The next morning, Reinhard woke with a groan and silenced his alarm. The comfort of the bed almost convinced him to stay, but he forced himself up and made it neatly before anything else.
Once done, he dismissed [Titan's Corpus] and examined his body.
He had kept his body adapting to the attribute throughout the night, hoping the process would strengthen him even in sleep.
Hm, the difference is minimal, but I do feel something.
In the dark of the early morning, Reinhard walked out of his room and made his way to the dojo.
After entering, he stood in front of the machine to measure his strength and struck it with Titan's corpus active.
Two digits appeared on the screen.
21.
Huh, only a single point?
That was unexpected. He had felt a slight improvement immediately after the combat classes the previous day. If his innate ability had adapted all night, the increase should have been greater.
That led him to several conclusions.
Perhaps adaptation only occurred during battle. Or maybe his body was responding not to the attribute itself, but to the strain of combat.
But then he looked back at the metal plate as a question arose in his mind.
He dismissed [Titan's Corpus] and struck the plate again. His movement slowed noticeably.
The result was disappointing yet expected.
11.
Either Titan's Corpus is increasing my strength by 100% or by just 10 points; that makes sense if I assume my score before the adaptation to be 10, then it would be turned into 20, and 11 would be turned into 21. Either it's a near double kind of increase, or it's just by 10 points.
Before someone could spot him in the dojo, Reinhard decided to leave.
He walked back to his room and sat down on his bed.
Figuring out the complete capabilities of his innate ability was confusing, and it hurt his brain, so he stopped doing it.
What should I do now?
He didn't feel like reading books so early in the morning, so that left only one thing: exercise.
After creating an attribute for increased gains of training, which would work in tandem with his innate ability, Reinhard went for a run.
***
In the evening, combat classes started, and Reinhard made his way to the dojo.
Just like Awakened Rock had told them yesterday, today Sleepers would be divided into groups based on their level, such as novice, advanced, or expert.
Sleepers like Reinhard, Nephis, Caster, and other legacies were in the expert group.
They were the ones who were already proficient in their battle styles, so the most efficient way for them to learn was through experience.
Which meant they would be paired against each other one by one.
After choosing a normal weapon of their choice provided by the academy, Awakened Rock made their pairs; the other sleepers were under other tutors.
Reinhard, while being proficient in all kinds of weapons due to Battle Master, still decided to make a sword his main weapon.
He wasn't sure just how his innate ability worked, but one thing was clear: it provided him with major benefits when he was mainly in battle.
The second thing he wanted to acquire with these duels was simple as well: Battle Master gave him raw combat intuition. It did not grant him tactical understanding, opponent analysis, or adaptive evolution. Against unfamiliar abilities, deceptive strategies, or complex combat scenarios, he was still a novice, generally a person who had learned to fight through training experience and real battles; they would most likely grow in all these skills together, but he had simply gained a short part of that wide range of skills through his Battle Master attribute.
And as such, he was still quite lacking.
[New Attribute Acquired.]
[Attribute Name: Aesthete]
Yes, he could create an attribute covering those aspects as well.
However, since Titan's Corpus was going to be one of the major attributes he would use during battle, just relying on [Aesthete] would bite him in the ass later on.
So training that skill himself was important too.
The good thing was his innate ability allowed him to adapt to Aesthete!
So he just had to use it enough in battle.
But doing that against Caster and a few other legacies who had high scores in physical capabilities would just be asking for defeat, but against some other legacies with lower physical scores, maybe someone like Nephis, who was only 4 points ahead of him, he guessed Battle Master and Aesthete would be enough for him to win, and if not, Titan's Corpus would come in clutch.
Not to mention he could use [Aesthete] even outside of battle by just observing others.
Reinhard, having switched to Aesthete, started paying attention to the battle that had just started between Nephis and Caster. Unlike yesterday, both of them had their swords in hand.
The battle was short; Caster used his aspect ability to make quick work of the duel.
I can't even perceive him properly without motion sense...
These were going to be the scenarios where he would curse his inability to have multiple attributes yet.
