Free Web NovelChapter 185: Harrowing Whispers
===============
Ruvian Castelor,
In case you somehow forgot who I am already, this is Yerin from Class A, your squad leader.
I’m writing to let you know that I managed to secure one of the academy training chambers for our squad preparation before the Vazrun Island Test.
The reservation is set for every Monday and Thursday, starting right after midday classes, so make sure to keep your schedule clear around those hours.
We’ll mostly be doing squad exercises, coordination training, and a few combat drills together. Nothing too strict or intense, so don’t worry too much about it.
Still, everyone needs to show up properly since it’ll be troublesome if the team can’t even coordinate with each other before the test begins.
I’ll handle most of the planning for the sessions, so just come prepared.
Thanks in advance.
And don’t be late. Seriously. I’ve already heard enough rumors about your terrible sense of timing. (⇀‸↼‶)
—Yerin Solder
===============
’Huh? It’s not a letter from Avina.
Also... when was I ever late? I always came early.’
Ruvian slightly rubbed the back of his head before scoffing quietly.
’Tch. This is such misinformation.’
Well, to be fair, the Mathematics elective really should not count.
That incident was absolutely not his fault.
Other than that... yes, perhaps he had been slightly late a few times before.
But better late than never, right?
With that completely reasonable justification in mind, Ruvian reached toward the notebook resting on his desk. He flipped it open to the current week before scanning through the messy scribbles of his timetable.
Then, his eyes paused.
Somehow, this Monday happened to be the day of his first Magic Combat elective class.
Ruvian clicked his tongue softly.
’Tch. There’s going to be a clash during that time.’ frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
’Oh well, can’t be helped. Although missing that elective class isn’t ideal, teamwork still has to come first.’
Ruvian picked up the pen resting beside the notebook before tracing a line across the original schedule on that date.
Magic Combat Elective.
Then, right beneath it, he calmly replaced it with:
Squad Practice.
After all, individual strength alone meant very little in the Vazrun Island Test.
A team could practice spells a hundred different ways separately, sharpen their mana control, perfect their techniques, and polish their combat instincts to near perfection. But if they could not move together as a single unit when it truly mattered, then the island would punish them for it.
Ruvian lightly pressed a hand against his forehead as a sudden sharp throb pulsed through his head.
’Ugh... looks like I’m not completely recovered yet.’
The lingering exhaustion from recent events had clearly not disappeared entirely.
With a quiet sigh, Ruvian closed the notebook before standing up from his chair. At this point, forcing himself to think further would probably only make the headache worse.
He needed to clear his mind first.
And so, he headed into the bathroom.
Ruvian loosened his academy coat before setting it aside, followed by the rest of his clothes. Soon, the sound of running water quietly filled the room.
Once the tub had filled enough, Ruvian slowly stepped inside.
The cold immediately bit against his skin.
"Haa..."
A small breath escaped from his lips as he lowered himself deeper into the water. Ruvian moved his gaze slightly toward his own body beneath the cold water.
And surprisingly...
He learned that there was already a massive change to his body!
Although his previous body had never been weak to begin with, it was more on the lean and toned side rather than heavily muscular.
But now, it was clearly different.
It was more refined!
His abs carried near perfect symmetry, sharply defined without looking unnatural. Even the muscles around his arms and shoulders had become more compact and sculpted.
Every part of him felt... optimized.
Ruvian quietly stared at his reflection wavering against the water surface.
’Ah, speaking of improvement...’
His eyes narrowed slightly.
’I think I remember hearing the runes whisper that my relevancy stage has increased.’
Yes.
That was definitely real.
Right before he lost consciousness back then, he clearly remembered hearing those strange, cold whispers echoing inside his mind.
Ruvian leaned further back into the cold water.
’Let’s check that first.’
With that in mind, Ruvian began to inspect his [Editorial System].
[The Editorial System has updated your Narrative Thread!]
[You have stepped beyond the margins of obscurity!]
