More. More of the same. The same ending. Why was it that every time I fell into unconsciousness, I ended up here? Not that I didn't enjoy admiring the Void, but it was intriguing all the same. After all, my sister didn't seem to remember her unconscious period. Nothing in particular was happening to her, or something prevented her from remembering those moments.

 

Either way, I was stuck in this peculiar place for quite some time. I spent a long time admiring the restful landscape and letting the Void's feelings seep into me. Strangely enough, when its emotions intruded on me, I didn't see it as an intrusion. On the contrary, I saw it as something natural that had to happen.

 

An expected event that would free me from my chains. It was strange, to say the least, because if the distance between me and the Void were to diminish, I might have thought I'd lose my own Identity. In reality, it only strengthened, as if the Void were much more than a part of me. However, I still needed to learn its full depth or the whole meaning of its existence.

 

If I knew the answer to these questions, I could discover my true Identity and Desire. It was decided that, in the future, I would let the Void engulf me completely! I would fight whatever resistance any part of my mind could still offer to this simple idea, and maybe then... finally... My etheric face revealed an ecstatic smile. Although I wondered about the cause of this expression.

 

Was it me or my Void who was rejoicing? Whose smile was it really? In any case, I didn't care. For the moment, only the eternal appeasement that accompanied that smile was worthy of monopolizing my thoughts. Nothing else mattered. Nothing... Except for an element that had always been with me, seeming so natural that I had never questioned its existence or banality.

 

I tried to look at myself but didn't understand what I saw. It was an unsettling feeling because I knew I was watching something, but no sooner had I looked away than I couldn't remember. No, this was different from immediate amnesia. In fact, I was unconsciously rejecting this information. I felt anxious when confronted with the reality of my appearance. Why was my mind in denial?

 

Would I never know what my etheric body looked like? Would getting closer to the Void help me, then? True to these mumblings, my gaze drifted languidly to my beloved Void. Always unaffected by my questioning and, at the same time, attentive to me. This was one of the many dualities running through my Void. It was one of the few pieces of information I dared to understand.

 

No matter how much I wondered, it was now too late to ask questions about this beautiful and mysterious entity. Indeed, I could gradually feel the veil drawn over this etheric space. At the same time, bodily sensations occupied my mind more and more. Invariably, the same physical sensations manifested themselves first... or should have.

 

A frown appeared on my face, and I thought that drops were beading on my body. Something about my sister's body sensations seemed alarming, even if I couldn't pinpoint precisely where the problem lay. Fortunately, her moans indicating her imminent awakening made their appearance, to my great relief.

 

"At least it wasn't so serious that he couldn't wake up," I mused, calmed and puzzled at the same time. My apostle's eyes slowly opened, giving me a glimpse of a bleak, lonely landscape. Only light breezes from all directions offered a semblance of life here. Everything else suggested death and nostalgia for a time that no longer existed.

 

In a way, such a view was restful and charming. An environment that seemed almost as idyllic as the ruined landscape on the outskirts of the first city I'd ever visited. Why did I feel as if my eyes were fogging up? Why did I want to shed tears? It's too bad that I couldn't do it since I didn't have a body in the physical world. Strangely enough, this fact didn't comfort me at all.

 

I pulled myself together, for this was neither the time nor the place for such reflections. I had a mystery to unravel– I suddenly stopped thinking at seeing Systalia's unsuccessful attempts. I knew I should feel sorry for her and fall into anguish about our immediate future. But right now, I could only dissociate myself from these feelings.

 

I reached the limit of intense emotions I could bear in a day. Besides, it was indeed fortunate despite our current condition. At least I could calmly analyze this delicate situation. First of all, sound transmission... was intact. So we could still converse without difficulty. Secondly, vital functions and senses seemed normal... Or as abnormal as the Status had hitherto suggested.

 

Speaking of Status– My thoughts abruptly stopped as I realized the incongruities of my Status. Past the initial shock, I decided to close it again without a word and think about it once we'd worked out a plan to get to the Refuge. None of the information in the Status was helpful to me, and I was at a loss as to how to solve the problem.

 

How could I get my apostle's body to move? In fact, the conclusion was slightly exaggerated since her body could still move. The problem was that getting her to move beyond small movements and insignificant contractions was impossible. The physical weakness of my apostle and future physical body had been taken to a whole new level.

 

The sudden acceleration in the deterioration of Systalia's physical condition must have been proportional to the strength I had obtained from my Void. Ultimately, the origin of this new stage of deterioration, my increasing harmonization with the Void and the changes in my Status, could only be due to the runic language book.

