Chapter Nine
The train arrived at the station, and the passengers began to disembark.
Alex said in his tired tone, "Let's return to the academy now."
Ren replied while looking at Eugene and the others, "Alright, let's go. The sun is about to set."
Fred, Rem, and Eugene got off.
They entered through the academy's large gate, and as they walked across the gray stone ground, amid the green grass and the cold wind—
While they were talking, they headed toward the academy restaurant. Eugene and Fred were chatting casually.
Fred said,
"No, I prefer black cow milk."
Eugene replied, lightly holding his chin,
"I've never drunk it before…"
"Really? I thought the village of Eliso produced it in large quantities."
"No, those are just rumors."
Ren said with a slight tension in her voice, "What do you think about having cake with tea?" She looked at them, her tension increasing. "Or… we could go back to our rooms…"
Fred laughed lightly. "Haha! Why are you so tense?"
Rem said with a gentle smile,
"You should be more confident in yourself."
Eugene raised his eyebrows with a mocking smile.
"Yeah, be confident like me! Hahaha."
"Hehe… you're right," Ren replied with an awkward smile.
"So, what are we going to eat?" Fred asked.
Suddenly, Eugene looked toward the small house next to the restaurant, about 220 meters away. A simple wooden house, with brown walls and a triangular green roof. It was Musa's house.
Despite earning a lot of money, he still lived in this modest home.
"Hey, Eugene! Why are you just standing there?" Fred shouted from the restaurant entrance.
Eugene turned his head. "There's something I need to do. Go ahead and eat. I'll catch up with you."
Then he headed toward Musa's house.
Ren said a little loudly (then with slight disappointment),
"…Hey, sit down. He already left."
"Should we wait for him?" Rem asked.
"No," Fred answered as he entered.
"Why not?" she asked again.
"He's probably going to see Musa."
"Do you think he'll be late?"
"No. I know Musa well—he talks a lot. Eugene will be stuck there for at least an hour, maybe half an hour."
They all went inside and ordered their food.
...
At Eugene's place:
Eugene arrived and knocked on the door three times.
Knock… knock… knock.
He waited about a minute before the door opened by itself.
"Oh, it opened on its own. Why am I not surprised? He's a high-level cultivator after all."
He entered. The house looked small from the outside, but it was massive on the inside.
Eugene's eyes widened.
"My God… this is insane."
A brown wooden house with tall walls, cold air, the faint sound of a lute being played, the scent of roses, long red curtains, wide windows, and two floors.
A voice came from his side.
"Welcome, Eugene. What do you want?"
Musa was standing on a tall ladder, searching among books on his massive shelf.
"How did you know I came?" Eugene walked toward him, holding his shoes after taking them off at the entrance.
Musa replied with his warm, calm smile, "I felt your Feather energy."
"Is that also one of the traits of high-level cultivators?"
Musa answered,
"Yes, it is."
Then Eugene handed the shoes toward Musa.
Musa raised an eyebrow. "Why are you giving me your shoes?"
Eugene blinked in surprise for a moment.
"They're your shoes. You gave them to me this morning, remember?"
Musa fell silent for a few seconds.
"Oh, right… I remember now. I bought a new pair."
He pointed to his slightly glowing blue shoes.
"…Thank you for returning them. They're very precious to me."
Eugene wasn't focusing on his words, his mind drifting. After a few seconds of silence, he remembered the strange thing he had seen earlier.
"I have a question…"
Musa climbed the ladder again to continue searching. "Go ahead, what is it?"
"Can some weapons or tools used by cultivators… manipulate reality? I mean, make someone see things… that others can't see?"
Musa stopped, surprised, and looked at him.
"Why would you ask something like that?"
"No reason… just curiosity."
Eugene avoided eye contact.
Musa suspected Eugene wasn't "just curious," but he answered anyway:
"Yes, such things exist. But they are extremely rare and very difficult to control."
"I see…" Eugene reached into his pocket and pulled out the device Professor Alex had bought for him.
"Do you know how to activate this device?"
Musa looked at it as he climbed down the ladder, carrying the book he wanted. He took the device and examined it carefully.
"Where did you get this?"
Eugene replied, "Professor Alex bought it for me."
"It's a very valuable tool, especially for someone in your position. Make sure to thank him in your next class."
