The three of them continued on with the other tests.
"Alright, time to start the stupid shit." Tsukuru muttered, as he saw Quinn pick up the glove of garlic.
Layla glanced over at Tsukuru.
"Given the fact that he can hold it without issue, I'm feeling confident about this one." She replied.
Tsukuru nodded.
"Plus, if it is harmful to him, I have a stockpile of healing potions." Tsukuru added. "We should be fine."
Looking at the clove of garlic in his hand, Quinn decided to use his Inspect Skill on it.
[A clove of garlic. Safe to consume.]
'Seems like it's safe to eat.' Quinn thought.
He broke off a small piece, and popped it into his mouth.
Instantly, Quinn wanted to vomit.
The taste was incredibly strong, bitter, and disgusting.
"Ugh." Quinn muttered, as he forced it down, despite his body wanting to reject the offensive food. "It tastes like shit."
Tsukuru narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, well all human food 'tastes like shit' to you, Quinn." Tsukuru replied. "Or do you think I haven't noticed that you've developed a certain fondness for meat lately when eating in the canteen?"
Quinn knew that Tsukuru was right.
Even since his evolution, sweet food, like candy and fruit, had tasted bland to him.
Like Tsukuru had just announced, Quinn had been solely eating meat, as it was the only thing that still tasted good, despite being slightly saltier than before.
Layla glanced towards Tsukuru.
"In other words, nothing, huh?" She asked, as they both watched as Quinn started spitting, trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth.
Quinn then glanced at the next two items, the metal cross and the silver chain.
He Inspected them both.
[A religious symbol that will have no effect. Safe to touch]
[A silver chain made with a 92% purity. Can be worn as a fashion accessory. Safe to touch.]
Quinn looked back at Tsukuru and Layla.
"What's the deal with these two?" He asked.
Tsukuru glanced to the side.
"The cross thing has always been a religious thing." He replied, before shrugging his shoulders. "Same with the silver chain. Silver's always been viewed as a purifying metal."
Layla's smile widened, and her eyes sparkled.
"The Vampire mythos goes way farther back than you would think." She replied, sounding like an excited child talking about their favorite subject. "Even the Greeks had legends about Vampires."
Tsukuru looked up, somewhat surprised.
"Huh." He thought. "And here I thought Vampires weren't a thing before Dracula."
Layla glanced over at him.
"Just because he's the most well-known Vampire doesn't mean he's the first." She replied, before looking back at Quinn.
"The first Vampire was said to be a man cursed by Apollo, to be burned by sunlight." She replied. "The same man was later cursed by Artemis to be weak to silver after he tried to touch her bow."
Tsukuru's eyes narrowed, and a look of deep annoyance appeared on his face.
"She fucking would." He muttered. "Misandrist Bitch."
Layla then glanced back at Tsukuru.
"You don't like Artemis?" She asked, an eyebrow raised in surprise.
"I don't like any of the Greek gods!" Tsukuru snarled. "They're all a bunch of arrogant, narcissistic, spiteful assholes! Name a single Greek legend that didn't revolve around some god getting all pissy and taking their anger out on some poor mortal just because they know the mortals can't fight back!"
Tsukuru's fist tightened.
"They were nothing more than petty bullies, and are no different than how people with power have always thrown their weight around!"
Quinn and Layla's eyes widened from Tsukuru's outburst.
There was an awkward pause.
Layla looked down at the cross and the silver chain.
"You know, after thinking about it, I probably shouldn't have brought some of the dumber objects." She replied, as she began stuffing everything back in the bag. "Apparently, the legends were just a bunch of rubbish."
She glanced back at Quinn.
"It seems that the only Vampire weakness that actually affects you is the Sun." She replied, before glancing away. "Though that is a pretty big one."
Tsukuru then smirked.
"What about the whole 'immortality' thing?" He asked in an amused voice. "For all we know, Quinn might be stuck as a teenager for all eternity."
Quinn's eyes widened, and he felt a cold dread fill him at Tsukuru's words.
He definitely hoped that wasn't the case.
With the tests now over, they decided to head back to the dorms.
When they reached the door, they separated into two groups.
While Layla headed up the stairs, Tsukuru and Quinn headed towards their room on the first floor.
Once inside, they noticed that the room was empty, with neither Peter or Vorden anywhere in sight.
