Matrix splashed water on his face from the bathroom sink. After turning off the faucet, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror with a furrowed brow.
"He humiliated me in front of many people!" Matrix's teeth clenched as he recalled Afghast's words in the cafeteria.
It triggered memories of his trauma in the dungeon, where other men saw him as weak and feminine. Being considered the weakest fighter, he was maltreated and abused.
"I endured all the pain, bitterness, and anger until the right moment came, and I became strong. I defeated them one by one. I killed them one by one until I emerged victorious and was rewarded with freedom. However, because of Afghast, my painful past feels like it's coming back. It's like my demons are right behind him."
Matrix won't back down. He knows killing isn't allowed in the High Periphery unless instructed. He devised a plan to take Afghast down.
After lunch, Afghast left the cafeteria. As he walked down the hallway, he suddenly caught a familiar scent with notes of aldehydes, ylang-ylang, and sandalwood - Lotuslush's signature scent.
"Where are you headed?" Lotuslush greeted him as she caught up. "We still have an hour before our training with Sir Antonof. You're really punctual if you're already heading there."
"I'm going to the library," Afghast replied. "I'm looking for books to expand my knowledge of potions. We can't always rely on our C.C. System. We need to learn on our own."
"You have a point," Lotuslush agreed. "And there are small details that our AI doesn't know yet. But do you know what would be more fun than searching for books on shelves?"
"What?" Afghast asked.
Lotuslush leaned in close and whispered something in his ear.
As Afghast opened the pages of the potion book, Lotuslush, who was now sitting on his lap, wasn't a hindrance to his reading.
Lotuslush sat facing him with her hips swaying. She also had her arms wrapped around Afghast's neck. If she wasn't swaying, she would softly bounce up and down, accompanied by soft moans. They were surrounded by piled-up books to prevent anyone from seeing them.
While Afghast's eyes were on the words on the page, his hands were manipulating Lotuslush's two large, silky orbs.
"My extract is about to come out," said Lotuslush as her delicate movements quickened. Afghast slightly smiled seeing her in a hazardous haven position.
"We're not allowed to cause dirt on the golden floor, especially around the books," Afghast reminded. He thought of lifting his upper garment, revealing to Lotuslush his reconstructing body. "Dispose of your cream on my body so we won't have to exert effort to clean."
Lotuslush nodded in response to Afghast's instruction.
The two casually headed to Sir Antonof's factory together. When they arrived, the other co-trainees were already there.
Matrix's expression clearly showed jealousy. He had been interested in Lotuslush for a long time, but it seemed like he was no longer noticeable to her, as her attention seemed to be focused on Afghast.
"Each of you will be given a pair of leather handgloves," their instructor, Sir Antonof, said. "These handgloves are special because they can absorb Musk, so you won't need to perform the Musk Summoning Ritual Dance. With these gloves, your daggers will become sharper and more pointed, and what's more, more hazardous."
When Afghast approached the floating gloves, they effortlessly slid onto his hands. He savored the unusual softness and coolness of the material.
"It feels so light. With this material, it seems my palms and fingers won't easily get injured or blistered," Afghast said to himself.
"I want you to draw out your daggers," Sir Antonof instructed further. "Each dagger changes form based on the percentage of Musk you're able to release. According to the data I got from your Functional Fitness Class instructor, Miss Rosenthale, most of you can release up to 15 percent of the Musk you possess, and Afghast, on the other hand, has shown unpredictability. Now, let's start with 5 percent of your Musk and see what kind of transformation it brings to your dagger."
Afghast drew out the hilt of his stiletto, but suddenly felt a heavy pulsating feeling.
He sensed that Aguinaldo was waiting for him to channel his Musk to release it from its confinement.
"If I make a mistake in channeling the Musk, I'll be possessed by Aguinaldo, so I need to be careful."
A percentage meter appeared to detect the percentage of Musk he was releasing. As he gripped the hilt of the stiletto, his hand began to emit a faint smoke and released a cedarwood scent. The smell now enveloped Sir Antonof's factory.
The scents released by each trainee's Musk were mixed, but Afghast's Musk overshadowed them all.
