《The Ghost System》


 Chapter 1 - 1 Black Portal

    The General watched on nervously as the situation spiralled out of control.


    "Hold him down boys, we don''t know what type of ability he gained!" The General shouted as the screech of the machine monitoring the boy''s heart reached an earsplitting pitch.


    The five soldiers in the room rushed to the convulsing teen''s side and held down his limbs.


    The nurse in charge of the patient was at an utter loss. Never in her life had she seen such an aggressive takeover. The core was practically devouring the boy and pushing him to the brink of death.


    Although the nurse was completely stricken by the situation she realised that she had a patient who needed her. She was not going to let this sixteen-year-old kid die on her watch. He still had his whole life ahead of him, and she was going to make sure he lived it.


    The nurse turned to her junior and ordered her, "Go get Doctor Rayburn and his paired infusion specialist, they should be in room three right now!"


    The nurse ran over to the equipment draw and retrieved the gem tools and then rushed over to the boy.


    "Hold his head down!" She shouted at the general seeing that the back of the boy''s head was banging against the table.


    The general was taken aback at being ordered around by some unknown nurse, but complied anyways seeing how dire the situation was as the boy started to froth at the mouth.


    Using the clear gem saw, she sliced open the skin above the boy''s heart and as gently as possible lowered in the absorption rod, hoping that the crystal would be able to soak up the extra core energy that was harming the boy''s body.


    However to her dismay, as she pulled the rod out to check, not even a pinch of power had been absorbed into it. It was as if the core was determined to make the boy its host and nothing else would do.


    Just as the nurse was about to move onto plan B, a horrible monotonous beep echoed throughout the room. The boy''s body suddenly stopped moving and the air around them grew deathly cold. Everyone looked up in dismay to see the clear flatline displayed on the heart machine.


    _________________________________


    ¡ª-A few hours earlier¡ª-


    "No. There''s no way. I''m not going inside." Rhys shook his head as he stared fearfully at the giant black portal in front of him. He took a step back but found that he had walked straight into the chest of one of Barrow''s men.


    Before Rhys could sidestep the guy and run away, two thick arms coiled around his shoulders and secured him in place, stopping him from getting away. Rhys cursed under his breath as a grim realization was dawning on him.


    Barrow grinned meanly as he slowly walked towards Rhys. He eyed the weakling incredulously and marveled at the boy''s stupidity. How could some little runt like him even dream of refusing a district twenty powerhouse like Barrow?


    "Listen, kid," Barrow''s voice turned cold as he turned his wrist, revealing a small flip blade in his hand. "I don''t need any trouble from a brat like you today. What I need is to get in that portal, raid some gems, and then head over to the Cooch for some playtime with my favorite Krystal."


    Barrow''s group of men guffawed at his lewd comment. All of them had been planning to head over to the brothel called ''the Cooch'', once they had finished with today''s raid and had made a fortune.


    Rhys didn''t feel the same glee that the other men did. Having worked at the script store in district twenty since he was a kid, Rhys was an expert on scripts and the gemstones that had taken over the world since the invasion seventy years ago. There were many different types of gemstones, but they could be definitively sorted into two different categories: The first were the Gems used for power sources, and the second were the gems that were infused into human bodies and resulted in superhuman abilities. The latter was also called cores.


    "You told me that it would be an ordinary portal. How the hell is a black portal ordinary?"


    Rhys struggled against the guy''s hold but ultimately found it impossible to break free. After all, he had no ability to overcome them. Cores were extremely expensive, and although he sold and studied them for a living, he knew that it would be very unlikely that a poor orphan like him would ever be able to obtain superhuman abilities.


    Barrow lost his patience and leaned into the boy''s face. They were only inches from each other when Barrow brought the knife up to Rhys''s temple.


    Rhys stopped struggling when the sharp point of the knife was terrifyingly close to his right eye. Rhys could clearly see a gem fragment embedded into the hilt of the blade and knew that it had some type of power. To his horror, the blade started to tremble as waves of heat emanated from the crystal. In a matter of moments the ordinary-looking pocket knife turned a blistering red colour as if it had been held over a fire for hours.


    Barrow grinned as he pushed the blade flat against the right side of Rhys''s forehead. Rhys cried out as the red hot knife sizzled and branded his skin.


    Barrow smiled brightly seeing the brat squirm. He got a sick sense of satisfaction watching the boy in pain and allowed himself to enjoy the sight for a good twenty seconds before he took the scalding knife off of Rhys''s head and snapped the blade back into its holder.


    "Listen, kid. Either you come with us and help us get the best gems, or we head back to your grandpa''s store and I take the worth of gems I could have gotten on this raid."


    Rhys flinched at Barrow''s words. Rhys''s mother had disappeared when he was only a little past his toddler years, leaving him wandering the streets at night with nowhere to go. Gramps had been the only person kind enough to give the little toddler a helping hand. Gramps took Rhys in, gave him a home, paid for his education, and taught him the trade of scripts and gems so that Rhys could make a living for himself, but more than that, Gramps treated Rhys as if he were his real grandson, showing him all the love and care he had been lacking since his mother had abandoned him.


    Rhys never knew his father or any of his other family but that didn''t matter because he had Gramps. After the old man had been so kind to him, Rhys could not allow Barrow to go after the old man.


    Rhys bit down on his lip, drawing blood. He was so torn but he had no choice.


    "I''ll go." he had no other choice. He clenched his jaw in pain as the hot scorch on his forehead amplified his anger.


    Entering a black portal without government authorization was very much illegal and for good reason. Black portals were considered very dangerous, as the worlds on the other side were an unchartered territory that the government had decided not to venture into because of high pre-scan power rating. A Pre-scan power rating was a way for the government to prepare themselves before entering a portal in an attempt to reduce casualties. The scans would scan for present life forms and try to decipher their strength as well as atmospheric scans to see if the land was habitable for humans or not. Black portals were portals wherein the pre-scan power rating came back so high that the government would decide to put the invasion on hold until they were confident enough to colonise it. It was also illegal for non-government affiliated parties to purchase or venture into black portals.


    Rhys knew that there was no way the government gave express permission for Barrow and his men to enter a black portal. Rhys figured that they must have obtained the portal illegally, a crime punishable by death if any monsters from the other world managed to get through the portal and come to Earth.


    Barrow laughed at Rhys''s solemn reply. "Come on rats! My payday is waiting."


    The man holding onto Rhys finally let go of him, causing Rhys to fall forward onto the floor. The rest of Barrow''s troops jeered at him on the floor as they walked by and entered the portal.


    Rhys slowly picked himself up and tentatively touched the burned bloodied branding on his forehead, hoping that the wound would not get infected. As much as he hated Barrow and his team, Rhys had no choice but to go through with this plan for Gramps''s sake. He only hoped that he would be able to make it out of this portal alive.


    Holding tightly onto the cheap sword in his right hand and the small gem kit in his left, Rhys stepped forward through the portal.


    *************


    Rhys is pronounced ''Rees''


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 Chapter 2 - 2 The Castle

    Rhys was somewhat comforted as he stepped out of the portal into a forest. He had half expected to walk straight into a fiery pit since it was a black portal, so to see a normal forest was a relief.


    However, as he turned to look at Barrow''s men, he realised that they did not have the same looks of relief on their faces. In fact, they were on high alert and looked frightened. They each had their weapons out and were crouched low as if ready for an assault.


    Rhys frantically turned around. He did not have the power of a core so he did not have any kind of superhuman ability, nor could he sense power or aura like the people who had absorbed cores. All he could do was try to stick as close to Barrow''s group as possible and squint through the darkness hoping to see whatever was out there before it attacked him.


    Barrow had been planning this raid for a while. For years he had been stuck with raiding green portals where he could only hunt common monsters and trade in cheap gems. It had been his dream to raid an orange or red portal, where he could get his hands on some valuable monster hides and untouched gems. He had been searching on the dark web for any poached portals that he could take his team to when he suddenly struck gold. Someone was selling a stolen black portal.


    Although the price was expensive, Barrow knew he could not turn an opportunity like this down. Besides he was sure that the treasure trove he would find inside a black portal would be enough to cover its cost. It was an untouched, unraided world after all, so there were definitely things inside that could make him wealthier than his wildest dreams. Since he spent all of his savings to buy the portal, he didn''t have enough money to buy a gem evaluator so he got hold of the next best thing. In district twenty, many gem traders knew about Rhys since he was good at identifying gems, and he was much cheaper than an evaluator, so Barrow decided to bring the kid along with him. Since he had limited time in the portal, Barrow didn''t want to waste time picking up common gems, he needed the kid to direct him and tell him which were the good ones so his team didn''t waste valuable time on the cheap stuff.


    Barrow had been thrilled when he had stepped through the gate, however, his mood instantly dropped once he breathed in the air of the dark forest he found himself in. This place, the world beyond the portal reeked of bone-chilling darkness. The aura about this place was menacing, and for the first time since Barrow thought up this scheme, he began to doubt himself.


    The core Barrow had absorbed when he was young was a common core that enhanced his physical traits as well as his senses. In short, he was stronger and could hear and see much better than the average person. In the distance, at the very edge of the forest, he could hear them. Their spindly legs beating against the floor of the forest. Their steps getting closer by the second, a whole legion of what seemed like monsters coming towards them.


    "Men we have to move!" He shouted to his troops. Immediately they all began to run wildly through the forest in the opposite direction of the footsteps.


    Rhys was the weakest member of the group since he didn''t have an infused core, and yet they had decided to give all the bags and extra weaponry to Rhys for him to carry. As the group all ran off ahead of him, Rhys struggled to keep up with them. Before long he was panting and getting dizzy. Having spent most of his time in a quiet script store and doing minimal physical activity, the run was excruciating.


    Rhys was pretty much powerless and couldn''t hear the hundreds of footsteps at the back of the forest making their way towards him. But out of instinct he followed the group.


    Finally, Barrow came to a stop. The forest that they had run through came to an end at the mouth of a massive black lake. Looking across the lake, Barrow''s worries slipped away and his eyes lit up greedily. In the middle of the lake was a giant stone castle. It looked like a castle that could be found in old horror movies or some of the countries that used to make up Europe. There was no doubt in Barrow''s mind that he would find his treasure there. The only problem was the lake, he had no way to tell if there were monsters swimming around in there ready to eat them if they tried to get to the castle.


    Barrow kicked the ground in irritation as he tried to think of a solution. Suddenly the sound of heavy breathing caught his attention. He turned around to see the brat huffing and puffing on all fours, exhausted from the run. Barrow''s face lit up as he eyed the boy, the perfect test subject. Even if he died and wouldn''t be around to identify the valuable gems, Barrow would just load the backpacks until they were full and surely they would still get some great gems.


    Before Rhys could react, Barrow had grabbed him by the collar and was dragging him to the black lake. Rhys immediately knew what Barrow was trying to do and Rhys was having none of it. He kicked, punched and fought as hard as he could against Barrow. But ultimately it felt like he was hitting a tire. Barrow was not in the least affected by Rhys''s assault.


    "There you go!" Barrow laughed as he flung Rhys into the black lake.


    "Swim to the castle doors there and try to open them for us," Barrow commanded nonchalantly.


    Rhys angrily snarled at Barrow. "Are you insane, I''ll die!" He shouted back. Barrow hadn''t thrown Rhys very far into the lake. From where he was, he was only knee length into the black waters.


    "Well, you''ll definitely die if you try to come back to the shore." Barrow and his group began to unsheathe their weapons. Arrows, swords, axes and daggers shone dangerously in the starlight, making Rhys even angrier. An unspoken threat that he didn''t need any clarification on.


    He could swim the distance to castle and still have a small chance of not getting eaten by whatever monsters were lurking in the water, or he could go back to the group where they would definitely kill him.


    Rhys gritted his teeth as he turned away from the men and slowly walked deeper into the quiet lake. He was furious, but in such a situation there was no better choice. Honestly, he would rather be torn to shreds by monsters than give Barrow the satisfaction of killing him.


    With each step that Rhys took the water got deeper and colder, before long he was up to his chest in pitch-black icy water. What made it even more unnerving was that he could not see through the water at all. There could be a giant crocodile right next to him but he wouldn''t know about it until it was too late.


    Rhys''s heart was pounding in his chest, as he slowly swam to the castle. He could have swum faster but he felt like any loud thrashing would wake up whatever was in the water. Rhys tried to stay calm but sweat kept rolling down his forehead and his heartbeat was out of control. Every swish of the water gave him a small heart attack.


    The giant stone castle was getting closer, just a few more meters and he would be at the giant doors. Suddenly a loud shriek echoed across the water. Rhys immediately shouted out in fear and spun around frantically splashing in the water, expecting a monster to be right behind him. However, he saw nothing. Puzzled, he looked up to see Barrow''s men killing themselves laughing on the shore. It was clear that one of them had made the noise to scar him on purpose.


    "Idiots..." Rhys cursed at them under his breath.


    He did not find their prank amusing in the slightest. While they were guffawing on the shore, Rhys turned back around and swam the short distance to the castle and touched the algae-covered stone wall. The metallic doors in front of him were huge. On closer inspection, it looked more like a draw bridge that would lower onto the water than doors that would open out.


    Rhys swam along the side of the wall, hoping there would be some kind of magic button that would open the doors. To his surprise, right next to the edge of the door was a lever. He reached up and grasped hold of the lever. His legs were getting tired of keeping him upright in the water so he was thankful that he was able to rest them for a bit.


    Rhys relaxed in the water and allowed his full weight to rest on the lever. As soon as he did so he hard a crack from within the door, and following that the sounds of old mechanisms beginning to churn within the walls. He watched in relief as the huge door began to lower, exactly as he imagined it would, just like a drawbridge.


    Barrow and his men on the shore jumped for joy as they saw the castle bridge lowering.


    Rhys swam over to the bridge and manoeuvred his tired wet body onto the flat platform and pulled himself up. He was completely soaked in the black water and shivering from the bitter cold, he could already feel his fingers and toes going numb. Rhys panted for a bit on the edge of the platform as he watched a few of the men on the faraway shore cautiously get into the water and began to swim towards the bridge. After he had caught his breath, Rhys angrily turned away from them and stepped inside the castle. If he had any doubts before, he knew now that he could not trust those guys. If they ever needed someone to sacrifice, he knew that he was first on the chopping block.


    Seeing as Rhys had no physical advantage over them since he was coreless, he needed to find a way to get an edge on them. He didn''t know what yet, but he knew he had to find a way, otherwise, he could see them using him more fatally next time.


    Rhys wiped his wet black hair out of his eyes and slowly walked inside the castle, he was completely blown away by the interior. While the outside of the castle looked dilapidated and slimly with years of algae layered to the stone castle walls, the inside was luxurious. Polished marble-like floors, magnificent patterned carpets, silver and crystal ornaments decorating the large hall. It was like something out of a fantasy novel. However, at a second glance, Rhys noticed the layer of dust covering everything in this castle. Although it was beautiful, he could tell that nobody had been there for a while. Whatever species had created this place seems to have vacated the residence a long time ago.


    As he stepped further into the castle something caught his attention and he turned to his left to see two levers poking out from the wall. He curiously stepped closer to them and saw that they looked similar to the lever he had seen outside. Except above these levers were two symbols. Rhys frowned as he stepped closer to get a better look at the symbols on the wall. The symbol above the first lever was a series of small circles touching each other. Rhys frowned as he tried to understand what the symbol meant.


    He took a few steps back so that he could see where the other members of the group were. He was glad to see that they were all still near the shore. Half of them had not even gotten into the water yet. Although they had seen Rhys get across safely, the fear was still written all over their faces.


    Rhys walked back to the lever and pulled it down. Waiting expectantly to see what would happen, he walked back to the open door to see if anything had changed. To Rhys''s dismay, he watched as large stone cylinders slowly rose out of the water and stopped just above the surface of the water, making a convenient line of circular stepping stones for the group members to cross the lake.


    He groaned in irritation as he realised he had just made it much easier for those bastards to cross over the lake. The men all happily cheered as those who had been swimming pulled themselves up onto the stone path, and those on the shore eagerly stepped onto the stepping stone steps.


    Rhys returned to the second lever and looked at the carved symbol above it. It was a strange little drawing, a thin ovular shape with lots of little triangles at one end. Rhys tilted his head to one side to try and get a different perspective on it. However, no matter how he looked at it, he mused that it kind of looked like a worm with teeth.


    "A worm with teeth..." He whispered as a dark thought flooded his mind.


    He squinted back at the drawing and then collected his thoughts. Could it be possible that pulling this lever would release some kind of worm monster into the water?


    No...


    "That can''t be right..."


    Rhys took a few steps back to see where the group was on the path. From where he stood, the members were about halfway across the circle stone path, too far away to see what he was doing with the levers. Rhys walked back to the second lever and put his hand on it. He wasn''t a cruel person, and he wasn''t one to hold a grudge, but they had done something unforgivable to him. They had forced him to come on a suicide mission, threatened his life, twice, pretty much made sure to ridicule him at every opportunity, and more importantly, they had threatened Gramps.


    Rhys absentmindedly touched the throbbing burn mark on his forehead. The sting he felt when he touched it calmed him down strangely. The pain became a kind of resolution for him.


    The only thought that remained in the back of his mind was a question of morality. Would he be able to live with himself if he was right about this lever, and monsters jumped out of the water and ate all the members...?


    "I can live with it."


    Rhys pulled down on the lever with all his strength and calmly looked on as it snapped into place.

 Chapter 3 - 3 And Then There Were Three

    As Rhys looked at the down-turned lever, he was honestly surprised with himself. He didn''t think he was a malicious person and he didn''t think that he was capable of wishing death upon other people. However as he looked down at the lever, he realised that he didn''t know what he was capable of.


    Rhys shakily walked back to the opening to see if anything would happen.


    Barrow''s troops were all past halfway, while Barrow had managed to get in front of everyone and was just a few meters away from the drawbridge. The waters were silent, only the sounds of the men hopping from one stepping stone to another echoed across the quiet landscape.


    For a moment Rhys faltered, he wondered if he had read the symbol wrong. Perhaps it wasn''t a representation of a worm-like monster, perhaps it was some kind of pillar or second bridge?


    Thinking about it logically now, Rhys realised that monsters probably would not spawn from the water. This place looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time, and surely if worm-like monsters were being kept by the castle, they would have died by now with no one to feed them...


    Now that Rhys had calmed down, he could see that it was actually better that monsters did not appear. Now that he was thinking logically about his situation, he realised that he would not be able to get back across the water to the shore if monsters were infesting the water.


    Although Rhys wanted to reduce the group''s numbers so that he would have a better chance of surviving if the group decided to gang up on him again, he realised that this probably wasn''t how it would be done. He would have to think of another way. Rhys began to come up with a plan as he watched Barrow stepping on the last few stepping stones.


    Suddenly a large ripple ran over the still lake, and immediately Rhys''s heart skipped a beat. He knew right away that something was coming.


    Underneath the castle, the old rusted mechanisms that had been untouched for years started to move again. The gate of an underwater cage slammed open leaving a large gap in the black water for the trapped starving creatures to finally be released.


    The eel-like monsters burst out from the metal cages and darted towards the surface of the water where they smelt their prey.


    Rhys froze in terror as a black slimy eel the size of a fully grown man with dozens of long shark-like teeth dove out of the water and latched itself onto Barrow''s shoulder. It made a horrible screech as its slimy body wriggled violently.


    Barrow yelled in pain and was initially stunned by the disgusting creature taking a chunk out of his arm. However, he quickly regained his senses and grabbed his sword. The leech-like creature was latched onto Barrow''s arm, firmly holding itself there by sinking its gnarly teeth into the flesh. The panicked Barrow desperately stabbed at the creature''s thick body in an attempt to get it off of him. After what looked like a hundred stabs to Rhys, the creature finally lost its strength and fell back into the water.


    Barrow immediately ran the distance to the castle while clutching his arm, and jumped inside to safety. Although he had sustained a significant injury, he could still be considered lucky compared to the rest of his men.


    The vicious eel creatures darted out of the water in their hundreds and viciously attacked the rest of the group. The silent night was completely disturbed by the sounds of carnage and mutilation as the men screamed while they were being attacked. Although the men activated their powers, they seemed mostly futile against the huge carnivorous eels.


    The worm monsters looked like a mixture of a giant eel and a leech. Their bodies were thick and slimy and they didn''t have eyes. They were incredibly strong and were able to dive out of the water and attack at incredible speeds. The men were already barely balancing on the stepping stones, so when one of the leech eels attacked them, the men were knocked off the stones and thrown into the water where the flesh eating eels would swarm and eat them.


    It was a gruesome sight but Rhys could not look away. He forced himself to watch it all, he wanted to hold himself responsible so he listened to every pained scream and watched as the men were devoured. He was the cause of this after all.


    Besides Barrow, only two other men made it inside the castle but both of them were seriously injured.


    One man''s shirt had been ripped off and the result of the bite could be seen. His chest looked like it had been put through a shredder, his skin and muscles had been torn to pieces by jagged eel teeth and if Rhys looked closely, it looked like he could see the bone of the man''s ribs.


    The other man was screeching in pain while cradling his leg. His foot was missing. Rhys winced at the sight of the blood gushing out of the man''s wound and the bone poking out of his stump.


    A sense of guilt stung Rhys. He knew he was the cause of the man''s pain and now his conscience was punishing him for it. As he looked down at the guy he couldn''t help by feel responsible. Rhys was about to put down his backpack and take off his jacket to make a bandage of some sort for the guy''s missing foot when Barrow suddenly stepped forward. Faster than Rhys''s eyes could follow, Barow''s sword slashed through the guy''s neck almost decapitating him.


    "Boss!" Shouted the other man in horror as he ran over to his friend. Rhys watched horrified as the man frantically tried to put his friend''s head back onto his neck. He was probably in a state of shock and had not realised that his friend was dead.


    Rhys looked over at Barrow to see that the man was stone cold. He thought nothing of killing his team mate. At least Rhys had a reason for wanting them all dead. They had tried to kill him first, after all. But Barrow being so nonchalant about killing his long time raid member disgusted Rhys.


    "You." Barrow raised the sword and glared menacingly at the other man. "Can you still fight?"


    Rhys watched as the panic stricken man on the floor suddenly regained his senses. The man realised that Barrow was going to kill him just as Barrow had done his friend if he didn''t get back up and continue this raid.


    The man shakily got to his feet and nodded subserviently to Barrow. However, Rhys could see the hatred simmering in the man''s eyes.


    "And you." Barrow pointed his bloodied sword at Rhys. " Explain to me why those things suddenly started attacking us."


    Rhys''s breath caught in his throat as he looked into Barrow''s suspicious eyes. Rhys knew that he could not lose his cool, he needed to convince Barrow that he had no idea how those creatures suddenly got into the water.


    "You did something, didn''t you?" Barrow raised the bloodied sword to Rhys''s neck with a murderous look in his eyes.


    "What? Think logically for a moment. How could I have done something, I was here the entire time, you both saw me here." Rhys defended himself, making sure to act like he was offended by their accusation.


