Let Me Borrow Some Abilities at the Hero Academy

Chapter 139 : Chapter 139

Chapter 139 : Method

"Haa..."

Sal let out a satisfied breath as he pushed the empty plate forward.

Perhaps because it was the first cafeteria steak he'd had in days, it tasted even better.

Divinity chose a salad as usual, while Barry picked little bits of everything from the prepared food.

Since most first years were still crowding the armory, the cafeteria was almost empty.

The second years were still in class, so only a sparse few were sitting in the cafeteria.

After chatting lightly for a while, Barry and Divinity shared their expectations for the upcoming expedition.

Both looked excited, with Divinity's only regret being the camping in the reclaimed zone.

On the other hand, Barry was excited just by the fact that he could leave the Academy for a moment.

Having been stifled and confined, he wanted to see with his own eyes what a newly reclaimed zone looked like.

However, since Chatfield hadn't specified the duration of the expedition, various speculations were exchanged, and judging by Divinity's grim expression, the camping seemed likely to be quite long.

Sal confessed that he was a bit anxious about this expedition since he had never been camping before.

Of course, it was a good opportunity to accumulate new information in his visor, but trying to imagine how classes would be conducted outdoors gave him no clue at all.

"For example, how are they going to do crafting classes outside? And what about Administration? I can't imagine Jez sitting on a rock saying she has to sell things to earn Q-Credits."

Barry chuckled and shrugged.

"Monster Behavior and Analysis, or whatever they call it combined... those subjects should be fine to teach outdoors. It's basically information gathering, so it shouldn't be too hard."

Divinity thought for a moment before speaking up.

"Do you think sending us on an expedition might be to deliberately separate the first-year Controllers from the Academy? To completely separate them from the second years."

Sal shook his head.

"This plan was probably already underway long before we found out about the Bastion case. But the result isn't bad. Now it will be much harder for them to recruit new members."

Barry nodded at Sal's words and pointed towards Divinity.

"Alastair will catch all those bastards, so we won't have to infiltrate for a while. That's disappointing but also fortunate in a way. Actually, I was planning to use that as an excuse to get into the Master Class."

"Why do you want to go there so badly? Is it because of your ability?"

Sal asked out of pure curiosity.

Sal couldn't understand the idea of deliberately getting close to danger.

Disguising oneself to become a completely different person just felt like a new level of stress.

"Honestly, just because it looks fun. I've handled illusions since I was little, and it was always like a game to me. Tricking people or playing pranks was always enjoyable. But now I can save people with that power too. In the end, danger is a part that naturally follows if you intend to use such power."

Sal asked again.

"But choosing a knife as your weapon... is that really what you want? Considering range, a gun would suit you well too. Choosing a knife will inevitably lean you more towards assassination specialization."

Divinity frowned and turned towards Barry.

"You said you wanted to do espionage and disguise too. And said you wanted to learn tactics from Alastair. Are you really aiming for the assassination route?"

Barry opened his arms wide and laughed.

"Well, who knows? Right now I'm just doing it because it looks fun. What's certain is I want to play a Controller role. Focusing on assassination will eventually get me thrown into Offense. I want to learn various roles evenly and create optimal strategies for each situation. So don't worry that I'm trying to become a killer because of some dark, gloomy past. That's a total cliché."

Just as Sal was about to say something, Barry tapped the table and gave Divinity a meaningful look.

"Doesn't it seem like Sal is trying to subtly change the subject right now? We can't let our precious Mythos Crafter become useless in just three months. So what should we do?"

Divinity smiled at Sal, who looked uncomfortable as attention suddenly focused on him.

"What I recommended was meditation. It helps organize and unravel thoughts, and is good for increasing the number of Essence Gates too."

Barry grinned and snapped his fingers.

"Actually, I had a similar thought. Though the method is completely different. Just being lost in thought alone versus visualizing the problem right in front of you and confronting it head-on are completely different stories. What I'm talking about is a kind of image training. That way you can see results much faster."

Divinity stopped smiling and looked at Barry with a confused expression.

"Image training? You mean imagining monsters and fighting them? That's completely different from what I said. I mean Sal needs to organize his thoughts step by step and digest them healthily. He needs to realize why he has such thoughts and be able to overcome the lies his mind feeds him."

Sal raised his hand trying to intervene, but the two paid no attention.

Barry shook his head, still smiling.

"That's just textbook meditation immersing in emotions. Sal already has enough of that. What he needs is a method to face excuses head-on and actually fight them. That's where my ability is used."

Barry spoke confidently as if it was the most obvious solution.

"I just need to let Sal replicate my ability and then teach him how to handle it in his head. Then he can visualize his worries right in front of him and solve them by fighting directly in his mind. Meanwhile, proficiency goes up as a bonus."

Divinity stared blankly at Barry.

It sounded like telling Sal to stab himself in the stomach to solve the problem.

Barry didn't care about Divinity's reaction and pointed at her.

"You can see the future. So you just need to find the optimal way for me to teach Sal. That way he won't fall into an endless quagmire."

Sal never imagined such an extreme solution would come up for such a minor problem.

