When mentioning the tutor, the atmosphere changed. Orochi noticed how Althea was looking everywhere but his eyes. He was sure the dusty room was not that interesting.
"Althea?" he called once more.
Orochi crossed his arms, making it clear he was losing patience. Biting her lip, the maid looked at the floor, kicking her feet slightly, keeping her head bowed.
"With the funds I raised, it's not possible to find a tutor. None of the trainers of House Moon-Born are willing to give a private education, and those that were, we cannot afford."
Orochi sighed, tapping a thinking finger on the bedframe. "If they knew I was a Moon-Born then things would be different. They will not train a nobody, I guess."
Nodding in agreement, Althea breathed a sigh of relief, worried that the young master might have thrown a fit. He usually did before.
Leaning forward, Orochi questioned, dark eyes watchful. "There is no option left? No trainer anywhere in this town?"
"Not in this townβ¦" Althea began tentatively, the cogs in her head turning.
"Go on."
She pursed her lips, unsure how stupid the plan might sound out loud. "Seabore City, under House Merina, is the closest trade port near us. It is also the Minor Capital of East Nagalon. It is possible to find a tutor there."
For a few moments there was silence, before finally a resounding snap from Orochi clapping his hands signalled the start of a new adventure.
"Very good. Pack something light. I will be heading there at the earliest time."
Eyes widening, Althea stuttered, "You are leaving personally, young master?"
"Well, who else?"
"Me!" Althea shouted, raising her voice before quickly bowing to apologise. "Forgive me, young master."
Orochi looked her up and down, before shaking his head. "No. It will be too suspicious if you go. No one will care to look for me anyway. After all, I am still in a 'coma'. It must be me who goes."
"Young maβ"
"Althea. You are the only one I can trust."
That stopped her in her tracks. They held each other's eyes for a moment. Althea realised those dark eyes were already resolved and could not be convinced. Bowing low, she conceded, "Very well, young master."
The door closed behind Althea as Orochi was once again left by himself. He walked back and forth, the floorboard creaking underneath in deep thought. After some thinking, he knelt, resting his palms on his knees and closing his eyes.
"System."
Opening his eyes, he saw the hologram pop up again. It seemed to appear merely by thinking.
[πΎπππππππ ππππππ π³πππππππ]
[πππππ πΆππ ππ’ππππ πΎπππππ] β¦
πΎπππππππ πΎππ ππππππ π·πππ: πΎπππππ πΌπππ-π±πππ
π°ππππππππ π»π: π·
π΄ππππππ π²πππ πΎππππ: π·
ππππππ πΏππ ππ: D+
ππππππ: π½πππ πΌπππππ, ππππππππ, πΈππππππ, πππππ πππππ, π΄ππππππ πΎπππ π²πππ
π³ππππ’ πΌππππππππππ π΅ππ: π° ππππ.
(π³π°π½πΆπ΄π! 8 πΌπΎππ΄ π·πΎπππ ππΎ πΏπ°π ππ·π΄ π΅π΄π΄! π³π°π½πΆπ΄π!)
To gain power he needed to advance in the System. That was the only way to compete in this world.
"Null Mirror," Orochi whispered.
[πΎπππππππ πΌππππππ]
π΄ππππ! π±πππ’ πππ π πππ!
Dammit, Orochi cursed. Even with Spirit Power he could not use any of these skills. Why was the Oblivion Orb so different?
Reading through the manual, The Way of the Oblivion Snake which he carried everywhere with him now, he tried to find an answer. It was only now Orochi began realising something. Unlike all the other books he had read, The Way of the Oblivion Snake never mentioned Spirit Powerβ¦
"Interesting," muttered Orochi, flicking through the pages. "Were you written before the existence of Spirit Power? If so, that would mean there is another way⦠another source other than spirit energy."
Closing his eyes, Orochi did what he had been putting off for a while. He entered his mind's eye.
