Chương 113: Soul Collapse

I was eating dinner with Healer Melon at a restaurant around the College. I appreciated the view, as it felt serene, like I was free of troubles.

"This tastes bad." I heard someone shout and looked over. It was Xyon Fullbright. His skin was pale, and he had sunken eyes.

"What are you all looking at! I am Xyon Fullbright!" he shouted and stood up, waving at everyone.

"Sir, we will remake your meal. There's no need to get upset," a server said.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Incompetence! You are trying to kill me! Traitors!" He staggered slightly and gripped the back of his chair. An older waiter came over.

"Sir, we will have to ask you to leave."

"I won't leave. I paid to be here. Me! I paid! Garbage!" I looked over at Healer Melon, who shook his bald head.

"The end of Pic addiction. Soul collapse. It is never pretty."

"I am the best! Me! The very best that ever was and will be!"

"Can you do anything?" I quietly asked Healer Melon, who shook his head once more.

"No one can do anything now. Not even the best soul mage from history could do anything. His soul is collapsing, and his body is realizing that as his various senses go haywire."

"Don't touch me! Power Fist!" A waiter went tumbling away, smashing into another table.

"Enemies! Enemies!" Guards from the College rushed into the restaurant.

"Sir, please calm down so we can take you to the hospital."

"No! NO! I am the best!" Then his body exploded. It was horrible, and several people screamed. Thankfully, I was far enough away that nothing hit me.

"Horrible," Healer Melon said calmly with a tinge of sadness. I got up, and so did Healer Melon. Neither of us had the appetite to eat after seeing that happen. We left the restaurant with the other diners.

"Why did he explode?"

"His soul ripped itself apart and burst out of his body. Since its structure was completely ruined, it quickly decayed. But if he were more powerful, had higher stats, the explosion would have been greater."

"I…should I have said something to someone?" I asked Healer Melon, who sighed.

"There are resources here at the College to help students, but ultimately it is a person's individual responsibility. If they choose Pic, it is their own fault, and that is the end they can expect."

"That was awful."

"It is. There is no good way to regulate and stop such things. If a person wants Pic, they will get Pic. It is sad, but the addiction isn't that bad, unlike other drugs. But people use it because it gives them a sense of power and allows quick advancement of their skills."

"So, someone could quickly advance a skill using it and quit."

"Technically, yes. But leveling skills after that becomes harder with the damage to one's soul. So, the person will take more Pic. Eventually, the damage becomes too much, and your soul collapses, ending as you saw in the restaurant. An awful way to go."

"I am surprised that more people don't use Pic around this place."

"They don't because they see the result." I could understand that. After that horrifying scene, I was glad that I had avoided taking any Pic. The Dark Cabal was like Pic. It might help me out at the start. But in the end, I would be screaming and exploding like Xyon Fullbright. I had seen other people die and killed a few, but there was just something different about seeing someone die like that.

"Justin." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I paused with Healer Melon, and we both turned. It was Judy.

"Judy? What are you doing here?" We had scheduled our weekly auxiliary class together every week at the same time.

"I work as an assistant chef at that restaurant." That was why she had recommended it.

"I wanted to say hello, but then…well…"

"I understand. Why don't we enjoy a walk at the edge? The view is magnificent. We might even see some land in the distance if the cloud cover breaks."

"I will let you two have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Healer Melon said with a small grin. I might have respected that statement more if he hadn't told me about how he was a bit of a free spirit in his younger years. I didn't take Judy's hand. We were friends at best. A deeper relationship wouldn't work long-term. Maybe one day I will want a family like my mother. But even something casual would lead to heartbreak.

"The edge always makes me nervous. Reminds me that we are flying through the sky," Judy said as we strolled towards the edge together. The College had done a good job of redoing the edge of their flying fortress. The College transformed the wall into a walkway and carefully sculpted the land beyond it with plants and other greenery. I wouldn't want to tend to those plants and the drop-off just beyond them, but they were used to supplement the College's food supplies.

They used other methods to help make the College more self-sustainable.

"You aren't…sorry," Judy said.