    Before they had time to think Rhys hit them with more facts.


    "I''m coreless so I don''t have any skills, there is no way that I could attract or control monsters in the first place..."


    Barrow and the man were silent as they looked at the weak boy in front of them. Although they were suspicious of the kid, what could a coreless person actually do anyway?


    "I''m no expert but it was probably that lever outside." Rhys suggested.


    Both men had seen Rhys pull down the lever and had watched as the drawbridge lowered, and from their point of view, right after that the stepping stones and then eel creatures and had appeared. Rhys was solidifying this narrative in their minds. And more than that Rhys was blocking their view of the levers behind him with his body.


    "I''m guessing lowering the draw bridge triggered those steps as well as those worm things to start attacking..." Rhys held his breath as he waited for Barrow''s reaction. Rhys knew it could really be over for him if Barrow decided to kill him now. Although Barrow was injured, he was still much stronger than Rhys.


    "Fine." Barrow said as he lowered his sword. "Let''s search the castle for goods."


    With that, Barrow turned around. He immediately refocused on his old objective: raiding the castle and getting as many precious artifacts as possible, gems, and whatever else that had any kind of value. He had already lost so many teammates, he was not going to allow this job to be a bust. In truth, he had already made plans to get rid of half of his members so he didn''t have to divide his wealth, but losing most of his group so quickly was unexpected. Black portals really were dangerous...


    The other group member picked up his axe off from the floor and followed behind Barrow.


    Rhys took in a slow breath and readied himself mentally. He needed to get back to District 20 alive, he would be graduating soon and grandpa was so excited to go with him. Not to mention grandpa would be crushed if he just suddenly disappeared. Whatever means it took he needed to get back to that portal alive. And if that meant finishing of Barrow and that other guy, then he would do it gladly.


    "You two, lets split up!" Barrow called from the left side of the hall.


    "I''ll take this side. Mug you take the right side, and brat, you take the stairs." Barrow explained while he tightened a piece of ripped clothing around his bleeding arm.


    Rhys smiled, while those two were looking for gems, he would be searching for a second way out of this castle. Rhys cautiously ascended the stairs while the other two disappeared around the winding side halls.


    ______________________________


    "Sir." The young soldier''s voice echoed through the quiet forest.


    "Speak soldier." The general commanded while keeping his eyes on his surroundings.


    "Team 1 found the portal opening five hundred metres west of our location."


    "Excellent." The general rejoiced at the good news but kept a stone-cold face.


    "Did they find any of the raiders who went through the portal?" The general hoped the answer was yes because he didn''t want to continue with this mission any longer than necessary.


    "No sir. However, the raiders left a foot trail going north. Team one sent their drones up and found that the intruders headed towards a fortress of some kind. They are probably inside that structure." The soldier reported back.


    "Good." The general ran his fingers through his beard thoughtfully. "Has team 1 gone after them yet?"


    "No sir. A pack of unidentified monsters are quickly approaching the location of the portal opening, thus Team 1 must stay behind to stop the creatures from entering the portal. They are requesting backup since the encroaching energy levels seem quite high."


    The general groaned, he guessed that this mission was going to be a headache, but not so soon...


    "Fine." The general nodded his head and then turned around to his personal team of selected soldiers. Each one of them sported ridiculously expensive armour and held weapons of the highest quality in their hands. In this group alone were three Duke level fighters, so the general was confident that they would have no problem with the ensuing army of monsters.


    "Soldiers, head to the portal opening location and defend the site from the monsters. You are authorised to keep the gems from the carcasses for yourselves." The general watched as the greedy bunch''s eyes lit up.


    The general was pleased with their enthusiasm, he needed this problem to be resolved as quickly as possible and if that meant giving his soldiers some incentive then that was fine with him.


    This problem had been quite the headache for him since it was his base that a black portal went missing from storage. In all honesty, it wasn''t as though the portal itself was so valuable, the real problem was that someone inside the military was a traitor and was able to steal from storage. The general needed to find out the perpetrators identity as soon as possible, and the quickest way was actually questioning whoever had bought the portal. Hence the general had lead two teams to the portal location to arrest and question raiders about who sold them the portal.


    But judging form the initial energy scan they had done on the surrounding land, the general only hoped that he would be able to get the raiders back alive. Whatever monsters were living here were more than capable of giving the military a tough fight, he could imagine that some greedy thieves who were stupid enough to buy and enter a black portal would not last long here.


    Nevertheless, the general brushed his worries aside. It had been a while since he had been able to let loose, and now was the perfect opportunity.


    The general took in a deep breath and let his more primal fiery nature rise to the surface. Hot steam blew out of his mouth as he took steps forward, his eyes ablaze, he was itching for some carnage.

 Chapter 4 - 4 Survivors

    Rhys slowly ascended the winding staircase. Right now what he wanted to do was reach the highest point in the castle so that he could look at the surroundings and see if there was a second way to get across the lake. A hidden bridge, a boat, something...


    The further Rhys went into the castle the more complicated this place seemed to get. Halls that opened onto staircases and windows that opened into secret rooms. The higher Rhys climbed the more cautious he became. So far he had been able to memorise the path he was taking, but the higher he went the more confusing it got. Not to mention that this place was giving him the creeps. It was so quiet that the only noise he could focus on was the sound of his breathing and his wet sneakers squeaking against the floors. As he walked through the castle, he could not help but feel that someone was watching him.


    Thinking about it now, he realised that the exterior of the castle was so different from the interior. The exterior looked medieval, the product of a race that wasn''t that technologically advanced. However the inside was the complete opposite as the materials used for the floors and walls looked like a refined type of metallic rock, the architecture was impossibly clever, it was as if this place was designed for people to get lost. A honey trap of sorts.


    Rhys found himself walking up a cylindrical tower, there were no windows but there were huge crystal gems embedded into the walls, lighting the black tower up like stars. Just from a glance, Rhys could tell that the gems were a low grade but a good quality. If Barrow saw these he would be pretty happy but Rhys was not particularly interested in seeing Barrow happy, so he ignored the gems and kept on walking. Surely there would be a lookout point at the top of the tower.


    To his surprise, the tower steps stopped right in front of a sleek black door. There was no handle or groove to pull it open with, so for a solid moment, Rhys stared at the door helplessly. He stepped forward and poked it, hoping that it would magically open since there were no handy levers he could pull down.


    Rhys placed his hand on the door and leaned on it for a moment to let himself think. If he could not get this door open should he try to find another tower where he could view the castle from? Or should he just go downstairs and try his luck with swimming across the lake?


    Suddenly the door against Rhys''s hand slid open causing Rhys to fall straight into the room.


    He fell face-first into the room and winced as his burn mark made contact with the hard floor. When he opened his eyes and looked down, he could see some smudges of his blood on the white floor. While grimacing from the pain, he turned around to see that the door had shut behind him. He slowly got up while trying to ignore the pain and scanned the room around him.


    This room looked to be the complete opposite of the rest of the castle. It was made out of smooth white marble-like material, the exact opposite of the black walls and floors outside the room. Although Rhys was disappointed to find no windows, he felt his convictions sway as he saw what this room was filled with: crystal crates filled to the brim with gemstones, and shelves of books that looked like scripts. Rhys blinked in disbelief at the treasure trove in front of him. A collection of such precious materials this vast was gobsmacking.


    Rhys rushed over to the nearest glass crate and dug his hand inside. He pulled out a handful of beautiful red gemstones and from one glance he could tell they were at least B grade. One of these gems could easily sell for 100 000 Zen, enough to feed, clothe and house a large family in the good parts of District 20 for at least a decade. As amazing as this find was, Rhys knew it was worth nothing if he died there, however, he could not resist walking around the room looking at the gems.


    He was shocked to find that there were even better crystals than B grade in the glass crates. He had managed to find two A grade crystals which pretty much melted his resolve. He couldn''t help but slide the two A grade crystals into his pocket. It was no wonder to him now why Barrow had been so adamant about going through the black portal, with a raid like this anyone would go a bit crazy.


    Rhys then moved on to the shelves of scripts. Scripts were basically manuals on how to control your power once you had been infused with a core. Like shortcuts on how to use and control your newfound powers. Getting a handle on your powers was apparently like learning to walk all over again and with the extraterrestrial tensions going on between earth and other species, the military didn''t have time to wait for people to figure out how to use their powers naturally. So scripts became very valuable assets. In most cases, scripts cost even more than B grade gems.


    Rhys reached out to a grey coloured book and dusted off the cover. It was wrapped in some kind of grey metallic material which Rhys found he could not open. A bit dismayed he put the book back and made his way to the centre of the room where we saw a rectangular object covered in a similar metallic cloth. Eager to find out what was inside, Rhys rushed to the centre and pulled off the cloth. His jaw dropped as a stared at the single object placed neatly on a black cushion. The thing he had studied for years, an object he had seen countless drawings of, the one thing he wanted most in the world...


    A core.


    Growing up coreless on earth was a one-way ticket to the bottom of society. People without cores were almost considered useless in modern society. Even in district twenty where Rhys lived, the poorest district that was riddled with crime, only the lowest of the low didn''t have cores.


    Although Gramps treated Rhys like his grandson, he was barely able to make a profit by running the script and gem store, so he had nowhere near enough funds possible to buy Rhys a decent core. Furthermore Rhys didn''t feel right about making his gramps take out an infamous core loan which could potentially put him in debt all so Rhys could obtain a core. So Rhys had gone through his childhood and teenage years enduring the label of being ''coreless''.


    In society today, being weak was the equivalent of being dirt. Being coreless had such bad connotations that were cemented in people''s minds. If you were coreless, it somehow meant that you were uncivilised and backwards. There was this sense that you were not contributing to society in any way and were like a leech sucking up the taxpayers'' money.


    Although there had been many anti-discrimination activists who spoke out against the maltreatment of coreless people, the stigma still remained and discrimination was evident. Coreless people struggled to get jobs because nobody wanted to hire people who were so ''weak''. Rhys was particularly lucky because Gramps had taken him in when his mother abandoned him and taught him how to deal in gems and scripts, but usually, jobs in sanitation were the best that coreless people could get.


    Rhys had read that more than a hundred years ago before the invasions took place, human society struggled with a lot of internal social issues like sexism and racism. Both of which were such mind baffling concepts to Rhys. Why would anyone ever decide your worth over something as abstract as gender and skin colour? Even trying to rationalise it gave him a headache. What mattered in modern society was strength and wealth, with an emphasis on strength.


    If you had a core and were getting strong in order to strengthen and defend the human race, you were deemed valuable in society. Or if you were using your abilities to make advances in technology and knowledge, you were also valuable. However, if you were poor and coreless, what was the point of your existence?


    This ideology was put into place when the invasions first started happening. Fleets of alien spacecraft arrived in Earth skies one day and indiscriminately rained down destruction across the world. Interestingly, those creatures did not use guns or anything like it. And it seemed that guns and missiles were useless against them as well. Their armour just deflected bullets and their ships were too agile for missiles. Instead of firepower, they fought with swords, arrows, spears and incredible magical-like powers. For the first time, humans got to see the powers of cores. It was the alien invasions that first introduced humanity to the power of cores. Or so we thought...


    As it turned out, select people around the world had known about cores for millennia and had passed down the knowledge to their descendants. So before the alien invasions, there had been thousands of people who knew about cores and had gained abilities from them, but kept that knowledge to themselves, it''s just that the invasions made such things public.


    To stop humanity from becoming extinct, the people with abilities finally started giving out cores and scripts to others in order to create a militia that was able to fight against the incoming invasions. During the early days, cores could still be found around the planet and the military did huge mining operations in order to find every last core on Earth so that military personal who were fighting aliens could have powers.


    Although Earth was colonised for a period of four years by the intruders, through emergency collaboration between the people with knowledge of cores and the military powers around the world, people were able to put their differences aside to fight for humanity.


    Fighting off the invaders and freeing humanity was a struggle that took place over thirty years. However, these thirty years brought a new age of enlightenment to humanity. Through reverse engineering alien technology and learning about the powers of gems and cores, humanity made incredible advancements. Things like teleportation and spaceships were made real and easily available. Medicine also vastly improved.


    Although humanity had improved in many ways, society also regressed a bit, with ideology returning to that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Eugenics movements came back in full force as society felt that only through the strongest could humanity defend the earth. Laws were put in place to stop people with disabilities from having children, and furthermore, children born with disabilities were put to death.


    Rhys knew that society had become vicious, and it scared him sometimes what people were willing to do in the name of humanity. His solution to all this was staying at home as much as possible, he didn''t need any friends as long as he had Gramps.


    Rhys stepped forward and reached inside the crate. He gently lifted the egg-sized object out and held it gently in his palm. He was surprised by how cold the core was to the touch, none of the books he had read ever mentioned them being cold, but this core felt like ice to the touch. So much so that Rhys could feel his fingers numbing as he held it.


    The core looked like a stone egg carved from granite but with strange unidentifiable markings on it, this world''s language perhaps. Although Rhys''s area of expertise was Gems and scripts, he had done quite a bit of research on cores, however, he could not identify what type of core this was.


    From the research he had done, a grey coloured stone usually meant something along the lines of body strengthening or more rarely telekinesis. However, this stone had a clear metallic sheen to it disqualifying it from those two categories.


    A sheen or glistening surface often meant a higher-order ability, but Rhys had never seen a metallic sheen before. Rhys wanted to take it home and study it before infusing with it to make sure it was compatible with him first.


    BANG! Bang BANG!


    Rhys got a huge fright as heard fists clang against the door to the room.


    "Stupid fucking door! Fucking open!" Rhys shivered as he heard Barrow shouting on the other side of the door.


    Shit. If Barrow saw the core he would definitely try to take it for himself, and it was only a matter of time before the door opened and let him in, just as it had opened for Rhys.


    No, Rhys was determined not to let Barrow take the core from him. However, that jerk would see the empty glass crate in the room and know Rhys had taken something.


    Rhys moved quickly as he could because he sensed that the doors were about to open.


    The door suddenly slid open as Barrow was about to connect another punch. Rhys and Barrow stared at each other for a moment and Barrow was about to say something but then he noticed that the room was filled with gems.


    Barrow stuttered as he dashed to the sides of the room and dug his bloodied hands into the endless riches. It was as if fireworks were going off above his head, he could already see himself moving out of district twenty and buying himself a mansion filled with beautiful women. Barrow was so overjoyed that he began to weep.


    Barrow turned around to look at Rhys when he saw another crate right next to the brat. Barrow possessively ran toward the crate and shoved Rhys out of the way. He flung himself onto the crate and reached inside, pulling out the large crystal gem that was inside it. Rhys grinned as felt the core safely tucked away in his pocket, where the crystal gem had been. He felt even more smug that the second A grade crystal was still in his other pocket.


    Before Barrow had entered the room, Rhys had replaced the core with the A-grade crystal gem he had found in one of the crates.


    "T-This, what grade is this?!" Barrow was practically shaking as he held up the crystal gem. "C-could it be A grade?"


    Rhys was kind of disgusted by Barrow''s pathetic expression but Rhys kept up the facade nonetheless.


    "Even better," he lied. "It''s amazing. From the energy coming off of it to the perfect clarity, I think that it might even be A+ or even S grade."


    Barrow dramatically gasped as he clutched the gem in his hands, he had no idea that Rhys was telling a tall tale and had the real treasure in his pocket.


    "Rich, I''m gonna be rich." Barrow smiled greedily as he stared at the clear gem.


    "Hurry up." He suddenly burst out. "Mug found a second bridge on the side of the castle. We need to put as many gems inside as possible."


    Barrow was suddenly at Rhys''s side, wrestling the bag off of his back. Like a crazed man, Barrow sprinted around the room tipping the crates over and scooping the gems into the bag with his hand. Once Rhys''s backpack was full, Barrow began stuffing his pockets full with gems until his trousers and jackets had strange lumps all over them.


    Barrow than strapped Rhys backpack to his own back, determined not to let go of the gems. Rhys had wanted to take one of the scripts back with him, but such a large bulky book would only weigh him done when trying to get out of this world alive. Besides he still had the core and the other A-grade gem in his pocket, both of which were extremely valuable to him. The core could give him the strength he had always wanted, and the gem could help him and gramps live a cushy life from now on. Although he wanted the script as well, it would be in an indecipherable language so he would not be able to read it in any case.


    Rhys and Barrow ran out of the room and back down the never-ending staircases and hallways until they finally arrived back at the entrance hall. Rhys was panting again, bending over to try and catch his breath. Barrow, on the other hand, darted off to the right side of the hall where he had sent Mug off to. Rhys followed behind in agony.


    The pair found themselves at an arched opening in the wall. Barrow was the first to go through and Rhys followed behind, they found themselves on an elevated platform above the black water, high enough to be just out of jumping range of the eelworms infesting the water.


    Above the platform was a sturdy-looking rope that was tightly secured to a hook above them. The rope ran all the way across the lake and was tied to a tree on the shore. It was a perfect line to the other side. However, Rhys cringed looking at it, he would have to use his lacking upper body strength to get him across the water. He was pretty much doomed.


    Mug had already crossed the rope and was on the shore waving to Barrow. His presence on the other side gave Barrow and Rhys more confidence in the old rope.


    Rhys reached upwards to get a hold of the rope only to be pushed to the platform floor by Barrow who shouted, "Me first!"


    Barrow jumped onto the rope and then began to make his way across the thick coil to the shore. He grunted as he put one hand in front of the other, with the full weight of the gems weighing him down, yet he had a kind of madness in his eyes that kept him going on.


    Rhys gritted his teeth angrily as he got up off the platform. Even though Barrow had gone insane over the gems, the guy still remembered to be a jerk to Rhys.


    Rhys reached upwards, grabbing hold of the rope and was about to start moving forward when he made eye contact with Mug on the other side. He could clearly see a murderous look in Mug''s eyes as the man stared at Barrow who was steadily making his way across the rope.


    Rhys remembered that Mug had looked at Barrow the same way when Barrow had cut off Mug''s friend''s head. A hateful vengeful stare. Rhys paused for a moment and stared at Mug, he could not get over the feeling that Mug was planning something, so he let go of the rope and stood on the platform to watch.


    Barrow was panting loudly as he reached about halfway across the rope. He was crossing the long distance at an incredible speed which only showed Barrow''s determination. Rhys thought that it was amazing what desperation could do to a person. However, Rhys internally said his goodbyes to Barrow, as he watched Mug lift his axe high into the air. The axe began to glow a hot red as the gem fragment inside of it began to power up. With only revenge on his mind, Mug swung his axe downwards severing the rope.


    Barrow''s heart lurched in his chest as he felt himself fall into the water.


    Rhys turned away as he saw the slick eelworms dash through the water towards their prey.


    Mug sighed in relief as he watched Barrow being ripped to shreds by the disgusting eels. Mug felt justified in his decision since Barrow had killed his best friend, Mug killed Barrow in return. Mug proudly thought of himself as restoring law and order. He didn''t give much thought to Rhys who was stuck in the castle, to him it was simply collateral damage. The axe wielding man simply turned on his heel and entered the forest on his way to the portal.


    Rhys sighed as he looked out onto the water. The rope was cut so he had no way to cross it. The stepping stones were too shallow so the eels would just jump up and kill him. He was stranded, in the middle of an eel infested lake, in another world. All alone.


    Rhys thought about Gramps who would wake up not knowing where his grandson had gone. Rhys wanted to cry but he was too exhausted to express his emotions right now. Was he really going to die here?


    The gems that had been on Barrow''s person were floating atop the black water, glistening beautifully while Barrow''s carcass was being stripped to the bone by thousands of pairs of sharp teeth. Despite how gruesome it was, Rhys couldn''t help but think it was an enchanting sight.


    Rhys reached into his pocket and took out the core, fiddling with it for a bit as he walked back inside the castle.


    Since the portal opened up into this world, it meant that this planet was on the colonisation plan, humans would come to this world in the near future to build a colony and mine for resources. Perhaps Rhys could wait until then, however, how he would feed himself during that time was a mystery.


    As he walked he looked down at the core and wondered if he should try infusing himself. The process of infusion was tricky, and if he did it alone there was an eighty percent chance that he would die. Not to mention the shockwave that was produced when an infusion occurred could cause serious problems for him. Even if he did awaken a useful ability that he could use to get off this lake, it took years to train one''s ability, and in that time, he would again need to sustain himself.


    Rhys cursed again. He arrived back to the place where he had entered the castle. The original platform with the stepping stones across the lake. He sighed in disgust as he saw Mug''s friend laying dead on the floor. His head cut off and his foot missing, his corpses lying in a pool of blood. This sight was not even close to the most disgusting thing he had seen today, a thought that he found kind of funny.


    He walked over to the wall and slumped against it. He felt so drained, this raid had sucked the life out of him and would probably be the end of his life.


    It was all his fault really, he had been the stupid idiot to believe in Barrow in the first place. Rhys thought back to when Barrow had approached him on his way back home from school. Rhys knew that Gramps was struggling to keep the business afloat and that any extra cash would be welcome, so when Barrow had offered him the chance to go on a raid with him, Rhys had been ecstatic. However, it turned out that Barrow had bought some stolen portal off the web, a black portal even.


    Rhys sighed and hit his head back against the wall, however, something poked out against his neck. Rhys turned around to see the down-turned lever, the one he had pulled to release the monsters into the lake.


    Sigh...


    Rhys turned back forward and closed his eyes for a moment, willing sleep to come.


    Rhys''s eyes shot open and he spun around to look at the lever. Filled with hope, he got off the floor and pulled up the lever, returning it too it''s original position. Rhys realized that he was probably being stupid, but if there was even the tiniest chance, he would try it.


    Deep below the castle, the huge cage that held the leech creatures began to glow a ghostly white and like moths to a flame, the leech eels mindlessly swam back towards the cage. As soon as the monsters had swum inside, the gate of the cage shut, sealing them inside until the next time the lever was pulled.


    Rhys, however, had no idea if his intuition had been right, but he knew a way to test it.


    A few minutes later, Rhys managed to drag the corpse to the edge of the platform and kicked the body over the edge. To Rhys''s delight, the leech eels didn''t resurface, the body just floated on the calm black waters and nothing disturbed it.


    Rhys immediately felt energised, the exhaustion was gone and now he had nothing but determination and adrenaline running through him. Rhys looked down at his wrist and saw that it was 23:48 Sector 5 time. Barrow had said the portal was timed to shut after three hours, so that left him 12 minutes to get back to the portal in the forest. He was pretty tight for time so Rhys didn''t want to waste it by swimming for all the floating gems in the water. He just wanted to get to the portal before it closed.


    Rhys ran off the platform and ran across the circle stepping stones to the shore. From then he kept on running deeper into the forest, his only thoughts were about getting to the portal in time. He didn''t have any time to be tired, he had to get to the portal.


    He looked down at his watch, seven minutes left. He jumped over roots, sidestepped rocks, dashed across puddles. His heart was beating violently in his chest.


    Four minutes.


