"Maybe you should calm down a bit, you look like you can barely contain yourself," I remarked in amusement.
"I can't help it, it feels like my curiosity is going to kill me," Grinned Ariella sheepishly.
"Well, I'll do my best to help you satisfy it, but no promises. For starters, cheers!" I smiled as I held up a mug of beer, before she clinked her own mug against it.
Today's the 27th of December, 2168.
After the Practical Training exam on the 20th, we had the General Education exam on the 23rd, and with that, our time at the Academy was all but over.
All that's left to do is wait for the results, but pretty much everyone in my class is more or less guaranteed to pass regardless of the results of the final exams.
After the General Education exam, Ariella was pretty eager to ask me about my powers, so I suggested we meet up somewhere to talk.
She was on-board with it, so here we are, at a private booth in a bar.
Since the 24th and 25th were inevitably going to be immensely crowded, I figured it'd be better to wait a couple of days after Christmas to meet up, when there'd be less people out and about.
I haven't really had a whole lot of alcohol in my second life, I did crack open a can of beer from my Treasury after I turned eighteen, which is the legal drinking age in this era.
I've had a few drinks here and there, making copies of drinks from my old era that were stored in Treasury, but I haven't actually tried any booze from this era yet.
I've got a hefty amount of Credits right now, particularly after Ariella transferred half the reward for the Greater Demon's Core to me, so I figured I might as well splurge, and picked a pretty fancy bar.
Well, if nothing else, this beer tastes pretty much the same as the stuff that was around in my old era.
Though, I'm the kind of guy who can't tell the difference between cheap and expensive alcohol, I was always a lot more into getting stoned than getting drunk.
Still am, I like to have a few joints on weekend nights, which I started after I turned eighteen. Weed is legal worldwide in this era, but I just make copies using Treasury.
"Have you drank much before?" I asked her, as I took a sip of my beer.
"Not really. I've tried wine a few times, but not much beyond that. I'm not particularly against it or anything, I just never bothered indulging all that much. Not really a fan of how it tastes, so yeah," She replied, her face scrunching up slightly as she sipped on her beer.
"Yeah, the taste takes some getting used to. I honestly think people who say that alcohol tastes good are all lying, the main purpose of the stuff is to get you drunk. If I wanted to drink something that tastes good, I'd go for a fruit juice or something instead," I responded with a wry smile.
With cocktails, I always feel like they're good drinks ruined by alcohol. I'd rather have a mocktail or virgin cocktail with alcohol on the side instead of mixed in.
"Mhm, I can't imagine ever saying that this tastes good. I am feeling a bit fuzzy though, it's kinda nice," She grinned, as she took another sip.
She's only about a third of the way through her first mug, she might be a bit of a lightweight.
"You should probably take it slow, getting too drunk isn't exactly a pleasant experience," I advised her.
"I'll keep that in mind. Okay, I can't hold back anymore, I have to ask...not really sure where to start, so I'll start with the main question first. Are you able to grow more powerful, beyond your Potential?" She inquired curiously.
"Yes, I can. Devour and Drain don't restore my stamina and Mana, Devour makes me physically stronger and Drain increases my Mana capacity," I answered bluntly.
She's already figured it out at this point, so there's no point in denying it.
"I knew it! You were definitely getting tired during the raid, and since you were relatively conservative with using your Skills, I figure as much. That's amazing...unless I'm mistaken, this means your Potential is ever-growing, doesn't it?" She surmised with a gleam in her eyes.
"Mhm, yeah, though there's a limit to how much it can grow. I'm a good way off from that limit at the moment though, so I don't have to worry about it for now. Following that last raid, I'd say I'm around the upper end of Q-Rank in terms of power," I informed her.
"Yeah, you suddenly got a lot stronger and faster during the last few floors," She recalled with a nod, before adding, "There's so much more I want to ask, but I just can't decide what to go for, I don't want to forget any of the questions I've got. Let's see...oh, I know, while I was fighting the Greater Demon, there was a moment where she suddenly froze. What was that?"
"Hm? Oh, that was a Skill I call Command. By chanting a phrase while visualizing the effect, I can inflict that effect onto a target. The phrase I used then was 'Don't Move'. But it's not very effective against opponents that are significantly more powerful than I am, it only worked on the Demon for about a second before she broke free."
Yeah, I'd be dead if it wasn't for her, and that aside, she can keep a secret. She hasn't told anyone about the stuff I revealed before, after all.
And besides, it's...kinda nice to have a friend I can trust and speak at least a little bit freely with, didn't really have one of those in my previous life.
"Huh? So, then...you actually do need to chant, it isn't just for the heck of it like you told me before," She realized after a brief pause.
Okay, wasn't expecting her to figure that out.
"Uh...yes, that is the case, but the specifics of that, I'd rather not get into," I replied sheepishly.
"Oh, okay. I'll leave that question at that, then...next, could I ask you about that purple beam you fired? It seemed powerful, why didn't you use it more often? Does it use too much Mana?"
"Not exactly. Actually...it uses no Mana whatsoever."
"Seriously? How does it work? Tell me more!"