Arnold heard the bell but decided to ignore it. His objective right now was to find the ranking system. Unlike the Runestone he used back at the guild, the academy's system would be able to accurately measure his stats in numbers.

‘I doubt I’ll be able to check my status with all the sensors in the academy. If they detect one ounce of demon aura then all professors would come eliminate me.’

Being an NPC and all, he couldn’t just summon his system—that was his dilemma and had been like that ever since he was transmigrated. His priority was to check his status first but what then?

What would he achieve by doing that? Sure, he would be able to accurately determine what fight to avoid and which one he could win by basic analysis but… he would still be an NPC.

He couldn’t change that.

“What if I somehow gained control of the system and make it recognize me as a player?”

His worry was how he would do that since he had no idea how to farm SP. A player could only unlock their system when they reached level 10 in the game. Of course, most of its interface would be locked.

That was where SP came along. It would allow him to fully unlock the system and even access the store. He could get access to his Lufulur inventory as well and take all his items out using a passcode. He would sell these items obviously since money was his biggest worry right now.

He would only keep the useful weapons. Well, there was the healing potions as well. He couldn’t have enough of those since this was a world where people often died on the battlefields.

‘I only have 40 MP which is a shitty amount. It’s not yet enough to use magic.’

He could buy items off the system that could help him increase his mana but he was doubtful whether there would be anything good for cheap. Assuming the system was still the same that is.

‘I wish I had my old items… Ahh, even if they are trash from a level cap’s perspective, they’d be useful right now…’

“A magic spell that can be cast with 40 MP doesn’t exist in the game. My first priority would be to get my hands on the Hiisi elder’s ring which will increase my overall MP.”

Arnold went towards an open window and looked down. Hundreds of students were flocking towards the school hall. There were more first years than the other years combined.

It made sense since many drop out due to the difficulty of the academy’s assignments or they have financial problems. The latter was a common worry even among the most brilliant but unlucky commoners. On average about 60% are most likely to drop out before reaching their fifth year.

It was a sad reality. Arnold thought so as well since there might be potential hero candidates among these kinds of people.

Speaking of hero candidates…

‘I wonder what happened to that Leonard guy… Did he win the tournament?’

“Probably not.”

The National Gladiator Tournament accepted warriors from all over the world. They are given the opportunity to use their martial arts to their full potential.

There was no way that kid could stand up to a martial arts master. Leonard was born with talent, that’s for sure, but that didn’t mean that he could break logic itself. Fighting against a martial artist without any skills was considered suicide.

Strength didn’t mean one could win in a fight against a martial artist. Skills were what mattered most.

An example of this was Arnold’s fight with Leonard. He could’ve easily killed him with his sword but chose not to because that young man was ignorant. Had the fight continued then Arnold would’ve lost without a doubt.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that Leonard was also a Transcendent. He was probably not even close to that level. But he was still a genius.

Arnold could overwhelm him with aura if swordsmanship couldn’t win against him alone.

The problem with geniuses were that they could absorb a lot of things they see with their own eyes. If Arnold showed the full extend of his aura style—that being Flow of the Tide—then Leonard would be able to do something similar.

That was why he chose to end the fight quickly by a call of defeat. That skill he used was a D-rank martial skill he saw in the family library. Even a squire could perform that skill after a few tries.

‘Even a squire could’ve killed that kid due to his carelessness. The developers were smart to not make everything about strength.’

That was why ignorance isn’t always bliss. If the kid had been aware of such a skill then he would’ve easily countered Arnold.

‘Well, enough about him. I don’t think I’ll be seeing him again anyway,’ Arnold reached the end of the seemingly endless hallway.

He came to the library, which was the largest out of all the facilities on the campus—well, except for the teachers building. The school hall was connected to the library by a very long hallway.

The final years weren’t at the academy today so the building was completely empty except for the servants maintaining the building. Had this been the start of the year then it would be filled to the brim with the final year students already studying. This was a favorite hangout spot as well for the older students.

