“Eh? Qutie, I just sent you something,” Elly said, with a towel wrapped around her hair. She stared towards the wall, but she was really looking at her Status Menu. With nothing else to do but wait, we decided to do a little bit of investigation after getting clean. 

Having something to occupy our minds made it easier to focus on the present rather than him. 

“It looks like a party request,” I replied, staring at my activity log. After focusing on it, a message box appeared and asked if I wanted to accept. I did, and then Elly’s information appeared below mine. It looked like a way we could track the others’ HP and mana, so we all partied up. “Should we talk about our skills and abilities? If we’re gonna be a team, that should be our next step.” 

Everyone agreed, and Greggie began by explaining the skill [Butcher (Lv. 6), which increased his damage against monsters when using butcher knives. His [Cooking (Lv. 10)] was as high as it could go, but he had [Master Chef (Lv. 5)], which increased his overall skill in food preparation.  [Fishing (Lv. 7)], [Farming (Lv. 8)], [Hunting (Lv. 8)], and [Harvesting (Lv. 7)] were supportive skills that just made things easier in those respective areas. 

[Mana Marinade – Physical (Lv. 5)], [Mana Marinade – Magical (Lv. 5)], and [Mana Marinade – Dexterous (Lv. 5)] allowed him to infuse his food with mana to offer temporary buffs, but he could only use one marinade skill per food item. “I also have [Heat Resistance (Lv. 7)]. It makes sense because a kitchen gets hot. Oh, and something called [Thermal Check (Lv. 10)]. It allows me to determine the temperature of something from sight alone,” he said. 

Keeth stood up and placed a palm against the wall. “I have something called [Material Metamorphosis (Lv. 4)]. It allows me to do this,” he said with a quiet whisper. He spoke the skill’s name a second time, and his fingers had an ethereal glow around them. They passed through the wall, and when he closed his hand and removed it, there was a fist-sized hole in the wall. And in his grasp was the black concrete-like material the wall was made from. “I can take a chunk of material and sculpt it. I think the mana cost is determined by the size, strength, and properties of what I take. For example, this took 60% of my blue bar.” 

Ms. Mary asked if it needed mana when it was in his hand, but he shook his head. “It’s like I have a toggle in my mind. When it’s on, my mana starts to drain, my materials become malleable, and I can shape them to whatever form I want. When I turn it off, it becomes hard again, and my mana stops decreasing. See?” 

I watched Keeth’s blue bar closely as it started to slowly drain. He squeezed off a thumb-sized piece of concrete, sat the rest on the bed, and sculpted it into a spear about two feet long. Once he was happy with it, his mana stabilized and slowly regenerated. “There’s a limit, though. This concrete can only be used nine more times. When that happens, it loses its malleability. I can always grab another handful from the wall, though. Or anything else, really, if I have the mana. At least, I think that’s how it works.” 

Elly asked if Keeth would get another use if he returned the spear to the concrete it came from, and he shook his head. Perhaps the limit would grow with the skill’s level? I noticed his smile as he answered another question from Elly. When it came to something he was passionate about, Keeth almost changed into another person. One that spoke with more passion in his voice instead of wanting to hide away and speak in whispered voices. I suppose he was like Shuuta in that way if the stories I heard about him were true. 

Next was Mary, whose skills all revolved around [Monster Tamer (Lv. 1)]. When used on a monster, it would become loyal and follow her orders, but there were various factors at work, like the level difference, the skill’s level, the monster’s remaining HP, which determined the success rate.  [Monster Growth – Physical (Lv. 1)], [Monster Growth – Magical (Lv. 1)], and [Monster Growth – Dexterous (Lv. 1)] were passive skills that affected her monsters when they leveled up. [Monster Growth – Evolutionary Theory] was awkwardly worded. It almost sounded like it gave Mary’s monsters evolutionary paths they normally didn’t have.  

“It’s my turn!” Elly said. She stood on her bed and started to sing, shaking her hips in rhythm to the fiery lyrics.  There was an icon of a sword with a sharp glint under my name, and I felt empowered. 

Physical Resolve: Increases physical damage. 

“It looks like your singing makes us stronger. Do you have any other songs?” I asked. 

“Yep yep! Here, I got two more coming your way!” She brought both hands to her face, formed a peace sign, and switched over to something a little more somber. An icon of a staff appeared next to the sword, which vanished after about twenty seconds. When I listened to her slow lyrics, my soul felt prepared and rested, and my mind found a resemblance of peace. 

Magical Resolve: Increases magical damage and mana regeneration. 

When that song ended, she took a second to catch her breath before starting again. This time, her voice was a little bit higher pitch, and she bounced around the bed like a rabbit in between the incredibly hyper-fast lyrics that eclipsed even [Physical Resolve]. I almost became dizzy looking at her, but the feeling of wanting to run and jump like a bunny came over me.  

