Chapter 6 — There Was No Sign of Me Awakening, and Yet You Have Accomplished It So Easily?!
“This is a rather ordinary elevator.”
Following Van down the hallway, they came upon an automatic door that slid open quietly. Above the door was an array of numbers, with a light moving to indicate which floor the elevator was currently on.
“Was there something similar in your home world?” Van asked.
“Not merely similar, but effectively exactly the same. That said, did I ever mention I was from another world?”
“Most Sage candidates who come from outside the continent are summoned from other worlds.”
“Oh? While it is true I am a Sage candidate and have not been making much effort to hide it, does your ability to perceive that fact mean you have recognized the massive latent potential within me?” Van seemed pretty strong and had a mysterious air about him. Hanakawa thought he may have seen through to his own hidden potential.
“Ah ha ha, you’ve got no potential at all.”
“How flippantly you say something so tragic!”
“Sage candidates are marked when they are summoned, so I can tell you were summoned by Sion at a glance.”
“Is that someone anyone can see?”
“Anyone who knows how Battlesong works could figure it out. Well, I guess not even all the Sages understand it that well.”
“Err, you refer to Sages awfully blithely. Are you perhaps acquainted with one?” They had come to this continent in search of a Sage. If he could figure out where that Sage was, he might be able to use that information as leverage when he reunited with Yogiri.
“Yeah. I’m a Sage too, after all.”
“What?!” Hanakawa was shocked to his core. He had never expected to run into a Sage in a place like this. But now that he thought about it, the name Van did sound familiar.
I feel like I heard that name when Yogiri was asking the representative of the Belm Continental Conference about the Sage. But wait, is this not extremely dangerous?! Sir Takatou has slain numerous Sages, so if I am recognized as his companion, will that not make me their enemy?!
“Ha ha ha, come on, that’s an overreaction. But I guess the Sages are a pretty willful bunch. Did they do something to you before you made it here? Don’t worry, I was serious when I said I wanted to help you. I’m not going to hurt you, and I really do want to help you get out of here.”
“Ah...how do I say this? You seem much better than Sage Yoshifumi...”
“Yoshifumi, huh? I can’t say I appreciate being compared to him.” Van’s graceful expression twisted slightly. Though he seemed generally aloof, it seemed Hanakawa had seriously upset him.
“M-My apologies! I did not intend to bring up any poor memories!”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Ummm, if you are a Sage, Sir Van, why is it that you are a student at this school? I was under the impression you were in charge of this continent.”
“I am, but that just means I have to fight off any Aggressors that appear. I can do whatever I want besides that. So it’s no problem for me to be a student here, right?”
It seemed the Sages all had different ways of interacting with society. Some ruled as emperors, others controlled things like puppet masters from the shadows, while still others were students at schools. They didn’t seem much like a cohesive group.
“And if you are a Sage, I thought you would be immensely strong. Why is it that you are only a first-year student?”
“Grade level isn’t necessarily determined by strength alone, though the third-years are certainly super strong.” Van had never said he wasn’t strong. Well aware of his own strength, he spoke like it was obvious.
“Umm. If you are a Sage, could you not use your powers to get me out of here?”
“Hmm. That would be difficult. First of all, I’m still just a first-year here, so I don’t have the authority to get you out. If I sent you out of here despite that, I’d get in big trouble. You might think ‘who cares,’ but I’m trying to enjoy my school life. I don’t want to threaten my position here.”
“I see. Yet the fact you are attempting to help me escape means you must be a rather good person!” Technically, Van was just trying to push that crime onto someone else, so it raised some doubts about just how good a person he really was, but Hanakawa decided not to press the issue.
“Thanks. I don’t mind if you want to keep praising me, but you might want to wait until you actually get out of here. Okay, we’ve made it to the first floor.”
The softly humming elevator went silent, and the door slid open. After a short walk, they came upon a large hall filled with tables. It looked like a cafeteria. Perhaps it was noon, as the room was packed with students.
“Why don’t we get something to eat? If you haven’t eaten anything since this morning, I bet you’re hungry. It’s my treat.”
“While I would be quite grateful, how exactly does one pay here?”
“The academy has its own credits. They’re tied to your student ID, so there isn’t any physical currency. When you want to buy something, you just show your ID.”
“I see. That is unexpectedly high-tech. Hm...does that not mean I am penniless?” Though he had valuables in his item box, if he couldn’t exchange them for money, he had nothing.
“You should have gotten some credits when you were admitted to the academy. Try looking at your ID.”
“Did I get anything like that?” Hanakawa checked his pocket, where he found a card. The card showed his name, face, and how much money he currently had: 10,000 credits.
“Aha. How does one procure more credits?”
“You’ll get enough to survive on every day for free. If you want to live a bit more luxuriously, you can get bonuses from scoring well in training and exams or from fighting members of the other factions.”
“I see. Things do not sound so bad here after all...though being forced into that life-threatening training is kind of a problem!”
“Oh, that’s what you don’t like? Getting strong enough to meet Ingrid’s expectations should be pretty easy.”
“There you go again. You sound like a protagonist totally unaware of how powerful he truly is, you know? Like you think anyone could do something so incredibly difficult.”