"Don't worry about that. I just want to know how it works."
Musa handed it back to him.
"It's simple. Release your Feather energy and wait a little. It will activate automatically for about thirty minutes."
"Alright, thanks. I have another request as well."
"Another request? And what is it?" Musa asked as he headed toward his desk—a large wooden table piled with books and files. Organized, yet chaotic. That was Eugene's impression.
"My request is… can I get the lecture schedule and the professors' names?"
"Didn't they give you one on the first day?"
"Well… it burned by accident. Haha."
Musa opened a drawer and searched for a moment before pulling out the schedule.
"Here you go. And try not to burn this one."
Eugene smiled faintly. "Alright."
He took it and walked to the door, and before leaving, he said,
"Thank you, Musa."
"You're welcome," Musa replied.
Eugene stepped outside. Night had fallen. He looked up at the sky, admiring the countless stars. The air was cold, and thick clouds hinted at rain.
He opened the schedule. The stone transformed into a large, map-like sheet of paper.
"Why is this thing so huge…"
He examined it.
"I have a lecture tomorrow… about councils and the state of the Empire?"
His eyebrow rose in confusion.
"Why do we have a class about something like that? I want to become a cultivator, not someone obsessed with society… whatever that is.
Three hours?! Why do we need to study the social condition of this planet's history for that long?!"
He continued walking toward his apartment, his mood darkening.
"Hey, you."
A faint voice came from behind him.
Eugene turned around.
He saw a small, pitiful, strange-looking creature. Bald with patches of hair, huge eyes, an extremely large nose, dirty yellow teeth, red clothes patched with green fabric, about 100 cm tall. No eyebrows. Massive feet with dirty green nails that looked almost poisonous.
Eugene felt disgust and fear as chills ran through his body.
"Yes? What do you want?" he asked nervously.
"Tell me your name."
The creature's tone was calm and mocking.
Eugene's tension and confusion increased.
Why do you want to know my name?
His body wanted to run, but his mind wanted to know what this creature wanted.
"Why are you afraid? I just want to know your name."
"…Eugene."
"Eugene, huh? Hahahaha… hahahahaha!"
The creature laughed in an irritating, unnatural way.
A shiver ran through Eugene's body.
He immediately ran toward his apartment. The air grew colder, his heartbeat accelerated. It felt as if his steps were slowing down.
My God… what's happening?!
He opened his door, rushed inside, and slammed it shut behind him.
He caught his breath. After a few moments, he opened the door slightly to check.
He looked everywhere.
The creature was gone.
"Who was that…? And what did it want?"
He remained in fear for a few seconds.
He set his schedule aside and put on his soft brown pajamas.
Just before going to sleep—
Knock… knock.
He froze in place.
"Damn it… is it that thing again?"
He approached the door slowly, each step growing heavier as his anxiety increased. He touched the cold handle and pulled the door open quickly.
"Oh… Ren. You scared me."
"What are you doing? Didn't you say you'd come eat with us?"
Eugene yawned.
"Ah… later. I'm sleepy now."
"Man, ever since we entered the academy, you've been alone most of the time. Are you doing something bad?"
Suspicion was clear on Ren's face.
"Bad? What's wrong with you… you know what I've been through recently."
"That's not an excuse. Actually, being around others helps improve your mood. I read that in a book."
"Oh my God, don't start quoting books. Anyway, I'll sit with you tomorrow. I'm really tired."
"You're so stubborn." Ren turned to leave. Before Eugene closed the door, she added,
"And don't forget to set your alarm so you don't oversleep."
"Don't worry."
Eugene returned to his room.
He turned off the lights.
"…Who turned these lights on? I'm sure I left them off."
It was strange, but his exhaustion overcame his curiosity.
He threw himself onto the bed,
and the soft fur of the "Ice Beast" mattress lifted him slightly as it absorbed the impact and bounced back with extra force.
"I wish I could stay in bed forever…"
"Ah…"
He slowly closed his eyes until sleep overtook him.
Click.
The lights in the living room turned on.
Eugene's bedroom door opened slightly, allowing light to slip inside.
A tall shadow appeared—it was clear that someone was standing in the living room, just outside Eugene's room…
Was it the same person who had been watching him in the clinic before?
Or someone new?
End of Chapter Nine