Dexterous Resolve: Increases speed, agility, and accuracy with ranged or thrown weaponry. 

“And I also have [Musical Notes (Lv. 3)]. When I sing, my voice takes the form of flying music notes that slam into my enemy. I don’t wanna hurt people with my music. I wanna sing and bring joy to everyone, but...” Elly sat with a sigh and hugged her knees. “I have no choice, I guess. I don’t want anyone else to die... I want us all to survive,” she whispered. 

Ami was next to explain her skills, which all revolved around hand-to-hand combat. She had [Aura], which built up as she inflicted damage and dodged her opponents’ strikes, which could be used to improve the damage of her unarmed skills like [Arm Bar (Lv. 2)], [Palm Strike (Lv. 3)], [Tiger Claw (Lv. 3)], [Running Punch (Lv. 3)], [Grappling (Lv. 1)], [Retaliate (Lv. 3)], which was a counterattack ability, and [Uppercut (Lv. 4)]. She had [Unarmed (Lv. 4)]. The description said it worked with gloves but holding a sword or shield or any other kind of weapon canceled the effect. She also had [Aura Blast (Lv. 1)], which enabled her to use all her aura at once to inflict a devastating attack. “There was this bipedal blue jackal in this game dad and I played that used the same abilities. That one was always my favorite pocket creature.” 

“What about you, Qutie?” Elly asked, causing everyone to turn to me. 

“It’s... It’s a lot. There’s a stark difference between a 4-Star and a 5-Star Soul,” I said as I listed my skills. 

• All Magic Affinity (Lv. 5) 
  • Improved Proficiency - Grants the user increased proficiency for all types of magic. 
  • Chantless Casting– Grants the user the ability to cast magic by speaking the spell’s name. 
  • Reduced Mana Consumption – The user requires less mana to cast magic. 
  • Multi Chain Casting – Grants the user to chain multiple spells together in a single breath. 
  • Magic Circle Casting – Grants the user the ability to etch magic into magic circles to either delay or remotely trigger the spell within. 
  • Increased Spell Duration – The spells the user cast will last longer. 
  • Overcharge – Grants the user the ability to overload their spells with more mana to increase their effectiveness. 

• All Magic Resistance (Lv. 5) 
  • Grants the user resistance to all types of magic.  

• Magic Catalyst: Tome (Lv. 5) 
  • When using tomes, the user’s spells are more effective. 

• Mana Recovery (Lv. 5)  
  • Increases the rate at which the user’s mana recovers. 

• Meditation (Lv. 5) 
  • When the user meditates and focuses their mind, their mana recovers at an extraordinary rate. 

• Magic Hijack (Lv. 5) 
  • The user may attempt to forcefully steal control over magic that they did not cast. 

• Copy: Magic (Lv. 1) 
  • The user may attempt to copy a spell to forcefully learn it.  

• Mana Perception (Lv. 4) 
  • The user may see the flow of mana in the world.  

“Umm... Yeah, that’s a lot, Qutie. But that’s good, right?” Elly asked. Mary and the others nodded. 

“My only spell is [Fireball], though. And we’re just Lv. 2.” I was about to say I didn’t know how to do most of this, but upon thinking of magic circles, the knowledge I needed to create one filled a gap in my mind. It was the same with meditating. Crossing my legs and closing my eyes after folding my hands on my lap, it was like my mind became devoid of all stresses. The flow of mana circulating through my body like a river in a lake became something I felt, and I tracked it as it flowed from my brain to my toes and back again. When I opened my eyes, I asked Elly to sing [Physical Resolve]. 

She did, and I activated [Mana Perception]. It had to be toggled on, but once it was, my vision became monochrome. But red energy radiated from the singing girl and traveled to everyone in the room. She switched songs twice more, and the color changed from blue to green. It was just a guess, but the first thing I saw was probably mana infused with fire. The second was ice or water, and [Dexterous Resolve] probably imparted mana affiliated with nature. It was almost like those stories I read when I was a little girl was coming to life before me.  

The one to play the heroine role? That would not be me. You couldn’t be a heroine if you were a failure. 

---

“How marvelous you are to join us!” Meruria said, raising a golden goblet to a short servant with steel-colored skin. He poured something from a wine-shaped bottle into it. 

He looks like a dwarf from my story. 

A couple of minutes ago, a knock had come at the door. We had followed the butler with pointy ears throughout this lavish church and its pristine wooden floors. From outside the windows, the cruel moonlight of an unknown world suffocated the town. We walked until we came to a dining hall filled with tables. All but one was filled, and the servants were ferrying away the remains of what must’ve been dinner.   

