Chapter 88: Convergence

"And lastly, this is the study room!"

Vicki announced in a peppy voice, throwing open the door to the study.

Woah...

So many books!

That was my first thought when I stepped into the room. Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined the walls, each packed with countless books. A wooden desk sat near the back, its surface cluttered with ink bottles, quills, half-written notes and a mountain of books.

"What the hell...?", I muttered, stunned.

Coordinator...will definitely have us read all this...in one day...

I shuddered at the thought.

My gaze momentarily fell on the messy desk and I asked, "Were you reading...allat?"

Vicki shrugged, "Yes...earlier."

I blinked in bewilderment.

B-but how?! My ass can't read a 100-page book in one day!

As if reading my thoughts, Vicki let out a smug grin.

Th-this bookworm!

I grimaced before shaking my head.

"These books...courtesy of the Droet couple, huh?", I asked.

"Most likely.", Vicki said with a nod, "Some are probably older than them, though. There's a lot of history here."

I hummed in thought, still marveling at the sheer amount of knowledge within these walls. But before I could get too lost in it—

"Woah! Woah! Wait! Wait! Wait!" I suddenly shouted, throwing my hands up, "This is all too much to take in!"

Vicki quirked an eyebrow, "What is?"

"That whole conversation!", I exclaimed, staring at her with wide eyes, "You mean to tell me you experienced this Marta person's memories? Almost had an identity crisis? And you thought I was some kind of monster?!"

"Yeah why?", Vicki corrected, taking a sip of her tea as if the entire thing wasn't absolutely insane.

God… how can she drink that shit?

I shook off the stray thought and exhaled sharply, "I-is that why you asked if I was a… Changeling?"

"Mhm.", she nodded.

I hesitated before lowering my voice, "What… is a Changeling?"

Vicki was quiet for a moment before answering, "A Changeling is a monster that mimics humans."

Silence settled between us, thick and heavy. My stomach twisted at the thought. After everything I'd seen in the Wyvern Woods, the horrors lurking in the darkness, a creature that could wear the face of a person didn't seem far-fetched but still...

This damn game...

I swallowed hard, "That's… scary."

"I know."

Her voice was softer this time, almost distant.

Vicki lowered her cup slightly, her fingers tightening around the ceramic, "I was scared, Dave. Scared that you wouldn't survive. Scared that I would never see you again. Every night… I cried myself to sleep."

I stiffened, caught off guard by her sudden vulnerability. Her usual sharp demeanor wavered, revealing a glimpse of the raw emotion she had been hiding beneath it all.

No... no... stop...

"I was so scared Dave...scared that you died..."

I bit my lip, trying to contain the dreadful anger that surged within me. I forced it down before turning to her with a smile, "Well am alright and here. There's no need to be scared anymore."

At my words, Vicki's expression turned into a brighter one, "Dave..."

There's a wall between us.

Both you and I know that...

I outstretched my hand and patted her head; my icy fingers reminding me of a bitter memory.

Am grateful Vicki...but...I just can't...

The memory of my near-death in the Wyvern Woods flashed before my eyes.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my jaw.

I just can't bite back this anger...

...

Some moments later, Vicki and I were in a strange room.

It was oddly plain, having seemingly no item in sight except a large window pane and a unique engraving on the floor.

A magic circle...

The thought caused me to subconsciously scrape my icy fingers against my skin. I lingered for a moment, simply staring at the circle before uttering.

Stats.

[Name:] Dave

[Epithet:]???

[Level:] 3

[EXP:] 73/100

[Skills:] Saturation, Appraisal, Ease of Learning, Persuasion, Seduction, Artistic Sense, Ice Affinity, Blood Factor, Defense Arts (incomplete), Dexterity (incomplete)

[Aliases:] Davy Frosty, Master of the Arts, Ogre Horror, Beast Tamer

[Debuffs:] Dysfunctional Right Hand, Weakness, Ease of Learning, Gayshit

[Achievements:] Valor of the Frail, Fork in the Road

HA...

I let out a quiet sigh and muttered, "Just as before..."

My eyes locked on EXP counter before Vicki's voice brought me back to reality.

"Alright...I have that's everything."

THOOM!

The sound caused me to shirk back.

"Oi! Oi! What's with the books?! I thought we were learning magic?"

Vicki rolled her eyes, "Where else would we learn magic, other than books, you dummy!"

I grimaced, my face turning to one of contempt.

I didn't particularly dislike reading. In fact, I read quite a range of books but I wasn't really one to enjoy it. I'd rather enjoy watching a video to learn something than read.

But unfortunately, this world didn't seem advanced enough to have video systems.

"Ugh...", I buried my face in my palm before saying, "So... what's first?"

"Oh...the first step to using magic is simple, we just have to learn to breathe in the World Energy."

"What?", I raised an eyebrow.

"I advise you to read these books later, but for the time being I'll give you the short explanation.", she paused, taking a deep breath before saying,

"Magic in this world works due to something called the World Energy, it exists in the air. Humans absorb this World Energy into something called an Aperture, an organ which exists in the body. Only when they have the World Energy in their core can they use their Affinity."

I took in Vicki's lengthy explanation and sighed, "So...absorbing this World Energy is like breathing it in?"

"Yes.", she nodded.

"So, I just have to breathe in."

"Not quite.", Vicki shook her head, "If you breathe in normally, you'd just be breathing with your lungs, you have to breathe in with your Aperture."

"And how do we do that?"

Vicki paused and scratched her cheek, "Well, that's the thing..."

HA...

I sighed, burying my face back in my palms, "So... we're stuck?"

"Nope. Not really..."

I perked up, "Huh?"

"I have an idea Dave...", Vicki said with a bit of hesitation.

My eyes narrowed, "And what is that?"

She hesitated for a moment, fidgeting before asking, "What's your level?"

"Level 3.", I replied without much thought.

"I see...", she trailed off, before rising to her feet and stretching her arms wide.

"Can you punch me in my midsection?"

Ha?!

"What?"

Vicki suddenly let out a wide, almost mad, grin,

"Knock the wind out of me."