    In the near distance, Rhys could see something red glowing, a huge smile broke out onto his face as he thought that he had spotted the portal. However, he watched horrified as the red glow he was seeing doubled. There was now a pair of red glowing dots, a pair of red eyes staring at him.


    Then another pair.


    Another pair.


    Another pair and another pair.


    Rhys froze in place as he realized that he was surrounded.

 Chapter 5 - 5 Coreless

    Rhys froze as the red eyes stared him down. His fate was dawning on him and Rhys realised that this might be the end.


    The creatures slowly stepped towards him, into the starlight where he could see them properly, revealing their horrifying figures. They were like monstrous skeletons covered in a thin layer of tawny pale white skin. They had four Limbs that ended in sharp spear-like appendages that Rhys could soon see impaling him. Their small red eyes sat high up on their long faces and their thin slitted mouths opened up to reveal rows of needle-like teeth.


    Rhys shivered as he looked at them, the sight of them was so disturbing that he wanted to just cower in a ball. His attention shifted to a slushy pile of what looked like bloody ground meat on the forest floor. His face paled as he realised what it was. Mug''s axe and some familiar clothes were sticking out from the puddle of bloody mush. And when Rhys looked at the creatures surrounding the puddle, he could see that their boney appendages were covered in blood and bone fragments, their ghastly mouths dripping with blood with bits of flesh stuck between their teeth. The man he had seen alive minutes ago had been reduced to that in such a short amount of time.


    Rhys shivered in horror.


    As if the creatures could smell his fear and realised that he was helpless, they suddenly charged at him, raising their spear arms and baring their atrocious teeth.


    Rhys had no other option left. He had no fighting skills to fend them off with, and of course no powers to use against them. No gadgets or weapons or anything at all to save his life. All that was left was the core.


    In that moment time slowed down for Rhys. The beasts were frozen mid-air and the sounds around him dissipated.


    Before he could think, his hand had reached inside his pocket and retrieved his only hope, and the thing that would also probably kill him.


    When a person infused with a core, a dangerous shockwave is released that could seriously injure or even kill anyone or anything in close proximity. That''s why infusions were done in hospitals with absorption technology to stop the body and the surrounding people from being harmed. Not to mention the risk of failure when an infusion was done in uncontrolled conditions... Rhys knew that the chances of him dying here was probably over ninety percent, but still, if he was going to die, he wanted to die knowing what it was like to have a core. Ever since he was a kid he dreamed about having a core, and going through school without one had been pretty brutal. If this was the last moment of his life, he wanted to finally have what everyone else had.


    Rhys brought the core up to his face and crushed the stone in his fist. As soon as he applied some force the core crumbled and transformed into silvery dust and smoke. Rhys took a deep breath in, inhaling the core until there was nothing left.


    The creatures'' teeth were millimetres away from Rhys''s throat when an enormous shockwave exploded from within Rhys sending the monsters flying back into the forest.


    Rhys felt in an intense burn blaze from within his lungs. It was as if his insides had been set on fire. He lost control of his legs from the pain and fell to the forest floor writhing in agony. Not being able to handle it, he lost consciousness, not knowing if he would ever open his eyes again.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A few beads of sweat rolled down the general''s forehead as he saw the boney white monsters he had just killed get back off the forest floor and charge at him again.


    They were a disturbing type of humanoid creature that had thin boney bodies with sickly pale white skin. All of the creatures had elongated necks and stretched limbs, glowing red eyes high on their foreheads and thin crescent mouths that occasionally opened to reveal rows of needle teeth. They were the creatures of nightmares, so much so that the general felt he needed to wash his eyes after seeing them. But the problem with them was much more serious than their hideous appearance, the creatures were actually frighteningly strong.


    Although they looked like they were just skin and bones, they were deceptively sturdy. Their boney limbs seemed to be as hard as steel and they swung their sharp appendages at lightning speed with frightening accuracy. As if they were sewing needles. But much more frightening than that was their incredible ability, they were undead creatures.


    As soon as his team members killed one, the creatures would automatically begin to heal and pick themselves off the floor to begin the fight again. Even if the general was much more powerful than them, he would not be able to last against them in a game of endurance, as they never died and could continue the fight forever. The general was in a sticky situation, although his team was managing to hold them back now, it would not be long until they succumbed from a lack of stamina and collapsed from exhaustion.


    Should they abandon the mission and head back to safety now, or wait until the raiders came back so he could question them?


    The general blasted a group of three undead creatures with his fire power as they scuttled towards him, burning them to a crisp. He then watched as they healed and began to get off the floor to attack him once again. He looked around the forest at his underlings to see them all panting desperately as they fought the ugly creatures. The general knew he had to make a decision and soon.


    BOOM!


    The general was pushed back a few feet as an incredible shockwave blasted throughout the area, and the nightmarish creatures around him were knocked off balance and fell over. Without having to think, he immediately knew what it was, he had seen his fair share of infusions already so he was very familiar with the infusion shockwave.


    "Troops!" He shouted out to his team of soldiers. "Go fetch the raider and bring him to our portal. As long as one is alive we can get the information we need!"


    The team that had been knocked over by the shockwave quickly got to their feet and headed through the forest to the epicentre of the explosion to go and retrieve whoever was there.


    Finally with all of his team members out of the way and now that the mission was coming to an end the general could finally unleash what he had been holding back. As the nightmare monsters began to rise off the floor, the general let the fierce flames within him reek havoc. In an instant the forest was overtaken in a hurricane of searing hot flames that burned everything it touched to a crisp.


    As the soldiers were carrying the convulsing Rhys through the portal they marvelled at their general''s strength for what must have been the umpteenth time since they had been under his command.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The portal they went through connected them to the sector 5 military base, and thankfully the hospital was conjoined to the base so they quickly transported Rhys who was in a critical state to the hospital.


    The general who was desperate to get some answers took some of his soldiers and followed Rhys to the emergency room to personally oversee his treatment. He had to make sure the boy lived so that he could question him, and furthermore, if the kid had picked up a decent ability, he wanted to recruit him.


    It was not long before the nurses had hooked up the convulsing Rhys to an assortment of machines and were pumping him full of medicine in order to save his life. For a moment Rhys stopped shaking and the room calmed a bit. Everyone thought that Rhys''s condition had stabilised only for Rhys to start convulsing even more violently. His chest lurched upwards while his arms and legs jerked wildly to the sides.


    "Hold him down boys, we don''t know what type of ability he gained!"


    The general shouted as he saw Rhys''s condition worsen considerably. The general had seen quite a few infusions without technology in his day, and he could say without a doubt that anyone who suffered this badly during an infusion would die.


    The five soldiers in the room rushed to the convulsing teen''s side and held down his shaking arms and legs.


    The nurse in charge of the patient was at an utter loss. Never in her life had she seen such a hectic infusion. The core was practically devouring the boy and pushing him to the brink of death. Although the nurse was completely stricken by the situation she realised that she had a patient who needed her. She was not going to let this sixteen -year-old kid die on her watch. He still had his whole life ahead of him, and she was going to make sure he lived to live it.


    The nurse turned to her junior and ordered her, "Go get doctor Rayburn and his paired infusion specialist, they should be in room three right now!"


    The nurse ran over to the equipment draw and retrieved the gem tools and rushed over to the boy who was in the middle of a painful seizure and infusion heart attack.


    "Hold his head down!" She commanded the general.


    The general at first seemed taken aback by someone commanding him but then complied with the nurse seeing how dire the situation was as the boy started to froth at the mouth.


    Using the clear gem saw, she sliced open the skin above the boy''s heart and as gently as possible lowered in the absorption rod, hoping that the crystal would be able to soak up the extra core energy that was harming the boy''s body.


    However to her dismay, as she pulled the rod out to check, not even a pinch of power had been absorbed into the rod. It was as if the core was determined to make the boy its host and nothing else would do.


    Just as the nurse was about to move onto plan B, a horrible monotonous beep echoed throughout the room. The boy''s body suddenly stopped moving and the air around them grew deathly cold. Everyone looked up in dismay to see the clear flatline displayed on the heart monitor.


    The soldiers who had been holding Rhys let go of him and took a step back. The general turned around to look out of the window with his hands folded behind his back. He lamented the loss of what looked to be a young man, but more than that he had lost all his leads to whoever was selling government property.


    The nurse dropped her implements to the ground with a stupefied expression on her face. Although it was a military base''s hospital many people came in to heal their injuries, she hardly ever saw anyone die because of how advanced medicine had become. However, she had lost this patient in the blink of an eye, furthermore, he had died such a horrible painful death. She was quite shaken by this.


    Just then the other nurse and doctor Rayburn ran into the room, both of them were just as shocked to see the young man laying too quietly on the bed.


    Doctor Rayburn hastily approached the boy, immediately taking his life scanner and pressing it against the boys neck. Rayburn''s face darkened as the screen displayed a bleak black cross. The young man was dead, officially.


    "Time of death, nineteen minutes past one, am." He gloomily read out the verdict as he slid his life scanner back into his coat pocket.


    "This is why infusing outside of a hospital is dangerous." Rayburn muttered as he looked down at the corpse. The young man''s hands were still balled up into fists but his face had already gone limp.


    "I can''t imagine the kind of pain he went through." Nurse Jackie felt her eyes well with frustration as she looked down at the first patient she had ever seen die, she had known sector five would be tough, but to see a death like this in her first week was too much.


    "Dammit all." The general rubbed his tense temples, he was back to square one again with the kid dead. "Well Doctor we have work we need to get back to, can we trust you to make the proper arrangements?"


    "Of course." Rayburn said as the general and his troops walked past him. However, the general and his men stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of a pained gasp.


    Rhys shot up in the bed, frantically gasping for air. A few moments ago everything had been pitch black, not an inch of light or a bit of sound, not even his heart beat which had completely terrified him. But as the cool air flooded back into him and he could see the lights, he calmed down. However he immediately began to fret again when he saw a baffling sight: words across his vision.


    [Ghost System]...


    ********


    Ahhh finally the fun can begin. ????????????????


    -Knightley

 Chapter 6 - 6 Ghost System

    [Ghost System]


    [initialising...]


    Rhys blinked, waiting for the baffling words to disappear from his vision. When he saw that the words were not going away he tried to reach out and touch them, only to find that he was grabbing at air. Just when he was about to investigate the weird words, a flood of nurses and doctors rushed towards him.


    "Young man, look at me! Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?" Nurse Jackie was the first one to his side, she lifted up his chin and was holding up four fingers in front of his face while shining a small light in my eyes.


    "Four." Rhys croaked out the number from his dry throat while squinting from the bright light in his eyes.


    "How is this possible?" A man in a white doctor''s coat next to Rhys looked baffled as he stared down at his life scanner.


    The young man had definitely died, and there had never been a case where someone had suddenly regained consciousness after being declared dead by the life scanner. Furthermore, they had not even tried to resuscitate him, yet he had woken up all by himself. This was unheard of in this late century. Doctor Rayburn had studied pre-invasion medicine and learnt about cases of people waking up after being resuscitated, but since the invention of the life scanner which could calculate the possibility of someone being able to resuscitate after death, such cases had gone down to zero. How had he just spontaneously come back to life? However he had done it, Rayburn was certain there would be negative side effects, loss of vision, loss of use of some limbs, there had to be something.


    Rayburn wrestled his way to the front of the other doctors and nurses fussing over the patient and began his own checks on the young man.


    Rhys was still quite disorientated. He was not expecting to wake up in a hospital with a bunch of people surrounding him, so all the noises and questions that were being thrown at him were giving him a headache.


    "What happened?" He asked while pushing back the people around him, trying to recall his memories while trying to wrap his head around the strange words in his vision.


    [Ghost system]


    [Loading...]


    "That''s what we want to know." Rhys stiffened at the sound of a colder less caring voice than that of the medical staff. He looked forward to see a huge burly man in black military apparel standing at the foot of his hospital bed. The man in the front looked to be middle aged but with a thick muscled body and a rugged shaven face. Behind him were four younger-looking military agents with the same cold stern faces, all staring at him.


    "I need to know everything that happened while you were in the black portal, as well as how you managed to obtain the portal."


    As soon as Rhys heard the words ''black portal'' his memories came rushing back. From the moment Barrow had approached him after school to the moment he inhaled the core before those boney monsters attacked him, everything was as clear as day to him.


    Rhys''s attention refocused as the soldiers behind the main burly guy placed their hands on their sheathed weapons. It was a clear threat directed at Rhys, showing him the danger he was in if he decided not to talk.


    Even though Rhys was forced to go through the portal in the first place, he was pretty certain that the military could still slap him with the infamous ''treason'' charge that they applied so liberally to those who disobeyed them. Pissing off the military was a bad move, especially in sector 5 where they had an authoritarian like control. Thus him holding back information could land him in a lot of unwanted trouble. Rhys just wanted to get back home to gramps as soon as possible so he decided to be as honest as possible.


    "It was not me. I was not involved in the purchasing or organizing of the raid, I only ended up going in because the leader of the raid forced me to." Rhys began calmly.


    "And why would someone need a core-less person to go on a potentially dangerous raid with them?" The general asked the boy sharply, glowering at him, trying to suss out any deception.


    "My guess is he didn''t have enough money for a gem evaluator so they brought me along instead since I work at a gem store." Although Rhys found the General intimidating, he knew he could not let it show. He needed to remain calm and collected if he was going to get through this without having to give up the A grade gem he had in his back pocket.


    "And what is the..." The general was about to ask another question when nurse Jackie interrupted him.


    "The patient just recovered from an extremely taxing infusion. He needs to rest now, your questions can be answered later." Nurse Jackie said this in a huff. She could not believe how roughly the military was treating such a sickly patient. Just as she was about to take hold of the General''s arm and usher him out the room, a loud slap was heard and nurse Jackie was thrown to the floor with a loud thud.


    With wide eyes she looked up to see one of the soldiers glowering down at her. The back of his hand was outstretched and his eyes were glowing furiously down at Jackie. He had backhanded her with enough strength to send her crashing to the floor.


    Nurse Jackie was new to the sector five main hospital, so she still did not quite grasp the power the military had over all the other departments. No other nurse or doctor would have dreamed of telling the general off, for fear of the exact situation she was in now. And it was that same fear that kept any of them from helping her up or speaking up against the soldier who had gotten violent with her.


    "Move." The solider''s cold words silenced nurse Jackie, and she found herself fearfully crawling away out of their path. The disbelief and humiliation were written all over her face as her eyes began to swell with tears. She felt so useless in that moment, not being able to protect her patient yet again.


    The general refocused on the boy in the bed. "What was the name of the leader of your group?"


    "Barrow Busk." Rhys replied.


    The general cocked his eyebrow at the name of one of district 20''s lowly gang leaders. Barrow Busk had recently come to the attention of the military because of the numerous reports filed against him from District 20 business owners who alleged that he was going around the city threatening them to pay him a tax for having a business on his turf. The general wondered how it was possible that such a small fry got hold of a black portal.


    "Where did he obtain the black portal?" The general asked never taking his eyes off Rhys.


    "I am not sure, but I heard a few of the other guys mention something about it being online, the black market I think." Rhys thought back to what he had heard Barrow and his men say before they had entered the portal.


    "How many people went into the portal?"


    "Fifteen I think, but I''m not sure."


    "Were you the only survivor?"


    "Yes." Rhys replied easily to this question since he had watched them all die.


    "Why were you the only one to survive?" The general eyed the scrawny looking young man before him. It was hard to think that out of fifteen people, this kid would be the sole survivor. And he had been core-less during the raid, which should have secured his death and yet he was the only one to make it out.


    "I got lucky." Rhys was not about to admit that he killed all of them with the black-lake man-sized leeches.


    The general chuckled at the boy''s answer and then turned back to look at one of the soldiers behind him.


    The soldier stepped forward and turned to face the general. "His heartbeat was steady, we can assume that he was being truthful."


    "Hmm." The general nodded as the soldier stepped back in line. While Rhys marvelled at the fact that the soldier had been monitoring his heartbeat throughout the questioning, thankfully he had not had to lie yet. Rhys also then realised the soldier must have the ability of a heightened sense of hearing, it was pretty incredible that the man could monitor someone''s heartbeat from a few meters away. This only led Rhys to wander what ability he had gained.


    Although the general trusted his soldier''s ability, he still could sense that the boy was holding something back.


    "Did you bring anything back from the planet?" The general eyed the boy somewhat amused now. The kid seemed a bit interesting to him.


    Rhys sucked in a breath as he felt the A grade gem still in his pocket. The gem was worth a lot of money, money that him and gramps needed desperately, he could not give this up to the military.


    "I found a core in castle-like structure in that world. It''s the core I absorbed." Rhys hoped that answering like this would not get him found out. He was being truthful about the core but leaving out the part of the story where he brought back an A grade gem.


    The general turned his head to the side to hear from the soldier capable of monitoring heartbeats. The soldier nodded his head, indicating that what Rhys was saying was truthful. Seeing this Rhys thanked his lucky stars in his head.


    "Ah yes." The general grinned. "It''s gutsy to infuse without anyone around to help you though, boy. If not for us bringing you back to the hospital, you would be dead. If not from the infusion, those monsters would have made mince meat out of you."


    Rhys grimaced as he remembered the horrible visuals his eyes had been confronted with in the black portal. "Yes, thank you for saving me." Rhys was grateful that they had taken him back to Earth, but the general''s words somehow felt like they were meant to intimidate him.


    There was a long pause wherein no one said anything. The medical staff felt very awkward because they wanted to go ahead and examine the medical marvel that was Rhys. Especially Doctor Rayburn and Nurse Jackie. The military wanted to further interrogate the boy on what had happened in the black portal while Rhys was getting increasingly agitated wanting to go home and see gramps. And also figure out what the hell the [Ghost system] was.


    "Search him." The general suddenly commanded.


    Rhys eyes shot wide open and he was about to fight back, but before he could move the soldiers were on him. Two soldiers were easily holding him in place while another one began to search his pockets.


    This further infuriated nurse Jackie who watched as her patient was being pinned down by two soldiers twice his weight, but she had learnt her lesson the first time, her swelling cheek and the blood in her mouth were enough to stop her from intervening on the boy''s behalf.


    Rhys curse internally as a soldier pulled out the beautiful clear white crystal from his back pocket. For a moment the soldier examined it in the air, before handing it to the general.


    The general chuckled again while holding the gem up. "You''re a tricky little bastard aren''t you?" He eyed Rhys with a smirk.


    "You almost would have gotten away with it if it weren''t for my instincts..." The general mused. "Head my warning boy, it is never a good idea to lie to us."


    Rhys swore profusely in his head, he was banking on using that gem to help out gramps, but now that chance was fast slipping away from him. Doctor Rayburn cringed at the sight before him, he only hoped that the boy''s punishment would not be too severe.


    To everyone''s surprise, the general tossed the gem back at Rhys who caught it in both hands.


    "Hospital bills are not cheap for civilians such as yourself, and you can''t have been earning much as a core-less person." Rhys looked up at the general in surprise, but then his mood quickly lowered as he realised there was no way the military would pass up on an A grade gem without a catch.


    "In exchange for my kindness, I expect you to join the military college program where you will be expected to train in order to better serve humanity. Now that your life has some worth you are expected to contribute to society. Registration ends in a week. Don''t think that I will forget about you."


    Rhys wanted to ask what would happen if he refused, but he already had a pretty good idea. He could get the gem taken away from him or he could find himself slapped with a charge of treason and sent to a concentration camp. Rhys silently watched as the general and his troops left the hospital room.


    "College military program." He sighed the words out.


    "That''s really not a bad deal kid." Doctor Rayburn spoke up seeing Rhy''s dejected face. "Its just four years, and you never know, you could end up enjoying it and join the military."


    Although Rayburn said this, he himself did not sound confident in his words. Anyone from sector 5 had heard stories from graduates about how tough the program was. About how insane the instructors were and about how cut-throat the environment was. Furthermore, the mortality rate for the program was extremely concerning. With each graduating class losing up to a third of its initial freshman class size.


    Nurse Jackie blinked in confusion at the solemn faces of everyone in the room. She had grown up in sector 1, and there everyone loved the military college program. It was a great program where people got to learn to use their abilities. She felt somewhat baffled by everyone''s solemn expressions. Although, as she touched her bruised cheek, she began to understand that the military operated very differently in sector 5 than it did in sector 1.


    Rayburn reached into his coat and brought out a cold compress, which he handed to Jackie.


    "I''m sorry about earlier." He had a guilty expression on his face. "I know that you are only going to be here for six months, but its best you learn now whose toes not to step on."


    Jackie pressed the compress to her cheek and bit down on her frustration. She felt stupid and naive. Most of all disillusioned about the military.


    "Anyway young man. How are you feeling? Are there any..." The doctor''s voice fizzled out as Rhys looked forward and saw the writing in his vision begin to change.


    [Ghost system initialised]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Human (Transitioning)]


    [level 1]


    [Exp 0/100]


    [HP 20/20]


    [Intelligence: 10]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Agility: 4]


    [Stamina: 3]


    [Spirituality: 1]


    Rhys could not hear a word Rayburn was saying, he just stared dumbfounded at the display in his vision. It looked similar to one of those VR games the rich kids at his school played.


    ''Human(transitioning)'' what the hell was that about? Besides intelligence, his stats were really embarrassing. His stamina was only a 3, and what the heck was the Spirituality stat? Rhys was a firm atheist just like the majority of the population so that was disconcerting.


    When he looked up at the nurse and doctor it was clear that they could not see this [Ghost system]. So as they prodded him with strange tools he carried on reading.


    <Skills>


    [Spiritual body Lv 1:


    This skill allows the user to shift the state of their body to its spiritual form, allowing you to pass through solid objects. At lv.1, you can only shift the state of your body and items attached directly to your body, ex clothing. Skill gets stronger as the level increases]


    [Aura detection Lv1:


    Allows the user to see the energy fields of living things. Skill gets stronger as level increases]


    [Energy absorption Lv1:


    Allows the user to absorb the aura/energy of living things in order to add to the user''s own life force. At Lv1 only small plants can be absorbed. Skill gets stronger as the level increases]


    [Aura manipulation unlocks at lvl 5]


    [Possession unlocks at Spirituality is at LVL 20]


    [Dimension Locked]


    [All other skills locked]


    [Shop unlocks at Lvl 5]


    Rhys stared at the words in a daze. He read the description of the three skills over and over again, practically drooling at what he was seeing.


    Although he was still pretty confused by the [Ghost system] as he looked at the <skills> they seemed like abilities that were gained by cores.


    The ability to pass through solid objects, albeit strange, could be very useful in terms of otherworld raids. The ability to easily pass through dungeons walls easily, the ability to get into spaces that others could not. If the ability functioned at a high level it could possibly be very useful.


    And that absorption skill sounded pretty impressive as well...


    Maybe only being able to absorb plants was kind of lame but did ''adding to his own life force'' mean something similar to revitalisation. If he perfected that ability, could he leave things like hunger and thirst behind him? The possibilities where endless. Literally, it seemed that there were so many other abilities to be unlocked.


