The Mind Curtain Arte worked.

Viers knew his encounter with another mind mage was only a matter of time. He had lucked out the first mind user was a small fry that he dispatched quickly before doing any real damage. If he met this Green Scorpion fella without mind security, who knew what kind of intelligence he would gain from Viers’ beautiful mind?

“Green Scorpion used earth, right? And now mind. He’s a dual affinity Pathseeker, just like you.”

“It was a dangerous encounter, Lord Viers.”

Paina and Farley said respectively.

“Quite. Clarissa, what’s the status of the next generation mind-fate defense program?”

“Damn it, Viers. I’m a warrior-princess, not an Arte developer!” Clarissa said in dismay.

That… hit very close to home.

Viers had been asking her to do something outside her expertise for a long time now. After Insignificant Fate and Mind Curtain Artes, a long time had passed and Viers didn't gain a single Arte from the Age of the Gods ever since. He spent his research points elsewhere.

“And?” Viers asked.

“Nowhere near ready, you doofus! Do you think telling me to make these two Artes better will somehow work out a couple of months later? Send me to fight instead!” The lamia princess seemed to be thirsting for blood. Must be the environment, Viers thought.

“Fine. We’ll solve the problem the old-fashioned way. Before the trial ends, this Green Scorpion must become Dead Scorpion.”

***

“I’ve got to say, it was brilliant! To lead the monster by the nose then collapse the earth below it, sending it down the gorge, bloody brilliant!”

“Master always says to be wary of my surroundings and make use of the terrain. If you’re smart, you can turn nature to your advantage.”

“Sounds like a wise guy.”

Boram made a new friend, Squire and Baster, Squire’s horse. After the group finished a quest, they exchanged pleasantries. Looking at the Squire and his horse, Boram remembered about Brownie, his master’s steed who got left behind in the real world.

He hoped someone would feed the mare while he and master Avel were gone. The horse would be too pitiful otherwise.

“Still, forceful awakening, huh.” Boram’s child-like appearance was very eye-catching. “It must be tough on you,” Squire sympathized.

“Thanks. Things are not so bad now. And I’ve got to see the wonders of the world. Like this one. I never thought one day I would come into a world inside a book.”

“Yeah. Good thing you picked white spark though. The black spark holders are eating each other right now.”

While Black Aletro changed and doctored the black quests heavily, the White Aletro didn't do so for the white quests. Therefore the white spark holders’ days didn't change too much from the first day.

Master… should be in the black team, right? I hope he’s okay.

***

“Pleasure doing business with you, meatbags.”

Despite the occasional walls he found too troublesome to break down, his shard's gain was streaming in like a flowing river. Viers just left the infirmary after his latest round of treatment of the soul wound he created himself. The sickbay was filled to the brim after a day of war and Viers couldn't take all the credit for it. The fifth-day candle was getting quite short.

“Lord Viers, congratulations on gaining so many shards,” Farley said.

“Capitalism, HO!” Viers replied.

“I don't know what that means but I like the sound of that. Capitalism, HO!” Clarissa repeated merrily.

“2,900 spark shards, huh. Wanna buy something in the store? There are some good things there. Things that you might need,” Paina suggested.

Viers gave it some thought but preferred to keep his spark shards for Stage 2 of the trial. Just a little more and they would say goodbye to this place.

By the end of the day, In the ranking list, the top 50 were dominated by the black spark holders with a few white names here and there. Concurrently, the names written in black also filled the bottom of the list.

The black spark holders took the high risk and high reward approach. There were a significant number of black spark holders that possessed 0 spark shards.

After a day of feeding frenzy, the meat on the table had been picked clean and the better part of the feast was over.

“In the end, no one gets into a Formal Challenge with me,” Viers said dejectedly.

“Whoever does, would be a fool,” Farley said.

“I wanted to experience it at least once,” Viers said. For Horizon.

Even now the three didn't know about Viers’ Horizon Aspect. They knew Viers had an Aspect and its significance but they didn't know the effect. Viers played some things close to the chest.

There was still time before bed. Viers observed the hunting ground and found it sparse of people. Most had called in a day early.

Suppose I should check on the quest obelisk then. Oh?

His rank went down to 8th. The ranking list was very dynamic today. Some rose to high ranks in a single jump and some high ranks fell to the bottom.