Meruria was at the back. Her staff floated behind her. Tokko and Mia sat to her right with Lori and Ann to her left. Damon, Shiku, and Will were at the table closest to Meruria’s. A clean-shaven man wearing a pilot’s uniform was seated at the same table. He looked so at ease.  

That’s who replaced Shuuta. 

“Please, take a seat! I would say enjoy the meal, but it seems you were unable to get here on time,” the Holy Lord said with a wide smile.  

We soon found our table. There was a single rickety chair, and the wooden legs seemed nearly black with the amount of rot. Thick gashes and scarred the top. And unlike the others, this one didn’t have a candle or a cloth. I felt all eyes turn to us as Elly tried to sit down. The chair broke under her, causing her skirt to fly up in the front when she bonked her butt on the ground. Wooden splinters half-heartedly followed her panicked yelp. 

“I’m so sorry, my dear, but that was the last chair we had in storage. If you had gotten here earlier…” Meruria said. She laughed like an arrogant noblewoman. Ami helped her cousin up, and we stood around the rotted table. “A prior Soul Warrior of mine was a chef from your world, and she happily shared her favorite recipes. It is too bad you couldn’t try this French onion soup, but your gut, Greggie, could benefit from restraint.” 

“Hey!” Elly shouted. “Stop that! It isn’t nice!” Greggie just growled. Meruria hummed, and I was getting angry. 

“We are all here, yet there is one missing. Sister, have you seen Shuuta?” Ann asked. She had her hands neatly folded in her lap.  

“I have not, sister. He did not arrive with the last group,” Lori answered. They dressed differently, but their personalities came from the same mold. 

“Huh? You two lovely, sisterly, busty beauties didn't get back until noon, so you missed the trial,” said Damon. He went on to summarize what had happened, but I jumped in to clarify a few things. 

“Shuuta is dead?” the conservatively dressed Ann asked. She looked at her sister. 

“So, it seems, sister. How shameful. It appears he found his resolve in his final moments.” 

“Yes, it is a shame. A cornered prey with no escape is often the most dangerous.”  

The twins weren’t here, so they didn’t have anything to do with it. I wondered if they would’ve argued for him? 

The smile on our summoner’s face vanished, replaced by a frown and a glare in those piercing, golden eyes. And Damon shared the same look. 

“Aren’t you all upset?! You basically plunged the sword into his heart!!! He’s dead because you all sentenced—” 

“Again?” Mia shrugged her shoulders and scoffed, citing that no one would morn a ‘useless sack of shit’ when he had nothing to offer. I wasn’t the best at reading expressions, but it looked like a haze of...not so much ‘uncertainty’ but ‘uneasiness’ was slightly visible on a few of my classmate’s faces. “Listen to me, Quella. If only you knew the endless hardships he caused my family, you’d want him dead. A decade ago, I was ready to kill him myself to purge the stain he left on the Fenton name before we finally found a small use for him. Amusingly, it was just before the state attempted to step in and remove him from our family’s custody, so we couldn't let them take him away from us when he was finally useful. I had to make a few calls to put a stop to that, but it wasn't particularly difficult. You can imagine the irony I felt when I had to act to keep that worthless trash in my family's control when I'd just been planning on getting rid of him. But why do you even care? His sole purpose in life back on Earth was to be a sacrifice for my benefit. That remained the same here.” 

I was so mad I couldn’t stand it. 

Greggie glared at Will with a snarl. “He was our friend. He died right before us… He won’t ever talk to us again…” He gritted his teeth and forced out the words. “Will, I won’t ever forgive you. The four of us spent so much time together.” 

“He’s in a better place. Be honest. He wouldn’t have lasted a few days here, let alone a week. And don’t put this all on me. Deep inside, you wanted him to die, too. You want his anguished suffering to end. I wager we all did. It was a mercy killing, and if Shuuta’s spirit was alive to know that, I believed he would thank us.” 

“Don’t you say his goddamn name!” Keeth had an outburst, his eyes glistening with tears.  

Meruria downed her wine glass, told everyone to stand up, then summoned her staff. A flash of light filled the room, and when it vanished, we were standing inside some sort of training room. It was big and wide, almost reminding me of Mekka Academy's gym, yet weapons of both wood and iron of all different types lined the walls. 

The only ones not surprised were the ones that managed to eat dinner. Mary, myself, and the others had no idea what was going on.  

“Before I move on with your team’s punishment,” Meruria said, pointing her staff towards me. “Mia and Tokko have something they wanted to show me.” 

“That’s correct, Lord Meruria,” Tokko said. He walked to the middle of the room with Mia. Both raised their hands to the sky. White energy cackled around their palms, and I quickly used [Mana Perception]. 

That was a mistake. 

