[The reward was sent to your mailbox while you were unconscious.]
Hearing the System's words, Leo Ash immediately opened his mailbox and claimed the [Advanced Skill Book Lottery Ticket] waiting inside.
He had to admit, even knowing that the reward was reduced because Kevin had no intention of killing him, but…
He was nearly killed by Kevin, the God of Honkai also stepped in, and in the end, all he got was a single skill book…
*—I almost died this time and all I got was this? Why does it feel like a huge loss?*
[Can't be helped. This was a complete accident.]
[Kevin didn't plan to kill you. The System only sent you those two tickets because you were struggling so much that it might have caused Kevin to slip up.]
[The System saw that the Honkai would grant you a core, but with the power of the Herrscher of Binding combined with your own, beating Kevin would have been no problem at all.]
[Even in that process, if you hadn't used the power of the Phantasmagoria, you could still have defeated Kevin. The fight would just have taken a bit longer.]
*…But I did use the Phantasmagoria, which escalated the problem, right?*
[Yes, but it's not your fault.]
[You have to acknowledge that after gaining a Honkai Will it shouldn't have, the Honkai has indeed acquired the ability for precise calculation.]
[Prometheus No. 17, having become the 'God of Honkai,' precisely calculated everything it could and seized the perfect opportunity to provoke your thoughts.]
[Even if you are exceptionally talented and managed to forcefully forget the past with the thought of 'not wanting to become a Herrscher and harm others due to obsession,' you are still, in the end, human.]
[All humans have emotions, and the more emotionally rich a person is, the more likely they are to expose their weaknesses.]
[Under Its calculations, even if you let the 'Avenger Personality' bear the negative buff of 'judgment being clouded by washed-away emotions,' it doesn't mean your 'Newborn Personality' is completely unaffected.]
*…I see. I think I understand now.*
*My newborn personality was originally calmer than the Avenger personality. But after learning that I once had parents and familial love, only to have it snatched away by the Honkai, even the death-fearing 'newborn' personality was provoked, stirring up a desire for revenge against the Honkai.*
*Although this desire for revenge was far less extreme than the Avenger personality's, it was still strong enough.*
*Because of this overly strong desire for revenge, my feelings towards Kevin, who I was only slightly annoyed with before, turned to extreme disgust during that battle, which made me want to kill him more aggressively and quickly.*
*Driven by these factors, I, who didn't need to use the Phantasmagoria and wouldn't have perished there, lost control…*
*Damn it, to calculate things so precisely.*
*Although it's pointless to complain now, I'm still curious. In the original story, Number 17's calculations were never this accurate. What could have happened to make It start working so hard?*
[Who knows? You just need to know that your previous failure was just an accident.]
After hearing the System's words, Leo Ash immediately used the advanced skill book lottery ticket.
With a flash of light, a purple skill book appeared before his eyes.
[Skill Book - Burnout]
[Skill Description: One of the universal skills of humanity.]
[After using this skill, the user can designate one of their skills or items to erupt with power far exceeding its previous limits.]
[Note: When using this skill, the better the user's physical condition, the greater the enhancement to the skill or item.]
[Note 2: After using this skill, the duration of the enhancement is determined by the user's physical condition before use. After the enhancement ends, the user will enter a weakened state. The duration of this weakness is determined by the magnitude of the enhancement.]
*Ah, a good skill. But are you sure it's called Burnout, and not Potential Burst or something? The name feels a little… off to me.*
[Oh, about that… it's not a long story.]
[Simply put, this System was observing another world and saw a lazy dog who only ever did the bare minimum, but on the day of the deadline, he completed a massive amount of work. The System created this skill based on that.]
*I feel like I just heard something I shouldn't have.*
[By the way, on that last day, that person did about ten days' worth of work. For the following three days, he turned into a second-class invalid who didn't want to do anything.]
*Ah… that's a terrible way to live. Work should really be done on time. You can't just slack off every day and then rush when the deadline hits.*
*But, System, I have one more question.*
*Now that I have my memories back, I'm well aware that I've been in this world for almost eighteen years. On the day I forgot my past, you must have known what happened to me. So, on that day…*
[You just forgot those things. Why would the System tell you what you worked so hard to forget?]
[As a 'Randomly Cobbled-Together Narration System,' there are many things this System can do.]
[But to immediately unseal the memories you worked so hard to seal would be an insult to your resolve, and it would also be making a choice for you that this System should not make.]
[In this System's view, that kind of thing… really shouldn't be done.]
To be honest, after hearing the System's speech, Leo Ash was genuinely moved.
But…
[Look, the System gave you so much face. How about today…]
In the next second, the System directly brought up Seele's character profile in front of Leo Ash.
[Name: Seele Vollerei]
[Identity: Your junior in this World Bubble, a Stigmata Awakened.]
[Current Affection: 15/-20 (Being handsome lets you do whatever you want—as long as you don't spank her.)]
[Note: Winning her over means winning over two Seeles, which means winning over Bronya. It's not buy one, get one free; it's buy one, get two free!]
[Note 2: But the difficulty is inexplicably a bit higher. Good luck, Leo Ash.]