Afghast saw his dagger glowing. As he released more Musk, the blade's shape changed unpredictably. When it reached 5 percent, the light surrounding the blade shattered, and Afghast saw the transformation of his dagger.
"My stiletto has become a sword." His dagger had turned into a four-foot crucifix-shaped sword with a light blue blade.
Despite its length and width, it still felt light for Agysmal. Every slash he made emitted a blue light that luminesced.
"Impressive," Sir Antonof said, examining each trainee's weapon one by one. "To test the capabilities of your new weapons, we'll have a sparring match. I'll randomly choose who will be opponents, and we'll start with Afghast Agysmal and Erewhen Loidsol."
Afghast heard faint gasps of surprise from his co-trainees. He recalled that during their last Tactical Game, he and Erewhen were the final opponents, and he lost, along with his team. Now, he had a chance to make up for it against his roommate.
The objects inside the factory came to life: the machines, conveyors, and enrobers moved aside until the floor opened up and spewed out a large platform where Afghast and Erewhen would duel.
"Matrix McIntosh should be in my position now, so he can get payback on you." Afghast's ears perked up at Erewhen's words. Besides Matrix, Erewhen was another trainee who didn't like him. "Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be embarrassing you again for the second time."
What made Afghast's sword wide was matched by the thinness of Erewhen's sword, which was shaped like a ruler stick but possessed unusual strength.
Its amoled black blade emitted deep black electricity that crackled with a deafening sound. Afghast's sword, on the other hand, released blue blade flames.
When Erewhen attacked again, Afghast lost his balance but managed to regain control.
"I'm about to fall. That's the signal of defeat in a duel," he thought to himself, panting. His skin was scraped, and he had a few wounds. He could still feel the electricity that had hit him. He saw Erewhen laughing at his situation.
"Can you still keep up?" Erewhen asked in a taunting tone. "You can always ask for help and just sit on the bench, watching the fight from a safe distance."
"I'm just recharging," Afghast replied simply. "Why don't you take care of that big wound on your arm? Look, it's bleeding."
Erewhen's single eye widened as he saw his bleeding arm. It seemed he had only just realized he was injured.
"I'd be more surprised if you managed to cut off my entire arm, but it's just a wound. Wounds heal, but a severed arm can't be replaced."
While holding his sword with one hand, Erewhen covered his closed eye with the other. Afghast became alert, and when Erewhen opened his eye, just like before, it bled tears of blood, and the shape of his eyeballs changed.
If before, the world they were in was shifting on its axis and dizzying, now the world had become pixelated. They became pixelated too with their bodies looking blocky or grid-like, with tiny squares of color making up their appearance.
Earlier, he was on the ground, but now he was at the top of a very tall building. Behind the clouds, aircraft emerged: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, and maritime patrol aircraft hovered above him, firing bullets at him.
Holding a game controller, Erewhen seemed like he was just playing a game. Afghast had no choice but to catch them all.
"Monaco? Are you there?" he asked his voice assistant, struggling in his situation.
"Yes, I'm always here, Afghast."
"Can you explain to me what's happening around me?"
"So far, you're in a strange reality where the world is wrapped in a modern technology called videogame. Everything here is controlled by Erewhen, except for you."
As Afghast blocked the attacks with his sword, he suddenly felt the heavy pulsating sensation again, and when he opened his eyes next, he was standing in front of Aguinaldo's prison cell.
Aguinaldo was hiding in the darkest part of the cell.
"Why did you bring me here?" Afghast asked.
"I brought you here because you need me now!" Aguinaldo growled at him. "As long as Antonof hasn't stopped the fight, you still have a chance to defeat that One-eyed Bastard. Don't let him defeat you again. Don't disappoint me again!"
"But if you possess me, who knows what kind of havoc you'll unleash on the High Periphery."
"You're about to lose, and that's all you can think about? Let me possess you, and when we defeat Erewhen, I'll go back to my cell."
"Tell me why I should trust you."
"You should trust me because from the moment you ate the Dracomeleon Egg, we've become one, Afghast!"