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Koshi Torako and Kisaragi Rin were not from the same school, and the two had already said their goodbyes.
Kisaragi Rin felt a bit troubled. Although he knew reality could be dangerous after becoming a Player, he didn't expect it to come so quickly. He actually encountered an existence he couldn't handle on his way to school.
Furthermore, besides Cognitive Rewrite, Kisaragi Rin didn't know what other abilities this guy had.
Flesh Regeneration?
Information Collection?
He had already prepared the combo of activating Heavenly Eye, Stealth, and entering the Workshop, but Kisaragi Rin didn't dare to act rashly at all. In the end, he still left with the help of Koshi Torako.
Was there anything special about Koshi Torako? Why was it that among so many people coming and going, only she wasn't affected by Cognitive Rewrite? He himself only escaped with the help of the Workshop.
There were no more disturbances on the way to school, and Kisaragi Rin entered the classroom just before being late.
His class was 2nd Year E Class.
"Long time no see, Megumi."
After greeting his deskmate, Kisaragi Rin lay down on his desk.
"Didn't we just see each other yesterday?"
Although it was a question, it sounded incredibly calm coming from the young girl named Kato Megumi.
Kato Megumi, a cute young girl with an extremely low sense of presence who was never surprised by anything.
Because of Kisaragi Rin's intimidating presence, no one in the class dared to sit with him, and Kato Megumi's presence was so low that everyone in the class overlooked her.
Whenever she chose a seat, she would be overlooked, mistaken for an empty seat. In the end, only the seat next to Kisaragi Rin was left, so she became Kisaragi Rin's deskmate.
Unexpectedly, Kisaragi Rin had always been able to notice her, and over time, they became friends who could talk to each other.
"Megumi, are you an evil spirit?"
Kisaragi Rin secretly activated Heavenly Eye to observe his deskmate. She looked like an ordinary person, but why was her presence so low?
"Even if it's Kisaragi Rin, I'll get angry if you say that."
Although she said that, her emotions still showed no fluctuation, which was a highlight of Kato Megumi that differed from others.
"Also, why is there a deer antler on your desk?"
Kato Megumi looked at the deer antler on Kisaragi Rin's desk and tilted her head as she asked.
Kisaragi Rin took it off and handed it to Kato Megumi to see.
On the way, he had sent this deer antler to the Workshop for testing. The results showed that it was just an ordinary deer antler, even a bit calcium deficient.
"I met a deer on the way, and she broke this off herself and gave it to me."
"Broke it off herself?"
A scene popped into Kato Megumi's mind: a deer hopping along the road, then encountering Kisaragi Rin. In fright, it shed its antlers and fled into the distance.
Such a comical scene brought a rare smile to Kato Megumi's eyes.
Kisaragi Rin had already broken off a piece of the deer antler, crushed it into powder in his hand, and soaked it in water.
Since the Workshop found no danger, Kisaragi Rin planned to follow Shikanoko's advice and soak the deer antler in water to remove the Lizard smell she mentioned.
Kisaragi Rin hadn't forgotten the Lizard's anxious behavior at the time. Perhaps it was also someone else's prey.
Since Shikanoko could sense him, maybe others could too.
Watching Kisaragi Rin soak the deer antler in water and drink it, Kato Megumi's expression was a bit strange. To confirm her thoughts, she took out her phone and started typing: "What are the benefits of soaking deer antler in water?"
Deer antler has the effects of reducing swelling, promoting blood circulation, and benefiting the kidneys.
The result left Kato Megumi a bit bewildered. She looked at Kisaragi Rin's appearance. Was he overworking himself lately?
"Oh right, Megumi, what kind of person is our Class President?"
Kisaragi Rin looked towards the center of the classroom. Shiina Mahiru was sitting there, surrounded by boys and girls, appearing to be quite popular in class.
But in reality, Shiina Mahiru's friendships were broad but shallow, and her emotional defenses were very high.
Those who surrounded her didn't truly have the ability to make Shiina Mahiru open her heart.
"Eh, Class President? Are you referring to Shiina Mahiru? It's rare for you to ask about such things."