==========
I. Footnote of Fate
II. Wandering Extra
III. Pivotal Extra ← You Are Here
IV. Pivotal Canon
V. Core Canon
==========
The sapphire grimoire hums softly as the pages turn on their own.
[Congratulations, your deepening relevance has granted you access to one of these hidden editorial privileges!]
New Skill Unlocked:
✦ [Bookmarks]
"Bookmarks?"
Ruvian muttered, a slight excitement appearing in his eyes.
This was the first time in a while that one of Editorial skills genuinely caught his interest immediately.
Without wasting another second, he began inspecting his fifth skill carefully.
{Editorial Skills}
[Slot 1]: Foreshadowing
[Slot 2]: Character Sheets
[Slot 3]: Omniscient Review
[Slot 4]: Power Scaling
[Slot 5]: Bookmarks
[Slot 6]: ???
[Slot 7]: ???
===============
Skill 5: [Bookmarks]
Description:
◇ This skill allow the user to bookmark any character inside the Grimoire. Once bookmarked, the user can track the character location at any time through a visual map from above view. The map will show the current whereabouts and movement of the bookmarked character.
◇ Not only that, the user could also inspect everything currently in the bookmarked character’s possession, alongside their present emotional state and surface thoughts.
Requirements:
◇ Only characters that already been scanned by the [Character Sheet] skill can be added into the [Bookmarks].
◇ For starters, the user will receive 2 Free Slots. Adding new bookmarked characters will cost Plot Points. Expanding bookmark slots will also cost Plot Points.
◇ There is no limit to how many characters can be bookmarked. However, the cost will continue increasing the more slots the user possesses.
====================
"What the hell?" he exclaimed.
Ruvian stared at the description of the skill with widened eyes. He genuinely could not believe that such an ability had now become part of his arsenal.
Sure, it was nowhere near as absurd or reality-breaking as [Powerscaling] was, but that did not make it any less dangerous.
In fact, depending on the situation, this skill could become unbelievably useful.
Especially for the upcoming Vazrun Island Test.
’This changes everything!’
Ruvian leaned deeper into the bathtub, cold water rippling quietly around him as countless thoughts immediately began running through his head.
Originally, he came here to rest his mind.
But now?
His brain refused to calm down at all.
One after another, countless possible strategies rapidly formed inside his mind the more he thought about the implications of [Bookmarks]. And the scariest part was, this was only the main reward from his relevancy stage increasing.
There were still the side benefits as well. Namely, the increase in Plot Point rewards he would receive from now onward.
Ruvian slowly exhaled.
’I guess... the Ashway Bazaar event was what pushed my relevancy stage to the next level.’
Thinking back on it now, it honestly made sense.
After all, he had successfully prevented the scroll from falling into the demons’ hands.
And because of that, he had likely slowed down their progression toward whatever calamity they were trying to bring into this world.
Which meant one of two things.
Either he had prevented it entirely, or he had bought himself more time to prepare for it.
Honestly, Ruvian still did not know which possibility was the correct one. After all, he never actually finished the novel back then.
He only knew fragments of the future.
The true nature of the calamity itself still remained completely unknown to him.
However, the answer was most likely hidden inside that scroll. And once he managed to decode it, it would become a massive advantage for him.
Ruvian slowly stood up from the bathtub, water dripping quietly down his body as he reached for the towel nearby.
But just as he stepped out...
Suddenly, another whisper echoed inside his mind.
This time, however, it felt different.
Far different than usual.
The runic voice no longer sounded merely ancient or emotionless.
No, instead...
It sounded cold and harrowing, filled with an inexplicable sense of dread. As if, it came from the bottom of an endless abyss.
Then, the whispers overlapped together once more.
[Inconceivable deviation to the story has occurred!]
Ruvian’s movements immediately froze.
His entire body shivered.
And before he could even process those words, another whisper followed right after it...
[You have been awarded 15,000 Plot Points!]
──────── ✦ ────────
[Chapter 185: Harrowing Whispers]
PP= 30,720
