Abyssal Awakening

"Tada~ Two commissions within the city." Alice chuckled, placing them on the table while Ria blinked her eyes in surprise.

Ignoring her surprise, Alice ordered another cup of mead while looking over the details around these commissions.

The first one seems to be commissioned by a student of the Combat Department within the academy. They required a sparring partner so they can prepare for the Student Advancement exams. The Hunter needed to have at least four Sigils and defeat his bodyguard.

If they are able to fulfil these requirements, they\'ll be sparring every day and the payment will be 50 gold per sparring session.

Seeing this, Alice figured that Ria would be the perfect fit for this considering her focus on martial techniques and close quarters combat. Between the two of them, she was the best candidate for this.

"This one is happening later today if you want to give it a go." Alice offered as she slid the commission next to Ria.

Reading through the details, Ria almost choked on her drink seeing that it was 50 gold per session. If they were doing one session per day for the next two weeks before their exam, that was 700 gold in total! It was enough for her to buy the gloves she wanted.

"Holy crap! What kind of rich young master can spare 50 gold per session?"

"Dunno. But if they\'re willing to pay the price why not ahaha." Alice chuckled since this\'ll solve their funding for now.

But that was just Ria\'s commission, turning her eyes to the second one, she started to read through the details.

To call it a commission was slightly incorrect as it was more like an advert than anything. The poster was a Department Head\'s assistant within the Academy and required a helping hand while working in the lab.

\'You will be required to be able to handle yourself in an environment filled with Abyss Blood. During this period, you will act as an extra pair of hands for me. You will not defy what I ask of you as all experiments and research require careful actions.

\'However, in the time you are working as my assistant, you will be allowed to use some of the equipment provided by the academy so long as you notify me of the uses. The pay will be 30 gold per day but you will be expected to be by my side for a minimum of 8 hours. Depending on the experiment, you will be going into overtime but I will pay the fee accordingly.\'

Tapping her finger on the table, Alice understood that most people would probably be cautious regarding this commission. Not only was it an environment filled with Abyss Blood, but the pay didn\'t match the risk not to mention the hours.

\'Just being able to use the equipment doesn\'t cover the hour required. But… the environment isn\'t an issue for me. If anything, I can probably persuade them by saying my body\'s already been affected by side effects.\' She mused to herself.

Should she decide to go through with this commission, she\'ll be able to earn around 420 gold pieces not including the supposed overtime.

In the end, she decided to meet the commissioner first before she decided to accept the task or not.

\'If I can get access to the facilities early then I can run some tests of my own without waiting till I\'m enrolled. Though even if I enrol, I doubt they\'ll lend testing equipment to a Combat Department student.\' She sighed.

Finishing her drink, Alice stood up.

"I\'m gonna go meet the commissioner for this task. Are you going to meet your commissioner as well?" Alice asked, glancing over to Ria who was also preparing to leave.

"Mnm. The sooner I meet them the faster we can set up the sparring sessions. And the faster I do that, the faster I get paid." Ria grinned.

"Pft alright. You\'re gonna get paid a bit more than me but hopefully, mine should be relatively relaxing if I decide to say yes to this."

Letting the Guild know that they were taking these two commissions, the two made their way back to the Academy. Ria made her way to the Combat Department while Alice walked to the Theory Department. They were both given a temporary pass that allowed them to wander the Academy without issue since they were here for a commission.

Each of the Departments was located in their own area. The Handicraft was located near trains that allowed them easy access to the rest of the city. The Combat Department was located directly below the Inverted World while the Theory Department was located around the mountain peaks.

There were several observatories built on the way up, giving a full view of the Inverted World.

While she was making her way up the path, Alice turned her head to the right and stared into the distortion that inverted the reflection of this world. In this distortion, Alice could see a reflection of herself.

But there was no need to rush since she\'d visit this strange world in due time.

Shaking her head, she continued up the mountain and made her way into the Department of Theory.

Looking down at the commission sheet, Alice familiarized the details before putting it away in her coat.

