novelraw Chapter 143 144: Applied Theory Day [II]
Chapter 143 144: Applied Theory Day [II]
"I'm guessing this is the Waiting line." Koya said while reclining against the chair with a sigh and Hayate who was next to him nodded.
"You're right Koya-kun, we all came here. Someone already started taking the Applied Exams."
He motioned to the door at the far end of the hallway, though they couldn't hear anything that was coming from it… It was the cause of the tension in the air.
The hallway itself was completely silent in the way that only a room full of people trying not to show they were nervous could be.
Nobody was really talking to each other much. A few people had their phones out, a few others were staring at the door like it had personally offended them.
"I see." Koya said and then looked at Hayate. "Are you prepared for the exams?"
"M-me…?" Hayate froze up a bit as he ran his hand through his hair. "Naturally, I think I'm fairly prepared but the exams test your knowledge, not what is in the textbooks so you can't be completely prepared for them."
"What about you, Ryouma?" Koya asked, striking a conversation with the Kagutsuchi heir. The crimson haired man blinked and a small smile formed on his face.
"Naturally, a noble such as myself who has been educated will pass the exams with flying colors." Ryouma said and then glanced at Takeru who had dark circles under his eyes and looked very pale.
He looked like someone who hadn't slept and hadn't eaten either. Whatever composure Takeru normally carried had been set down somewhere and he clearly hadn't picked it back up yet.
'What the hell happened to him?' Koya thought, sure he wanted to exterminate the Kurohane clan but still, why did this guy look like he was actively dying?
Just then, the door opened and a noble student that wore the Class 2 Uniform staggered out with his hands on his head and a terrified look on his face.
"Failed!" A stern voice called from inside the room. "Next Student, Kurohane Takeru. Make your way into the testing room!"
The noble ran past them, almost stumbling to the ground and that made everyone uneasy… How hard were these Applied Exams?
"I heard that the two instructors in there are the strictest ones in the whole Exam and they hate people who aren't pure nobles." Someone said and Koya just had to sigh, what were the chances?
He had survived a Domain Manifest, been kidnapped across Supercities, made a five hour underground train journey back to Omni and then spent more time in a taxi just to make it to class on time… and his reward for all of that was a classist Proctor who had already decided what mark he was getting before the first question left his mouth?
Of course they had to be classist, it was 「Fate」 working in the background… Any bad thing that was happening to him was caused by that trait.
Takeru regardless stood and walked over to the door, closing it behind him and leaving everyone else waiting for their turn.
The silence that followed was heavier than the one before. Nobody in that hallway wanted to be the next person called in after watching that Class 2 student nearly fall over walking out.
"So… why is he acting like that?" Koya asked, the last time he remembered… Takeru wasn't edgy like this.
"Didn't you hear?" Both Ryouma and Hayate asked at the same time and then Hayate shrunk, but Koya was surprised… Did something happen? He had completely been out of touch with the news today.
Ryouma cleared his throat and continued.
"Yesterday afternoon, one of the heirs of the Kurohane clan, which is Takeru's eldest brother, died of a heart attack." Ryouma said, "He was just in the middle of training as usual and suddenly the heart attack hit him, before anybody could react, he was already dead."
Dying of a heart attack? He doubted the heir of the Kurohane clan was that old… Was he killed by someone?
What kind of magic caused heart attacks? Or maybe he was drugged…? As a noble with enemies on multiple sides, there were a lot of possibilities and none of them were natural.
"Did he have some kind of disease or something?" Koya inquired though he doubted it, Nobles were barely sick… they had access to personal healers after all.
"Of course not." It was Hayate that blurted out now. "Nobles have access to personal healers and their immune systems are far stronger than the immune systems of people with regular bloodlines, they can even survive viruses that would be able to take out normal humans and monsters easily."
"Ha, you know your stuff…" Ryouma said. "But it's exactly like Hayate said, Nobles won't die to much including a heart attack so I can't really understand but say it was maybe some kind of repercussion when overusing Frame Magic, which means you're susceptible to it too."
'What do you think, System?'
