Let Me Borrow Some Abilities at the Hero Academy

Chapter 87 : Chapter 87

Chapter 87 : Analysis 1

"Ha... maybe we should have just taken the elevator."

Sal mumbled as he climbed the stairs to the Skylounge.

"The elevator is already so full it's about to burst. Going up the stairs is faster."

Sal glanced at Divinity answering from in front.

This was also a chance to find out more about the argument with Erica.

Barry and the other friends made them promise not to just stay in the Skylounge but to come back to the party, and the two readily agreed.

They intended to just show their faces to Quest and the others briefly and then return to the students.

Sal checked if she was nervous, but her expression was completely unreadable.

Noticing his gaze, Divinity smiled and said.

"You want to talk about Erica, right?"

Then she waved her hand as if it were nothing and sighed.

"Don't worry. She isn't some catastrophe or anything like that. She's just a stubborn kid who has always gotten what she wanted."

As Sal continued climbing the stairs, he looked at the empty space where the skill registration machines had been just a month ago.

So many things had happened that it was hard to believe it had all occurred in just a few weeks.

Giving a bitter smile, Sal nodded.

"Still, I didn't know you would strike back so directly like that."

When Divinity raised an eyebrow, Sal realized his mistake and immediately clarified his stance.

"No, I'm absolutely not saying you did anything wrong. I've just never seen you push back like that. Usually, you're always incredibly kind to others."

Seeing Divinity's eyebrows lower again and the atmosphere relax, Sal felt relieved.

Divinity pointed to the floor above the top of the stairs.

"She is standing right there now. Leaning her back against the wall and looking down on us. She doesn't respect a single person in our grade and is captive to the illusion that she is the best. The only way to break that shell is for her to acknowledge her comrades and realize the value they possess."

Then she quietly asked Sal.

"If she had controlled your mind to make you craft gear... would it have been as excellent as the gear you crafted with sincerity?"

That wasn't a question seeking an answer, but Sal just shook his head.

Divinity continued speaking.

"No! She knows nothing about people! And the remaining period of this semester will be total hell for us. Because all sorts of obnoxious kids up there will see us as a thorn in their side and come at us."

Sal let out a long sigh and looked up at the top floor Divinity was gazing at.

"Still, as you said yourself, she won't be entering the Savior Class, right?"

Divinity snorted and shook her head.

"That was just something I said to piss her off. Actually, her entering the Savior Class is almost confirmed. But I have no reason to go out of my way to tell her that, and I have no intention of making her life easy."

When Sal burst into laughter, Divinity also smiled slightly.

Divinity spoke as if adding her inner thoughts.

"I wanted to see even 1% of anxiety appear on her face. Well, I guess I have to be satisfied with getting that one look."

Sal glanced up again and asked.

"By any chance, regarding the things that will happen in the future... can you tell me just the important parts?"

Divinity shrugged and raised one hand.

"Honestly speaking, most of it is boring stuff. You'll see top-ranking students glaring at us a few times. You'll hear some talk about relying on gear, and I'll hear talk about relying on foresight... Small checks like that?"

She folded her fingers one by one and continued.

"There's also a long speech from Professor Quest about responsibility and how we have to lead our team and cohort from now on. Ah, and Neuro apologizes to me about the Erica matter. She even jokes that Erica seems to take after her mother rather than herself. We chat with students for a while, then Alastair saves you and Scry saves me. Overall? It's not great."

Sal slowed his steps and looked up again.

"Then should we just run away from here and go hang out with the kids?"

Divinity laughed, shook her head, and continued walking.

"I only told you the boring parts. As for the really fun stuff... you'll regret it if you miss it!"

Sal regained his smile and ran to catch up with Divinity, skipping two steps at a time.

Seeing that, Divinity burst into laughter and sped up, shouting while looking back.

"Hey, hey! I'm not running away!"

Sal enjoyed the sound of Divinity bursting into laughter as he continued climbing.

From far away, the sound of people talking and calm music could be heard.

Although there was one more flight of stairs remaining, seeing Divinity speeding up as if it were a race, he didn't feel like stopping.

Of course, it was too short to call it a match, but a few seconds later, Divinity arrived at the entrance of the Skylounge, raised both arms above her head, and struck a victory pose.

"I won!"

She laughed with a triumphant expression, but Sal arrived right behind her immediately.

However, what welcomed the two was unexpected applause.

Alastair, Harlan, Don, Liam, Scry... all members of the Doom Council were talking with other students wearing gray uniforms, but when Divinity arrived, they all began to clap.

Divinity's triumphant expression soon stiffened with embarrassment.

Sal could tell at once that she hadn't predicted this scene at all.

"Ah, Miss Divinity has arrived! Today's protagonist!"

