Psychic Parasite

Chapter 96: Marble Sonata
On the way out, Laila accompanied Jyorta, engaging in small talk, painting a sharp contrast. Laila was animated, her expression jovial as she skipped along the way, receiving glances from the onlookers.

She had a charm that was accentuated by her chirpy self, complementing her cute appearance. Compared to her, Jyorta looked relatively stiff, showcasing distinct expressions occasionally, the emotion behind them apparent.

It looked like he was wired to only display a single emotion each time but, on the contrary, his conversation with Laila was quite lively. They chatted about the hours they spent to accumulate their Credit count, the Trait they had exchanged, etc.

”The person responsible for implanting the Traits complimented my choice for picking the Trait of Efficiency. He said this fastens our growth in the initial run while the Wisdom Parasite is still an infant.” Jyorta said.

”He said the same to me too. I was first planning to pick the Trait of Temperance but, after careful consideration, I settled with the Trait of Efficiency. The lower cost of it also compelled me to pick it first.” Laila replied, grabbing hold of the handrail as she climbed the stairs.

Reaching the third floor, Jyorta turned to enter the hallway while Laila continued with her climb. She stopped after climbing a couple of steps, ”Jyorta, we have to catch up, just like old times. Let us study together and cover our weak subjects. After all, the two of us have been tutored by the Walta professors famed in the 7th Ring.”

”Sure,” Jyorta nodded, heading towards his room. Even though there was no prohibition of group studying in the dorm, due to the fear of malicious rumours spreading, most students refrained from doing so.

There were many facilities in the White Building to facilitate efficient study time. Hence, students generally preferred to study there.

Moreover, it took time to learn and digest each topic, which they all lacked given the time constraints. And hence, students usually formed groups where each student covered one subject they had prepared beforehand and taught it to the others. This raised their studying efficiency; it eventually became a tradition there. Moreover, anyone who tried to clown around was kicked out mercilessly.

Climbing the steps one after the other, Laila immersed herself in the peaceful atmosphere. The discussions of the students bordering on trivial topics, the pleasant scent of the grass, and the bustling atmosphere, Laila soaked through them like a dry blanket, her expression one of enjoyment.

When she had arrived on the seventh floor, a change enveloped her, forming something mysterious in her body. It was a tangible feeling, one that seemed to increase the efficiency of her body’s functions and the entity inside her. A smile crept up her face, one of pleasantness.

She continued to climb, arriving on the 11th floor, walking through the hallway. On the way, she met a couple of her friends who looked at her in shock, sporting a sense of worship. They congregated around her, bombarding her with a multitude of questions.

Their questions varied but, the topic of interest revolved around her studying habits and the sorcery she had performed to accumulate so many Credits in such a short time, breaking their academy record.

Laila extricated herself from their hold, forming an excuse that she was feeling tired. She then forbade them from disturbing her, saying that she was about to sleep.

She entered her room and closed the door, locking it securely, hanging the key in its designated socket. She then began to strip, placing the removed clothes above the nearby table. A necklace hung over her neck, looking like it was made from iron.

Its locket looked dull, poorly crafted, showcasing traces of pores along the folds. Laila touched the locket, inserting her psychic energy through it. Immediately, a spherical barrier appeared, widening in size until it touched the inner walls of her room, sealing it from the outside.

She closed her eyes, emitting a gentle flux of psychic energy, converging them into a line, forming a psychic arm. She executed a couple of linear movements, familiarising herself with its functions.

Laila walked towards the table, pulling her draw open. Placed inside them were two magenta coloured objects: a chakram, and a cylindrical jar.

The chakram was similar to the one Jyorta received from Psychic Ancestor Marble, looking like a replica.

Laila took out the cylindrical jar and closed the drawer, sitting on her bed. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her Brain Crystal. A moment later, numerous tendrils of blood gushed out of the pores on her face, many times greater in number than Madam Mila.

They converged towards one spot, forming a blob. Within a couple of seconds, it formed into a caterpillar, her actions faster than Madam Mila, a Sky Controller.

