Is it watching him?

OKAY! HERE IT IS MY DUDES!

This is... Late by three weeks, and hopefully, tomorrow I will release another!

And after that, THE LAST ONE!

So we can go back to the schedule...

After you read this in 10 minutes like I know you will, make sure to pass by my other novels and clear your boredom as you wait for tomorrow.

Peace!

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/A few minutes later…/

"For a cavern, this place cozier than I expected." Joked Philip as he looked around the place

I knew the underground of this Academy had some level of infrastructure but I underestimated this place.

Be it the magical lights faintly illuminating this place to the paved roads showing us the way, it is clear to me this place went through heavy modification over the years.

No wonder this place smells like grass and not like the humid underground place it was supposed to be...

"That's only for you though, I can't really get relaxed in this place." Viera replied as she gazed around, keeping her guard up

At any moment, a powerful underground creature could pounce on us, being relaxed is okay, but so much...

'Philip understood her worries, but his guard was always up, and under any circumstance, he would always be the last person to drop their guard.'

"I wouldn't say I am relaxed, more like… Bored?" Philip replied

We'll probably only meet with a monster deeper, and it doesn't help we are just walking and not really rushing deeper...

"Bored? It hasn't even been 10 minutes…"

"Exactly because, but perhaps I expected too much from the starting zone."

"Even if we were among the first to descend, we didn't really rush forward like the others, so most of the frontliners must have already taken care of the creatures…"

"Hum, but if that was the case there would've been some sort of trace… I guess the starting area is simply that safe."

'Viera rolled her eyes, she couldn't understand how someone could be as carefree despite being in such a potentially dangerous area.'

"It's true there are probably no monsters so close to the entrance, but I would recommend you to keep your eyes open as they could appear at any moment."

"That you can count me in, I came here to work and not play around after all." Said Philip as he looked around the place

"... I think we should seek an Outpost." Viera said

"This soon?"

"Yes, as you said, exactly so."

"..."

"As I said before, an Outpost has many facilities and uses, and one of them is information acquisition, if we can get into one it would be simple for us to get an idea of the monsters' territories and increase the efficiency of our hunt."

"Better than walking around the place in the hopes of finding a monster that matches our contracts, besides, we'll have to go into one regardless to hand in the monsters' corpses."

'Philip nodded, saying:'

"Makes sense, the problem is finding one though…"

'But she cut him mid-phrase:'

"That can be easily solved."

'Viera raised her hands, her left hand grabbed the staff while her right hand started to move in the air, glowing purple.'

'Everywhere her right hand passed left behind several small glowy drawings, and after making 5 lines, she let out a small sigh and said:'

"It's done."

'Philip approached her and asked:'

"This is?"

I have no idea what this is, nor where to begin in trying to understand it...

I really need to spend some time reading more later.

"Th-This is a tracking spell, and please… Take a step back… You're a bit too close."

"Oh? My bad." He replied as he took a step back, still gazing at the floating symbols

'Focusing once more, she raised her right hand high above her head, and as if this was a trigger, the lines of runes started to circle her hand, making 5 magical circles around it.'

'And finally, she placed her right hand above the tip of her staff, making a flash of light illuminate the place.'

/Fwush!/

'After the flash, a bolt of light similar to a flare was released into the cavern, rapidly making its way somewhere.'

"Now we follow it." She said as she started to walk

'Philip was very surprised, but he still followed her without a word, but he eventually asked:'

"How does that work?"

'Viera had to think for a while before she replied:'

"I'll cut to the chase. Simply put, a lot of things in here need a power source to work, and this is done through an intricate and delicate circuit that is spread all around the place."

"Normally these circuits are impossible to be damaged or tampered with by the students due to how they were made, but we can at least feel their presence due to how strong the energy passing through them is."

"And if you were to take a look at this circuit from an outsider perspective, you would see that there are junction areas where many pathways intersect, these areas are the Outposts."

"So this spell is nothing but a tracking mechanism?" Philip asked as he walked after the light

'Viera nodded, a bit proud.'

