ENF Academy - A LitRPG Ch. 025-032

"System, I need to focus on healing her right now," Carline said.

"Of course. Please take your time."

The three remained there in silence, Elaina still seething. She was glad they'd lived. Glad that potion had given her her legs back. Glad even that they'd succeeded in saving the System, her subcore, whatever that was. But the bitterness remained, and with the adrenaline from the ordeal long gone it was all she could think about. This was not what she had signed up for when she'd joined the Academy. To fight? Yes, in the future. To defend the country from invaders looking to sow chaos, looking to threaten her family back home. This was beyond that, and she'd had no training at all, no chance to actually win the fight she'd been thrust into. They'd accomplished their "mission," but that had only been through dumb luck.

"I'm gonna roll you over so you'll be more comfortable for a while," Carline said, picking Elaina up and shifting her to her side, laying her on her lap once again. At least I get something nice out of this. "I'm— I'm going to have to stop dulling your pain for now to recover mana. It shouldn't be too bad if you don't move too much, okay?"

"Right," Elaina said, bracing for the return. It was as instantaneous as it had been when it left, but is was mercifully reduced in intensity. There were still the places Elaina had been cut and pierced: her sides, her front shoulder, and her upper back. They hadn't dulled at all, but her spine was almost entirely painless. The dull ache of that combined with the sharp pains from the flesh wounds was comforting, in a way, and she cried out in pleasure as [Pain Response] kicked in. What is wrong with me? Even before that skill she knew her reaction to pain wasn't natural, but with it? She was glad Carline couldn't see her face, though it was probably burning hot enough for Carline to feel it on her legs anyway.

"You can probably, uhm, start talking now," Carline said. "If that's okay with you, Elaina?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Very well," the System said. "I am... sorry, once again. I had limited connection with my subcore, but I should never have sent you two on such a perilous quest. I had already... stretched the truth about your capabilities. It is true that a level one party should be suitable to face two starhounds, but the typical party is around five people. Two is the absolute minimum a party can be, and technically met the requirements of the quest, but it was still... I have limits on what I can do, but I should have known better than to abide strictly to the letter of the rules, and I entirely discounted the possibility the ranking of the mission could change. I feel great regret for the danger I put you in, and for the resulting pain it caused you both."

"It's okay," Carline said. No it fucking isn't. "I still don't really know what that— that person was doing, but I know she had to be stopped." Carline was right. Elaina knew that. She was still pissed.

And she couldn't hold it in any longer. She pushed herself up to her knees, wincing in pain as Carline protested, trying to get her to lay back down. Elaina wasn't listening. "We almost fucking died. Twice. Do you know that? Do you even know what dying fucking is, miss thousand-year-old orb?" Tears were streaming down Elaina's face as she said it. She didn't want to be saying it, but it was all so much. Too much. "Why? Just tell me why we had to go through that. What makes you so damned special?"

"I—" There was a quavering in the System's voice as her light dimmed, the quavering you might hear from a scolded child who already knew she'd done something wrong and had regretted it long before being punished. That single syllable was a dagger through Elaina's heart, an ache more intense than any of the pain she still had left over. She thought back to what Myriala had said about the System, how the System wasn't people. But that obviously wasn't true. It was easy to yell at a shiny rock on a pedestal, but hearing the pain in that same person's voice afterwards was infinitely harder.

"I know I deserve your hatred," the System said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears she would never be able to shed. "I know I deserve your scorn. I disregarded your safety, ignored the entire reasoning behind my own existence. I was scared, for my own being, for my own life, but what I did was wrong. I should have let my subcore stay in danger, and dealt with the consequences after the fact."

A gentle hand dropped on Elaina's shoulder. "It's okay," Carline said, dulling Elaina's pain again. The physical pain, anyway. "Elaina doesn't mean this, she's just in shock. It happens when soldiers come back from tough battles." Carline crawled forward, keeping her hand on Elaina and looking into her eyes. "It's okay, Elaina. I'm— I'm sorry you got hurt, but it's not all bad! If your spine had been damaged anymore, I wouldn't have actually been able to fix it, but that didn't happen!" Elaina swallowed, glaring at the System. They stayed silent, neither telling the truth about what had actually happened when Carline was unconscious, the actual damage that Elaina had suffered. The girl didn't need to know, not right now.

