Tenebrous Wolf-Chapter 41: Innate Adaptability

An hour later, Klaus exited the Tactical Survival class and headed to the academy's library.

Not only was he physically exhausted, but he was also mentally drained. After thirty minutes of testing his physical attributes with his fists, Instructor Rex bombarded them with theoretical knowledge about virtual reality, the real world, various subjects, and even assigned bizarre topics for self-study. More importantly, he introduced them to the concept of Rune Language.

Now, Klaus understood why nobody wanted to take his class. The man wasn't just unpredictable and moreover, his curriculum was downright insane!

Someone who had never struggled academically was now complaining, feeling as if his brain was about to explode. That's how bad it was!

'Damn. So I have to learn several more languages? Apparently, Chaos is everything but a universal translator!'

The moment Klaus grumbled inwardly, a sharp pain flared in his forearm, making him groan. Upon closer inspection, his arm was severely bruised, his skin darkened to an unhealthy black.

Blocking a Lancer's strike as an Aspirant had been reckless, given the massive power gap between their ranks. Then again, he hadn't been given much of a choice. And now, his precious hand had suffered for nothing.

Regardless, it was painfully clear that something was probably broken.

'I should get this checked out. The last thing I need is for it to get infected.'

Muttering a silent curse, Klaus changed his destination from the library to the infirmary.

As he strode forward, an unsettling feeling crept up his back, making him pause. He glanced at his bruised arm, and in an instant, he immediately understood the situation.

Keeping his composure, Klaus looked left and right, ensuring the coast was clear before quickly slipping into the men's restroom. After confirming it was empty, he rolled up his sleeve and examined his injured arm in the mirror.

To his astonishment, his arm was healing by itself. Though it appeared slow, in reality, it was remarkably fast. Witnessing his own skin scab over and mend itself in real time was nothing short of incredible! Certainly, an amazing sight!

A few seconds later, his forearm was completely good as new. He even swung his arm around to test it.

"There's no lingering pain at all. It was as if it has never been bruised. Not to mention, I think my hand is a little stronger. I don't know, but it's imagination, but my bones feels harder and more heaver than before. What is... this?"

He had never heard about a healing that not only heals, but also strengthens the body. And the strangeest part about all this was that he didn't have any Mysticism related to healing or utility.

So what could have been the cause of this strange phenomenon?

'Ah, does it something to deal with that...'

With that thought, Klaus summoned the Chaos runes and quickly checked his ability description.

[Mysticism Name: Adaptation].

[Mysticism Rank: Shrouded].

[Mysticism Ability Description: You can adapt to anything, this includes changes in physicality and spirituality.]

Skimming through his ability description, he was finally able to interpret and comprehend the mysticism.

To adapt means to change, to evolve. Just like how humans adapt to their environment by subconsciously emitting their body heat. Even animals does the same. The end goal was evolution. His bruised arm had not only healed at an absurd rate, but it had also become stronger. The increase in strength was subtle at best, but his hand has indeed become stronger.

He clenched and unclenched his fist, and immediately felt the difference.

"So this is what Adaptation does... It doesn't just heal, It improves. What an interesting ability."

A slow grin crept onto his face.

If his assumption was correct, then this ability wasn't just about recovering from injuries. It probably meant that everytime he regained from an injury, he would become stronger. Well, he assumed that would be dependent on the type of injury he was facing. Provided that it was not a life-threatening injury, then he should be able to continuously become stronger. But he found the idea of getting injuried to become stronger repulsive.

His entire life journey would be meaningless if he received a critical injury and died just like that.

Perhaps it wasn't just limited to injuries. For example, exercising was a great way to break down the body and gain muscle mass. If he continuously exercised and broke down his body rapidly, then the same principle should apply, yes?

"Seriously, an ability like this... is simply monstrous!"

At that moment, he began taking all the bad things he said about his Mysticism Ability. If he prayed, then he would be surely be forgiven, right?

"No, wait..."

Klaus quickly sombered.

There was still too much he didn't know. The ability description itself was vague, and he couldn't afford to jump to conclusions when he doesn't know the full picture.

With that thought, he rolled his sleeve back down and sighed.

He needed to experiment more, but not here. The last thing he needed was someone noticing his abnormal regeneration.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt a small arch in his stomach.

It was as if he had just missed breakfast or something.

He frowned.

That doesn't make any sense. It hadn't been that long since he stepped out of the cafeteria so there should be no reason he should be feeling hungry this early.

Like an lightning bolt, it occurred to him right then and there.

"Is my body using food to heal my wounds? I see. It's consuming calories to fuel regeneration. The energy my body would normally use for daily functions is being redirected to accelerate healing and reinforcement. Is that it?

Klaus furrowed his brows. If his assumption was correct, then his Adaptation ability wasn't just healing him, but rewiring how his body functioned. The process of recovery and improvement required an external energy source, which, in his case, seemed to be food.

"So, the more I heal, the more energy I burn... which means—"

His expression darkened as the realization sank in.

"If I don't eat enough, my body might start breaking itself down for energy."