"Hmm, go ahead and ask,""You aren't using Pic, are you?"

"No. I would probably die instantly. The risk is too great with everything else that I have done. I am avoiding ingesting anything Alchemical for the rest of my time here at the College."

"That's good. I don't want to lose my cooking partner."

"I didn't know you cooked for a living."

"I do it to earn some side money. I want to become a professional chef in the future."

"Well, you have a lot of talent and not just high skill levels," I complimented her.

"Thanks. I really like desserts. I wanted to make you one."

"Desserts!" I perked up at that. That meant sugar. This is the one crystal I would never say no to.

"Confectionery is a skill I have picked up. It is about making desserts."

"Well, if you make them, I will eat them. It's my secret weakness, don't tell anyone."

"I won't. Oh, do you have the skill, Sweet Tooth?"

"Guilty. Why?"

"Only people who love desserts and sweets have that skill."

"It counts. I need to level it up. Got to get all those skill levels." We approached the edge of the College.

"Really? Sweet Tooth?"

"It lets me appreciate sweets more. How can there be a better skill?" I asked in mock outrage.

"Stop being ridiculous. It's hard for me to believe the College maintains everything so nicely. You can't even tell unless you come to the edge," Judy said as we looked out at the amazing view. I was coming to appreciate the view even more. It truly was relaxing seeing clouds fly over the College.

"The work crews have been doing a good job fixing everything up,""Hmm, I heard they still have a lot left to do. The situation outside is stable now, but there are some key stress points they are working to reinforce. My father is helping evaluate some of the security as a stealth expert."

"I can't imagine how much construction is happening beneath us. I know there are a lot of storage areas down there."

"Gardens, monster pens, farms, and specialized research facilities. The forces and stresses have shifted since the College started flying. Although they prepared everything in advance, the team still encountered issues."

"The farms have to be new, right?"

"Some of them, but most were there before. The College had been focusing on its independence from Undercraft for quite a while. Imports aren't cheap."

"Look, you can see a ship down there!" I pointed at the small wooden ship. Its crew was probably looking up at the flying College in amazement. The Mathemancer really outdid all the supreme legends before him with its creation. History will record it forever, especially since the College wrote the history books.

"I wonder what new foods we will get at the next city," Judy pondered.

"Probably fish or fish sauce since it is a port. I guess there could be some wine from the continent. Not that far from the Burnstock Duchy, so a range of grains would be available."

"Your farming experience?" Judy teased me.

"Just growing up in a major food-producing area on the continent. There is even a Farming School there as well."

"That would be interesting. While managing crops, you could look at creating certain varieties for unique dishes," she said with passion.

"With the recent advances in equipment, we are looking at a food revolution in the future. The production of sugar has always been difficult, but recent advances in harvesting and processing, specifically of beets, have helped advance culinary knowledge of recipes using sugar."

"Well, when I get back from the dungeon, I expect the best possible meals wherever you set up a restaurant." I noted her tail twitch slightly in happiness at that compliment.

"I have a long way to go. There are a lot of support skills I need to get. Dagger Skills are something I have to work on."

"Me too. If you take an auxiliary course for that skill, let me know."

"I suspect you don't want it for food preparation."

"Weapons Mastery, a tier 4 skill. A long-term goal. There are a lot of weapons."

"You are an overachiever. I hear the rumors. The greatest student in over a century, possibly of all time. And now with a monster pet." Ozy looked up and shook his head at her.

"He is friendly."

"I would hope so since he is around your neck. He is quite small."

"Well, his level is low right now."

"What does he eat?"

"Monster meat or Mana-infused meat, but he doesn't need it. It makes him happy and content."

"Any special preparation?"

"No, why?"

"The College is looking into pets a bit more. And if people have pets, custom food would be a big deal. I know that there is research going into food to help adventurers gain stats and skills faster. But with pets, and Mana-based food, well, that is something new and exciting."

"You are getting caught up in the hype of this place," I teased.

"You live here all your life, and you get used to these things. The trick is doing what you love," she said, and I nodded.