Chapter 7

Door & Cafeteria (2)

    After Esther dealt with the unfortunate squirrel, he quickly approached the multifunctional door and knocked three times.

    “The Toilet of the Abyss.”

    And the young man disappeared into the door.

    Alone, he began to reflect on the events that had occurred. The chaotic battle, the raging flames, the gruesome corpses. Even though those who died could be reborn, their bodies would remain for a while.

    Accustomed to death, Tartarus said he was like that. Esther wasn’t surprised that this place might be filled with people who had lost their sanity or had become indifferent to war. Some might even see it as just a game. The young man bowed his head, letting the water wash away the blood clinging to his body.

    “I’ve never killed anyone, but some things can’t be denied.”

    He massaged his own ankle. The wounds from the chains faded away until they were almost invisible. Esther tried to walk around in the bathroom, but when he put his full weight down, his steps made almost no sound at all.

    "Walking loudly enough to get used to it is so hard," Esther muttered to himself. The battles he had experienced, along with the people he met, made him think back to a woman he had encountered in the past. Even though it wasn't for long, the shared experiences made her unforgettable, no matter how hard he tried.

    "Forgetting what she taught is tough. No, wait, she also taught me how to adapt."

    Esther submerged himself in a large bathtub, letting his thoughts dissipate with the water.

    ‘How many times do I owe you... Valeria?’

    "Speaking of which, the cursed building is practically in the middle of the university," Esther remarked while looking at a map along the corridor. It was now eight in the morning, after he had finished bathing and changing clothes. Completely exhausted from the night before, he had fallen into a deep sleep, only to be awoken (forcefully) by his Chain, who had to transform into human form to do so. He couldn't understand why it had to be so early.

    The current state of the university was chaotic to say the least. Although no corpses were left to be seen, the blood splattered in various places was disturbing enough for anyone who came across it. The jasper-black-eyes of the prisoner looked around, wondering why traces of the battle remained, even though they could have been easily cleaned up... but he then forgot about it as he went to find something to eat.

    The university's cafeteria, known almost to the point of legend, was notorious because only students dined there. Fights, or more accurately, small-scale wars, often broke out here. Therefore, every student had their meals with bated breath, wondering when a bullet might fly by. There were even legends of a senior in the past who cast a grand magic that blew up the cafeteria.

    Of course, Esther hoped that nothing crazy would happen while he was eating.

    Arriving at a place set slightly apart from the castle, the young man found members of his group already waiting. Most were sitting in groups they had fought alongside during the freshman orientation rather than by major, thinking that they would see each other in class anyway, including the upperclassmen.

    The large, white, three-story rectangular building emphasized cleanliness. From the outside, one could easily see people sitting on the second and third floors due to the sparkling clean windows. Though some were cracked, it was a minor issue. Naturally, Esther tried to ignore the bloodstains and strange remnants clinging to the tile roof.

    At a large square table, Esther's group sat together, full house. Witches, shamans, vampires, assassins - it was a gathering of nearly every profession. The moment someone saw his face, calls of recognition echoed so quickly that the young man was taken aback.

    "Where were you yesterday? Why didn't you show up at the castle?" Grace asked, ignoring the delicious food in front of her completely, drawing the attention of everyone at the table to him. The vampire girl who had gone with him was immediately dizzy when she couldn't find Esther.

    "Emm..."

    In his mind, the prisoner spun a web of various lies prepared since the night before. But eventually, seeing the red eyes staring at him with a mix of anger and a slight concern, all that came out of his mouth was one word.

    "Sorry."

    "I don't want an apology; I want an explanation. You were the only one missing from the group yesterday. The teachers wouldn't say anything, just smiled. So, where did you go?"

    The golden-haired woman swallowed her curiosity about how the young man in front of her could bypass the teachers' spells and shoved it back into her brain.

    "Let's just say... I'll tell the truth," Esther found it impossible to lie under her gaze, "My necklace can reject healing spells from the teachers. As far as I know, the teachers can attack me but can't heal me. It also blocks all types of teleportation spells."

    Upon his finishing, the faces around the table changed instantly. The vampire girl looked at him incredulously, Bryan and Joshua stared in shock, the twin brothers at the head of the table covered their mouths in fear, the young man with a dog on his lap looked at him admiringly, but Wiz's expression was stranger than the rest, her mouth agape for so long that Esther thought she had been frozen.

    "That's insane. How did you survive the forest then?" The man with the dog on his lap was awestruck, his interest in Esther's answer significantly piqued. His long grey hair resembled the fur of the dog lying on his lap, and as Esther was about to respond, he realized he couldn't remember the other's name.

    "Uh, I'd rather not say...."

