Let Me Borrow Some Abilities at the Hero Academy

Chapter 49 : Caution

Glowing wings unfurled widely from Sal's back.

At that moment, Anna Sakura let out a gasp of surprise.

She seemed flustered by the unexpected angelic form.

The wings Sal had transformed this time were much larger than before.

It didn't end there; his silver shirt had transformed into a brilliantly shining breastplate.

Above Sal's head, as he slowly opened his eyes, a crown made of light slowly floated up.

Then, Divinity's pained expression entered Sal's vision.

She was witnessing Sal perfectly embody the pinnacle of an ability she had yet to reach.

The room was engulfed in shock and silence.

Quest and Neuro had anticipated this to some extent, but even they were speechless at the sight that far exceeded the level described in the report.

Harlan, Dawn, and Liam were the same.

The angelic form created by Divinity's ability.

They were mesmerized in awe and wonder.

"I don't think any blood is flowing to my hand."

Sal murmured quietly.

Only then did Divinity's surprised expression turn into a gentle smile.

She gently released Sal's hand.

"Will you guide me, Divinity?"

Sal asked as he began to see the future.

Divinity nodded, activating her ability.

"Anytime."

Sal found himself once again in a dense forest of trees.

He recalled the countless techniques and principles he had learned from Divinity, but trying to recall them all at once felt like it would overload his senses.

Just then, a beam of light illuminated one of the trees below.

He could feel Divinity's power guiding his ability.

As Sal was about to examine the tree, another energy touched him.

Instinctively, he knew the power belonged to Recall.

Sal did not reject the energy but ignored it.

Right now, he was following the path Divinity was showing him.

She was scanning each tree at tremendous speed.

Inwardly, Sal wished Divinity could control his ability directly, but he knew that was impossible.

When the multitude of energy signals stopped, only a single tree continued to shine.

Divinity had found what they were looking for.

Just like last time, Sal started from the base of the tree and looked up to where they were currently positioned.

A significant portion of the tree trunk corresponded to the present time.

Branches and twigs extending here and there represented various variables.

Sal tried to examine a few branches first, but the information unfolding before his eyes was utterly incomprehensible.

A vast expanse of water, a group of swimming heroes... and underwater combat?

There was too much to see, and Sal struggled to focus his mind and return to the main branch.

Realistic scenes unfolded before his eyes, and each vision seemed ready to spiral out of control if he let his guard down even slightly.

Every detail was vivid, but that made it all the harder to handle.

"You're doing great, Sal!"

Divinity spoke softly, helping him maintain control.

Sal tried to play the scenes slowly.

That way, they would have time to interpret the meaning.

Just then, Recall spoke from the side.

"Just focus on gathering information. I'll slow it down and analyze it later."

Hearing those words, Sal felt a weight lift from his mind.

Until now, he had been crawling through mud, trying to grasp everything one by one, but now he felt like he had been given permission to run at full speed.

His ability had a tendency to try and show everything at once from the start.

Taking it slow had actually been more burdensome.

With the floodgates open, Sal began to scan the branches of the tree at super speed.

He scanned every branch and twig corresponding to the disaster like lightning, checking every possible outcome.

Sal only vaguely saw the scenes flashing by.

And he pinpointed which outcome each one led to, one by one.

It was actually a relief not to have to look into each one in detail.

Thanks to that, he didn't have to dwell on a scene to ponder its meaning or be tormented by the possibilities.

He couldn't understand how Divinity endured the pressure of the future on a daily basis.

If it were him, he wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility.

In just a few minutes, Sal had finished sorting through one branch.

He could have continued, but he had covered all the major events, and the variables were ridiculously numerous.

Without waiting for permission, Sal moved straight to the next branch.

Again, he repeated the same process with Divinity.

Divinity quickly filtered out low-probability variables and focused on those more deeply connected to the current situation.

With Divinity by his side, Sal calmly broke through the future events.

While following one of the last major branches of the tree, Divinity began to search for the next target.

Surprisingly, the location she pointed out was a completely different area from where Sal had been examining so far.

To rejoin her, Sal had to travel quite a distance.

Almost reflexively, Sal began to go through the procedures from the beginning, examining new events.

Then, he was surprised to realize something.

He was gradually getting used to this new power, and his control over the scenes was deepening.

Thanks to that, much more information was unfolding before his eyes.

No matter how fast he moved, he could capture parts of the scenes amidst the flashing colors.

At that moment, Divinity squeezed his hand tight.

Sal immediately slowed his power in response to her reaction and turned his gaze to the scene she was watching.

Through the fog, a single scene appeared.

At its center were the two of them, Sal and Divinity.

