Time was an essential part of everyday life. Yet somehow, it always felt fleeting.
Before he realized it, Nightingale had settled into a steady routine. On weekdays, he attended school, sat through his lessons, and once the final bell rang, headed straight to the gym to continue his core training. As for the weekends, he would rise early, hit the gym first thing in the morning, and spend the rest of the day doing whatever suited his whims.
Balancing both proved to be more exhausting than he had expected; by the end of each day, he was absolutely spent and drained with all the muscles in his body aching all over. But it was completely worth it. More than that, his status as an Esper granted him certain "privileges" that ordinary people, or more specifically, students, would envy.
For instance, whenever his homeroom teacher scanned the class to ask a question, half the students would sit up straight, tense with anxious anticipation or outright dread. But when her gaze fell on Nightingale, there was always a brief hesitation before she quietly looked away and chose someone else instead.
It wasn't just her. Most of the teachers behaved the same way, as though his presence simply didn't register in their minds. It was as if Nightingale didn't exist at all.
He also enjoyed a certain degree of freedom within those invisible boundaries. If he felt bored, he could casually say, "I need to use the restroom," and leave the classroom without consequence. He could even walk out of the school whenever, and no one would so much as question where he was going.
But that was where his so-called "privileges" ended.
After all, he still needed to graduate eventually, and Nightingale knew better than to push his luck too far.
Just because he was an Esper didn't mean he could breeze through his studies. Like any ordinary student, he still had to read, attend classes, and take exams or else, risk failing. The school was lenient when it came to attendance, but even that leniency had its limits.
Eventually, he knew how things would go. The administration would call him in, offer polite smiles, and suggest he make a choice: continue as a student or devote himself fully to being a Climber.
If it came down to that, Nightingale wouldn't hesitate and choose the path of a full-fledged Climber without a second thought. However, he couldn't bring himself to completely abandon his academics either.
Wouldn't that make all the years he'd spent in school meaningless?
Such a situation was tricky to navigate, but Nightingale managed somehow. Fortunately, his academic ability was far from lacking. In fact, some even referred to him as a "Sleeping Genius." Regardless, he couldn't quite compare to Chloe, who consistently held the second-highest rank, while he trailed just behind in third. What truly baffled him, though, was Marcus, who somehow claimed first place every single time.
And the worst part was that It never even seemed like Marcus was trying in the slightest.
Both Nightingale and Chloe were endlessly frustrated by this revelation. They'd question him again and again about his methods, only for that smug bastard to grin and refuse to share his so-called "secrets!"
Come to think of it, aside from his perverted and scandalous tendencies, Marcus had always been an intriguing individual with countless hidden secrets. Nightingale and Chloe could never quite figure out what went on in his head. For that matter, they weren't even sure where that bastard was currently living.
It was like they didn't know anything about their mutual childhood friend beyond what he allowed them to see.
Perhaps some things weren't meant to be known.
Whatever secrets Marcus was hiding, he was still the same Marcus they had grown up with and that was enough for them.
If he ever wanted to share something, they would listen. If he ever faced a problem, the three of them would tackle it together. And if he wanted to keep secrets, that was alright too.
That was simply how they operated, and they intended to keep it that way, no matter the circumstances.
It was them against the world... Or so they believed at the time.
But things had changed.
Each of them now seemed preoccupied with their own lives, no longer spending as much time together as before. Nightingale had noticed this long ago, yet there was nothing he could do. Such was life; people grew up, formed bonds, and eventually drifted apart from each other.
A cycle of inevitability that repeated continuously.
In time, those once inseparable would fade into memories, replaced by new faces and new stories. Nightingale thought it was a sad truth, but perhaps it was for the best.
Lu Song wasn't the same as he used to be. His world was far more dangerous now. And as ordinary humans, Marcus and Chloe should continue to live ordinary lives and die as humans.
His duty as an Esper was to protect their stories, along with countless others. For that singular purpose alone, Nightingale vowed to become stronger than his current level and continued to train relentlessly, with a flame of unyielding resolve burning deep within his heart.
As far as training went, progress was slow but productive. His primary focus was on improving stamina, endurance, and overall body conditioning. To that end, his personal trainer, Joel, had him perform exercises such as; push-ups, pull-ups, planks, and a variety of cardio drills that tested both his lungs and willpower.
Basically, the peculiar rebirth he'd undergone during his Awakening as an Esper had drastically enhanced the latent potential of his body, pushing it close to the peak of human capability. Even then, potential alone meant nothing. It had to be honed through sweat, effort, and relentless repetition. Fortunately, he'd already been in decent shape before his Awakening, so he wasn't starting from zero like most out-of-shape rookies.
That said, his body was far from indestructible.
If he was punched, he'd feel pain. If he was stabbed, he'd bleed. And if he was killed… he would die. The difference was simply that he could endure far more punishment than an ordinary person.
Well, considering he was still a lowly Squire, there wasn't much else to expect.
Hypothetically, if Nightingale were to become a Saint in the future, such trivialities would no longer concern him. He would be completely immune to all forms of disease, impervious to mundane weapons, and freed from the constraints of aging, his lifespan vastly extended beyond mortal limits.
It would be a transformation far more profound than his initial Esper Awakening. And if he were to consider all the other potential benefits of sainthood, the list would be nearly endless.
Frankly speaking, Lu Song doubted he could even begin to list them all.
Now that he'd brought up the topic of Saints, Lu Song couldn't help but think of Ms. Vespera, the Saint who often trained at the same gym. She was… distracting, to say the least. Thankfully, she wasn't one of the trainers, or focusing on his workouts would have been impossible. Her presence alone had a way of breaking his focus and making his workout session impossible without his "not-so-little brother" becoming erect like a soldier on duty!
He was bothered, but what else could he do except endure?
And somehow, he did.
Putting that aside, Nightingale's experimentation with his Mythic Ability had led to several noteworthy discoveries.
First of all, the effective range of his [Flatten] ability appeared to be around ten to thirty meters, roughly the distance of his visual range. The further the target was, the weaker the effect became.
Secondly, he could only flatten a single target at a time. In one experiment, he attempted to flatten two objects simultaneously and was immediately struck by dizziness.
Thirdly, the effectiveness of [Flatten] varied depending on the target. In some cases, it worked flawlessly; in others, it met mild resistance, or failed outright. For instance, he could easily flatten small three-dimensional objects like a book, a coffee mug, or even the Spirit Core of a monstrosity, though with a bit of effort. And of course, he couldn't flatten larger three-dimensional objects like a car, a building or even a massive boulder. The sheer density and volume seemed to overwhelm his ability, causing the power to fizzle out before it could take effect.
Simply put, anything larger than an exercise book was beyond his ability's reach.
On that note, any object flattened by him could never return to its original form. A perfect example was the heart of the Crawling King, which he had crushed, an act that led to the creature's swift and certain death.
In a twisted sense, his [Flatten] could be considered a form of "absolute destruction," for once its effect took hold, there was no undoing it.
He theorized that a similar outcome might occur if he were to target specific human organs such as the heart, bones, or other distinct structures within the body.
But he had no intention of turning into a murderer just to prove that theory!
Whatever the case, it was certainly an unorthodox ability that didn't quite fall under Martial, Thaumaturgy, or Auxiliary categories, making it all the more unpredictable.
Combined with his Mythic Ability, enhanced physique, and bullseye accuracy, Nightingale was gradually turning into a wolf hidden among sheep.
And so, the days slipped by. One after another, until the weekend quietly came and went.
Before he even realized it, the day of his second descent had finally arrived.