I Hate Systems

Wayna arrived before the entrance, extending the book in her hand, noticing it become a tad lighter. The coin within it vanished, creating a formless barrier around her and Stencil.

Stencil extended her hand, watching the barrier resemble a gelatinous filament, emanating a fruity smell. She then followed Wayna, setting foot on the root-covered route, sensing mild tremors from within.

Her eyes observed the state of things around, sensing the mild state of tension exhibited by Wayna that cautiously walked, her eyes focused on the root-covered ground and the surrounding trees.

After a bit of time spanned past in such a fashion, Stencil realised what was happening, 'So, that coin within her book was the key to entering this place. And without it, death is guaranteed to anyone that sets foot here. This membrane around us guards us against the horrors that might spring upon us anytime.'

"Who is this legend that you spoke about?" She then asked Wayna, watching the other party flinch at the sound of her voice for a moment, having been wholly focused on her surroundings.

"If fate permits, you'll be able to see them." Wayna didn't say anything beyond that, continuing to walk through the orchard.

"Ehehe~"

"Huahua~"

"Uwaaaaw~"

Stencil focused on the Fruit Fairies flying nearby, hearing the sound of their happy chirps, akin to a baby's laughter.

Fruit Fairies were a type of Magic Beast that didn't have any fighting abilities. Their only power was to tend to fruit-bearing trees. The presence of a single Fruit Fairy increased a tree's yield by three times.

They were so magical. But due to their lack of fighting abilities, they were almost extinct in the outside world. Even having a single Fruit Fairy was a show of one's power.

Even the strongest of Empires had at most a few Fruit Fairies that they nurtured with the utmost care. But here, thousands were flying around without a care in the world.

It was a blatant show of power. The owner of this estate wasn't just powerful, but also damn influential to exist here with such wealth.

Among the Fairy Race, there existed Fruit Fairies, Flower Fairies, Seed Fairies, etc. And Stencil was also able to spot them too, mixed among the Fruit Fairies.

The Fruit Fairies didn't just increase the tree's yield, but also raised their nutritional value, also infusing mana into it naturally. So, just by consuming such fruits, one would have an easier time training and growing in strength.

Flower Fairies caused flowers to bloom with greater vitality, with the nectar they produced having beneficial properties, enough to resemble potions in effect naturally.

Seed Fairies raised the potential of the seeds themselves, ensuring the plants they germinate into had a better chance of growing strong even in bad climatic conditions.

And with all sorts of Fairies in this place, the orchard was teeming with vitality and a dense presence of mana, enough to cause the mana in Wayna's body to churn in response, feeling like she was growing stronger just by inhaling the air of this place.

The deeper into the orchard they walked, the greater the submissive attitude expressed by Wayna. It was so much so that even Stencil could feel the authority of the person within the estate.

After walking for around two kilometres, the duo exited the orchard, gazing upon the luxurious mansion situated before them. It was wholly created out of Duloctite, exhibiting a suffocating presence.

And, massive glowing columns, made out of Magicite formed the pillars of the mansion. This was a blatant show of strength, for even Empires didn't have the funds to splurge their precious reserve of Duloctite and Magicite on a mere building.

"This feels wasteful," Stencil muttered, noticing Wayna shudder at her remark.

"Shush!" Wayna covered her mouth, whispering in tension, "Don't comment unnecessary remarks. Our heads might roll if you offend the party inside."

"Wayna, don't frighten the child too much. She's a newcomer that hasn't been part of our circle for long, so it makes sense that she isn't aware of a lot of things." A voice resounded, soft, giving a feeling of benevolence and care.

"I'm sorry, teacher!" Wayna bowed immediately in response, stating with a tone of utmost respect.

"Come in," The benevolent voice said as the doors to the mansion opened in response. "The others have already arrived."

As the duo began to walk towards the mansion, Wayna gazed at Stencil from the corner of her eye, 'So, she too is a System Slayer. No wonder I felt an amicable feeling towards her and wished to bring her with me.'

As she had been a System Slayer for more than a century, she was able to sense the fragment of the Main Character System in her better. And even though she couldn't know in advance, she did feel somewhat free in conversing with System Slayers.

Therefore, when she felt the same towards Stencil, she had an inkling that Stencil could be a System Slayer. She just wasn't sure though. But now that her teacher had confirmed it by calling Stencil a newcomer to their circle, she was assured.

She didn't point it out though and just brought Stencil with her, entering the house. After that, the doors to the mansion closed while the trees of the orchard moved, covering up the route that the duo had walked through just now.

Unlike its exterior, the interior was just barebones, made out of rough stone, giving a feeling of them being underground.

Stencil remained silent, watching Wayna walk through the place with familiarity, taking a flight of stairs that proceeded underground as they soon came before a large double-door, one that spanned a height of ten metres.

Standing before them were two Titans, acting as guards as they exuded the aura of a Pseudo-Saint. One of the Titans glared at Stencil and Wayna, inspecting them for a moment before opening the double-door that only spanned the size of their palm, revealing a vast region beyond, one with the backdrop of the nightfall.

'Is this another dimension?' Stencil thought, entering through the door to see a massive underground city where people from various races mingled.

And shockingly, once she took on her Coordinate form, she was able to sense multiple System Slayers scattered among the crowd.