*That's enough.*
*Every time I start to feel a little respect for you—*
[This System is a 'casually made Narrator System.' Why would you think this System would forget its main job?]
"I'm just saying."
Seeing Leo Ash zone out again, Rin sighed helplessly.
"How long are you going to keep talking to your Herrscher Personality?"
*How should I put this… Actually, ever since my other personality and I became aware of each other, we've always communicated through consciousness. After he took on the negative effects of the Wavering Scales, he never even initiated a conversation with me again—but Rin would never believe that. Why is this misunderstanding still so severe!*
[Now that you've reawakened, this System must correct you—what happened before wasn't really a misunderstanding.]
[You are a brilliant actor, Leo Ash. The most brilliant actor is the one who can even deceive himself!]
[Cheers for you! Applause for you! But you can't hear the applause—so why not embrace the school doctor in front of you right now and engage in a round of applause for love filled with 'papapa'? Use your love to move her!]
*Sometimes, I really admire you. You transition so smoothly. It feels like you can turn any topic to lewdness in just a couple of sentences.*
"Actually… never mind. It was just a post-battle review."
Faced with Rin's question, Leo Ash brushed it off with a random excuse and immediately changed the subject, looking at the woman before him.
"Let's not talk about this. How long have you been here since you got your body?"
"If you have any intel, spit it out. The longer we stay here, the smaller our chances of getting out might become."
Hearing Leo Ash's words, Rin thought for a moment before gently shaking her head.
"Our souls are bound together. The moment I sensed you were here, I came over immediately."
"If I had to say, the only intelligence I have is from overhearing other Valkyries gossiping, something like 'The Headmaster's figure is so amazing'—is that useful?"
"I suppose it counts for something."
*But knowing this, other than the fact that the head of St. Freya High School in this World Bubble isn't Theresa, doesn't seem to be very useful.*
*The Blank Key was temporarily quantized along with my body, binding it to me for the time being. With its power, I can temporarily wield the power of the Herrscher of Corruption. But even so… how on earth do I leave this World Bubble?*
*Smashing my way out is definitely not a good idea. But other methods… Crap, I only know how to fight and bluff. I really haven't leveled up my other skill trees.*
*That said, a World Bubble can't be completely sealed. Since I was able to get in, there must be an exit.*
*Hmm, I'll take some time to find the exit first.*
Just as Leo Ash was pondering his next move, the communicator in his pocket suddenly rang.
His communicator from the real world had been incinerated by the Might of An-Utu during his fierce battle with Kevin.
The one he had now was issued only to members of St. Freya High School in this world.
*Ah, a sudden mission at this time? Or perhaps…*
After answering the call, Leo Ash heard Murata Himeko's voice.
"Leo Ash, I'm sorry to bother you, but you don't have much time to rest."
On the other end of the communicator, Leo Ash heard Himeko's apologetic voice.
"Headmaster Cecilia just returned to the academy and specifically requested you and Dr. Rin to meet her in her office."
*Oh, a classic setup. In this world, Cecilia didn't die, Siegfried did, right? Why does this feel so familiar…*
[It feels familiar for a reason. You know what this System means!]
*But you also know what I mean right now.*
*No time!*
[No time for girls?! Your little brother is crying, you know!]
*What else can I do? I'm busy with revenge. Ever since I got my memories back, every time I close my eyes, the scenes from that day flash before me nonstop.*
[No, you—you're cheating using your soul ring skills, aren't you!]
*I'm serious.*
Ignoring the System's subsequent fuming, Leo Ash glanced at Rin, signaling her to follow him.
*But speaking of which, Cecilia's soul has been slumbering within me all this time. Rin has already obtained a physical body, so Cecilia…*
*—Could she have also won the resurrection lottery thanks to this World Bubble?*
…
Approximately seven days after the Seventh Eruption. Anti-Entropy. Abyssal City.
Within Abyssal City, Su and Welt concluded their discussion and displayed their joint plan on a light screen.
"According to our calculations, if Mr. Leo Ash has truly just been quantized, then his body is either trapped in a World Bubble or his physical form is in the Sea of Quanta itself."
"Given the current situation, we should hope his body is in a World Bubble within the Sea of Quanta, otherwise… things will get complicated."
Sensing that Su and Welt were about to elaborate on details she didn't want to hear, Durandal, who was already feeling very impatient, spoke to her two temporary allies, who should have been her enemies.
"Gentlemen, you know I don't care about these things."
"I just want to know when we can officially begin to execute the plan we agreed upon."
"It's been seven days since Leo Ash went missing. The slower the rescue, the greater the chance of something happening to him."
"Alright. Since Miss Bianka is in such a hurry, we won't beat around the bush."
Pushing up his glasses, Welt Yang addressed Durandal.
"A few days ago, we conducted a test opening of the Eye of the Deep and have already cleared out the monsters near the entrance."
"If Miss Durandal wishes for the plan to explore the Sea of Quanta to begin immediately, then today, we can open the Eye of the Deep again."
"Once the Eye of the Deep is open, you, who are able to enter it, can naturally proceed with your exploration."
...…