    Rhys suddenly felt very energised. He needed to know if this ghost system thing was the real deal or not.


    He looked at the first skill in his list, took a deep breath and repeated the name of the skill in his head.


    ''Spiritual body''. This was the skill that was supposed to let him pass through solid objects. Not wanting his entire body to turn ''spiritual'' he held up his right hand and focused on it. Rhys watched wondering if he was hallucinating as his right hand glowed ever so slightly. It was covered in an almost imperceptible sheen of light. Rhys''s heart was beating hard in his chest, the excitement was getting to him now.


    He slowly lowered his hand down to the bed and watched in awe as his hand passed through the mattress below him.


    It worked! It really worked. His hand passed through the mattress!


    Rhys wiggled his fingers around, marvelling at the tingly sensation being given off. It was different from a sense of touch, it felt like an entirely new sense, the sith sense. A bright smile lit up Rhys''s face, his whole life was about to change, he could feel it.


    [Spiritual body activated +5 Exp]


    Rhys lifted his hand up out of the mattress with a huge smile on his face. The skill was real. Which meant that all the other things from the [ghost system] were real as well.


    "Well, I have never seen an ability like that before."


    Rhys spun his head to his side to see Doctor Rayburn standing above him.


    Rhys had completely forgotten about the doctors and nurses in the room when he had tried out his ability.


    "If you trained it a bit more, an ability like that could be pretty useful if you decided to become a doctor. Surgeries could be a piece of cake with someone like you operating." Rayburn smiled down at the flustered teenager.


    "Haha, thanks." Rhys chuckled nervously. The doctor was nice and all, but Rhys was not thrilled that he had just revealed his ability to someone who he did not know. Was that intelligence stat all for show? Because he felt really stupid about trying about his ability for all the medical staff to see.


    "Thank you, for everything doctor. Am I all cleared to go?"


    "Yes, you can go. We did not actually put you in an infusion pod, so your medical bill will be pretty cheap. Just go to the ground floor, you will find the payment office. They will help you exchange the gem for money so that you can pay. Then you are free to go."


    "Thanks, doctor."


    Rhys eagerly jumped off the hospital bed while putting the gem back in his pocket. He was beyond ready to go home and play with the [ghost system]. After giving a quick thanks to the nurse who had tried to stand up to the military for him, Rhys dashed down the stairs to the payment desk, Leaving Jackie and Rayburn staring at his back.


    "Hey, Doctor," Jackie spoke up cautiously. "You are an infusion specialist so you know more about this than me, but, is it normal to be able to use your ability that stably so soon after an infusion?"


    "No, it is not normal at all."


    Rayburn had not said anything to Rhys, but he had been pretty shocked to see the young man''s hand pass through the mattress. He had studied infusions in-depth and had come across a few unusual ones, but Rhys'' ability somewhat defied the logic.


    Rayburn committed the boy''s name to memory before exiting the room to go back to his other patient.

 Chapter 7 - 7 Gramps

    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    [Spiritual body used +10 Exp]


    [Spiritual body used +10 Exp]


    [40/100 Exp]


    Rhys grinned when he saw his reward increase from 5 Exp to 10 Exp. He was no longer putting his hand through objects, but his whole body instead, which he was happy to see doubled his reward to 10 Exp. Thankfully, when he used this skill on his entire body, his clothes were able to pass through solids with him, so he did not come out the other side of a street lamp naked.


    It was about a 10km walk from the sector 5 main hospital to his home in District 20, which Rhys knew was far too tough a walk for a guy with his stamina, so he was racing to get to the early morning busses that would be leaving soon. He was already panting as he jogged to the bus stop but he didn''t feel exhausted because he was too excited as he was running through trash cans and lamp poles while using his skill. He savoured the tingling sensation he felt when his body passed through a solid object.


    [HP 12/20]


    This newest message startled Rhys a bit.


    Apparently, the usage of his ability and the running would take a toll on his health. From what he knew about those rich-kid games, when the HP reached 0, the player died. He would have to keep that in mind for the future.


    [Stamina +1]


    [Stamina: 4]


    Rhys smiled at the increase of his stamina though. He guessed that with a little bit of training, he could really improve his strength and agility as well.


    He made it to the bus just in time and found himself to be one of few passengers taking the early-early bus. He quickly walked past the few passengers and took a seat at the back. He then discreetly reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold card the hospital had given him in exchange for the gem. He admired the glistening gold colour while concealing it in his palm. Even though he was holding it in his hand, this whole situation still felt unreal. He had seen so many movies wherein the suave main character was holding one of these famous gold cards, casually buying expensive clothes and paying for the finest goods. Realistically, a gold card was given out when more than 100,000 zen was loaded onto a card. The hospital''s evaluator had evaluated the gem to be worth 500,000 zen and thus he had qualified for a gold card on which his 500 000 zen had been loaded to.


    Rhys felt like such a big shot, there at the back of the bus with such a card in his hand. The temptation to go out and buy all the things he had been craving during his life was strong. He could not help him imagine going into the fresh foods section of the food outlets and buying real fruits and vegetables for the first time. Or going to a technology outlet and buying a Zencho smartphone and laptop. Even though he was thoroughly tempted, he pushed back those desires. Although it was a lot of money, it could easily be wasted if he was not careful with it. He had seen what had happened to Mrs Trudge.


    In her youth, she had been pretty strong and won 1,000,000 zen in the national amateur fighting championship for making it to the semi-finals. Having been a poor district 20 street thug all her life, she went absolutely crazy with all that money. Left her partner and kids, underwent numerous plastic surgeries, spent half her money on material things (none of which was property) and lent the rest to her ''friends'' who never paid her back. In two years she became homeless. With nothing to her name. Rhys knew her favourite sleeping spot was opposite their storefront. When they had left-over food, they would give it to her, so she preferred staying near gramps and Rhys. It was on one of the days where Rhys went to go and give her food, that she told Rhys her life story, from which Rhys learned some valuable lessons.


    Rhys was already planning on buying Gramps and him a home in the better-off District17, which was much safer and had more opportunities for him and gramps than District 20 where they were currently living.


    Rhys wondered if they had enough to maybe even move out of Sector 5 altogether. They could sell off the script store and he could make sure gramps lived comfortably while he was off at the military college.


    Rhys slid the card back in his pocket, satisfied with his plan, before anyone noticed and lay back in his seat. He just sat and smiled for a moment before a bright idea came to mind.


    "Aura detection." He whispered with a devilish grin on his face.


    He looked forward at the five other people on the bus and he was instantly was amazed by what he was seeing. The Aura detection ability had opened up his vision to a new plane of seeing. Around the bodies'' of the people in the bus, he could see each of them had a glowing light which he guessed was the ''aura'' the [Ghost system] was talking about.


    From a glance, he could see that each person''s aura was different. The woman closest to him, who was wrapped in a blanket leaning against the window, had a small blueish aura that seemed to flow like water. While the man a few rows ahead of her, who looked to be wearing some kind of construction uniform, had a much larger much brighter red aura that blazed like fire. He wondered if their aura''s had anything to do with their abilities... Unfortunately, he had no way of testing that out, so he banked that thought for later.


    [Aura detection activated +5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    Seeing that he could also receive exp from this skill, he used the skill on everyone on the bus.


    When he went for a second round of using the skill, he was disappointed to find that he did not gain Exp this time. He surmised that he could only gain exp for the skill when he used it on a person for the first time.


    [10/20 HP]


    Rhys felt pretty concerned that he was at half his original health, just from the short time since he had woken up from the hospital. Apparently, his skills took a lot out of him, or maybe it was just the jogging that had drained him...?


    [70/100 Exp]


    [New Quest: Reach 100/100 Exp to level up]


    [Rewards: unlock Responsive Stystem]


    While Rhys was busy wandering what a ''responsive system'' was, the bus came to a stop.


    Rhys quickly exited the bus and walked his way home. If his stamina was such an issue, he did not want to drain his HP any further. Rhys was imagining what Gramp''s expression would be when he explained to him what had happened. Rhys could not hide his glee when thinking about the huge smile that would be plastered on Gramp''s face when he saw the gold card. Even if Rhys had to go to military college for four years, it put his mind at ease thinking that Gramps would be taken care of.


    As Rhys was walking, he suddenly began to cough. His eyes stung a little bit as well while breathing in the air. He looked around and realised that the air felt quite polluted. Rhys sniffed the air and frowned when he realised that the smell was smoke.


    The loud blaring of a siren suddenly sounded from behind him. Rhys quickly stepped onto the pavement to get out of the path of the fire truck racing down at the road at full speed. The fire truck confirmed that a fire must have broken out somewhere nearby.


    The fire, wherever it was must have been pretty big if a fire truck bothered to come to District 20. The District was pretty infamous for its gang and violence problem, and because of that emergency services decided they would not respond to calls from District 20 unless it was a higher level emergency. This meant ambulances, fire trucks and police did not bother to respond unless there was a large scale incident. Which pretty much meant that District 20 was lawless for the most part.


    Although this place was home, Rhys was still pretty nervous walking down the street, he had been mugged and beaten up more than a few times. Especially now with the gold card in his pocket, Rhys was feeling particularly on edge.


    He picked up his pace following after the fire truck. Rhys paused as he saw the Firetruck turn left, onto his street...


    A deep dread formed in the pit of his stomach as he looked up into the dark night and followed the smoke with his eyes to see where it was coming from. He felt his heart stop when he saw that the smoke was billowing out from his street, from directly above his home, where gramps was. Rhys instantly dashed forward into a full-out sprint down the end of this road and then dashed left onto his street.


    He looked on in horror as he saw all his neighbours standing outside watching as their entire street of houses and shops were up in flames.


    The firemen were rushing out of their trucks and stopping before the building with their palms outstretched. The firemen manipulated powerful jets of water forward from the fire truck tanks and dowsed the angry fire that was quickly taking over the entire block.


    Rhys rushed forward, panic and dismay clouding his judgement. He needed to find gramps.


    "Oh no, you don''t." Before Rhys could get any closer to the fire, two thick arms coiled around him, stopping him in his tracks.


    "Argh, let go!" Rhys shouted and kicked.


    "Calm down kid." Mr Swart''s voice shouted into Rhys''s ear. "Let the firemen do their job. If there are any survivors, they will get them."


    "Gramps!" Rhys cried out as the entrance of their shop crashed inwards.


    Knowing that he had no time to spare, Rhys used his skill.


    ''Spiritual Body''. He called out in his head.


    [Spiritual body +10 Exp]


    Rhys easily passed through Mr Swart''s arms like a ghost and dashed into the burning building. Mr Swart''s concerned cries were drowned out by the raging crackling fire and the siren of the ambulance and the firetruck. The entire place was engulfed in flames, and although Rhys could not feel the fire nor the burning, he did however get the sensation of heat surrounding his body. Perhaps flames had some resistance against his skill.


    Rhys ran through the walls to the back of the script shop, passing by the firemen who were only just entering the building.


    "Hey! Hey! Kid, get out of here!" Rhys ignored them and ran to the back of the shop where Gramp''s room was.


    This place was on the verge of collapsing, and although that would not hurt Rhys, it would definitely kill gramps.


    The back room was up in flames, their small kitchen had already been burnt to a crisp. And Rhys got a glimpse of his room, which looked to be even worse.


    [Continued use of skill +15 Exp]


    [6/20 Hp]


    [User will lose 1 HP for every 2 seconds the skill is continuously used]


    "Crap!" Rhys yelled while barrelling through the wall to Gramp''s room. He found the blaring heat around him increase, as if his spiritual body skill was becoming weaker and he was now more susceptible to physical things.


    [5/20 Hp]


    Tears of relief flooded his face as he found his gramps huddled up in a corner with a cloth over his face. This room had not caught on fire yet, but the smoke was so thick that Rhys could barely see the other side of the room. This was in a way much worse because Gramps had terrible lungs.


    Rhys ran to Gramps''s side and braced himself before he released his skill. In his panic, he had completely forgotten about the perilous situation he had gotten himself into. If he was going to carry gramps, he could not use his skill, which meant they would have to brace the fire together.


    With a firm resolve. Rhys ripped off a piece of the bedsheet and tied it around his nose and mouth. He then released his skill and groaned as he picked up his unconscious guardian. The weight was tough, although gramps was old and frail he still weighed a good amount. Rhys was actually only managing to hold him because of the adrenaline pumping through his system. Furthermore, now that his skill was released, he coughed violently while his eyes stung from the smoke.


    Without a second to lose, Rhys used his and Gramp''s body weight to bust open the door, knowing that if he touched the door handle, he would scorch his hand beyond repair.


    [Warning! User is in danger]


    [Warning get to safety!]


    [4/20 Hp]


    When Rhys busted out of the bedroom, he was then faced with the main heart of the fire. The heat was unbearable, to the point that he could feel his skin burning just from standing in there.


    Rhys ran for what was left of the main entrance with all that was left of his strength. His eyes were stinging, his legs were aching, his skin was burning but the adrenaline in him kept him going.


    Luckily the firefighters outside were doing a good job of manipulating the water so once Rhys got the front of the store he found the fire there had almost been completely handled. He burst out of the front entrance and into the cool street air. Almost immediately he lost all of his strength, so he and gramps plummeted to the sidewalk with a thud and pained grunt from Rhys.


    [3/20 Hp]


    [Strength +2]


    [Stamina +2]


    [Agility +2]


    [Spirituality +4]


    Even though Rhys was exhausted, a smile spread across his face seeing his stats.


    [Congratulations. Quest is Complete]


    [ Level 2]


    [5/200 Exp]


    [Reward: Responsive System Unlocked]


    [Responsive System: A User friendly system interface, that allows the user to interact with the system through thought, voice commands and questions]


    For the second time that day, medical staff were rushing towards Rhys. Their eyes wide with shock and concern as they began to prod and poke at him. He could only chuckle at the deja vu.


    Rhys closed his eyes and breathed happily while the staff were loading him and gramps into the ambulance. He felt them rubbing a soothing jell onto his burnt arms as the ambulance took off at full speed.


    "Patient is steady. Heartbeat is normal. First to second degree burns on arms and hands. Breathing is unsteady, possible lung damage." The emergency service worker above Rhys said.


    [2/20 Hp]


    Then someone on the other side of the ambulance spoke. "Patient is unresponsive. Heartbeat has not been detected. Pass me the life scanner."


    Rhys immediately opened his eyes and turned to look at Gramps. The old man so still as the emergency worker was prodding and testing him...


    Rhys watched with tears in his eyes as the worker pressed the life scanner to Gramp''s neck. A black cross was instantly displayed on the machine causing the worker to sigh, then pick up a clipboard.


    "Time of death: 4:17 am."


    ''No... No way.'' A pain Rhys had never felt before spread across his chest. Like someone was beating him with a flaming bat, a terrible burning pressure pounded against his chest.


    "Patient''s heart rate has spiked!" The responder shouted from above Rhys. "He is having a seizure!" She shouted in a panic as she reached for more tools.


    Although Rhys had lost control of his body as it began to shake violently from shock, his eyes never left Gramps face. A part of him still did not believe it.


    ''Aura detection'' he summoned his new skill, willing to use the last of his health on this.


    [ Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    Rhys stared at gramps with his skill but frowned when he saw that gramps had no aura. There was no light surrounding him like the others. To make sure that his skill was working, Rhys glanced up at the emergency workers hovering over him, and confirmed that he could see both of their auras. They both had small green auras that they seem to be channeling into their hands right above Rhys''s chest.


    [ Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    [ Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    He could feel the strain in his chest lessening as the cool green aura seeped into him. He realised then that his earlier hypothesis was correct. The aura he could see around a person correlated to their ability. They both had green auras and so it was not a coincidence that they were both healers. Rhys committed to memory that green auras meant healers.


    He turned back to gramps and confirmed that gramps had no aura. He already had an idea as to why, but he needed to confirm it otherwise he would not accept reality.


    ''System, what does it mean when someone does not have an aura?'' He asked the responsive system in his head, dreading the answer he knew was coming.


    [listen kiddo, all living humans have an aura. So if someone does not have an aura, that person is dead]


    Rhys cringed at the all too familiar sound of Gramp''s voice. It had somehow copied Gramps''s voice and was using it to talk to him. This pained Rhys more than he understood why, all he wanted to do was make it stop.


    ''Why the hell do you sound like Gramps?'' Rhys grilled the system in his head.


    [Don''t fret Kiddo, the system has calculated from your memories that this voice and speech pattern relaxes you the most]


    Rhys closed his eyes, all too overwhelmed by his life crashing down around him.


    ''I don''t like it. Pick a new voice.'' Rhys did not want to listen to some kind of imitation of gramps, he wanted to talk to the real gramps, anything less than that just pained him.


    [Responsive system, recalibrating...]


    [Is this type of speech more comfortable for you?]


    Rhys sighed in relief at the classical monotonous tone of a regular AI interface''s voice. It was a hundred times better than hearing the voice of his gramps.


    ''Yes.''


    Before Rhys knew what was going on, pain and exhaustion overtook him, and he passed out in the ambulance.

 Chapter 8 - 8 Familiarise Yourself With Death

    Even though Rhys just woke up from a twelve hour long deep sleep, he did not feel well rested. When he finally opened his eyes, his body ached with a physical pain while his heart ached with an emotional one.


    Gramps was dead. That fact hurt him more than anything, especially now that his grief was really setting in. He realised that there were things he could have done differently to save gramps, such as speeding home after getting off the bus instead of taking a leisurely walk. If he had gotten home just a bit faster, Gramps could still be alive, the thought of which was sending him into a depression. But at the same time he admitted that he could never have known that a fire would break out while he was away. The dialogue of self deprecation and self defence going on in his head was giving him a headache.


    Rhys groggily looked down at his arms to see that they were both tightly wrapped in bandages.


    While he had carried out Gramps from the burning building, the adrenaline in him had been so strong that he had barely noticed how badly his skin had been burnt. But judging from the cast-like bandages covering both his arms, the burns must have been pretty bad. He was not worried though, a doctor with a healing ability could easily treat him. And if the hospital fees were too expensive there were unlicensed healers working in the district who could do it more cheaply.


    With eyes swollen from crying in his sleep, Rhys scanned his surroundings and found that he was once again in a hospital. However this was not the fancy military base hospital he had been treated at earlier, no this was a normal District 20 Hospital. The walls were probably once white, but were now yellowed with age and stains, while the floors looked like they needed a good cleaning. Nothing at all like the white sparkly high-tech hospital at the military base. This was definitely one of the government hospitals in District 20.


    Rhys looked around to see that he was sharing this room with six other patients. Most of whom looked like they were raiders, coming to the hospital after having accidents while hunting.


    Rhys looked under his bed covers and realised that he was wearing hospital overalls now instead of his original clothes. Anxiety jolted through him as he remembered he left his gold card in the back pocket of his jeans. Seeing his clothes folded on a tray next to his bed, he quickly reached for his folded jeans to check for the card. Relief flooded his tense body as he felt the cool metal card tucked away deep in the back pocket.


    Rhys thanked his lucky stars that the card was still there. He then relaxed back into the hospital bed with the card securely in his left hand. For a moment there he forgot about Gramps, but the painful image of the black-crossed life scanner on Gramp''s neck pricked at his heart. He was thankful that notifications from the system could distract him from the pain.


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Human (Transitioning)]


    [Level 2]


    [20/200 Exp]


    [16/20 Hp]


    Rhys was relieved that his health was almost back to normal, and he was glad that his level had risen but his attention was quickly diverted to something listed under his stats.


    [Intelligence: 10]


    [Strength: 7]


    [Agility: 6]


    [Stamina: 5]


    [Spirituality: 5]


    While skimming past his stats, he could see that they had gotten a lot better. Seeing as he had raised strength, agility and stamina by doing physical tasks and he had raised his spirituality by using his skills, perhaps he could raise intelligence by doing intellectual stuff. Maybe reading or studying would work?


    [Spiritual Body Lvl 2]


    [Aura detection Lvl 2]


    [Energy/Aura absorption Lvl 1]


    As he looked at the Energy Absorption skill, he remembered that he still had not used it yet. He would need to get hold of some plants if he wanted to try that out. Rhys''s attention was quickly pulled to the last notification when he spotted the word ''Quest''.


    [New Quest: The user has recently witnessed the death of a loved one, as well as sent others to their deaths. The user is becoming familiar with death which is necessary for the user''s transition. Have 10 unique experiences with death.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: Haunting]


    Rhys stared at the words in confusion. He reread the notification and then reread it again. A heavy lump formed in his throat from the system''s baffling message. ''[Familiarise yourself with death]'', What the hell? What the hell kind of quest was this? And what was this transition it kept talking about?


    ''What do you mean by familiarising myself with death?'' Rhys asked coldly. ''And what am I supposed to be transitioning into exactly?''


    [The most effective method of familiarisation would be to kill people and watch as their auras dim. However, the system senses that the user might be morally opposed to this. Instead, put in effort to look at dead bodies and watch people die. Do research on ancient civilisations'' methods of death preparation, anything to familiarise yourself with death.]


    The responsive system replied to Rhys casually in its monotonous mechanical voice. As if it was not asking him to do the weirdest things he had ever heard of. Rhys deadpanned as he imagined himself robbing graves in the middle of the night and becoming some freak that would sneak into morgues and look at dead bodies. The system was definitely not meant for humans, not sane ones anyway.


    [In response to the user''s second question. There is not a good enough word in English to accurately name/describe what the user will be transitioning into. The most accurate word the System could find is: Ghost]


    Rhys sighed unsatisfied by this answer. He had figured as much because the title of the system was literally ''The Ghost System''. The only useful thing he had learned was that the term ''ghost'' was not accurate. And he would actually be transitioning into something else.


    ''Can you explain it to me a bit more. What type of creature do you know ghosts to be? And are these ghosts the creatures that made you? If I don''t want to become a ghost can I refuse to?'' All the questions that had been stuck away in the back of Rhys''s mind due to the stress of the last 24 hours spilled out.


    ''And what exactly is your purpose as the Ghost system?''


    [...]


    Rhys chuckled internally as he saw the system loading, probably due to his sudden influx of questions.


    [The ghosts were a higher alien race. One that transcended all others. Until your level increases you are not permitted to learn more about the Ghost race. Although you are cleared to know that my function as a system is to help the inheritor/user get stronger. As the confirmed inheritor, once you are strong enough you may choose your own path, but for now, you may not refuse your inheritance.]


    Rhys''s imagination was going in circles now, thinking about the System''s response. It said ''The Ghosts were a higher alien race'', past tense. Are they extinct? How much of a higher race could they have been if they went extinct. Although that was fascinating, what worried Rhys was the bit about not being able to refuse the system. If the system had the ability to respond to his thoughts, give him abilities and all those goods things, there was no doubt that the system could inflict damage on him as well..


    "Ah, fuck my life." He gripped the hospital bed sheets as his migraine came back in full force.