It had a pair of arms, wearing bangles. It lacked legs, while the hair on its head was cut short, forming the shape of an umbrella on its back. Its face sported a gentle smile, one filled with aggressiveness, painting a contrast.

The Caterpillar looked meek, showing no traces of emotions except its facial expression, sitting on the palm of her right like a statue. It moved based on her instructions—a subsoul.

Laila held the base of the cylindrical jar using her legs, placing her left hand over its lid. She emitted a gentle fluctuation of psychic energy, drawing a complicated symbol on it, taking a minute to complete.

Immediately, its lid opened, revealing a viscous fluid inside. Hovering in its centre was a crystal, magenta in colour. If any faculty were to notice it, they would have been stupefied beyond belief. The value of the crystal surpassed imagination.

Unranked Skill—Marble Sonata!

She controlled her Caterpillar, plunging it into the cylindrical jar. The Caterpillar swam towards the middle, holding the crystal in its hands. It opened its mouth, enlarging it beyond the width of its body, swallowing the crystal in a single gulp.

A mystical change occurred, actuated within the Caterpillar, travelling towards her through the blood tendrils that connected the two. A rush of energy entered her body, circulating through her nerves, rapidly being absorbed into her blood vessels.

Soon, they congregated in her Brain Crystal, fusing into a single entity, forming the crystal from before, countless times smaller, looking condensed. They fused into the Brain Crystal, forming a mark on it, subtly changing its inherent structure, altering its composition.

Soon, crystals that were smaller than her cells appeared, fusing into each of the neurons in her brain. They then affected the electric signals that passed through them, the change subtle, the flow undisturbed.

Laila took in a deep breath, feeling the power coursing through her body, astonished at its complexity. She retracted her Caterpillar, dissolving it into thousands of blood tendrils, absorbing them back into her body through the pores on her face.

She then placed the lid over the cylindrical jar, watching it close by itself. Immediately, the viscous fluid inside it turned into marble, magenta in colour. It then broke down into dust, its particles smaller than visible dust. The marble disappeared, emitting a dense concentration of psychic energy.

The psychic energy was so dense that the air turned viscous, looking intent to slam into Laila. As if guided by some unseen force, the dense viscous energy slammed into the inner surface of the spherical barrier, getting absorbed into it in a matter of seconds.

’The Unranked Skill—Marble Sonata, the prized creation of Marble; its defensive prowess is unrivalled among Tier 6, only inferior to the bones of Mother Parasite. This will be useful for my plans.’ Laila laughed, her laughter uncontrollable. Tears streamed out of her eyes as her face beamed with joy. She rolled on the bed, breaking into a dance, expressing her joy.

’Previously, my subsouls that possessed it were only at Tier 5. The strength they wielded pales in comparison to the final version. Now, as long as I reach Tier 6, I’ll be able to nurture it to its peak. My defensive strength will be great, adding on to my powers of space.’

Laila created her psychic arm, closing her eyes to focus better. She concentrated on her Brain Crystal, at the crystal symbol that had appeared on it, actuating it through her will.

A faint stream of energy gushed out of her Brain Crystal, merging into the psychic arm, turning it red. She used the red psychic arm to grab her pillow, watching it turn red at a snail’s pace. When it was only one-tenth done, she released her hold, knocking on it with her hand.

The red part of the pillow caved in under the force of her knock, looking deformed. Laila once again grabbed it with her red psychic arm, absorbing the essence infused into it, watching the pillow recover to its normal self.

’It is quite soft and slow to act at Tier 1; it should be better than this at Tier 2 and ought to have enhanced capabilities. That will give me some advantages in the Labyrinth of Frenzy.’

”Thank you, Marble. I will keep my end of the deal.” Laila murmured, her tone one of confidence.

She then retracted her red psychic arm, inspecting her surroundings once, checking if she had dropped anything that will alarm the faculty once she retracted the barrier. After all, the barrier she had erected was something the psychic energy of Sky Controllers couldn’t seep through, irrespective of their numbers.

Once she touched her locket, the spherical barrier disappeared. Laila stretched her limbs, arranged the pillow under her head, and wrapped the bedsheet over her body. In the next instant, she fell asleep.