"I see, how far can you track?"

"Not very far I'm afraid, but I can easily tell the circuit system goes for several Kms… The problem is differentiating what I can sense, and it can get quite imprecise after that much distance."

"Can you also track monsters?"

"The most I can do is cast a series of spells to protect us, sound detection, light detection, smell section, and many others."

"But that is mostly a waste of effort as it takes quite the amount of energy to keep them running."

"Alright, I'll keep note of that." Philip said as he walked in front

"At the very least, my senses are pretty sharp."

"How much so?" Asked Viera

'This made Philip stop for a moment and think.'

"Interesting question... I simply have no idea how far each of my senses compares to the average."

"How about we give it a try?"

"Oh?"

'Viera suddenly created another light sphere using a much simpler spell.'

'The sphere released faint light, it had a simple yet distinguishable smell, it produce a weak sound and it made the air move a bit as it moved.'

"Close your eyes and see how far you can feel it with each of your senses, it won't be very precise but it will help a little."

"Interesting! Fine, I'll play along."

"We aren't playing though..."

'She moved her hands as soon as Philip closed his eyes, making the light ball move across the cave father and farther away.'

'Time passed, and a minute soon passed, then two, and then three...'

"Eh... Philip, you there?" Viera asked with suspicion

"Wait, I can still hear it."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, it's rather faint though... But we can safely assume I can't hear it anymore since it got mixed with the background noise."

"The sound was already pretty far... And what do you mean by background noise? It's completely silent..."

"I told you that my senses are better than normal."

"This is far from normal! The ball was at least over 1 Km away! And its noise was already pretty weak!"

'Viera was completely and utterly surprised by how strong his senses were.'

"I told you, I could still hear it, but it got mixed in with the background noise, exactly because it was too weak and it ended up being overshadowed by everything else."

"I can still smell it though, fairly easily, I believe it would be a very simple thing to track it down."

"I could feel the air being stirred by it, but not for long as the air movement of the caves confused me a few seconds after it started moving."

'Viera looked at Philip with a confused expression. But she shook her head.'

"At least we won't need to worry about someone surprising us."

I know people who train their bodies can develop stronger senses, so I guess it's just that.

"I've been telling you that from the beginning. But I liked the experiment nonetheless."

My sense easily dwarfs that of a wolf, not much to brag about but is something to base around.

…

'The two eventually stepped inside a large cavern whose ceiling was well over 20 M tall.'

'And in front of them laid a large circular metal tower, connecting the ground with the ceiling like a mighty pillar.'

"I imagine that is the Outpost?" Asked Philip

"Yes, you are correct…"

"It's pretty ugly."

"...Ugliness is the least of our problems... It seems things aren't going to be that simple."

"..."

'Philip already knew as his eyesight was much better than Viera's since he could see the 2 students standing guard in front of the Outpost.'

"People sure are fast, no wonder everyone just ran past us as we made our way here." Said Philip with a thinn smile

'As they made their way across the caverns, many students passed by them, a few stared at them, a few observed them before continuing, but most only ignored them.'

'And they did the same and ignored everyone who passed by, they weren't in a rush.'

"Do you think they'll let us use it?" He asked as his smile grew wider

"I don't know if this situation is funny though…" Viera said as her eyes sparkled in magical light

'Philip understood that she was checking their Levels, and as such, he did the same…'

[Level 28]

[Level 32]

"Why not? I'm not trying to be arrogant or anything…"

"I know exactly what you're thinking and yes. You are being arrogant." Viera said as she interrupted Philip

"..."

"Look at their clothes, those colors, and design... They are part of the Colibrand Lions."

'This was a foreign name for Philip.'

'As he frowned, staring at their clothes, it was a mix of blue and black and it had a militaristic feel. They also had a blue cap with a badge on it displaying their ranks.'

'They looked like marines.'

"Who? Was that supposed to ring any bells?"

"It's a minor group below rank 15… I think they were 19th last time I checked."

