Bruce lay in the bathtub, the hot water soaking his body as his taut nerves and muscles finally relaxed.
Today's exploration of the basement had certainly been thrilling.
Bruce opened his character stats panel, unable to contain his anticipation. He was eager for this round of Spirituality development, wondering what new ability it would unlock.
This time, the only option available for granting an ability through Spirituality development was himself.
After all, he was taking a bath, without a stitch on.
The available options for Spirituality development included only relatively small external objects.
When he picked up a washcloth or another small item, it would appear among the options for receiving an ability. But when he held something larger, like the bathtub, it would not appear.
Once Bruce roughly understood how it worked, he chose his own body without hesitation. Nothing was safer than granting his own body an ability. External possessions offered no guarantees; losing one would be painful indeed. Bruce had always understood that.
His 50 points of Spirituality instantly emptied, and a third talent field appeared on his character stats panel.
Talent: Divine Might. Intimidates the target through powerful willpower, briefly rendering them immobile. An active skill.
The name certainly sounds imposing. Divine Might-the majesty of a god. Fitting, since I encountered a deity today.
This did count as an offensive talent, but its offensive power was not particularly pronounced. It was more of a support ability. Unleashing Divine Might during a fight could intimidate his opponents, catching them off guard and giving him a chance to counterattack, improving his odds of victory.
He could target an individual or intimidate everyone within a certain area, though only at close range. It was a decent ability, but it fell short of Bruce's expectations.
Bruce wanted a powerful talent, whether offensive or defensive. An ability like Divine Might, which inflicted no direct damage, clearly could not fully satisfy him.
Bruce glanced at the requirement for his next Spirituality development: 70.
The requirement was not too high. A little more exposure to mysterious powers would let him develop his next ability. It should not take long. Hopefully, the next ability would satisfy him.
Until he had enough information about Extraordinary identities, Bruce would not acquire one lightly. For now, he placed his hopes in Spirituality development, though a small portion also rested on the Dark Bible.
Time passed, little by little. One day, two days, a week.
Bruce visited the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club fairly often, so his course was nearing its end.
Bruce could just about be said to have grasped some of the essentials of swordsmanship.
The basics often needed constant refinement. Andre had graduated with distinction from the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club's headquarters precisely because his foundations were exceptionally solid. Sword techniques came second.
Andre could tell that Bruce was serious about learning swordsmanship. During their sparring sessions, he also noticed that Bruce knew some other sword techniques, but he found nothing strange about that. The family of a wealthy young gentleman like Bruce was bound to have some swordsmanship manuals in its collection.
The Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club offered lessons primarily to make money. It hardly cared whether its students knew other sword techniques.
After completing the basic swordsmanship course, Bruce stayed at the manor, refining his swordsmanship while also conducting some business research.
He intended to become a businessman. Danvers recommended some people's guides to success, but Bruce had no interest in reading those superficially inspirational words. He would rather read the latest financial news.
Bruce paid closer attention to information about various industries in Rhode Town. The town's economy was doing well,
and it was also a good place to start a business. If he wanted to make his first fortune, he needed enough information and had to avoid encroaching on anyone else's interests. That alone required careful consideration. Bruce was also reading information about places farther afield, including Metropolis, the capital of the Rune Kingdom. After all, Isco Higher Academy was in Metropolis, and he might have to travel there in the near future. If he wanted to establish himself there, he would need to plan even further ahead.
Danvers wanted to hire some servants to help around the house, but Bruce refused. Permanent servants were out of the question for now. Although the manor needed tending, the current circumstances were unsuitable. At the very least, he had to get his hands on the Dark Bible before bringing outsiders in.
Having outsiders in the manor would always pose inconveniences.
Fawcett, the Vengeful Spirit Doll, remained in the study. He did not need food or drink anyway. As long as he neither spoke nor moved, he passed for an ordinary doll, offering useful or useless answers whenever Bruce asked him questions.
Ghost occasionally appeared once or twice, but spent most of the time out of sight. Bruce did not know what Ghost was doing, either. Ghost was probably hiding in the dressing-table mirror.
One day, Bruce was reading a newspaper in the study. The latest news reported a massive earthquake in Bekelia.
Geologically speaking, Bekelia lay where continental plates met, so earthquakes were indeed likely. What interested Bruce, however, was that after the earthquake, the Night Watchers of the Goddess of the Night Church had intervened and sealed off Bekelia.
Bekelia also lay on the border between the Rune Kingdom and the Rediven Kingdom.
People from the Rediven Kingdom's Thunder Sanctuary had intervened as well.
The Rune Kingdom worshipped the Goddess of the Night, so the Goddess of the Night Church flourished throughout the kingdom. This was not the case in other kingdoms. The Rediven Kingdom worshipped lightning itself, rather than a deity who wielded the power of thunder.
The Thunder Sanctuary was the Rediven Kingdom's official Extraordinary organization. Fawcett had mentioned it when explaining the Extraordinary factions of various countries.
The Thunder Sanctuary had been founded by the Rediven Kingdom and was under the royal family's complete control. Some members of the royal family were themselves Extraordinaries.
But Fawcett did not know their specific Extraordinary identities. That information was secret.
Since the earthquake in Bekelia had prompted intervention from both the Goddess of the Night Church and the Thunder Sanctuary, it was probably another supernatural incident.
That was Bruce's conclusion. Unfortunately, Bekelia was too far away, and he was too weak to have any business involving himself in an incident like that.
Suddenly, Bruce's body began trembling uncontrollably, and a trace of panic welled up within him. He could sense an unusual atmosphere spreading through the manor, filling him with both fear and excitement.
It was as though living on such soil meant living in paradise.
"Could it be the Dark Bible?"
Bruce immediately thought of the Dark Bible. Ghost had said that they would sense it when the Dark Bible's seal broke.
He set down his newspaper and looked at Fawcett.
Fawcett was swaying his head in bewilderment. He had sensed something strange as well, though he could not say exactly what it was. Still, he felt inexplicably excited.
Just then, Ghost passed through the wall into the study, flickering in and out of view, the spectral form highly unstable. Ghost was terribly excited.
"It's time. The seal is starting to break."
"Where's Danvers?" Bruce immediately asked about her.
"She's trimming flowers in the garden. We have enough time to get the Dark Bible. A brief disappearance shouldn't attract her attention."
Ghost also wanted to render Danvers unconscious, but that ability required her to be sitting in front of the mirror. Otherwise, Ghost was merely a spirit.
"Let's hurry."
Leaving the study, they quickly entered the basement, shut the door behind them, and locked it tight.
They stared expectantly at the wall sealing away the Dark Bible. There was nothing they could do while the seal broke. They could only wait.
Strange patterns began appearing on the previously white wall: brightly colored butterflies and bizarre creatures. But the one thing that remained unchanged was the inverted pentagram at the center of the wall, which shone continuously.
Dimly, they could also make out a black book emerging at the very center of the inverted pentagram. Chains were wound around it, loop after loop. They looked as though they had been heated red-hot; merely looking at them was enough to feel their scorching heat. They trembled incessantly, producing a piercing noise.
It was time to see what the Dark Bible truly looked like.