The group was present, consisting of the top achievers: Delilah, ranked first; Charlotte, the reticent second; Noah, sitting at third; Caspian, the scoundrel sharing fourth with El; and Caleb, holding the fifth spot.
"Well, what do we have here?" a familiar voice, which grated on El's nerves, interjected.
El's lips curled into an inscrutable smile. "Caspian."
"The loser finally shows up," Caspian teased, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
A vein throbbed painfully in El's temple. "Hey Noah, can I use your training room for something?"
"Ooh, you want to step outside?" laughed Caspian.
"Alright, alright, no fighting, you two," Noah interjected. "And remember, it's the start of a new semester—can't you at least restrain yourselves?"
This brought a halt to their banter; Caspian wore a smirk, while El's annoyance lingered. Eventually, El relented. "Fine." He glanced at Delilah, curiosity evident in his voice. "How on earth did you manage to pull the training maniac out of hiding?"
Delilah met his gaze, her expression playful and mocking. "Says the one who ranked fourth."
The curious look in his face froze
Soft chuckles erupted around the room, the laughter anything but subtle, echoing openly.
"I'm leaving," El announced, exasperated.
That was the final straw; laughter erupted unabashedly as he headed toward the door.
"Hey, hey, we're sorry! Haha," even Noah stuttered, trying to contain his laughter.
After a few moments, the laughter gradually diminished.
"Wait a second, how is everyone here when I just resumed today?" El asked, a look of confusion on his face.
"Huh? We all agreed to come back yesterday. Didn't you check the group chat?" Noah replied, equally puzzled.
"Huh?"
El was left speechless, suddenly realizing, "Oh, I think it's in the archives."
A heavy silence fell over them.
"Are you a NEET?" Caleb asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.
"Of course not! I'd never want to be that lazy," El said, turning his gaze away.
A soft chuckle broke the tension, causing everyone to turn toward the source, bewildered. It came from Charlotte, who bore her usual blank expression, leaving them to wonder if they'd imagined it.
But with no alternative explanation, they brushed it aside.
"Anyway, did you hear about what's happening at the end of this semester?" Caleb asked.
"Oh right, I heard something but not the details. What's up?" Noah chimed in, catching everyone's interest.
Caleb smiled and continued, "It's an interschool tournament with Goodwill Academy, which happens every two years."
"Against Goodwill..."
Stellar and Goodwill Academies had always been at odds. Stellar admitted only noble students, while Goodwill accepted commoners or those close to it, fostering animosity among the students. Though Stellar students had previously been indifferent, everything shifted eight years ago when Goodwill's students triumphed over Stellar's best, leading to mockery and resentment. Despite Stellar winning every subsequent tournament, the bitterness remained.
Though the tournament was labeled as 'with,' it often felt more like 'against,' with even the teachers of both academies got involved.
"Sigh, it looks like this semester is going to be a long one,hah," someone murmured.
While no one spoke, they all silently agreed.
----
Present moment
Biting wind howled through the dense blizzard, the snow so thick it obscured everything in blinding whiteness. The ground, layered generously with snow, sank slightly beneath each step. Surrounding trees stood like frozen sentinels, their black bark cracked in places, revealing the pale wood beneath. The sky had vanished, engulfed by an endless white, and just a few meters ahead was lost to view. It resembled the familiar forest from before but was now shrouded in the weight of heavy winter.
El trudged through this stark landscape, clad in a sleek black tunic adorned with a repeating scale pattern. In ordinary circumstances, such a garment might seem madly impractical for this frigid atmosphere, yet it was no ordinary clothing. It was an artifact, one he had acquired after vanquishing those serpentine creatures and their progenitor. Just a little over six hours had passed since he departed from the last time plate, and now he found himself engulfed in this desolate snow-blanketed realm.
Before arriving in this 'timeplate' he decided to assess his acquisitions, El directed his attention to his 'self rune' to ascertain whether any valuable item had been given to him. As he willed it, runic symbols materialized before his eyes. Though he couldn't decipher the runes themselves, their meanings flowed into his mind seamlessly, as if they were inherently his.
Focusing on the artifacts portion, he noted:
---+---
[Artifacts]: 5
(Leather tunic)
(Hallucin toxic)
(Runestone-3)
---+---
He had indeed accumulated five artifacts,from the last endeavor,but their utility remained a pressing question he needed to explore further. He concentrated on each item to glean more information.
---+---
NAME: [Leather tunic]
RANK: [Initiate]
TYPE: [Armour]
GRADE: [one]
DESCRIPTION:
[Made from the skin of the grotesque monster class creature–poisonous mother– after it's demise, the RUNE of self bestowed upon the slayer a tunic, imbued with an enhancement.]
ENCHANTMENT:
[An enchantment that balances the user's temperature to their most comfortable state.]
BINDING SEAL:
[A passive enchantment that continually draws essence energy as long as it is worn; the more severe the weather, the greater the essence consumption required to maintain warmth.]
---+---
NAME: [Hallucin toxic]
RANK: [Initiate]
TYPE: [Tool]
GRADE: [one]
DESCRIPTION:
[Once a victim of this venom, now utilized by the user.]
ENCHANTMENT:
[A vial containing the venom of the monster–poisonous mother; when applied to the skin, it sears like acid, and penetrating deeper induces hallucinations in its victims, rendering them defenseless.]
BINDING SEAL:
[A diminished effect of the poison resides with the user upon application.]
---+---
Since acquiring these artifacts, El had observed that all of them had consistently been of grade one, suggesting that higher tiers might exist. His imagination wandered to what grade two artifacts might possess. Judging by the details of these items, he surmised that only the enchantments and binding seals could change with grade elevation. Perhaps a grade two artifact would have two enchantments, a grade three, three, and so on. He found himself curious about the potential limits of these grades.
After assessing the artifacts for their advantages and drawbacks, he realized only the leather tunic was practical, its negative effects manageable; even though the essence consumption was considerable, he still possessed ample runestones for energy replenishment. Summoning the leather tunic, a sleek black-scaled garment enveloped him, extending to trousers and footwear akin to the traditional hanfu shoes of the Li dynasty. The ensemble felt surprisingly comfortable.
Yet, he could feel a subtle drain, some of his essence energy was being pulled away. Assessing the quantity of energy siphoned, he realized it was within manageable limits. If quantified, he surmised it would take approximately fourteen hours for all his essence to be depleted. However, with his remarkable efficiency, the consumption rate slowed, extending the duration to around sixteen hours or possibly even longer— a rather favorable outcome, indeed.
With all that preparations done, El made his way toward the radiant beam of light that had emerged following the demise of the vile ape. The light was within reach, and after a short trek, he stood at its threshold. Without hesitating, he stepped into the brilliance and found himself transported to this cursed expanse of snow.
---+---
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