Sein stood still, his eyes locked with those of the elf girl. Both young individuals remained silent in a tense atmosphere until the girl broke the ice.
—...What are you looking at?
—Oh! I apologize, I didn't expect to see anyone here, let alone a Codex bearer at this hour.
—Well... a rift appeared in this area, and I wanted to see if I could earn a few points, but by the time I got here, the government was already handling the situation—the girl commented in a soft voice, gently swaying on a swing.
—...! Oh, right, the rift... I thought about going, but I'm still a bit weak, so I decided to wait—Once again, the boy lied. Until a moment ago, he had no idea a rift had opened nearby—Anyway... that symbol on your hat, isn't it from—
—The Red Phoenix! They're my favorite band! Do you like them too?! What's your favorite song?! Who's your favorite member?! Mine's the vocalist, Delsin Macgraft!—For the first time, the girl seemed to lose her composure, speaking enthusiastically about the band for a while. Although the boy didn't understand much, he was somewhat used to it, as Shoun often bombarded him with the same intensity about the band—Oh... cough cough, I'm so sorry, I got a bit carried away. I hope I didn't bother you.
—Hahaha, don't worry, you could say I'm used to it—He dismissed the girl's concerns as he took a seat on the swing next to her—I have a friend who's just as fanatical. I've heard several of the band's songs, but I don't really understand the obsession. Their music is good, but all their fans seem so excited when they talk about it.
—Well... that's because of their lyrics. Most of their songs are about loss and struggle. Many of the band's fans have lost family members because of the remnants. The music resonates with us because of that, or at least that's what I think—This time, the girl didn't speak as excitedly. Instead, her voice sounded melancholic, and she avoided Sein's gaze, looking up at the sky. Knowing what her words implied, Sein wanted to steer the conversation in a different direction.
—Hmm... I see. Anyway, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Sein Harrow! It's a pleasure to meet you.
—Sein Harrow?... That name sounds familiar... Give me a moment—The girl extended her arms, which were momentarily illuminated by a blue light. When the light faded, a large book appeared floating above her hand. The pages began to flip on their own, as if moved by the wind. After a moment, the book stopped flipping, and the girl took it and read its contents aloud— Sein Harrow... unusual Codex bearer with three abilities... high potential... Oh, so that's you! I thought your name sounded familiar!
—Huh?! How do you know me? I haven't done anything noteworthy!
—Your very existence is something to highlight. After all, there's no one in this world with three abilities who's a Seeker. You could say you're the talk of those who have access to the records—At that moment, Sein remembered that elves and demons who visited human lands were usually people with connections or of high status. After all, even for a rank 2 Codex bearer, visiting the territories of other races was expensive—Anyway, it was rude of me to talk about all that. I'm sorry. As for my name, I'm called #&+@_.
—What? Could you repeat that, please?—For a second, Sein thought something in his brain had short-circuited, as he found it difficult to even process what the girl had said.
—Hihihi, it's always fun to see humans' reactions to elvish—Due to the lack of daily communication between species, whenever they spoke in their native languages, neither could understand the other, as it sounded like noise to them. This even applied to names, though it didn't apply to those who studied the other languages—Now, seriously, if I had to translate my name into your language, you'd have to call me "Sugar," which isn't very fitting for a 15-year-old girl. So while I'm here, you can call me Joy. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sein.
—Nice to meet you, Joy!—Although the boy still thought Sugar was a nice name, he understood why she chose not to use it. It was common for demons and elves to adopt other names during their stay in other lands, as their names translated into the human language were usually random words. Interestingly, this didn't happen with human names—What brought you to New Caven?
—I have a mission to fulfill on behalf of my family... but besides that, I'd like to visit many places. You don't always get the chance to try the cuisine or appreciate the sights of another nation.
—I see. I thought it might be because of The Red Phoenix's upcoming concert, though if you had come for that, it would be a bit early. It's still a while—
—There's going to be a new Red Phoenix concert?!—From that moment on, the two young individuals talked about many random topics, enjoying each other's company throughout the conversation.
—It's getting late... I'm really sorry, but I have to go.
—That's a shame... Hmmm, can we exchange numbers? I had a lot of fun talking with you, and I wouldn't want to lose touch!—Joy asked this with some embarrassment, as she understood that in the human world, asking for a number from the opposite sex could have certain connotations.
