005: The Curse Living Inside
Eclipse slumped against the wall of the restroom, clutching the porcelain sink with white-knuckled hands.
The nauseating burn in his stomach twisted sharply, and he leaned forward, dry-heaving as he fought to breathe.
Holding the dignity trait like that… isn't good for my health, I guess.
This wasn't the first time the cursed trait had gotten the better of him, but it was certainly the worst.
If he kept doing this, it might kill him too.
Sigh… Is everything trying to kill me now?
The restroom door creaked open, and Eclipse froze, mid-retch.
He expected one of his classmates or, worse, an instructor, but instead, a familiar figure stepped inside: Silva, his maid.
What is she…
The maid looked around the men's restroom with an arched brow and strode in without hesitation, her eyes narrowing when they landed on Eclipse hunched over the sink.
"Master Eclipse, I brought you some clean water," she said, her tone unwavering.
Eclipse blinked, surprised by her presence in the men's restroom. Uhh… Is this normal?
He looked at the cup in her hand, was she too worried she can't keep still? Woah, the maid in this world is on another level.
Thankfully nobody was around to see it.
Instead of showing his curiosity, his face remained impassive.
The trait managed to make him calm.
"I'm perfectly fine, Silva," rejecting the water. He might want to be thirsty after throwing out so much body liquid, but because of his dignity it wouldn't let someone try to help them out of kindness.
Because she was doing this out of kindness, right?
"I might die if I drink that," he muttered.
Silva, who could recognize someone's footsteps from miles away, gulped.\
A coincidence… again? She thought.
After a moment… Ten minutes before the trial… in the assembly hall…
After the teachers checked his belongings, Eclipse was let in the hall.
It was a rule that you can't bring any item except your gear and weapon. So any method of using enchantment potion or a scroll spell was discarded.
The assembly hall was vast, a colossal stone chamber lined with arched windows that stretched up to a vaulted ceiling covered in intricate paintings of heroes from ages past.
Hundreds of cadets, nobles, and commoners alike, were milling around the center, waiting for instructions.
Eclipse has thought of hiring a group of them to help him win the trial. But if he recalled this moment in the game. People will be randomly placed in the forest.
Then his eyes glance at his maid's calm face.
I wonder if they will separate servants, too.
The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, as if everyone could sense that something monumental was about to begin.
Eclipse's eyes swept across the room, taking in the sea of faces.
He recognized a few characters from the game—students whose names and abilities had been burned into his mind through countless hours of gameplay.
As Eclipse took in the sight of Caelum's entourage, he felt a renewed sense of urgency.
He knew that they all would pass the trial.
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hall, and the murmurs of the crowd fell silent as the headmistress, Lady Aurelia, entered the room.
She was tall and imposing, with a gaze as sharp as a sword.
Her blonde hair was streaked with gold, and she carried herself with an authority that made everyone.
Her cold gaze swept over the students, her expression unreadable.
"Welcome, students," she began, her voice carrying effortlessly through the hall. "Today, we will begin the first of many trials you will face at the Academy…"
She then proceeded to give all students a motivational speech.
For Eclipse all the motivation he needed was to stay alive in the trial.
"Prepare yourselves," Lady Aurelia continued, her gaze hardening. "You are all here to prove yourselves, but remember that your survival is a top priority. I believe you have been explained by your teacher, so I won't bother you with more words.
Now let's begin the first of your trials at the Academy."
Aurelia raised her hands, her fingers splayed outward as if cradling something unseen.
Eclipse didn't need to ask what she was doing—he already knew. In the game, Lady Aurelia was renowned as a master of space magic, capable of bending reality itself to her will.
Her every movement exuded confidence, precision, and an almost otherworldly grace.
As her palms turned upward, facing the heavens above, the air froze in awe.
From her palm, a shimmering sigil began to materialize.
It started as a simple triangle, then expanded outward, growing, growing, and growing.
Until it stopped.
Then she shot it up.
A deep violet hue bled across the horizon, swallowing the sun whole and veiling the world in shadow.
And if you looked hard enough…
A Giant Octagon.
Eight sharp edges gleamed like polished obsidian, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that shifted constantly, as though alive.
Click.
With each rotation of the sigil, a soft click echoed through the air.
Click.
The sky responded to her call.
Click.
So it was night suddenly.
Click.
Each time the shape turned, the atmosphere grew heavy.
Eclipse felt the hairs on his arms stand on end.
'This… this is the magic that I've seen countless times in the game…'
Even he couldn't keep his smile to himself. 'I'm already seeing seventh-tier purple magic just a week after I got here. How lovely. Ha ha…'
If he hadn't realized before, now it was the perfect time to do so. He was just a small ant living together with dragons.
Click. Click.
He glanced at Silva, who stood frozen beside him, staring wide-eyed at the spectacle unfolding before them.
"We'll be teleported to the forest," Eclipse murmured under his breath, breaking the silence.
His voice carried a note of urgency now. "Silva," he said, turning toward her fully, "if for some reason we're separated, just know that I'm heading south…"
His words trailed off as he realized she wasn't listening—or perhaps wasn't able to hear him over the deafening crescendo of magic building around them.
Click.
He expected a reply from her, a 'yes, master' or something like that. "Silva?"
It clicked.
Snap–
But she was nowhere to be seen.