「The death by heart attack was caused by magic, however I am unable to tell you what kind of magic caused it」
Sometimes the System was really helpful like back when he was facing Todd, and other times it just halved all of the information like now.
He was going to need to have a serious long conversation with it about that particular habit at some point.
"Right. You're the only one that can use two types of magic Koya-kun which makes you a very important person in the world." Hayate said. "If you weren't in ALI then you would have already been cut up by one of the Great clans especially the Kurohanes since you can use their magic… But you're lucky since you have protection from the Aozora clan."
"You're just stalking…" Koya said while closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, ignoring Ryouma laughing and Hayate trying to defend himself.
Hayate's defense consisted mostly of the word "no" repeated at increasing volume.
He could finally rest so he was going to check his new skills that could be equipped from his Bloodline Skill. 'Open the tab System.'
「Bloodline Skill: Genetic Inheritance (S)」
「Function: Absorb and utilize genetic information from intimate partners through mana resonance achieved during sexual intercourse. Collected genetics can be equipped into limited slots for temporary use.」
「Current Level: 2 | Congratulations, you can now read bonds. The higher your partner likes you, the more you can access their skills… They can lie to themselves but their souls can't lie to your bloodline skill」
「Registered Partners: 2」
「- Amagi Hakai ( Darkness Affinity)」
—--「Bond: 93% (Your partner loves you very much and has included you in all her plans keeping her obsession down to avoid you thinking that she's easy. She has also developed a submissive trait wanting to be dominated by you)」
「- Amagi Victoria ( Blood Affinity)」
—--「Bond: ∞ (Your partner can't live without you, need I say much?)」
The infinity symbol sat there without explanation and the System hadn't even tried to quantify it.
Koya stared at it for a second then smiled, so Tori really liked him that much? But the most surprising one there was Hakai.
'Hakai… is obsessed with me?' He almost scoffed, surely that was a lie… Hakai was only interested in– 'Wait, is that it?'
She had organized a whole family trip which had ended in them having sex but the whole time she kept saying she loved him even while they were doing it and even this morning during the threesome with Tori, from going to needing him for his perfect genes to loving him….?
What a swap.
93% was not a small number. The System said their souls couldn't lie which meant somewhere underneath all that composure and authority and terrifying older woman energy, Hakai had genuinely fallen for him hard though he still doubted it.
「Available Slots:」
「→ Affinity Slot: 1」
「→ Skill Slot: 1」
「→ Trait Slot: 1」
「Restrictions:」
「- Equipped abilities lock for 24 hours after activation」
「- Inherited abilities cost 1.5x normal mana (affinities) or 2x normal mana (skills)」
「- Maximum partners that can be registered: No limit」
「- Swap limit: Once per 24 hours (early level)」
'But if she likes me better, according to Bond, I can gain access to more of her skills right?' He thought, last time he only had access to four of her skills and when he glanced again, he had a far bigger inventory of skills but now he would check everything. 'But that's after I check Tori.'
「Equip Affinity:」
「Darkness (Belonging to Amagi Hakai) can be equipped.」
「Blood (Belonging to Amagi Victoria) can be equipped.」
He tapped Blood and immediately while he didn't feel that different from when he did Hakai's affinity back then, blood came out of his nose, dropping on his lap.
"Ah… Koya-kun, you're bleeding." Hayate said with surprise and even Ryouma was alarmed, Hayate fumbled for his handkerchief and passed it to Koya. "Here, wipe your blood. Do you feel anything?"
He took the handkerchief from Hayate and wiped the blood from his nose.
"You can keep it… I don't really need it that much, does your head hurt or–" As Koya turned back to thank him, he blinked… the young man had completely turned into organs?
He could see all of the organs that the man had and even the blood flowing, especially his heart.
Suddenly eating his heart felt… enticing.
Koya blinked.
He looked at Hayate's face which was normal. He looked at his hands, they were normal as well. The feeling was already fading but it had been real for about three full seconds and he did not enjoy that.
'What the fuck…' He thought as everything slowly turned back to normal. 'What the hell was that?'