The next battle started between the other two legacies.
While observing their battle, Reinhard learned properly what his new attribute allowed him to do.
Aesthete, the opposite of Battle Master, focused on the mental and perceptual side of combat; it allowed him to read movements, recognize patterns, anticipate actions, and learn movements through observation.
Reinhard could already feel his understanding of the fighting styles of the two legacies grow.
His turn came next; Reinhard went in the ring, and the legacy whose name he didn't find important enough to learn followed.
However, he did know that his current opponent, a dark-haired boy, didn't have an extraordinary score in the strength test, so Aesthete and Battle Master would be enough for Reinhard to beat him, even though technically, with a score of 11, Reinhard was probably weaker than him at the moment.
Upon receiving Awakened Rock's signal, the match started.
Reinhard closed the distance without hesitation.
The first strike came in a straight thrust aimed at the centerline. The boy knocked it aside and countered with a diagonal slash. Reinhard twisted his wrist, letting the blade skim past his ribs, and answered with a short horizontal cut.
The opponent barely managed to block.
Reinhard pressed forward and continued attacking. A downward chop flowing into a rising cut, followed by a sudden change of angle that targeted the shoulder.
The boy staggered back, forced to retreat under the relentless pressure.
He tried to stabilize, planting his foot and launching a wide counter meant to force Reinhard away.
Reinhard stepped inside the arc.
Their blades crossed at point-blank range. He shifted his weight, slid his sword down the opponent's, and drove his elbow forward.
The blow landed against the boy's chest, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him backward.
He recovered quickly; frustration was easily visible on his face.
Reinhard halted.
Aesthete's analysis bore further fruits.
The patterns in the legacies' movements became even clearer.
Tension built in the right shoulder, meaning a high strike was imminent. His weight came tilted forward, which indicated a committed attack. A caught breath meant an explosive release.
Reinhard decided to close in and take advantage of the information he had gained; however, just at that moment, the spell's voice entered his ears.
[You have received an Aspect Legacy, Divergent Precept.]
Reinhard was dumbstruck
No way—
Was he hearing it right?
Right now? How the fu-
The legacy didn't wait for Reinhard to recover from his shock.
He surged forward.
The moment of hesitation was microscopic, but in a fight, it was everything.
The boy's blade flashed upward in a vicious rising slash aimed at Reinhard's throat.
If there were any other sleeper in Reinhard's place, they would have most likely lost. But to the boy's misfortune, his opponent was Reinhard himself.
Reinhard snapped back into motion, twisting his torso and snapping his sword up at the last instant. Steel clashed violently, the impact jarring his arms. He slid backward half a step, boots scraping against the ring.
Reinhard exhaled sharply and forced his mind back into focus.
Now was not the time.
The legacy pressed, chaining his attack into a rapid sequence. A downward chop, a lateral cut, then a sudden thrust aimed at the abdomen.
Reinhard retreated, parrying each strike with compact, economical movements.
Aesthete resumed its silent work.
The boy's stance had shifted.
His weight distribution was off. His breathing was irregular. His eyes kept flicking to Reinhard's sword hand. Fear, not calculation, now guided his movements.
Reinhard stepped in; the prospect of what he had heard from the spell was ringing in his mind, and the legacy still standing against him was getting annoying.
[New Attribute Acquired.]
[Attribute Name: Titan's Corpus]
The match that, while being in Reinhard's favor, still seemed quite equal didn't take more than three seconds to end.
As Reinhard left the ring with a giddy heart ready to finally see what the spell had just provided him, his gaze landed on the spectating sleepers.
Some observant ones were looking at him doubtfully.
Probably because of the amount of effort it took me to defeat him.
Reinhard didn't particularly care about what they thought; while it was extremely satisfying to be seen as a strong figure who was also unbeatable, improving his fighting style was just as important, if not more.
You fools, you don't even know the extent of what I have just achieved!
***
He walked back to his secluded spot and then summoned his runes.
Aspect: [Instrument Of Inevitability].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Abilities: [Oathborne].