 

I always wondered how such a book could be found in a random place? Why was it written in a language similar to Grimoire? The singular book didn't serve the same function as the Grimoires, yet... I could only shrug at these puzzling observations. So, I refocused my attention on this awkward complication.

 

Once we'd reached the Refuge, I'd look for a spell as a matter of urgency. After all, once I'd found a way, our exploration of the Academy could never come to fruition with such a handicap. I knew I had suicidal tendencies, given the number of times we'd come close to Death on each of our outings outside the Refuge.

 

No matter how careful I was, I had the impression that it was never enough and that the World wanted us dead. Or maybe it was expected to quickly come face to face with sadistic murderers, even when they weren't specifically looking for us. I hoped it would all work out in the future. Nevertheless, I had no illusions that it would get worse over time.

 

This further lowered my mood. The funny thing about this intuition was that it hugely underestimated our bad luck and the brutality of this World in general. Until then, I'd been relatively sheltered from the darkness and madness of the World, not least in view of my forthcoming excursion to the Academy, where I'd understood for the first time what the word "terror" meant.

 

But then, I wasn't there yet. My only concern was understanding today's events and, incidentally, helping my apostle get to the Refuge. Fortunately, in the meanders of my mind, a few thoughts appeared. I finally had a plan, even if its execution proved risky.

 

I shared my intention with my sister, who nodded with apprehension, though nonetheless profoundly resolved. Her doubts about this maneuver were logical, to say the least. Even I feared I would fail. Despite the danger of this choice, whether in the short or long term, I could see no safer alternative.

 

Thus, my only hope lay in the most bottomless abyss of my mind, where my Will lay. Will you help me, my Void, even if I have nothing to offer you now? Indeed, the first step already seemed highly complicated. I needed the Void's cooperation despite its apparent lack of benefit.

 

Of course, the Academician I had killed could allow the Void to offer me a certain amount of Void's energy. However, I knew it would be insufficient. Even though the flow of Void's energy would be minute, it would be used continuously for hours at least, if not days, if we didn't move fast enough.

 

This was all the more so as only a fraction of the Academician's energy was returned by the Void. The rest disappeared mysteriously into the abyss of my tender Void. So, I had to find a source of energy to exchange or hope for a Void's favor. When I resurrected my sister, I converted the soul, body, and spirit in which I resided to acquire the necessary energy.

 

Of course, the main aim had been to free myself from that feeling of falsity and imprisonment. Now that my essence resided in the Void, I felt more serene. However, without this energy, it was undeniable that I wouldn't have been able to revive Systalia. The only source of energy I could think of was the one stored with my skill creation skill.

 

With this energy, I'd continue creating or improving new skills. Yet, I already had several ideas for essential skills for my subsequent encounters with Academicians. Even if, in theory, I could refill this energy reserve by wandering outside, this could be risky as the organizations relentlessly pursued me.

 

I also had the option of coming into the netherworld, but... whichever way I looked at it, the amount of energy I would have received would have been too paltry. It would have taken me a long time to gather that much energy. Especially as the organizations were also able to influence the lower world by sending super-powered weapons like the revolver.

 

Moreover, all these eventualities were based on the assumption that I could compensate for the enormous debuff in physical statistics that my apostle suffered with a quantity of mana that wasn't too high. Indeed, if mana consumption was too high, we would no longer be able to fight with spells.

 

Short of using Our Will or my Magic created from it, if there was enough mana left to use it, I didn't envisage any other means. Besides, as they required Void's energy, these methods were detrimental. Frankly, I had no desire to worsen our Stats. Especially the physical ones, as they seemed to be the most damaged.

 

I was painfully aware of the need for more variety in our techniques. Void's energy or mana: these two forms of energy were the basis of all our fighting methods. The complicating factor was that I knew of no other energy source that could replace either of them.

 

We could always train this body as a last resort... No! This body would never be anything but a burden in battle. If only I'd known how right I'd been... and how wrong. After all, the body would only be a minor annoyance in the distant future, as it was only the first link in the chain to fall.

 

Such were my laments as I concentrated on the Void. Was it my wild hope that the Void would hear me? I could only think that hope didn't work for me or that there was no hope in this World. Unless... Yes, there is!... Or not... For a brief moment, I believed it, hallucinating as the Void seemed to answer me.

 

Indeed, it was really offering me a solution. Only it wasn't without sacrifice, as I'd hoped. Why did the Void never offer anything for free? Why was power never obtained without something in return? Even today, I still wonder. Of course, I have answers, but they could be more satisfactory. Or maybe it's just my dissatisfaction talking.

 

After all, the power acquired without giving up anything seems so tempting and impossible. Unfortunately, I have to face the facts. Such gratuity can only be a chimera, whether now or in the distant past. Power has always been given with consideration. Even my predecessors before the System indeed admitted this. Oops! I've gone back into my ramblings.

