- Frey Starlight's pov -
When I left the training grounds, night had already fallen, but the temple was still lively.
In an effort to distance themselves from the looming chaos of war, the temple's overseers ensured that the place remained bustling around the clock.
Even the students did their part in their own ways, and the temple's walkways were now packed to the brim.
I wandered between restaurants and shops that looked more like a small city than facilities belonging to an academy.
Moments like these… I really missed the old man, Shaheen.
Who knows what that cursed geezer was doing right now?
I just hoped he was still alive.
After wandering a bit, I picked a restaurant that served dishes from what used to be called French cuisine, then sat and started fiddling with the system for a while.
The new system hadn't changed much ... except for the introduction of the Affection Point feature.
I checked my stats, same as always, alongside my current achievement points.
I was in Rank B-, right at the peak of that tier to be specific.
In terms of abilities, I had unlocked the Third-Person Perspective—a feature that allowed me to observe or even lightly influence people who had high affection toward me.
On that note, I decided to test it out, since I didn't have much else to do.
The first person that came to mind was my sister, Ada, but I'd already used it on her several times. So I decided to switch things up.
My pick ended up being Danzo.
His affection score toward me was 50 ... probably the bare minimum required to activate the ability.
Danzo Smasher
Affection Points: 50
– Danzo sees you as both a friend and a trusted ally. Your unwavering will—
... strong enough to endure hell and still remain standing has earned his deep respect.–
Available Information:
Name: Danzo Smasher
Rank: B-
Combat Style: Sky Maneuver
"Alright then… let's give it a shot."
I activated the ability, and that strange sensation of immersion returned ... like my soul was being pulled out of my body.
A wave of nausea hit me as everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself floating in the air, and the scenery around me had changed completely.
I was inside a spacious room ... simple, yet elegant in its details.
Looking down, I saw someone familiar.
"Huff... Huff..."
I heard the sound of rough breathing, and sweat dripping heavily.
There he was ... Danzo, doing push-ups like a madman, muscles gleaming under the light.
"Push-ups, huh? That checks out."
It was exactly what I expected of him. The scary part was ... he wasn't even counting. I figured he'd just keep going until he physically collapsed.
Judging from the look of it, his rep count must've been in the thousands.
I spent the next few minutes drifting around in my ethereal form, not gonna lie ...I was pretty excited at first. I mean, spying on people as a ghost? Yeah, it's unethical… but also kind of thrilling.
To watch everyone, knowing none of them could see you?
If I wasn't mentally stable, I'd probably have caused some disasters with this power by now.
"Stay sane, Frey... stay sane."
I pushed aside any unwelcome thoughts and continued floating near Danzo.
I tested the limits of the ability ... like range, for instance.
Unfortunately, I couldn't move more than a few meters away from the target, meaning I was stuck orbiting Danzo's ass.
Second, I wanted to know if there was a time limit.
Minutes passed, one after another ... but no signs of the ability ending.
So I concluded it must be aura-based.
In other words, I could probably stay in this form as long as I wanted, thanks to my SSS tier aura reserves.
I kept drifting lazily above Danzo, who had now switched to doing one-handed push-ups.
Bored, I opened the system interface and idly scrolled through it.
So far, every system ability had held some kind of meaning. Whether it was the direct advice, the writing functions, or something else.
The system didn't give anything without purpose ...well, aside from side missions, of course.
Which made me wonder: what's the point of this new Affection System, really?
Was the system trying to push me into deepening my connections with others? Trying to make me understand them better?
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became…
And it wasn't just Affection Points that had changed.
There was another ability I hadn't touched in a long time ..
A Glimpse of the Future.
The ability that once let me see a snapshot of a coming event had evolved.
– Glimpse of the Future –
The upgraded ability now grants a short sequence ...a few seconds of a future event.
The image… had become a video.
It was a terrifying skill, to be honest.
I mean ...it literally showed me the future.
I didn't use it during the Victoriad, because I was too afraid of seeing myself lose.
But now… now it might just be one of the most powerful tools I had.
Suddenly, I remembered what I'd seen before ...
That vision of half the temple in ruins.
Back then, I thought the cause was the temple core explosion ...but I was wrong.
Also...
Is it really safe to trust that the future shown to me is accurate?
I don't know much about time manipulation, but one thing I do know is that the future isn't fixed ... it can shift with even the slightest action.
In other words, just by seeing a glimpse of the future, my own behavior might change and create an entirely different outcome. And that change won't necessarily be for the better.
So where did I even get an ability like this in the first place?
Could it be that the future is actually predetermined? That the destruction of half the temple hasn't happened yet ...but will, inevitably?
I started getting a headache just thinking about this whole time-based nonsense, so I decided to shelf it for now.
"Yeah… let's not mess with time."
It was probably for the best.
Suddenly, a realization hit me.
"Wait… what exactly happens to my body when I enter this state?"
As soon as I thought that, I realized I'd been spying on Danzo for over half an hour.
The bastard was still doing push-ups which must've thrown off my sense of time.
I immediately deactivated the ability, and invisible hands dragged me back into reality along with a wave of nausea.
When I opened my eyes ...
I found my face buried in the mashed potatoes and chicken stew that had been served to me.
My hair and face were a complete mess.
I slowly pulled myself up, wiping off my face ... only to see everyone in the restaurant staring at me like I was insane.
A few staff members were whispering worriedly, and I could tell they'd probably tried to wake me several times without success.
I quickly paid the bill, muttered an apology, and rushed out of there.
"Let's not do that in public again…"
Yeah. That was embarrassing.
I returned to the Elite Dorms afterward.
I didn't really have anything to do…
Even the system missions were empty aside from those twisted side quests telling me to get into a relationship with people like Seris Moonlight.
I'd been ignoring those for obvious reasons, so I was left with nothing to occupy myself.
But I knew this quiet wouldn't last forever.
That blue-eyed bastard… the Engineer.
I knew he wouldn't leave me alone.
It felt like he knew too much about me ...as if he had orchestrated everything from the start… from the moment I was born.
A man like that could be lurking nearby right now, somewhere I couldn't see.
That's why I was sure this peace was only temporary.
The storms would return again.
Storms I wasn't even sure I'd be ready for.
"All I can do is keep giving it my all, just like I always have… right, father?"
With a faint smile, I returned to my room ...
thus ending another day within the temple.