AThousandCurses

Iris Ascendis

Chunji regarded Emelie with the same dispassionate look he often wore. The metaphor the librarian said could be to both the figurative sense and the literal sense. A war was starting soon between Ciara and Valen. Moreso with Ciara as she bore a look that could kill people. "I don't intrude matters that are unrelated to me," Chunji said in a flat tone.

Aside Emelie's odd choice of words, Chunji seriously considered Emelie's rhetorical question. Did he have any particular enemies? There were none that he could think of, but maybe he did unknowningly create a few enemies. "None that I am aware of. If there are, they're completely one-sided." His dislike for Ciara was present, but not enough to turn into animosity.

"Today... One of my classmates had to be sent to the clinic after he failed to manifest his personal barrier. My Professor has soured the class's perspective on him. Now, two of my classmates are involved in another engagement." Chunji didn't seem particularly unhappy nor elated at the details of his day.

"To state the conclusions of today's events requires for the day to end. A large sample data is also preferred as having experiencing only one day is not conclusive enough. Today's event will serve as a baseline of expectations for future reference." A complicated answer to Emelie's rhetorical question. If there was anything that could be read, it was the content of Chunji's words that expose some depth of his feelings regarding today's events.

Dayin popped up in front of him.

Otis had sent a message regarding matters of Chloe and Hildegrunde. Chunji was the second to last to leave class, but he had seen a glimpse of Chloe as he exited down the hall. Soon after Hildegrunde left as Chunji waited outside the classroom that Otis and Iraeleth had entered. Thinking back at it right now, she looked like she was trying to catch up to Chloe.

If you are referring to Ms. Steeler and Nachtnebel may be together. I do not know where they headed, but I remembered Nachtnebel following Chloe.

With that message penned, he looked back at the leylines. "Ms. Emelie, what are you thoughts on these leylines?" Chunji inquired. It seemed random, but this was the only topic they had in common at the moment. "I have felt them out and I can understand the importance of their power. Other than the Primal Leyline, the others were responsive. Did you have a leyline that was incompatiable with you?"

Would using his Ethos expose terribles truths once more? Emelie, the leylines, and the mysteries the Academy kept all held some sort of terrible knowledge. If the Golden Pillar was the culimination of these four leylines, then what ultimate sin did it carry?

Iris Ascendis

Ciara.

That was the intruding thought that came into Chunji's mind as he heard her voice behind him. Ciara was en route to approaching Valen and his group of followers. Chunji knew that Ciara despised Valen based on what he said at the auditorium. Still, he honestly didn't expect her to act this rashly, especially in the presence of the principal.

Should he stop her? It seemed too late, as Ciara had already started provoking Valen. Even if he did try, Ciara would not appreciate his efforts. They did not have any sort of bond that would provide a strong persuasion, nor could he have constructed a proper sentence that avoided criticizing her for her rash decision.

It was better for him to not interfere at all. Ciara was confident she could handle the aftermath, and Chunji didn't see any point in dragging himself into someone else's problem.

Chunji headed inside the leyline attunement zone. After experiencing an overcharged Leyline, leylines became a topic of interest to Chunji, from its immense amount of essence to the potentially horrifying ramifications that dwelled within the artificial leylines. It would have had a lot of potential if Otis had been both knowledgeable and interested in it.

There were four leylines, from what Chunji could feel. Four of them had distinct feelings, and one actively rejected him. It was out of compatibility, but the Primal Leyline felt stiff as he observed. Leylines were like rivers, a comparison many people must have agreed with as they stretched across the academy.

The Arcane Leyline felt 'solid.' In the way of a tower that breached the skies, the Arcane Leyline felt endless and disappeared beyond the horizon. It stood above everything below and held command over the essence stored within. A foundation that was built and continued to be built as time progressed.

An inverse to it was the Divine Leyline. While the Arcane Leyline was solid, the Divine Leyline felt as if it was fluctuating. The Divine was more encompassing in how the Arcane Leyline was encapsulating. An idol upon the hill that stood over the town. It shined radiantly in the day, yet it cloaks itself in the darkness of the night.

The Occult Leyline, in contrast, was unstable. Not in the way that it could be used, but it was considerably unpredictable. In the way that man can never predict the weather, the tide of the Occult nearly lashed out at random when Chunji tried to sense it. A feeling that Chunji was familiar with and didn't seem to be particularly bothered by it.

The Primal Leyline was left relatively untouched. Once Chunji received no response, he didn't bother to try to tap into it again. A matter of incompatibility for all, he was considered.

What was most curious was how each connected to the Golden Pillar, where Principal Raja was standing. Was this the precipice of leyline knowledge? How did the leylines not combust once connected with every one of them? It was a question that Chunji both mused and discarded. He felt that connecting them like that came at a great cost.

