NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: The Strongest Student And His Mischiefs (XIV)
The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, bathing the hotel room in a soft glow. I sat cross-legged on the hotel's bed, focusing on the mana flow in my right arm.
It stings, but I needed to get used to this small pain.
And I shouldn't use Moonlight's One Flash for at least a month or so. If I used it again, I could actually rupture this mana channel of mine.
As for the slime girl...
She was sprawled across the couch, her translucent form shimmering slightly in the light.
She looked oddly peaceful as if she hadn't spent the whole day clinging to me like her life depended on it.
"Master..."
The slime girl suddenly turned towards me and muttered in a soft tone.
"Yeah?"
"Name..."
Ah, right.
Until now I've been calling her slime girl.
"Can't you simply choose it yourself?"
I asked as if started forming a ball made of mana and started increasing its concentration. This could help me improve my mana control because I needed to keep it at a certain concentration so the mana ball wouldn't explode.
"It has to be Master giving me one."
"Ah... sure."
As soon as I said those words, she perked up instantly, her jelly-like form bouncing slightly as she stared at me with wide, expectant eyes.
Stella... nah.
Kiara... it doesn't seem to fit her.
Ah, I know.
"How about Lumi?"
I suggested after a few moments. It felt fitting, given her glowing, semi-transparent form.
"Lumi..."
She repeated slowly, then broke into a delighted smile.
"Lumi!"
"Glad you like it..."
I leaned against the headboard.
The mana ball in my hand flickered slightly, and I steadied it again.
Training was pretty much all I had to do for now.
That, and wait.
And not to mention that I have a useless system. I mean, if you're going to give me a system, at least make it useful instead of just showing a status window.
For that, I can use the academy's evaluation stone to measure my power.
[Ding...!]
Huh?
What was that?
A faint, translucent blue window suddenly appeared in front of me, its edges glowing softly.
[Compatibility Calibration has reached 100%.]
[The special feature... "Book Reading" has been activated.]
"Book Reading...?"
I muttered, my eyebrows furrowed.
And before I could make sense of it—
—SWOOSH!
The blue system window faded into nothingness as my surroundings changed in a flash.
"Ah—!"
My vision blurred, and when it cleared, I was no longer in the hotel room.
I stood right in the middle of a dense forest, with tall trees stretching up high, which seemed not to allow enough sunlight to break through.
Their twisted roots sprawled across the dirty ground, making it hard to move without stumbling.
A faint mist hung in the air, growing thicker the farther it stretched, and I could hear the distant sound of rushing water.
"This...?"
"Where am I?"
The ground was a mess of broken branches and scorched patches of earth. The smell of burned wood was strong, mixed with something sharp and metallic.
Blood.
It was definitely blood...
Clang!
The clash of metal jolted me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
My eyes darted around and then I saw them—shadows slipping between the trees, with their red eyes glowing like flames in the ominous mist.
A low growl rumbled somewhere ahead, followed by the grating sound of claws dragging across the ground.
I immediately gripped my sword tightly, I didn't even remember how it was in my hand, but I made sure to prepare myself for anything.
The air felt heavy like something dangerous was watching over me.
Something big.
Until...
They stepped into the open.
One by one, demon beasts emerged from the shadows.
I couldn't exactly see their "faces", but...
They were huge, at least five times my height, with jagged black fur and eyes that burned sharply.
Their fangs gleamed, sharp and deadly, and their claws—coated in a sickly green venom—scratched the ground as they moved closer.
"High-ranking demon beasts..."
And they weren't only a handful.
There were at least tens of them, possibly even hundreds.
But then, an even bigger one came out. I couldn't really see its form, but from the aura he was emitting, it was definitely a named demon beast.
The only thing I could see was its horns that curled back from its head, and just as he took a step, it shook the earth beneath me.
I took a small step back...
And then glanced around, the trees formed a rough circle with their roots acting like natural walls.
And behind me, was the river that I heard earlier.
RAAAARGH!
The beasts started crawling towards me, and their heavy bodies shook the ground at every movement.
This was bad.
Really bad.
My hand gripped the hilt of my sword even more tightly than before. I started gathering mana around my body...
But surprisingly...
I couldn't.
I couldn't manifest an ounce of mana.
'Shit.'
Swish!
The named demon beast suddenly lunged forward as its claws ripped through the earth.
And in just a matter of seconds, it appeared right in front of me, raising its claw, aiming at my chest.
Time seemed to slow as I raised my sword, ready to protect against the attack, but then—
SWOOSH!
"GAH!"
I gasped, my body jerking back to reality.
The hotel room came back into view, and I found myself sitting on the bed, drenched in sweat.
My chest heaved, and my hands trembled as I struggled to steady my breathing.
What... was that?
"Master?!"
I heard Lumi's concerned voice as she wobbled over to me.
I muttered though the pounding of my heart and the sweat dripping down my forehead told a completely different story.
At that moment, I caught the faint glow of the system window lingering in the corner of my vision.
[The feature "Book Reading" has been disabled.]
[You have glimpsed at a potential outcome.]
A potential outcome?
Does that mean... there's a chance of that scene happening?
If that's true...
Fuck.
That's going to be a very large problem.
My chest sank.
If hordes of high-ranking demon beasts really appeared in the capital, it's not just my problem—it's a disaster waiting to happen.
I need to quickly contact the Sword Circle or the Holy Nation.
Without thinking, I jumped out of bed, startling Lumi.
"Master?"
She asked, her head tilting in confusion as her form wobbled slightly.
"I need to check something."
I muttered the words quickly, grabbing for my student ID.
It was the fastest way to contact my professor—or anyone from the Sword Circle or the Holy Nation.
However, before I could activate the ID, another interface appeared right in front of me, stopping me in my actions.
[Aestrea.]
"What...?"
My eyes blinked in discomfort as I saw the system's notification with my name.
[Think well before you act.]
[It showed you a potential outcome, not exactly the future.]
[All actions lead to something.]
[You just need to figure out what leads to "that".]
[If the problem is successfully resolved, you'll be granted a reward for your heroic actions.]
[If not... there might be a disaster.]
[Good luck.]
[You'll need it.]
I froze at the horde of notifications.
A potential outcome.
Not guaranteed to happen, but not impossible either.
"Fuu..."
I let out a shaky breath and slowly sat back on the bed.
Lumi, still perched on the couch, watched me with her wide, curious eyes, though she didn't say anything.
Dammit.
"Figure out what leads to that..."
It sounded easier said than done.
But what exactly could cause a horde of high-ranking demon beasts?
The Dark Order?
If so...
How could I exactly prevent this without warning the Dark Order of my actions?
"Fuuuuuck..."
It seems that I'll need to be extra careful during the academy's competition.
"Fuck?" Lumi muttered aloud.
Huh?
"Fuck... fuck... fuck..."
She started repeating those words, it looked cute with her soft innocent voice, but... the word she was saying...
Gosh.
Give me a break.