The final year students were currently outside the Empire on a dungeon expedition. Of course, the dungeon they had to clear wasn’t revealed to the public but its ranking was released a few months before they left.

It was rank S.

That alone told the people of how dangerous it was. Of course, the students knew the risks involved but they went anyway. Their lives depended on this.

That referred to two things: their graduation and their literal lives were on the line.

‘I don’t know if it’s confidence or recklessness.’

Arnold knew the hardships the final year students had to bear in order to graduate. Many would die but no one would be surprised because they too knew the dangers.

“What do you seek?”

A voice came from inside the library when Arnold entered. He could hear the voice but couldn’t determine from which direction it came from. The building was so vast and spacious that the echo must’ve bounced off the walls.

“To whom am I speaking?” Arnold asked as he walked alongside one of the shelves of books.

He couldn’t even see the ceiling since this entire building was filled with books. He wasn’t even sure if there were more floors since there were so many shelves.

“I am the librarian,” the voice answered, “my job is maintaining these books and safeguarding the more ‘important’ books of the Academy.”

He turned around after he heard a thud behind him. In front of him was a short young woman with blue skin, hair and yellow eyes. Her long curly hair was a vibrant dark blue which reached all the way until her back.

She wore a robe too large for her frame as well as a big blue witch’s hat.

“…A magic race?” A frown appeared on Arnold’s face when he looked into her peculiar eyes and skin. They weren’t human at all.

“You are familiar with my kind?”

“…You… You’re a slave from the war against the Demon King, aren’t you?”

He arrived at that answer because there had never been a sighting of a magic race before other than that war against the demon world’s races. This was back when the first hero almost killed the Demon King.

“I am but a slave whose soul had been fragmented to unknown locations,” she muttered but he could hear her, “The amount of pieces to fill the puzzle is a mystery to even myself.”

“A soul slave?”

“Yes. I do not have a surname but you may call me Lyra.”

A soul slave was a being who had been robbed of their freedom and who were forced to stay trapped in one or multiple locations. Of course, they would be stuck as slaves for all eternity and forced into immortality unless they were freed. The pieces which Lyra spoke of did not know of the other but they shared dreams and wishes.

That was why they were known as fragments.

Lyra explained it like that.

This girl belonged to an ancient civilization so he was obviously curious about what happened to her people. He even forgot his task of having come to the library.

Her distinct skin color was a characteristic of the magic race—the Vulris. Of course, since the race had died out there was no need for that name anymore.

Magic races also didn’t exist in this world anymore. Many magic races besides dragons went missing thousands of years ago in this world so Lyra was definitely from the demon world.

They were formerly a race dominated by the demons.

“…?” the girl looked at him strangely, “You do not fear me?”

“Why would I?”

“Because… my people are a race that waged war with humans ever since the beginning of time. We may resemble humans on the outside but our insides differ as night and day. Where you have a heart, we have a mana core that pumps mana through our veins. The mana in this case being the same as your blood.”

“Humans only fear that which they have no knowledge about.” Arnold put his hand on her shoulder, “So I have nothing to fear.”

Cold.

Her body was extremely cold.

He removed his hand a second later.

“You are one of a handful others who know of my people, young one. Do you have some time for tea?” asked the young woman with a smile.

◇

The academy students were still moving into the school hall. Arnold could see them from the window at the table he was sitting at. The opening ceremony would begin soon so he had to finish his business and go.

Across him was an exotic beauty with blue skin who was looking at him with her curious yellow eyes. She didn’t begin speaking so that probably meant that she was waiting for Arnold to speak.

“You make a fine cup of tea, miss Lyra.” He said as he drank the tea.

She took off her big hat and curtly replied, “I have been brewing tea for decades and not once had anyone other than me drink it. Many even avoid making eye contact with me, let alone speak to me. Hearing someone compliment it is a very weird feeling. But thank you.”

“Decades, huh. That must mean you’re a granny? You don’t seem old to me.”

“We don’t age like you humans. I would’ve looked like this even if I wasn’t cursed.”

