Chapter 86: My Name is Tadakuni, and I'm Just an Ordinary High School Student.
...
Receiving Shiro's coordinates, Seito teleported instantly. He found the Blank siblings waiting in a secluded corner of the Safe Zone. Without a word, he activated Kamui, pulling the three of them into his private dimension.
Standing within the swirling void of the Kamui space, Seito gripped the hilt of his Spatial Dragon Tachi and funneled his Divinity into the blade.
Whoosh—!
One hundred points of Divinity surged into the steel. A brilliant white halo erupted, enveloping the Tachi until the blade itself was nothing but a silhouette of pure light. It drifted from Seito's hand, hovering suspended in mid-air.
"So this is the process of Divine evolution?"
Sora rubbed his chin, observing the phenomenon with clinical fascination. Shiro watched with equally wide eyes.
After ten minutes of intense radiance, the white light finally receded. The Spatial Dragon Tachi now pulsed with a faint, holy aura as it drifted back into Seito's right hand.
[Equipment "Spatial Dragon Tachi" has been nourished by Divinity.]
[Spatial Dragon Tachi (Divine Artifact)]
Effect 1: Grants "Gale Force." When attacking with this blade, Attack Power scales to 5000% of the user's Speed stat.
Artifact Set Effect (Space Set 1/5): "Spatial Deprivation." Kills with this blade absorb the target's Speed. If the target possesses Divinity, that will be absorbed first.
Rank Up Condition: Unlockable at Level 100. (Note: Since the player lacks a "Godhead," the weapon must be regularly nourished with Divinity, or it will revert to Gold tier.)
Seito stared at the new stats, his heart racing. This wasn't just a small bump—it was a complete overhaul! The removal of the cap on "Spatial Deprivation" meant he could potentially strip a World Boss of its entire Speed stat.
However, the note about the "Godhead" gave him pause. It made sense; he had the power of a god, but not the status. He was a mortal wielding a divine tool. As long as he kept using his Divinity to maintain it, it would stay at peak performance.
"Suddenly, the Gold gear in my hand feels like trash," Sora joked after seeing the attribute screen.
"Don't sell yourself short," Seito grinned, sheathing the radiant blade. "Gold gear is the foundation for everything Divine."
"Shiro wants to craft a Gold item tonight, too!" Shiro raised her hand high.
"Then I wish you the best of luck, Shiro-chan," Seito said, giving her a head-pat that made the little genius squint in quiet enjoyment. After a few more moments, he sent them back to the real world and logged off.
....
Seito's Apartment.
Returning to reality, Seito saw that Amou and Kanade were already sound asleep. He quietly changed into his pajamas and collapsed onto the bed, drifting off instantly.
The night passed in silence.
The next morning: "Seito-kun~ wake up~"
Feeling a gentle tug on his arm, Seito blearily opened his eyes to see Kanade standing over him. "Oh, Kanade... five more minutes."
"Seito, it's 7:00 AM. You're going to be late for school," Amou reminded him from the doorway.
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up," Seito mumbled, rolling over.
Amou sighed. She was used to Seito's chronic tardiness, and Kanade knew that with his in-game abilities manifesting in reality, "running late" didn't mean the same thing for him as it did for others. The two girls left for school together.
7:25 AM.
On a main thoroughfare, a high schooler was sprinting at full speed with a piece of toast in his mouth.
Hello, everyone. My name is Tadakuni. I'm a high school student. I'm about to be late for school, so I grabbed a piece of bread and bolted out the door.
But...
Tadakuni looked over his shoulder at Hidenori Tabata, who was sprinting alongside him while holding a steaming bowl of ramen. Tadakuni nearly tripped over his own feet.
"Hidenori! Why on earth are you eating ramen while running?!"
"I'm late for school," Hidenori said between slurps, picking up his pace. "Eating breakfast on the way is perfectly logical, isn't it?"
Logical, my foot! Tadakuni screamed internally. Who eats ramen during a sprint?!
But then, a third bizarre figure emerged from a side street. Tadakuni's jaw dropped so far his bread fell onto the pavement. Yoshitake Tanaka was sprinting beside them, gnawing on a massive, whole ham.
"What are you all looking at?" Yoshitake took a huge bite. "I'm late, so I'm eating my protein on the go. It's logical."
Hidenori: "Logical!"
Tadakuni: "Go to hell!"
A few seconds later, another figure casually strolled out of an alleyway and joined the pack. Tadakuni's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"Seito?! You're the worst one! Is that... a whole roasted pig?!"
Indeed, it was Seito. The roasted suckling pig was the leftovers from last night that the girls hadn't finished. Not wanting to waste food, he had brought it along as breakfast.
"It's just last night's leftovers," Seito said casually, tearing off a rib while maintaining a steady jog. "I'm late, I'm hungry—this is peak logic."
Hidenori: "Logical!"
Yoshitake: "Extremely logical!"
Tadakuni: "LOGICAL, MY FOOT!!!"
As he looked at the three boys frantically inhaling their respective feasts while sprinting toward the school gates, Tadakuni felt like the only sane person left in the world.
.....
Thank you for reading.