Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 214: Thrifty

As Asher was lost in thought about the absolute monster William could potentially become in the future, William’s calm yet curious voice cut through the stream of his contemplations.

”What are you thinking about?” William asked with an inquisitive gaze.

”Nothing much really,” Asher responded, though his tone carried a weight of seriousness. ”Just thinking about what sort of monster you would become if your ability truly allows you to keep your copied abilities permanently.” He spoke openly, not bothering to conceal his thoughts in the slightest.

William smiled faintly, a knowing expression flickering across his face. He too had long considered this possibility. If the abilities he copied remained permanently with him, then that was no longer a simple skill, it would be an entirely different level of power, a whole new game altogether.

In Crymora, abilities were not stagnant things. They could be enhanced, refined, and strengthened as their users trained, pushed, and wielded them to their absolute extremes. Every ability carried within it the seed of evolution, and with the right user, even a limitation could transform into a stepping stone.

Take William’s Copy ability as an example. At present, one of its restrictions was that he needed to maintain direct sight of his target in order to duplicate their abilities. This naturally raised a question, what if William were to lose his eyesight permanently? Wouldn’t that render his copy ability completely useless?

Now, this is where the concept of enhancement through persistent training and mastery came into play. Such a limitation was not necessarily permanent. In time, through evolution, William’s ability could change, perhaps to the point where he would only need to sense his target’s presence in order to replicate their abilities. In other words, his ability could evolve from sight based mimicry into something even more profound and terrifying.

There was a popular saying in Crymora: There are no useless abilities, only useless ability users. It was a phrase repeated by many, a philosophy believed by those who had seen weak abilities turn into monstrous ones through sheer will, training, and ingenuity.

Of course, not everyone subscribed to this ideal. Many would argue that strange, weak, or outright ridiculous abilities did exist. Yet, for those who strove against limitations, such words carried little weight.

”Are you afraid,” William asked softly, his voice carrying a calm smile as he spoke, ”that one day I will permanently copy your abilities?”

But Asher only shook his head without hesitation. ”It doesn’t matter whether you do or don’t. It changes nothing. I will still be the best, no matter the number of abilities you copy, whether they are temporary or permanent.” His tone rang with unshakable confidence, a voice not of arrogance but of certainty.

Although William had already copied his elemental affinities, Asher wasn’t the least bit bothered. His four elemental affinities were not unique to him alone. Even if William hadn’t copied them from him, he could have found another source to do the same. There was nothing irreplaceable in that regard.

Besides, even if William somehow managed to perfectly duplicate one hundred percent of Asher’s original elemental control and proficiency, the solution was simple, Asher only needed to increase his mastery further.

Could William continuously keep pace, copying Asher’s ever-growing control and deepening proficiency? Asher did not believe so. There was a ceiling to imitation; true mastery belonged to the original.

Hearing Asher’s words, William’s lips twitched slightly, a reaction betraying a hint of irritation mixed with reluctant admiration.

”Although you smile and act more carefree than others, you are still a Wargrave through and through,” William remarked, his voice edged with quiet amusement.

”It’s just a simple fact,” Asher replied calmly, his expression serene. ”It has nothing to do with being a Wargrave.”

William simply shook his head and chose not to argue further. He understood enough of Asher’s personality to know that pressing the matter was pointless. His thoughts instead shifted inward. He too was anticipating the day when the restrictions of his Copy ability would break.

That was why, every twenty-four days without fail, he copied a new ability and trained it relentlessly, pushing himself to his absolute limit, in hopes of one day tearing through the chains of his current limitations.

”So,” Asher began suddenly, shifting the subject with his usual composure, ”how do you plan on bathing?” His voice carried a calm, almost teasing undertone.

”What do you mean?” William asked, tilting his head slightly to the side in confusion.

”Did you check the bathroom before diving straight into training?” Asher asked, his lips curling into a small, knowing smile.

”Was there any reason to?” William responded almost defensively. Since the bedroom and living room were already furnished and standard, he had simply assumed the bathroom would be no different.

Asher didn’t bother answering verbally. He simply smiled wider, his silence more telling than words. Seeing this, William’s brows furrowed. With suspicion rising, he quickly rose from the floor and made his way toward the bathroom.

Moments later, a loud exclamation echoed through the walls.

”FUUCCKKK!!!” William’s voice thundered back into the living room in outrage.

Within seconds, he stormed back, his expression filled with disbelief and indignation.

”Is the Star Academy this thrifty and stingy? How can they not provide the most basic things like soap, sponge, toothbrush, or even toothpaste? They actually provided those during our stay at the candidate residential building, but now, nothing?!” William cursed, his frustration pouring out in waves.

”Well,” Asher replied in his usual calm tone, amusement dancing in his eyes, ”it seems your five hundred points might finish before you even begin your first academic class.”

William clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. ”I’m sure you won’t be bothered, considering you get fifteen hundred free points every Friday.”

”You should be more worried about how you’ll leave this place without others thinking you have body odor or something,” Asher retorted with a smirk.

”Sigh... I should have checked before throwing myself headlong into training,” William muttered regretfully, shaking his head.

Asher simply shook his own head lightly and then, without much ceremony, waved his hand. In an instant, a neatly wrapped bar of soap and a sponge appeared on the table before him.

William’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing the items. He turned to Asher with suspicion. ”You already bought these things?”

Asher shook his head casually. ”Nope. I brought them in from the Wargrave estate. As for how I snuck them past inspection, let’s just say I hid them well enough,” he stated with faint amusement.

William raised an eyebrow, clearly curious but unwilling to press further. Instead, he picked up the soap and sponge without another word and walked away toward the bathroom, happy to finally get his bath.

Asher remained seated, his calm demeanor never faltering as he waited patiently for William to be done. As for the possibility of William reporting him to the Academy authorities for sneaking contraband into the Star Academy, Asher wasn’t the least bit concerned. He didn’t believe William would do something like that, reward or no reward.

Besides, even if William did attempt such a thing, he would have to prove it first. And Asher highly doubted that even Cinderella herself, for all her strength, titles, and authority, could ever detect the existence of the system inventory.