Akira went to the receptionist and extended his stay for one more day, then returned to his room.
"Akira, what's your current health?" Alice asked.
He glanced at the invisible screen before him and replied,
"Thirteen out of thirty."
Until Akira fully recovered, Alice decided their training would begin with two things.
First—telepathy.
"Thanks to the contract binding us, you no longer need to use your voice to communicate with me. Just think the words, and I'll hear you."
As she spoke, a status window suddenly appeared before him:
[Magical Contract]
— Rank: Fifth Tier
— You are bound by a contract with the entity Alice
Contract Features:
• Feature One: Telepathy (Active)
• Feature Two: [Locked]
• Feature Three: [Locked]
• Feature Four: [Locked]
• Feature Five: [Locked]
Do you wish to terminate the contract?
Akira tried using the new ability immediately, but his mental voice was nothing more than chaotic noise.
Alice laughed softly every time he failed, clearly enjoying it more than she was helping.
After hours of trying, he finally managed to send a coherent sentence—at least, that's what Alice claimed.
"Alright, we'll stop here for now. We'll continue after lunch."
"Alright…" Akira sighed as he collapsed onto the bed.
At Alice's suggestion, Akira left the inn and wandered through the lower district. He bought a few books and study tools, grabbed a light meal from a food cart, then returned.
Inside the room, he prepared the only table and got ready to begin his first lesson…
But what he saw stunned him completely.
Alice's black dress changed before his eyes, instantly transforming into an elegant formal suit complete with a red tie.
He stood there, speechless.
"How… did you do that?" he asked in disbelief.
With a calm smile, she replied,
"My clothes are a part of me. I control them as I wish."
"That's amazing! This'll save you a lot of money—no need to buy clothes ever again!"
The corner of Alice's mouth twitched slightly.
"That's what you care about?"
"Of course! Money is important!"
She sighed and looked away. "Fine… let's continue."
Then, as if to surprise him again, she added,
"I can change my form too. Watch."
Before his eyes, Alice gradually grew younger until she became a small child, then rapidly aged into an elderly woman… before returning to her original form.
Akira stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
"H-how?"
In a mysterious tone, she said,
"This is my true form."
"…Alright."
"That really is my true face. Believe me."
"Yes, I believe you."
Alice wasn't sure if he truly did, so she dropped the subject.
"Enough joking. Let's start the lesson. First, the alphabet…"
She began explaining the letters in the book.
Three days later, Akira was practicing writing his name. When he finished, he asked through telepathy:
"Is this correct?"
"Yes."
"I see…"
Akira smiled.
"Akira, what's your health now?"
"It's stuck at twenty out of thirty."
"As expected. Your health improved, but your body hasn't caught up yet. Also, the food you used to eat damaged your condition."
"It won't kill me."
"No, it won't. But training and proper food will help a lot."
Akira lowered his head without replying.
"That's enough for today," Alice said calmly.
"Pack your things. We're returning to the wasteland tomorrow… we don't have much money left."
The next morning, Akira woke early, had breakfast, and left the inn.
He passed through the lower district, then the crumbling alleys of the slums, until he finally reached the edge of the wasteland.
After walking for nearly two hours through suffocating emptiness, the scenery began to change. The road turned into the ruins of a completely destroyed city, debris scattered everywhere.
"Alice… where are we headed?" Akira asked cautiously.
"We're looking for a building to loot, or a suitable hunting area," she replied calmly.
"Don't you think this is dangerous?"
"Stop exaggerating. Danger exists even at the city gates."
Akira fell silent.
"There," Alice said, pointing at a half-collapsed building a few steps away.
Akira rushed inside but found nothing of value.
"What exactly are we looking for?" he asked.
Alice smiled lightly. "A surprise."
She pointed at a massive pile of rubble.
"Try blowing that apart."
"Alright."
He raised his hand.
"Void Spear."
The magical spear shot forward, tearing through the rubble and sending debris flying. He repeated it twice, then began clearing the rest by hand.
Beneath the ruins, something unexpected appeared—a narrow stone staircase leading downward, its end swallowed by darkness.
Akira stopped, staring into the unseen depth. His voice carried a hint of hesitation.
"It's dark…"
Alice smiled, raising an eyebrow as if she had been waiting for that.
"That's exactly why I bought the flashlight."
Akira slowly opened his bag, took out the flashlight, and turned it on. The beam cut through the darkness like a blade, revealing cracked concrete walls and eroded stairs descending below.
He began going down carefully, each step echoing faintly through the abandoned floors.
"What we're looking for is on the sixth floor," Alice said.
Five floors passed in heavy silence…
And when he reached the sixth, a faint blue glow seeped from beneath a cracked iron door.
He approached slowly.
When he opened it—he froze.
In the center of the dark room floated a vortex of blue light, unsupported, unanchored… simply existing, pulsing slowly as if it were breathing.
"This…" Akira whispered.
He knew what it was.
Even though he had never seen one before, he had heard of them countless times.
A dungeon.