'No way…'
I have to admit I was in disbelief for a moment.
Complete and total revival from every form of mortal death?
A sly grin grew on my cheeks and I even let out a small wicked laugh.
'…That's broken!'
My eyes rested on the cost to use the power. All bonded abilities had cost to pay in order to use them and they varied for every person.
Mine seemed to involve accumulating Karma points.
Thinking back to earlier, I remember I had accumulated 100 points after Aika beat up… I mean, killed Buckley.
Which meant even bad karma was accepted.
I rubbed my chin then nodded to myself with a smile.
'Ha, as long as I accumulate enough, I could escape any kind of death.'
This was the best bonded ability anyone could hope for, especially in a world like this where death loomed in almost every corner.
However, I shook my head slightly, trying not to let the hubris of my ability get to me. After all, I was not immortal and could still die permanently if I was not careful. Imagine suddenly being killed in a time I do not have enough Karma points, like right now. I wouldn't be able to use Chrysalis. Plus, I had a feeling gaining Karma wouldn't be as easy as stepping on a bug.
I took a look at my available Karma points.
Karma points: [400]
Then I arched a brow as a realization struck me.
'…Wait.'
All of Aika's bad actions up till now, from knocking people out and stealing their stuff… to even killing.
'She was accumulating Karma points…'
Damn…
I glanced down at the tattoo again, suddenly feeling a bit grateful.
Then at that moment, a knock echoed on the door of the room, drawing my attention.
'Who could that be?' I immediately tensed up at the sound. My thoughts began to race, and my heartbeat grew a bit faster too.
The status screen disappeared as I stood up and slowly headed to the door.
When I opened it, I was relieved to see the innkeeper with what looked like a basin filled with water, with two small towels resting on her hand.
I noticed that she was trembling with her head slightly bowed. I couldn't blame her; there was a body in her inn because of us.
"…Uh… h-here's the lavabo your partner requested."
I reached out and took the basin of water and towels from her. "Thank you."
I was about to turn away and close the door when I noticed that she was still standing there with her head lowered.
"Anything else?"
The innkeeper flinched at the question. Then she stammered. "I… uh… w-we are sorry for happened earlier." Her voice grew a bit louder, and she lowered her head further. "Please spare us."
I was a bit taken aback.
'Is she really that afraid of us?'
Well Aika did create a memorable impression. But I knew there was more to her plea.
I exhaled, smiled, and tried to make my voice as polite as possible.
"It's alright. We'll leave early in the morning."
The tensed woman seemed to relax a bit and her expression brightened too. "Ah… thank you, thank you so much."
Seems I caught on to her meaning.
She hurriedly turned and walked away. I shut the door, the heavy latch clicking into place, and walked over to the corner of the room and sat on the floor. Then, using one of the towels, I quickly cleaned myself, achieving at least the standard of a shower. I also took off my extremely bloody tunic and tossed it aside.
By the time I was done, I had already yawned thrice.
Groggily, I walked to the bed, wearing only my trench coat, and slumped onto it with a sigh.
The bed was uncomfortable.
'Aissh… I miss my bed in Seoul.'
I grumbled for a bit, then rolled a few times, searching for a comfortable spot on the bed. Finally settling, I allowed my thoughts to wander for a moment.
I began to think about my old life in Seoul. Although I spent a lot of time playing games indoors, that didn't mean that I was a complete shut-in and did not have people who cared about me. I had lots of friends, and… I even had a girlfriend.
'I wonder if Seo-yeon knows by now that I'm dead?'
The thought made me feel bitter.
I had promised her that if she gave me this weekend to complete the new game that I bought, I would spend the entirety of the next weekend with her, doing whatever she wanted.
Looks like I wouldn't be able to keep my promise.
I sighed and crossed a hand over my head to cover my eyes, which had begun to well up with tears.
I missed Seo-yeon, and I missed all my friends.
Of course, I really wanted nothing more right now than to go back to them, but there was no need to delude myself into thinking that I could go back.
I had died over there, and so what I needed right now was to focus on my life here and make sure that I do not die permanently here.
I sighed. And after a long moment, with a bit of effort, I shoved all thoughts about my past life aside, and began to think about my plans for the future, starting in the morning.
While I was still lost in thought, I dozed off.
***
The next day…
I woke up, staring at the same ceiling I saw before I went to sleep. I sighed feeling a fresh wave of bitterness at the finality of it all.
'I had really hoped it was all just a bad dream.'
At that moment, Aika's voice sounded beside causing me to flinch:
"Well, too bad for you."
I immediately turned sideways to see her lying on the bed beside me with her gaze to the ceiling.
"How long have you been awake?" I asked.
"A few hours," she replied. Then, after a short moment, she turned to face me. "What's your plan now?"
I had already thought a few things through during the night. If I really did want to grow my strength, the best and safest place to do so would be the Imperial Academy. Plus, the bed there would be more comfortable than whatever it is I'm lying down on right now. And… I would also get to eat good food.
I looked away from Aika and exhaled. Then, after a while, I replied: "I'm now Cedric, which means I'm a noble. And since I'm a noble, I might as well enjoy the benefits of being one, whether anyone likes it or not."
I paused for a bit before adding, "I'll be going to the academy."
Aika arched a brow. "Will you be fine going there as Cedric? You remember how badly he was treated by everyone for being Bond-less."
A sly smile slowly grew on my lips. "Of course I'll be fine. Why wouldn't I? When I have you…"