As Xian felt his body, or perhaps his very soul being pulled back, he clenched his teeth hard. Just when he was about to fight the Minotaur mimic and finally earn some worthwhile exp, the regression struck again.
His strength had been surging everytime his hammer struck a blow. For the first time since arriving in this world, he'd felt a true rush. Unlike the tightrope spar with Serika, where his blows struggled to hit, the mimic battle had promised pure, satisfying violence. He never felt so strong in his past life.
The strength he possessed was effective and destructive to those monsters in his way. He had doubt that it would be the same for the mimic.
'How did she die this time?' If this kept happening, Xian was seriously considering never leaving Carmillia's side. At least he could witness what damned event kept ending her life. He could take measure and make sure she doesn't die after at least one regression.
This was already the third time someone or something succeeded in killing her.
He racked his memory for any of her deaths during the entrance examination. But there was no such case of her dying during the examination. In fact, the protagonist barely even saw her.
'Is this the effect of being a hidden route?' That was the most probable reason Xian could think of. Else, how could there be so many assailants trying to take her life left and right? Or is Carmillia somehow an idiot and a magnet of trouble?
She might be the latter but she didn't seem an idiot based on the scenes when she manipulated the protagonist and turned him to her plaything.
'Carmillia, oh Carmillia… you can't even let me rest.'
And once again, the cause of her death was a mystery. But it must've happened in the Grid Maze. That was the only part of the exam where instructors had delayed response due to it's unique nature.
Now that he thought about it… wouldn't providing entrants a barrier scroll suffice? He didn't know why the academy didn't do just that and placed them in the starting supplies.
When he was a player, all he needed was a weapon and he's good to go.
Xian began considering the possible culprits in mind. There was one individual he suspected the most.
'Casteryja…' She needed to be monitored at all times, with her obvious grudge towards Carmillia.
That regressor was dangerous. The animosity she directed at Carmillia made her a prime threat and the fact that she regressed somewhere far into the story meant she brought back every broken trick from her past life.
Even with her untrained body at present, accumulation of skills is no joke.
Due to the sheer power and battle sense she showed, the headmaster even took her as a disciple and heir.
After her regression, she became the most powerful of all entrants on the players second playthrough, surpassing even the other talents like Fahna and Gumin until the mid game.
As his thoughts wandered, Xian felt that he was about to be released. By this time, he got used to the scene of being regressed, surrounded by darkness and silver line lights.
'I wonder if the regression point changed?'
Xian's question was answered as he found himself standing before a door. He looked around and found that it was the same scene before entering the doors to the grid maze.
His eyes scanned the surroundings and he quickly walked towards Carmillia who seemed to be hesitating to enter her door.
While distracted, Xian grabbed her wrist and pulled her close enough that their head's were overlapping with each other.
"!"
"Xian!"
The two swordmaidens and Miri was startled upon seeing that sight. And Carmillia who was about to open the door, looked back in shock at his strange behavior. His relaxed gaze and red pupils was reflected in her dark green eyes.
Xian made sure to stick close enough to whisper in her ears.
[BLACK HEART: 70]
Her affection level flashed in his eyes for a moment, but maintaining it wasn't important right now.
"I'll see you soon milady. Until then, please stay safe." After a brief moment, Xian let go of her wrist as those words left his mouth, making sure his faint smile appeared sincere.
Carmillia had a deep frown as took back her arm and covered her wrist with her other gloved hand. She looked at the part that was touched with a complicated expression then glared at Xian.
"Know your place." She muttered coldly. "This may be the academy, but you are still a servant." Had this been any moment other than being in front of an instructor of the academy, she would've made sure that Xian was given a 'fitting' punishment.
However, Carmillia didn't feel that it was time to do something like that 'right now'.
Aleandro witnessed the following transpire with faintly raised eyebrows and looked at Xian as if he found him strange, before snapping his fingers. The two doors opened and started pulling their respective owners.
Xian let the force from the door take him, his eyes fixed at Aleandro. In return, the instructor met his gaze without hesitation.
'What a strange kid.' He didn't know what meaning that kid's gaze had, but he wasn't concerned. What could a fledgling do to him, an acclaimed mage instructor in the academy?
Then his gaze turned to the others who left behind by their master and companion. An unassuming maid and his two objectives.
"Under the headmaster's order and the Duke of Montagne's request, you are to come with me into the academy." His tone was calm yet had a commanding voice.
…
Xian was still incensed. Whomever disrupted his enjoyment will pay and he's not going to be light about it. Furthermore, he was getting impatient with his progress towards the academy that kept getting interrupted by Carmillia's death left and right.
He willed the inventory to appear and saw three items sitting there. In order to not waste time doing multiple regression, he decided to use the rewards her received.