'Philip looked at her with a questioning glare.'

"Isn't it simpler then? We just need to get inside."

'Viera frowned and said:'

"Look, even if they are a minor group, they are pretty influential!"

"Yeah?"

'Viera frowned harder and said:'

"This means we can't simply look at this situation from a matter of if we can defeat them or not!"

"I can understand that, but we can't simply ignore them when we have things to do." Replied Philip

"We could ignore them now and seek another Outpost, but that one would also be controlled by another ground, and we'll have to repeat this process again."

"How many times will we need to experience that before it's enough for you?"

"Easy for you to say, you are already on your 5th year but I am on my 2nd, and the last thing I want is to be pestered and cast out further than what I already am."

'Philip looked at her for a moment but he said:'

"Naive of you to think like that, do you think you'll be left alone by the other by remaining neutral and away from these troublesome matters and the political warfare?"

"All clues point to the possibility of these conflicts intensifying over time and from their perspective, the neutral students are the most dangerous of the bunch."

"And I won't bother to explain why."

"Once they realize what you are capable of, they'll start putting pressure on you, this will only increase over time until you show your abilities and things will get incredibly messy once that happens."

I already saw what some of these kids are willing to do and are capable of...

Shit can get pretty dark pretty fast if you let yourself get in their hands...

"So it's best if we make the most of our situation before the worst comes to worst."

Besides, in 2 years everything will come crashing down with the war and the Academy will be destroyed, so it doesn't matter much anyway.

She would be better leaving the academy than staying here to be bullied.

And seeing how talented she is, it wouldn't be hard for her to find someone to back her up.

But that has nothing to do with me, the most I can do is help her get a bit stronger and grow more self esteem before it all…

Perhaps joining a noble group is for the better, even if that means being slaved away. I mean, getting out of this situation alive is better than dying.

But then again, there is a big chance my actions will end up prolonging this academy's life span and she may be able to graduate before the War starts…

Either way, this is a story of years in the future and hence, I don't care.

"..."

'Viera stayed silent, thinking about his words, they weren't exactly foreign to her as she already had a conscience that she wouldn't be able to practice and study in peace and quiet forever.'

'But still…'

/Step step.../

"?! Where are you going?" Viera asked as she saw Philip walking in front of her

"I'm going to get what we came here to get, you stay over there and wait for me."

"If you don't want to get your identity revealed, that is fine by me. Simply don't."

"Stay in the backlines and wait for me to come back."

"Threat is me repaying you for the trouble I'm about to cause…" He said without turning back

"..."

'Viera stayed silent, thinking about something…'

…

"Stop right there!" Said one of the two students as he raised a metallic spear at Philip

"Hello." Replied Philip calmly

"What do you want? Do you know where you are right now?!" Asked the other student

"Is this an Outpost?"

'The two guards looked at each other.'

"And how does that matter to you punk?" Asked the rightmost guard

"Can me and my group use it? It'll be very quick."

"..."

'The two students looked at each other and one of them even smiled.'

"Yeah? In your fucking dreams!"

"... I see, in that case, a shame really, I've been trying to learn how to resolve my problems through diplomacy, but it seems the answer to the question remains the same."

"You talk a lot brat, turn around and leave before we force you to." Said the one on the left

"I can say the same, but... I was taught to not brag else it may bite me in the ass one day... But still."

"Try to stop me… In your fucking dreams as well." Philip said as he started to walk

"Stop! Do you know that this is the private property of the Colibrand Lions?!" Said the left student

"Yeah?! When did I ask?"

"#! Whatever then! Burn this fucker to cinders!" Said the student with a twisted expression as he raised his hand

'The other student smiled as well, waiting for the 'show' to happen.'

/FWIOM!/

/BAM!/

'Suddenly, the Outpost lit up and a small protrusion appeared on the side of its walls.'

'And a flash of green light, similar to a laser beam was released from it, approaching Philip in the blink of an eye.'

'But despite it all, the two students were left agape as Philip… Simply grasped the green beam with his right hand!'

