novelraw Chapter 9 : Chapter 9
Chapter 9 : Chapter 9
Chapter 9 : Purple Punch
Sal and Divinity continued their conversation throughout the tour.
When she mentioned there was a combat test in the afternoon, Sal’s stomach slowly tightened.
Combat wasn't a field he was confident in, and although he felt his stamina had recovered thanks to the coffee, he doubted whether he had recovered enough to use the Speedster ability again.
Worry about the combat test continued to weigh heavily on one corner of his mind, and Divinity also seemed to notice his anxiety from his expression.
So the two naturally steered the conversation to other topics as if being considerate of each other.
“Scholarship? How did you get that?”
Sal asked, focusing on the conversation again.
Divinity pointed to her eyes and said as if it were obvious.
“I predicted a monster rift a few days in advance. I got attention for that… and when they realized my family circumstances weren't that great, the Academy offered help.”
She continued, explaining that there were a few conditions attached.
“They said I must complete the Analysis, Field, and Survival modules. They told me if I can be certain about the future I see, my information would go beyond useful to absolutely necessary.”
Sal shook his head and exclaimed in admiration.
“That’s really amazing… You’re already a hero yourself, but they want to make you even more perfect. I don’t even know how I can help people. Should I just copy the strongest person’s ability and follow along? Or is there an ultimate skill to save the world, and am I the only one who can use it? Do I even have the willpower or body to handle that?”
Sal let out a hollow laugh as he said that.
“You even have your class direction decided. I don't even know what to choose… and course registration has already started closing.”
He pointed to a nearby screen.
The remaining number of seats for elective modules was decreasing in real-time.
Before Divinity could offer words of comfort, the faculty member leading the group raised his voice from the front.
“The Gold Group has just finished breakfast. We will now enter the dining hall. The basic buffet is provided for free, and premium options are available only to credit holders.”
With those words, he took the lead and entered the dining hall.
Divinity looked back at Sal, practically snorting with laughter.
“Did you see the prices for the premium options? It looks like… a trap to suck Q-Credits out of high rankers?”
But Sal’s expression suddenly brightened.
Because knowing a fact that Divinity didn't know felt good.
“I bought premium coffee this morning, and it was about 2 credits a cup.
After drinking that, my fatigue completely disappeared.
I used a physical skill yesterday and woke up like a corpse this morning, but now I’m completely fine.”
Divinity’s expression changed from disbelief to curiosity, and she turned away from the crowd heading toward the buffet and directed her steps toward the premium zone.
Sal followed, and seeing Divinity’s two eyes turn white while walking, he wanted to tell her to be careful for a moment but held back thinking it might interfere.
Divinity looked at each clerk with her eyes wide open showing reactions, and Sal thought she might be seeing the future of each shop.
Not long after, her blue eyes returned, and pure shock was embedded in them.
“Follow me.”
Driven by curiosity, Sal followed her.
Passing by several booths like coffee shops, bakeries, and grill stations, the place they arrived at was a smoothie bar.
Sal opened his mouth to say he didn't like smoothies that much, but Divinity raised her hand to quietly stop him.
“Trust me.”
At those two words, Sal was strangely completely reassured, and his curiosity about her deepened.
He took out his key card from his pocket to pay, but Divinity waved her hand and said.
“I’ll buy. You can buy next time.”
Sal didn't say anything more, and something warm spread inside him.
‘We will meet again next time.’
It felt completely different from Hannah or Kane.
He approached them cautiously from the start, but Divinity was different.
She was a kid whose rank was higher than his and who knew his ability.
Sal instinctively tried to find a reason to doubt, but no warning came to mind.
Eventually, he decided to leave his body to the flow and see the result.
Divinity handed Sal a large cup filled with purple liquid with a thick straw stuck in it.
Sal thought there was no way this was a standard serving size, but accepted it gratefully.
Before drinking, he looked straight into Divinity’s eyes and said.
“By any chance… can you also see a future where I get an upset stomach after drinking this?”
Divinity was surprised for a moment, then burst into laughter.
The sound was so loud that people around turned their heads.
Sal flusteredly gestured for her to be quiet, but it was useless.
In an instant, all bonding flew away, and Sal playfully pretended to ignore her and went to sit in a seat far away.