While Quinn wasn't worried about Vorden, as the second-years seems to be staying clear of him ever since the altercation in the assembly hall, he was worried about Peter.
He couldn't help but shake the feeling that those "friends" of his weren't actually friends at all, and he was wondering what to do.
Quinn was broken from his musings when he heard Tsukuru speak up.
"Good, we're alone." He replied, causing Quinn to look up at him. "That makes things easy."
Tsukuru turned to Quinn, his eyes narrowed.
"Now, what was that you were saying about using the Blood Swipe in the VR game?" He asked, Tsukuru suddenly now all-business.
Seeing this, Quinn's face also hardened.
He had his own things he wanted to ask Tsukuru after his first day in the VR Pod.
"Actually, I got a few things I want to ask you about, as well."
Tsukuru raised his eyebrow in intrigue.
Ten minutes later, Tsukuru and Quinn both sat on their own beds, facing each other.
Quinn started by telling Tsukuru about how not only could he use his Blood Swipe, as well as his new skills, the Flash Step and the Hammer Fist in the game, but the Blood Swipe hadn't decreased his HP Stat.
Tsukuru had his hand under his chin, as he thought about this.
"Hmm, maybe it's because it's not part of an Ability." Tsukuru suggested, causing Quinn to glance at him, confused.
"If we assume that all Vampires can use these Skills, then it'd be no different then a person being able to jump or throw a punch in the game."
Quinn then thought about his fight with Nate, about how he had collapsed in exhaustion after using the Flash Step twice followed by the Hammer Strike.
"Hey, Tsukuru." Quinn replied, causing Tsukuru to look at him. "Remember how you got winded in the assembly hall after using that 'Teleportation' Skill twice in succession?"
Tsukuru raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yeah?" He asked.
Quinn glanced to the side.
"How were you…still able to move after that?" He asked.
Hearing this made Tsukuru smirk.
"It seems like that Flash Step Skill of yours is the same way." Tsukuru replied, causing Quinn to turn to him.
"When I first unlocked my teleportation Skill after defeating Brandon, I discovered that if I used it twice in succession, I became incredibly winded." He continued. "When I asked what was the cause, my System answered me by bringing up my Status Screen with my Stamina Stat flashing red. It seems that my teleportation Skill uses up 5 Stamina Points per use."
Quinn's eyes widened in surprise.
Tsukuru glanced to the side, an amused look on his face.
"I've been putting my Stat Points into my Stamina Stat ever since." Tsukuru replied. "Once I get it up to the point where I can use the Skill three times in succession, I'll go back to putting Stat Points in my Agility."
Hearing this, Quinn grit his teeth in anger.
"Why didn't my System give me a warning like that?" He muttered.
Hearing this, Tsukuru smirked.
He then put his hand under his chin.
"Tell me, Quinn." Tsukuru replied. "Exactly when did you unlock your System? Was it the morning we were shipped off here?"
Hearing this, Quinn's eyes widened.
"Wha…?" Quinn asked, his mouth suddenly dry.
Tsukuru's smirk widened.
"Just as I was leaving the Green Family Estate on the main planet of the Bree Family, I felt a wave of recognition flood through me." Tsukuru replied, pointing to Quinn. "It was as if I had just become aware of the existence of a long-lost family member. And…It was followed by a 'Main Quest' unlocked by my System."
Quinn's eyes widened.
"Just like my System's Main Quest to reach Level 10…" Quinn muttered in astonishment.
Hearing this made Tsukuru smirk.
"Huh, seems like we both share a 'Main Quest' then." He replied, making Quinn turn to him, surprised.
However, his face then hardened.
"What was this 'Main Quest', exactly?" He asked.
Tsukuru's smirk widened.
"It was to locate and make contact with the user of the 'System Model 1.0.0'." Tsukuru replied. "And that Quest…led me straight to you." He replied. "Do you get it now?" Tsukuru asked. "The reason our Systems have so many differences is because my System is the newer model. My System possesses a more updated firmware, while you are using an old, outdated model."
Quinn just sat there, his mouth agape, as he tried to make sense of everything Tsukuru had just said.
Tsukuru then went on.
"Tell me, Quinn." He replied, breaking Quinn out of his stupor. "You said you got your System from a book. Where'd you get it from?"