My Hermes System (Web Novel)
chapter-31

'Did… I really make the right choice?'

Van could not help but slightly back away as his eyes scanned the three students that were currently staring at him. He was deliberating on whether to run away now while he still had the chance to do so and go to the Enhancer-type classes.

However, before he could take one more step, one of the students that were lying on the sofa jumped up.

"Are you lost, little kid?", the male student said, the bags of his eyes almost reaching the bottom of his nose. And for some reason, fumes were coming out of his nose.

"I…"

"What's this!?"

Before Van could even utter a word, the exhausted-looking student grabbed the paper that Van was holding in his hand. The student then squinted his eyes, pulling his eyebags up as he stared at the application form.

And after a few seconds, his eyes widened, "You're a new student!?", he then shouted, his screams covering the entire house as the fumes coming out from his nose grew stronger.

"!!!"

As soon as the other student who was also lying on the other sofa heard this, he quickly sat up and once again stared at Van with curious eyes. The female student that was whispering on the corner of the wall also stared at him. Van could not help but slightly flinch as he saw the jet-black eyes of the student on the corner. It was almost as if her eyes were trying to pierce through Van's deepest thoughts.

"Are you a new student, Evans!?"

Van woke up from his stupor as the exhausted-looking student blocked his view. Since someone already saw his application form, it was probably too late to leave.

"...Yes", Van said, his tone containing a bit of hesitation.

"Nice!", the exhausted-looking student clapped his hands, "Have a seat! Have a seat!", he said excitedly as he beckoned for Van to sit on the sofa.

"My name is Chad, a third-year student", the exhausted-looking student said as he took a seat on the sofa. Even though his face was probably one of the most exhausted looking faces that Van has ever seen, he was still energetic.

If Chad lived in the Relic Graveyard, Van would probably try his best to avoid him because of how he looked, unless he wanted to be associated with a drug addict. But of course, this wasn't the Relic Graveyard.

Van once again looked around the house as he sat on the sofa. The more he scans the place, the more house-like it becomes.

"Where is… the instructor?", Van could not help but ask. If he could only see the instructor, then that would prove that this really was the class he is supposed to be in.

"What do you mean?", Chad lowered his eyebrows from Van's question.

"Where is Ms. El...ton?", Van repeated his question as he looked at his application form, "I am supposed to give this to her"

Hearing Van's question, Chad and the other student sitting on the sofa looked at each other in confusion. But after a while, Chad pointed towards the corner of the room.

"She's right there", Chad said.

Van squinted his eyes as he looked at the direction where Chad was pointing to.

To Van's surprise, Chad was pointing at the female student that was whispering to the wall. Her jet-black eyes still staring straight towards Van's eyes.

"...She is Ms. Elton?", Van could not help but blink his eyes a couple of times as he looked back and forth towards Chad and Ms. Elton.

"Yes", Chad said without any hesitation.

'...Seriously?', Van's eyes widened. He really thought that she was a student. There was also the fact that Chad and this other student were just sleeping on the sofas, and she wasn't doing anything.

What… exactly was going on here?

"Don't mind the instructor for now", Chad waved his hand as he slightly chuckled, "She'll talk to us when she wants"

"So… why are you here?", Chad then said as he looked at Van with a smile on his face.

"Hm?", Van slightly tilted his head.

"What kind of power do you have to be placed in the one and only Unique class?", Chad repeated, his tone getting excited in each word.

"Well…", Van hesitated in answering at first, "I… am fast", he then said as he slightly looked to the side.

"Fast? Then shouldn't you be in the Enhancer class?"

"I… also have other skills", Van said in a low voice.

"Oho, interesting, interesting", Chad said as he nodded his head a couple of times, his eyebags slightly jiggling as he did so, "As for me… I can create fire!", Chad proudly said as he stood up from the sofa.

"Shouldn't you be in the Mage class, then?", Van repeated Chad's question back to him.

"I thought so at first…", Chad could not help but take a deep breath, "But the thing is…"

Suddenly, the fumes coming out from Chad's nose started to release violently. And soon, trickles of fire could be seen coming from his nose.

"It only comes from my nose", he chuckled wryly as he waved his hand, trying to fan out the smoke, "It's pretty much always on. I couldn't control it at first, but Ms. Elton taught me how", he said as he looked at Ms. Elton with eyes of respect.

"But it still is pretty taxing, I can't really turn it off and it's slowly draining my SP", Chad sighed as he sat back on the sofa, "That's why I sleep a lot"

"I… see", Van nodded. A skill that can't be switched off? Was it similar to his Passive Skill, Gift of Hermes? But Chad's skill drains his SP, while the [Gift of Hermes], as far as Van knows, doesn't.

Interesting, Van thought. Maybe he chose the right class after all. If the instructor taught Chad how to not breathe fire from his nose all the time, then maybe she can teach Van how to fully take advantage of his System.

Van then looked towards the other student, who has been keeping quiet the whole time. "And you?", he asked.

"Hm? Oh, I just like sleeping", the student said as soon as he saw Van looking at him.

"Dumbass. He means your System, Fred"

"Ah…", the student called Fred blinked his eyes a couple of times, "I… can turn small", he answered in a lazy tone.

"I see", Van nodded. Chad and Fred, both of their skills could be considered belonging to a Mage-type and an Evolution-type System respectively, but at the same time, they had something that made it… unique.

Van could not help but place his hand on his chin. He wondered how many other Unique systems were out there, and what they could do. The world of System Holders truly was a fascinating thing.

"New student"

"!!!"

Van's thoughts were instantly disrupted as his whole view was suddenly blocked by Ms. Elton's face. Her jet-black eyes were even more hypnotizing now that it was only a few feet away from him.

"Come with me", Ms. Elton said as she turned away and started walking deeper into the house.

"Good luck, Evans", Chad raised his thumb.

'Good… luck?', Van slightly tilted his head. What exactly would he need it for?

Van then followed Ms. Elton, walking until they reached an isolated space. Ms. Elton, however, only stopped walking when she hit a wall, in which she started whispering once again.

'What's… wrong with her?', Van squinted his eyes.

Ms. Eltron remained whispering at the wall for a full minute before turning to face Van.

"What are you?", she asked. Her eyes as if penetrating deep into Van's soul.

"...What?"

"Your System…", Ms. Elton muttered, "I can't see it"

Can't see it? What does she mean by that? Van could not help but slightly back away due to the weighty gaze that the instructor was giving him.

"I can temporarily copy the skills of other System Holders within an area…", Ms. Elton whispered, "...I can't copy yours"

"!!!"

"Tell me...

...Are you really a System Holder?"