 

Forget what I said before, if you don't mind. This information is not yet supposed to be known to my past self and is therefore not immediately relevant. I know you'll memorize this knowledge in your head because you don't appreciate taking orders from a "stranger". After all, I surely know the kind of person you are as my successor! Ignore that last sentence, too.

 

Since I'm only making my case worse by the minute, do what you like, and let's get on with it! The Void wanted me to sacrifice part of my sister's body. Of course, she would then regenerate under the Void's action. The point was to have enough to pay the Void right away. The downside was that the regeneration of the missing part of my sister's body would be paid for as usual, with an irreversible drop in statistics.

 

It wasn't an ideal solution, but I had no choice but to accept it. So, with my apostle's approval, I accepted the Void's proposal. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through me. Systalia screamed at the top of her voice, gasping for breath and tears welling up in her eyes. The latter could only widen at the sensation of heartbreak and loss.

 

It took several minutes for the body to deign to calm down and face up to the reality of the lost leg. Even if this limb could still be felt through unpleasant tingling sensations as if it didn't want us to forget that it once existed. Two arms and a leg were all needed for the rest of the operation.

 

Indeed, we had given up all hope of standing. Instead, it was more economical to crawl on the ground. Then, a soothing, invigorating warmth manifested itself in my gut. I smiled with contentment as the Void's energy returned to the physical plane and filled the body of my dear apostle. Before long, this sensation was transformed into a feeling of omnipotence and reappropriation of the body.

 

My sister's limbs were again more or less responding to commands to move. The surroundings oscillated between an ordinary landscape of devastation and a black-and-white kaleidoscope due to the slight emanation of Void's energy in her body. In reality, the energy loss wasn't all that insignificant. To my chagrin, I had no control over this variable.

 

Moreover, this balancing act between the two World states was delightful. At least enough to distract me from my genuine concern: my Status. I watched one last time as my sister struggled with all her soul to progress toward the Refuge before finally turning my attention back to the happy event of the day.

 

Age〖 135 〗｟ Max: 10 ｠《 Law enforcement failure: Outside interference 》

 

First of all, my Age had increased. Although I didn't pay much attention to it, knowing that it had been thirty-four years since I first saw my Status made me anxious. How much longer could I live? If only the System or the interfering entity could tell me. In any case, I had to hurry as fast as possible if I didn't want to die of stupidity.

 

Even as I said this, I was aware that these thoughts were nothing more than an expression of my anxiety in the face of a time that was constantly ticking away. If I listened to that part of me again, I'd probably end up dead because of my lack of caution. However, I couldn't dispel my fear of death, of this abyssal nothingness, so quickly. Once this fear was instilled in me, it was impossible to ignore.

 

Authorization〖 Lvl. 2 〗

 

No longer willing to face this impossible dilemma between caution and the fear of an uncertain view duration, I returned to the most crucial element of the day. I could hardly contain my smile at this fabulous level increase. Moreover, level 2 meant I knew whether my Authorization level affected the mechanisms and locations accessible in the Refuge.

 

I could hardly wait for the confirmation or rejection of this theory. Apart from that, this new level of Authorization has given me more information about my abilities. Data that I was eager to dissect to the best of my ability.

 

Magic 〖 G〘 C 〙〗

 

Besides, I could thank the Authorization for allowing me to discover a new enigma. This new letter will give me a more precise understanding of the amount of mana I possess. If it did, I could calculate the difference in mana between myself and my opponent if I knew the difference between one letter and another.

 

Of course, this was an approximate estimate. But at least from now on, I could better understand my opponent's overall strength than once my evaluation skill level was sufficient. "It's better than nothing," I convinced myself, still dubious and disappointed.

 

Authority〖 Lvl. 2 || #Error 〗《 Occasionally immeasurable: Unknown reason 》

 

I scanned the Authority with a satisfied, pensive expression. Now, I could create more complex spells, provided I could create sufficiently advanced algorithms. However, it wasn't certain that I'd succeed just yet. Even so, the Authority would come in handy when I returned to the Refuge, as I could test whether I could use the revolver.

 

【 Stats 〖 #Error 〗】《 Averaging error: Failure to analyze one or more statistics 》

➨ Body stats〖 #Error 〗《 Analysis failure: Missing Body 》
➨ Physical stats〖 #Error 〗《 Analysis failure: Missing Body 》
➨ Mental stats〖 #Error 〗《 Analysis failure: Missing Spirit 》
➨ Spiritual stats〖 #Error 〗《 Analysis failure: Missing Spirit 》
➨ Soul stats〖 #Error 〗《 Analysis failure: Missing Soul 》
➨ Etheric stats〖 #Error 〗《 Analysis failure: Missing Soul 》

 

Was it a bug, or was it normal? As no one could answer, I could only nod dubiously at this unexpected development. The Stats had split into six branches, where I had originally expected only three. What was the difference between the presupposed duplicates? What did the difference in words actually mean?