And then Elaina burst, throwing her head into Carline's arms and weeping. She stayed there, crying out while the other two waited. The situation wasn't fair. She didn't know what the Red Order was, she didn't know what the System even was, she didn't know why she was chosen for this, she didn't know why the cores mattered, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

Eventually, Elaina's tears ran dry.

"I would like to explain some things," the System said.

Elaina lifted her head, wiping tears off of her face. "Yeah, that's fine."

"I have some awareness of your trip into the dungeon now that my memories are joined with my subcore. It was a training and command center that was once operated by prior Users. The subcore you retrieved is another part of me, holding a separate knowledge repository and containing a significant portion of my own power. It was not the facility's original core, but rather a failsafe designed to carry on the center's functions and knowledge should disaster strike, locked away and hidden, which is why I had limited knowledge of the facility when I sent you. I do not know what happened there in the past, like I do not know what happened to my other subcores, but there was clearly some attack on the facility some time around nine centuries ago, and the main core was taken. There are no remaining records of this incident."

Nine centuries ago. The same time as the Night Wars, again. "System," Elaina asked, "do you know what the Night Wars were?"

"Hmmm. I do not possess the relevant records, but... I could make an educated guess, if you would like."

"I mean, I can tell you what they were," Carline said. "Erm, the general idea, anyway. The neighboring nations were scared of our nation's army of soldiers with aspects and classes, and tried to attack us. King Endrin defeated them at the Battle of Endrin Academy, defending the school against the world's collective forces."

"Hmmm. This is not what I would have guessed, and I have reason to doubt the validity of this story. The Academy, as I've mentioned to Elaina, was not always what you call it now. It was once the Equal Nations Friendship Academy, a collective effort by nations across the world dedicated towards enhancing the skills of the world's System Users.

"I do not doubt that there is some truth to your tale that there was a war between nations, though it is likely the story has been altered over the years. One of my secondary purposes is to ensure accurate recordkeeping of historical events, and in my absence it appears the understanding of history started to veer from factuality." Carline looked like she wanted to interject, but her eyes were cast to the ground.

"Uhm," Elaina said, keeping her gaze on Carline, "is that really what caused all... all of the destruction at that dungeon?"

"No. This is the second part of why I believe Carline's record of the events is inaccurate: it is incongruous with the damage sustained at the training facility and what was said by the member of the Red Order you encountered."

"Wait," Elaina said, "you know what the Red Order is?"

"Correct. In fact, the System's primary reason for existence is to bolster the defenses of those the Red Order would seek to harm and subjugate. They are a race of warrior-tyrants from the stars beyond, and they are drawn to worlds that possess a natural amount of crystal. Your world, despite having a relatively small amount of naturally occurring crystal, is one such world, and thus I was sent here to shepherd your people's growth so that you may defend yourself in the event of an attack by the Red Order."

"So you knew... that they would be there, possibly? And you sent us anyway?"

"Incorrect. I... I still apologize. In my memory stores, as far back as they go, the Red Order never attacked this world. After seeing the devastation caused at the other facility though, and hearing the words spoken by this Myriala, I must assume that in my dormancy the Red Order did indeed attack. I had not considered it a possibility, as it was unlikely your people would have survived an invasion, even with the strength of the System Users. With additional information from the facility though, I must revise my prior analysis and assume the Red Order has indeed been here before, but for some reason left your people alive at least in some numbers, and also that the backup cores I still have some connection to are the only cores still remaining on this world. It is strange, but I assume I must be a backup core as well, despite not having the designation. It is the only explanation for my limited memories." Too much. Way too much for Elaina's brain to handle, at least right now.

"I—" Carline said, still staring at the floor. "I don't understand why— why the school would be renamed, why the Wars— why there would be parts lost in the history books when we won."

