Chapter 4

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...Perhaps this is just an exaggerated portrayal of daily life by members of the group; what they describe as three to five years might actually be only three to five days.

The most active members of the chat group had left, and naturally, the conversation quieted down.

Iris leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the ceiling.

She was intrigued by the meditation technique in her hands but was hesitant to try it casually. Years of reading novels and watching films had taught her to be cautious—better safe than sorry. Without the protagonist’s fortune, it was dangerous to experiment with mysterious methods; it could easily lead to disaster.

Setting the meditation technique aside, Iris began to examine the newly unlocked [Attributes] interface.

Basic information like name and age wasn’t important. She noticed her abilities were divided into two sections: one for bloodline powers, the other for supernatural abilities.

[Bloodline Talent: People of Darkness]

[Description: As a tribe blessed by the Goddess of Darkness, the People of Darkness possess unparalleled talents in supernatural attributes related to darkness. They can meld into shadows, manipulate fear, and the night is their greatest ally. Their ancestors once dwelled in the Land of Eternal Night, a realm where the sun never rose.]

[Bloodline Ability: Shadow Demon (activates upon reaching first-tier supernatural status)]

[Passive Effect 1: In darkness, your senses sharpen and your strength grows.]

[Passive Effect 2: Enhanced effect of dark attribute supernatural techniques.]

Although many details were unspecified, this flashy panel filled her with hope for the future—like choosing a promising class in a game, as advised by a veteran player.

...But first, she needed a future.

She glanced at the other section, which was completely empty.

[Current Tier: Zero (You have not yet successfully wielded supernatural techniques)]

[Innate Technique: None (You have not become a formal supernatural being and have no innate ability)]

Such bleak two lines.

Iris closed the panel.

The bloodline of the People of Darkness seemed to offer considerable buffs, a kind of supercharged advantage, but zero times zero is still zero.

In short, ideals were rich, but reality was harsh. She felt like a mouse locked outside a glass granary, longing for the grain inside.

She shut the panel and began considering her next steps.

Her current country, Saint Frans, was under the Church’s control, which was very unfavorable for someone of the People of Darkness.

At any moment, the Church might start large-scale searches and arrests of her kind. She had to leave Church-controlled areas as soon as possible.

She recalled that in the original story, the entire southern and western regions of Saint Frans were Church territory, so her only option was to head east—toward the lands the Church labeled as “heretics.”

Before that, she faced a crucial issue: passing the family’s examination. If she ran away without completing it, it would be considered a breach of contract with her family, and in a world with supernatural powers, breaking such a contract would surely have dire consequences.

Next was improving her strength and earning money. Running away required funds. She had just been swindled out of a large sum by a con artist, leaving her with no seed money—literally penniless.

...So many tasks lay ahead, as if a deadline were pressing against her neck.

Iris tidied her desk, quickly flipping through the original owner’s textbooks to confirm she still remembered the material well enough to handle the upcoming classes.

She didn’t leave the meditation technique in the room but placed it inside the system’s backpack.

Curious about what the backpack could hold, she stuffed most of her room’s items inside. She concluded that there was a size limit: the wardrobe wouldn’t fit, but the desk would. The system forbade nested containers—putting in the desk meant only the desk itself, not the items atop it, went inside. This completely ruled out any micromanagement exploits.

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With class time approaching, she opened the backpack to retrieve items before heading to class.

But as she prepared to take out the miscellany, she noticed something—

The meditation method inside the system backpack was labeled: “Basic Meditation: Converting Dark Attribute Magic and Non-Attribute Magic.” The description read: “A meditation technique.”

Next to it was another item, her diary, labeled simply as “A Notebook,” described as “Someone recorded some things.”

Iris thought for a moment, then placed her textbook inside. The item name displayed as “Fundamentals of Ritual Studies,” with the author’s name in the description.

She then took out a blank sheet of paper from the notebook, copied some random content from the meditation method, jumbled the order, and rewrote it before placing the sheet back into the backpack.

This time, the item name was “A Sheet of Paper,” described as “Someone recorded some things.”

Could this prove the meditation technique was genuine?

Iris thought further.

If the system backpack’s item identification function worked reliably, this could be a super useful authentication tool.

Should she try out the meditation method...?

=

In the end, Iris did not test it, as class time was near.

When she arrived, the classroom was already full; arriving just fifteen minutes before class made her an outlier. Claire, who had arrived earlier and secured a seat, waved at her.