 

As I didn't yet have precise statistics such as strength, speed, agility, dexterity, intelligence, etc., I couldn't explore this oddity any further. So, I was forced to move on to the next one with a shrug.

 

【 Debuffs〔1〕】

➨ Reduction of all stats〖 Irreversible 〗〖 Passive 〗《 Application failure: Missing Body, Spirit and Soul 》

 

Unfortunately, the next one had only one obvious fact to reveal. I wanted to shout: "Of course, my debuff is passive! Offer me something more captivating!"

 

【 Skills〔3〕】

➨ Unknown skill 〖 #Error – #Error 〗《 Analysis failure : Unknown reason 》
➨ Physical algorithmic conversion of Skills〖 Apprentice – Lvl.4/64 〗
➨ Evaluation〖 Apprentice – Lvl.2/64 〗

 

Skills proved a little more interesting, as the only new information was the Class of the Skill and the maximum level of either that Class or the Skill. I felt like crying at this boring new accessible data. In the end, I quickly moved on to the System Notes, which had the merit of being exciting.

 

╚>〘 ⚠ ❢ Log summary: Zone error 〙

『 The walls in zones 『 🔒 』《 Zone name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》 and 『 🔒 』《 Zone name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》have been damaged.

Damage estimate: Analysis failed!
Entity responsible for damage: Analysis failed!
Means used for damage: Analysis failed!

Zone care: Failed!
Alternative healing methods: Failed!
Interruption of healing attempts: Success!

Intrusion of『 🔒 』《 Entity name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》outside authorized limits.
Penalty applied: Failed!
Reassessment of situation: Success!
『 🔒 』《 Entity name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》authorization restored.
System modification: In progress...
…
…
…
Modification interrupted by『 🔒 』《 Entity name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》.

Log summary sent by『 🔒 』《 Entity name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》: Success! 』

 

The first was quite interesting, as it showed that the destruction of room walls was not a trivial event in this World, besides having some odd phrases from the middle of the message onwards. The most enigmatic was undoubtedly the sentence just before the suspension points. What is System modification, and why does it do it?

 

This report contained too much strangeness for me not to be captivated. Although, to my dismay, my curiosity would have to wait until I better understood the System. In other words, I had to postpone my greed for information for a long time.

 

So, all I could conclude now was that the texture bug wasn't about to go away. I could only hope that the sight of this bugged place by anyone would not cause me trouble later on. A vain and naive hope I had at the time!

 

╚>〘 ⚠ ❢ Log summary: Emergency procedure initiated. 〙

『 Level 2 Authorization achieved.
Procedure『 🔒 』《 Procedure name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》initiated.
System’s Status: Failure!

Serious error detected: procedure『 🔒 』《 Procedure name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》initiated.
Grants rights to『 🔒 』《 Entity name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》.

Restore System version『 🔒 』《 Version number blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》: In progress…
…
…
...

『 🔒 』《 Entity name blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》request approved.
System’s version『 🔒 』《 Version number blocked: A higher level of Authorization is required 》restoration interrupted.
Removing the current restoration: Failure!

Normal mode: Interrupt!
Status search using normal mode: Success!
Update: Partial success!

Safe mode: Success!
Status search using safe mode: Success!
Update: Success!

Sending message: Success! 』

 

Unable to extract any further helpful information, I moved on to the second message, which was even more obscure than the previous one. Since it was below the other report, it must have occurred chronologically afterward. But only a few seconds later, or even less, since I hadn't seen this message scroll like the other one. I wanted to know if this was the logical continuation of the previous report.

 

There were serious reasons for such doubts when I compared the end of the other message and the content of this one. But even if I conjectured Truths, I could not verify them in the end. Therefore, all I could gather from this message was that my increase in Authorization had altered some parameters in the System and my Status in particular.

 

I pondered the implications of the message before turning my gaze to the long road ahead, reaching the Refuge, and definitively closing my Status. Understanding the information I had just seen was for another day. For now, my only duty was to help my apostle find her way around the streetlamps.

 

And so I returned to the Refuge, unable to imagine that my excursion had caused problems for the inhabitants of higher worlds I didn't even know existed.

 

Moreover, it had significantly contributed to arousing the curiosity of even more ill-intentioned people against me... But I just realized this a long, long time later.