The mana gathering around them was so bright my monochrome vision was filled with a blinding void. In just seconds, I felt a throbbing pain right above my eyes that made it hard to keep them open even after canceling the skill. 

“Oh my!!!” Meruria exclaimed. After a few seconds of building, the energy condensed into a pair of crystals, then floated in front of them. They reminded me of a Soul Crystal, but it felt distinctively different.  When Tokko touched his, it shimmered, sending a wave of pressure that nearly knocked all of us over while covering the room with thick mana. I struggled to remain on my feet while watching it, twist and morph until it took the shape of a greatsword. It was plain iron with nothing decorative, but when he grasped the hilt, the overwhelming pressure vanished. 

Before Meruria could speak her praises, Tokko’s weapon changed into an iron tower shield four inches shorter than he was. He slammed it into the ground, sending out a shockwave that traveled up the wall. It crashed into the ceiling, causing it to shatter completely. As the debris rained down, Mia touched her crystal, and the pressure released sent the falling roof scattering to the high heavens.  

She grabbed the bow that appeared, but it quickly morphed into a staff with a floating bronze orb on the end.  She held it high to the sky, the orb shining bright like a diamond. “[Astral Beam]!” she said when the falling debris came into view. Hundreds of thin lasers shot from the tip of her staff, slamming into each piece. It took less than a second for them to explode, turning from what looked to be concrete into thin pieces of crystalized remains that fell like falling snowflakes. The exposed full moon cast a radiant glow upon them, sending sparkles all around this naked room and onto the surprised faces of everyone within it.  

I attempted to copy it, but I received an error message in my activity log stating it was too powerful for me to use.  

“How...utterly...incredible!!!!” Meruria rushed to Tokko and Mia and held their hands. She bounced up and down like a rabbit, her constant praises knowing no end. She explained that their souls were so powerful they weren’t limited to just one Soul Weapon. 

They had two. And they complemented each other. 

In Tokko’s case, he carried the ultimate offense and defense, and he could switch between the two instantly. For Mia, Meruria said her staff, once it evolved and her soul grew more powerful, could control this world’s laws of physics. And her bow could eventually rend the planet’s crust and cause earthquakes whenever her arrows landed. 

Tokko’s sword may have been mere iron, but that was its initial state. It would evolve and alter forms. According to Meruria, an average Soul Weapon had about 150 forms, but it was likely Tokko’s and Mia’s Soul Weapons would have about 600. And each carried a different skill, ability, or spell that could be permanently learned. 

“That’s...the power of a 6-Star Soul? They already have their Soul Weapons at Lv. 2?” I heard a guard whisper. Even in his silver plate armor, he shivered noticeably in his boots at the power displayed. My own skills were outrageous, but the difference between a 5-Star and a 6-Star Soul had to be greater than the distance between a 1-Star and a 5-Star Soul. When Meruria stepped back from her constant praise, Mia lifted her staff to the sky once more and used a spell called [Material Rejuvenation]. The roof broken by Tokko phased back into existence. It almost looked like time was rewinding in just that localized area, and Meruria confirmed my thoughts by explaining the power of [Time Magic]. It was rare for any Soul Warrior to acquire such strong magic from their Soul Crystal, but that just led to more praise. 

Error: You are not strong enough to copy [Material Rejuvenation].  

“But that is enough. O Warriors of mine! You’ve all witnessed the power I want you to obtain. I desire the strongest to defend the greatest country in the world, and you have been shown what happens when you cannot meet my standards.” With a raise of her staff, Meruria thumped it against the floor and teleported us to yet another room filled with tables. Each one held a bag of money, a ring with the gift of {Translation}, a rare enchantment that went for hundreds of gold, and a map of Cridia.  She commanded us to walk to the ones with our names on them, and as I expected, we didn’t have one.  

“Quella, your punishment is as followed. Tomorrow morning, I will teleport you to a dungeon located 200 miles away.  Within 25 days, you and your team shall return to me, and you will not disappoint me with your growth. Know this: abandoning your summoner is the gravest sin a Soul Warrior can commit. Now, begone. Get out of my sight and return to your room.” Meruria flicked her wrist, gave us a disappointing scowl, and began to address the other students that hadn’t fallen out of her favor. 

We left, feeling the piercing stares of the others drill holes in our backs. I knew Mekka Academy was a cut above the rest, but it felt like Tokko managed to get everyone over Shuuta’s death. He always had a way with words. When the feeling struck him, he could chat up anyone and become their friend because he always knew just what to say and when to say it.  

We’re in a world with skills and abilities. I’d put money on there being some sort of leadership or commander-type skill. I was free to read what I wanted if I accomplished the milestones my mother and father put before me, and some stories had things like that. It’s surreal to think that information is going to help us, but I must remember... 

This is real life, and this is a dangerous world.