Chapter 139: The Classic Post-Match Review Session
In any case, the matter of Avinoleum has come to an end for now.
Over the past two days, under the guise of "caretaking" (read: surveillance), Rover brought different people every day to keep an eye on Aeron, leaving him no opportunity to end his own life.
And then, it was still her who, while saying "I need to tidy up a bit" as if it were her own idea, organized his living space neatly under Aeron's direction.
Not only is she highly capable in combat, but she's also all-around competent in everything else. Isn't that just too superhuman?
Although Aeron really wanted to ask her just how much free time she had, every time he was about to speak, he was glared into silence.
Now, Aeron, who had finally regained his mobility, was sitting at the desk in his room, reviewing the events that had taken place in Avinoleum.
Fortunately, the previous battle was confined to the main tower, and aside from that location, no other areas were damaged. To avoid affecting the concert, they temporarily used the universal excuse of a "gas explosion" (?) to cover it up.
He had learned a lot from the Grand Architect that he didn't really want to know, but since similar situations had occurred before, he actually accepted it quite quickly?
Moreover, the gains he had made from it were not insignificant.
First was the new reward—Sandevistan.
It accelerates the body's perception of time, with no physical changes, but prolonged use can lead to symptoms like vomiting and fainting.
However, there are drawbacks.
Although Aeron underwent a painless process of installing cyberware, it ultimately relies on overdrawing the body's resources.
After activation, if his physical condition is poor, he cannot use it a second time within a short period.
Fortunately, this weakness isn't as significant as imagined. With Status Refresh, theoretically, it can be used indefinitely.
It's far more useful than that damn Toxicology Understanding.
With this, Aeron can have more time to think and observe the situation during battles, which suits him well.
For Aeron, as long as his consciousness can still think, there is no dead end.
As for the second thing—
Aeron raised his hand, and as his thoughts stirred, specks of light began to gather in the air, eventually forming a floating card in his hand.
The Major Arcana Card—The World!
This was something Arsène obtained by defeating the Grand Architect's Stand and absorbing its frequency.
To be honest, the moment it appeared, Aeron knew what to use it for, but now there's a small problem.
Currently, the The World card only bears the numeral "XXI," while the entire card face remains blank.
"...How am I supposed to use this?"
Speaking of which, when the System previously granted him Arsène and Satanael, it only gave him the Persona Masks.
But it's important to know that Persona Masks aren't limited to just those two.
The 22 Major Arcana Cards correspond to hundreds of Persona Masks, all of which are recorded in the Persona Compendium.
Could it be that they must be obtained through death? But before, Aeron had already used Arsène to kill himself, and switching to Satanael only changed the magnitude of the damage.
The "method" of death itself hasn't changed, and it's not guaranteed to actually be obtained.
Previously, because Arsène could strengthen itself by devouring frequencies, and Satanael's single shot was also quite powerful—both were fairly strong—Aeron didn't pay too much attention to it.
However, now that the Grand Architect had revealed that information to him, Aeron truly needed some more practical power to strengthen himself.
Although Aeron was currently in Rinascita, judging from the Grand Architect's words, another Threnodian in another region had already set their sights on him.
Recalling what he had seen earlier when he fell from the sky after defeating Leviathan, Aeron had basically guessed who it would be.
Threnodian—Aleph-1.
A being that had successfully destroyed civilizations on other planets, then arrived at Solaris after a series of twists and turns, and was now in Lahai-Roi.
Unlike Leviathan, which manipulated people's hearts and drew power from faith, Aleph, representing "nothingness"... well, it just wanted to eat.
Indeed, Aeron had played too recklessly before, attracting unnecessary attention.
Honestly, if it were just Aleph-1, Aeron really couldn't be bothered.
The Rover would eventually go over there and deal with it; the pink-haired girl frequently mentioned on the Startorch Academy forum he'd been browsing would also take action; and both the Startorch Academy and Pioneer Association in Lahai-Roi would surely act as well.
In any case, Aeron wouldn't die—even if captured, he had ten thousand ways to escape. Should I avoid its edge?
However, the conditions the Grand Architect had offered him earlier were indeed very attractive.
Of course, Aeron himself wouldn't ally with Fractsidus—after all, he didn't think he was that bored yet.
But his System was "strengthen through death."
It couldn't be a repeated method of death; it had to be spectacular, dying with a roaring, unstoppable force.
For a long time before, he hadn't obtained any new abilities, but after being killed by the Grand Architect's Stand, he acquired Sandevistan.
...And just as one never has too much money, one never has too much power—especially not now.
Since someone had set their sights on Aeron, not just for his own sake but also for the others in Ragunna, he had to find a way to gain more power.
He wasn't a good person, but he had his own principles. If anyone among them got hurt because of him, he wouldn't forgive himself.
After all, since crossing over to Ragunna, whether before or after obtaining the System, his life had been far better than in his previous one.
As Aeron himself had said, the days spent with them were happy.
As repayment for them accompanying him through such a long, wonderful time, within his capabilities, Aeron would definitely protect them.
And to achieve that goal, Aeron needed to gain even greater power.
Thinking of this, his gaze once again fell upon the The World card in his hand.
Since he could obtain it, that meant Aeron could also make other Persona Masks his own.
Although it might not be as effortless as Elbow Taro, Elbow Long, or Elbow Card, at least this card should serve its purpose, right?
"For now, let's set our goal as collecting Persona Masks."
At the moment, there's still a lack of truly viable methods... but Aeron already has an idea. However, now isn't the time to focus on that.
"Later, I'll head to the Hidden Sea Testing Ground..."
Knock, knock, knock—
Just as Aeron was about to wrap things up, the mansion's door suddenly rang with knocks.
He calmly stood up, left the room, and ran into Cartethyia and Roccia, who had also just stepped out of their rooms.
"Ah, it's the heartbreaker." / "Mr. Aeron."
"Good evening, Roccia."
Ignoring Cartethyia, who had just addressed him with that strange and inexplicable title, Aeron greeted Roccia and then walked downstairs with them.
They were all used to this situation. After all, at this hour, there was only one person who would come visiting.
Although Aeron really wanted to hide in his room and not come out, he still needed to meet her—to let her know he had recovered well and that she didn't need to come anymore.
"I'll go answer the door. Little Carte, could you check if there are any snacks or tea to serve?"
"Leave it to me~"
"Mr. Aeron, let me also—"
"No, Roccia is a guest. Let Little Carte handle this."
Consider it a small punishment for those three words she said earlier.
After settling Roccia on the sofa, Aeron stretched his slightly sore shoulders and walked toward the main door.
Knock, knock, knock
Still the same gentle yet purposeful knocking.
"Coming, coming."
As he spoke, Aeron walked to the door and reached for it without the slightest hesitation or doubt.
Who else but Rover would come here so late at night?
With that thought, Aeron opened the door—
"Ah..."
The moment the door opened, Aeron met the expected pair of golden eyes.
...Except, there were also some other people here.
Like some red-haired poet, a reclusive jellyfish, a banking workhorse, the Order's Primus, and even a—
"Hello, nice to meet you."
A blue... butterfly?
Oh, and by the way, there was also a swaying white cowlick tucked among them.
"...Eh?"