Her would-be commissioner was the Assistant of the Department Head of Theory, Arunya.

\'Seems like she holds a similar role to Luke. Though it doesn\'t seem like she\'s a Special Class student.\'

Wandering around the area, she soon found the location mentioned on the commission sheet.

The entrance to the building was embedded within the mountains as expected. A wide, arched doorway with carefully carved statues welcomed any and all visitors.

Above the arc was a series of gargoyles that perched menacingly, their stony visages casting a dreadful shadow upon the path in.

Unsure as to whether or not these gargoyles could move or not, Alice couldn\'t help but furrow her brows as the feeling they gave her was reminiscent of Abyss Beasts yet no stars appeared above their heads.

Pushing past the heavy wooden doors that were reinforced by metal bands and adorned with intricate patterns, Alice was greeted by a dimly lit corridor lined with flickering torches mounted on each side of the pathway.

Further inside, the corridor opened up into a vast chamber, revealing the heart of the lab.

Large pillars supported the ceiling while bookshelves could be seen around the room. Containers filled with unconscious Abyss Beasts could be seen as their bodies were filled with tubes siphoning their blood while keeping them alive.

Standing in the centre of the room was a single woman with her dark blue hair tied up into a high ponytail and a pair of blue-rimmed glasses.

She had a pair of piercing blue eyes that didn\'t reveal any kind of emotion, a small beauty spot on her chin next to the corner of her mouth and a scar across the bridge of her nose.

She wore a pristine white lab coat and a crisp uniform. The coat was adorned with various pockets and compartments, each holding a set of pens and instruments for her experiments. On her chest was the crest for the Department of Theory.

"Ah… You must be the Hunter who accepted my commission. Do you understand the risks you take in becoming my assistant for two weeks?" Arunya asked in a soft monotonous tone, as though she couldn\'t spare the effort to speak.

"Yes I do. It simply requires me to be comfortable in an environment with Abyss Blood right?" Alice nodded as she noticed Arunya scanning her from head to toe. Her eyes stopped briefly on the crown, her hair and her eye.

"It seems like you\'ve ran into your fair share of troubles… Please, if your body cannot handle more people don\'t force yourself. I\'d rather not see someone succumb to side effects in my lab." Arunya shook her head.

"Don\'t worry, these are minor… side effects that have been with me for a while. They won\'t cause any inconveniences, nor would I succumb to the effects in your lab." Alice reassured.

"I\'m not worried if you would fall to the effects but rather I don\'t want you to do so in my lab. Do it out of my lab so the janitors can clean it up when they see you… But it seems like you\'re aware of the risks. I\'ll conduct a primary test if that\'s okay with you." Arunya corrected herself, gesturing for Alice to stand next to the operating table.

Laying on the table and strapped down using several strange belts, a young woman could be seen with barely any strength to resist while several openings have been made across her body, revealing countless rows of sharp teeth, flesh whips and pulsing black mist.

"How familiar are you with being an assistant?" She asked, wanting to determine Alice\'s experience level.

"Never been one but I\'m familiar with certain techniques required for surgery and such."

"Alright… It\'s never too late to learn. Familiarize yourself with the tools. I\'ll need you to hand me the tools I need when I call for them. Gloves are to the side, take a pair if you don\'t want to touch the blood directly."

Glancing to her side, Alice could see the bloodied surgical tools neatly lined up and ready to be used. All of which she had seen many times during her 10 year imprisonment.

After putting on a pair of gloves, Alice saw that Arunya was already poking and prodding the body on the table. The sight of which reminded her of her past.

But there was one thing that Alice couldn\'t help but praise morbidly. Arunya\'s technique was precise and fast, refusing to extend the suffering more than needed while observing the results.

Had it been Arunya operating on her throughout the 10 year imprisonment, she might\'ve had a slightly better time.

Without wasting any time, Alice helped Arunya with the experiment. Whether that be passing the tools or holding parts of the organs open, she worked without saying a single word.