Chapter 305

Ｒｅａｄ ​ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａｄ​ｉｎｇＣ​ａｆｅ

It was incredible.

Eugene genuinely thought so.

Though he was considered to be at the level of a captain, he realized he was still several steps behind. He became acutely aware of how vast and unyielding the wall separating him from the captains was. It was like trying to dig through Mount Tai with a small trowel—an impossible challenge. It was an insurmountable wall.

That’s why he couldn’t help but marvel at Alice, who had transcended her limits.

He watched the girl sitting upright with her eyes closed. At first glance, she looked like she was asleep, but the faint heat haze corrected that illusion. A red afterglow scattered like mist. A tiny fraction of her Supernatural Ability was leaking out.

The atmosphere around her was different.

The feeling she gave off had changed.

Eugene instinctively realized it.

Alice had truly risen to a position equal to the captains.

“She really is the genius of the century, even the God of War admired her… I’m really jealous.”

He let out a small, bitter laugh.

It’s always true that someone else’s rice cake looks bigger.

To others, he himself was an irrational existence.

A power that could copy other Supernaturals’ abilities?

Even he thought it was like a cheat ability from a child’s imagination.

A power that violated the common sense that one person could only have one Supernatural Ability.

Among the rare irregulars, he was the most irregular.

If he, who had gained infinite potential, were to envy others…

Wouldn’t that be too shameless?

“But the problem is that I can’t utilize that infinite potential at all.”

Eugene’s bitter laugh turned into a wry smile.

A small flame bloomed on his index finger.

A crimson flame with a scarlet heat ray overlay.

He added acceleration, causing it to spin at ultra-high speed.

This small flame could slaughter high-rank monsters. Eugene had that much power. The high-rank monsters he once feared had now become mere mobs to him.

But what if he added other powers to this flame? Teacher Angelica’s “Earth”, Anastasia’s “Clones”, Knight Leader Johan’s “Holy Sword”, or 2nd Division Captain Kallad’s “Thunder”.

Adding just one would exponentially increase its power. If he could even use the God of War’s Supernatural Ability, Eugene’s combat power would skyrocket.

Infinite potential.

Even the potential to reach the God of War.

Eugene felt a tightness in his chest. The path to becoming stronger was right in front of him, but he couldn’t grasp it, like a mirage. 

‘It’s my ability, so why don’t I know how to use it? I vaguely know how to borrow abilities, but the conditions for borrowing them are still a mystery.’

“…Let’s start over from the beginning.”

Eugene flicked his hand, extinguishing the flame.

He plopped down on the ground and tightly closed his eyes.

The aftermath of the sparring match had left the area messy, but he didn’t care at all.

“The only condition I’ve confirmed so far is… I can’t copy the abilities of Supernaturals stronger than me.”

This was valuable information he had learned after trying to copy the God of War’s ability.

The backlash would have killed him if he didn’t have super-regeneration. It was unforgettable.

Everything else was just speculation—suspicions without concrete evidence.

“The people I’ve borrowed abilities from so far… were all people I had a close relationship with.”

Classmates.

Lucia. Leo. Arin. Alice. Frey.

Super regeneration. Acceleration. Danger Sense. Heat Ray. Hardening.

“Supernatural Abilities are the power of the mind. The manifestation of consciousness. Borrowing and copying a Supernatural Ability is no different from copying that person’s mind.”

That’s why using more than one Supernatural Ability at the same time placed a significant burden on the mind.

You’re controlling another person’s manifested will with your own.

Among the abilities he had copied, the ones he could use most comfortably were Yui’s Pyrokinesis and Lucia’s Super regeneration.

“Maybe to borrow a Supernatural Ability…”

I need to know that person intimately?

If I know what kind of person they are, it would be easier to copy their Supernatural Ability (will).

If that’s the case, it would explain why I could use Yui’s ability as if it were my own, and why Lucia’s ability was so easy to use.

But this hypothesis had a fatal flaw.

It couldn’t explain why I couldn’t borrow the abilities of other Supernaturals I was close to.

I tried to borrow the abilities of my classmates in Class A, but all attempts failed.

Even though we’ve interacted as classmates and their abilities are weaker than mine.

Was the hypothesis wrong? Or is it correct, but there’s a limit to how many abilities I can hold? Have I already exceeded that limit? If so, how do I increase it?

“It’s complicated…”

“What’s complicated?”

“Whoa?!”

