In Another World with Absolute Awareness

”Yes, actually.” I smiled at Feura’s straightforward tone. ”I need you...”

Feura’s brow twitched.

”...r help with registering as an adventurer. Can I get a recommendation, or any form of advice?”

When I completed my sentence, Feura’s lethal intent waned.

Hmmm...

That was close.

’Haha~’

I set my gaze on the two pillars of the leaderless group. Ella and Opheus glanced at each other. In Lila’s absence, they called the shots.

”Well, it shouldn’t be that hard to get you a recommendation...” Opheus spoke with a certain familiarity. ”But we haven’t really seen you fight.”

Did he think we were similar?

”Ah, well...”

It made sense, since Opheus was from a noble family—and it matched my current circumstances.

Among the nobles, some still craved the thrill of adventure and easily gave up their stable lives within the many human cities of Leisha.

Opheus and I had common ground.

”...I don’t want to be an adventurer who fights. Scouting and information are what I am best suited for.”

”Still, you’d need at least a minimum of combat ability. We can’t have someone we recommended die in just a few months.” Ella said, ”Judging from your lack of weapons and the mana inside you... Huh? When did you become a Third Circle Mage?”

I waved my hand. ”About two weeks ago? Why?”

Ella blinked. ”What do you mean, why? The last time we saw you, you weren’t even at First Circle!”

Ah, about that. Perhaps it was the being a natural power of concealment, withdrawing my aura to a minimum until I was but a dead rock.

It was a vital component to make sure its invisibility deceived beings on par with the . Compared to an , however, it still fell a little short.

To normal people, this meant that I was a noncombatant with no achievements in Spirit or Physique. My aura was nonexistent unless I consciously adjusted the output of .

Since I wanted to become an adventurer, I had to withdraw much of its natural concealment, pulling away the darkness that shrouded my heart.

I allowed others to see what I had achieved in the realm of magic.

To Ella’s fading exasperation, I tilted my head in mock ignorance. ”What do you mean? Getting to Third Circle in a few weeks is normal, is it not? It’s not that hard.”

I made myself look as innocently oblivious as I could by donning a childlike expression. Sparkling eyes that oozed curiosity. A mouth slightly open in pleasant surprise.

Looking at my face, the great mage’s lips twitched, and she looked up in resignation.

”...Young Master Aventine, there’s no need to tease me like this. Were you hiding your abilities on our way here?” Ella already realized the truth and laughed. ”Now that I think about it, with your wealth, a suppression artifact isn’t so far-fetched.”

I spread my hands, with an expression that said ’you caught me,’ all for them to see. ”Indeed. I was already at Second Circle when we parted ways. After engraving my third spell and becoming familiar with it, I came over. At least, I have the minimum you speak of.”

”That’s good, that’s good.” Ella looked at Opheus. ”I have no problems. Will you write the recommendation, or will I do it?”

”Hm, I’ll do it,” Opheus said with a grunt.

Perfect.

This will make life so much easier.

***

After receiving the recommendation letter from Heaven’s Grasp, I walked deeper into the Adventurer’s Guild.

The white and grey buildings of the empire were painted in a variety of colors, with banners aplenty hanging on their sides. Famous adventurer parties had all left their mark in this city, with many owning several skyscrapers to house their members between major quests.

Heaven’s Grasp had their own newly bought ten-story tower nearby, giving each of them an entire floor to rest in.

Only...

When I looked over, I noticed how empty Lila’s floor had been.

Right.

Perhaps I could check on her as I did with my homeworld.

Silently, I activated [Absolute Awareness], locating Lila through the Blessing of Light that we both bore.

”Let’s see...”

***

—Clang!

A swordsman with a sword in each hand and one still unsheathed on her back was rushing through a monster-infested swamp.

”Hah!”

A vacuum trailed behind every swing of her blade as the surrounding air was displaced into a maelstrom.

Light flashed.

A long ring tore through the sky as a thin white radiance sliced through four lumbering abominations.

These abominations were Mud Ghouls, born from those who drowned in the deep bogs throughout the swamp. Their corpses were contaminated by dark mana and were tempered by the mana-rich, decaying plant matter.

They functioned like zombies, with a thick layer of armor protecting them from attacks.

Lila had been fighting as she traveled West.

Bathed in the blazing sunlight, she did not need rest. Her physique had advanced by leaps and bounds, bolstering her already powerful foundation with unimaginable strength.

—Badump.

The sound of a heart forced into overdrive.

Lila muttered under her breath, sending huge amounts of mana surging through her body:

”[Bloodstream Evaporation]!”

With a crimson shimmer, the Mud Ghouls were suddenly sliced into a thousand pieces.

A long trail of crimson fog sliced through the swamp, and anything in its way had been sliced apart en masse.

In a measly few seconds, Lila had traversed several kilometers.

—Boom!

The sonic boom arrived afterwards, announcing her departure.

** *

”...Mach 4?”

Aventine ran the calculations in his head. allowed him to figure out Lila’s exact speed from that singular Martial Art.

It was insane.

Aventine couldn’t even breach the sound barrier with . Propelling himself and even surviving the force required for such instantaneous acceleration meant that Lila could go even faster.

”Ah—”

He almost stumbled when he watched Lila move at hypersonic speeds through a vast, grassy plain.

Anything she passed through was shredded to oblivion, whether beast, plant, or monster.

Luckily, there was no city in her way.

In just an hour or two, she would arrive at the border. That 14-thousand-kilometer distance was nothing to her. On Earth, it would be akin to travelling from Japan to the Southern tip of South Africa in just two hours.

A passenger airplane like the Airbus A3800 would take about 18 hours to do the same.

Aventine was simply in awe.

Especially because Lila’s speed wouldn’t be constant.

While registering to become an adventurer, he watched as Lila traversed hills, mountains, lakes, and rivers.

Her speed varied from around Mach 4 in difficult environments to Mach 8 when the area was barren and clear.

”Insane.”