After Nine and Iris finished conversing with one another, they made their way to s.h.i.+ro. Seeing the pair approach, s.h.i.+ro gave a small wave.
"Let's set off then. While I'm not afraid of the monsters, I'm more concerned about wasting time. Is there anywhere you two would like to go? If not I'll be wandering so a few locations of interest." s.h.i.+ro said as the two of them shook their heads.
"We don't have anywhere we need to go other than a place to stay for now. That and also to escape our pursuers but we've accomplished that. If anything, I'm more interested in what your plans are." Nine smiled as s.h.i.+ro thought about it for a moment.
"We'll I'm looking for a way to solve a small problem of mine. That and to level up. As you can see, my level is stuck at one." s.h.i.+ro smiled, pointing above her since that's where her name tag would be."
"I figured. After all, a level 1 medic wouldn't let you kill a dragon in such a manner." Nine said as his smile twitched from remembering what just happened.
While he wasn't verbal about it, the sight of her boosting a dragon to level 999 was fresh in his mind!
"That's true. If you don't mind me asking, what's up with your friends bandage? If she has any impairment to sight, I'm pretty sure most medics would be able to fix it. Those that keep gla.s.ses just like the look." s.h.i.+ro asked curiously.
Before Nine could say anything, Iris spoke up.
"It's a small condition that I had for a while now. My eyes are overly sensitive to the changes in mana and light. When I take my bandages off, my eyes are constantly a.s.saulted until they pop. These bandages serve as a barrier of sorts." Iris smiled as s.h.i.+ro blinked her eyes.
Hearing how Iris could nonchalantly talk about her eyeb.a.l.l.s popping from prolonged exposure, s.h.i.+ro couldn't help but give her praise. It's not everyday that you can find someone as nonchalant as her when it came to talking about damage to ones own body.
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"I see… Well I can tell that your mana senses are spot on. If you want, I can help you change this little impairment of yours. Make it so that you can see through your eyes like everyone else would. Plus, you'll keep your sharp senses." s.h.i.+ro offered as Iris thought about it but shook her head.
"It is fine. After staying this way for a long while, I've come to terms with it. Plus, it helps me in some aspects when it comes to my own cla.s.s. But thank you for your offer." Iris bowed slightly as s.h.i.+ro nodded her head.
"The offer is always open if you ever change your mind." s.h.i.+ro shrugged while making her way through the tunnel.
Pressing her hand against the walls, a powerful well of mana surged from her body as her senses scanned the entire path. All of the monsters, hidden and out in the open, could be seen by her.
Grinning s.a.d.i.s.tically, ice started to appear on the walls as the temperature dropped.
"Don't mine me, I'm just clearing the way a little so that we're not interrupted in our chats." s.h.i.+ro rea.s.sured as her mind focused on the distant monsters.
On her palm, a tier 6 magic circle appeared as s.h.i.+ro chuckled.
Suddenly, both Nine and Iris could hear howls of pain that originated from deep within monsters' souls echoing through the tunnel.
Even though he could not see what happened, Nine couldn't help but feel pity just from the pain he could sense from the scream.
Curious as to what happened, Nine glanced at Iris who was speechless at what she just sensed.
Seeing this, Nine knew that it was something particular.
"Don't… Don't ask. You'll see it in a while." Iris shook her head, refusing to speak further as her cheeks blushed from embarra.s.sment. However, there was also a trace of pity and fear.
Furrowing his brows, Nine nodded his head and continue to venture deeper into the tunnel.
After a short while, he could tell why Iris didn't want to say anything. Pierced from the rear and suspended into the air, the monsters were locked in place, whimpering from the pain and couldn't do anything but wait until their health slowly drained away like the blood from the back.
Some didn't even want to move in case it made things worse while other monsters would rather end their own life than to suffer a slow painful death filled with humiliation.
"Hou~ These ones actually persisted for so long despite me drilling their a.s.s. They got some tenacity." s.h.i.+ro commented while nodding her head in appreciation.
