CHAPTER 65: FIRST TIME DOING NEEDLES

’A cursed nymph.’

It was a pale, fleshy, maggot-like beast.

A rather weak creature, much like myself. So why would I be picking such a weakling instead of selecting something that could at least help me counteract my burden.

It was simple really. Often I’d found the answer to a lot of things in life wasn’t through shoring up weaknesses, but doubling down on your strengths. Becoming so overwhelmingly good at your strengths that they could compensate for your weaknesses.

I’d be quadrupling down on my strengths with this monster. While I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d get, it would have to be something that did wonders for both my essence pool and speed.

The second reason I chose it was due to it being one of the few curse-type beasts that could be found at the E rank. I needed my next ability to be something of the sort.

I noticed the card was actually a folded piece of paper. Unfolding the paper, I found some instructions typed in an almost glowing red font.

[Warning]

[You are currently in possession of extremely dangerous substances. Mishandling of any form is likely to result in death at best.]

[Do not inject if you are not a novice ranked hunter or have received any other injections before this.]

[If you are a novice ranked hunter, ensure you are absolutely sure of your choice, as there can be no reversal or change of physique once the injection has been done. At the very least until your next rank.]

[Ensure you are in a secure environment before injecting.]

[If you have read all the previous instructions and still wish to press forward, then we have no right to stop you. We wish you the very best in your advancement.]

At the very bottom of the page, there was another stamp. Looking at it closely, there were words on it.

[Department of Alchemical Sciences.]

It was a rather important organization under the Bastion government. For one, it wasn’t under the control of any noble family. Though those tended to have their own personal alchemists.

Instead, it was under joint administration of both the Academy and the federal government of Bastion. While the Academy was officially subject to the government as well, with someone like Evanka running the school, it functioned independently in every sense of the word.

I stalled my musing, dropping the card to the side, before shooting a glance at the heartblood injections.

I’d be taking one soon, yet I still had something I wished to check before doing so.

I thought about summoning the artifact. The air above my hand distorted for a second, and soon enough a pair of ornate golden glasses lay in my palm.

I carefully ran a finger over the frame, gently feeling the delicate embossing on it. I couldn’t make heads or tails of whatever any of it meant, it still felt pretty classy though.

Prying the frame open, I tried them on.

’Looks pretty normal.’

Barely anything changed about my vision, as though the glasses weren’t even there.

I had to fight the incredible temptation to check out its titular ability. I could easily activate it with just a mere thought, yet I held back. The memory of what happened to Song in the simulation still lingered very freshly in my mind.

While I was certain this artifact wouldn’t consume my essence nearly as much as the explosive bolt, I still thought it better to attempt it after obtaining a physique.

I pulled the glasses off, sending them back to my inner world with a single thought.

Approaching the syringe box once again, I tentatively picked one of the three wicked-looking syringes, before closing the box and storing the other two in a wardrobe.

I already had a pretty clear idea of how these injections were supposed to go, after all it was among the parts that I’d written extensively on in the novel.

Still, out of paranoia, I searched reputable websites on the web to see if what I knew was still correct.

Much to my relief, it was.

With that out of the way, I sat as comfortably as I could on the bed, the peculiar chill of the metallic syringe’s body seeping into my fingers.

It was only then I actually noticed how long and wicked the syringe’s needle looked. I’d never had problems with needles or taking shots as a kid, but this one actually made me nervous.

I remembered Song taking her shots back in the simulation. I hadn’t thought of it then.

’She has to take this shit every day?’

I felt a sense of pity for the girl.

Regardless of how scary the needle looked, I’d be injecting myself with it. I hadn’t suffered through the simulation just to stop here because of big needles.

Rolling up my sleeve a bit, I tried looking for a vein in the same way all those vaccination nurses back on Earth did.

While I felt some apprehension at the thought of self-injecting, heartblood and vitae injections didn’t need to be all that perfect, as they still worked pretty well regardless of where you injected them. But veins were still generally best practice.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied my grip on the syringe, before gently placing it on the largest vein I could find.

"3... 2... 1... Now."

I pressed, feeling a sharp prick as the needle pushed into my vein, releasing an influx of ice-cold heartblood into my veins.

The moment the syringe emptied, I pulled it out before dropping it by the side. By then the cold had grown and spread into a bitter numbness that now engulfed the entirety of my arm. It was rapidly spreading across my chest now.

I wasted no time in lying on my bed, closing my eyes, and imagining myself sinking deeper into my mind, into my soul.

At first nothing happened, and I felt the chill spread to my chest, constricting my lungs and making breathing difficult.

Then all of a sudden I heard it, a static sound. Quiet, but not at all similar to [Error Sense]. Where [Error Sense] originated from a single direction, this one was all-encompassing yet softer.

I felt myself falling, as the sound grew louder, clearer. Until I felt myself land in an entirely different place. The static stabilized into a steady stream of white noise.

Thankfully, the spreading chill was entirely gone.

Prying my eyes open, the first thing I noticed was white. A sky of overwhelmingly white, shifting static. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I noticed much of the world to be the same.

I sat on a flat plane in this endless dimension of constantly shifting static. I could feel myself growing a headache from just staring at it too long.

I stood up, somewhat surprised at how solid the floor still felt, regardless of it being static like the rest.

’Is this my inner world? ...Feels a bit desolate.’

It was only upon standing up that I noticed my balance and center of gravity both felt weird. A sensation only ever felt when I first woke up in the world.

’Don’t tell.’

Looking down, I saw a pair of very familiar sickly hands, my hands. The scar at the back of one only confirmed it.

’I’m Leon again.’

Well, I always was. I was a soul trapped in Victor’s body, with the original occupant being long dead, likely killed by me as well.

Funnily enough, I was still wearing the same hospital gown I’d worn during my suicide. Though I guess it probably doubled as a funeral gown now.

Clenching my fists carefully, I began walking in slow, measured steps so I wouldn’t lose my balance to the unfamiliar body.

Scanning around, everything was pretty much the same, still the same endless shifting plane spreading round my soul. Except in one direction. In the distance, I spotted a hill-like protrusion breaking the monotony.

With little better to do, I began marching towards it.

In all honesty, I wasn’t too sure about what was to happen now. The general consensus, as well as what I’d written in the novel, was that after the very first injection a hunter had to sink into his inner world.

What happened after that was entirely personal. Some had trials, some relaxed, and some did nothing at all.

Rowan’s inner world had been an ancient temple. To leave it, he’d been forced to sacrifice himself by stabbing his heart while sitting on an altar.

So yeah, real pretty stuff.

As I approached, the image of the hill became much clearer. It wasn’t all too different from the world surrounding it, just a hill-shaped protrusion of static. My interest was entirely carried by the tree on top of it.

It was a large, skeletal, withered thing that rang odd bells of familiarity in my head. Yet I couldn’t recall where I’d ever seen such a thing.

Hanging off one of its many branches was a wooden swing, and on that swing sat a stranger.

A lazy, almost mocking voice spoke.

"I’ve been waiting for you, Leon. Or do you go by Victor now?"