“Shit, what the hell is this?”
Something felt off.
This is definitely Vafe, right?
I just checked to confirm it.
“Why is it absorbing into my body instead of transforming into a weapon?”
Vafe should transform into the most suitable weapon based on the user’s aptitude and abilities.
What kind of weapon would Schlus turn into? I was excited to find out, but suddenly it absorbed into my body?
Could it be a glove or a suit-like weapon wrapping around my hand? I kept checking.
But I couldn’t find any trace of Vafe anywhere.
It had completely absorbed into my body.
Or maybe it disappeared.
“Huh. What the hell is this?”
How did this happen?
Could it be that Vafe’s settings have changed?
No, that shouldn’t be possible.
This world, throwing ridiculous situations and quests my way, is at least perfectly reflecting the rules of my novel.
There’s no way they suddenly changed the setting of Vafe, which hasn’t been touched by human hands for hundreds of years, without any rationale.
Then that means Vafe is functioning properly…
“Is it enhancing my fist or something?”
Is Vafe saying the most suitable weapon for Schlus is his bare hands?
So, it didn’t change into a weapon form but enhanced Schlus’s fists?
I thought that made some sense.
Should I try it out?
*Thud!*
“Aah!”
As soon as I punched into the cave wall, an embarrassing scream echoed.
If Trie heard, she’d be laughing her head off at my scream.
By the way, there was no trace left on the wall.
Not even a single stone pebble fell.
Damn…
If I was weak from exhaustion, I was definitely NOT enhanced.
“Dammit. I should at least know what’s going on.”
In the end, all I figured out was that ‘I know nothing.’
From the fact that I absorbed Vafe, it seems like I am the user, but…
I don’t even understand how this is a weapon, nor do I know how to pull it out.
I can’t just sit here in this cave until I figure it out.
Monsters will be coming soon.
I bit into the luminous artifact and hurried out of the cave.
*Huuuk… Euhh…*
Climbing up the wall was twice as hard as going down.
I hadn’t gone up much when my arms and legs started trembling, and I was gasping for breath.
If I had known, I should’ve exercised more to build up my strength.
I thought I’d die if I slipped going down, but now it felt like I would just die.
I desperately wanted to use Selection and Concentration, but I couldn’t waste it here.
All I could do was endure through sheer willpower.
*Grrr…!*
Finally, I clawed my way up through the crack and rolled my heavy body onto the ground.
My arms and legs felt like they were paralyzed, and my chest was going up and down repeatedly.
I caught my breath for quite a while.
Until I sensed that something was off around me.
*Grrr…*
“Oh. Shit.”
When I turned my head, I was face-to-face with a rabid dog drooling all over.
The creature lunged at me, ready to tear into my flesh—
*Grrr!*
“Hut!”
*Gagaaaaah…!*
As I rolled away, it tumbled into the crack.
Phew. I almost got fucked.
Almost…
*Grrr… Grr…*
*Grrr…*
“Haha. This is messed up.”
Surrounded by black little assholes.
Black Hounds. Low-grade monsters with low intelligence.
If there were just a couple, I could handle them with my bare hands.
But there were too many. It was impossible.
Even if I had a sword, it wouldn’t have helped.
There were so many of those fuckers that they seemed to cover the cliff entirely.
This is not going to work.
I can’t even withstand using my abilities.
That leaves only one option.
“Fuck it!”
I immediately turned and started to run.
The back was a steep cliff, so their encirclement was thin.
Dodging the three that charged at me, I reached the cliff.
There was no time to hesitate.
I didn’t slow down and jumped off the cliff.
‘Selection and Concentration. 1 second on Strength.’
Just before I smashed into the ground from dozens of meters up,
I used Selection and Concentration to maximize my physical capabilities.
*Thud!*
“Ugh!”
I landed like a superhero from a Hollywood movie, letting out a small groan.
Dirt splattered around me forming a crater, but there were no signs of my joints breaking or bones snapping.
Right now, my strength could rival Black Steel.
The problem was the shock that reverberated throughout my body.
The ringing vibration paralyzed my whole body, rendering me unable to stand for a while.
*Screech!*
*Ugh! Screech!*
*Gwaah!*
Black figures fell behind me with a *thud*.
The rabid dogs were smashing their heads into the ground, spraying their brains and blood everywhere.
Occasionally, some unlucky ones were limping toward me with their jaws wide open.
Thank goodness I jumped far enough not to get any blood on me.
Before the ones climbing down from the cliff could chase me, I quickly dashed toward Whist Forest.
The mana energy density had definitely thickened.
My whole body felt heavy, and my eyes kept closing as sleepiness washed over me.
If I closed my eyes here, I would really die.
I focused hard and didn’t stop running.
Slowly, my body felt lighter.
That signaled I was nearing the end of the forest.
Soon, the tall trees thinned out, and in the distance, my residence began to come into view.
It seemed like there were no Black Hounds chasing me anymore.
Phew. I almost died trying to steal one enlightenment.
“Don’t be too mad, Hertlocker.”