The announcement would come soon. Dayin had gave him the result and he would provide it at the ceremony.

The Sword of Wund. It was fitting admittedly. If blood was drawn by a sword, then so too will a healer be nearby.

Iris Ascendis

@Nanaya

How many leylines are there in the attunement zone? I'm going to try and have Chunji interact with them.

Expedition to Isekai

By the time Shun woke, Duncan and Asahi were long gone on their own adventure. Shun didn't think too much as it was their own decision to leave the camp by themselves. She also wasn't the one who could criticize their situation, since she did the same thing yesterday. From what she gathered, other than Ayana, no one noticed her disappearance nor seemed to care that much.

Such was the life of an outlier.

Shun stretched her limbs and walked over to eat some of the breakfast that had been prepared. They were in a good situation, but who knew how long that would last. Savoring the last of the breakfast, Shun contemplated on what she could do for today. She wasn't particularly interested in interacting with her classmates, and she didn't want to sit still.

"I'll patrol the area, get a walk-in." Shun said as she up and left the area. The forest was a serene and quiet, yet could be awfully deadly. Shun wondered if the deer she had seen earlier would appear back to take a sip from the lake. Hopefully, it didn't and hopefully it didn't bring any friends. The last thing she wanted right now was to get into a brawl. Shun was still savoring the glory from her last fight.

Iris Ascendis

Davil must've neglected his Adapa if he hadn't learned essence manipulation from it. However, his problem regarding Personal Barriers might be a unique case. Davil being unable to encase himself in a barrier and traveling into a leyline was a curious case. Maybe it had something to do with his Prime Essence? The incompatibility of a prime essence, say, 'Traveler,' versus enclosing oneself wall seemed quite disjointed and would prove why he could travel from leyline to leyline.

Purely conjecture. In general, Chunji didn't know enough of the essence to make that theory more than a theory. It was a fun thought, but ultimately needless in the end.

Chunji was more interested in his Adapa. The principal said it should cover weaknesses, enhance strengths, and more. Under that statement, it seemed possible to modify Dayin further. Another subject of future interest. He'd need to allocate two more hours to researching his Adapa. He'd like to ask for Otis's insight if time and place were allowed.

Little time left meant little time left to ponder. Students started to gather around for the attunement ceremony.

If Chunji were to give his honest opinions on the event, he'd prefer to flip a coin and join whatever side. The event was to formulate teams and create a competitive environment that would boost the growth of both sides. Chunji despised conflict and, in turn, disliked the need for competition. With or without conflict, he'd reach his end goal.

How would others see the attunement? It was obvious that Iraleth was on Nero's side. With her faith and protector behavior, it was fitting for someone like her to join that side. He presumed Chloe would join Nero based on her 'pacifistic' actions and personality. Rio was a package deal with Chloe. Davil would most likely follow the group that most people he was familiar with. Otis and Ciara were the same as Chloe and Rio, but he didn't know what side they would join. He didn't have enough information on Hildegrunde.

"Dayin. Flip a coin."

A static hum was emitted from Dayin. A coin was flipped. A result was found. An answer that he would provide at the attunement center.

Iris Ascendis

Observe and note.

It seemed his line of reasoning was pessimistic. Otis and Iraleth had successfully retrieved a unwounded Davil from the leyline which meant that Chunji's presence was no longer needed. Having not entered the room, Chunji left without a sound and passed by Room 103. The bright light that shined in 104 shined the same in 103. Chunji didn't know why Otis chose to return back to the room, but it was a situation that didn't matter to him.

As soon as Chunji left the building, he staggered a bit. The loss of blood was getting to him, but he could persevere until the Attunement Ceremony ended.

There wasn't much time left, so it was quite pointless to run back to the dorms to change into more suitable clothing. His spell had cleaned off most of the grime and he didn't break much of a sweat during the fight. That left him in the odd situation of spending the few minutes he had left. It left him with time to reflect on his day.

Bonding with his classmates was an extremely hard tasks. All, except Iraleth to an extent, had drastically different personalities that Chunji found difficult to interact with. Combining the fact he had one of the most green teachers he had in his life, Chunji felt that the journey head was a lot more rockier than he had expected.

Alto said that it was the 'leyline attunement zone.' Was the attunement going to take place in an overcharged leyline? He could have searched for it with Ethos, but he wanted refrain from straining it too much.

"Dayin." In the next moment his Adapa appeared. "Tell me of your functions." In the next few moments, he would familarize himself with the Adapa while he waited. Other than essence mail and the other function, was it possible to utilize the Adapa for something else? Either way, it would good use of his time understanding how it worked.

