Let Me Borrow Some Abilities at the Hero Academy

Chapter 48 : Doom Society

"A Legend rank!"

Divinity's shout rang out the moment the door opened.

Every eye in the Skylounge turned toward them.

Sal bit his lip hard to suppress a laugh.

It was because Divinity's face had turned beet red in an instant.

Following the shock and confusion from a moment ago, embarrassment was now plainly visible in her eyes.

Just then, a familiar face approached from one side.

Neuro walked up and extended his hand.

"Thank you both for coming! Let me introduce you to everyone."

He moved his tall frame gracefully and gestured toward the group sitting down.

Some of them were standing up.

"Everyone, this is Salvatore Argento and Divinity Khan. Quest and I thought these two would be a great fit as new members of the Doom Society. Please give them a warm welcome."

A few people nodded in greeting, and a couple smiled and walked forward.

Neuro pointed to the person who approached first and turned to Divinity.

"This is Scry! He's played a key role in the Doom Society for the past few years. He possesses a precognitive ability similar to yours. There will be plenty of time to talk later, so let's just keep today for getting to know faces, alright?"

The last remark was clearly directed at Scry.

Scry looked slightly disappointed, but Divinity looked extremely excited to meet him.

Before Neuro could even react, she was already bombarding the hero, who had a somewhat scruffy appearance, with questions.

Scry looked at Neuro as if asking if it was okay to start a conversation, and Neuro finally waved his hand in resignation and nodded.

"Make sure she gets to meet the others too, okay?"

Divinity clapped her hands in excitement and sent an exhilarated look toward Sal.

Scry and Divinity, already deep in conversation, moved toward the bar, exchanging gestures and expressions.

Neuro shook his head and sighed.

"I can't see the future, but I knew that would happen."

Then he turned to Sal and pointed to the person standing next to him.

"Sal, let me introduce my friend. This is Harlan Geist. The best monster profiler among us. If you have any questions about monsters, he's the one to ask. Harlan, this is Salvatore Argento."

The two shook hands, and Harlan smiled warmly.

"I heard from Neuro. You registered for the Analysis class? You'll probably be dealing with a few cases I created... I just hope you don't end up hating me for it!"

Sal laughed and shook his head.

"I'm really looking forward to the research. Nice to meet you!"

Neuro gave them space to talk briefly, then after a while, said they should continue the tour and bid Harlan farewell.

Harlan nodded and went back to the group.

Neuro gave Sal a slight wink.

"You scored big points thanks to registering for the Analysis class. If Harlan Geist likes you, he might invite you to his Master Class. It's an invitation-only class, and taking it opens up a lot of possibilities. Keep your grades up in Analysis, and you'll keep his attention."

Sal nodded, watching Harlan walk across the lounge.

Neuro continued the tour.

He gestured to someone leaning back in a leather armchair.

"This is Liam Payne, codename Pulse. He's been collaborating with us for years. He has excellent insight into changes in environmental Essence!"

When Sal extended his hand, Liam grasped it with a bright smile.

"Neuro always explains things complicatedly. Simply put, I can detect towers, dungeons, and dimensional rifts before they occur."

Neuro burst into laughter.

"Fine, if you want to put it that way... He can even judge the danger rating of such structures. So he's the best risk assessor among us."

Liam pointed to a girl sitting alone across the room.

"But Dawn shouldn't hear that. She might send one of her summons to kill me."

Just as Sal was about to turn his head, a small chirping sound caught his attention.

A small bird, glowing as if made of otherworldly energy, was sitting on Neuro's shoulder.

Liam grinned broadly.

"Too late, Neuro. You're done for."

Sal wanted to ask what was going on, but before he could, the bird spread its wings and flew over to where Dawn was sitting.

She was already watching Neuro.

A mischievous smile played at the corners of her lips.

Neuro sighed and pointed at Dawn.

"I guess we can move straight to the next introduction."

As they walked over to where Dawn was sitting, she looked at them with a smile.