    At first he had been overjoyed with the system. He had felt so extremely lucky that he had inhaled a core that was going to make him strong, stronger than he had ever known was possible. But this last quest and newest information was a harsh reminder that this thing was not meant for him. He found the core on some far away planet and it was the treasure of some unknown alien race. There was no doubt that the [Ghost System] was amazing, after all he had gained three skills with huge potential for growth, however he needed to keep in mind that whatever this thing was, it was not his friend. It was some advanced AI core built by Aliens. And the relationship between humans and invading aliens was tense.


    ''Is there a time limit on this quest? And what exactly is the penalty?'' He asked the system in his head again.


    All Rhys could think to be positive about was the responsive system he had unlocked. At least he could get some clarity by asking the system what it meant.


    [There is no time limit for the user. However if the user does not have a unique experience with death every week the penalty will be applied. The penalty is ''haunting''. If the user will not go to the dead, the dead will go to the user.]


    Rhys frowned at the System''s reply, still not quite sure as to what the penalty meant. Before Rhys could ask the system to elaborate, the door to the large patient horde opened and a doctor in a blood-stained white lab coat entered.


    ''Aura detection'' It was already becoming a habit for Rhys to use this skill.


    Rhys was pleased to see his skill was working properly, as the doctor''s body was encapsulated in a soft green aura, similar to the auras of the two emergency workers he had seen in the ambulance.


    Above the Doctor''s head, Rhys was surprised to see a few information tags.


    [Occupation: Doctor]


    [Aura: Healer (weak)]


    Rhys grinned at the text above the doctor''s aura. During his trip in the ambulance he had realised that the green aura was a common colour shared among people with the healing ability. It seemed his Aura detection ability had levelled up and would now display the ability as well as the actual aura. More than that, it could roughly estimate the strength of the ability. This would be pretty useful at the military academy.


    "Patient number 3," The old Doctor briskly walked to Rhys''s bedside and started unwinding the bandages on his right arm. "You''ll notice that we treated the first degree burns on the rest of your body, but we decided to hold off on having an ability user treat your arms due the cost."


    Rhys looked down at his bare arms and winced. It was an ugly site of sweltering blisters and peeled back skin.


    "The records show that you were recently orphaned and your main source of income has been lost. The cost for treating your arms would be north of 10,000 zen." The doctor informed him with a bored expression on his face.


    "Ten thousand zen?" Rhys spat out flabbergasted. That was enough money for a good apartment on the nice side of town. What kind of scam was this shifty hospital running. Even if he was kind of loaded right now, Rhys could not shake his thrifty habits.


    The old Doctor looked down at Rhys, unimpressed by the boy''s reaction. "I didn''t think a slum rat like you had the means anyway." He sneered under his breath before writing something down on the clipboard he had in hand.


    Rhys wanted nothing more than to whip out his gold card and shove it in the Doctor''s face. However, he was not the only patient in that room. He was surrounded by burly raiders who devoted their lives to scavenging the riches of other worlds. From Rhys''s experience with Barrow, he doubted any District 20 adventurers would not end his life to get their hands in his gold card.


    "According to the report, the dead man that was wheeled in with you was your guardian. You may retrieve his ashes from the morgue before 8pm. Since you won''t be treated any further, you should leave. You''re taking up a bed."


    With a final snarl, the doctor moved on to the next patient without a word. Leaving Rhys to simmer with anger. What the hell was that superior attitude? Just because he was a doctor did he think he was above District 20? It was a well known fact that doctors who misbehaved were sent to district 20 government hospitals to work for lower wages as punishment. Perhaps he was on of those, which would explain his terrible attitude.


    Rhys brushed the encounter aside and slowly clambered out of the bed. He decided to just keep on the hospital overalls because his actual clothes were pretty dirty. They had been on a black portal raid and through a burning building, so they desperately needed to be washed. Rhys only put on his boots and then set out in his hospital pyjamas to the morgue, where he collected gramp''s ashes.


    [Main quest: Familiarisation with death


    1/10 death experiences completed!


    Unique experience: holding an urn]


    Rhys deadpanned when he saw the message pop up as soon as he held Gramp''s urn.


    After collecting Gramps, Rhys waited in line for a private payment booth to become available instead of paying at the open front desk, because he did not want to let anyone see him with a gold card. It took a while but he eventually got in the booth and scanned his card to pay. Just as he was about to leave the hospital, a certain something caught his eye in the corner of the lobby.


    He excitedly walked through an open door that led to a smaller portion of the hospital. A small lobby for what looked like a private cluster of specialist doctors. On the other side of the room, three doors were closed with doctors'' names printed above the doors.


    After quickly scanning the room for cameras, of which he saw none, with a creepy smile Rhys gazed at the side wall that was completely covered in pot plants. From short leafless saplings to taller branching bonsai trees, none of them looked like medicinal plants, so Rhys concluded that a few of the doctors must have had a hobby.


    ''System, can you bring up the description for my skill Energy Absorption?'' Rhys called to the system in his head.


    [Yes]


    [Energy absorption Lv1:


    Allows the user to absorb the aura/energy of living things in order to add to the user''s own life force. At Lv1 only small plants can be absorbed. Skill gets stronger as the level increases]


    [Side note: User must physically be in contact with the plant in some way.]


    Rhys knelt down next to the smallest sapling with Gramp''s urn tucked under his arm and touched the green shoot gently.


    ''Energy Absorption''


    Rhys watched amazed as his vision automatically shifted to Aura Detection.


    [Aura Detection +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    He saw the cute little aura of light-green light surrounding the baby plant. When he poked the tiny sapling with his index finger, that Aura began to a siphon off to Rhys, seeping inside his body through his skin giving Rhys this incredible tingly feeling.


    While that energy was being transferred to Rhys, the little sapling slowly began to lose colour. It turned grey, then dark brown and eventually shrivelled up into a thin black aura-less stick.


    [17/20 Hp]


    Rhys blinked in surprise when he saw that his HP had gone up. Moreover, Rhys felt a slight tingling sensation in his arms. He curiously peeled back the bandages to see that his burns looked considerably better. The red inflammation was gone. The wounds were still there but overall they looked much better.


    Not wanting to waste a second more, Rhys first checked to make sure no one was watching and proceeded to use Energy absorption on all the small plants he could.


    He used the skill on a bunch of baby cacti planted in black pots.


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    Then on three flowering orchids.


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    Then on a whole cluster of small leafy pot plants.


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption + 5 Exp]


    Each time he used the skill the burns on his arms healed some more, until finally the wounds were gone. His skin was back to normal as if the burns had never been there, not even a blemish remained. More than that, he felt more energised as well. The sluggishness had felt earlier was gone.


    [20/20 Hp]


    [105/200 Exp]


    In addition to that his health stat maxed out.


    [Spirituality: 6]


    [Energy/Aura Absorption LVL 2]


    Rhys was so glad that he had not wasted 10,000 zen on healing his arms when it was evident that he could do it himself. Aura absorption was pretty awesome, if he was ever in trouble all he needed was some grass or plants in order to heal himself. Although that might be awkward in the beginning Rhys suspected that as his skill got stronger, he would be able to draw energy from other things, not just small plants.


    Rhys guiltily looked down at the wall of a plants. It had previously been a beautiful diverse little garden of healthy foliage, but it looked so depressing now that half of the plants were shrivelled up and dead. His skill benefited only himself, as it left death and decay behind when he used it.


    Rhys put his hand up against the smallest bonsai tree and tried out the skill.


    [Unable to use skill Energy Absorption]


    [Plant of interest is too complex to absorb]


    It was just as Rhys had thought.


    "One day." He said before exiting the room, now having a better understanding of his limits.


    He walked out of the hospital and threw his burnt clothes into the first dustbin he saw. It was just after 8pm, and the faulty street lamps of the road flickered ominously as he walked under them.


    It was around the time that the people afraid of gangs were locking up their shops and going to bed, while the people who were part of gangs were just waking up and getting ready to cause trouble. Rhys had always been part of the former.


    Compared to most of the guys his age who were continuously getting into fights and honing their muscles with their separate gang activities, Rhys seemed scrawny and weak, because as soon as school was out, he would head straight home in order to avoid his classmates.


    Having no ability was one thing, but not being part of a gang was another. These qualities had garnered Rhys a lot of unwanted attention at school, meaning that everyday was a struggle. And it only got worse with each grade. The friends he had made when he was little abandoned him because the peer pressure to make him a social outcast was too great. It was a good day when he managed to leave school without bruises. Thankfully, his senior year had come. He had been so happy to finally leave all that social hierarchy crap behind and just sell scripts and gems with Gramps at the store. But then the last 24 hours happened. The black portal, the core, the ghost system, the military academy, the fire, Gramps dying..


    Rhys''s fists clenched as he arrived on his street to see his home burnt to a crisp. Besides the charred basic structural pillars of the small house, the entire thing was burnt to a crisp. It was evident now that the fire had started at their house, because all the other houses were only a little scorched while Gramp''s script store was completely demolished. Nevertheless, Rhys walked into the burnt down building and placed the urn in the middle of the collapsed house. Gramps had always been very clear about what he wanted Rhys to do with his body when he died.


    He could practically hear Gramps in his head, ''Listen kiddo, don''t do anything weird like a funeral. There''s no need to waste money on useless things like that. Just store my ashes somewhere in the house. That''s good enough for me.''


    Before Rhys could call himself down, hot tears overflowed from his red eyes and slipped down his cheeks, as he stared at the small grey urn in the middle of their burnt down home. Gramps had taken him in, a small helpless kid who had been abandoned. Rhys knew it was very hard for Gramps, a seventy year old man, to support just himself in a brutal place like District 20, but he somehow scraped up the energy and funds to raise a destitute kid as well. Gramps did all that for Rhys, and now Rhys would never be able to pay him back. With all the sorrow, despair, rage and confusion going through Rhys''s head, the only logical thing he could think to do was find out the truth.


    Rhys turned away from the urn and walked to his next door neighbour''s small house and banged on the metal door so that Mr Swart would hear him.


    "Oh Rhys!" He called out through the small barred window above the door. "Just hang on a second, I''ll be right down."


    Mr Swart was a good guy, but he had a drug problem. Gem Dust, his drug of choice, was as addictive as it was expensive and his habit had been the downfall of his livelihood and family. Causing the man to move from District 15 to District 20 after he had sold his business for more product.


    Mr Swart opened the metal door shakily and smiled woefully at Rhys.


    "I''m sorry about Roger, kid. He was a good guy, helped me out a few times even. I''d let you stay with me," He gestured to the inside of his dilapidated home guiltily. It was clearly a hoarder''s den, with trash and litter covering every inch of the floor. "But It''s not really a good place for a bright kid like you."


    "Yeah no, it''s fine. I''m going to the military academy anyways."


    "Oh!" Mr Swart burst out. "Don''t do that Rhys. They call that place a military college but I swear it''s just a graveyard or something. I hear about kids dying there all the time."


    As if his sudden outburst had used up all of his energy, Mr Swart swayed slightly as the gem dust he had sniffed minutes ago was already taking affect.


    Rhys knew he did not have much time before Mr Swart became unable to talk.


    "Mr Swart, what happened last night? How did Gramp''s shop catch on fire?" Rhys grabbed the man''s shoulders firmly to steady and refocus him.


    "Those bastards!" Swart suddenly yelled angrily. Beads of sweat accumulated around his hairline.


    "Fucking cowards!" his face turned red with intoxicated anger as he relived what he had seen last night.


    "What? What did you see?" Rhys urged him.


    "Those shitty fire user''s causing a ruckus..." Swart slurred. "Barrow''s mutts came banging on Roger''s door, shouting about... paying back with interest or some shite."


    Swart hiccuped loudly before falling back into his dingy home. Rhys caught him, but did not have the strength to keep the overweight man standing. Instead Rhys lowered him to the floor as gently as possible.


    "Poor Roger..." Swart sighed rolling onto his side, his face scrunch up in pain. "Barrow''s people came back later and set the store on fire... they were all fire users, so the store was raging in no time.. and then they, ran off... fucking cowards." He whispered before he passed out next to his hoard of trash.


    Rhys stood there silently for a moment, before pushing Mr Swart''s legs inside his house, so that Rhys could close the door behind him.


    Gem dust was a unique drug in that it put its users to sleep and then stimulated the brain giving them amazingly vivid dreams. For a population like District 20 and others who were drowning in poverty and violence, a drug that let you escape into a dream world was worth any price.


    Rhys left Mr Swart''s house with a bitter taste in his mouth.


    "Barrow, Barrow, Barrow..." Rhys ground his teeth together furiously. After Swart''s explanation he understood everything.


    A few months ago, Gramp''s shop had been having a security problem. There had been quite a few break ins wherein valuable gems and scripts had been stolen. Gramps had always kept the shop safe by using his barrier ability, but as he got older his ability became weaker, thus allowing for other ability users to break through the barriers and enter the store. While gramp''s could not afford to hire more security, he could not afford to lose anymore merchandise either. Rhys thought back to how stressed out gramps had been during those times. That stress and loss of sleep had made gramps desperate.


    To the rescue came a man named Barrow Busk. The head of a small security firm who assured Gramps they would look after the store, Barrow said he would ''have guys on it 24/7'' if gramps agreed to pay him a small percentage of the profits of the shop. Although Barrow was a bit shady, gramp''s made the deal out of desperation, not knowing the trouble he had gotten himself into.


    The robberies stopped under Barrow''s protection, but the percentages of compensation Barrow was asking for got higher and higher each month. What started at 1% cut of their profits quickly rose to 40% in half a year, with no end to the increases in sight. The demands became so ridiculous that Gramps finally refused to pay, but by standing up to Barrow, the situation only got worse for them. The robberies started happening again, but it was clear this time who was behind the theft. Rhys remembered that their customers stopped coming because Barrow''s goons were threatening people who came to the store. Rhys was also being beat up more often and more cruelly at school. They did not know it at the time, but Barrow''s ''security firm'' was actually a mid level gang that had roots all the way to Rhys''s high school.


    Life had become a living hell for Rhys and gramp''s until finally, Barrow offered Rhys a way out. Rhys could go with him and evaluate gems on a raid, and in exchange Barrow would wipe clean their debt.


    Looking back on it now, Rhys could not believe how stupid he had been. He could only think that the mental toll of being beaten up everyday and seeing gramps so stressed out had clouded his judgment.


    It was clear to him now that Barrow had planned this all along. He was never going to let Rhys and Gramps go, Barrow had just promised Rhys that in order to get Rhys to comply. Barrow had probably ordered his men to loot the script and gem store while Rhys and his gang members were out on their raid. Furthermore, if everything had gone to Barrow''s plan: if Barrow had raided the black portal successfully and brought back gems. Rhys would have made it home just in time to see Barrow''s thugs trashing the store and burning it down. Then Rhys would have known that Barrow had tricked him yet again. Thankfully Barrow had died on the raid, leaving Rhys to be rescued by a military faction. But the orders Barrow had given to the rest of his gang still stood as Rhys still returned to see his home and gramps die in a fire.


    Barrow was a sick twisted bastard through and through. Rhys at least drew some satisfaction in knowing that he died and excruciating death.


    Barrow''s underlings probably still did not know that Barrow was dead. They probably thought that he was living it up somewhere spending his newfound riches on girls and booze.


    Rhys kicked the ground furiously and took off in a random direction, his heart pounding in bitterness and frustration.


    "Why is my life so shitty? Just when things are looking up, why do they have to come crashing down?"


    He had gained this awesome/terrifying system and a ton of wealth, but now he had no one to share it with. His home was gone, Gramps was gone too, he was alone in the world for the second time since his mother abandoned him. He knew who the person responsible for his pain was, but he could not take his fury out on that guy because he was already dead. Gangs were secretive about their home bases so Rhys had no idea where or how to find the others responsible for Gramp''s death...


    ''It''s hopeless.''


    Rhys wondered if he shouldn''t just make his way to the military base right then. There was nothing left for him in the district anyways.


    The cold splash of a puddle water on his leg snapped Rhys out of his stupor. He looked down to see that he had stepped straight into a pothole filled with murky water.


    "Ugh." He groaned in disgust. He shook of his wet boot in dismay, hating the feeling of the dirty water seeping into his shoe.


    "Check it out."


    Rhys froze as he heard a familiar voice chuckle at the end of the alley he was next to.


    "Hey!" The same voice shouted at him.


    Rhys looked up to see the sight he had been avoiding for years. The reason he had always run straight home after school and never went outside after 9pm was right before him, staring back at him menacingly from the other end of the alley.


    "Aren''t you that guy in my grade who doesn''t have an ability?" The teenager snickered as if the concept was so hilariously pathetic to him.


    Rhys stared at the three guys down the alley, and particularly noticed the smug grin of the boy who had spoken to him. It was Sampson, a well-feared thug in his class who regularly went out of his way to torment Rhys and other weaklings.


    Rhys did not answer he just stared back at the three grinning idiots, watching their movements carefully.


    "Hey core-less, guess what." Sampson reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small sack about the size of his fist, and held it up for Rhys to see. His two friends snickered, knowing something that Rhys did not.


    "I joined a gang you know. It''s a big one too, I guess you could say it''s the biggest one in the area." His eyes sparked with self satisfaction.


    "My point is that they gave me my first assignment. You know, the usual fun initiation stuff." His eyes left Rhys for a moment and looked at the small sack.


    "I''m supposed to fill this thing up with teeth before the morning comes, and I think yours will do." Sampson slid his pink tongue over his front teeth making a loud slurping sound. Sampson''s two friends cackled at what they thought was an expression of fear on Rhys''s face.


    Rhys cringed at Sampson''s display, the cruelty of others never ceased to amaze him. If this really was a gang initiation task, then it meant that many others in the same boat as Sampson would be out there hunting for human teeth to fill their sacks. The sacks weren''t small either, it would probably take two and a half sets of adult teeth to fill one sack. It was gruesome to think about how many people would be attacked tonight and have their teeth extracted only to be kept as trophies on some thug''s mantle. It was sickening...


    This had been one hell of a terrible day for Rhys. From being forced to go into a black portal, to placing Gramp''s urn on its burial spot to running into some prospective gang members wanting to harvest his teeth...


    Rhys''s eyebrows furrowed, and his legs trembled. Before he knew what was happening he threw his head back and guffawed into the night. The laughter exploded out from deep in his chest like water bursting through a faulty pipe. His exhausted grief-stricken body was so shaken up by the events of the day, that it was desperately producing laughter so that Rhys would not keel over and have a mental break down.


    Sampson was utterly confused by Rhys''s actions. Normally someone weak like Rhys would be on their knees begging by now, a sight Sampson loved to see. However Rhys, the coreless freak from class A, was hunched over cackling like Sampson had told him the joke of the century. The longer Rhys laughed, the more agitated Sampson got, until Sampson found himself red in the face with anger. He felt like Rhys, a weak little nobody, was making fun of him. As if he had not just joined the famous gang owned by Barrow Busk, a true powerhouse of District 20. Sampson knew he was going on the path to being someone important, so who did Rhys think he was to laugh at him.


    "You''re dead, freak." Sampson snarled at Rhys, before signalling for his two friends to attack. "Get him."


    Rhys stopped laughing and calmly watched as the two guys barrelled towards him, their fists raised. These kids, who were the same age as him, a day ago he would have found them terrifying, a day ago he would have run like hell out of the alley and try to escape.


    "Oh, what a difference a day makes." He chuckled quietly to himself as the rage in him boiled over.


    ''These guys are nothing compared to the giant toothy leeches, and they are non existent compared to those terrifying white boney monsters.''


    For the first time he was not going to run away, he was going to stay and fight. No, he was going to stay and win.


    [Alert! New Quest: Defeat the 3 attackers]


    [Reward: Unlock System Teacher]


    ''It''s seems like we are in sync for the first time.'' Rhys grinned as a punch came flying at his face.


    [Agreed...]

 Chapter 9 - 9 How To Fight Without Fighting Abilities

    [Alert! New Quest: Defeat the 3 attackers]


    [Reward: Unlock System Teacher]


    ''It seems like we are in sync for the first time.'' Rhys grinned as a punch came flying at his face.


    [Agreed...]


    Rhys stayed completely still, seemingly unbothered by the attacker''s fist that was only a few inches away from his jaw. The attacker thought nothing of it, he assumed Rhys was so scared that he was frozen in place, so the attacker swung his fist with as much power as he could muster, aiming to knock out some of Rhys''s teeth with the first blow.


    "AAARGHHHH!"


    The attacker screamed in agony as his fist went straight through Rhys''s face and hit the thick stone wall of the alleyway behind Rhys''s head with a disturbing crunch. Although he had a strengthening ability, it was not at the level of being able to punch through stone walls.


    The attacker immediately fell to the floor, shrieking in pain and clutching his broken fist. Blood spewed out of the gashes on his knuckles while some of his fingers were bent at disturbing angles.


    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    Rhys was not a fighter. During school, he had always tried his best to avoid conflict because without an ability he knew any fights were pointless. He would inevitably end up as the loser, on the ground with blood and bruises covering his body. However, sometimes not fighting was not an option and Rhys would be forced at the very least to defend himself. Since he was weaker and slower than most other people his age, he knew the importance of timing and observation. Strike any opponent at the right time at the right spot, and they would go down.


    Rhys wasted no time, he lunged forward and swung his boot at the opponent''s face. Rhys''s boot made hard contact with the guy''s jaw. Blood sprayed out of his mouth followed by a few teeth. He fell to the street floor, completely knocked out. Rhys was quite surprised that his kick had been strong enough to knock the other guy out from just one blow, he could only sum this up as his strength stat going up. The Ghost system was having a very real effect on his body, just like in a game.


    "You freaking idiot!" Sampson screamed furiously at his unconscious friend from the end of the alley. "How did you miss him? You were right fucking in front of him?"


    Rhys smiled knowing that Sampson had not figured out Rhys''s ability yet. Sampson must have assumed that Rhys had dodged the punch causing his friend to miss Rhys and punch the wall behind him instead. It was a logical assumption for Sampson to make since he still believed Rhys to be coreless. Sampson''s misinterpretation of the situation was good for Rhys because it meant that he still had the element of surprise on his side.


    ''Aura detection''


    The next guy was already in front of Rhys. His fists raised like a boxer, with a sturdy stance to back up his attacks. And Rhys noted the warm yellowish aura around his body.


    [Aura detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Occupation: Attacker]


    [Aura: Strengthening(weak)]


    The attacker threw a fury of short powerful punches at Rhys. Out of necessity, Rhys continued to keep his spiritual body skill on so he would not get pummelled by the punches, if he got hit from a punch by a person with a strengthening ability, it would be lights out immediately for him. However, Rhys wanted to keep up the farce of having no ability until his attacker gave him an opening. Thus Rhys pretended that he was dodging the punches by randomly waving his upper body from side to side like a penguin, while in reality, his skill was allowing the swift punches to pass right through him.


    [16/20 Hp]


    The attacker quickly got frustrated that he was not landing any hits and decided to lunge at Rhys for his next attack. Rhys smiled as the new attacker''s front foot left the ground because that was what Rhys had been waiting for. As soon as the attacker jumped forward to try and tackle him, Rhys used his skill to run straight through the guy and get behind him.