'Screaming civilians, dying students... and humanoid monsters?'

Panicked, Sal lost his grip on the scene, and it rapidly jumped forward.

Death and destruction poured out.

He saw Sinclair dying, shouting at them to run away.

"What is this?"

Sal asked in a trembling voice, overcome with emotion.

He hurriedly rewound the scene to before the event.

There, he saw himself standing with unfamiliar students.

They were all grouped in fives, and Sinclair was issuing orders to them.

Sal struggled to make out what he was saying, but the scene was too fast and jumped again immediately.

This time, a scene appeared of one of the Academy towers completely collapsing and engulfed in flames within a massive pillar of fire.

"That's enough!"

Quest's voice rang out, cutting through the room.

Anna immediately placed her hand on Sal's wing.

Everything cut off abruptly.

Sal returned instantly to the Skylounge, looking at the Doom Society members with wide eyes.

The angel wings and shirt had returned to their original forms.

The only proof that it had all been real was the tears flowing from Divinity's eyes.

When Sal turned his head, Recall was kneeling on the floor, clutching his head.

Dr. Bob stood beside him, supporting his back.

He shook his head slightly at Quest and said.

"This one was too much. It will take him a little while to process all that content."

Sal realized the reason for the interruption wasn't because of the danger of the vision, but for Recall's sake.

He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, Divinity squeezed his hand tightly.

When Sal looked at her, Divinity shook her head very subtly.

It was a warning not to say anything.

And in that moment, Sal realized she was still using her ability.

"That was truly overwhelming, Salvatore!"

Harlan grinned broadly as he stepped forward and shook Sal's hand vigorously.

"The synchronization only held properly for the early parts. After that, Recall was too busy just extracting information from the two of you. So we didn't see much... but even the scenes we did see were incredible enough. That dungeon was full of aquatic monsters. Just the thought of investigating it myself later makes me excited. It was a perfect debut. Welcome to the Doom Society! We are truly lucky to have such talented students join us."

Sal thanked him for the praise.

From a distance, he saw Neuro give him a thumbs up.

Just then, as Liam and Dawn quickly approached to talk to Sal, Quest intercepted them with an apologetic smile.

"Could you give us a moment to talk amongst ourselves?"

The two retreated obediently.

"How are you feeling, Salvatore? Are you hurt anywhere, or feeling fatigued? Once Recall's treatment is done, you can get a checkup too."

Quest carefully examined Sal's expression, checking his condition.

Sal was surprised by the unexpected consideration, but he smiled and shook his head.

"I'm fine. The Core did most of the work."

Quest let out a sigh of relief and led Sal a little away from the others.

Once there was a suitable distance, Quest chose his words carefully.

"Salvatore, the Doom Society plays a very important role here. We report directly to the Doom Council, which sits at the top of the food chain. And now, you and Divinity have entered their sights as well. Belonging to this organization is no simple matter. You might end up working with us over the weekend to build trust. As your rank rises, you will gain access to more information."

Quest's smile dimmed ever so slightly.

"Recall cut the synchronization for everyone connected. The last scene you saw will be omitted from the report. Neuro and I, both of us confirmed the scene you and Divinity saw... but please never speak of that information. Scry saw the same vision, and we reported it to the Council immediately. Countermeasures are currently being prepared."

Quest's voice remained low and cautious.

Sal couldn't understand why he was sharing this with him privately.

"But... shouldn't we discuss it all together?"

Sal asked genuinely.

The reason the Doom Society existed was to prevent such threats in advance.

Hiding it didn't make sense to Sal.

Quest shook his head.

"There are new members who have just joined this time. Trust in them is not yet sufficient. It might be hard to believe, but there are people in the world who seek to exploit disasters rather than stop them."

Quest frowned briefly as he said this.

But he soon regained his usual stable smile.

"Next week, you and Divinity will have an interview with Scry. He will evaluate your targets against future events. No need to worry. Through that process, you will climb another step within the Society. Right now, I ask only one thing. Do not speak of that last scene."

Sal looked over Quest's shoulder.

There, Neuro was quietly talking with Divinity.

Quest placed a hand on Sal's shoulder.

"The information Recall analyzes will be a great help to us. But we must follow procedure. Leaking information carelessly can only incite anxiety and fear. Do you understand?"

"...Yes, Headmaster. I understand."

Sal answered slowly.

His mind was complicated, but he accepted it for now.

He wanted to ask Divinity what future she had seen, but that too would have to be postponed.

Because tension was etched on her face.

Sal took the hand Quest offered and nodded.

"I won't say anything."

Quest laughed and patted his shoulder lightly once more.

"Good! Then let's go greet the rest of the Doom Society members."