CHAPTER 81: DISCIPLE CULTIVATION SYSTEM CH81 RED NIGHT PT4.

"Val...Val are you alright?"

Valaria blinked just for an instant, and the horrifying imagery of the dead Cheshire disappeared, leaving behind just an unscathed version.

"Huff..."

Confusion gripped her heart as she let go of Cheshire in panic and stumbled back.

"Val, are you alright?"

Cheshire, puzzled by her sudden acting up, gently pursued her, trying to calm the now terrified girl.

"Val, is everything okay?"

Even Damien, once playing the fool, got his act together and watched her with a serious expression.

"Yeah, I’m fine." Valaria, still weak on her feet, laughed it off, her mood turning sour.

"I think pushing myself too far in the games had long lasting effects."

Rubbing her eyelids, she whispered, trying to hide the wet tears forming around her eyes.

Her excuse wasn’t that convincing to Cheshire, who had a knack for being able to decipher the well-being of others. To her, Valaria was healthy. Her muscles were a bit tensed but other than that everything else was normal...well, there was also her inability to harness Aura, but that didn’t have anything to do with her health.

"Let’s find you a place to sit."

Grabbing Valaria’s wrist, she and Damien led her inside the main event.

The soft tunes of trendy music, the lit chandeliers, the rows of half covered metallic containers filled with abundance of food—everything was vibrant and appealing, but Valaria couldn’t find it in her to smile. She came for the food, but now just seeing it gave her nausea.

Cheshire, her hands warm, led her to a long table that could hold a dozen students. A few of the seats around the table were unoccupied; hence she sat Valaria down and took a seat beside her.

"You go to the other side."

After instructing Damien to take the other line, she returned her attention to Valaria. Damien, treating this matter with concern, didn’t refuse and also sat down. He too was drawn to Valaria’s sudden mood swing.

Cheshire’s concern and Damien’s sternness heightened Valaria’s uneasiness. She knew she had shattered the casual moment they were having all because of her hallucination—but how could she tell them almost any of that?

She had experienced a nightmare, but what if the individual who suffered in her nightmare...was really Cheshire? How could she properly convey the fact that she had seen her killed...brutally stabbed in her chest by a spear of unknown origins?

It was messed up...really, really messed up.

"Hehe...it’s alright. I’m alright...just a dizzy spell..."

"I thought you said stress," Cheshire interrupted. She clearly remembered Valaria, not even five minutes ago, giving the excuse her body was still receiving backlash from the rank games. How that was twisted into a dizzy spell, Cheshire couldn’t comprehend.

All the more reason she needed to know what was going on with Valaria.

"I think...I saw a ghost."

Valaria, understanding there was no way out of this, began to spin up a scenario. It wasn’t the whole truth, but she wanted to believe it would convince Cheshire everything was fine.

"A ghost!" Damien muttered, clearly shocked, while Cheshire sounded unconvinced.

Ghosts were eerie in their own way, but students like her had seen far worse. Not all of them might be confident, but something as measly as a ghost shouldn’t startle Valaria—what more, leave her sour.

"You’ll have to do more than that to convince me," Cheshire blurted out, her arms crossed before her while her tone carried an unimpressed sound.

"I really mean it," Valaria spat out, trying her best to make Cheshire believe her without digging too much into what she saw.

"Fine, I believe you but..."

Cheshire trailed off, her mind lost in thought for a moment before she unfolded her arms and leaned forward.

"Whose ghost did you see then?"

Valaria’s breath got caught in her throat as she hesitated in answering. She didn’t want to say it...she was afraid saying it could bring it into reality, and yet a part of her told her it was Cheshire’s right to know.

"It’s..."

Right as she began, she paused and looked around. She found an empty glass and whispered something to herself before she continued.

"Fine, I’ll tell you if you get me a glass of water."

Cheshire knitted her brows at her sudden request. She didn’t know what game Valaria was playing at, but it wouldn’t work.

"Sure."

Standing up from her chair, she straightened her attire and walked past the seated Damien.

"Don’t let her get out of your sight," she instructed.