'His hand glowed with faint red light, shrouding the beam in it.'

"What a rough welcome… But I didn't quite like it... Oh well, have it back." He said as he moved his hand forward releasing the green bolt

"W-WAIT!" Exclaimed one of them in fear

/BOOM!/

'The bolt crashed onto the walls of the outpost, creating a large explosion that swept the two guards, making them fly a few meters away from their position.'

'At the end of it all, the ground was completely unaffected and there wasn't even a dent on the walls, but the students were completely black, although they seemed fine for the most part.'

"Damn… I missed. Am I unlucky or are the two of them lucky?"

But I did have some fun hehehe…

'Philip continued to walk forward, and once he arrived next to the tower, he got confused.'

"There's no door… How do I use this thing?" He asked out loud

"... You need to connect to it just like we did previously with the Nexus, for what we came here to do, there is no need for us to get inside." Replied Viera from behind him

"Oh? You actually came?"

'Viera seemed a bit embarrassed but she eventually said:'

"... I couldn't let my only teammate fight alone, but I guess that wasn't really needed, besides, I already put the two students to sleep so they won't remember a thing."

"Isn't that… Pretty dangerous? To leave someone hanging around just like that?"

"Yes it is, but that is their problem. And on another note, I'm sure they would be screwed regardless since they failed their mission pathetically."

"... At least they won't die right?" Said Philip with an awkward smile

"There are many things worse than death, and these petty nobles will make your life like that for the weakest of reasons." Said Viera with a serious tone

"Well, damn."

Perhaps I've been really lucky so far and I have not met with any super annoying Noble…

Or was I in a position where I could just take care of all problems?

'Shaking his head, Philip connected with the Nexus and quickly found out what he was looking for, the locations of the creatures from the contracts they accepted, and most importantly, the location of his target and the person he needed to protect.'

'And as he expected, she was already rather deep and going even lower as we spoke.'

She is just like he described... Way too fucking rash.

(Says the guy who entered a Dungeon alone and dived into the lowest possible location alone...)

'Phillip quickly formulated a plan and said:'

"Okay… I think I know where we should go."

'He turned around and gazed at Viera who had also connected with the Nexus.'

'He projected a small map of the surrounding area with the help of the Nexus and said:'

"First, let's follow this road and make a few turns, going deeper, on the way, we can hunt these monsters until we reach this place right here…"

"Once we reach this place we can search for another Outpost and repeat this process until we are satisfied, what do you think?"

This way I can keep track of that girl while also completing the other contracts.

I was the one who asked for these due to my own curiosity about the final rewards, so I will finish them and see what I will get at the end.

Besides, I have yet to see any hint as to the special item I need to collect...

The problem is I have no idea what it looks like. Dammit it, Dae!

'Somewhere far away, a Korean man sneezed.'

"... I don't see any problem with that, as I said, you can be the captain if you want to."

But why do I have this feeling… As if he is pressed for time?

Maybe I'm thinking too much…

'After disconnecting from the Nexus, Philip led the way deeper into the underground caverns…'

…

/At the same time, deeper in the cavern…/

/SPLAT!/

'A girl in tight black clothes and thin metal armor around her vital parts could be seen slashing the throat of a monster with elegance.'

'It looked like a massive slug, but it had 4 thinn pairs of legs with suction pads similar to those of an octopus, it used them to stick to the ceiling and wait for prey to pass nearby, before opening its mouth and grabbing them with its tongue.'

'It was a super dangerous creature, not because of its strength or speed, but because of its poison that was strong enough to put someone to sleep almost instantaneously after a mere touch.'

/Crunch!/

'The girl swung her blade and bifurcated the creature's body with one swing before she pulled a bone from its flesh and crushed it on her hand.'

'From the crunched pieces she grabbed several pieces of a long red cylinder.'

'It was some kind of inner hard organ that ran inside the bones of this slug monster.'

'The red cylinders were much more resilient than the bone itself, as it only snapped even when the bone itself crumbled into pieces.'