He took out [Prying Lens], and through it, he can see the perspective of a character of his choosing. The only condition to 'implant' it was a contact to be made with the target. Hence, why he touched Carmillia.
Initially, he'd planned to use it on Aleandro. Xian knew he was the one overseeing surveillance on the group Carmillia belonged to.
One lens, hovered in his eye as he saw Carmillia's view. She was making steady progress based on his instructions.
Then next, he used [Threadwatch Ticket] to see the future bound to happen due to his intervention.
He felt his consciousness sink in, as if he was recalling a memory.
At first he only saw darkness, but when he thought of the vision he wanted to see, it unfolded unto his head all at once.
In the current state of things, with his goal to protect Carmillia what happened was…
In the vision, he saw himself entering the door to the grid maze.
The first thing he did was take a hammer, a sword and a couple of dagger, then took the same route again.
As a player he only took one route in the grid maze everytime it popped up. He made no effort to find any other character and it lead to the outcome of meeting with Ruminaria again.
She was bound to meet the protagonist while killing monsters and if he was right in his assumption, that was the very room he left her on. It swarmed with small flying bats and square slime's along with different annoying types of monsters.
So the future him decided to wait there with Ruminaria. Eventually, Carmillia came but with additional company.
The protagonist himself, Adrian Wylert. Still a weak entrant and a greenhorn at level 1, having only chosen his skills.
Ruminaria seemed to have become angry as Carmillia introduced herself. Xian knew that she also had a grudge with the Montagne family and readily intercepted her.
This is where the problem came. They had a battle where Xian and Adrian came on top of Ruminaria. There was no assailant who attempted to kill her and a professor in charge came to stop their battle.
Ruminaria went alone in the labyrinth, leaving him, Adrian and Carmillia behind.
Carmillia didn't die and was able to proceed to the next examination grounds, the labyrinth. Without any problems. That meant her death was thwarted. But Xian didn't want that.
The killer didn't appear because of Xian who had become aware of the threat. Somewhere, the culprit still lingered.
The scene ended at the three of them entering the labyrinth and the [Threadwatch Ticket] turned to dust.
'I'm sure it's that bitch.' Xian cursed Castreyja inwardly. He had no attachments to her as he never played her route anyways and he might as well get rid of one threat to Carmillia's life.
If anyone has a set of skills that could avoid the professors surveilance and kill anyone, that would be her. Xian clicked his tongue in annoyance, knowing that she will be a formidable opponent.
His attention turned to Carmillia's view, who diligently followed the pattern to exit the grid maze. The way he understood the greed maze, is that a certain pattern will let the player head to the exit.
But, there wasn't just one pattern. There are several that would obviously work, sadly he didn't bother to learn any of those. It's not like the grid maze was a recurring entrance exam in the game for him to memorize every working pattern.
The least he could do is to share the same pattern he knew and cross path's with Carmillia, hopefully, before the killing transpires. This is also the reason why he used the [Prying lens] just in case the killer appeared in advance.
With the two of them following the same pattern, both will encounter Ruminaria.
He didn't think that it was wasteful to use these items early. Xian knew himself enough and how much regressions he can bear before going mad and mixing up the memories. Although it's an almighty power, he felt the need to treat it with caution.
He remembered the other player's description regarding Castreyja, the regressor. She fell in love again with the same man, namely the protagonist and got close to the same friends easily. But that also meant she killed enemies just as much without much thought.
To avoid becoming like that, he needed a more robust mind and better clarity in his thoughts. And in the academy, there are items with the same descriptions of the criteria that will help him.
For now there aren't any signs, but he already regressed for the sixth time. Who know's how many more this will go on before he reaches the end, told by the entities who sent him there.
He decided that it was time to use his trump cards in order to progress towards the academy, the main grounds where he can play all the cards he knew.
One thing for sure, is he wasn't going to tire of this world for a very long time. For that to happen, he has to grasp a certain degree of control and mental strength.
'Practice starts with little events like these.'
Xian was nowhere near those geniuses who had bright minds and manipulative talents. All he knew is to make use of what means he possesses and information gathered using his regression.
But that was enough. In fact, it will be a very lethal weapon against anyone.
Xian wasted no time and walked briskly, using the same pattern as before. As much as he is annoyed, that caused him to encounter Ruminaria once again. Just now, he realized that unlike Carmillia and Gumin, this girl's eyes lit up upon seeing him despite his arguably provoking appearance.
He wished that naivety was shared towards those girls even if a little bit.
"Aha! Is that another valiant challenger amidst these tricky obstacle? Praise the stars, for I feared I had wandered this cursed halls alone!"
Xian made an effort to smile and let her dialogue be obscured by random thoughts in his head.
Finally, they reached the sixth type of the grid maze's room and met the swarm. Ruminaria charged head on without regard. As for Xian, his next move was… To leave Ruminaria by herself and proceed to the next room.