Aspect Legacy: [Divergent Precept].
Yes!
Reinhard quickly focused on his aspect legacy, and new runes appeared.
Divergent Precept Description: [Born from the refusal to follow any single way, this legacy is shaped through observation and refined through understanding. In time, even the unfamiliar begins to reveal its order, and every clash becomes a lesson etched into flesh and mind.]
Shaped through observation? That tracks.
He was able to unlock his aspect legacy while observing with his aesthete attribute after all.
Before Reinhard could think further to decipher the aspect legacy's meanings, his gaze fell on the rest of the information written there.
Divergent Precept Mastery Level: [0/7].
First Relic: Unearned.
Second Relic: Unearned.
Third Relic…
Reinhard's eyes widened slightly in shock.
No way.
Entire legacy clans were formed around someone who had managed to gain their single legacy relic, and yet Reinhard could possibly get seven of them.
But then a question arose: How was he supposed to earn them?
He read through the description again.
Refined through understanding... of what though?
Considering how he had 'shaped' it through observation of the fighting style of an opponent, that indicated there was a high chance the method to master his aspect legacy would be by understanding his opponent's fighting style better.
A smile appeared on Reinhard's face.
Perhaps if it weren't for Aesthete, it would have taken far longer for me to unlock my aspect legacy.
He truly was a genius to come up with that plan!
Considering that, my first try at mastering this should be trying to adapt to Aesthete as much as I can.
If it didn't work, he would have to think of something else.
But disregarding that, there was the last sentence left.
Before Reinhard could read the last line, he looked at the ring once to make sure he wasn't missing anything.
The duel had just ended, and the next two sleepers, who were to fight, included him.
He groaned internally.
Let me read my runes in peace!
***
After his duel had ended, Reinhard decided to wait for alone time in his own room before continuing his self-rune discovery session.
Since he had ended up telling about his outskirt past to the sleepers yesterday, the news had landed everywhere and ended up being the centerpiece of conversations.
A sleeper from the outskirts with no prior training was beating legacies after all.
At first that amazement landed on Nephis too, but after Caster revealed her past related to the immortal flame clan, that further ended up highlighting Reinhard.
And as such, he had a harder time getting rid of pests today.
He couldn't even count how many times he had been asked the question, "What rank is your aspect?" Luckily, even though he couldn't reply with anything but the truth, he still had the option to just refuse to answer the question.
Anyways.
He summoned his runes.
Aspect: [Instrument Of Inevitability].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Abilities: [Oathborne].
Aspect Legacy: [Divergent Precept].
Divergent Precept Description: [Born from the refusal to follow any single way, this legacy is shaped through observation and refined through understanding. In time, even the unfamiliar begins to reveal its order, and every clash becomes a lesson etched into flesh and mind.]
Considering the wording of the description, it was easy to tell the last sentence starting with "In time" probably highlighted how the aspect legacy itself worked.
So Reinhard focused on reading that.
Every clash becomes a lesson etched into flesh and mind.... That implies some sort of adaptation too, doesn't it?
Either Reinhard's hypothesis was correct and the aspect legacy was really related to adaptation or he was simply making bold connections because of his innate ability.
But it really sounds like adaptation, though! Like after every clash I learn from it, making it easier for me to respond to similar conditions. Doesn't that mean adaptation?!
So I am right, right?
Unfortunately, there was no one who could answer his questions....
[New attribute acquired.]
[Attribute Name: Spell Perception.]
Until there was.
...
Yeah, I was right.
Reinhard was now walking towards the library, using spell perception; he saw a better description of his aspect legacy. It was indeed related to adaptation; however, what distinguished it from his innate ability was the type of adaptation itself.
For example, if he were cut by a sword and he got a wound that bled, after his innate ability adapted to what it had 'endured,' the next time he was cut, the wound would close very fast. But if he adapted to the act of 'cutting by a sword' itself through his aspect legacy, a wound might not appear there at all, or maybe the sword wouldn't be able to pierce through the skin, or the third case could be that his skin would turn intangible and the sword might cut through nothing even if it looked like it cut him.
