Chapter 366: Temporarily Safe

Lloyd had wanted to make some small talk with the lecturer and the Teaching Assistant, but they soon passed out, their eyes swirling.

‘They got knocked out after just a few bumps? So lame…’

Lloyd complained to himself, then took some gauze, a tourniquet, and other supplies from his Storage Bag. He wrapped the Teaching Assistant’s broken arm until it was bundled up tightly, then pulled out a few blankets and draped them over the three of them.

He kept a blanket with a cartoon cat print for himself, then rummaged through his Storage Bag for a can of beef and a bottle of juice to get some energy back.

‘Who knows how long this drifting trip will last…’

It was a good thing he’d gone on a massive, random shopping spree earlier. His Storage Bag was packed with all kinds of supplies, so he should be able to hold out until the Spatial Storm was over.

The half-a-convenience-store where the four of them were now was like an escape pod in the heart of the storm. It was relatively sturdy and safe, but it had no propulsion. They could only drift along and leave their fate to the heavens.

But this was the only solution Lloyd could come up with in that situation.

Shortly after he’d set off to find the trio—maybe two or three minutes later—the Spatial Storm had already engulfed their area.

Though it was invisible to the naked eye, Lloyd could feel countless pockets of Space around him being torn to shreds by the storm. Any living thing caught inside would be pulverized on a spatial level, as if diced into a fine paste by a thousand blades.

The Space Elevator they were meant to use for their retreat was barely holding on, but as the storm raged, it began to flicker in and out of existence like a small boat about to be capsized. There was no way it could wait for Lloyd to return.

With no other choice, Lloyd had to divert some of his focus to handle it. He used his Projection to control the elevator and make it retreat first.

This kind of long-range, precise operation—especially one involving the perilous domain of Space—should have been incredibly difficult in theory.

But perhaps it was the knowledge of Manifestation he’d gained from the Unknown Fragment that gave him such a solid theoretical foundation. That, combined with his unique Projection, the reliability of Spatial Domination, and a little bit of luck… In short, he managed to get the elevator to “ascend” in the nick of time, just before it spun completely out of control.

The people on the other side were saved, but it also meant Lloyd himself was now trapped.

In the midst of the Spatial Storm, all coordinate data had been scrambled into a complete mess. Both his own coordinates and the academy’s were shifting more than ten times a second, making any kind of calculation impossible.

Besides, even without the storm’s interference, his “relative distance” from the academy was far too great. It was a state of being ‘so close, yet so far,’ much like the distance between people… With the equipment he had, returning via a Teleportation Gate was impossible.

That was why the Space Elevator had been so crucial.

Fortunately, amidst all the bad news, Lloyd found a silver lining: the library he was in. Perhaps due to its superior construction or the lingering effects of Miracle Magic, it was still relatively stable on a spatial level and could hold out for a while longer.

Furthermore, the Space within it could temporarily resist the storm’s onslaught, keeping the coordinates from becoming completely incalculable.

This was what made it possible for Lloyd to pull out that hapless trio.

When he first opened a Teleportation Gate, he’d arrived just outside the breakroom where the trio was holed up. Looking at the stacked layers of “Seniors” and books outside, his scalp went numb with dread. He thought he was a goner for sure.

In his desperation, he abandoned the fun, transforming trolley he was holding, shoving it forward to knock over a few “Seniors” before ducking into the convenience store diagonally across from the breakroom.

Then, to his surprise, he discovered that the “Seniors” had suddenly become terrified of him and didn’t dare come any closer.

Maybe they had witnessed his power and learned to back down from a tough fight. Or maybe they sensed the faint aroma of a Miracle on him and were too intimidated to advance.

In any case, the “Seniors'” hesitation gave Lloyd another opening. He was able to open an ultra-short-range Teleportation Gate inside the convenience store, leading right behind the breakroom, and pull the trio out.

He then used Spatial Domination to strengthen the Space occupied by the convenience store as much as he could. He also recalled his Projection to his side, having it transform into the shape of a bubble that enveloped the half-a-convenience-store from the outside.

This essentially turned the convenience store into a crude escape pod.

The inspiration for this maneuver came from the “bubbles” used to travel between the various Floating Islands in the Space System District, which Lloyd had experienced once before.

He’d had a flash of brilliance in the heat of the moment, recalling those “bubbles” and using Spatial Domination to have his Projection take on a similar form.

A second after he completed this complex series of actions, the patch of Space containing the convenience store was swept away by the storm.

Thankfully, his Projection was exceptionally resilient. Paired with the Spatial Domination skill’s effect to “influence and interfere with Space within the range of inspiration, as permitted by one’s Ability Domain,” he reinforced the convenience store’s spatial structure. This prevented it from being torn to shreds in the storm, turning it into an escape pod that, while crude, was also extremely sturdy.

‘We’re safe for now. I’ll just let us drift. No need to rush.’

Lloyd let out a long sigh of relief. He looked down at his hands, replaying the series of incredible, clutch maneuvers he had pulled off in just a few short minutes.

‘I can’t believe I actually pulled off that whole series of nearly impossible maneuvers.’

‘It’s just…’

Lloyd thought for a moment, trying to find a fitting analogy for what he’d just done.

‘Was it as unbelievable as one-shotting an upgrade to get a god-tier, double-crit Fire Damage Cup from the Fire Witch set?’

‘When I get back, I’m sure I’ll make the front page of the school paper, right?’

‘Heh heh. I’ve been in this world for so long and gotten plenty of commendations, but I’ve never actually made the headlines.’

‘It’s time for everyone to learn about my humility, low-key nature, maturity, composure, reservedness, self-restraint, calmness, Rationality, intelligence, hatred of evil, courage, fearlessness, striking good looks, sunny disposition, positivity, optimism, drive, patience, attentiveness, thoughtfulness, gentleness, romantic nature, and, of course, my exquisite culinary skills.’

‘You really never know how strong you are until you push yourself!’

‘To be able to create such a Miracle… it really was all me.’

‘And a tiny bit of help from Spatial Domination.’

After that small moment of “humility,” Lloyd went back to sensing the changes in the external Space. Every so often, he would hear a notification from his system panel:

[Ding! Skill Fragment +1]

As expected, these were all fragments related to Spatial Domination.

The improvements to this skill were probably his second-biggest gain from this trip.

It was just as Professor Lawrence had said before he left: the best way to learn is to combine theory with practice.

This deep dive into an Alternate Space, and facing this terrifying Spatial Storm head-on, had improved his understanding of Space more than several days of reading ever could.

Even now, just drifting along in the storm was a unique and precious learning opportunity, allowing Lloyd’s understanding of Space to deepen continuously.

It was precisely because his understanding of Space was constantly growing that Spatial Domination had been able to save their lives at such a critical moment.

Just a few hours ago, he’d been completely clueless about effects like ‘Strengthened Space’.

And all the fancy maneuvers he’d pulled off with his Projection were things he’d never even imagined before.

This just went to show that the specific level of the Spatial Domination skill wasn’t the most important thing. What truly mattered was the prerequisite: being ‘within the Ability Domain’.