The professor quietly observed him for several moments before eventually nodding.
"Well, Ethan."
"As I said earlier...There has never been
Guide by that name."
"I see..." Ethan gave a small nod before turning around. "Thank you, Professor."
However, he had barely taken a few steps toward the door when the professor called after him.
"Ethan."
He paused in his steps, turning around, he politely answered. "Yes, Professor?"
The professor’s expression had become noticeably more serious. "Can you identify those students who mentioned that name?"
For the briefest moment...
Ethan’s entire body stiffened.
Identify them? How could he possibly identify people who didn’t even exist? He had literally invented the story on the spot.
Still... His expression remained perfectly composed.
"...Sir."
"You already said no such person exists. So does it really matter?"
For the briefest moment... The professor seemed caught off guard by the question.
Then he smiled faintly. "It’s simply for disciplinary purposes. False rumors shouldn’t be spread around the academy."
Ethan nodded with an expression of complete understanding before deliberately allowing disappointment to appear across his face. "That’s unfortunate then. I never actually saw their faces."
"I only happened to overhear the conversation while walking past. I wouldn’t even recognize them if I saw them again."
The professor studied him for another long moment before finally speaking. "...Very well."
"You may leave."
The moment those words were spoken, Ethan practically bolted out of the classroom.
Only after the door closed behind him did he finally release the breath he had unknowingly been holding.
He headed straight toward the cafeteria, managing to grab dinner just before the lower-ranked dormitory cafeteria closed for the evening. Once he returned to his room, he hurriedly finished his meal, barely paying attention to what he was eating because his mind remained occupied by his conversation with the professor.
As he washed down the last bite with a mouthful of water, that fleeting expression from earlier replayed vividly inside his head.
That tiny slip...
Lasted less than a second.
Yet it had already told Ethan everything he needed to know. The man had lied. He definitely knew exactly who Saint Aster was.
The real mystery wasn’t whether he had lied, that Ethan knew sure.
It was...
Why?
Why pretend someone as extraordinary as Saint Aster had never existed? Why react so strongly before immediately covering it up?
It almost felt as though both the mysterious book and its author were secrets the academy desperately wanted buried.
Well...
Too bad for them.
And fortunately for him...
He had already found both.
Still, Ethan couldn’t help wondering whether asking that question today had already drawn unwanted attention to himself. If the professor became suspicious enough to investigate, would he eventually begin searching for the missing book?
"I just hope my story about overhearing random students was convincing enough."
"...At least for now."
Setting the empty plate aside, Ethan bent down and pulled the box out from beneath his bed.
There wasn’t any time to waste.
Carefully opening the lid, he retrieved the book before placing it beside him. This time, before doing anything else, he deliberately switched his phone to silent mode and placed it on the opposite side of the room.
"No interruptions this time." There was no way in hell his effortswere going to waste over a phone like the last time.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan crossed his legs and slowly closed his eyes. Following Aster’s instructions exactly as they had been written, he emptied his thoughts and gradually guided his breathing into a slow, steady rhythm.
The process wasn’t any easier than before.
If anything...
It felt even more difficult.
His entire body gradually grew heavier, while an intense burning sensation spread throughout his limbs as though invisible pressure was pressing against every muscle. At the same time, a dull ache settled behind his eyes before spreading throughout his head, making it feel as though his skull was being slowly squeezed tighter and tighter.
Even so...
Ethan refused to give up. He gritted his teeth and endured every wave of pain while forcing himself to maintain his concentration.
Darkness.
Nothing but endless darkness greeted his consciousness once again.
Just like before. Only this time...
He pushed him self to endure it more.
Second after second.
Minute after minute. He tried his best to stay past the required time.
Eventually...
Something changed. Far ahead within the endless darkness, Ethan noticed the faintest glimmer.
It was incredibly small.
So small that he initially wondered whether he had imagined it. His consciousness instinctively drifted toward it.
The closer he moved...
The clearer it became.
Water.
A tiny pool of perfectly still water quietly rested within the darkness. Ethan blinked in confusion. Was this supposed to be a pond, lake or an ocean?
This better not be what he thought it was...
But the glaring sign said all..
"...This..."
"So this is my Mental Sea?"
Calling it a sea almost felt insulting.
Even an ordinary bathtub held more water than this pitiful little puddle. He never had the thought that it would be something big but still never had he imagined it to be this small.
"...Wow. It’s unbelievably dry."
"And so damn small too"
Oddly enough...
As he stood there looking at the tiny pool before him, the unbearable pain that had tormented his body moments earlier slowly began fading away, replaced by an unfamiliar feeling of calmness.
Thankfully...
Before Ethan could properly observe his surroundings any further, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion suddenly crashed over him without warning causing everything to spin uncontrollably..
Had he died? Or was he dying?
If he had known that attempting to raise his rank would bring him face-to-face with the very second death he had been struggling so hard to avoid, he would have had second thoughts before going through with it.
He didn’t even have time to process what was happening to him before his vision went completely black.
Back inside his dorm room, Ethan’s body swayed where he sat.
The next second...
He collapsed sideways onto the floor with a dull thud, the book slipping from his grasp as complete unconsciousness claimed him.