    The attacker was completely stricken by what he had seen, the person he was trying to hit moved directly through him like he was some kind of apparition. Before the guy could regain his balance and spin around, Rhys released the skill and punched his fist as hard as he could into the back of the guy''s neck. Attacker number 2 let out a pained yelp before falling on top of Attacker number 1, unconscious.


    Rhys triumphantly gazed down at the two bodies with his Aura detection and noticed something interesting in their respective auras. In the places they were injured: the first guy''s hand and face, and the second guy''s neck, their aura in those places were noticeably thinner and less bright. Like the injured body parts were not capable of holding onto the body''s aura.


    "You!" Sampson growled from a ways behind Rhys. "You''re not supposed to have an ability."


    Rhys stared blankly back at Sampson. Sampson was not any taller than Rhys, but he was much more muscular and had good instincts which had only been sharpened after growing up in this district. Somewhere along the line of harsh District 12 life, Sampson had grown cruel and hateful and was continuously searching for ways to prove how much better he was than others. Beating up people who looked at him the wrong way and crushing the spirits of those he perceived as happier than him became his greatest pleasures in life. In spite of the tough badass reputation Sampson had created for himself at their high school, Rhys only ever saw Sampson as someone who was deeply insecure and constantly trying to reassure himself by hurting others.


    "And yet I have one."


    Sampson had seen Rhys''s ability this time for sure, so there was no need for Rhys to hide it from him.


    "Whatever!" Sampson hissed. "It''s nothing special anyway, those guys were just idiots to fall for your cheap pranks." Sampson spat out angrily growing more agitated by the second at the confident look on Rhys''s face.


    Rhys could only chuckle at Sampson''s familiar antics.


    "You must be an idiot then." Rhys retorted.


    "What did you just say to me?" Sampson''s eyes were suddenly set alight by indignation and fury.


    "You also fell for it in the beginning, so by your logic that makes you an idiot too." That carefree smile that Sampson hated so much returned to Rhys''s face in full force.


    ''Aura detection'' he summoned the skill in his head.


    [Name: Sampson Welsh]


    [Occupation: Bully/attacker]


    [Aura: Fire manipulator (not as weak as the other opponents but still weak)]


    Rhys frowned at the weird description the system gave him. He would need to question the system about its Aura evaluation standards later.


    "You think you''re such hot shit because you got an ability, huh? So what if you can pass through people, that crap is no good in a real fight." Sampson''s chest was falling and rising violently as the unchecked anger was spilling out of him after Rhys had mocked him.


    "I''ll show you what a real ability is." Sampson reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small lighter. Feeling his trusty old red lighter in his hands, he calmed down a bit and was able to regain more control over himself. Above anything, feeling like he was weak drove him insane, and hearing weak people like Rhys insult him had the same effect, but thankfully holding his lighter in his hand always made him feel better.


    Sampson held up his lighter, pointing its tip towards Rhys. He was already imagining how Rhys would beg for mercy once he used his core ability.


    "You''re dead Rhys." Sampson''s thumb slid over the spark wheel and ignited the small flame. Instantly the entire alley was engulfed in a raging jet-like flame. The searing flames charred the brick walls of both sides of the allies and instantly burnt the weeds that had been growing if of the gravel ground. The roaring fire ate at the two unconscious bodies lying behind Rhys as well.


    [15/20 HP]


    [Continued use of skill: Spiritual Body +15 Exp]


    [User will lose 1 HP for every second the skill is continuously used]


    The flames raged all around Rhys but he and the clothes he was wearing remained unharmed. Although the fire did not hurt him, he was still feeling intense heat that made him want to dive into a cold bath. Without a doubt, he knew that this skill was weak to fire, nevertheless, it still worked so he needed to put aside his discomfort and fight. He was actually pretty surprised at how good Sampson had gotten at controlling his ability. The last time Rhys had seen Sampson in a fight was a few months ago, but his power back then was nowhere near this level. Even though Sampson was unbearable, he was talented and hardworking, Rhys had to give him that.


    The only challenge in this fight was that Rhys had fifteen seconds to defeat Sampson before his HP ran out.


    [14/20 HP]


    Without a second to spare, Rhys charged forward into the powerful fire jet that Sampson was manipulating out of the lighter. All the while Sampson grinned excitedly, he was anticipating seeing Rhys charred like coal.


    [12/20 Hp]


    In two seconds, Rhys was in front of the huge jet of flames, where Sampson was holding the lighter in his hands. His head and arms stuck out of the raging flames making him look like some strange bodiless creature. Sampson stared in horror at the sight in front of him, he had seen that Rhys could move through his friends like he was made of nothing, but he had not even dreamed of Rhys being able to get past his fire.


    [11/20 HP]


    In one succinct movement, Rhys did the opposite of what he had done in the military hospital when he had first used his ability. He focused on his hand, but this time released the skill only in his right hand allowing it to become a solid again. Rhys smacked the lighter out of Sampson''s hand, knocking it to the floor and consequently stopping the fire jet that Sampson had been manipulating from the lighter''s small flame. The alleyway no longer resembled the tail of a jet, but the two side walls were charred black from the fire, and Sampson''s two friends were badly burned with smoke rising from their motionless bodies.


    [10/20 HP]


    Sampson looked forward in a daze at Rhys. Rhys''s blue eyes never used to look this calm and controlled, they used to look anxious and frightened just like the rest of the weaklings at school. Even more alarming than Rhys''s attitude, was the fact that Rhys was completely unharmed by the massive fire jet Sampson had created. The weird hospital pyjamas he was wearing weren''t even a little burnt.


    Sampson suddenly had a flashback to primary school when Rhys was excitedly jumping up and down and waving to the old man who always came to fetch him at the gate after school ended. They hugged warmly and then left hand in hand while Sampson sat there waiting for his mother''s newest boyfriend to pick him up. Sampson knew that his stepdad would not come, but he always sat there on the curb waiting until everybody had left. He secretly hoped that one of his classmates would see him sitting there all alone and would invite him over to their house, but none ever did.


    That was his life, the invisible unwanted baggage his mother brought with her every time she moved into a new man''s house. The only affection he ever received was when his mother fussed to make sure he looked presentable to meet her newest boyfriend. He remained a depressed unhappy child, watching enviously as Rhys''s grandfather came to pick Rhys up every day from primary school. However, a few years later, Sampson''s mother had managed to bag a wealthier District 18 based businessman for the entire year and had managed to get that boyfriend to buy Sampson a high-quality fire manipulation core.


    Sampson still remembered the looks of admiration on everyone''s face when the teacher had him announce his core ability to his entire class. Suddenly everyone noticed him, he was suddenly having people hang around him and praise him and willingly do stuff for him. Suddenly the kid whose grandpa came to pick him up from school every day became a nobody because he did not have a core. Sampson had something that Rhys did not have.


    Power. Power and strength were the answers to all of Sampson''s problems. People remembered who you were when you were strong, they noticed you and were nice to you when you were powerful. Being weak was disgusting, anyone who willing lived like that was trash and did not deserve to walk around with smiles on their faces. As more and more people infused with cores, Sampson worked harder than anyone to polish his control of his ability, weaponise it and grow his strength. He had worked so hard and been so determined, and yet there Rhys stood ahead of him again. There he stood completely fine after Sampson had hit him with his most powerful attack. Sampson knew he did not have any more energy to use his ability again, so he had been completely defeated by a person he considered trash.


    "You-" Before Sampson could say anything, Rhys lunged forward and put all his weight behind punching Sampson as hard as he could in the face. Blood splattered out from Sampson''s mouth and nose while his head was left spinning from the hard impact. While stumbling backwards Sampson tripped over some loose gravel and fell to the ground with a grunt. His face hurt just as much as his pride, and now that his energy had been depleted he no longer had the will to fight.


    [Strength +1]


    Rhys winced at the pain in his fist and stared at Sampson''s blood on his knuckles. Although his body felt tired and sluggish now that he was at 10/20 HP, his heart felt light and the taste of victory was overwhelmingly pleasant.


    Ever since his classmates had gotten abilities, he had never once been the last one standing. As he looked down at Sampson he remembered how he had looked after being beaten up. Bruised eyes and bloody noses became so familiar to him that they were practically part of his school uniform. So many nameless faceless bullies who just beat up those weaker than them for the hell of it. In particular, he remembered the times Sampson had beaten him. Since Sampson was a sadistic bastard and had a fire ability, he always made sure to leave burn marks on Rhys, enough so that Gramps insisted on wasting precious money for Rhys to be healed.


    [Congratulations, you levelled up!]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Human(transitioning)]


    [Level 3]


    [5/300 Exp]


    [10/30 Hp]


    Rhys felt great satisfaction as the notifications popped up into his vision. In a way, it kind of added to his sense of accomplishment.


    Looking at the first set of notifications he could see that the EXP required to advance to a new level had gotten greater again. He would have to work harder to reach level 4. However, he was pleased to find that his HP had risen as well. This meant he would be able to use his skills for longer.


    [Intelligence: 10]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 7]


    [Stamina: 5]


    [Spirituality: 6]


    [Skills]


    [Spiritual Body Lvl 3]


    [Aura detection Lvl 3]


    [Energy/Aura absorption Lvl 2]


    Rhys was happy to see that all his skills had gone up by one point as well.


    [Aura manipulation unlocks at lvl 5]


    [Telepathy unlocks at Spirituality LVL 10]


    [Possession unlocks at Spirituality is at LVL 20]


    [Dimension Locked]


    [All other skills locked]


    [Shop unlocks at Lvl 5]


    Rhys made his new goal to unlock level 5 because at level 5 he would be able to gain the ''Aura manipulation'' skill which he knew to be a combat skill, not to mention he would be able to buy stuff from the shop.


    [Congratulations! Quest complete


    You have defeated the three attackers.


    Reward: Teaching mode initialising...]


    Rhys sighed into the chilly night, watching as his hot breath puffed up like a smoke cloud in front of him.


    "Teaching mode..." He whispered as he read the notification. This could possibly be a tool to help him learn more about whatever the hell he was transitioning into.


    Honestly, he would have preferred to unlock a new skill. Something more geared towards combat. As much as he was enjoying his new abilities, and although he managed to beat the Sampson trio pretty easily, he knew his skills were really not meant for fighting.


    ''Spiritual body'' was the only ability that gave him an advantage during a fight. And he knew he was smart enough to utilise it well, but this skill was limited to him and the small area surrounding his body. It gave him the perfect defence that made him pretty much untouchable to his attackers, however, he realised that elemental attacks were something that his skill was weak to. He had already felt the heat while using his skill in the midst of a fire attack, he could hypothesise the same would be true for other elemental abilities, which was a problem since the second most common core abilities were elemental abilities.


    Rhys stretched out his limbs and looked back to the two guys who had attacked him first, Sampson''s friends. Could they really have been Sampson''s friends if he had willingly burnt them to a crisp with his fire attack?


    ''Aura Detection'' he summoned his skill and stared at the two bodies. They no longer had their yellow auras so without a doubt they were dead.


    [Aura detection used +10 Exp]


    [2 dead bodies]


    The system only confirmed what he already knew.


    Once again Rhys felt acute anxiety as his golden card suddenly popped into his head. Rhys immediately felt the front pocket of his hospital pyjamas and was once again relieved to find his gold card still safely tucked away there.


    Just as Rhys was about to exit the charred alleyway and make his way to the military college recruitment point, an unfamiliar voice sounded in his head.


    [''Well done student, your application of the beginner skills was impressive. It seems that despite your weak race, you are somewhat compatible with the ghost system.'']


    Rhys froze for a moment at the deep slightly-hoarse sounding voice in his head. He was puzzled as to why the system suddenly changed its speech setup without his command. However, the lightbulb suddenly flickered on in his head and he understood what was going on.


    "This must be the teaching mode."


    [''You are correct''] The system chuckled darkly as if amused by Rhys.


    Rhys was accustomed to very realistic AI interfaces since the huge leaps in technology that happened after the invasions, however, wasn''t this system on another level? This particular voice had a human speech capability that was so realistic it really felt like a real person was in his head.


    "You''re called the teaching mode, so does that mean you''ll be teaching me about the transition I''m going through?" Rhys unconsciously asked this question out loud because it really did feel like he was talking to another person.


    [''Hmm, not exactly. As your teacher it is my job to make sure you reach your maximum potential. That does not necessarily mean that I will give you all the information you want.''] It replied with another taunting chuckle. Rhys felt like if this thing had a face, it would be smirking at him right now.


    "The fact that you are willingly holding back information from me does not make you sound very trustworthy." Rhys retorted, once again feeling frustrated that the system was deceiving him.


    [''Deal with it.''] It snapped back at Rhys.


    [''Well then, let''s commence with the first lesson. Lesson 1, always take advantage of every opportunity. Your main quest is to have 10 unique experiences with death, so go and touch those charred bodies over there.'']


    Rhys deadpanned as he remembered that gross quest the system had given him. He cringed as he looked at Sampson''s friends'' burnt bodies in a pile.


    With legs made of lead, he begrudgingly walked over to the bodies. With deep disgust written all over his face, he reached out his hand and quickly poked one body with his index finger, before vigorously wiping it against his pant leg.


    [Main quest: Familiarisation with death


    2/10 death experiences completed!


    Unique experience: touching a dead body]


    He shivered in disgust, hating himself for complying with the task.


    Rhys quickly stood up and was about to dash out of the alley when the deep hoarse voice of the teacher system stopped him.


    [''I just taught you a lesson but you''ve forgotten it already... You''re going to be an annoying student.''] the voice sighed a pained sigh.


    [''You must take advantage of every opportunity to grow strong. So kill Sampson Welsh before he regains his strength.'']


    Rhys flinched at the cold indifference in his teacher. Rhys was once again reminded that this system was not his friend, not his fairy godmother but some crazy alien tech.


    "No." Rhys answered bluntly. He was not that type of person. While everything about him was changing, he was at least going to hold onto his personality. He was not some victory crazed sicko who killed defenceless people. Even if said person was as crappy as Sampson.


    [''Hmm? You know killing someone would count as a unique experience with death right? You would be missing out on completing a third of your required experiences.''] Rhys was not persuaded in the slightest. He kept on walking down the alley only to be distracted by the sudden quest popping into view.


    [New Quest: Kill Sampson Welsh]


    [Reward: Unlock Lvl 5 skill - Aura manipulation]


    Rhys froze as the new notification suddenly popped up, followed by the devious voice of the teacher.


    [You said you wanted a combat skill, didn''t you? Aura manipulation will allow you to weaponise your aura and fight against others, and all you have to do to get it is kill that half-dead thing over there. Aren''t I a generous teacher?]


    Just like that, Rhys could feel his will falter. If he was going to military school, then he definitely wanted to have a combat skill to use. With ''spiritual body'' he would be able to defend himself and carry out specific attacks, but he would not be able to do much more than that. If multiple elemental users attacked him together, his HP would run out and he might just die.


    Rhys looked over at Sampson who was staring blankly up at the sky like he was having a midlife crisis. Sampson had done so many cruel evil things in his seventeen years, maybe killing him wouldn''t be wrong, maybe it would be justice...


    Rhys struggled with this for a while before he took in a deep breath and turned away from Sampson. Rhys continue walking down the street.


    "No." He repeated firmly in his head.


    [''You''re a fool.''] The teacher snickered at Rhys''s decision. [''You are worse than a fool if you give up on such a valuable skill for your useless morality.'']


    "You must really think I''m dumb if you think I didn''t realise you''re trying to trick me." Rhys gritted his teeth while walking away.


    [...]


    "Aura manipulation is a level five skill for a reason, even if you had unlocked it for me, I probably would not have been able to use it until I reached level 5. Am I right?"


    [...] The teacher did not answer.


    The teacher''s silence was all Rhys needed to know. The teacher had waved that skill in front of Rhys''s face like it was some precious gift, when in reality, Rhys only would have been able to use it when he got strong enough.


    [You are going to be a tough one to mould]


    "Agreed." Rhys laughed out loud at the dejected voice of the Teacher.

 Chapter 10 - 10 A Terrible Teacher

    Rhys staggered backwards a bit as he suddenly became lightheaded. The events of the last day and a bit had been extremely taxing, emotionally and physically, to the point that he felt he would fall asleep at any moment. Now that he stopped to think about it, he had not eaten or drunk anything since he had left with Barrow through the black portal. He needed nourishment as soon as possible. Rhys scanned the surrounding area and was pleased to find an old abandoned tin shack that was being taken over by weeds a few meters away from him. Although district 20 was a well established city, for the most part it was extremely rundown with tough wild plants growing through every crack in the ground and dilapidated pre-invasion buildings decorating every corner.


    Rhys slowly made his way over to the shack, holding onto the old crumbling walls that lined the streets to steady himself. As soon as he was within reach of the plants, he collapsed onto the ground next to the shack and focused on the desired grove of hardy weeds.


    [Aura Detection used +2 Exp]


    [Weed]


    The thin green auras of the plants became clear as his vision shifted.


    Rhys frowned at the latest message and was about to ask why he was only receiving two experience points after using his skill, but the raspy voice of the teacher preempted his question.


    [''You are at Level three now, you can''t expect to get the same Exp reward for looking at plants as you did in level one and two. Idiot...] It spat out annoyed.


    Rhys''s eyebrow twitched in irritation at being called an idiot, but he pushed his frustration aside in order to get answers from the system.


    "Will I still get 5 experience points when I use the skill on people?"


    [''Yes and no. From now on each new human with an aura type that you have not detected before will continue to award you five experience points. Since you have already detected the basic strengthening, healing and fire manipulation auras, people with these abilities will not give you a reward anymore.'']


    Rhys felt his heart drop at this latest bit of information. Soon he would not be able to get EXP rewards for detecting auras types he had seen before. There were only a limited number of abilities to begin with so once he had seen them all he would no longer be rewarded for using Aura detection.


    "Shoot." He grunted. He had been planning to binge on using the Aura detection skill to reach level 5 so that he could unlock the skill ''Aura manipulation'' as well as the system shop. Getting to level 5 was going to be pretty tough considering this new piece of information.


    [''Since you seem down, let me kick you some more,''] Rhys could practically hear the gleeful grin on the wicked teacher''s face.


    [You might have noticed it but you will not be able to absorb much more energy after your HP is full. Since this is the early stage of your transition, the amount of aura you can contain has a capacity. I would estimate that you could consume a maximum of no more than two more plants after you''ve reached your total health points.]


    "Crap." There was a cap on his Energy Absorption as well as his Aura detection. He already knew that if he continuously used ''Spiritual body'' his HP would decline really fast but with the additional restrictions on the two other skills, his life just got a whole lot more challenging. Level 3 and 4 were not going to be fun.


    "What about aliens and monsters? What experience reward will they give me?" Rhys asked curiously while reaching out to the patch of weeds poking out from the cement. He knew from the official military website that military college students were taken on portal expeditions and were trained by fighting otherworldly monsters and even other races.


    [''That depends on the type of monster. The amount of EXP rewarded is directly proportional to the power of the aura, you see. Human auras are in the specific range of power that the system has deemed will reward 5 Exp. There are many other races that naturally hold weaker auras and many more that have greater auras than humans. Thus if you come across those beings, the system will adjust your reward according to the aura strength of the new being. Idiot.''] The teacher mode''s voice said this as if it was reading from the most boring textbook ever.


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    "What kind of teacher calls their student an idiot?" Rhys growled back at the voice in his head. He could feel his energy returning and his lightheadedness drifting away as the green auras of the weeds were pulled into him.


    [''An honest one.''] It scoffed back at Rhys.


    [10/30 HP]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [18/30 HP]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [26/30 HP]


    "And why exactly are you calling me an idiot? I was smart enough to see past your stupid little trick wasn''t I?" Rhys asked smugly, exuberantly proud of himself that he had managed to figure out that the teacher was trying to trick him into Killing Sampson with the promise of a skill he would not even be able to use.


    [''You are an idiot because you constantly complain about not having a combat ability when you haven''t even figured out how to fight properly with the ability you have.'']


    Rhys had been all fired up to snap back at the teacher with a snarky comment but when he heard the teacher''s words he paused. ''you haven''t even figured out how to fight properly with the ability you have''... Those words struck Rhys. Perhaps there was a way of using ''spiritual body'' to fight that he had not thought of yet.


    Before Rhys tried anything out, he quickly absorbed the remaining plants surrounding the building until his HP was full.


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption used +5 Exp]


    [...]


    [30/30 HP]


    He stretched his arms out happily, feeling fully energised and wide awake, as if he had just woken up from a nap.


    Rhys looked down at what he had done and once again shivered at the aftermath of using the Energy Absorption skill. The once-thriving wild garden of weeds and vines were all dead and decaying. Leaving the side of the building to look like some poisonous gas had passed through and killed the plants to leave such an ugly sight behind.


    As Rhys walked back the way he came from, he went over his fight with Sampson in his head. He was able to win by using his skill in quick succession with swift aimed blows. He was also able to use the alleyway to his advantage. More importantly he had the element of surprise. Since Sampson and his friends had thought Rhys was coreless, they had come at him thinking he was weak, which ultimately made it easier to best them. Looking back, Rhys thought he had used his skill pretty well.


    ''What am I missing?'' He pondered on that thought as he walked through the small deserted neighbourhood.


    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    Rhys channelled the skill into his left hand and reached out to the buildings on his side, letting his hand pass through them. He watched carefully as his hand passed through metal gates, brick walls and tin shacks hoping to find a clue as to what the teacher was hinting at.


    ''Are you giving up any clues?'' Rhys asked the teacher in his head hopefully.


    [...]


    "Thought so." Rhys sighed dejectedly.


    As Rhys continued to walk down the street, he wondered what would happen if he ever got stuck inside a solid object. Like what would happen to him if he accidentally released his skill while passing through a cement block? He froze. A small smile spread across his lips as he realised the potential in his questions.


    On the edge of the pavement was a patch of ugly weeds growing their way out of the cracks in the stones persistently. Rhys got down on his haunches and channeled the spiritual change into his hand.


    [Spiritual body +5 Exp]


    He moved his hand into the thick clump of weeds so that their stalks were going through his palm. He anxiously took a deep breath and hoped this experiment would not cause to much damage to his hand if he turned out to be wrong. He released his skill. As his hand shifted back into a solid, the weeds that had been through his hand instantly tore apart and fell to the road.


    Rhys blinked at this latest development. His solid hand remained perfectly fine while the weeds were torn apart as soon as he released his skill. Rhys immediately wanted to test this out on other materials.


    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    Without a second to lose, Rhys dipped his spiritual hand in the stone pavement, just a bit, so that only his fingertips passed through the stones. He took a deep breath and released his skill. He beamed with joy as the small area of stone surrounding his fingertips cracked and burst while leaving his digits unharmed. He smoothly slid his fingertips out of the stone to find that the imprints of his fingers had been perfectly preserved in the stone.


    "No way." He whispered excitedly.


    [''So you finally understand now, huh?''] Even the sarcastic voice of the system teacher could not ruin Rhys''s mood.