Then he covered his face and put on a perfect act of pretending to be a stranger.
Divinity followed him and sat down, wiping tears from laughing.
Her blue eyes were sparkling, and she looked in high spirits.
“Now… Can I really try using my ability on you? Before you drink.”
Sal stopped just as he was lifting the cup to his mouth.
“Sure, go ahead.”
He put the cup down on the table, crossed his arms, and waited with an expectant expression.
Sal saw Divinity’s eyes changing directly for the first time, and it was insufficient to simply call it ‘cool’.
At first, the irises turned a cold icy blue, then that light gradually intensified and slowly covered the entire eye.
When her eyes turned completely white, Sal felt as if she was seeing through him.
Sal wanted to activate his own eyes to observe her ability, but since she politely asked for permission, he decided to maintain courtesy in the same way.
“Okay, now drink it.”
Divinity’s expression gave absolutely no clue.
Sal was quite sensitive to such things as he usually received education on reading expressions from his father, but this time it was completely useless.
Divinity waited quietly, and Sal carefully lifted the cup and took a sip of the purple liquid.
Maybe because he was too lost in thought, he made a surprised sound at the sudden coldness spreading in his mouth.
Divinity heard that and laughed softly.
The taste seemed like a mix of blackcurrant and apple, but Sal wasn't even sure if he liked that taste.
The coldness was definitely refreshing, but there wasn't a strong impact like the coffee.
Sal tried to grasp any feeling after drinking but… nothing was felt.
Divinity’s voice cut off his contemplation.
“Okay, that’s enough.”
Sal looked up to confirm Divinity was still using her ability. He looked around while waiting.
The dining hall was spacious enough to seat hundreds of people, and thanks to that, there was enough space for each color group to naturally gather separately.
Some were sitting quietly alone, and the largest group was about five to six people.
Sal looked at Divinity again and started to wonder if staring too intently was rude.
“Alright, return complete!”
Divinity shouted laughing and shook her drink.
The color was exactly the same as what Sal drank.
Suddenly he felt like a test subject.
“So… what did you see?”
Divinity took a sip and looked at him with an innocent expression, saying.
“You definitely get an upset stomach.”
Sal burst into laughter, and even the last remaining wariness toward Divinity completely melted away.
She was cheerful, and he felt she was someone who clicked perfectly with him.
Sal didn't rush her and waited comfortably until she continued speaking.
“There was no explanation about the effects at all. So it seems like they want students to experiment by drinking it themselves.”
Divinity pointed to various food booths around.
“Coffee was exactly as you said. The duration is about three hours. So after that, muscle fatigue will come back. Be prepared.”
Sal nodded in gratitude, and Divinity continued.
“Since some food or drinks didn't have immediate effects, I followed the flow of time throughout the day to see if there were any additional changes.”
She smiled brightly and pointed to the smoothie bar again.
“And this was the food with the biggest range of result changes. I definitely saw it having an effect on me, but I wanted to confirm if it applied to you too.”
Sal waited for her to finish speaking, but Divinity only smiled and took another sip.
Sal was incredibly curious but tried not to cling.
As he waited calmly, Divinity eventually couldn't hold it back and burst out.
“Honestly, there's not much you can prepare for this combat test. There are some monster-like kids in our cohort. Food from the grill side helps a little. But the most effective thing is one of those energy drinks over there.”
Divinity pointed to a stand near the central booth.
Sal couldn't know her exact intention.
Because that energy drink sounded like the best option.
But Divinity’s smile didn't disappear, and at that moment Sal wondered if this purple smoothie was a better option.
“Before that, there’s skill registration first.”
Divinity said.
“That’s probably why they placed us in this space full of these stands. And why this drink is ridiculously expensive.”
Divinity held up her cup and continued the explanation.
“Usually food or drinks don't exceed 5 Q-Credits, but this is 20 credits. Per one.”
Her voice was full of excitement, and Sal just looked at her dumbfounded.
“This drink boosts your ability and aptitude for a short while.”
When Sal showed no reaction, Divinity explained in simpler terms.
“When you entered the skill registration office without this drink, the registered skills were Appraisal, Skill Steal, and Repair.
