"I'm sorry Mr. Kurobane."
The man handed the golden card to Arthur, his hands shaky.
________________
[Name: Excorith (Incomplete)]
[Type: True Soul Weapon]
[Rank: Rank 3 (Grows with the user)]
[Description: An imcomplete true soul weapon. Due to its incomplete nature it is weaker than the average true soul weapon and quickly drains the user's essence reserves, releasing it into the environment as passive pressure.]
________________
"Is this all?"
Arthur asked as soon as he finished reading.
"....Yes."
"Is there anyway to make it complete?"
Arthur asked, his expression stabilizing.
"....No, there's no way to do it twice."
The man answered reluctantly, trembling slightly.
As the person in charge of awakening True Soul Weapons, he would be in very big trouble when the higher-ups found out that he stopped a True Soul Weapon from awakening completely.
Even though said person had awakened it in a very unusual way, seemingly about to explode, there was no doubt in the instructor's mind that the higher-ups wouldn't care.
The media too.
He could already see himself getting demoted.
"Okay then, so about this passive pressure, does it affect others?"
Arthur threw yet another question.
"Yes."
"And it drains my reserves?"
"Yes."
Arthur stared at the blade resting on his shoulder with interest, no anger in his eyes, even though his soul weapon would never be completed.
"But what if I were to stab myself, would it direct the essence back into my body?"
Arthur questioned.
"No, it doesn't work like that."
"But if I stab someone, would the essence go into them?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I see."
Arthur ran his thumb across the hilt.
"Well, thanks anyway."
He turned away from the instructor, the blade on his shoulder releasing faint ripples of essence that didn't go unnoticed.
Lucien was waiting by the wall, his hands were in his pockets and his eyes hidden by his hair.
"Let's go."
Arthur called out.
Lucien didn't bother responding, as soon as Arthur passed he trailed behind him.
Both were under the gazes of both the applicants and the instructor—after all, for someone who had awakened an incomplete Soul Weapon and in a way had been sabotaged by the instructor, he didn't seem to care much about it.
"Still upset about it?"
Arthur asked.
"About what?"
"Not awakening your soul weapon, don't worry, you're just another average member of the majority, nothing to get depressed about."
Arthur said as comfortingly as he could manage.
"....If I was upset, I would have asked you to withdraw your Soul Weapon."
As they made their way through the streets, Arthur kept his True Soul Weapon on his shoulder for the world to see, passively releasing essence into the air.
"I would but I don't know how."
Arthur replied.
'Most people don't seem to be reacting strange to the pressure.'
For a moment, Art assumed that the instructor had lied, but he did remember that the man had given him the card.
'As long as its not easily noticeable, it'll be perfect.'
Perfect for his Soul Skill.
The only problem was that he couldn't tell if people were just looking at him because of the pressure or the his True Soul Weapon on his shoulder.
There wasn't much talk between the two of them as they made to the dorms.
Of course, they had to ask for directions a few times.
"This is the place."
Lucien said.
The sign they just passed was already enough, but Lucien decided to add his own voice.
"Looks cheap."
Arthur commented.
The exterior was nothing fancy.
So they decided to head inside.
"Excuse me, but you can't use weapons inside the dorms."
As soon as he stepped in, the door clerk instantly spoke.
"Oh?"
Arthur stopped mid-step, blinking.
"Do you even have accommodations in this specific dorm?"
The door clerk, a young man asked again.
"Yes, we do."
He answered.
"Then withdraw your weapon."
Arthur raised his sword from his shoulder, pointing it directly at the clerk.
"Fine."
It vanished in a display of blue particles.
Lucien looked up at him.
"It came in a sudden burst of understanding when he told me to keep it."
Arthur shrugged, then turned towards the door clerk.
"Aren't you guys supposed to only come out at night?"
He asked.
"We take shifts."
The door clerk answered.
"Fair."
Arthur replied.
"Well then, give me a moment to search for your names, I think they should have updated the list by now."
The door clerk said before leaving.
"Is he retarded?"
Arthur asked after he was gone.
"Maybe."
Came the low reply.
After a minute the young man came back.
"Lucien Zephyros, room 19."
He said, tossing a key towards Lucien.
"And Arthur Kurobane, room 25."
He tossed another key to Arthur.
"Young master, excuse me."
Lucien walked off.
'He's still moody.'
Art mused.
'Will he get over it?'
Knowing Lucien, he could say he had no idea.
Arthur could only hope.
"And Kurobane."
"Yes?"
"A bit of advice, don't reveal your last name to everyone you meet. There was a time when you were a trending topic."
He advised.
His words soured Arthur's mood.
"Noted."
He muttered before walking off, leaving Lucien behind.
It didn't take Arthur long to find room 25.
It was small.
Not as big as Arthur hoped.
He shook his head before plopping onto the bed.
The mattress was hard.
"He said I should keep my name a secret, from everything he said he really seemed a nice guy."
He murmured.
Someone kind enough to warn him....
"But.... that doesn't change my plans at all. I'm still going to rank 1st."
That was his plan all along, and it wasn't going to change.
He had all the tools that he would need, tools that fit perfectly with his plan.
"I would be wasting both my skill and my soul weapon if I didn't, after all."
Arthur said, getting off.
"But before all that, I need a shower."
Then, a realization hit him.
"Oh...."
He had forgotten to pack his stuff from the jet.
"....I'll ask Lucien to get it later."
He laid back on the mattress.