"A little bird told me something? That you were lying!"

Her brown eyes turned to Sal, who was standing awkwardly.

"Ah, are you the kid who sees the future? Risk assessors should stick together. I'm Dawn, nice to meet you."

Sal pointed to Divinity across the room.

"That's my friend over there. I'm just an appraiser."

Neuro chuckled, looking at Sal with a playful expression.

"Quest already told everyone everything. We all know you're not just a simple appraiser."

At that, Dawn's eyes sparkled as she jumped up.

"Ooh, so you're that Skill Master?"

Before Sal could answer, Neuro made a gesture of trying to run away with Sal.

He feigned a surprised expression at Dawn and said,

"Oh my, your birds didn't tell you that?"

Sal wondered for a moment if there was tension between the two, but he relaxed as a playful smile soon spread across Dawn's face.

Just as Neuro was about to introduce the next person, the elevator doors opened again with a ding.

Everyone's eyes turned toward Quest coming out of the elevator.

Following him were a black-haired girl in a black uniform and a tired-looking man in a white lab coat.

Quest didn't delay, gesturing for everyone to sit as he walked quickly between the seats.

"Thank you all for waiting. I apologize for being a little late. I hope you've all met our amazing new candidates, Salvatore Argento and Divinity Khan!"

Quest spoke quickly as he sat in one of the high-backed leather chairs.

Seeing that a few people were still standing, he gestured around.

"Come now, don't be shy, have a seat. We have a lot to cover today, so get comfortable."

Neuro and Sal sat side-by-side on an empty sofa.

Liam Payne sat next to Sal and gave a brief smile.

Across the lounge, both Divinity and Scry sat down with excited smiles.

Sal wasn't sure if that was a sign of what was to come or if they were just happy to have met each other.

Quest raised a hand to point at the two people who had come down with him.

"This is Anna Sakura. One of the newly elected Saviors from the third year. And as most of you already know, this is Dr. Bob. He's our Academy's exclusive medical staff and can heal almost anything. I invited them to properly demonstrate the abilities of our two new talents."

Sal glanced at Divinity. She still looked excited.

'Is there another schedule I don't know about?'

He hadn't heard anything about an ability demonstration.

At that moment, Neuro leaned forward slightly and whispered.

"Don't worry. They just want to see your ability in action."

Quest stood up again not long after sitting down.

"Salvatore, if you don't mind, could you come forward? I'd like Divinity to join you as well."

Sal and Divinity moved to the spot Quest indicated.

He pointed to another person and said.

"Recall, stand over here... and Anna, stand behind Sal. That should be perfect."

The arrangement seemed somewhat awkward.

Sal grew increasingly anxious at the fact that a third-year was standing right behind him.

As if noticing his discomfort, Anna tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

When Sal turned around, she was smiling gently.

"I'm here to protect you, so feel free to use your ability to your heart's content."

Sal nodded, muttered a small thanks, and looked forward again.

Divinity was looking at him with a bright smile.

"Everything is going to be fine, Sal. Don't worry."

"Dr. Bob on Sal's right, Recall on the left... Alright, now we're ready!"

Quest nodded after checking the composition and clapped his hands.

"Salvatore, can you recreate that moment when you saw the future? Dr. Bob will continue to assist with healing throughout the process, so there will be no problems with your body. Ah, and you remember this..."

Quest smiled, reached out, took out a Core, and handed it to Sal.

It was an Epic rank Core, the very same one Sal had first Restored in the workshop.

Quest smiled at Sal as if to reassure him.

"Anna will be moving with Dr. Bob. If any side effects occur or we need to stop, she can cut off your ability with her Nullification skill. Our goal is to identify the disasters seen in your vision. Recall will help make your ability visible to everyone. Any questions?"

Over a thousand questions popped into Sal's head, but every eye in the room was fixed on him.

Just a day ago, the Headmaster had warned him not to use his ability recklessly.