This was only a guess from Reinhard on how he thought his aspect legacy worked, though. Although it was pretty clear to him that the first mastery level clearly wanted him to adapt completely to Aesthete.
The good thing was that Scarred adaptation could aid him in learning his aspect legacy very well. His aspect ability helped in that a lot too.
But there was a problem: if Reinhard mastered the first level of his aspect legacy by adapting completely or at least to a high degree to Aesthete, that would mean the first level only provided him with what Aesthete was already doing; that was good until he realized it simply benefited him in taking away one taken spot from the attributes he was able to form at a time.
After all, if he adapted to Aesthete, he wouldn't need to keep a place for it in the attributes he had to summon for battle.
That wasn't too impressive, though.
Couldn't I naturally adapt to Aesthete anyways?
Reinhard visibly frowned.
But maybe it works because my innate ability's adaptation would naturally adapt to the stuff my aesthete attribute adapts to instead of the attribute itself...
Huh, wait, what did I just say?
While he could understand what he was implying, Reinhard noted how ridiculous that sentence sounded if he said it to someone else, not that he would.
Whatever, fuck this shit. At least level 2 should be better, or I will really destroy something 'important.'
His flaw wouldn't allow him to do something like that, of course...
On that note... Fuck my flaw too!
***
For the next four weeks, Reinhard's routine went quite similarly.
He would get up early, train his body, return, take a bath, eat breakfast, read in the library, eat lunch, and read some more. He would also attend combat classes in the evening to work on his aspect legacy; in every battle the outcome was always the same because of Battle Master and his other hacks.
He won.
At the start, winning against Nephis and Caster was quite difficult. They had been trained since a young age to kill nightmare creatures, and both were masters at using swords. He was barely able to win, though the more he fought them, the easier those spars became. No one among the sleepers was as adaptable as him, after all.
And due to that, his reputation within the academy continued to grow. His skill alone would have been enough to draw attention, but his good looks and polite demeanor only amplified it, earning him a fan group of girls who tried to butter him up—much to the jealousy of some boys.
After all, there were a hundred beautiful young people locked underground in close proximity, with the added spice of a deathly threat hanging over their heads. Many felt that life was short and that it was their time to seize the day. In such an environment, admiration easily turned into infatuation, and passion bloomed in the shadow of approaching danger.
It wasn't that Reinhard was wholly against the idea; he simply didn't like people bothering him too much, nor did he believe this was the appropriate time for love.
However, around three weeks after he had unlocked his aspect legacy, something very fortunate had happened for Reinhard.
That day, as the combat classes were ongoing, Reinhard fought against Caster.
He had continued to adapt to Aesthete as well as Titan's corpus.
But just then, what he had been wishing to hear ever since he had unlocked his aspect legacy finally entered his ears.
The spell's voice said,
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
It could be said that the style Reinhard used thanks to his Battle Master attribute was grounded and quite basic. It made sure Reinhard instinctively knew the best move to perform against an opponent to save himself and counterattack, but it was solid and unchanging. Battle Master made him proficient in all forms of combat, but it didn't make him invincible; the fact that it was quite rigid made for a glaring weakness.
However, after that strange awakening, as their battle continued, Reinhard felt his body making micro adjustments to 'adapt' to Caster's attacks.
He was becoming more unpredictable.
The match soon ended with Reinhard's victory; this time, however, the victory felt easier than ever before.
***
Reinhard, lying on his bed, peacefully stared at the ceiling. It was the day before the winter solstice; tomorrow there would be no classes, and he had finished reading every book on the dream realm he could find in the library.
There was nothing to do, unless he wanted to train a bit, of course, but he didn't feel like doing that either.
It was nearly midnight after all.
Reinhard decided to do the most entertaining hobby he had discovered he could do in his free time; the best thing was that he could do it anywhere as well!
And it was simply reading his runes or trying out the new attributes he could make.
It was a good way to challenge his creative thinking.