—No problem!... That should do it. Take care, Joy!—Unaware of Joy's embarrassed thoughts, the young Sein exchanged his phone number with the girl and left the park, hurrying his steps, worried about what would happen when he got home—(I have to hurry, or Grandma will kill me!)
As Joy watched Sein run out of the park, she slowly got up from the swing where she had been sitting. She then proceeded to dial a number on her phone, which was answered almost instantly.
—Hi, Jack—the girl greeted briefly, only to be met by an angry male voice:
—Where are you, Joy?! You were supposed to be here an hour ago!—The voice was so loud that Joy had to move the phone away from her large ears.
—Don't shout... You really need an anger management class, my friend.
—...I'm sorry, I shouldn't lose my temper like that.
—Don't worry. I didn't get here earlier because... I met someone.
—You met someone?—The male voice on the other end of the phone sounded confused. Did that mean Joy had met someone she liked?
—Yes, it's that boy with the three basic abilities. Maybe he can help us with... you know what.
—...It's too dangerous to bring someone else into this... Let's talk about this when you get here.
—Fiiiiine—the girl sighed before hanging up, continuing her walk through the poorly lit streets.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The week passed in the blink of an eye. The four young individuals gathered on a Friday night in the bushes of their usual park. They made sure no one else was around and entered the mirror world without any issues.
—Looks like we don't have a stowaway this time—Shoun commented in a mocking tone as he looked at Deuz.
—Stowaway or not, you sure were glad he saved your ass last time.
—I've missed coming to this place!—As soon as Sein said this, everyone turned to look at him, including Kaze, who had been here the longest and never "missed" going to the mirror world—What? I mean, I missed coming here to get stronger. I'll never get used to being in a place where I don't need to breathe.
For them, in the mirror world, it didn't seem necessary to eat, drink, or breathe, but it still caused a strange reaction in their bodies and minds. This feeling only eased when they were in the base, the seemingly only truly safe place.
Quickly, the four of them entered the base, warmly greeted by the robotic voice of Liam. Without much delay, they took their seats in the operations room.
—So, what's the plan?—Shoun asked calmly as he leaned back in his chair and looked at his status window.
[Name: Shoun Foster»
«Age: 17»
«Rank: Seeker»
«Title:...»
«Ascension Points: 54/100»
«Abilities»
«Electric Flow: Your very essence has been touched by electricity since birth, to the point where you can control and use it to your advantage»
«Basic Electric Core: It's a part of your being, both there and not there, in your physical and spiritual body. It's where all your electricity is stored and generated, and it also allows the user to absorb electricity from other sources»
«Visado: Congratulations! You are now able to enter and exit the other world»]
—Killing remnants, obviously. Now comes the question of how we'll do it. Do we hunt remnants ourselves, or do we accept missions? Now that both Sein and I are residents, the latter shouldn't be a problem.
—I think the best option is to accept missions! After all, there doesn't seem to be a penalty for not completing them!
—Now that I think about it, I never considered if there's a penalty. Is there a penalty for failing or rejecting missions, Liam?
—The only penalty for failing or rejecting a mission is that you will lose the rewards, and there will be no way to obtain them through the mission system. Now, I must clarify, secondary administrator, the only real way to fail a mission is if it's no longer possible to achieve the objective. If the objective is to kill a remnant, the only way to fail is if it kills you. There is no time limit or restriction on how you solve the problem. You can enter and exit this world as you please, and there will be no issues regarding that—Shoun was a bit surprised that Liam elaborated beyond what was asked.
—Eh, I guess it's good to know. So, do you want to go for the missions?—The young man looked at his companions and, after receiving a nod from everyone, proceeded to speak with Liam—Tell me, Liam, what missions are available for us?
—Of course, secondary administrator. This is the available mission—The next moment, a projection appeared on the table, allowing everyone to read it. The content of the mission surprised them all, especially the reward:
[Document Recovery: Retrieve the documents located in the City of Ashes.
Details: In a sea of ash lies an ancient and forgotten city. The only remains of it are in a document inside the central building of the city.
Difficulty: Dominator.
Rewards: 10 ascension points for each participant and a rank 3 artifact].