“Anyway…” Arnold organized his thoughts to think of what to say, “Can you answer my question? What did this to you? I’m curious about what could cause your entire race to go extinct. Your people might even be as ancient as dragons.”

“…Did you know that a being—no matter if it’s a demon or human—can feel lonely after spending time alone in isolation from the world?”

‘Why is she dodging my question? For goodness sake, lady.’

She continued, “We start hallucinating that we live in a world full of people that love us, that want to be with us. They are always there to comfort us when we are down. But what would happen if those hallucinations end?”

“…”

“The same empty feeling. Reminders of the past and what could have been.”

“What are you…”

She spread her arms, “Though this is strange of me—a stranger—to ask you this… Would you please give me a hug?”

“…”

‘W-what?’

Arnold hesitated for a second. First this woman appears out of nowhere, babbles on about humans hating her race and now she’s asking for a hug?

‘Feelings of isolation, huh… Doesn’t this feel familiar?’

He remembered his high school days when he had no friends. No lover. No parents either…

“It is only a selfish request… Forget it, young one.”

“No,” Arnold sighed, “You could’ve just said that you’re lonely instead of giving me a psychology lesson.”

Arnold stood up.

She pulled her arms around him and hugged him, “Mmm…”

Arnold noticed that she had no scent even though he could feel her temperature. That meant that the fragment in front of him was not the real body but a scattered fragment.

“Do you know where your real body is?”

“Shh… Do not talk about irrelevant things.” she whispered into his ears.

‘Irrelevant things, huh.’

Arnold presumed that she had no hopes of finding her real body from what she just said. Of course, any person would lose whatever emotion they once had when they were ‘alive’.

Even the emotion of desiderium. But Arnold couldn’t quite conclude if she was really longing for something since he didn’t know her entire story.

An immortal is not someone who is alive but someone who has avoided death after they passed their original lifespan. Some might call it similar but it was really not that way at all. It was endless days of suffering and the only escape was suicide or just dying by natural causes.

The woman released the hug, “Thank you for listening to my selfish request. I haven’t felt the touch of a man or any person for that matter in a long time.”

“Uh, sure…”

“Ah, I should answer your question. The answer isn’t what but who.”

“Was it the first hero?”

She widened her eyes slightly, “Indeed, it was… Do you know of the holy sword that he wielded?”

“Yeah.”

“The Holy Sword of Song and Light has many frightening abilities. One of those abilities caused something like this to happen to me.”

‘So the holy sword’s attacks at full power causes random effects? That’s interesting…’

The sword would merge all its skills as one when the hero uses its full power. Perhaps one of its skills was [Soul Entrapment]. It was a high-rank skill that could trap demons, undead and anything of demonic nature.

“I was a lowly apprentice mage in the war against the human world. And I just happened to be caught in the blast.”

“Tell me…” Arnold had another question on his mind, “What is the demon world? Being a former inhabitant of it means that you should know that, right?”

Although he was a DOP, he held no knowledge about the truth of the demon world. Was it a dimension? Another planet?

The game didn’t delve too far into the history of demons. The story’s main focus was to show the growth of the hero in his perspective after all.

A player could only see the world in a different perspective whenever the story focused on the main heroines. Of course, there were no demons in the hero’s harem so that meant that there was no way for a player to learn about the demon world.

“There are three worlds on this planet and the thing that separates us is something known as the [World Separating Barrier]… Have you heard of it?”

“A what?” Arnold frowned.

Lyra began weaving her hands. Blue mana swirled in front of her before taking the shape of a ball. A thick white line was acting as its diameter.

“Say, for example, that this is our world.” Lyra began, “This white line acts as a sort of border. It’s like a strange dimension with a completely different atmosphere and inhabitants. In order to reach the demon world, one would need to cross that world. However. It reaches beyond the skies so there is no way for any airship of this era to cross it by air. The barrier itself is a thin film stronger than the hardest metal ever discovered. So where did this strange phenomenon come from?”

Arnold silently listened.

