Chapter 61: Own growth

"You have a flashlight?!"

"Well, don’t shout it out," Ormann laughed. "But yes. I do have a flashlight. It’s the ’one’ item I brought with me to the License Exam."

The importance of a flashlight couldn’t be overstated. It broke the game, basically. Every single examinee was limited by their source of light. It was one of the reasons why no one except for Magnus had yet to finish a Burrow and break the Concrete Block.

It magnified the difficulty of these puzzles and obstacles and traps twofold.

A flashlight was basically a gun in a fist fight. It took away the danger, mystery, and risk of the Subterranean Burrows and turned it into a simple exercise.

"With this flashlight, the Quicksand Burrow will be a breeze," Ormann urged.

While the others were debating, Ormann flashed them with light, overwhelming them with brightness.

It illuminated and chased away all the worries in their faces. Though, they did get blinded for a good second. Their eyes had a hard time adjusting from very dim light to very bright light.

"Okay, okay," Sierra laughed, pushing the flashlight down. "Let’s do it. If... if you’re right, then the Quicksand Burrow is probably an obstacle made by a very powerful Awakener Organization."

"Or maybe from the Prominent Families too," added Sky.

The mere prospect of impressing them sent a jolt of exciting electricity down their spines. If they completed this, their futures weren’t just secured. They’d be bolstered to the high heavens! Becoming a National Superhero wouldn’t just be a dream.

Six of the ten Nation-ranked Awakeners in Los Medes all came from the Prominent Families.

And it was all because of the Martial Manuals and Ascension Arts they had sole possession of.

Completing their quest could grant them an opportunity to learn those techniques!

"Okay. Let’s do it," said Abe. Even his disdain for the Prominent Families couldn’t tone down his eagerness.

The others gave their agreement as well. The only holdout was Eren and Celeste.

She looked at him, inspecting his eyes. "If you go, I’ll go."

"You guys went through that tunnel and survived the flails and traps with very limited sunspores. This Quicksand Burrow will be a piece of cake!" Ormann assured them. His desperation was becoming more prevalent.

Eren thought for a second, before a smile crept up on his face.

"I’m game."

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Eren’s thoughts were distracted as they made their way through the Subterranean Burrows.

Everyone was in high spirits as they followed the map route to the Quicksand Burrow. But Eren felt a little bit nostalgic.

He remembered the time when a Bookwyrm Larvae infested the Immortal Library of Ræzoň. They were cute little things. At that time, it manifested as a caterpillar-esque critter that bore great resemblance to a certain monster game creature from Earth.

It appeared on the lowest level of the Cultivation Spire of the library, crawling up a few Martial Manuals and Ascension Arts like they were stairs.

"That’s cute," he remembered telling Athan.

His master made him describe what it looked like. From its green connected beaded body and yellow underside, to its round black eyes and its pink Y-shaped antennae.

As soon as he did, he felt a massive headache. Worse than dying in a car crash. It was as if a neurosurgeon forgot to give him anesthesia during brain surgery. That kind of unbearable pain.

Athan explained to him that it was the Bookwyrm’s doing. It fed off his description.

Bookwyrms manifested as different creatures to different people. It let Eren’s own subconscious conjure up a form that made itself look as cute and as harmless as possible.

And that form was unique only to Eren’s own perception. Meaning, it was knowledge known only to Eren. It was not available even in all the textbooks and manuals in Immoræ.

And Bookwyrms loved feasting on rare and exotic knowledge.

That’s why it devoured his mind the moment he uttered that unique form out loud. It used it as nourishment. The Bookwyrm grew twice as large as its original size and shed off its green shell to unfurl its new wings.

It flew up through the Cultivation Spire to feast on more knowledge.

The Bookwyrm thrived, while Eren felt endless pain. Being subject to such torment was hellish. The headache consumed him. He writhed on the ground for an entire day.

Athan knew all this, and yet, he let Eren explain the Bookwyrm’s form.

A valuable lesson, he told Eren.

Now that he knew what the Bookwyrm wanted, he could use it against it. Use mystical knowledge to lure the Bookwyrm into a false sense of security before eliminating it from existence.

It was a skill he needed to learn if he were to continue studying in the Immortal Library of Ræzoň.

And eventually, Eren did learn how to deal with Bookwyrms. He became efficient with them. Emotionless.

"We’re getting nearer," Ormann said from the front.

Eren stayed behind, watching Ormann’s back.

The clean-shaven man led the group through the Subterranean Burrows. They followed the map like it was a cheat code. They no longer had to make marks on forking paths or retrace their steps when they stumbled upon a dead end.

They didn’t use the flashlight to illuminate their way forwards. It would attract too much attention. Ormann reserved it only for when they arrived at their location and was sure no one else was in their tunnel.

A very smart decision, Eren thought. It seemed that Ormann would do everything he could to make sure they arrived at their destination.

He assuaged their worries.

In Sierra’s eyes, he looked dependable. In Abe’s eyes, he was a friend. In Sky’s eyes, he was a guiding hand to help them through this License Exam.

He was a different person to different people. Very much like how the Bookwyrm turned itself into a cute caterpillar to make itself look harmless in front of Eren.

Nostalgic, indeed.

Ormann was trying to do the same. He’s using them for his own growth.