Chương 46: Chapter Forty-Six: Am I a Genius?

Kathryn's question genuinely stumps me. Only five minutes ago I was worried the others might have eclipsed my progress by leaps and bounds, and now I am finding out that I am apparently way ahead of them when it comes to skill talent. But how is that possible? I had a two-day handicap on them as well, yet I somehow exceed their abilities. Does the difference stem from stress and dangerous situations driving my levels higher?

I was on Floor One alone for a week, but I didn't even get that many levels during that time. The later levels have proven to be harder, so that means that the majority of my skills were pushed much harder during my time with Master Lirin than they ever were on Floor One. I might have been in danger of getting a concussion with the warlock, but there was no real threats around so I don't think danger is as important of a driver in skill growth as I thought.

It would seem the issue of leveling speeds are still beyond my current knowledge. Having thought I was getting a better hang on how the System works, I am annoyed to find that I am only scratching the surface of its secrets. The others continue to pester me about my skills and how I improved them so quickly, but I can do nothing to offer them any help.

If I myself don't understand what the difference between us is, then I doubt I could teach them anything that would be worthwhile in their attempts to improve their own skills.

"At least tell us what you learned about <Polarize> then. You can't just drop that you leveled it up five times and then not tell us what it does!" The trio continues to berate me, and I decide to humor them for a moment. Due to my extensive focus on the skill earlier, I know of its effects for the most part, but I decide to give them a practical demonstration while I tell Wade to go behind the hanging sheet where I can't see him.

Excited to learn about my skill, he follows my lead without question and disappears behind the white fabric.

"Okay, now hold up some random number with your fingers." I say while firing up <Polarize>. As soon as the skill activates, I feel a stream of mana enter through my eyes and my vision darkens while dull red and orange colors bloom into existence around me. It takes a moment for me to fully dial in the filter like I imagined beforehand, but finally I envision the correct wavelength filter directly covering the surface of my eye. < Polarize Lvl. 5 -> Polarize Lvl.

6 > I decide to keep the extra level up notification to myself as the world falls into a state of only heat. Blue shades encompass most of my field of view, but as my filtered eyes scan the surroundings of the barracks, I soon find two colorful figures standing next to me. The two girls have transformed into varying shades of red, orange, green, and blue as my improvised heat vision outlines their entire figures purely from the heat they give off alone.

The image isn't perfect, so I try to use the current feedback to adjust my vision even further as if turning a dial on a microscope. Eventually, the filter is much sharper and makes any lingering heat stand out better against the cerulean background of the cold barracks. I file the settings away in my head for quickly deployment in the future before turning over to the sheet that I told Wade to hide behind.

Immediately, I can see his dull figure waiting patiently for me to finish my demonstration while holding up a hand with two obvious fingers raised.

"You're holding up a two." The two girls wait with bated breath as the blond boy emerges from behind the pseudo-curtain with a grin on his face and two fingers held sky-high.

"X-Ray vision, man? Sounds like someone didn't get past puberty yet!" The girl's excited expressions quickly turn awkward as they turn toward me. I instantly stop my skill while recognizing the slightly disgusted looks they are giving me.

"It's heat vision, not X-ray! I can't see anything other than infrared light!" I blabber while scratching fervently at my neck. Wade just laughs while slapping me on the back while the other two's glares become relaxed once again.

"So, the skill lets you use heat vision? Is that it?" Kathryn presses while staring at me intently.

"Erm, well I guess I could probably manage something like X-ray vision eventually…" I can feel her brown eyes begin to burn a hole in my head, so I continue to ramble.

"Theoretically even if I was able to, I still wouldn't see anything weird! Wade is just a pervert, X-rays don't actually show anything other than bones for the most part!" My answer does not seem to completely put Kathryn at ease, but Nikki seems uninterested in the possible use of my skill after I explain myself. Wade continues to laugh heartily and I refrain from letting it slip that X-ray vision isn't too far off from my currently abilities already.

I imagine filtering ultraviolet light through my skill shouldn't be much more difficult than infrared, so the only issue after that would be figuring out how to target the waves just like they do with an actual X-ray machine. <Polarize> is basically a brand new skill in my eyes now, and the possibilities of its uses make me giddy.

I already formulated a few other filters I want to try out later, but for now I resign myself to brainstorming how to handle creating the material piercing effect of the hospital machine that maps out bones. As I muse over the options my skill could offer, the heavy wooden doors of the barracks swing open to reveal Angus, Benny, and Pawl. Immediately, I notice that Benny's eyes are puffy like he had just been crying.

Inwardly, I sigh while watching Kathryn instantly swap into mom mode and head over to the young boy. Despite not being able to hear Angus from here, I can make out the scared face he makes while seeing the older girl rush over to take care of Benny. As she arrives, I notice Angus attempting to give Pawl to the kid in order to make him calm down, but it surprisingly doesn't seem to work, and as soon as Benny sees Kathryn, he starts crying all over again. The narrative has been taken without permission.

Report any sightings. Trading glances with Wade, I watch the blond guy blow out a sigh while raising his eyebrows. Nikki seems similarly understanding of the situation, so we just sit back and watch as the Korean woman begins to rip into Angus like a protective mother. Holding back a laugh, I watch as she coddles Benny while saying something to Angus that makes the teenager pale and flail out his hands as he attempts to explain the younger boy's outburst.

This goes on for a few more minutes before Kathryn finally herds Benny over to the bathroom with Pawl in his hands to clean himself up while letting Angus off the hook. By the time Angus walks over to our spot at the bunk, he looks to have aged several years in an instant. While the three of us suppress our laughter, Wade gets ahold of himself the fastest and asks what happened.