Right?”
Sal nodded slowly.
He wondered why his mother’s ability was included too, but Divinity continued.
“But if you register after drinking this, All Sight, Skill Master, Restoration, and Quick Step get entered. In other words, your abilities are newly added and registered in an upgraded form.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. And those abilities feel completely different from existing abilities. Unlike previous skills that were unstable as if about to disappear, they feel completely settled in the body. I don't know how this is possible, but it seems this drink reacts with skill registration and makes it recognize that Quick Step ability as yours.”
Sal couldn't believe it, but there was no way Divinity was lying.
Sal didn't even know the name of the speed-type skill he copied yesterday, but he could know through his future that it was Quick Step.
Sal looked at the smoothie placed in front of him and shook his head.
Then an idea popped into Sal’s head.
However, he hesitated.
Divinity read that expression and laughed playfully.
“You want to change the future now and check again, right?”
Sal’s eyebrows shot up.
It was as if she was looking inside him.
Divinity laughed.
“In the future, you immediately regretted registering a physical-type ability. You said ‘I should have chosen something that fit my body better’, ‘I should have chosen something that wasn't painful after using’.”
Sal answered.
“I didn't even know there were separate grades for each ability. I thought Appraisal was all I got from my father, but actually it was All Sight, and Repair was a weaker version of Restoration.”
“Something like that.”
“Yesterday I used a speed ability, and this morning I used a weak Restoration skill to tidy up my uniform.”
Sal leaned back in his chair and sighed.
“But what exactly is skill registration? Isn't it just writing ‘Can do this’ on our Q-Card?”
Divinity shook her head.
“I know it involves a small-scale imprinting. Because many people say their skills feel more comfortable after registering. So the skill doesn't become completely unique, but linkage or control with the skill becomes a bit easier? Maybe it might even help control new skills to some extent.”
Sal was still confused, but every piece of information Divinity told him felt incredibly precious.
It would be good if any ability was added, but Sal knew he was the type to regret if he didn't make the optimal choice.
“By any chance, how far into my future can you see?”
Divinity put her elbows on the table, rested her chin on her palms, and answered with a face full of curiosity.
“Days, weeks, months… only if I know how far I need to look. It’s easier if there’s a precise goal.”
“Then let’s do this. If we meet at this time, in this spot every week….”
Sal paused, and Divinity nodded.
That was a signal to continue.
“I’ll tell you the ability I envied the most this week, the one I felt I wanted to have. Would that be okay?”
Sal became anxious wondering if he said something stupid.
Not knowing the exact limits of Divinity’s ability, it might have been an unreasonable request.
Her quiet gaze made Sal even more uncomfortable.
Just before Sal opened his mouth to apologize, Divinity leaned forward and spoke in a serious voice.
“Good. But there’s a price.”
Sal also leaned forward and took another sip of the smoothie.
At that moment, his father’s voice brushed through his mind.
‘Never accept the first offer in a negotiation.’
Divinity held out her hand.
“If you want to receive that help, and continue to meet and cooperate every week, you have to be my friend.”
She added her proposal with a bright smile.
“That means, let’s not care about rankings and help each other from now on. How about it?”
Sal smiled, apologized to his father in his heart, and immediately held out his hand.
“Deal.”
Divinity glanced at other students.
Everyone seemed to be clearing their plates one by one.
“Not much time left… Alright, let’s see.”
Sal carefully emptied the remaining smoothie.
Divinity seemed like she would take a little longer to finish her smoothie, and since sitting there just watching her felt awkward, he decided to do something useful.
Sal took the cup sitting on the table and walked to the clerk.
“Excuse me. What is the name of this drink by any chance?”
The clerk didn't answer immediately and scratched his chin, lost in thought.
“On the menu, it says Purple Punch but…”
Sensing some meaning in those eyes, Sal approached slightly and took out his payment card.
The clerk laughed and blocked the card with his hand.
“You’re quick on the uptake. But I’m not that petty. I’ll tell you for free this time. This says Purple Punch on the menu, but we call this Sleeping Tiger.”
Sal thanked him and started returning to the seat where Divinity was.
At that moment, the clerk smiled meaningfully and said.
“Good luck with skill registration.”