"... Not enough." She said as she stored the items in her pocket

'The items seemed to vanish completely, and it was without a doubt, a pocket whose internal space had been expanded.'

How would he… That man… Deal with this monster?

'She started to remember her clash against a mysterious figure yesterday.'

'As always, when Classes ended, she went to the black market to get missions.'

'She went to her usual place, and spotting it, a simple bodyguard mission, she easily accepted it and went to work soon after.'

'She had done it many times before, and although what happened in them was a bit too much for her morals, she kept quiet as she knew she couldn't do anything to help the victims of the people she was protecting.'

'Never had she needed to act… No, that is a lie, many times she needed to move… To prevent the victims from escaping the ones she protected...'

'It bit deep into her heart, but she needed the credits because she needed to grow stronger.'

'The only possible danger was in the rare circumstance of another group interfering, but such a thing never happened to her, perhaps she was just lucky.'

'It was good pay for an easy and quick mission. Or so it was supposed to be... As yesterday, she was reminded of what helplessness is…'

"Speed, power, precision, even technique… I was beaten… No, it was never a fight, he just played with me from start to end."

From the beginning, I was under his control.

I didn't even notice him putting me under an illusion.

And if it wasn't for my father…

'She shook her head, focusing on the task at hand.'

"I'll become stronger, like my mother."

I'll prove to him I don't need his help, I'm different from these gold spoons.

'The girl sheathed her sword and ran forward, leaving only dust behind…'

…

/Around an hour later…/

/BAM!/

'With one punch, Philip sent a creature resembling a large bat flying across the cave and into the walls, making a small dent.'

"Hum?"

/BAM!/

'Another colossal bat flew to Philip, and he easily evaded it, pulling its wing and ripping it apart from its body with his bare hands before crushing its head with his foot.'

'Two more rushed towards him, but he easily evaded their big movements, grabbing the neck of one of them and crushing it with his hand.'

'As for the last one, he grabbed a rock and threw it at its wing, making a hole in it.'

''And when the bat fell on the ground, he just kicked its head, making the bat's head twist 540 degrees...

'Viera watched all of it with a helpless expression, and with a small sigh, she said:'

"Is that sword on your waist decoration?"

"Hm? No?"

"Really? But you didn't even use it… You just punched your way through every monster… I'm not complaining, but I am surprised…"

"Besides, can you even use your sword when it's all chained up like that?" She asked as she pointed at the Darklight Sword Philip was carrying on his back

"..."

'Philip looked at her with a helpless smile.'

I guess she's starting to suspect things… But it isn't my fault these creatures are lacking.

Besides, I didn't want to dirty myself with the blood of these creatures so soon anyway.

'Philip grabbed his sword and showed it to her.'

"I don't think I told you the reasons as for why these chains exist, right?"

'She shook her head, and when Philip looked at her, he noticed her hidden excitement.'

This girl…

"Fine, I'll show you the reason, just don't complain later."

"Why would I complain?"

'But Philip did not asnwer.'

/Clang!/

'Philip slowly removed the chains around the sword, revealing its intrinsic design to her.'

"It's truly beautiful." She said as she gazed at the intricate designs of the sword.

I already knew it was detailed, but it looks better without those chains…

But... The sword looks rather odd?

The left and right sides are of slightly different coloration, and the symbols in them are also diferent.

And there doesn't seem to have any correlation between them.

Besides, they are connected by the strange dark metal in the middle, and for some reason, I feel as if I shouldn't touch that...

'Viera looked at Philip and asked:'

"It looks way better like this…"

"This is only the start, the question is if you are capable of going further."

"What do you mean?..."

'But Philip did not reply, instead, he raised the sword above his head…'

'The movement confused Viera, but she suddenly had the impression that the room they were currently in had become darker…'

"!"

'Right under her eyes, the sword glowed in dark purple light, and from its previous form as a silver sword, it became a large purple sword with a blade that was bigger than her head!'