"Well, maybe there's a good reason?" Elaina said. She didn't sound very convincing, even to herself. Despite the torrent of information being overwhelming, she had no reason to doubt the System.

"Yeah..."

"System, you said you were sent here? Who sent you?"

"Administrator information request denied. I apologize, I cannot answer this question, even from the System Administrator." Elaina sighed, almost relieved she wouldn't have to try and make sense of more of this right now. "I will try my best to make it up to you the only way I can, though." Another chest materialized in front of them.

[Masochist Mage Elaina Weaver has achieved level 2]

[Voyeur Vitalist Carline Forsythe has achieved level 2]

Ch 1.28: Accommodations

[Elaina Weaver has achieved level 2]

Skill Enhanced: [Humiliation Factor] - Rank 2 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x2} to all aspects relative to the User's current state of embarrassment.

Skill Gained: [Fear Response] - Rank 1 - Passive: Converts a {minor} amount of fear to arousal.

[Carline Forsythe has achieved level 2]

Skill Enhanced: [Viewer Rating] - Rank 2 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x2} to all {External Targeting} aspects relative to the User's current sexual attraction to the target.

Skill Enhanced: [Peeping Carly] - Rank 2 - Active: Expend mana to receive a {moderate} ability to see through objects.

Elaina blinked as the information imprinted into her mind. Like last time, it wasn't like anyone telling her anything, just the instant knowledge of both of their class details. "Oh!" Carline said, taking her hand off Elaina. The pain returned just as swiftly as the information had. "Oh, stars," Carline continued as Elaina winced in pain. "I'm sorry! I am low on mana though, can you wait a bit?"

"Yeah," Elaina said, grunting. It wasn't really less than before, but she'd manage.

"So, uhm, did you, did you level up as well?"

Right, Carline wouldn't see Elaina's advancement. "I did. One new skill that, erm, lessens fear. And then it enhanced the one that makes me stronger the more embarrassed I am."

"You got a new skill so fast! I didn't realize it could work like that, that our progression wouldn't be symmetrical." Carline looked lost in thought again, seemingly past the revelation that her country's official record of its single most important historical event was built on faulty information, if not outright lies. Elaina wouldn't pry; she was certain it wasn't the last time they would have to talk about it anyway, and there were other matters at hand.

"Carline, could you open the chest? Still can't move well."

"Of course!" The girl hopped to her feet, displaying an astounding sense of grace. Had she always been that light on her feet? Elaina had been surprised at her movements in the dungeon, but Carline seemed to surprise her even more every time she looked.

Carline pressed the crystal at the center of the chest and pulled out two small spheres, the same kind that had been in the chest at the start of the dungeon. She walked over and handed Elaina one.

[Mage Gear Enhancement]

Well, no time like the present. She activated hers in tandem with Carline, both spheres shattering into sparkling blue dust, along with their discarded weapons, forming into new shapes in front of them.

[Elaina Weaver: Gear Enhancement Obtained]

[Flexible Restraints]: Crystal chain that can be shaped into other forms of restraints. The mass of the weapon cannot be changed.

[Carline Forsythe: Gear Enhancement Obtained]

[Crystal-Tipped Spear]: Grants a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all {External Targeting} aspects when used to affect injuries made with this weapon.

The crystal chains in front of Elaina were more or less the same, but had a soft glow to them now. Carline's weapon was more drastically changed, the ring at the top now housing a length of crystal core, and the thorny spike now replaced by a properly menacing, glowing crystal spearhead.

Carline picked up the spearstaff and looked over it. "It's more balanced now too. Did you see its ability?"

Elaina nodded. "Yeah. Mine's malleable now, I guess?" She focused on the chain, commanding it to change. The links on one end melted together, forming a shackle instead. "Kind of slow, but useful for sure." Her other creations she couldn't change at all, stuck the way they were after she made them unless she wanted to spend mana to make an entirely new thing, so it was useful to have something she could change, and it being the one she'd always have access to was even better.

"There is another matter that must be addressed in regards to your successful retrieval of my subcore," the System said. "While disconnected from my subcores, my capabilities are lessened. As System Administrator, Elaina, you must guide the restoration of the System by selecting appropriate subsystems to bring online."

