I've Gained Extra Power?

Quickly, he rushed to the room and put in the exact combination as before. The lock once again, clicked and opened, paving the way for Akira's entrance.

He stormed in observing the room. For one, the blood that originally stained the floor was cleaned and the floor sparkled as though it had recently been produced.

He turned his head to the bed, and he spotted Sota staring at a wall. His mind seemed empty, with not a single emotion in his eyes.

"Hey, Sota! I wanna.... what's wrong," he asked concerned about Sota's well-being.

The atmosphere thickened, igniting the strange aura that Sota emitted. Akira shuddered while distancing himself from Sota.

Sota, who was unconscious of the fear he implanted in Akira, turned ignorant of Akira's emotions. He smiled, standing from the medical bed.

His smile played a role, not to comfort Akira, but to let him know that his state wasn't usual. The ambivalence in his eyes was evident, radiating in every corner of the room.

"Oh, I hope I didn't scare you. I'm just feeling down because I'll have to rest for an extra day."

Akira looked back at him in shock and anything about disappointment. His eyes rolled, as he spoke,

"Oh, really," while he thought, "Seriously! This guy's a baby."

He knew that Sota, a Goblin Slayer could handle his emotions, but for an unknown reason, he kept oddly expressing his emotions - as though he was a baby.

"Anyway, I just came to ask you about the orb."

Sota's facial expressions neutralized, as he thought. He placed his hand on his face and gently stroked his chin.

In a burst of excitement, he quickly advanced to Akira congratulating him on his achievements. Akira in question, was in confusion, not knowing the reason for his excitement.

"Akira, the orb you obtained isn't natural. It forms only once in a millennium, and can only be felt by those whom it has deemed worthy."

"It is an unnatural element that seems to illuminate the Shadow Realm itself. Something with such intensity comes with great power."

"You're lucky, but although you were able to touch it, doesn't completely overrule the fact that it could expel you."

"At the moment, you are worthy to possess and utilize its power, but if for any reason, you deviate from your original track, it may expel you."

Cough

He stepped back towards the bed and slowly lay on it. His ability to stand on his own two feet was incredible, yet he managed to converse freely.

But, even with his good recovery ability, the mark of the Infernal still bore its fangs.

He closed his mouth, cleared his throat, and continued his speech.

"If you eventually become unworthy to the eyes of the orb, the orb will separate itself from you, in the process severely damaging you internally, or even killing you."

"It's an expensive price to pay, right? Well, others who are worthy before the orb can take it away from you, and relieve you of the burden".

"But, its power is great, yet unknown. Just know that you'll learn its powers as you go on missions".

Akira faced both happiness and shock. He was joyous as he had attained a new height in strength, but was deeply offended because it could cause his death.

At the moment, it was useless to him. He didn't know its powers let alone access it. He recollected every event he could when he obtained the orb, but he couldn't get any additional information.

It was then, during his thoughts, that he remembered his credit points. It's a continuous appearance during his training, sparked his curiosity and he was pushed to question Sota.

"What are credit points?" he spoke in anticipation.

"Oh, you know the 'strength' aspect in your stats? It's used to improve it. Once it reaches 5, it increases your strength and resets itself."

"Strength helps to improve efficiency while battling, so it's important to improve it."

.

The conversation ended, and Akira exited slowly, awaiting Sota's recovery the day after. As his foot stepped out, the voice of Sota reverberated,

"Akira! We'll go on a mission tomorrow, tell Minato and Masuyo."

Upon his last words, Akira closed the door and proceeded to lock it. The power had been restored, reducing Akira's chances of escape.

Despite all the obstacles, he managed to escape and communicate their upcoming activities to Masuyo and Minato.

After the long day, he returned home - not exactly, the tiny shed beside, that he called home - lay down on his wooden bed, extinguished the fire on his candle that served as illumination, and slept.

_

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It was the depth of night and an enjoyable one at that. The trees rustled, and the wind howled, while the gentle breeze danced gently on his skin.

Luckily, he was able to afford a blanket, which he knew was essential.

He rolled over to the side of the bed and cramped himself. He was in a lucid dream.

He dreamt of a light-toned greenish sphere, floating with utmost elegance in the air. It cast off crystalline glow on the Earth's crust, but there seemed to be an earthquake.

Akira looked around and spotted men and women in white clothing, as that of Sota. The men had swords at their backs and some, they held.

The women were prestigious, elegant, and beautiful. Some were warriors, with an axe in each hand.

"What's this place?"

In awe, he circled admiring the architecture in the vicinity.

After a few minutes, a group of men came rushing to Akira. He stood stiffly, while gently avoiding eye contact. They made a few steps forward and stopped their run.

"Hey, kid! Who are you?!"

Akira's eyes opened, with a fixed stare on the group of men. They threatened him tirelessly, but he stood still avoiding movements.

A gush of air presented itself, and Akira was forced to move from his original spot. Immediately he made his step, the floor around light blue, with various hexagons, and then white.

At this moment, nothing but the greenish orb was visible, all others were nothing but a white hue. The automated voice, that once sounded from within, reverberated in the open area.

[Welcome to Elm#2097, or the Void Orb!]