"We were hanging out in a park so Benny could play around with Pawl, but then he started crying out of nowhere. I tried to figure out if he just fell and hurt himself or something, but he said that one of the women nearby looked like his sister. Once he figured out it wasn't her, he lost it and started crying so much that not even the cat could make him stop." I hadn't known known that Benny had a sister, but I guess it's not really that strange once you think about it.

Sometimes I forget that everyone here also had entire lives before The Pillar. I suppose the extended time I spent away from my family made me numb to the isolation brought on by our transport to this place. It makes me wonder just how much the people here are fighting to return to Earth; to see their families and resume their normal lives. Suddenly, Benny's outburst doesn't seem as funny to me anymore. Wade and Nikki seem to have been aware of his sister, as their expressions also take on a dour tone.

I realize that it isn't my business, but I can't help but ask about his sibling. As Angus settles down on a nearby bunk, I listen while Nikki explains that Benny's sister isn't dead or anything, but rather just another person who wasn't taken from the hospital. Personally, I think it's strange that Benny's sister wasn't taken along with everyone else given her relationship with the boy, but at the same time we have no idea why anyone in particular was taken.

The only consistent factor we know of at the moment is that everyone here is from the same hospital, but other than that, the circumstances for everyone's invitation to The Pillar are unknown. The four of us make small talk for a little while before Kathryn emerges from the bathroom with a smiling Benny in tow.

"Check it out! I have a mohawk!" The younger boy squeals in excitement while pointing at the messy hairdo Kathryn must've fashioned for him. We all encourage the cute kid while he proudly shows off his hair. Kathryn looks tired but happy to see the boy not upset anymore. After a moment of basking in our praise, I watch as he runs back over to the door and grabs something from the bathroom before hurrying back toward us.

"Now we are matching!" Benny pulls out Pawl from behind his back and holds him up in the air while the cat hangs with his feet dangling in the air. It would seem that the feline has also been given a hairdo, and now a little furry mohawk stretches from the top of his head and down his back. Meow. Nikki lets out an uncharacteristic giggle before walking over to rub Pawl's belly while she praises Benny on the manly style of his hair.

The kid's smile is practically beaming, and I can't help but smirk at the picture of the boy holding the fuzzy cat like a prize. Wade joins in and begins to compliment Benny on his growth into a big manly man while tickling his armpits and neck. The entire scene is quite heartwarming for some reason, yet I only watch from nearby rather than join in. I have never been particularly good with situations like this, and I am thoroughly impressed with Kathryn's ability to soothe the boy's longing for his family.

The relieved smile on her face tells me she is happy at the sight of the smiling kid, but her eyes once again convey her deep exhaustion at having to care for Benny. Like before, I decide it is not my business, and I head over to a bunk near everyone else. Snuggling underneath the heavy wool blanket, I kick back and relax while I observe everyone enjoying themselves.

The group continues with their antics for another hour before the rest of Squad Five gets back to the barracks. We had already talked via the Forum while they were on the way back, so the rest of the group is already tracking the new information Henry, Sara, Sandra, and Vince gathered while scouting the city. With the new data on the table, we now know the general layout of the city as well as the location of the castle where the king's staff is gathered.

It's impossible for us to create a map of the city through our knowledge alone, but luckily Sara and Henry had found a cartography shop on their trip through the streets. The map along with the first person data everyone consolidated has allowed us to divide the cities in variable sectors to refine our future search with. After a quick meeting with the others, we identify five distinct rings that separate each section of the city into their respective class.

While beforehand I had a general idea of how the city was designed and some specific aspects of each ring; now I know the entire floor is divided into six rings with each growing from the edge of the castle and outward. Instead of a central location for the castle with the rings surrounding each other as they go on like a dartboard, the city is actually more like a top-down fortress that stretches toward the north side of the Veil, opposite of where I entered floor 2 on.

The North Veil Gate is supposed to be heavily guarded and at the highest risk area, therefore the castle stands nearby to deploy the strongest warriors they have at a moment's notice. After the castle, the second ring surrounds about 90% of the king's fortress, with the area being filling with training fields, guarded roads, and storage facilities that act as support for the king's resources and troops.

Next, the third ring consists of the rich folk, including the highest level crafters, business owners, and other specialists that rake in the most chips. The space here is lavish and open, with various personal properties as well as central headquarters for some of the leading companies in the entire city. The fourth ring follows this, with semi-upper class workers and high-ranking members of the crafters group.

This ring is the smallest after the king's, with the third and fifth ring overlapping on the edges of each, creating a shape relative to a two-circle comparison graph with the inside being the fourth ring. With the fifth ring overlapping the third, it is the second largest of the rings and holds almost 60% of this world's population of humans. There are areas with lower income, but almost everyone residing within this huge area makes enough to support a family with little to no issues at all.

Kathryn and I never got further than the streets of the fifth ring, so I personally know just how far the sprawling streets reach and the sheer density of population that is held within the city's edge ring. Finally, there is the sixth and final ring. This one encompasses everything outside of the city's reach while still remaining within the Veil. The area mostly consists of various hunting grounds, farmlands, and other outlier towns.

Around 30% of the humans on this floor reside somewhere within this ring and live in a spectrum of economic weight. Surrounding all of this is the Veil, of course. Spanning as far as the eye can see in any given line of sight, the only reason I know where the cardinal directions are located is due to the fact that the four gates that allow entry into the land of humans each sit in their respective directions.

With the North Gate near the Castle, this means that the South Gate that I entered through is the absolute farthest point away from where our quest says to go. Since our station for the monster wave lies at the South Gate, this means that we are hours away from getting to the castle at any given time. So, if one of the gates is breached and our timeline for completing the Floor Objective is forcefully expedited just like before, we are basically screwed.