Quest approached with a bright smile, shook hands with her, and spoke.

His touch felt warm and sincere.

Afterward, he let go of her hand and even patted her lightly on the back.

Then he pointed with his finger to the space beyond the bar.

There, tables piled high with equipment were lined up.

"Now that you have arrived, we can begin!"

Only then did Sal's eyes go wide seeing the numerous pieces of equipment and weapons spread out before him.

Seeing his surprised face, Quest laughed and explained.

"These are spoils our staff brought back from recent dungeon raids. We decided to distribute these to the top students. By letting you choose one piece of gear you want."

Quest raised one finger with twinkling eyes.

"One per student. The first choice goes to Divinity, the second to Erica... and it continues in that order."

Some students were eyeing specific items despite having no information about the gear.

Sal smiled.

It was funny seeing some male students standing around a black breastplate as if trying to block Divinity from seeing it.

Divinity looked at Quest and asked.

"Can I consult with Sal?"

The Headmaster grinned and pointed to where Sal was standing.

"Of course! But give me a moment to borrow that child first."

Seeing Divinity's smile deepen, Sal noticed that she already knew what was going to happen.

Quest approached Sal and pointed across the room with his finger.

There, an old man was quietly watching Sal.

"Mr. Salvatore, I want to introduce this person. You will be meeting him often for the next few weeks. He is the person who will be in charge of the Analysis Module."

Sal nodded, approached the old man, and held out his hand.

"I am Salvatore Argento. It is an honor to meet you, Professor."

The Analysis Professor twisted up the corners of his mouth and accepted the handshake.

"I'm Beck. I watched that magnificent weaving method very impressively. Quest says you crafted that yourself? Are you a Mythos Crafter?"

Sal paused for a moment.

He realized that Beck was looking at his chest, not his eyes.

Only then did he remember the Analysis Professor's amazing ability that Divinity had mentioned.

Just as he was thinking about activating his eyes to check, Beck's next words stopped Sal's thoughts.

"Can you replicate my ability, Argento?"

"What...?"

Sal blinked in surprise at that question.

When he looked cautiously at Quest, he nodded toward Sal.

"I apologize, Professor Beck. I can usually only replicate an ability after I understand it. Otherwise, it could strain my body... I already got an earful from my mother for creating the Mythos Crafter ability."

Sal wanted to hear an explanation for the sudden request to replicate the ability, but Beck smiled and shook his head.

"Do not worry. My ability needs no explanation. And it will absolutely not be harmful to you. Try it once and tell me what you see!"

Unable to resist the urging of Beck and Quest, Sal activated his eyes.

Then, he saw incredibly intricate threads inside Beck's body.

The threads were wrapped around his eyes, and he felt his curiosity grow just from that.

At a glance, it didn't look that powerful, but the threads were intricately entangled with very thin and dense knots.

Sal carefully recreated the weave.

Conscious of the sharp gazes of the two men, he checked the result three times to avoid making mistakes.

Beck grinned until the corners of his mouth reached his ears.

"Truly amazing! I can see it changing!"

Sal looked at Beck with wide eyes.

'Is the Professor watching me weave the threads?'

Curiosity overtook reason, and he decided to trust the threads he made.

When he poured his internal essence in at once, a blindingly strong light flashed before his eyes.

Sal squeezed his eyes shut and waited to adjust.

Then Beck's voice was heard again.

"To think the proficiency is even higher than mine! I can't believe it!"

Sal opened his eyes to ask what that meant, but the moment he looked at Beck, he was speechless.

Because the most detailed and vast information he had ever appraised unfolded before his eyes like a screen.

There was so much data pouring in that he couldn't even follow it all.

"This is... what kind of power is this?"

Beck smiled with satisfaction toward Quest and said.

"What you just replicated is my Analysis ability. If Appraisal sees all information about items, Analysis can see everything about people! I'll show you more easily..."

Beck took out his Q-Card and held it out in front of Sal.

Sal couldn't see the letters written on the card due to the distance from Beck, but his new ability automatically tracked the Essence Signature remaining on the Q-Card.

The problem was that the amount of information was still too vast, so Sal couldn't understand the letters or numbers displayed on the card at all.

At that moment, Quest took something out of his pocket and approached Sal from behind.

Sal didn't even properly recognize Quest's movement as he was focusing on the waves of information flooding in from all sides.

Then something grazed his forehead, and a tracking device was worn over his right eye.

Then, the scattering information began to be organized and compressed into understandable units.

"It's not a perfect solution, but this device contains a portion of my skill essence. I originally use it when I'm fatigued from overusing my ability, but it will help you adjust to Beck's ability as well."

Sal remained frozen, staring blankly at Beck.

'An ability like this actually exists?'