In a blink he was back inside his inner realm. Looking around, Orochi whistled, slightly surprised at the new decor. After the collision, the expanse had completely changed. The blackness that seemed to never end was now an eternal white. At the centre was Orochi's Spirit Orb, now dark as midnight, as if it had hungrily swallowed all the blackness and imprisoned it within itself.
From the orb sprang short strings, the Serpent Veins. Orochi floated closer, peering into his orb.
Something was moving inside it.
It seemed less like an orb and more like an egg.
"Now think," Orochi began talking to himself, trying to figure out the puzzle. The alert had said it was his body that was too weak and not a lack of Spirit Power. Soβ¦
Orochi glanced at his Serpent Veins before looking at the wide expanse. He was in his body and he could tell partly where he was: the centre of his heart. Looking back at the veins sprouting from the Orb, he grinned.
The body.
That was what made the Oblivion Orb different. It had to reach everywhere. Something that should be impossible.
Unless you were a Moon-Born.
With the Serpent Veins, it could theoretically be possible to stretch them further around his body, strengthening it with his Oblivion Orb.
Floating towards one of the veins, Orochi tugged, surprised at how easily it seemed to lengthen. Then he began zooming to the east of the white expanse towards his shoulder. As he did, the vein started to strain. It was pulsing as Orochi felt the Oblivion Orb feeding it a black essence as it stretched to his shoulder, where he stopped. It would not go any further.
The Oblivion Orb was converting the Spirit Power into this black essence, the root of Orochi's power.
Doing the same for the other veins, Orochi managed to stretch them so that most of his torso was now within the reach of the black Serpent Veins.
A notification popped up.
[πΎπππππππ πΌππππππ]
π°ππ ππππππ πΏππ ππ ππππππππππππ’ ππππππππ ππ’ πππ πΎπππππππ πππππ!
π±πππ’ ππππππππππππ!
π½πππ πΌπππππ πππ πππ ππ ππππ!
Leaving his mind's eye, Orochi grinned. Steam was coming off his body, as if he had just been thrown into a sauna.
Looking at his hands, he noticed they did not seem so childlike anymore. The knuckles seemed harder, and touching his abs, yes abs, he was surprised to find that all of a sudden he was in better shape than in both his lives.
[πΎπππππππ πΌππππππ]
π½πππ πΌπππππ β π°πππππππ ππ ππππ ππ πππππππ πππ ππππππ π πππππ π πΉ ππππππ π πππππ .
"That seems pretty good," Orochi tingled all over at the thought of trying it out.
His smile was quickly wiped away by the sound of a red alert.
[ππ°ππ½πΈπ½πΆ!]
π½ πΌπΎππ΄ π·πΎπππ ππΎ πΏπ°π ππ·π΄ π΅π΄π΄! π³π°π½πΆπ΄π! πΏπ»π΄π°ππ΄ πΏπ°π π° π»πΈπ΅π΄!
"Well, this was expected," Orochi craned his neck back, annoyed. He had noticed the System cost before.
Staring at the ceiling, he began wondering, So who needs to dieβ¦
( > π· <Β )
[πΎπππππππ ππππππ π³πππππππ]
[πππππ πΆππ ππ’ππππ πΎπππππ] β¦
πΎπππππππ πΎππ ππππππ
π·πππ: πΎπππππ πΌπππ-π±πππ
π°ππππππππ π»π: π· -> πΈ
π΄ππππππ π²πππ πΎππππ: π·
ππππππ πΏππ ππ -> π±πππ’ π²πππππππππππ: πΈπΆ/π·πΆπΆ
ππππππ: π½πππ πΌπππππ, ππππππππ, πΈππππππ, πππππ πππππ, π΄ππππππ πΎπππ π²πππ
π³ππππ’ πΌππππππππππ π΅ππ: π° ππππ.
(π³π°π½πΆπ΄π! π½ πΌπΎππ΄ π·πΎπππ ππΎ πΏπ°π ππ·π΄ π΅π΄π΄! π³π°π½πΆπ΄π!)