'How could it be so much?'
'Twenty percent... Last time, the progress for "Forbidden Item 1-83, Demon Clown" was only one percent.'
Wei'en stared at the notification on his panel, trying to figure out its logic.
He hadn't said the name "Forbidden Item 0-34, Reviving Coffin" out loud, but he had written it on the parchment.
And both Lisi and Marco had mentioned the Forbidden Item's name and number.
Plus, Lisi had just reported to Yegor... They must have frequently mentioned the Forbidden Item's name or number during their conversation.
'That's it,'
'Yegor will tell others in the Secret Investigation Department, like the Director...'
'Calculated that way, twenty percent progress is actually possible.'
Wei'en frowned at the thought.
'At this rate, I'll be running into "Forbidden Item 0-34, Reviving Coffin" very soon.'
This was the worst possible news!
"Wei'en?"
Wei'en snapped out of it and looked at Marco, confused. "What is it?"
"You were staring off into space. What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing. Are your injuries okay now?"
"Don't worry about me. Lisi might hit hard, but I've already recovered."
"Really?"
Marco patted his chest. "Of course. After all, I'm an elite Investigator from Investigation Department One."
"...Marco, maybe you should look in a mirror before saying that?"
"Er, that's not important. My recovery ability is really strong."
"You two, hurry up. I'm going downstairs to wait for you."
Lisi called out the reminder, then left the office carrying a silver case.
"We'll talk on the way."
Marco quickly said, then started packing his things too.
Wei'en nodded, packed everything on his desk into a case, and they left the office together.
'Hm?'
As they were walking, Wei'en felt the corner of his clothes being pulled. He turned around. "Tina?"
Tina saw his gaze land on her, and a flicker of life appeared in her listless eyes. "Tina likes you. Can we be friends?"
Wei'en froze. 'Likes me? Be friends?'
He looked at the white-haired girl's indifferent, calm face and nodded in surprise. "Of course we can."
'Tina's a bit odd, but there's no harm in being friends with a colleague.'
'It's a lot better than someone like Roger, who's on the verge of losing control... right?'
Marco froze when he heard this. He was just about to warn him when he saw Wei'en had already nodded. 'He even said "we can"?'
Then—
"Tina is happy."
Wei'en smiled and patted her head. "I'm very happy to be friends with you, too."
Tina seemed to enjoy the gesture, reaching out once more to grab the corner of his shirt. "Tina is happy."
"I know you're happy, no need to repeat..."
Marco stared blankly at Wei'en. 'He actually patted her head and said he was "happy"?'
By the time he snapped out of it, Wei'en and Tina were already a good distance away.
"Dammit!"
Seeing this, Marco immediately started sprinting and quickly overtook them.
"Huh? Marco?"
Wei'en watched his hurried back, confused. "What's wrong with him? Why is he running so fast?"
"Tina is happy." Tina, as if she hadn't heard his question, was still repeating the same phrase.
Meanwhile, Marco sprinted out of the Secret Investigation Department and found Lisi waiting by the entrance.
"Lisi, something terrible has happened."
"What is it now?" Lisi glared at him, annoyed. "If you dare tell me you've lied about something else, you're dead."
"No, it's not that."
Marco looked at her anxiously and said, "Tina just asked to be friends with Wei'en, and Wei'en agreed."
"What? Why didn't you stop him?"
"I, I didn't have time..."
THWACK!
"I'll deal with you later!" Lisi punched him resentfully. She turned to look at Wei'en and Tina, who were not far behind them. "Marco, your ability..."
"It's already recovered."
Marco stood beside her, also watching the pair approach at their leisurely pace. He gave a bitter smile. "My innate ability became usable again just as I was running over here."
As he spoke, he casually snapped his fingers.
A small tornado appeared in his hand. The cold wind blew through their long hair, and their hearts sank with it.
Approaching from a distance, Wei'en saw this. "Marco, is that a tornado in your hand?"
'Is that his Extraordinary Ability?'
'So cool!'
"Innate ability," Marco said, clenching his fist to shatter the tornado. He forced a stiff smile.
Lisi looked at Wei'en, whose expression was as normal as ever. She hesitated, then asked, "Wei'en, do you, do you feel any changes?"
"Changes? Me?"
Wei'en looked down at himself. His clothes weren't wrinkled, the case was neat, a small hand... hm, Tina's hand was still gripping the corner of his shirt.
"I don't think so... Holy shit!"
[You have formed a Partner Contract with Calamity Species Tina Klosterman. Evaluation: In a sense, a Calamity Species is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter! Special Reward: Origin Seal 1.]
[Due to the Partner Contract, your physical constitution has been significantly boosted. Evaluation: Thank the God of Contract. It's not too late to join the Blood Spirit School. Special Reward: Resilience Level +5.]
[You have been granted a Calamity Species's innate ability enhancement: Wound healing speed increased. Physical recovery speed increased.]
'What is this?'
'A Calamity Species?'
'How could Tina be a Calamity Species, and how did I end up in a Partner Contract with her?'
Wei'en stared at the notifications on his panel, completely bewildered.
'This world is too bizarre. How can I still run into such strange things after joining the Secret Investigation Department?'
Lisi and Marco exchanged a look, both seeing the nervous expression on the other's face.
"Wei'en, are, are you okay?"
Wei'en looked up at the two and asked blankly, "Ca-Calamity?"
"What calamity?"
"No, nothing. Do you have anything to eat?"
"I have some right here. I prepared food."
Marco quickly opened his case, took out a large box of cookies, and handed it over. "Wei'en, I know this is very sudden, but believe me, it'll be okay..."
Wei'en looked at the box in his hands, was silent for a moment, then took it, opened it, and started eating.
As he ate, he checked the panel in his mind.
'One point of my Origin has been sealed?'
'No wonder the range of my perception has shrunk a bit.'
'But the Xiaoxi are all still here, so it's not a huge deal.'
'Plus, my Resilience Level increased by 5, and I got an innate healing ability enhancement...'
'Hmm,'
'this seems pretty good!'
PS: I'm writing quite slowly at the moment. This is mainly because the plot has just begun to unfold, and there's a lot of content I want to make stand out and write in a unique way. I'm also working on strengthening the character portrayals and environmental descriptions.
I'll do my best to maintain a good pace and make every part of the story exciting.