Martha kept looking at the man foaming and convulsing on the ground, the snow that raged from above grew in intensity.
No thoughts formed, she didn't know what he saw, she just knew that whatever stood before him broke him mentally.
'He probably couldn't handle the shock'
This phenomenon was Martha's core ability shaped by her enchanted eyes.
On their own, her eyes only charm. However, that was never truly her insight.
The ability to create illusions indistinguishable from reality, that was hers. Truly an incredible ability, but after the factor of sin altered it to fit its aesthetic more. Martha was unable to control the illusion her insight forged from scratch.
Turning into something that stopped serving to her desire and instead bowed down in lust to her eyes.
"The information is not consistent"
Sighing, she walked and sat on the broad back of a malnourished shadowy creature with its body riddled in bloody meshes.
Under her pressing weight, the creature groaned as more blood poured out.
"Annoying bastards, who would've thought that in order to avoid leaks they'd start rigging their own agents with bombs or actually give them false information"
Her legs playfully rocked up and down like a pair of scissors.
As she did, her voice boomed to the side.
"Kija"
She called out a name.
"Go get the ones in the cave and bring them before me"
Within the shadows, a beastly-humanoid man walked out with a smirk on his face.
"Yes, I shall do so"
Bowing, he began to leisurely make his way to the entrance.
"Puli, follow him in case he loses"
A pale figure wearing comfortable clothes started to walk, her third eye shed tears as she walked, barely able to keep a leash on her sanity that kept slipping by.
She solemnly walked, begging to be killed by anyone in this world.
*
*
*
Standing on top of him, shadow overlaying onto his figure.
Cale gripped the knife in his hand.
'If he survives....'
Death would be certain.
So....Naturally, the thought of killing him first forged within his mind.
He raised his weapon proudly, ready to thrust it in a swift motion.
Guilt did not surface, instead, disgust piled onto his stomach when even considering to feel guilty passed by his mind.
Killing off hesitation, the blade fell.
Swoosh!
As it did, within the hollow eye sockets lit ablaze a blue flame.
Metal creaked for a moment before vibrating intensely. Gravel gazed upwards, the flames in his eyes grew more violent and unrestrained.
Blue particles emitted from his body.
And they moved up, as fast as light.
To Cale's astonishment, they were organized, meticulously so.
Each and every single particle moved with purpose to create a single 3-dimensional being.
That being, being Gravel.
A metal hand landed on Cale's crown as Gravel's body disfigured and was recreated to its original state.
Cale's heart froze at the monstrous instincts shown.
Bullshit was to be expected at this point, he even thought that maybe he would've grown a heart for monsters too and spare them or something like that, but immediately getting blitzed wasn't in his bingo list.
"Still...."
An eye rolled to the side.
"Dying now when you are at your weakest infuriates a certain emotion in me"
Cale's dagger swiped diagonally, blue particles fizzled before moving behind him in an instant.
Shatter!
Glass shattered high above, it was a lightbulb, the sound of pebble tapping on the ground reached both of them.
It served a signal to start a fight to the death.
Flicking his head behind him, Cale slashed again, the dagger kissed air as Gravel teleported upwards, elbow tucked and readied for a strike.
Cale stepped multiple paces back, as Gravel's body fell, his eyes flicked with a blue light the instant dust kicked up from the shockwave his misfire caused.
His body disintegrated into blue particles.
Like a railgun, they shot forward like thin strings of light.
Swoosh!
Gravel's body disintegrated again. Although, this time it was slightly different than before.
"....!"
"....?!"
To his surprise, Gravel found himself at the edge of the cloud of dust.
'It's dependent on my sight?!'
A newfound weakness was discovered in the heat of battle, a truly unfortunate find.
Cale didn't waste the opening and threw his dagger at him.
It surged with a blistering heat as it spun.
Gravel saw and realized the danger it posed, he didn't know it'd explode of course, but just the mere act of it stabbing him in his current state...No one would be able to stay composed in his situation would they?
His eyes flicked to the side, but they were a mere moment late.
Boom!
From the dagger that exploded, heat washed over the entire cave.
Dust kicked up and the area turned into a navigation nightmare.
In the meantime.
Outside the cave.
"Hmm?"
Kija looked at the cave with curious eyes.
At first, it seemed like an ordinary cave, but it was far from it.
His insight warned him.
"A 'Storiem'"
Behind him, Puli answered as if she knew what he wanted to know.
The term was unknown to Kija, so he could only answer while stuttering.
"Stor—What?"
This reaction was naturally to be expected.
Standing beside him, Puli began enlightening his neurons.
"Storiem, it is simplified to a mere dungeon these days, but it is more than that"
She slowly tilted her head toward him, two of her eyes closed shut.
"It is a place that in some way or another caused a shift in history"
To be precise, it is a story recorded from the past or present. In fact, the 'trial' to admit students of Gardenia is a Storiem artificially created by one man.
Olive Gardenia.
Seeing Kija's wariness, Puli assured him.
"Don't worry, this one is inactive, and it takes a lot of effort just to nudge at it"
Even Gardenia's staff couldn't suddenly activate one on the spot.
There were procedures that needed to be promptly followed before doing anything.
However, if one were to activate....Then, for the current party inside.
They'd become residents of the Storiem. When becoming one, asking for permission to breathe would be the best thing you could do and hope for.
It is...a cumbersome experience to those unfortunate.
An experience purely focused on breaking and haunting the mind relentlessly till it snaps in half.
Even the most courageous turn pusillanimous when diving unprepared.
T-T-T-Tok!
The two flashed their faces to the entrance where pebbles rattled from the sudden shaking of the ground.
Some spikes of stone toppled and crashed onto the ground.
Lightbulbs flickered as the shaking dragged on.
Throughout the whole trembling, Puli and Kija did not move an inch.
Only when it finally stopped did they breathe out a sigh.
"I'm going in, don't follow"
Taking a step forward, Kija left Puli in the dust.
Puli then looked up at the dome of the cave.
A Storiem, the word resonated deeply with her. She was the only one in the first years who knew that they even existed.
So, it wasn't a surprise that she also knew their names or what they really were.
She knew their true existence, she knew that each and every single Storiem is vastly different from the last.
But for now, Puli decided to focus on the exam, mostly focused on the ways to get better grades within the practical exams being stated days prior.
[Kill other students without hesitation]
[Kill the creatures that hunt you and survive]
At first, it didn't make sense, to Puli though it did.
What Gardenia taught wasn't the conventional mathematical equations or physics, biology or any of that sort.
It taught 5 things. How to survive, to assassinate and prove the worth you wish to display with your intelligence.
How to nobly kiss and lick one's heel while you wish for their downfall and to endure the misfortune those wish to force upon you.
To face your deepest fears and overcome them while you soar higher.
The last being....Discipline.
'Is the document leak wrong?'
Puli had frowned when hearing the new rule, it was surprising to see something like the last one appear.
[Research at least two of the hundred inactive Storiems in the 'heart' (Do Not Engage)]
In other words. Observation, Gardenia didn't want them to even think of participating in one, just to observe at least two.
"Haaa"
Plia sighed, feeling tears streak down from her third eye again, being frustrated.
She sat down on the floor in a comfortable position.
Rummaging a pale hand into her pocket, she pulled out a cold cylinder.
She raised it, its heavy weight pressed down on her hand.
The barrel rested on her temple.
Gripping the leather wrap tightly, she pulled the trigger with no hesitation.
Bang—!
The sound of a bullet left and staining the ground were her fragments of bone painted with red dye.