But now, he was being told to use his ability freely in front of strangers.

At that moment, Dr. Bob raised his hand.

Quest nodded, granting permission to speak.

"May I perform a simple examination first?"

Quest gestured his approval.

"Of course! While you examine him, I will explain the new guidelines sent down from the Council to the others."

Dr. Bob extended his hand, and Sal, thinking it was for a handshake, grasped it.

But at that moment, a strange energy surged forcefully into his body.

If the recovery power of the mean Healer he met before was like a ball of Essence bouncing around inside his body, Dr. Bob's ability was like a tidal wave.

It wasn't unpleasant, but the sensation was quite shocking.

Sal suppressed his own ability to avoid a clash.

A slight frown appeared on Dr. Bob's face as the flow of energy began to concentrate toward Sal's head.

Suddenly, a tickling sensation arose behind Sal's eyes, and tears welled up in an instant.

Before Sal could even wipe his eyes, Dr. Bob raised his other hand and placed it over Sal's eyes.

Then, he pushed Essence strongly through them.

Sal gasped for breath.

Warmth spread across his entire eye area, and he struggled with all his might not to collapse on the spot.

"Examination complete."

Dr. Bob said so without any explanation.

Sal wiped his eyes, expecting some kind of clarification, but Dr. Bob's face remained expressionless.

Fortunately, everyone's gaze was directed at Quest, so it seemed no one saw him tear up.

At that moment, a tissue suddenly appeared over his shoulder.

When Sal turned around, Anna Sakura was looking at him with a mischievous smile.

"I always carry spares in case someone suddenly cries."

Sal took the tissue, trying to forget the embarrassment washing over him.

Only then did Quest's words start to register in his ears.

He listened quietly along with the others.

"So that is why we gathered here today. Originally, I intended to proceed with just light introductions, but after the last report, orders came down. The command was to collect as much information as possible about the underwater dungeon located at the harbor. And Salvatore is the only one who has seen that place. The Council's policy is to utilize all our resources for this disaster. Same as always... When the Council says 'jump', what does our Doom Society say?"

""Piece of cake.""

Sal blinked in surprise.

Every member of the Doom Society had answered simultaneously with expressionless faces.

Quest raised both hands and sighed.

"I'm glad everyone feels the same way!"

Divinity smiled and looked at Sal.

She held out both hands, and Sal lightly took one of them.

With his other hand, he lifted the Core.

Divinity nodded, understanding his intent.

Contact wasn't essential for Essence abilities, but he couldn't ignore her hand in front of everyone like this.

Quest approached Sal and shook his head with a sympathetic expression.

"I'm truly sorry, Salvatore. Since the Doom Council wants answers... I hope you can meet their demands."

Sal nodded.

"I'll do my best."

The Headmaster turned to Recall and asked.

"Are you synchronized with everyone?"

When the hero nodded quietly, Quest clapped his hands and said.

"Good, then let's begin. Salvatore, start whenever you're ready."

Sal looked at Divinity and breathed evenly.

The attention and expectations pouring onto him were overwhelming to handle.

The fact that people in such high positions were watching him so seriously felt unfamiliar.

His heart pounded, and just being there felt awkward.

"You'll definitely do well. I've already seen it."

Divinity's voice reached his ears.

Her warm smile came into view.

At that moment, his mind became strangely calm.

Sal returned a small smile and activated his ability.

The Core vibrated in his hand, and he naturally connected to its power.

He wondered if the Essence would change his ability or just sustain it longer.

He grafted Divinity's ability onto his own.

Instead of activating it immediately like usual, this time he refined the overall structure once more to raise its perfection.

'Wait, this is...'

He instinctively sensed that some curves of the ability were inefficient.

It took a few more seconds to tighten and supplement them, but he didn't want to make mistakes.

Sal wove his power, the Core, and Divinity's ability into one and activated it.

And at that moment, he got the answer to the question he had asked earlier.

The amplified Essence had definitely changed his ability itself.