A familiar voice interrupted his muttering. Eugene’s eyes shot open in surprise. If he had been paying attention, he would have noticed someone approaching, but he had been too deep in thought.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you…”

“No, no need to apologize. It’s my fault for not paying attention.”

Eugene’s face turned noticeably red.

Did I just show my pathetic side in front of Lucia?

He fiddled with his burning earlobes and looked up at Lucia. Normally, he would be looking down at her due to their height difference, but since he was sitting, his gaze naturally went upward. At that moment, his already red face seemed to explode with color. Blood rushed to his face at an explosive speed.

What filled Eugene’s vision wasn’t Lucia’s face but the soft hills of her chest. The buttons of her uniform were straining, as if they might burst at any moment from the excessive pressure.

“Wait, don’t move. Stay still.”

“Lu-Lucia?”

“Hmm… yeah, got it. Eek!”

He felt a slight sting on his head. He thought it might have been a hallucination from the blood rushing to his head, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Lucia held up a white strand of hair and smiled brightly.

“Look. A strand of gray hair. Your hair is as beautiful as the night sky, but the white stands out. Have you been under a lot of stress lately? You looked really serious just now. Are you okay? I know some stress-relieving exercises. Want me to show you? You stretch your arms and legs like this…”

“N-No, I’m fine. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Really? It’s also good for growing taller…”

The movement of her chest as she stretched her clasped hands upward caught Eugene’s attention.

It was only for a brief moment, but Eugene’s reflexes and reaction speed were beyond human.

He immediately looked away, but the image was already burned into his mind.

“If you have any worries, you can tell me anything. Even if it’s a personal issue you can’t share with others, it’s fine. We’re close, right? Alice is meditating, and I left Seri with Regina, so I’m the only one here to listen. Ahem, today, Lucia is going to be a counselor. Now, Eugene. Unload all your burdens.”

“Did your…”

“My what?”

“…”

“Why did you stop?”

“…No, it was a slip of the tongue. Forget it.”

“Eh? What is it?”

‘I’m going crazy.’ 

Eugene was seized by the urge to pull out his own tongue.

The sentence “Did your chest get bigger recently?” almost slipped out without passing through his brain.

I must be really tired. She said to unload my burdens, not to sexually harass her. If I had been a few seconds slower to regain my composure, what would have happened? It felt like I was under hypnosis. Scary. Big breasts are scary. It’s a hypnosis that no man can resist…

“If you don’t want to talk… hehe, fine. I’ll just have to figure it out myself.”

“What?!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“N-No…”

Did she figure it out?

Eugene gritted his teeth.

Was my gaze too obvious? I tried to look away quickly.

I wasn’t this nervous even when sparring with the God of War.

Eugene’s back was drenched in cold sweat.

“The reason you’re stressed… I think I know what it is.”

“Ah, that…”

Eugene barely held back a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn’t that. It was just an overreaction. 

‘Yeah, I even used acceleration to look away.’ 

His shoulders slumped as the tension drained away. Lucia seemed to interpret his reaction differently. Her voice sounded a bit dejected.

“Is it… that hard to talk about? S-sorry. I was being too rude, wasn’t I? Forcing my way in when you don’t want to talk isn’t helpful, it’s just a nuisance…”

“N-no, it’s not a nuisance or anything…”

“But I can’t just ignore it when you’re so stressed you’re getting gray hairs…”

Lucia groaned, lost in thought. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t reveal the truth. He didn’t want to be labeled a pervert by Lucia. He didn’t want to show his ugly side to her, of all people.

“Hmm, hmm, ugh… okay, yeah, I’ve decided!”

She clenched her fists cutely, her face filled with determination. Eugene began to feel an inexplicable sense of danger. It was a separate intuition from his Danger Sense.

“It’s embarrassing… really embarrassing…”

“Lucia?”

“You see, I’ve heard this rumor before. Men are such simple creatures…  they can get energized just by a certain part of a woman…”

“Uh, Lucia?”

“So, about your stress… even if it’s something you don’t want to talk about, something hard to say, something you can only suffer through alone… I think this method can help relieve it without you having to say anything…”

“W-Why are you unbuttoning…”

“Don’t misunderstand, okay? I wouldn’t do this for anyone else. You’re special!”

Before Eugene could finish his question.

Her uniform top came off, revealing the sweat-soaked blouse underneath.

Lucia smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze.

Then, in a creeping voice, she said.

“Do you… want to touch my chest?”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene’s patience test.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Now he has an excuse, go crush her.