    [''All ghost skills are extremely versatile so there is no point in labelling one skill a combat skill and one skill a defence skill. Your skills are what you make of them, idiot'']


    Rhys nodded his head thoughtfully at the teacher''s words. Apparently, this snarky sarcastic asshole of a teacher in his head was actually capable teaching him something, he noted that he better listen to it well in the future, at least when it was not trying to get him to kill people.


    Without a second to lose, Rhys activated his skill again but this time stuck his entire arm in the ground. He then released his skill but with much less anxiety this time. He beamed as the ground around his arm shuddered and cracked while a substantial amount of the cement jolted upwards creating a kind of mound around his arm as if a mini-explosion had gone off underground. With ease, he slid his solid arm out of the ground and marvelled at the deep arm shaped hole that was left behind.


    He had been completely wrong about this skill. It was far more useful in combat than he had realised. For some reason, when he released his ''spiritual body'' skill in solid matter, the matter that was there before his limb was forcefully pushed aside as if to make way for his limb. For the weeds, the reaction had been for their stalks to be torn apart, while the stone and cement had fractured and burst pushing out the extra stone. Rhys imagined that if he did the same to a person, the effects on the human body would be just as damaging.


    "It''s like some kind of molecular or physical disruption..." He murmured as he traced the outline of his arm shaped hole in the ground.


    [Intelligence +1]


    Rhys payed attention as a notification suddenly popped up.


    [Level 3]


    [28/30 HP]


    [87/300 EXP]


    [Intelligence: 11]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 7]


    [Stamina: 5]


    [Spirituality: 6]


    Rhys felt pretty chuffed that his intelligence stat had finally gone up.


    [Skills]


    [Spiritual Body Lvl 4:


    Intangibility ~ Physical disruption]


    [Aura detection Lvl 3]


    [Energy/Aura absorption Lvl 2]


    Rhys was delighted that his spiritual body skill had also gone up. It was especially satisfying to see the two ways he had used the skill listed underneath the actual skill. ''Intangibility'' being the phase shift that allowed him to walk through physical stuff, and the ''physical disruption'' being what happened when he released his skill while his body was still inside something physical.


    Despite all his excitement, he was a bit disappointed when he saw that the Energy Absorption skill was still at level 2. He had already absorbed a ton of small plants and yet the skill had only levelled up once. The same went with Aura detection, he had used that skill so many times and yet the skill remained at level 3.


    "Hey teacher, is there anything else I can do to raise the levels of my skills?" Rhys asked as he got up off the ground and continued walking to the bright central district lights.


    [''Oh?''] The deep raspy voice sounded somewhat amused. [''What''s with the sudden respectful greeting? Did you realise how much you need me after I gave you that little hint?''] It chuckled wickedly in Rhys''s ear.


    Rhys sucked in his irritation through gritted teeth. "Could you just answer the question please?"


    With a snicker the voice stopped teasing Rhys. [''You will find it nearly impossible to increase the levels of the energy absorption and Aura detection skills if you don''t come to terms with spiritual energy and aura. These two things are the basis of your new existence, so immerse yourself in them.'']


    Rhys turned the corner and found himself a few streets away from the heart of district 20. The streets were lined with bright neon lights that all lead to the city''s epicentre, the district 12 tower. It was a huge monument of a thing that shot approximately 1000 meters in the air and was about 300m by 400m wide. The top half of the tower housed official governmental necessities such as travel documents, raiding permits and other essentials, but most importantly it was the recruitment point for the military college.


    [Woah, that''s way more advanced than the other structures that I have seen here...] the teacher''s voice sounded off in Rhys''s head again.


    Rhys was beginning to question whether the voice in his head was actually AI. Didn''t it sound just way too alive?


    "How exactly would I immerse myself in Aura and spiritual energy?" Rhys asked as he walked towards the massive tower in the distance.


    [''Meditation obviously...'']


    "Meditation?" Rhys squinted as he thought about some of his high school lectures on techniques to calm the mind before battle. "How does meditation help with aura exactly?"


    [''It baffles me that someone as uneducated as you ended up being the inheritor...''] Again a long pained sigh sounded in Rhys''s head before the teacher started answering.


    [''The meditation you will learn is all about focusing on spiritual energy and then getting in touch with your own aura, and through that experience, learning about aura and energy.'']


    Rhys let that sit in his mind for a while as the entrance of the tower was fast approaching.


    [''Where are you going by the way?'']


    "In exchange for not being punished by the military, I was told to register for this military college program. Basically, it''s a four-year-long program wherein they train you for either a job in the military or to become a professional hunter." Rhys accidentally spoke out loud again, forgetting that he was not talking to a real person.


    [''That sounds somewhat beneficial. You are still disgustingly weak, so perhaps the schooling of a military program will make a proper inheritor of you.]


    Rhys sucked in his grief over being called ''disgustingly weak''.


    "You don''t have any reservations about me going there? What if they learnt about the ghost system, wouldn''t that be a problem for you?" Rhys asked curiously.


    [The only way the human authorities would ever find out about the system is if you told them. And from everything I have seen since you infused with the ghost core, this race of creatures is unable to comprehend the level of technology that went into creating the core you inhaled. Even if they did believe you about the ghost system, they would have no way of extracting me from you. So go and get stronger at this college program, even if it is for four years.]


    "Wow. You really aren''t worried at all." Rhys was frankly disturbed by the System''s lack of concern. Was the system really that confident that it did not care about being discovered?


    ''Well I care'' Rhys thought. The experiments and probing he would have to go through if the military discovered what was inside him was terrifying to think about.


    Rhys walked through the glowing red doorway of the District 12 tower entrance. It was always a bit of a headache to go from the street straight into the tower because of the lights. Although it was dark outside, you would never know that from the brightly lit interior of the tower.


    The floors were a pristine endless panel of glowing white while each store front was brightly decorated with ornaments and lights. The bottom floors of the tower functioned as a mall that housed shops and restaurants as well as a variety of other services.


    The tower was pretty busy that night with groups of people browsing together or sitting and eating at tables. It was just the culture of the tower to look your best when entering, it had always been that way. Maybe since the tower was the best-looking thing in District 12 people going into the tower decided they wanted to look their best as well. Everyone was jazzed up in colourful leather and fancy combat boots since military-style clothing was popular ever since the invasions. Rhys on the other hand was still in his Hospital pyjamas, which had become a little dirty in his last fight.


    Since he did not want hospital overalls to be the only clothes he took with him to college, he dashed to the nearest men''s store and grabbed some new combat boots, a few cargo pants, some shirts, socks, a cap and a jacket, and a duffle bag to stuff it all in. Although Rhys knew he would be given a uniform at the college, he thought there would be a few days he could wear his own clothes. Besides he would not feel great about going empty-handed to the registration department.


    He left the store with his items shoved into his duffle bag by walking through the store entrance. The doorway scanner flashed green letting him know that his purchase had been successful as he walked out. As long as he had his gold card in his pocket, as soon as he went through the doorway, the scanners imbedded in the door would automatically charge the cost of his goods to his gold card. It made in-person shopping very convenient.


    Rhys drooled as he passed by a weapons store. He never had an ability before So there was never a need for him to waste Gramp''s money on weapons. But that did not stop him from fantasising about the hi-tech swords or revolving arrows that were displayed in the shop fronts. Rhys reached into his pocket and felt his card still there and thought about the 500 000 zen that desperately wanted to be spent. Feeling tempted, Rhys got closer to the storefront and gazed down at the variety of gem-powered daggers that they had on offer. He immediately spotted the model that Barrow had always carried with him. The 1/8 C grade gem-infused short knife. It was literally a dagger infused with an eighth of a C grade gem. It was on the smaller side of the daggers on display and was priced at 12 000 zen.


    It was really expensive even though only an eighth of a gem went into it, as were all gem powered weapons. Rhys''s eyes shifted to the side where this extraordinary full gem blade was on display in the window. It was a magnificent looking long sword that was made of gem from its blade to its hilt. Such a monstrous thing was probably worth more than 5 000 000 zen. Rhys doubted that it would ever be sold because in reality no one district 12 could afford such a thing. It was just permanently on display to give the people a taste of what kind of wealth the military had. The fact that they didn''t even bother to list the price under it was evidence enough of that fact.


    Rhys watched as a line of teenagers and families formed in front of the display case. Everyone was queuing to take a picture with the sword.


    Rhys sighed and walked away from the shop, he had no idea what kind of weapon suited him anyways so he would wait until college to see what worked well with him.


    He made his way over to the portals that were clustered together in the centre of the first floor. He frowned because he could not find the portal to the 190th floor where the military offices were located. He stepped to the side to check the key on the wall and saw that there was no longer a direct portal to the military floors, if he wanted to go there he would first have to go through the clinic floors and then take the portals from there to go to the military floor.


    Rhys frowned unhappily as he stepped in front of the clinic portal. The circular portal was light blue in colour and had the infamous red cross above it. Rhys sighed as he stepped through knowing that what he would see on the other side would trouble him.


    [''Hmm...''] The teacher''s voice suddenly resurfaced in his head. [''Your vitals are spiking significantly, what is making you so anxious?'']


    Rhys stepped into the blue energy of the portal and found his feet firmly planted on the floor of the clinics. He looked up and winced as the huge sign above the portal entrance that read ''Eugenics''.


    Rhys spotted the portals that lead to the higher floors on the other side of the department, which meant he would be forced to walk past all the clinics.


    Rhys hastily picked up his pace and kept his head down, he did not want to be stopped for a checkup that he could not refuse.


    He speedily walked past all the propaganda posters that displayed healthy beautiful people adorned in full military gear. They had bright smiles on their faces as they held onto heir gem powered weapons and soaked up the sunlight. Underneath each poster the same line could be read, ''Humanity as it should be.''


    A version of humanity with any physical, mental or emotional defects was the aim of the neo-eugenics movement.


    Rhys learned in school that Eugenics had started a long time before the invasions, but had also come to a halt around the late 20th century. However, after humanity freed itself from the clutches of the invading extraterrestrial forces, the movement came back in full swing. The mentality to cultivate humanity to be the strongest and most powerful it could be made eugenics a credible movement once again. With the advancements in genetics, there was a rush to produce babies that were stronger and taller and faster and more intelligent to help humanity stand against the possible future invasions. That was all pretty good in theory, however, the Neo-eugenics movement took a startling turn as the idea of culling and population control became more popular.


    People with Down syndrome, Aspergers, a predisposition for breast or colon cancer, anyone with a condition that could potentially be passed down to future generations were rounded up, and if they were not ''put to rest for the greater good'' they had their ability to reproduce forcibly taken from them. Forced sterilisations became extremely common, to the point that each year, eugenics professors would visit schools and check students for any hereditary diseases. Since Rhys was coreless and looked smaller than his classmates, he was always picked out from the class by the eugenics team to have a checkup. Thankfully they never found anything. But he never could get over the fear he had of those clear syringes the eugenics team brought with them everywhere. Rhys was never sure if those syringes were for sterilisation or lethal injection or just there to put people to sleep, whatever they were they freaked him out. The fact that eugenics doctors could legally take anyone they wanted and force medical procedures upon them scared Rhys.


    Rhys understood now why they stopped the portals from going straight to the military offices. It was no doubt a plot to weed out any undesirables from the populations. So many necessary services were conducted by the military, from identification to all sorts of workforce registrations, everyone would need to visit the military tower at least a few times in their life. If those people were forced to go through the eugenics department the eugenics doctors would be able to capture said people.


    Just as Rhys was thinking this, a loud siren sounded through the floor, as one of the ceiling panels behind him turned red. Rhys glanced behind him to see that a girl who was about fourteen years old was being surrounded by eugenics doctors in blood red coats. Her eyes were opened wide with fear and her lips trembled as she was basically being tackled to the ground by four red-coats.


    "W-what'' wrong?" The voice of an older man behind the girl trembled in fear. He was probably the girl''s father.


    "The scanner''s detected a BRCA1 mutation, she has the breast cancer gene." Rhys heard the cold words of the eugenics doctors and closed his eyes for a second. He shook his head mournfully and continued walking forward as a clear injection was brought to the girl''s neck.


    [''This species is crueller than I thought...''] The teacher murmured in Rhys''s head.


    [''I like it.'']


    Rhys could only block out the cries of the distraught father and the sound of the siren as he stepped through the portal that would take him to the 190th floor.

 Chapter 11 - 11 Military College Entrance

    Rhys finally set foot on the 190th floor. Although this floor did not give him a complete sense of relief, it still felt much better than the clinical floors where the Eugenics offices were situated. There was just a slimy darkness to eugenics that he could never feel comfortable getting close to.


    Rhys looked around the large room and was surprised to find that he was the only registree there. He had expected to find at least a couple of people registering for the program as well, but no, it was just him. The room was completely empty besides a middle-aged man who was seated behind a large metal desk. Rhys walked forward to the desk and stood right in front of the man, waiting for him to talk.


    Stern eyes looked up at Rhys, slowly looking over the young man before finally speaking.


    "What is your reason for visiting the military tower today?" The man croaked out.


    "I''ve come to enrol into the college program," Rhys replied promptly, clenching his fists nervously as he said the words.


    "Very well," the man touched something on his keyboard and caused the top of the desk to change colour. It transformed from silvery steel to a clear glass-like surface. "Place both of your hands flat on the desk." The man yawned out the words as he rubbed his eyes as if trying to stay awake.


    Rhys did as the man said then watched as a blue light scanned his handprints. After one full scan, the scanner turned green and dinged positively as if to announce that the scan was a success, he had been identified. All of Rhys''s personal information was displayed on the glass panel beside his hands.


    ?Name: Rhys Anson


    ?Age: 16


    ?Core ability: RESTRICTED INFORMATION


    ?Guardian: Roger Anson (Deceased)


    ?Occupation: Military College Student (first year)


    "Restricted Information...?" Rhys murmured in confusion.


    His biometric identification had never displayed this before. His core ability had always been listed as ''coreless''. And changing this identification information was not easy. For Rhys, the process of changing this information would take several weeks, and yet somebody had changed it in less than a day. The stern bearded face of the general who had rescued him from the black portal suddenly popped into Rhys''s mind. That man had held an authoritative air about him, not to mention the all-black military uniform he had worn, that old man must have been someone with a lot of authority, perhaps enough to have Rhy''s information changed at will.


    "Any problems?" The bored man behind the desk asked.


    "No, none."


    It was done. Rhys had been registered. He let out a breath and tried to come to terms with how he felt about that.


    "Continue through the first portal on the left." The man said as his personal information disappeared and the scanner dissolved back into the desk.


    Rhys tugged on the duffle bag strap over his shoulders and jogged to the portal on the far left. After Rhys stepped through the portal he found himself in a completely different room. It was a much smaller room that could better be described as a cubicle. Just above his head, a little TV screen popped out which was running an instructional video on what to do next. The woman in the video was pretty with a bright smile that showed off her pristine teeth. With a soothing but cheerful voice, she instructed Rhys through the recording.


    Rhys copied her actions exactly. He changed into a set of grey cargo pants, a grey t-shirt, grey socks and sneakers that were dispensed to him from a mini-portal. He placed his most valuable possession, his gold card, into a small mechanical safe that was dispensed to him through the same portal. He then pushed his safe and duffle bag through another portal, exactly as instructed by video tutorial.


    "You can take any weapons you want with you to the next stage. Have a good day and even better semester. Goodbye." The video came to an end and the screen went blank, leaving Rhys a little concerned about what she had said. He had not bought any weapons from that store at the bottom of the tower... from what the lady in the tutorial said it sounded like he would end up regretting that decision. Before he could worry over that any further, another portal was activated right next to him. With a sigh he walked through it, wondering where he would end up this time.


    Rhys jolted in surprise as he suddenly found himself in a new room surrounded by people. They all stared at him with wary eyes trying to suss out his potential, leaving Rhys to feel completely overwhelmed.


    He awkwardly straightened himself up and looked around the room trying to figure out what to do. He quickly noticed that everyone was wearing the same grey uniform as him, and as he looked at their faces he could guess they were the around the same age as him, but unlike him, they all had weapons strapped to them. From full-length swords to bows and arrows, everyone was armed except him. Rhys had tried his best to stay away from fighting during school but since a Combat and self-defence classes were required classes, he had no choice but to learn. From his years of learning, he could tell that everyone in the room was on edge. None of them was leaning over or resting against the walls, instead, they were standing up straight, spreading their weight evenly and keeping their hands close to their weapons, ready to attack.


    They were Rhys''s peers, fellow first-year military trainees who had just registered. From one glance around the room, Rhys felt they knew something that he did not. He had never imagined himself going to the military college so he had never paid much attention when people had talked about it. It was pretty clear that everyone here was gearing up for a fight, a fight Rhys knew nothing about.


    Rhys awkwardly looked around the room, hoping to find an empty spot on the four walls to stand against to try and escape the intense gazes of everyone around him. However, the intense gazes soon ceased as people began to look at him with the same disinterested or disappointed scowls that strangers always looked at him with. It did not take them very long to scan over Rhys''s weak appearance: a non-muscular shortish guy without any weapons, and deemed him a weakling. As per usual.


    From the edges of the large square room Rhys heard people whisper about him in the same disgusted way that all new people talked about him.


    "What an idiot, he didn''t even bring any gear with him."


    "Well, at least that guy will be easy to take down."


    "Ew, why would someone like that come to military college..."


    "He''s probably going for a career in support..."


    [''You are the runt of this litter as well, huh?''] Rhys only just managed to hold back the bitterness from his face as he quietly retreated to a corner of the room.


    ''It doesn''t matter.'' Rhys reassured himself. ''Its better when people underestimate you anyways.''


    That was how he had managed to survive growing up in District 20 and it had worked out for him pretty well so far. Barrow and his men had underestimated Rhys and now they were long gone, eaten to death on some unknown planet by gross eel-worms. Sampson and his friends had thought similarly about Rhys and because of that, he had beaten them fair and square in a fight. As he walked to a corner of a room he told himself that being underestimated was a good thing.


    [''Of course the reasoning of the weak is to take advantage of others'' lack of perception.''] The teacher scoffed.


    [''But that is a pathetic way to live. True glory is knowing that you are strong and having others know it too. You should not take pride in the fact that others mistake you for weak, because that in its self is an insult.'']


    Rhys paused for a moment, feeling oddly guilty and shameful after hearing the teacher''s words. The teacher''s words struck Rhys more than he let show, but on the other hand, he had survived for so long by letting other''s think he was weak and useless that the practice had become deeply ingrained in him. He sincerely did not know how to show off or be confident because he could not remember ever having the chance to do so. However, when he thought about his fight with Sampson, Rhys could feel the unfamiliar sensation of pride welling up inside of him. He stood there silently at the edge of the room, contemplating whether or not he should chase that feeling.


    Rhys refocused and slowly scanned the room. He did not have time for philosophical self-discovery, he needed to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him.


    ''Aura detection.''


    A small smile made its way onto Rhys''s face as the once grey bleak room was lit up with beautiful auras. A variety of different colours and textures that he had never seen before as well as more familiar auras. It was a sight that only he could see.


    There were about fifty people in the room and at least twenty of them were shrouded in a soft yellow aura which Rhys had learned was the strengthening core ability. Sadly since he had seen this type of ability before, he was not awarded any EXP.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Strengthening (weak)]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Strengthening (weak)]


    [...]


    Rhys''s eyes landed on a big burly guy who was holding onto some kind of reinforced sledgehammer. His aura was still yellow but it was a bit darker than the other strengthening auras.


    [Aura: Strengthening (not as weak as the others but still weak)]


    Rhys frowned as he remembered that the system''s measuring of others'' auras was really odd. It seemed to think that humans were weak period, and so everyone who Rhys saw was labelled as some variation of weak. Even Sampson who Rhys knew had amazing fire manipulation skills had been labelled weak.


    ''System, how exactly do you measure which auras are strong or weak?'' Rhys asked annoyed. This time instead of the teacher''s voice a simple notification popped into his view.


    [The system measures the auras against the average auras of the creators of the system, the higher ghost beings.]


    Rhys frowned knowing that he would never get an accurate measure that way. Since the system was so sure that it''s creators, the higher beings were the strongest beings ever, it would always measure everyone else as weak.


    ''System can you change it so that you measure the auras against the average human auras instead of the higher beings?'' Rhys knew that this way would be much more useful to him.


    [Yes. The cost to the user will be 80 Exp. will the user continue with this transaction?]


    [Yes or No?]


    Rhys''s expression darkened when he saw that the cost was 80 experience points. Since he was trying to reach level 5 as soon as possible, this EXP cost would be a huge blow to him. Nevertheless, he still wanted the change because in the long run, it would pay off. Rhys looked once at his Exp before he had to say goodbye to it.


    [87/300 EXP]


    ''Yes'', Rhy sighed.


    [Transaction successful]


    [7/300 EXP]


    Rhys looked at the burly guy with the sledgehammer again an used his skill.


    [Aura: Strengthening (average) ]


    Rhys committed the guy''s shaven head to memory since the system had marked him as ''average''. He then began to look around the room again and get as many experience points as possible before a new portal showed up.


    He got to see two light blue auras that the system categorised as ''very weak'' water manipulation core abilities. As well as one water conjuring ability that the system marked as ''average'' strength.


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    After that Rhys saw a couple of ''weak'' earth manipulation auras and a couple of ''very weak'' fire auras.


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [26/30 HP]


    Rhys''s eyes were drawn to a girl at the far corner of the room. She was completely shrouded in a thick dark purple aura that looked icky and slimly as it swirled around her ominously. Her aura was so well formed and detailed that Rhys felt like if he touched it would have a texture.


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura: Poison Generation (strong)]


    Rhys stared at her in shock because she was the only person in the room who the system had labelled as strong. In Gramp''s special collection Rhys had read some poison generation ability scripts and learned about the awesome skill in detail. That ability was very rare because not many people were compatible with poison cores. It had one of the highest kill rates of all cores and thus very few people even attempted to infuse with it. Immediately Rhys committed her short curly hair and bronzed skin to memory. He would definitely watch out for her.


    Out of the leftover people, Rhys only managed to grab some more experience points from a ''very weak'' telekinetic person, an ''average'' person with the hypersensitivity ability: an ability that heightened all of the senses. Frankly, Rhys was kind of disappointed. Besides the girl with the poison generation ability, nobody had really outstanding abilities. Since Rhys had worked the gem and script store with Gramp''s, they would occasionally sell scripts to many interesting people with insanely awesome abilities. A few of which Rhys had been hoping to see today, but alas that was not so. District 20 was the poorest district so it was no surprise that aspiring military college students could not afford the cores that gave them higher class abilities. Strengthening cores and aura manipulation cores were the easiest to get a hold of so it was no surprise that so many people had similar auras.


    Rhys slumped back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He was anxious to do something, but there was nothing he could do until they were let out of the room. So instead he kept his eyes on the girl with the poison generation ability, which quickly proved to be boring because she was also not doing anything. Just as he was about to start counting sheep, the portal in the centre of the room whirred alive again. Rhys immediately perked up wondering what kind of person would step through the portal.