As long as I'm in the top 10, I should be fine.

Viers did not aim for the top place, it would take too much investment on his part. It wouldn't be an easy feat, even for him.

While Viers was browsing for some light quest to accomplish before bed, he found something unique: a quest with special rewards.

Three free spa tickets? It has the effect of purifying the body and healing. Aletro wanted his work about the resort to not be in vain, I see.

Piqued and he wanted to relax a bit, Viers took the quest card and burned it with his spark. The black spark was now the size of a tennis ball, thanks to all the shards he’d gathered.

“Expert solo quest? I thought you wanted something easy. This is more like a heavy workout before bed,” Paina said.

Viers summoned his system-made revolver and started shooting. Three dozen bullets later, the monster breathed its last breath.

“You were saying?” Veirs smugly said.

“This ‘gun’ of yours is so unfair!” Paina retorted.

“Imagine if the guy that I got it from ran amok with things a hundred times better than this. You still question my judgment about his immediate termination after seeing this?”

That being said, I look forward to getting a better gun in the future. You know, the right power in the right hands and all that.

While Viers thought about something contradictory to what he said, he gained 50 spark shards and three tickets.

Huh, ‘only valid in Stage 1’. Guess I should use one every day then since there are only three days left.

Tickets in hand, Viers flew to the resort. People gave him a wide berth for the blackmailer with a jet-black reputation. Kaari, his NPC assistant, faithfully guided him to a place in the building where he could use the ticket.

“Please enjoy yourself,” she said.

Only open for an hour at a certain time each day, huh? Weird. Other rooms don't have this restriction.

One of the tickets disappeared as he opened the somewhat stylish door on the entertainment floor. Inside, there was a changing room then another door. Viers eagerly opened the next door, which was a showering room with cypress flooring. Further in was a sliding door. Viers opened it with both hands in a grandiose manner.

What welcomed him was the sight of a beautiful outdoor onsen. It didn't look indoor at all. The natural spring was very spacious, surrounded by white stones. It was night, the area was lit by lanterns. Shadow of mountains stood far in the distance, elegant twin moons shone up above. The water of the onsen was like the clearest spring and the steam coming from it promised temperature delight.

“I. Am. Envious.” Clarissa spoke with a heavy emphasis on each word. He had no doubt, the other two agreed.

“I’ll let you try later. See ya girls,” Viers turned off his streaming service and made preparations for the relaxation session.

“Ahhhh~”

Gokuraku, gokuraku.

Viers thought something in Japanese, something that he didn't even know the meaning of. He only thought that because anime characters often said those words in their onsen episode.

A few minutes in, he felt his fatigue from today melt away.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The holy sanctuary of Viers’ zen was disrupted by the sound of the sliding door’s opening. From deep in the steam Viers opened his eyes.

“Uwah… Kirei~”

A feminine voice reached his ears. The girl was naked save for the towel she carried in front of her body. The cloth covered her front in a natural manner.

It was… a beautiful sight.

After a few microseconds of having a short circuit in his brain, Viers regained the ability to think once more.

She is… that Japanese girl? Is this a mixed bath? Come to think of it, there was no gender separation thing in the rooms before.

The girl with raven hair and milky white skin dipped her toe in the hot water gingerly before slowly dipping her full body. Her face was a mix of delight and contentment.

“Ehem,” Viers coughed out. The longer he stayed silent, the worse it would get.

The girl let out a small sound of shock. She realized there was someone else hidden by the steam and she was not alone. By the sound of it, the other person was a male.

If Viers was in his usual state, he would realize for some reason, the steam in his area was particularly thick, obscuring his figure. But he was… preoccupied.

“Apologies, my lady. I was here first,” Viers said, readying himself for the reaction to come. He expected a shrieking scream the way of a banshee.

The girl’s surprised face was replaced by calm and poise. It was enough for Viers to raise an eyebrow in amazement.

“Konbanwa,” she said with a smile. “I apologize for intruding. May I be excused?”

The girl regretted her choice of words as soon as it passed her lips. If she stood now, she would be fully exposed! But thankfully, Viers’ response gave her an olive branch.

“This isn't my place. You can stay, if it is alright with you.”

“...O-okotoba ni amaete,” she replied politely with a touch of shyness. Viers could guess why.