Damien sighed, intrigued at where this was going. Watching her profile disappear, Valaria sighed and tried to get away but...

"It’s useless," Damien warned, his fingers tapping his glasses.

Val, dejected, slouched into her chair right after.

---

Cheshire POV

The girl named Valaria was a mystery, in the same league as Instructor Art. She wasn’t overly optimistic, nor was she a nihilistic. To call her in-between wouldn’t be accurate either, so I concluded she was slightly optimistic and lesser nihilistic.

If I were to give her a role, it would be the cool girl. Chimes in conversation once in a while, mostly kept to herself, and was always unshaken. Which was why I found her current state to be strange.

A ghost? Oh, please—we lived in a world that spawned mana beasts and spat out abominations from nowhere. A phantom or whatever fancy name used to describe them shouldn’t be enough to scare Valaria.

Someone who could go unfazed after that man’s beating didn’t have a weak heart...she had a strong will. So whatever she must have seen, I had to know. The mere thought of not knowing filled me with horror.

What could scare Valaria? I found myself thinking so, as I tread the event hall searching for some water to give to Valaria. With Damien’s aid I knew she couldn’t escape, so I now had to deliver on my part and bring her what she asked for.

Currently the music had been switched to something more cozy and relaxing, making my thoughts even louder. After searching for a while, I noticed a server and prepared to engage them but...

"Strange!" I wondered, observing the red-haired waiter.

There was something about him I couldn’t solely put into words, but for the ones I could, the first was the fact that he was deliberately avoiding the students. And yet he seemed far too concentrated to be slacking off.

His gaze purposeful-assessed everything, not just the tables or chairs, but the very foundation they stood on. Like a scout...spying on enemy grounds. My instincts kicked in right after I made that connection.

Legacy was a hub for some eccentric individuals, but for the server, there was something more at play. Keeping him in sight, I maneuvered around the hall tailing him with caution. Like I suspected, he avoided the students, changing his course every time he saw an approaching student.

He would then branch to a corner, release one of his hands from the serving tray, and scrape it across the surface of the walls. A golden tint would spark, and he would quickly release his hand as if fearing the light.

"A demon."

The only race that held a disdain for light was the demonic race. Demons had long since moved on from conquest, but for this man, it affirmed my conclusion of him being bad news.

"I have to inform someone."

Taking out my phone, I quickly texted Damien and Ellie to inform an instructor before I continued tailing him to the next floor. There he passed on the tray to another waiter before heading to the roof.

Perching behind the staircase, I observed as he took out a phone and made a call.

[Status]

With the aid of Aura amplifying my hearing, I began to eavesdrop.

"Just like the informant said, this place has been laced to the brim with light-based runes. I’m relatively safe because I’m a half, but for you, a single step will strip you of most of your strength."

[Can you disable it?]

"Not without leveling the whole academy!"

[...]

My blood ran cold the moment I heard those words. Leveling the academy...what kind of fool would...

[Leave a dent in the barrier, I’ll handle the rest.]

Now it all made sense. I had stumbled upon an attack. I had to warn someone—anyone—before it was too late.

My heart began to pound, my skin hot and full of uneasiness. Full to panicked, I crouched and began to take a step back when—

"You really shouldn’t have moved, princess."

A voice as cold as ice whispered from behind. I quickly spun and found the waiter staring deep into my soul with his crimson eyes. My fear turned into anguish, I couldn’t help but glance at where he once stood.

The sheer speed left me hopeless because my fate was rather clear. Seeing my horror reflected in his eyes, I saw a trace of Valaria’s fright and I finally understood something.

I was the ghost.

As that reality dawned on me , tears began to spill from my eyes, and yet my sorrow soon twisted into agony...absolute agony as my body was lifted off the ground by a powerful force that tore through my heart and skewered me whole.

"Don’t blame yourself...you would have died either way."

The man responsible for the spear plunged into my heart sighed and walked to the edge. My vision spun right after and before I knew it, I was falling.

I fell a good while and unable to harness my aura I plummeted to the ground with a tremendous force.

Right after that, everything went blank.