“No, I’m serious. It’s really easy. Like that.”
“‘Like that’? Did you do something?”
“I removed your level cap and gave you five hundred more levels. That should be enough to reach the minimum strength needed for a first year student.”
“Huh? There is no way it would be so easy...but you did?!” Hanakawa checked his stats, not really believing Van, but he immediately saw he had gained the Limit Break skill and his level had increased to 599. “How is this possible?!”
“We can’t just talk in the doorway. Let’s sit down.”
The two of them sat at an empty table. There was a device at the table for ordering food, which Van used to place an order without asking for Hanakawa’s input.
“What is going on here?! Despite being so close to death, there was no sign of me awakening, and yet you have accomplished it so easily?!”
“Ah ha ha, I guess being close to death didn’t help,” Van laughed innocently. There was no spite in his voice, but the way he brushed off Hanakawa’s near-death experience rubbed him the wrong way.
“No matter. Is this some sort of unique ability you possess, Sir Van?”
“Nope. Any Sage who can use Battlesong can do the same thing, I bet. Sages are the ones who install the Battlesong System on people in the first place, right? We can change the settings or add functions to a degree.”
“What?! Could we not have been granted even greater powers as Sage candidates, then?!”
“That depends on what Sion is planning. Like you said earlier, there are times when being pushed to the edge can force you to awaken. Powers you gain from doing that are a lot stronger than what I could give you.”
“B-By the way, could you perhaps make me even stronger?”
“Ha ha ha, you’re being awfully greedy, don’t you think? I appreciate your honesty, though. There’s a limit to what I can do here, but what exactly are you looking for?”
“I am quite content with the extent of my healing ability, but am totally lacking in offensive capabilities. I would like to improve my capacity in that regard, if possible.”
“I see. That’s pretty tough as a Healer. How about a job change?”
“Oh! Is that possible?!”
“Yep. Changing you to a completely different job is tough, but...ah, what about Monk? That’s a higher ranked version of the Healer class. Do you want to try it?”
“Ohhh! That class is like a warrior monk, no? Will my combat ability improve?!”
“Something like that. You’ll be able to learn close-combat skills, and you’ll get a bonus when using claws, spears, and staves. You’ll also be able to focus your will to improve your stats and launch balls of spirit as projectiles, so you’ll be able to fight at range too. Your abilities as a Healer won’t change, so I’m pretty sure it’s a straight upgrade.”
“Then I would absolutely like to accept...but wait, is there some kind of side effect I need to be made aware of? I have met all sorts of terrible fates since coming to this world, so I cannot help but feel there must be some sort of strings attached!”
“A change like this should be no risk for you. I can even change you back easily if you don’t like it.”
“I-Is that so? That said, you have already increased my level, so it seems late to be complaining! Very well! Please change my job!”
“Done!”
“That was too fast!”
“I told you it was super easy.”
Hanakawa checked his stats again. His Class had changed to Monk, and his level was still 599. He had gained the skills Close Combat, Spiritual Refinement, Spirit Projectiles, Insight, Claw Mastery, Spear Mastery, and Staff Mastery.
“Ohhhh! All of this at once!”
“You should try them out. The more you use your skills, the stronger they’ll become, and you can even unlock new ones.”
“I truly thought there was no hope for me to grow any further. I must admit I feel deeply moved. Perhaps I will be able to make it here after all...” Hanakawa’s determination to escape was starting to waver. Though he was afraid of training that would threaten his life, if he could make it through that training effortlessly, life here might be rather peaceful.
“Yes, well, I don’t know exactly how well you’ll manage. You’re only mediocre now. You’re just a little bit above the lowest rank, so don’t get too ahead of yourself.” Earlier, Van had said it would take years for Hanakawa to gain any useful amount of strength. If it would still take years despite Van’s help, he couldn’t afford to get complacent.
“I shall take that under serious consideration. Suddenly exerting my new powers will only result in me receiving a harsher backlash. I will endeavor to be as humble as possible.”
“So, what now? If you want to learn how to use those powers, I can help with that.”
“Urgh...that is also something I am concerned about. However, for now I should prioritize attempting to escape. If I fail at that, then perhaps staying here is a viable option...”
“Got it. We’ll try that as best we can, then. That said, I don’t think you’ll be able to stay here if you fail at escaping either, so I’ll leave the decision of when to give up on that plan in your hands.”
“That is true. If escape involves destructive activity, I cannot imagine I will elude punishment if I fail. So, what should I do next?”
“There are a lot of people here. I was thinking of trying to find someone who could help.”
“Is attempting to leave without permission such a grave crime?”
“Yeah, you’ll get the death penalty.”
“You say that so lightly. If the punishment is death, will it be so easy to find someone who is willing to help?”
“Don’t worry. If we find someone useful, we can just brainwash them.”
Ah, this guy is actually extremely dangerous. Hanakawa felt a chill run down his spine at how naturally Van had proposed that. Judging by his behavior up until now, it seemed he really wanted to help Hanakawa, but there was no telling how long that would last. It wouldn’t be strange if he suddenly turned on him. However, I have no option but to rely on him for now...
There was nothing Hanakawa would be able to do alone. No matter how dangerous Van was, he had no option but to suck it up and stick with him.
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