They spent the next moments in silence. There were only two meters between them but it might as well be a continental chasm. Viers didn't want to be seen as a creep so he laid back on the stone edges and looked outward to the distant mountains.

That is… unexpected. I thought this would be an anime-esque guy stumbling on a girl in a bath trope. Usually ends with a hysterical scream and a red slap mark on the guy’s cheek in the next scene.

While Viers was appreciating the girl's self-control, she tried to alleviate the awkwardness by striking a conversation. She didn't speak while giving him her back because it wouldn't be polite.

“Ii oyu-jyanakatta,” she corrected midway. “Nice bath, isn't it?”

“...Night Bloom,” Viers said suddenly. Knowing other people’s alias was not hard after the patch. “In your language, night is ‘ya’ and bloom is ‘saku’. Is your name Sakuya?”

The girl was taken aback. “You know our language?”

“A little,” he turned to her eyes. He took special care so his gaze didn't wander anywhere else. “Was I right?” He spoke in Japanese.

“H-Hai! Sakaki Sakuya desu. Hajimemashitte, um… Tanael-sama.”

“No need for 'sama'. We’re of the same age and equal in status,” Viers’ meager skill in the Japanese language that he polished by watching tons of anime and games emerged after years of hiding.

By finally having some common ground, they began conversing to distract their thoughts.

***

Somewhere in the Book World, black-clothed Aletro was snickering.

Mwehehe. Your mind houses such interesting things. This is my thanks for contributing to the making of the trial, Viers boy. You always wanted to have this kind of development with a girl at least once -even though you won't admit it- so there you go. As for the girl, I presented a good opportunity for her wishes. It is up to her if she could grasp it or not.

***

In consideration for Sakuya, Viers went out of the onsen first after he bid her goodbye. It wasn't as if he wasn't embarrassed; he was just coping with it by making his face like stone.

When he returned to his cheap room in the resort, Viers went straight to bed.

He had trouble sleeping that day and blamed his body’s teenage hormones.

***

Clack.

“Fuu...”

Similarly, Sakuya went back to her room and let out a sigh of relief after closing the door.

Then she squatted down and buried her face on her thighs. Her mask of calm was nowhere to be found as her face became tomato-red up to the ears.

I… I just took a bath with a man! In a panic, I used Mother's teachings to calm my emotions but-but did he think I’m a shameless woman instead!? Uwaahhh, blunder! What a blunder!

In fetal position, Sakuya rolled on the floor to her futon.

Calm yourself. Calm yourself, Sakaki Sakuya. He’s Tanael. Rumors are he will extort you if he doesn't like your name. But-but, he’s so handsome! Gasp! I blabbered on and on since he asked about my home. What if he thinks I’m a loudmouth? Uwaaahhh, another blunder!

Sakuya stopped her writhing on the floor to imagine Tanael’s appearance, especially his blonde hair, green eyes, chiseled chest, and muscular abs. Just imagining it made steam come out of her head.

He didn't ogle my body with lustful eyes, his manner was like a gentleman of high birth, he was well versed in the village’s culture, he wanted to eat cold sushi with soy sauce and wasabi, khhhh~

Sakuya bit the bottom of her lip. Her first close contact with a male was too much stimulation for a woman with a special upbringing like Sakuya and a teenage girl wasn't immune to the charm of good looks and body attractiveness.

Suddenly, her father’s stern face and voice appeared in her mind. Her beloved father was the personification of discipline every time he interacted with his daughter.

“A person of the Sakaki house should always be composed and act rationally. You must not tarnish the reputation of the house and bring shame upon yourself.”

Yes, Otou-sama.

And then, her mother’s kind countenance appeared on her other shoulder. It was an advice she told her when Sakuya had bloomed fully as a woman.

“Listen well Sakuya. If you find a man you like in the future, you must pounce upon him and not let go. Get him into bed and unleash the night techniques I taught you to make him yours for life. You’re my daughter, I'm sure you can do it.”

Ahhh, Okaa-sama, how could you say such an embarrassing thing?

The Yamato-Nadeshiko was writhing on the floor once again like a worm in a desert. Then as she remembered the remaining two free tickets, she was caught in a storm of passionate anticipation and womanly embarrassment.