The terrifying part of his aspect ability was that he was capable of creating an attribute that allowed him to read the minds of anyone who was near him, too.
But thanks to his flaw, before the attribute could take effect, it was simply dismissed.
Fuck my flaw.
That was the billionth time he had cursed his flaw.
Ignoring that, Reinhard summoned his runes and looked at the most valuable thing he owned until now.
Memory: [Axiom Of Virtue.]
Memory Rank: Divine.
Memory Tier: VII
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [Forged by the treacherous smith of The Nameless, this blade stands as a contradiction—born from darkness, yet sworn to sever it. It draws upon soul essence, refining it into power that elevates its wielder.
Yet the sword is not a mere weapon. It bears a will of its own and shall not be used unless it acknowledges an adversary worthy of true conflict.
Because once the Axiom of Virtue is drawn, defeat is no longer an option.]
Memory Enchantments: [Essence Forming] [Crown of Blades] [Unyielding Defiance] [Nameless Blessing]
[Essence Forming] Enchantment Description: "Allows the wielder to shape their own soul essence, infusing it into the blade to manifest temporary constructs of destruction."
[Crown of Blades] Enchantment Description: "The weapon possesses an independent will and shall not be drawn unless it acknowledges the opponent as worthy of true conflict. While it remains in the wielder's possession, no other weapon may be drawn in genuine battle."
[Unyielding Defiance]: "The Law of Imperfection decrees that all existence must bear a flaw. Yet when this blade is drawn, it becomes that flaw itself. For the duration of its unsheathing, the wielder's inherent weakness is temporarily nullified, rendered meaningless before the sword's defiant will."
[Nameless's Blessing]: "A fragment of an ancient exile, steeped in defiance and quiet authority. It carries the echo of one who walked beside Death, defied it, and yet enforced its will. Banished, yet unforgotten; condemned, yet indispensable. Within this blessing lingers the stillness of undeath and a promise that even the end itself may hesitate before passing judgment."
Reinhard sighed.
Is it 'fated' for me to receive truly overpowered things only to never be able to use them according to my wishes because of some sort of flaw?
This was the second time it was happening to him: first his own flaw, and now his sword's.
Fuck you, Crown of Blades!
Unyielding defiance was like a divine miracle; if he could nullify his flaw when the sword was unsheathed, he would always carry it in his hand. But thanks to the Crown of Blades, he couldn't even use his own sword when he wanted to.
Not to mention he wasn't allowed to use any other weapon in battle either. What the fuck was that about?!
Luckily spars in the combat classes didn't count.
But what is this nameless's blessing?!
Even [Spell Perception] wasn't able to tell him what this enchantment did.
Reinhard dismissed his runes and stood up from his bed, not only because he was tired of berating his situation but also because he had just gotten an idea of what he wanted to do next.
Time to check my strength progress!
***
In the darkness of midnight, Reinhard went out of his room and headed towards the dojo.
Considering everything, my score should at least be above 25 with Titan's corpus now.
The number of spars he was participating in every day after the first was considerably fewer; his group only had a handful of legacies, after all.
If he had to guess, three days of spars would amount to how many he had participated in on the first day of combat classes. And considering how he had gained 1 point of increase in strength after the first day, that would mean he could very well see an increase of 10 points now.
But those were just assumptions; his innate ability probably didn't work in such linear ways after all. Considering its description, it probably took a lot of things into consideration to adapt his body.
He was still sure his score today well be near 30 points. Saying 'at least above twenty-five' was just him being humble with himself incase there were some 'complications.'
Soon he arrived at his location; after making sure no one was around, he went in and turned on the machine.
After the display screen lit up, Reinhard, arming himself with [Titan's Corpus], took his stance and prepared to strike the metal plate.
In an instant his punch landed, and right after a score appeared on the display.
28.
***
On the day of the winter solstice, Reinhard woke up feeling tired and drowsy. No matter how much he tried to shake off this restlessness, it wouldn't go away. In the end, he reluctantly got off the bed and went to take a shower.