Facing Kisaragi Rin's question, Kato Megumi listed piece after piece of information with an expressionless nod of her chin.
"Shiina Mahiru, height 156 cm, 79-55-88. She's a beautiful young girl who excels in both academics and martial arts, possessing a gentle, obedient, virtuous, and perfect personality and appearance. She's known as the Angel by everyone in school."
"Why do you even know her measurements so clearly?!"
Kisaragi Rin complained. This information was a bit too detailed, wasn't it?
Confirming it with the information in his mind, Kisaragi Rin understood his neighbor, classmate, and creditor a bit more.
"I observed it, you know. They never avoid talking when I'm around."
Kato Megumi said, blinking.
"Should I say, as expected of you, Megumi?"
Kisaragi Rin exclaimed. If this world had a Heroic Spirit Hall, with Kato Megumi's Presence Concealment ability, she could become a Grand Assassin after death.
The first class was math. On the podium was a teacher with a very receding hairline. Listening to various formulas, Kisaragi Rin was already getting sleepy.
The time flow in the Trial World was different from reality, and his biological clock hadn't adjusted yet. He soon lay down on his desk and fell into a deep sleep.
Kato Megumi looked at her deskmate, then glanced at Shiina Mahiru, who was answering the teacher's questions freely. A slight emotional fluctuation arose in her heart. Why did Kisaragi Rin ask for information about Shiina Mahiru? He never cared about such things before.
…
"Kisaragi Rin, wake up."
Kato Megumi's voice woke Kisaragi Rin. Opening his eyes, the teacher at the front had been replaced by Mafuyu Kirisu at some point.
She was giving a history lesson.
"Currently, the world is developing towards multipolarization."
It was impossible to sleep during Kirisu-sensei's class, of course. With nothing else to do, Kisaragi Rin quietly focused on the skills.
Kisaragi Rin tried to use the Golden Light Technique and found that he could actually strengthen himself, but it was very slow.
To raise the Golden Light Technique from Lv1 to Lv2, Kisaragi Rin estimated his speed would take nearly a month.
If he could use its energy grow stronger in the real world, then could the methods be passed on to ordinary people?
As Kisaragi Rin tried to write down the training method of the Golden Light Technique, the Paradise sent a message.
"No."
"Why?"
A bit surprised that the Paradise actively contacted him, Kisaragi Rin asked the Paradise in his mind.
"Because of the different world rules. For example, any creature in a certain world has its own soul, but in another world, that world does not have the existence of a soul at the rule level."
"As a life born in this world, it naturally carries the rules of this world and is limited by the world."
"Only those with aptitude can master what ordinary people cannot."
"Aptitude, as it's called, is the ability to break the world's limitations on oneself."
"Upon becoming a Player, one automatically acquires this aptitude."
"This is called evolution."
"What happens if someone without aptitude tries to cultivate abilities from another world? Will they suffer divine retribution?"
"Blind and ignorant people cannot cultivate it successfully. Even if a person of outstanding talent cultivates it, they will lose control."
Lose control?
Kisaragi Rin recalled the sentence written in the Paradise Guide.
Our aptitude is limited, but evolution has no end.
Was this the reason for losing control?
To learn abilities from other worlds, one must break the limitations of the world they are in.
And the Players who possess aptitude, their ability to break world limitations also has a limit, like walking on the edge of an abyss, constantly facing the risk of falling.
No wonder the Paradise exists, yet such methods haven't spread widely, and ordinary people still make up the majority.
However, ordinary people don't have aptitude, but they can gain aptitude by becoming Players. Ordinary people can become new Players after killing Players.
Should I say, as expected of evolution? The Paradise has truly mastered survival of the fittest.
"Only Players have aptitude?"
Kisaragi Rin asked another question.
He looked at his deskmate. Kato Megumi's Presence Concealment didn't seem like something an ordinary person could possess.
"Not necessarily. The world is vast, and naturally, there will be creatures born with natural aptitude."
"Born with aptitude?"
Doesn't that mean Kato Megumi could learn his Golden Light Technique?
Not just humans, but even other life forms could potentially possess aptitude.
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