Elaina frowned. "I still don't know what that really means, being the System Administrator." She looked over to Carline. "Can we change that? Carline knows more about this stuff than me. I'm sure she'd be better at it."

Carline's eyes widened as she dropped her spear and started waving her hands. "Nuh— No no no! I only know a couple of things from bedtime stories!"

"The role of System Administrator can be transferred at the current Administrator's discretion," the System said, "but such a decision is usually only made in the event of retirement from service. It is your choice, however."

Elaina looked back to the crystal orb. [Admin] was such a strange word, one she didn't quite understand, but it felt... wrong to give it up. She'd received it simultaneously with her class, with her aspect. It seemed as much a part of her as those. She'd had none of them for very long, but the thought of giving any of them up felt akin to ripping off a part of her soul.

"I'll— I'll keep it for now. The role."

"Understood. The core you retrieved has the capability of adding one of its two subsystems. Being from a learning facility, the options are either Armory or Training."

Armory or Training. "Uhm, can I ask what the difference is?"

"Certainly. Armory will allow you as the Administrator to have a certain degree of choice when receiving new gear upgrades for yourself or other Users. You may also delegate this ability to the other Users themselves. I will note that as the rewards you earned from your mission earlier were set in stone when you completed the mission, selecting this before I presented the chest to you would have had no effect on them. Training allows you to design simulated scenarios in dungeons to further the advancement of System users. I may offer a suggestion on which to pick, if you prefer, but the final decision still rests with you."

Elaina would take all the guidance she could. "Yes, please."

"Training is historically a very important subsystem, but it is more important the more Users there are. Since you two are the only current Users and have some degree of instruction taking place at your Academy, I would recommend Armory, which is used just as widely as Training and is less easily substituted for."

"Okay, that sounds good. We'll do Armory."

"Affirmative. Armory subsystem initializing." The crystal swirled with blue mist, dimming and brightening the cave as it did. "Initialization complete."

"Wait, wait, sorry to interrupt," Carline said. "My mana's full. Why is it full?" That wasn't right. There was no way it would have recovered that fast, right? Elaina felt for her own mana pool and gasped. It had almost been full before since she hadn't been spending it while Carline healed her, but it was completely full as well, more than full, a tenth more there than had been before.

"Correct. As you two have achieved level two, your mana pool and physical attributes have been increased. Your mana refills as a result."

"I'm sorry, physical attributes?" Elaina asked.

"Correct. As they were enhanced when you first gained your class, they are enhanced again now."

Elaina blinked in realization. It had been minor, so minor she hadn't even noticed, but she had been stronger lately, more dextrous. It explained a lot, actually.

"Did you not know that?" Carline asked. "I'm sorry, I would have mentioned it."

"Uhm, no, I didn't. But it's fine." She was starting to think maybe she really should give her role to Carline after all again.

Carline's bandaged hand fell on Elaina's shoulder again, pain once again dissipating. "I should be able to heal you fully with this, and then we can head back. We'll need to get back before the dinner bell anyway."

"Sure, sounds good." Elaina was getting hungry, and a break would be nice. "I just wish there was a way to continue talking with the System without coming all the way back here. There's still so much I don't understand."

"Fortunately," the System said, "there is one final matter to address. The subcore you retrieved needs to be attended to. It would be unwise to leave it out here, as it cannot by tied to the same housing as another."

"Oh. I guess we'll take it back with us. We can talk to you through it?"

"Correct. It is still the System. After you eat, we can speak more on the nature of the System and your duties as Administrator."

The three remained silent while Carline finished healing Elaina. It wasn't that Elaina didn't want to talk, but she was a level of spent she'd never been before: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"There, all done," Carline said, standing up and smiling. "I'm sorry it took so long, it was, well— It was a lot."

"No, thank you," Elaina said, standing up herself. All her pain gone, all her wounds healed, all in a matter of less than an hour. Even compared to the stories that Elaina had heard about aspects and classes, Carline was a wonder. Still, one thing wasn't fixed. "Uhm, what about our clothes?"