“You’re late,” Claire said as Iris sat down. “What if Mr. Raymond deducts points?”

During the family’s advanced training, completing daily courses and assigned tasks earned points. Leveling up granted bonus points.

Only those with 80 points or above qualified for the final test.

Usually, daily points plus level-up bonuses sufficed to reach 80. If not, one could choose more challenging tasks to earn points. In general, both rule-abiding but less skilled students and rule-breaking but stronger ones could easily reach 80.

But for Iris, this was a headache.

Her theory scores were sufficient, but she always scored zero in practical classes. High-point family tasks required strong abilities, making scoring difficult.

She knew Claire already had 78 points—just attending class and completing simple tasks would be enough.

Iris, however, had only 49 points. The gap was substantial.

She had rushed over, fearing point deductions, not expecting everyone else to be so competitive.

Looking at the prim and proper Claire, she muttered, “...But I’m not late.”

Claire sighed, “Everyone else showed up on time and you didn’t. That counts as being late.”

Iris: “...”

Fine, I admit I need to be more disciplined.

After ten minutes of reviewing, Mr. Raymond entered.

He wore a dark blue coat and a gleaming silver badge. He was a kindly old man, not the sort to deduct points arbitrarily.

He first instructed the students in the front row to hand in their homework, chatting casually as he collected the papers.

“The Church will soon begin recruiting new members. The minimum requirement for recruiting supernatural beings is first-tier; that’s not hard. Most of you here have that chance. For clerical positions, even zero-tier magic users suffice.”

Mr. Raymond took a sip of water and continued, “As you know, our Newt Diocese’s bishop is a fifth-tier supernatural being. Rumor has it he will soon ascend to sixth tier. When that happens, Newt will get a new bishop, and personnel changes will follow. This will be a new opportunity for our family.”

Iris listened quietly.

She knew the Church here was not a simple religious institution but an organization centered on supernatural beings, managing everything related to them.

For supernatural families, gaining influence within such an organization was vital. The Church needed to collaborate with these families to establish a firm local presence.

For a family like White, which was not yet strong, relying on the Church was a path upward. Compared to independent growth, they preferred leaning on this powerful institution.

A student frowned and asked, “Mr. Raymond, what if I don’t want to join the Church? I don’t think I’m smart enough. Even if I join, I might not be able to help the family.”

“Don’t worry,” Mr. Raymond reassured him, “supernatural beings have many avenues. Families need many of us, and we have our own enterprises.”

“What if I don’t want to stay in Newt?” another asked. “It’s too boring here.”

Mr. Raymond chuckled, “Not just in Newt, the family has enterprises elsewhere too. They need people, and you can choose where to work.”

Iris noticed Mr. Raymond avoided a particular question.

He didn’t mention whether family members could completely leave the family’s enterprises and sever ties.

It seemed the family discouraged or even opposed that. From their perspective, it made sense—family education costs money, and supernatural beings were precious resources.

Clearly, her plan to escape was fraught with obstacles. She must never reveal her intention to run away.

“Any more questions?” Mr. Raymond sat on a chair beside the podium.

“Mr. Raymond, how can I become a third-tier supernatural like you?” a student in the back row shouted.

“Diligent practice and serious thinking—that’s enough,” Mr. Raymond said. “Most people can reach third tier. At that level, you can be a bishop in a small place. Fourth tier is the true milestone.”

He added, “Open the map at the back of your textbook. See the far west? That’s the Church’s core area—supernatural beings there are all above third tier.”

Iris opened the book. The far west was separately outlined—a region marked with dark red and gold holy emblems, labeled “Holy City—Saint Val.”

Iris thought: ...Alright, you have your own Vatican, huh.

Her focus was on the east side of the map—the continent labeled “Heretic Territory.”

The map gave only a vague outline, no detailed country divisions; she would have to gather information herself.

She wasn’t sure fleeing east was the right choice, but she had found no better option.

Small talk ended. Mr. Raymond asked the student in the first row, “Where did we leave off last time?”

The student whispered a reply, and Mr. Raymond said, “Oh.”

“We were talking about the basics of dreaming and divination, right? I know you don’t like this topic,” he laughed. “I understand you young folks don’t enjoy abstract, mysterious classes. You prefer flashy supernatural techniques—summoning lightning, shooting fireballs—”

Iris thought: ...Well, that’s not entirely true.

She quite liked pure theory classes because they earned her points.