A chill ran down his spine. He had heard of extreme cases where people who pushed their bodies too hard, without proper nutrition, suffered muscle degradation, fatigue, or even organ failure. If his Mysticism demanded continuous energy input, what would happen if he ran out of fuel?

Would his body start consuming itself just to sustain the adaptation process?

At that moment, he suddenly became aware of the fine line between strength and self-destruction.

"So this is my price..."

As the old saying goes; for every power, there was a price.

There was no such thing as an omnipotent ability. While an all-powerful skill would be ideal, such a thing simply couldn't exist due to something known as a Defect.

Everyone had some kind of Defect, which was why most people chose to keep their abilities a secret, to eliminate the risk and possibility of someone discovering their weakness.

In his case, it seemed his so-called Defect was eating.

Taking a deep breath, Klaus forced himself to relax.

"Alright. First things first, I need to test this under controlled conditions."

He needed to monitor how much food he consumed, how long his healing took, and whether certain injuries required more sustenance than others. If he could quantify the effects, he might be able to strategize around them.

For now, though, he had learned enough. He rolled his sleeve back down, checked his reflection one last time, and stepped out of the restroom.

Luckily, hunger was one of the things he could control. For the moment, he wasn't that hungry.

Perhaps he would grab something to eat when he was done in the library.

† †

"Ughhh... My head hurts..."

Much to his misfortune, things were not progressing as smoothly as Klaus had hoped. Currently, he was inside the academy's library, surrounded by nothing but books. The spacious library was mostly empty except for a few students here and there, allowing him to read in peace, at least until he reached his limit and stopped altogether.

As it turned out, learning rune language wasn't simple. No, rather, it was the existence of different rune languages from dead, fractured worlds that made it difficult to grasp.

If possible, he would have avoided learning it altogether due to its complexity, but Instructor Rex had made it clear that mastering runes was a necessary procedure before entering the Shadow Realm.

For example, say someone was seeking shelter or exploring an unknown region and stumbled upon an inscription that read "Certain death ahead"—but it was written in Hermes Language.

Naturally, if that person didn't know other rune languages and couldn't recognize that particular one, they would likely dismiss the warning as incomprehensible scribbles. Ignoring it, they would unknowingly step into the region...

And just like that, they'd be dead before one could even blink.

Or worse, perhaps the inscription wasn't just a warning but an instant death curse installed into the area by some unknown entity.

Therefore, one had to learn a minimum of five rune languages before they could enter the Shadow Realm.

However, Klaus wasn't confident about his progress.

Even though it's my first day here, I don't think I'll be able to understand these anytime soon. Ugh. If only I could learn from someone...

He sighed.

To begin with, was there even anyone who could teach him? Rune Language was an incredibly complex subject, even for Vestiges and those from wealthy backgrounds. He doubted he would find anyone capable of tutoring him, even if he asked.

Furthermore, his adaptation ability was completely useless in this regard. Even the [Book of Wisdom] couldn't help him. Or rather, he had no way to completely access the knowledge trapped away inside his mind.

Inadvertently, his mind began to drift from his body.

It would be nice if Chaos had a simple 'Would you like to learn this language?' interface...

Unfortunately, Chaos had no time to consider human feelings.

Huh?

Amidst his reverie, Klaus noticed someone sitting at the corner of the library, alone. A familiar face.

Yuki Asahina.

She wore the white uniform of the Riders' Western Division, surrounded by books just like he was. Her white attire sharply complemented her silvery-blue hair and golden eyes.

Well, that was beside the point.

What is she doing here? That was his first thought, but he quickly dismissed it as foolish. Obviously, she had come to the library to read. Why else would anyone be here?

What a strange girl.

There was no shift in her expression as she read... Could it be that she found the book boring? No, that wasn't it. Even during the assembly or when she emerged from that training Angelion, she had always been like this.

She gave off the impression of someone quiet to the bone yet, at the same time, she seemed profoundly intellectual.

Klaus wondered if she knew anything about rune language. It was plausible.

It wouldn't hurt to ask.

But she looked so peaceful... Would he be ruining that atmosphere by disturbing her?

Even so, he couldn't ignore the faint sense of loneliness surrounding her. It was as if she were silently asking to be saved.

Maybe it was all in his head.

Summoning his will from the bottomless depths, Klaus stood up and slowly approached Yuki, careful not to startle her. As he stepped into her space, he cleared his throat and said:

"Excuse me."

She glanced up at him, her golden eyes meeting his.

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From there, he continued:

"Sorry to bother when you're busy. Do you remember me, we met during the ceremony induction."

She nodded faintly

"I remember. Your name is Klaus?"

"Ah, I'm glad that you remembered."

Yuki, staring into his eyes, asked emotionlessly.

"Are you in the need of my assistance for something?"

"Well, there's something. Once again, I'm sorry for bothering. But do you perhaps know rune language by any chance?"

"Rune Language..."

"Yes. I have been trying to understand it for some time now, but I haven't made any progress so I'm looking for someone to teach me. Oh, and it's okay if you don't know. I'll simply—"

"I know it."

"What? Sorry?"

With that same expressionless face, Yuki said calmly:

"I know it, rune language. I can teach you if you'll accept my assistance."