"That's ridiculous, Barry. Learn your ability just because of a few nightmares? That's too much of an overreaction."

Barry shook his head, still smiling.

"That's where you're thinking wrong. This isn't just removing nightmares, it's training. Do you know why I could open all Essence Gates? Why I learn training or formations so quickly? I do image training every night when I rest. Time flows differently in sleep. If you learn how to activate this inside while you sleep, you can see the effect of days of training in just a single night."

Barry snapped his fingers, recalling the original purpose of this plan.

"And you won't have nightmares again either. Because you'll be controlling your sleep state directly."

Sal looked at Barry with wide eyes in shock.

"Is that possible? Training abilities while sleeping? That's totally cheating!"

Sal looked at Divinity, who seemed to have reached the same realization.

She was blank for a moment, then came to her senses and shook her head.

"Barry, that's something you mastered after years of effort and mental training. Sal can't catch up to that level with just a few conversations."

Barry shrugged and turned his gaze to Sal.

"The choice is yours. I can tell you the method, but whether to actually do it or not is up to you. But this is surprisingly fun. Once you can control dreams, it's truly the ultimate power fantasy. While training, I cut down dozens of Commander variants in my head. What I can say for sure is that even if those bastards appear in front of me for real, I won't be scared and cower. That is the power of Dream Training."

As Sal and Divinity fell into silence, Barry urged further.

"Fine, it's okay to refuse. But your thoughts will change when you see directly how fast I raise my knife proficiency. I replay matches in my head and repeat strategies and patterns. Being able to create realistic illusions with just a flick of the wrist is thanks to that too. Every night I build that up and add it to my mental portfolio that I can utilize during the day."

Divinity said with an expression of utter incomprehension.

"But if you do something like that all night, how can you wake up refreshed in the morning?"

Barry tapped his temple with a smile.

"A kind of time dilation happens in here. Like I told Sal earlier, a few hours feel like days of training. Whenever I have a gap, I take naps to maintain alertness and concentration all day. And when sleeping, I allocate separate time for actual rest. Most people toss and turn then wake up, but I dive straight into the dream realm, my domain. If I want, I can wake myself up, or explore inside the dream. Either way, my body gets sufficient rest all night."

When Divinity muttered a small curse, Barry smiled even brighter.

She shook her head at Sal.

"I still don't think it's a good idea. I don't think you can possess that level of control in such a short time. It would be better to focus on realistic goals and build up results step by step through meditation."

Barry smiled silently at Sal.

"I think I can see inside your complicated head. Countless crafting projects you can make in your head every night... imagining them, aren't you? And who knows? Maybe you can activate Mythos Crafter even while sleeping?"

Divinity shot Barry a sharp glare.

"Stop encouraging him."

"Haha."

Sal found the situation funny and burst into laughter.

No matter how confident Barry was, there was no way he could learn something like that.

'Image training? Just to overcome a few nightmares?'

Still, it sounded much more plausible than the meditation Divinity suggested.

Cooper had advised him that spending time with friends raises the Mentality stat, and either of their suggestions could satisfy that condition.

In fact, Sal was already enjoying hanging out with them.

The bickering conversation was what he had missed most over the past few weeks.

Just as he was about to make a decision, he heard Divinity quietly admonishing Barry.

"I just said it could be one method!"

Barry pushed his chair back to quickly retreat out of reach to avoid Divinity, who was clutching her fork like a weapon.

Divinity shook her head with a firm expression.

"I have no intention of making him create something like a headband with your ability. The reason Sal got into this state in the first place is because of crafting, and the solution you offer... is basically telling him to do more of that?"

Barry raised both hands and shouted as if frustrated.

"Sal is a Crafter. He won't give it up just because he can't sleep well and feels pressure. He'll continue because he's good at it and likes it. Didn't you see Sal's eyes sparkle every time he brings up crafting?"

Barry pointed a finger at Sal.

"Not talking about colors, so don't misunderstand. You get totally excited whenever talk of making something comes up."

Barry turned his gaze back to Divinity without giving Sal a chance to intervene.

"Listen to me. If Sal makes something like a headband or sleep cap and imbues it with illusion power, he won't need to replicate anymore and training will become much easier. You can use it too, and do the same training I'm suggesting to Sal."

As the implication of those words flashed in her mind, Divinity froze on the spot.

Barry dug right into that gap.

"Yeah, that's it. If you can use it, the story changes completely."

Divinity blushed and shook her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Sal's ability is truly amazing, but because of that, he ends up shouldering everything alone. I know well how terrible it is for people to keep you close just looking at your ability. I want to help him as Salvatore, not Mythos. I just want to be a good friend."

Barry laughed and clapped his hands.

"Great, now our thoughts align. Sal, you make the choice. Either train with me to break through the problems in your head directly, or use my ability to create nightmare killer equipment."

Divinity frowned at Barry, then turned her gaze to Sal.

"Or you can organize your thoughts step by step according to the proven method and solve it through meditation."

Sal felt suddenly cornered, looked at the two alternately, and sighed.

"In the end, whatever I choose, the other side will definitely be upset, right?"

Barry and Divinity looked at each other and answered simultaneously.

"That's right."