He was already familiar with this feeling of never-ending, ensnaring sleepiness. It was the same in the days before his first nightmare.
After finishing his morning routine, he headed for the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was full of Sleepers, but no one was talking. Everybody was in low spirits and seemed to be uncharacteristically introspective. There was no usual laughter or boisterous conversations—only the Legacies remained calm and collected. However, even they kept to themselves.
Reinhard attracted quite a lot of gazes, but today no one really paid him more attention than they would to anyone else.
If only things were so peaceful every other day.
That was just a front, though; even if he wasn't as anxious as everyone else here was, there was still a sense of wrongness when he saw a hall filled with so many people being so quiet and subdued.
He didn't really feel like eating much, so he got himself a cup of coffee and looked for a seat to sit at.
Unfortunately, almost all the seats were filled. However, in the corner he saw a desk where only two people were sitting.
A pale, black-haired boy and a blonde-haired girl.
While Reinhard did not care much about the gossips going around the academy, he did manage to hear some tidbits.
The blond-haired girl's name was Cassia; he had seen her in the last place in the rankings. The boy was directly above her too, from what he had heard.
But the main part was that she was blind.
Reinhard pitied her, but he didn't really care about a random girl he had never met before nor ever talked to, so, like he had done with any other sleeper, he simply ignored her till now and continued to do whatever he wanted.
Though since there was no other table available right now, he had no choice but to sit at that table.
Reluctantly he approached them, which was noticed by the boy, since he was facing the direction Reinhard was approaching from.
The boy sat a little straighter and acted like he hadn't seen him approaching; Reinhard was easily able to notice that, though.
Since when did I become so scary?
He walked to the table, purposefully walking a little louder so the blind girl could also hear him approaching.
"Can I sit here?" he asked neutrally.
The blind girl looked in his direction, a little startled by his voice.
Walking louder didn't help huh?
"Y-Yes," she said.
"Uh... Sure."
Receiving their approval, Reinhard sat down beside the black-haired boy and then continued to mind his own business; there was enough space to fit two people between them since the table was quite large.
He took a sip of his coffee and suddenly realized he had completely forgotten to get his [Flavor Grace] attribute.
[New attribute acquired.]
[Attribute Name: Flavour Grace.]
While his attention was on his coffee, he noticed the girl stiffening from the corner of his vision.
Huh... What was that about? Did she suddenly receive a shock or something?
He ignored that and took a sip of his coffee.
Yeah, definitely a lot better then before.
The boy next to him finished his coffee a lot earlier than Reinhard and went away, leaving only him and the girl sitting there.
A few minutes later Reinhard also got up to leave. Since he didn't really have anywhere to go, he decided to waste time in his room till five pm, at which time all the sleepers were supposed to meet Awakened Rock.
He got out of the cafeteria and turned towards the sleeper dorms.
Since most sleepers were in the cafeteria or somewhere else, no one was really present in the dorm area or in their rooms.
Soon Reinhard reached the corridor outside his room.
But then he heard them.
Footsteps.
He frowned and was about to turn around when a quiet voice spoke behind him.
"W-Wait…"
That voice sounded similar.
Isn't that—
When he turned, Cassia stood several steps away; one of her hands was clenched tightly at her side, while the other took support from the wall.
Her unfocused eyes were fixed in his direction, but she was staring at the ground.
"I... I am sorry for this, but—" Her voice was low; it seemed like she would start crying any moment now.
She looked up; tears were streaming down her eyes.
Reinhard had never been this confused in his entire life.
"Please," she whispered. "Help me."
***
Reinhard stared at the girl sitting on the edge of his bed.
His emotions were in turmoil. That was the only explanation for why he couldn't bring himself to speak, even though dozens of questions clawed at the back of his mind.
From what she said before, it was clear that she knew about his inability to refuse when someone asked him for help.
How much does she know?
His fingers twitched at his sides.
Having survived in the outskirts, even though he had never killed anyone with his own hands, he still had a lot of exposure to violence.