「That was a passive trait that comes along with Victoria's bloodline, 「Vampiric Hunger」is a trait present in every Vampire and it's what enables them to find which part of the body the blood tastes the sweetest and which organs contain blood.」
'And I thought Vampires only bit necks.' Koya thought and then turned to Hayate again with a nod.
"Thanks, I just got a little headache." He then pocketed the handkerchief. Now he went to the Skills option and his eyes widened.
「Blood Bind (D) — restrains a target using hardened blood tendrils」
「Blood Burst (C) — fires concentrated lines of blood at high velocity」
「Blood Barrier (C) — erects a defensive wall of solidified blood」
「Crimson Whip (B) — forms a long blood whip for mid-range combat」
「Blood Pods (B) — deploys spherical pods that release tendrils on contact」
「Blood Wings (B) — forms functional wings from blood allowing flight」
「Sanguine Coat (B) — wraps the body in pressurized blood for defense and offense」
「Blood Convergence (B) — channels multiple blood streams into a single concentrated point」
「Hemostasis (B) — forcibly stops or accelerates blood flow in a target's body」
「Blood Numbing (B) — injects a numbing agent through blood contact, paralyzing a target」
「Vampire Aphrodisiac (B) — injects pheromones and mana through a bite, overwhelming the target's senses」
「Blood Memory (A) — reads the history and properties of any blood she contacts (Note: Using this on blood older than said Vampire could cause a memory crash)」
「Crimson Tendril Storm (A) — releases dozens of tendrils simultaneously from all directions」
「Exsanguination (A) — forcibly draws blood from a target through skin」
「Blood Form (A) — partially dissolves her body into blood to phase through attacks」
「Royal Compulsion (A) — Vampire Royal exclusive, forces a blood-bonded target to obey a single command (Note: Will not work on foes on a higher level than you)」
「Bloodline Resonance (A) — amplifies all Blood Magic output when fighting alongside a blood-bonded partner」
「Royal Seal (S) — Vampire Royal exclusive, locks a target's mana circuits using blood injected into the bloodstream (Note: Will not work on foes on a higher level than you)」
…
'So many skills…' He thought, Tori knew all of this then why didn't she do more during their fight with Todd? Though he could guess…
「Derek Todd's blood was burning itself dry and even the blood she injected was burned as well so an opponent like him is a Vampire's greatest enemy」
'I see.' Regardless, Tori had a lot of skills and an overpowered trait, she could have held him down back in Memphra with the Royal Seal but didn't… What a sweet yandere.
'Now let's check out Hakai's skills.'
He de-equipped Tori's skills first then went ahead to view Hakai's skills.
「Analytical Sight (C) — enhances vision to read mana flow, affinity type and weak points on any target within range」
「Night Vision (C) — allows the user to see perfectly in complete darkness」
「Shadow Step (B) — user dissolves into their own shadow and reappears from any shadow within a set range」
「Void Cloak (B) — wraps the user in a layer of darkness that absorbs incoming mana techniques before they land」
「Dark Bind (B) — extends shadows from the ground to restrain a target's limbs」
「Shadow Merge (B) — user merges completely into a shadow becoming undetectable to mana sensing」
「Shadow Clone (B) — creates a physical duplicate from darkness that mimics the user's movements and absorbs one hit」
「Darkness Burst (B) — releases a concentrated explosion of dark mana outward from the user's body」
「Darkness Soldier (A) — enemies that have been killed by the user can be risen again as soldiers made of darkness that keep 10% of their original skills and are amplified by the User's power」
「Void Threads (A) — fires thin strands of void-infused darkness that cut through mana techniques on contact」
「Abyssal Strike (A) — coats a physical strike in concentrated darkness, bypassing mana-based defensive layers」
「Shadow Tendrils (A) — summons multiple large tendrils from any shadow surface to attack from all directions simultaneously」
「Darkness Consumption (A) — absorbs incoming darkness and shadow-based attacks and converts them into the user's own output」
「Dark Manifestation (A) — creates solid constructs out of pure darkness including weapons, barriers and projectiles」
「Darkness Manifestation (A) — manifests the user's darkness affinity into the surrounding space, reducing visibility and amplifying all darkness-based output」
「Shadowy World (A) — extends the user's shadow outward to cover a wide area, turning all shadows within it into extensions of the user」
「Dark Realm (S) — Darkness affinity exclusive, collapses all light within a set range and replaces the space with a zone of pure darkness where only the user can act freely」
「Abyssal Form (S) — User's body dissolves entirely into darkness, becoming immune to physical strikes and able to attack from any shadow within range simultaneously」
'Damn.' He thought… And he had all of these abilities under his control? He was truly becoming one of those MCs that were overpowered for no reason at all.