Choking on his saliva, Nine remembered a certain legend before the world was turned to a h.e.l.l scape. A weird girl with a weird fetish. Hair white as snow, beautiful like the sight of diamond dust in the snowy alps and a fetish that couldn't be matched!
"Erm… if you don't mind me asking, does miss happen to know something about a certain type of plate that is usually placed on the rear?" Nine asked with a forced smile.
"Hm? Yeah I do. If I remember correctly, Helion made it after people saw me pierce a.s.ses for the first time. He mentioned that he made quite a bit of money from the sales. It has been a while since I last heard of them. Why do you ask?" s.h.i.+ro tilted her head as Nine shrugged his shoulders.
"It's just that I was reminded of a few rumours that I had heard before my current journey and was curious if you were the one in the rumours."
Hearing the girl in from of him talk about something as profane as piercing a.s.ses without care or embarra.s.sment was rather… peculiar. Even Iris was embarra.s.sed by the talk and chose to keep quiet.
"What kind of rumours? I hope they're good ones." s.h.i.+ro asked with an enthusiastic light in her eyes.
"Depends on what you mean by good." Nine retreated a step as s.h.i.+ro raised her eyebrows as if the answer was obvious.
"Of course it's good if they spread the word of a prime weak spot. It'll boost survival rates if people acknowledge the weak point and strike at it without fear. I know it's a daunting task but I guarantee it works. It's just a shame that they're too embarra.s.sed to use it. Who knows how many lives it'll save if you live without shame." s.h.i.+ro sighed heavily and shook her head with pity.
Hearing this, Nine was about to cough up blood.
'She truly lives up to her name.' He thought to himself as he put the monsters out of their misery. Even though they were supposed to be enemies, not even he wanted such a fate for his adversaries.
'May you rest in peace.' He prayed earnestly and hoped the shame wouldn't follow them to the afterlife.
Upon leaving the tunnel, s.h.i.+ro breathed the fresh air and stretched her body.
"We're finally out of the city." Nine sighed as he also stretched his body.
Nodding her head in agreement, Iris smiled.
"Miss s.h.i.+ro, if you don't mind me asking, what problem are you trying to solve and where do you plan on going?" Iris asked curiously as s.h.i.+ro glanced towards her.
"Well I'm trying to find a way to obtain creation magic so that my cla.s.s can level up. Only problem is that I'm not exactly clear on the prospects of creation magic so it's going to be a bit tough." s.h.i.+ro shrugged since it didn't really matter to her if they knew she was trying to get creation magic.
"Creation magic? You mean similar to how you would summon something from absolutely nothing, creating souls and people alike? New universes and so on?" Iris asked after a short pause.
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"Something along those lines. But it's more than that. Hmm think of me trying to get something that's the pure essence of creation. In the beginning, there was Chaos. From Chaos, both Creation and Destruction appeared. I want to find a way to cultivate that power of creation." s.h.i.+ro smiled, understanding that this sounds ridiculous to other people. After all, becoming G.o.d was already inconceivable to these people never mind mastering the power of creation.
Plus, creation wasn't that simple. If it was, it wouldn't be able to contend against her power of destruction. Her power of destruction was something so primal and so violent that it consumed anything it touched. For the power of Creation to stand a chance, it had to be just as powerful in order for the two to reach an equilibrium. And only when that is achieved can true peace be found within the centre of this. The balance of two sides, neither one overtaking the other.
"I see… You set out on a hard path. The stars speak not of your fortune but your determination. It cannot predict your path but your pa.s.sion burns bright within the cosmos. The stars may hold finite wisdom but your will transcends the very stars themselves. As the Enchanter of Stars, I hope that your path may be illuminated by the astral will." Iris smiled as a strange power welled up from within her body.
Sensing this power, s.h.i.+ro was unsure of what just transpired but nodded her head regardless. She could sense that Iris was being sincere. Little did she know, the stars were beginning to s.h.i.+ft in the night sky.