Fuck, it's not like I can do anything anyways,
He had no way of harming her. Not unless he could somehow convince himself that she was evil.
Anyways, after hearing her plea, he had taken her hand and dragged her into his room, after consent, of course.
Talking about his flaw and whatever problem she had in the hallway would be just asking to be heard.
[New attribute acquired.]
[Attribute Name: Lie Detector.]
Even though it was for a fleeting moment, he noticed a change in her posture.
Just like in the cafeteria.
There was no doubt now, but he still had to confirm.
"You can see them, can't you?" He asked.
"Y- Yes, I can see your attributes."
"Then how did you know? That I wouldn't be able to refuse?"
"I saw a vision." She looked down and mumbled.
Reinhard let out a slow breath through his nose.
Of course you did!
Future sight in exchange for actual sight, Kinda poetic.
He thought dryly.
"What did you see?"
Her voice wavered.
"About your flaw..."
The irritation he'd been holding back finally bubbled to the surface.
Is fate trying to fuck with my life?! Seers are one of the rarest kinds of aspects, and what kind of vision did she receive? Oh, here is the flaw of this particular guy. Now go fuck up his day and probably the rest of his life by using him!
Even though Reinhard kept his expression calm, that didn't mean he couldn't indulge in a little anger, if only for his own sanity.
He sighed, the tension slightly leaving his body.
At this point he was already sure what kind of help Cassia would want.
They were going to be sent to the dream realm today. The spell sent sleepers into the dream realm by some weird system that no one could predict; a blind girl like her with no way of defending herself would die in less than an hour unless she had exceptional luck.
And what better person to ask for help than the strongest sleeper in the whole academy, who, by convenience, had no way of refusing to help her?
Not only because she asked for help, but perhaps also because he considered her situation unjust.
It still shouldn't be a problem of mine..
He made one last complaint before sighing and then speaking up.
"Do you really think I can do anything about your situation?"
Cassia's hands tightened in her lap.
"I... I don't know... But you are my last hope. So please... save my life."
She didn't look at him. Her head was bowed, her unfocused eyes fixed on nothing. A single teardrop slipped free and landed on her lap, darkening the fabric of her clothes.
Oh, come on, starting with the waterworks again?
Reinhard wasn't a good person. He wasn't a bad one either. He was just someone trying to survive.
Morals, justice, ideals—he'd learned early on that those concepts only mattered as long as they didn't get you killed. Pitying her didn't mean he liked the position he'd been forced into.
But just then a voice rang up in his mind.
[New attribute acquired.]
[Attribute Name: Hero's Burden.]
He quickly looked at his runes to see the new attributes description.
[Hero's Burden]Attribute Description: "The strings of fate twist and tighten around you, binding your path to those who must be saved. Chance, misfortune, and destiny itself conspire to place their lives in your hands, ensuring that your duty can never be ignored."
Are. We. Deadass?
He looked at his runes with bewilderment.
Is the sleeper Favored by fate in the room with us?
Cause it doesn't seem like it!
He groaned internally.
Still, there was no avoiding it now.
The room fell into silence, actually, except for when he asked; she didn't really say anything till now. Reinhard wondered if he was actually mentally torturing the poor girl.
He felt a little guilty now.
Damn, now I actually feel bad for her.
"Fine," he said. "I'll try my best."
"Th-thank you very much!"
"Don't shout."
"S-sorry."
Bullying her like this is kinda fun.
He half-expected her to start crying again, but instead, Cassia lifted her head. Her large blue eyes—clear and empty—were fixed in the direction of his face. Hope softened her expression.
Hey stop! Don't look at me like that.
Even he had to admit that she was very beautiful. Like a porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest impact.
He sighed, for the fourth time in the span of an hour.
"Now," he said tiredly, "are you planning to spend the next few hours here?"
Given Hero's Burden, the odds of them being transported nearby were high. Discussing plans would be the logical move. But he already knew how this would go—he would fight, and she would survive because of it.
Right now, he had too much to think about to pretend otherwise.
"C-can I?"
"Huh?"