Chapter 8
It might be embarrassing, but science confirms we exert more force when we shout.
"WAAAAHHHHH—!!"
Nothing.
"NEX power! Double NEX power!! Make it four times stronger!!"
Still nothing. Time to try a different approach.
"My NEX, burn bright and blaze higher!"
Don't give up yet.
"Stars of desire converging, open the path to brilliant light!!"
Not this either.
"Ora! Ora! Ora! Muda! Muda! Muda! Wryyyyyyyy—!!!"
This doesn't work either. Now I'm starting to feel genuinely embarrassed. My throat's getting sore too.
"..."
I'm out of ideas.
Nothing works. I've tried every method I can think of, but this NEX aura won't emerge.
I sigh. Last night I was so excited I could barely sleep, thinking about testing my NEX power. I rushed through breakfast and climbed this mountain to find a secluded spot for experiments. But I'm making zero progress.
Yesterday when Kleber unleashed his NEX aura, he didn't seem to do anything special. The energy just flowed from his body like he could turn it on and off like a light switch.
What should I do? Maybe instead of figuring it out alone, I should ask someone directly.
No good. Someone who's the team's top striker asking basic questions would raise suspicions. Plus, judging by how Kleber smiled while blasting his finishing move at me, I figure there are plenty of people just waiting to stomp on me while I'm down.
Can't show weakness so easily.
I'll put the NEX power aside for now. Maybe I can find answers in the library.
Still have some time before orientation starts. Need to make every second count. Regular football training for now.
Today's focus: ball control, continuing from yesterday.
I brought a football from home. The problem is location.
I climbed this mountain to avoid suspicion about NEX testing and not disturb anyone at home. It's about three kilometers from town—completely isolated.
It's peaceful here. Mysterious and ancient-looking, like if I accidentally fell into a ravine, vines would catch me, and I'd climb up to discover some legendary manual.
But this rocky, uneven ground isn't good for football practice. A beginner like me would get scraped up falling on these stones.
Not that I'm worried about much. Just don't want to get hurt and make the twins and Mother worry.
Alright, decision made. Let's go find some flat ground down the mountain.
"WAAAAHHHHH—!!"
This isn't me calling for NEX power. I'm screaming because my legs gave out, I tripped over a rock, and now I'm tumbling into a ravine.
Yes. I'm falling off a cliff.
"WAAAAHHHHH—!!"
Hey! This isn't funny! Am I really going to die falling down a mountain before I've accomplished anything?
Sorry, mountain spirits I was just joking about! Forgive me! I don't need any legendary manual, but please send some vines to grab onto!
Wait! Before relying on divine intervention, I need to help myself. I flail through the air, switching between freestyle and butterfly strokes, pressing myself against the cliff face.
SCREEEETCH!
"AHHHHHHH—!!"
This isn't me calling NEX power either. It's a scream of pain as my body scrapes down the stone wall.
This hurts like hell! Burns too!
It might look stupid, but at least it should reduce the impact when I hit bottom.
I hope.
Right, I'm a game character now. In a world with ridiculous power scaling. Falling down a ravine shouldn't be too serious.
Even if I hit the bottom, if I survive, I'll climb back up!
CRACK!
Eh? A rock... why is this rock so hard?
"AHHHHHHH—!!"
My finger's broken! Dead, dead, dead, I'm definitely dead!
[Congratulations on meeting the conditions. Title acquired: 'Pitiful']
[Effect of title "Pitiful": You gain skill "Pain Resistance LV1". The effect should be self-explanatory.]
Wow! Amazing! I got both a title and a skill!
What's amazing about it! I'm about to crash into the ground and die! What good is this in the afterlife? A "Pitiful" title? "Pain Resistance" skill? This is just adding insult to injury before death!
That's when it happened.
A flash of black light, like night arriving in an instant. Then I felt the wind shift suddenly.
My falling body began to float upward.
This supernatural phenomenon has to be NEX power.
Facing a life-or-death situation triggered my NEX awakening. That's what I thought.
But the next second, that theory crumbled.
It really was NEX power that saved me from falling. But the person using it wasn't me.
It was her.
I saw the girl. She caught me in her slender arms. Her eyes focused on nothing but saving my life. She spent time in the air, gliding back and forth before descending to the ground.
It was only a few dozen seconds, but what I felt from her seemed endless and overwhelming.
Is this an angel who flew down from heaven to save me?
"Are you injured anywhere?"
She spoke politely after setting me down gently. I should have felt grateful and thankful.
But when I saw her face and appearance clearly, I felt nothing but fear.
She had transformed into something else.
Her eyes had changed to emotionless red. Black symbols appeared across her delicate body. The polite girl from moments before now looked terrifying, as if cursed. Black flame aura poured from her body, forming wing-like shapes behind her—resembling a phoenix.
Not an angel. Definitely a demon.
This girl... no mistake. One of the top-ranked female villains from G.O.A.T TRICKS, both in popularity and power scale.
One of the users of Dark NEX. Inheritor of the nearly extinct divine bird bloodline. One of the Four Divine Birds serving the demon lord Baress, the boss from the third chapter's storyline.
Wings of Dark Flame: Himura Asuka.