Come to think of it, Hertlocker probably doesn’t even know about Vafe right now.
I felt a bit sorry for him at that moment, but now I didn’t care.
By the way, I had saved up ‘Selection and Concentration’ for a monster encounter, but I ended up using just 1 second.
If I had known, I should’ve used 2 seconds each while going down and coming back up.
But I didn’t foresee this.
Still, let’s think positively.
I still have some time left on Selection and Concentration, so even if something unexpected happens tonight, I can handle it.
I returned to my residence with a sense of mental victory.
I locked my room door, so as long as I spin a good tale, no one would find out I had gone to Whist Forest.
Unless Trie brags about getting trapped in a minefield and needing my rescue.
“Schlus. Where have you been?”
As I quietly slipped back into my room, I ran into Aintz.
He was sitting on the chair I had occupied earlier.
He couldn’t have been sitting there for hours, could he?
“I just went for a walk.”
“A while ago, you went for a walk with Trie, remember?”
“……”
Aintz stared at me suspiciously.
Damn. It looks like he was indeed sitting there the whole time.
Why the hell isn’t he going to his room?
“But you timed it perfectly. We’re having a barbecue in the backyard right now.”
“Is that so?”
Right. Tonight’s dinner was a barbecue.
I headed to the backyard with Aintz, who looked somewhat pale.
The students were already gathered around.
There was a huge chunk of meat on a skewer, spinning over the flames, just like in a cartoon.
Seeing it in person, it looked incredibly delicious.
“Come here! Teacher Schlus! We saved you a seat!”
“Don’t call me teacher…”
Trie waved her hands excitedly when she spotted me.
Chuckling awkwardly, I walked over to the grill, noticing Aintz staring at me weirdly.
What’s up with you, dude?
Then I noticed all the students were focused on me.
What’s going on? Why is everyone acting like this?
“Sch, Schlus! Your nosebleed!”
“Oh.”
Only after Trie shouted in a panicked voice did I realize blood was streaming down my face.
As I became aware of it, my head suddenly felt dizzy.
*Cough!*
“Schlus!”
Suddenly, I felt something rising inside me, and as I bent down, blood sprayed out of my mouth.
Shit…
The mana energy erosion seemed stronger than I expected.
It felt like my entrails were being torn out and spewing out of my mouth.
My legs were trembling, but it wasn’t enough to make me collapse or lose consciousness.
I was barely holding onto the thread of consciousness.
“Ugh…”
“Schlus! Are you okay?”
As I kept vomiting thick blood, Sergey quickly showed up by my side.
Damn it. This isn’t good.
Sergey would figure out this was mana energy erosion as soon as he laid a hand on me.
‘Selection and Concentration. 1 second on Mana Sensitivity.’
Immediately, I boosted my Mana Sensitivity stat and decomposed all the remaining mana energy in my body into pure mana.
Just after that, Sergey placed his hand on my shoulder.
Now, there shouldn’t be any residual mana energy left.
“Are you okay? Tell me everything you’ve eaten today!”
“It’s not poison.”
“Then what is it?”
“I have a medical condition. I’ll be fine after some rest.”
“Drink a recovery potion first. Quickly.”
It was the first time I saw Sergey look so flustered.
Dammit. Wasting this precious potion.
I wonder if there will be enough potions left tomorrow or the day after for potential casualties because of me.
“I’ll move him to my room!”
“Alright, Trie. I appreciate it.”
“Give me your arm, Teacher Schlus.”
“Don’t call me teacher…”
“Ugh. Can’t you see this is not the time?”
After being supported by Trie, I don’t remember much afterward.
It seems I was walking in a daze, but the bits and pieces I recalled felt like a drunken stupor.
Ah, I wanted to try that cartoon meat.
*
“Medical condition…”
Sergey stared at my hand with a bewildered expression.
He couldn’t believe the information he had just read.
Schlus’s body was in shambles.
His blood vessels were dissolving, and his intestines were all severely damaged.
‘Like… yes. Just like the body exposed to high concentrations of mana energy.’
One would be wrecked like this after being exposed to mana energy.
But there wasn’t a single trace of mana energy detected in Schlus’s body.
He clearly said he had a medical condition.
He had an inkling of what it might be.
It was a terrifying disease that made the body’s immune system malfunction and attack itself.
People with that condition would reportedly vomit blood like Schlus just did when their illness flared up.
And unfortunately, no treatment for that disease was known.
“A terminal illness…”
Sergey murmured quietly, watching Schlus being supported by Trie as they moved inside.
An eagle-eyed student caught that comment—
‘Is Schlus Hainkel terminally ill?! I have to report this to Lady Erica immediately!’
She was a red-haired girl tasked by Erica to gather information on Schlus.
Erica had especially instructed her to find out much about Schlus’s health.
It seemed there was a reason behind her emphasis on that aspect.
Determined, she resolved to send an urgent letter to Erica right away.
“Hahaha, shall we continue to enjoy the barbecue party then?”
Sergey turned around and clapped his hands.
But the atmosphere that had once been lively remained subdued.