'The sword glowed with a mystical purple light, drawing her in…'

'She felt as if she could see a constellation moving inside the sword…'

'But under the beauty of the sword, she slowly started to lose focus.'

"Wake up!" Said Philip loudly

'Before things got any more dangerous, Philip made sure to wake her up.'

"?!"

'Viera opened her eyes suddenly, sweat fell from her forehead as she realized what had just happened.'

What just… The sword? But…

'Philip on the other hand, just let out a sigh, expecting something like this to happen from the beginning.'

'Viera was about to open her mouth when she was interrupted by Philip:'

"Before you ask, I'll explain."

"Due to how this sword was made, it contains a strong 'attraction' that comes from the power it holds, this can make someone with weak willpower completely lose their focus and sometimes, even charm someone."

A very light way to say you're being seduced by Eldritch power…

However, this isn't anything special. It's more of a side effect from the sword composition.

I can assure you that there are no Great ones or such beings trying to make contact with me or something.

But to be honest, I can't exclude the possibility they may be watching me…

The original Holy Moonlight sword was like that, it held the power to channel the Cosmos and even guide its user in some way.

And although I never received any sort of guidance from it, I know very well that Ludwig, the one who discovered the sword, did.

Same thing goes for its counterpart, the Holy Sunlight Sword.

The reason why the sword charmed her is because of the blood and flesh of the fallen Great ones it has absorbed…

It's similar to how the researchers in the Dream would seek insight by communing with the Great ones…

If not used in moderation, it can cause madness.

For those that watch the sword, the attraction is rather weak, but for me, it can prove fatal, especially since the metal used in the sword is extremely dangerous.

If I end up losing myself, I may truly end up being devoured by the sword...

Although it isn't a problem anymore since my mind has gone well and beyond what I was capable off previously when I was in the Dream.

'Philip suddenly felt a tug on his shoulder, breaking him out of his own thoughts.'

"Philip?... Are you there?"

"Hm? Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment."

How is she fine?

'He shook his head and looked at the girl, she looked much better than what he expected.'

She looks rather fine, it's true that the charm effect weakens after the first contact, but she seems unaffected.

'He looked at her, and at her entire body, making her blush slightly and look away in embarrassment.'

That's good either way.

"It seems you are fine, in that case, let's continue. From now on I'll use my sword."

'He took a few steps forward before he turned around and asked:'

"So? Was your curiosity satiated?"

"... How is that possible… I am left with even more questions!"

'Philip smiled and turned around once more.'

"Too bad."

"#!"

"Are you going to leave just like that?"

"And what do you want? For me to explain what happened? I already told you what happened, the sword charms people with low willpower."

"Besides, I am rather interested as to how you look completely fine."

"... Can't I just have a lot of Willpower?"

'Philip looked at her with a poker face.'

"..."

For someone older than me, he acts…

He's so annoying!

'Without her knowing, she grew a bit closer to him.'

…

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Notes

Mostly character development in here.

Before you read the rest, make sure to check out my Discord and P@treon in case you wish to support me in some way shape or form.

As for the rest, here it is:

What to expect from next chapter??

Obviously, spoilers

Philip showing off, and probably, a bit more from the people he beat up in the previous chapters,

How can we have the young masters beaten up and humiliated without consequences?

So expect some fights, and perhaps, an encounter with the girl?

Philip isn''t trying to hide his strength, but he is more of trying to make himself seem, legit.

Remember that not only is he using the girl so he can participate in the exam, but he is also trying to have her trust him so he can find out the Origin Orb.

Yes... That was his goal... Don't forget that lol.

As for what I was saying since the girl is well...

A normal second-year student, she would surely find it strange and even odd for Philip, who is an advanced student to enter the competition just like this.

So it may cause some misunderstanding, so the best is to first create a good impression on her that won't be so easily broken and then slowly reveal what he is if necessary.

How much? We don't know, the only thing he knows is that by the end of it all, he will either leave with the Origin Orb, be it on good terms with her or not.

As that is his mission.

Or opinions are welcomed!

I shall now eat, peace!