Iris Ascendis

Poor Davil. By the time Chunji's finished with him, he'll have a hundred years of bad luck.

Iris Ascendis

So, it was an experiment at best. Chunji didn't betray any emotion as he checked over Alto's leg one last time. There wasn't any need for medical help as Alto's passive regenerations dealt with the worst injury.

"Considering the outcome, harsh wouldn't be an apt word for this situation. The correct word for the situation would be 'failed' as not only has one student gone missing, but you have also failed to connect with us students on a personal level. While Rio's sudden attack was unaccounted for, you did escalate and supported a degree of aggression in the relationship between student and teacher. Additionally, your casualness with Davil's possible demise would exacerbate the issue further. Your following statement insinuates neglect for students' wellbeing, which may be the reason why Ms. Steeler had left in a rush. These are my thoughts on your question, 'Was I that harsh?' You may need to survey other students' opinions to form a general group consensus, as my opinions may differ from my peers. I have questions, but those can wait until the next class. Until then, have a good day, Professor."

After delivering his unpassionate thoughts on the class, Chunji left the room. He took out eye drops and, applied them to their eyes, and let them settle in. Professor Alto seemed rather unprofessional and inexperienced in being a teacher. The only sample of comparison would be Professor Lumyr, but further interaction would be needed to conclude the general mindset of the average teacher in Wingram Academy. Additionally, Chunji would need to interact with more teachers to support this study. He would allocate some of his time to that small curiosity.

Looking down the hall, Chunji would've spotted Iraleth and Otis at the class next door. Students shuffled into the halls with weary expressions, most likely from participating in the same exercise. Yet Did they think Davil went into the other classroom's leyline? A plausible, if not guaranteed, theory, given that Otis was leading the charge. From the few interactions, Otis was most likely the smartest in class, so Chunji had some faith in his intellect.

"消除污垢，消除触摸" In a few words, the dirt slid off of Chunji's clothes. He'd leave them to it in that case. There was no reason for him to join, and if he had, he would have offered very little to their plan. It'd be best if he went to meet up with Professor Lumyr and discuss something at hand.

Though Davil was his responsibility.

Against his routine, Chunji decided to head to where Iraeleth was to observe and leaned against the wall. If Davil was inside this overcharged leyline, then he'd most likely be kicked out of this one. Depending on whether or not Davil was a practical learner, he'd either be winded or broken into paste again. If the latter occurred, that's when Chunji would intervene.

Iris Ascendis

"...If that is the conclusion, very well." Chunji didn't bother to argue against the class's decision. It was pointless, and he understood their reasoning. Nothing could be done now, and Chunji had searched everywhere for the Wund. Overall, it was a personal failure on Chunji's part for being unable to fulfill his role. He would need to redouble his efforts so this would never happen again.

Yes, it was not an option.

He would need to reassess his evaluations of his classmates. While Chunji didn't consider himself morally upright, a few of his classmates were darker than him. Otis and Ciara didn't seem too bothered with Davil's disappearance. Otis did provide clear reasoning with solid evidence, and Ciara was the type to follow Otis's lead. Iraleth's opinion correlated to her general demeanor, so her assessment didn't need to be changed.

Chunji turned to face the woods as Alto returned them to the classroom. Once verdant trees were soon colored with crimson fires. The forest soon turned into a wildfire as every vine that stitched it together snapped. It was clear to Chunji that this was the original state of the leyline. A burning home with its folk turning into ash. Alto wrestled the leyline under his control and melded it to his magic. That was the leyline overchange technique.

However, as they returned to the classroom, Chunji was not surprised by the lack of a present Davil. "As expected, since Davil wasn't inside the leyline, he wasn't returned with us. I wonder where he went?" Chunji stated. The last part was meant for Alto if Chunji didn't hear his howl of pain. Turning to Alto, walked over and knelt beside him. Hildegrund's bullet had met its mark.

With his still active, strained eyes, Chunji peered into the wound and began to provide immediate first aid. The legs had vital arteries that circulated blood in them. If one of them were damaged, then blood loss could prove to be a fast death. Chunji would have to remove the bullet and heal the injury before Alto's condition became crucial.

His worries were unneeded. Alto's flesh began to regenerate and started to push the bullet out itself. Once the bullet had been pushed out, Chunji wrapped a bandage around his kneecap. Looking up to Alto, Chunji asked a question. "Do you know what happened to Davil is?" There showed a lack of concern in Chunji's as he followed up with another question.

"Additionally, are today's class concluded? As you've said, the attunement ceremony is at ten."

Iris Ascendis

@Nanaya

Chunji use his Ethos on Alto's leg wound. How bad is it? Did it hit an artery?