    The other laughed before extending his hand for a handshake, "Barney... Barney Hollow. If you still can't remember my name, this here is Tony," he said nonchalantly, pointing to the dog eating food on his lap. "Since we're probably going to be in the same group, it's good to know each other. No matter where, being in a group is always important."

    Esther nodded in acknowledgment before noticing that the other party wore a collar similar to the dog beside him, not missing a beat. Barney's orange eyes, which looked at him, seemed out of place on his face, appearing more animalistic than human.

    "I'll remember everyone gradually. I got separated yesterday," the young prisoner said, bowing his head apologetically. The table responded in a manner suggesting they didn't mind much, except for one pair...

    Two gothic Lolita-dressed twin sisters, who seemed to have finished eating, approached him quickly. Their outfits were identical, one in black and the other in white, with their black hair tied back in ponytails. The pair stared at Esther with unblinking, deep black eyes, making him pause in surprise.

    "Sophia/Nadia Engage. Pleased to meet you, and please remember us well," they stared at him without breaking eye contact, assessing him from head to toe, especially the one in white (presumably Nadia), who fixated on the tattoo on his hand without blinking.

    "I'm going to grab something to eat," he hastily distanced himself from the table.

    Here, one had to walk up to order at the counters like a regular cafeteria, except everything was free. While the selection wasn't vast, there was almost everything to choose from. Only certain ingredients couldn't be brought in, such as dragon meat, for example. The reason for the multiple counters was to avoid students fighting over food, with each counter offering similar items. Drinks were in a separate section.

    Esther disappeared for a while before returning with a tray piled so high with food it was nearly overflowing. He placed a plate of various steaks drenched in a dark sauce in front of him, followed by a large bowl of salad. The thickly sliced meat seemed tough enough that it wouldn't be easily bitten through with his teeth. The aroma filled the table, tempting those who had only taken two dishes to consider getting more.

    The young man calculated before placing a square white plate with two crispy fried fish on it. Even with the bones and heads removed, the sheer size of the flesh was comparable to the forearm of the person picking it up. Another plate of fried items was poured into it to save space, with a light orange sauce placed next to the fish plate.

    It would have been ordinary if Esther hadn't dragged over a large grilled red shrimp, its oceanic salty scent wafting with the breeze, prompting Barney and Tony to quickly leave the table to grab more food.

    "Hell shrimp... imported," the man monopolizing the store rubbed his hands together. "Well-salted grilled."

    However, Esther looked at it again and changed his mind, dragging the large salad bowl in front of him instead.

    "Hehehe... King's salad, with rare vegetables not found in supermarkets," he said as he munched on the fresh green leaves, mixing them with the light orange salad dressing. Various colored vegetables combined with the seasoning that came with the crispy bread were almost indistinguishable.

    "So fresh... the dressing is amazing. With shredded Aqua chicken mixed in like this, it's like heaven," Esther mumbled as he scooped up a chunk of white chicken meat into his mouth.

    Aqua chicken, or Aqua Realm chicken, is one of the famed livestock of the area. Despite its external appearance resembling a blue-feathered chicken, it primarily lives underwater. Although it can be raised on land, the meat becomes dry and tough. The meat Esther was eating was from an Aqua chicken raised in water, which was juicier than regular chicken even when grilled or fried for a long time. Moreover, frying it with broth made the juicy interior of the chicken absorb additional flavors. Of course, even when shredded for salad, it remained moist.

    The table watched the young man devour the feast before him as if describing with the word ’gorge’ was an understatement. Normally, Esther wouldn't eat so greedily, but the ordeal of hunger from the night before was too vivid, so he not only brought food for himself... he also sneakily stored some in Tartarus.

    The Chain, initially uninterested in the food, eventually joined in the feast, ending up in a similar state to her master due to the deliciousness combined with hunger. Esther made a couple more rounds to collect spare food to store in Tartarus without others noticing, drawing attention from other tables.

    "Finally full," the young man said comfortably, even unsure how the mountain of plates before him came to be, not to mention the burping echoing in his head that made him shudder. Esther hoped the food he stored in Tartarus would last longer than usual; otherwise, it would be a pity.

    "Let's go," he urged his table companions, who were more stunned than ever. Esther noticed Barney and Tony had tried to compete with him in eating, and now one person and one dog couldn't even leave their seats, both whining pitifully while being pitied by their friends.

    "Not just eating but storing for later too. You're really clever, Master," the voice of the girl in the tattoo praised in his mind, making him smile at the endearment and the changed manner of address. He was beginning to understand Tartarus more.

    She only spoke sweetly to him when she was satisfied.

    "How long can it be stored?" Esther asked curiously.

    "Until you take it out to eat."

    The answer made the young man laugh inwardly for a long time.

    ‘Right... now that she's in a good mood after eating, I have to feed her well. It's free, after all.’