Though he doubted he had enough personal mana to use the skills that were here.
'I really need to rank-up.' Koya thought. It was no longer an option but a necessity instead.
He had Hakai's full skill tree available, Tori's full skill tree available, and the personal mana to use maybe three of them at his current rank.
The gap between what he had access to and what he could actually run was getting embarrassing.
The door opened and Takeru stepped out without a change in expression.
"Pass! Next, Amagi Koya!" The person called from inside and Koya sighed, standing up.
Hayate gave him a small wave.
"I know you'll pass…" Hayate said and he nodded at him and to Ryouma too before entering the room.
Ryouma gave him a small two-finger salute without even looking up from his phone. That was probably the most respectful send-off Koya was going to get from anyone in that hallway.
It was a wide room with two sides, the door closed behind him as he entered.
On the first side was a room with different shelves and a white haired old man behind a table covered in books, wearing a lab jacket with the ALI insignia on it.
On the right side of the room was an arena with an older woman sitting down and flipping through a book.
Neither of them looked up when he walked in. The old man was turning a page while the woman hadn't acknowledged the door at all.
"Welcome Amagi Koya, this will be your Applied Exams. They are split into two parts, the Theoretical and the Practical aspect… over at this point, you will be tested on your knowledge on questions from subjects that you did yesterday except they have been twisted by me to produce harder questions." The man said while stroking his beard. "Would you like to start immediately? When answering applied questions, there are many answers and you'll have to give me an answer within 30 seconds, or else you will fail."
"Hu–"
"Don't look so surprised, regardless of whatever you might be able to do, you are a commoner at the end of the day and you really don't have many options." He said and flipped open his book. "Let us begin, take a seat."
'Sigh…'
Koya sat down slowly and the man looked at the question, clearing his throat.
'System, is there a way we can get answers that this man would say exactly to the questions he's asking me?' Koya thought.
「Of course… you'll have to pay 5 FP per question」
Five FP was nothing.
'Sure sure… I want to fuck with him.' Koya thought.
The old man cleared his throat.
"Starting with my first question… What triggered the first recorded clan conflict after the Apocalypse?" The man asked slowly, drawing it out.
It would be really hard for a Class 5 student such as himself to answer this question and even books in the ALI library barely talked about this situation.
The old man took a drink of his coffee while smiling.
He disliked the fact that this commoner, this mere commoner, had taken the world by a storm… while a noble such as himself was still where he was.
He had seen commoner students come through this room before every first year… they all had the same look when they sat down, looking confident until the first question landed then that confidence drained out of them like water through a cracked cup.
He was looking forward to watching it happen again. Regardless of whatever answer Koya gave, he would only give him full marks if he somehow said it like he knew it, but what were the chances of that happenin–
"The first clan conflict wasn't about politics at all. Two clans both found the same mana crystal deposit years after the Apocalypse and neither one was backing down. They didn't have the numbers to hold it alone and splitting it wasn't something either side was willing to discuss. Eleven days of fighting later, the deposit was half destroyed and both clans had lost people they couldn't replace. What it established was simple… when resources are scarce enough, no agreement holds. Both clans have been completely destroyed by themselves at this point in time, am I corre–"
The old man spat out his coffee over his table, dousing his books in it and turning to Koya with wide eyes.
The books were soaked through. His lab jacket had a dark stain spreading down the front. He didn't seem to notice either of those things and was just staring.
'How…'
That would have been his exact answer to that question, how did he know?