One side of the ball turned black while the other one stayed blue, “The demon world is this side and the human world is this side. Whatever that white line is, isn’t not known to me.”

She pointed at the black and blue respectively.

“Are you saying we are actually living on the same world as demons?” he frowned.

“In theory, yes. But who would dare go towards the end of this world to verify that question? Even the bravest explorers knew of the dangers that lurk before you even reach the end of the world. I believe Prince Julius is currently commanding the Imperial Army near that border.”

World Separating Barrier. The concept “world” referred to the world of humanoids and the world of demons. The barrier was like a continental border that kept something outside or inside.

Thus, the two worlds were vastly different.

But what was that white line? Was it like borders between nations? Was it to keep something out or to keep something in? From what Lyra said, she was only speaking from speculation and not experience. Which means that she was never there.

“This world spans more than half a million kilometers in diameter. Can you imagine if there were the same amount of demons on that side as there are humanoids here?” her question didn’t need an answer, “Humans in general are a weaker race compared to demons. You would be crushed if the numbers were the same. Dragons… well, there are some exceptions which can survive even against a being of equal strength in the demon world. But what about the heroes who are born in this world?”

“They can’t be placed as equals to normal humans.”

“Exactly. Whether it be a demon or dragon, heroes are their equal. The balance between races. Their offspring can’t be considered the same way but those that received blessings from the gods can. Which brings me to my point. Can you imagine an army of those heroes charging the demon world?”

“W-What?”

Lyra smiled, “It’s amusing how humans don’t know this despite the fact that Promethius is from this world. There once existed an entire alliance of heroes—offspring of the first hero—who hid in the shadows of this world. They finally showed themselves when the Demon King was born.”

‘An army… of people on the same level as heroes…’

He didn’t know something like this. Was that why Promethius was often called the first hero or was it something else?

“Alas, all of them perished after the fight with Arsnoria. They only served as sacrifices before the final fight.”

“….”

‘So there was a group similar to the Hero Party before Luke became the second hero…’

“Promethius also died on that world. Whatever happened to his corpse is unknown. I am the only one who can tell this tale to the world. Well, there might be other fragmented souls around the human world.”

“So you were caught in that blast that almost killed the Demon King?”

“Indeed.”

‘Well, that answers my question.’

He had another question that he wanted answers for though.

“What would happen if you come into contact with your soul fragment?”

“That is impossible since I am bound to this academy. But if—hypothetically—I do come into contact with the other me then we would merge and we would share our experiences and the memories we made separately.”

“You mentioned something about dreams and wishes… Does that mean you can feel them even if the feeling is faint?”

“Indeed. Although faint, I sometimes feel my other selves. Orgasms, pain.. Anything we feel or see. Our dreams are also interlinked. I remember a lot of things which I didn’t dream about. That’s why I know that they are out there somewhere.”

‘I never studied supernatural magic back when I was a sorcerer. [Soul Entrapment] must be a skill from the necromancer class. Elizabeth should have knowledge about it.’

The fact that it could trap souls meant that a dark magic user could also use the magic to a certain degree.

There seemed to be two ways how soul fragments could be reunited: by meeting with their counterparts through some unorthodox method or if a necromancer with a high enough level were to undo the soul entrapment.

“There is… one thing we all have in common…” the woman spoke with a small voice, “We all wish to see each other again.”

Ding! Quest created!

‘Huh?’

Arnold suddenly noticed that the young woman was frozen. Even the birds that were about to pass by the window froze in mid-air. The noise coming from the school hall also disappeared.

The entire world was suddenly left frozen in place.

“What’s going on?” he looked up and saw words written above Lyra’s head.

“Quest?”

‘Why am I seeing it? Is this almost like a notification that’s the same as a death flag completion?’

He read the entire message.

Queen of a Timeless Future. Help Lyra recover her former self(S) Reward: Any Martial Skill(s) of your choosing 1200+ MP, Stat points (amount will be given based on succession rate)

Arnold's eyes widened when he saw the first reward.