    A sudden intense agitation spread around the room as a tall well built teenage boy stepped out of the portal. With bright blonde hair and undoubtedly handsome features Rhys was curious as to why the atmosphere had gone so rigid. Rhys would expect that someone handsome and well built like that would get lots of positive attention, especially from the girls, however everyone became incredibly disturbed. Rhys frowned in confusion until the newcomer slightly turned revealing his back profile to Rhys.


    The nape of his neck was shaved down exposing the infamous black tattoo of three thick lines at the back of his head that marked those who attended juvenile detention facilities. It was a terrifying badge of damnation permanently engraved on those wild enough to have been sent to a detention institution. He was one of those considered too dangerous for normal schools. And if in District 20 you were considered too dangerous for a population of students that were involved in gangs and casually brought weapons to school, then it really meant something.


    Rhys watched as everyone in the room suddenly went on guard. They changed their stances and subconsciously reached for their weapons. They did not need to have aura detection abilities to tell that this guy was dangerous.


    Rhys wasted no more time and activated his skill. Rhys was instantly enthralled in the new guy''s incredible aura. His aura was a frenzy of vibrating blinding light that clashed and raged creating sparks and zapping noises which reminded Rhys of electrical current. Without a doubt, this Aura was the most impressive one Rhys had seen so far as it was far larger and more detailed than any of the other auras he had seen.


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura: Electrokinesis (Very strong) ]


    "Very strong..." Rys murmured the words in a daze. This guy was no joke. Rhys looked up at the guy again and saw that he was not holding any weapons. His hands were casually in his pockets and he brazenly looked around the room staring down anyone who dared to look at him. With an ability like his, there was absolutely no reason to bring a weapon with him.


    [''Rhys, you need to be careful around that one, that ability will prove to be problematic for you...''] Rhys gently nodded his head in agreement with his teacher.


    a large speaker dropped down from the ceiling and levitated in the middle of the room. There was silence and sweaty anticipation as everyone waited for a voice to come out of the speaker.


    "Congratulations on registering for the military college program. The military has graciously created this program in order to better the youth of Earth in order to prepare you for what might be a difficult struggle in the future. By no cost of your own!" The voice blaring through the speaker was surprisingly jovial, like a father Christmas kind of character.


    "Throughout the next four years, you will be trained and mentored. You will all reach your full potential, and if you decide to give back to the military, the military will help you go even further than you thought possible."


    So far everything sounded great, but from the nervous faces around him, Rhys knew something bad was coming.


    "The military has worked tirelessly to provide young people such as yourself with this opportunity, thus you will have to work hard and earn your right to leisure. We will now proceed with the first test."


    Whispers and voices resounded around the room as large black numbers appeared on everyone''s grey shirts. Rhys looked down at his T-shirt and realised that it must have had nanotechnology sewed into the fabric as he saw that he was suddenly labelled with a number three.


    "As you can see you have all been given numbers one to four. People of the same number must now congregate in their respective corner of the room." The voice commanded.


    Large black numbers appeared on the four corners of the wall, labelling each corner from one to four. Rhys found that he was already in the correct corner so he stayed put while the rest of the students quickly rushed to their corners. Rhys sighed a sigh of relief as the tattooed guy had the number 4 on his T-shirt and was making his was to the fourth corner and not the third corner.


    As soon as all the kids were in their correct corner, glass-like panels dropped down from the ceiling and hit the floor with a bang, thus separating the four groups.


    Everyone in Rhys''s group immediately spaced out, trying to get some distance in between each other. The corner was large enough that all twelve of them had a few meters of space between them.


    "Now that everything is in order, let us explain the rules. You should all be able to see a door in each room..." Rhys saw that the outline of a door was now visible on the wall.


    "If everyone agrees to leave peacefully, you will all go through that door you will find yourself on the military college campus. You will be assigned a room and can enjoy the next few days as students will still be arriving..."


    Rhys was waiting patiently for the catch.


    "Or you can stay in the room and have a battle, a classic anything-goes brawl. The last person standing in your room will be awarded this gold card loaded with a hundred thousand zen." The jolly voice sounded especially jolly as it said this.


    Rhys sighed knowing that no sane District 20 kid would be able to give up that amount of money for anything. There would be a vicious fight in each room, possibly even a few deaths.


    "Remember as long as everyone standing in the room agrees, you may all leave. Well then, good luck."


    Just like that the speaker shot up into the ceiling, leaving the group of first years in their corners to make their decisions.


    [''Ah finally the time has come, now show these pathetic Earthlings the powers of the inheritor''] Rhys grimaced at the overzealous cheering going on in his head. Other than the noise going on in his mind, everyone else was silent. Everyone was being cautious and waiting for someone else to make the first move. Nobody dared move or say anything out of fear that they would be attacked.


    Even though Rhys knew he would be fine, the atmosphere was so thick that beads of sweat were collecting in his brow and all of the members of his group. It was so quiet that Rhys could hear his heart beating as well as his group members breathing heavily.


    Ear splitting screams shot through the room which gave everyone a small heart attack. Rhys and the rest looked to their sides to the fourth corner where everyone was labelled with fours on their shirts, the room where the guy with the electrokinesis ability was. They watched in awe as blinding electrical currents were cracklings inside the room, they were so bright that Rhys could not see what was going on inside, he could only hear the desperate screams of those being electrocuted from within. Everyone watched in silence as bloodied hands desperately banged against the glass panes separating the rooms, fighting for their lives to escape. It was a gruesome sight for most but particularly jarring for those who knew their friends were inside that room, they could very well be watching along helplessly as their mates were fried.


    "We dont have to be like that!" An energetic voice suddenly echoed through Rhys''s room. Rhys turned his attention back to the people in his room and recognised the guy who had the ''average'' strengthening aura, the one he had seen in the beginning with the sledgehammer.


    "Let''s all just agree to leave the room now peacefully. My older brother graduated a few years ago and he told me that it isn''t possible to use the money on campus anyways. So this money is pretty much useless to us. Let''s all just agree to leave now and get settled in already." He promoted his idea earnestly with a hopeful smile on his face.


    Rhys thought that for someone who looked like an average muscle head, he was quite eloquent and surprisingly idealistic.


    "So what, the money still works after four years, won''t it?" A large guy with an irritated frown on his face scornfully shut down the sledgehammer guy from the other side of the room. Rhys quickly looked at the frowning guy and saw the light yellow aura surrounding his body. It was without a doubt a weak strengthening aura.


    "But we don''t have to fight!" Sledgehammer urged on.


    "There is no reason to this besides the military wanting us to give them a bit of a show. We''ll have plenty of battles in the next four years so let''s just wait until school actually starts. My name is Otis, let us stand together and not participate in this madness. I mean just look at room four, we don''t want to end up like that do we?"


    Everyone turned back to look at room four which was still crackling with electricity. However it seemed that the electricity travelling through the room was an afterthought as the guy with the tattoos was gone and the rest of the people were in the floor, bloodied and burnt horrifically.


    Rhys spotted a girl on the other side of the room with a distraught look on her face, and he wondered whether she had seen one of her friends laying on the floor so lifelessly.


    Rhys shook the sad thought away and refocused on sledgehammer/Otis again. Rhys mused that the muscle head was quite the speaker, maybe he would become an official speech giver for the military one day.


    "You agree with me don''t you?" Rhys blinked in surprise to see that Otis was addressing him directly. Rhys instantly realised that Otis called on him because he thought Rhys was weak and would definitely not want to fight.


    Rhys felt the urge to sigh again but simply nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I''m with you." He tried to fake enthusiasm in his voice.


    Honestly Rhys did not need the money nor did he want to expose his ability too early on. However, if he had to fight he had no doubt that this would be an easy win for him. His room was filled with six weak strengthening abilities, one average strengthening ability, one weak water elemental, one weak telekinetic person, and one average enhanced senses person. Although Rhys was not sure how his spiritual body would interact with the water element, he doubted it would be a struggle.


    "Of course the weakest one does not want to fight!" The other guy yelled angrily. "If fighting is all we are gonna do for the next four years anyways, let''s just get started now."


    Rhys flinched angrily, suddenly feeling annoyed at being called weak. He had always been weak and used to be familiar with being called weak, but somehow after the teacher''s lecture he found himself resenting being called weak.


    "I-I don''t want to fight either." The same girl who had looked so distraught earlier spoke up. She was the water manipulator. Since there was no water available in the room, of course she would not want to fight.


    "Yeah, me too, let''s just go." The telekinetic person and the person with enhanced senses nodded in agreement.


    Rhys was surprised at how few people seemed interested in fighting. Was there some fancy portion of district 20 where kids would not kill each other for the chance to get 100 000 zen? Or perhaps the display of room 4 had put everyone off fighting.


    "This is fucking ridiculous! It''s a hundred thousand flipping zen, you idiots seriously want to give up that kind of money cause your afraid to fight?" The same guy snarled furiously while unsheathing the machete he had in a leather case. "This is why I hate weaklings!" He shouted while taking steps towards Otis.


    Rhys had become increasingly annoyed with the irrationally angry guy. It seemed that everyone had pretty much reached a conclusion but he kept on interrupting and trying to fight even mocking them for wanting to move onto the next stage peacefully. He wasn''t even strong, by the system''s measurements he had a weak strengthening ability while Otis had an average strengthening ability, yet that guy had the nerve to call others weak as if he was not. It grated Rhys the wrong way, so much so that he clenched his fists and his eye twitched in irritation. Rhys was angry, even though much worse had been said to him in his life he found rage started to bubbled up from within. Before his rationality could kick in Rhys blurted out what he was thinking.


    "Oh shut up, it''s not like you can beat him anyways."


    The angry guy stopped in the middle of swinging his machete at Otis''s head and stared stupefied at Rhys. His face quickly morphed from a look of stupefaction to rage as he gripped his machete even tighter and turned to Rhys.


    "What did you just say to me?" The angry guy''s lip quivered as he stared down Rhys.


    "I said..." Rhys hesitated for a moment knowing that if he said anything provocative he would definitely have to fight. Gramps had just died and he knew from his uncharacteristic words that maybe he had not properly grieved yet. That this anger was the aftermath of the shocking things he had gone through in the last day. Then again, the itch to lurch forward and choke the life out of this idiot, this idiot who represented so many other idiots who had bullied him before, was so staggeringly great that it was giving him a headache. Maybe what he needed was to vent some of that stray anger.


    "I said... You''re awfully loud for someone so weak."


    Instantly the guy bulldozed towards Rhys with a murderous look in his eyes.

 Chapter 12 - 12 Physical Disruption

    "I said... You''re awfully loud for someone so weak."


    The guy bulldozed towards Rhys with a murderous look in his eyes. He raised his machete high in the air preparing to slice the blade down through Rhys''s face.


    Rhys stayed completely still, he had already calculated in his head what would happen so all he had to do now was enjoy the show. This would be an easy win for him and he was almost salivating at the thought of using his power again.


    However, to Rhys''s dismay, Otis suddenly darted out from behind the machete guy and instantly restrained him. Otis''s thick arm coiled around the guy''s throat while Otis''s other hand captured the guy''s weapon hand, rendering the guy completely immobile. It seemed that the system was right about Otis''s being stronger than the machete guy because Otis was able to easily restrain him.


    "FUCK!" The angry guy only got angrier. His face contorted in rage as his cheeks turned a violent red.


    "I''m gonna kill you! I''m gonna kill all of you!" Otis tightened his arm around the guy''s neck and slightly lifted him off the ground. Otis hoped that the added forced would get the guy to comply and stop struggling.


    "Just calm down," Otis commanded trying to sound firm but calm. "We can still all leave here, as long as you agree to go, we can leave."


    "I''m not agreeing... to anything until... every one of you idiots is face down on the floor." He croaked out angrily while trying to stay conscious. Now that his airways were being obstructed by Otis''s arm, the angry guy began to fight back with his full force. He flailed his legs and shook his torso as much as possible to try and get out of the hold.


    Rhys watched on with a resigned frown knowing that his shining moment had been taken away from him. There would be no great reveal or victory lap for him. Otis had handled the situation before him, and Rhys was wondering whether he should have been more proactive.


    "Quickly, someone help me secure his legs!" Otis grunted out as the angry guy''s grey sneakers bashed into his shins painfully.


    Rhys watched as another three strengthening auras rushed to help Otis. Two guys each held down his legs while the girl took his machete and restrained his right arm. They came so quickly and efficiently that Rhys wondered if they knew each other before the enrolment. Or was it just the earnest speech-giving Otis that spurred them into action.


    "SHIT!" The angry guy roared. The humiliation and fury he was feeling grew.


    Rhys sighed and looked drearily forward at what was happening in front of him. Rhys had imagined this cool scenario wherein he used his power against the angry guy and defeated him, then everyone would ''ooh'' and ''aah'' and look at him with newfound respect, thereafter he would walk into his new college life with a great reputation. That dream had gone down the toilet pretty quickly. However as he thought about the situation unfolding in front of him, he realised that there was one thing he could still do.


    A quiet feminine voice broke through the tension in the air. "We can''t go until everyone agrees to leave but if convincing him is our only chance, I think it''s pointless..."


    The girl with the water aura looked down at the floor guiltily while shakily twiddling her fingers. The rest of the people in the room had similar crestfallen expressions. The only reason that they were not fighting for the gold card was because their morale had been damaged after seeing the mass electrocution that had happened in room four. Now that there was resistance to their mutual agreement, their fragile wills were already crumbling.


    "Don''t lose hope guys!" Otis blurted out sensing the shift in the room.


    "We just have to keep him like this for a while. He''ll give up eventually if we keep applying pressure." Although Otis said it confidently, Rhys saw the worried lines on his forehead and knew Otis was actually a little concerned. It seemed the iron will of one machete-wielding idiot was enough to sway the convictions of the remaining eleven people.


    "We''ve all tried our best to reason with you, but you still won''t give in. This is your last chance. Agree to leave or I''ll have to get physical with you." Otis warned while tightening his arm around the guy''s neck.


    "Get physical with me?" The guy mocked Otis with sarcastic laugh. "You''re pathetic."


    Rhys watched as Otis lost his cool. The worry lines on his forehead creased even more and his eyes sharpened menacingly. Rhys watched amazed as Otis suddenly twisted himself around the machete guy and jerked himself to the side so that machete guy fell to the floor, from there Otis put him in a perfect neck crank lock, twisting and extending the guy''s head past the usual range of motion.


    The guy retched up a thin stream of vomit from the painful lock and the pressure of hitting the floor. His dry heaves and groans of agony were enough to make everyone in the room wince at the sight before them.


    Rhys remembered seeing this kind of lock in old textbooks when he studied pre-invasion fighting techniques in history class at school. Of course for the following months he had been subjected to many similar painful locks because everyone thought it was fun to test out what they saw in the books on Rhys. The immense pressure that was applied onto the head and neck of the victim during this lock had always been too much for Rhys to handle. If he did not pass out from the pain, Rhys would swallow his pride and beg for mercy.


    Rhys grimaced but forced himself to keep watching as the guy continued to dry heave and grit his teeth in pain. Even if he was a hot head, Rhys admired the guy''s amazing pain tolerance.


    "Do you give up yet?" Otis panted as he kept his muscles tightly around the guy''s head.


    Rhys perked up and saw the others in the room do the same, everyone was anticipating the guy''s response.


    With ferocious eyes the guy looked up at Otis and mouthed a defiant ''fuck you''.


    The room became gloomy with the realisation that this guy was not going to give in. It did not matter what type of choke hold they put him in, he would not budge.


    Rhys looked around the room at the disheartened expressions on everyone''s faces. The girl with the water aura was blankly staring into room four where the bodies were still laying on the floor, she had completely given up on working anything out in this room and was focusing on the other room. The telekinetic guy had his hand over his face trying to cover his frustrated expression. The others looked just as discouraged with pursed lips and downcast eyes. Most of all, Otis looked defeated. Although he still had the guy in a neck crank, the fire and determination was gone from his eyes.


    Rhys glanced down at the guy who was responsible for all this. He was wearing a smug smile on his face and was probably satisfied that he had won.


    [Attention!]


    Rhys perked up as the notification popped up.


    [New Quest: Get the machete guy to submit to your will by any means necessary.]


    [Reward: 50 Exp]


    [Penalty: None]


    Excitement tingled its way through Rhys''s body at the thought of regaining some of the EXP he had lost. So excited that before he realised what he was getting himself into, he was walking towards the struggling duo on the floor.


    [Spiritual body used + 5 Exp]


    Rhys summoned the phase change in his right hand and crouched down beside the two guys.


    "What are you doing?" Otis asked with a frown on his forehead as he stared up at Rhys. Otis could not help but be a little miffed at Rhys who was the one who started this whole mess by provoking the machete guy in the beginning. Otis thought that if Rhys had just kept his mouth shut, the situation would not have gotten this bad.


    "As long as everyone in the room agrees to leave, we can go," Rhys repeated the words he had heard from the speaker while pointedly staring at the guy still struggling in Otis''s hold. "So we just need to be a bit more persuasive."


    [''I like where you are going with this Rhys.''] The teachers voice was dark and delighted as its words echoed through Rhys''s head.


    "Hey you, what''s your name?" Rhys continued to stare at the guy in the neck crank.


    The guy in the chokehold eyed Rhys suspiciously before barely managing to grind out his name from his sore throat.


    "Gunn..."


    "Well, Gunn," Rhys reached out his right hand to Gunn and let his hand pass through Gunn''s kneecap until his fingers were about half-buried in the limb. Rhys looked up to see Gunn and Otis''s confused expressions. They gawked at the unreal sight of Rhys''s hand passing through Gunn''s knee as if Rhys''s hand was not real.


    "What, how...?" Otis was utterly stumped as to what he was seeing. He could not figure out what type of core ability Rhys had.


    "I''m going to need you to hold him down." Rhys interrupted Otis before looking back at Gunn.


    "Gunn, this will all be over as soon as you agree to let us all leave." Rhys took in a deep breath and came to terms with the fact that he was literally about to torture someone for a meagre 50 experience points. He was off the rails, he knew that, but he ultimately decided that his change was a problem for his future self to figure out.


    Rhys released his skill.


    His fingers inside Gunn''s knee shifted back into the solid-state. In doing so, Gunn''s knee tissue: bone, muscle, ligaments and flesh were suddenly disrupted and violently pushed aside to make space for the new solid matter that had taken their original position. In an instant, three messy fleshy bloody holes had been made in Gunn''s knee from which blood oozed out.


    The look on Gunn''s face quickly turned from shock to agony as he let out an earsplitting cry. His body lurched in reaction to the excruciating pain as the veins on his neck and face bulged in distress. His lips quivered and his eyes bulged and teared up. He screamed curses at Rhys until he ran out of breath.


    [Spiritual body used +5 Exp]


    Rhys had already made up his mind not to stop until Gunn conceded, so with a grimace Rhys moved his bloodied hand to Gunn''s other knee. Instead of putting three fingers through the knee, Rhys balled his hand into a fist and phased it through.


    "I''m warning you," Rhys felt it was only fair to give Gunn a warning.


    "If I use my fist, your knee will be destroyed." As Rhys looked at the width of his fist against Gunn''s knee, Rhys knew that the physical disruption this time around would be a lot greater. If Gunn''s leg was not severed in two, it would only be hanging on by a tendon.


    Rhys looked into Gunn''s eyes hoping that Gunn would concede, however Rhys found Gunn staring shakily but defiantly back up at him, as if daring Rhys to follow through.


    In that moment Rhys wandered what the hell was driving Gunn. Perhaps Gunn was so desperately in need of money that the unbearable torture of having his kneecaps decimated was bearable. Rhys kind of felt himself admiring Gunn and consequently felt himself not wanting to inflict even more pain in the guy.


    Rhys stared at Gunn for a moment longer, hoping that the machete wielding idiot would change his mind. However, Gunn remained silent and confined to stare up at Rhys. Rhys exhaled a breath he did not know he had been keeping in, and sighed. And then phased his hand back into a solid.


    [''Nice.'']


    Rhys could hear a dark chuckle in the back of his mind.


    The scream that left Gunn was on a hole other level than they way he had shouted before. His entire body shook and his spine curled upwards from the pain. Otis almost lost his grip on Gunn because of the way he violently shook.


    Of the remaining nine people in the room, half of them looked away while the other half were frozen in place and could not look away. Gunn''s knee was practically gone, it was reduced to a minced hole that was spraying and oozing out blood. The thigh and shin were only attached by some meagre strands of flesh on the side of the knee. It was gruesome. Rhys was only just managing to keep it together. Seeing the knee sever like that had turned Rhys''s stomach against him. He was barely stopping himself from keeling over and vomiting.


    Because the human body was made up of a lot of soft tissue as well as bone. When Rhys used physical disruption, the bone split apart at a high speed and was shoved backwards into any available space in the leg creating an even bigger injury than Rhys had intended.


    "I-I give in." Gunn spluttered out as pained tears rolled down his face. "You can all leave."


    Rhys was frankly amazed that Gunn had not concede earlier. The guy was made of tougher stuff than Rhys understood.


    Immediately a door in the corner of the room took shape and flung open. Bright artificial light flooded the room and cheers could suddenly be heard from outside.


    The black speaker dropped down from the ceiling and the same voice they had all heard earlier spoke just as jovially.


    "Congratulations on completing your initiation!" Confetti''s blasted out from the sides of the speaker and littered the grey room in colourful bits of paper.


    "You were the second group to finish and your method of exit was an interesting mix of violence and peace. Please head straight to the main office where you will be given your room assignments as well as your schedule. If you''re injured, please hang tight, the emergency crew will be here shortly."


    [Congratulations Quest completed!]


    [Rewards 50 Exp granted]


    [User: Rhys Anson]


    [24/30 HP]


    [76/300 Exp]


    Rhys was pleased to see that he had almost regained all the EXP he had spent on fixing his Aura Detection''s power ratings, but still, he imagine it would take a while to get to level 5.


    People in white doctors'' coats suddenly stormed through the open door and headed straight for Gunn.


    Rhys quickly used his Aura detection skill and saw that they all had healing abilities. Although that was good news for Gunn, Rhys could not help but be bitter. He no longer gained experience points for auras he had seen before.


    The doctors crowded around Gunn and put their hands over his knees. Rhys kept his Aura vision on and watched as the green auras surrounding the doctors bodies were being channeled into their hands, and was further seeping into Gunn''s knees.


    "It''s no use." A doctor sighed while taking out a mini portal device from her coat pocket. "The bone fragments and tissues in the knees seem to have been pushed back into the thigh and shin. We will need to do surgery and extract them first."


    Everyone watched wordlessly as the doctors opened up the portal gate device and then gently carried Gunn through the blue portal that probably lead to a hospital or infirmary. The portal closed behind them, leaving Rhys and the rest in silence.


    Rhys looked down at his hands to see that they were both coated in blood. He froze for a moment as this sight that he had never seen before and wondered if what he had just done was actually worth it.


    [''I must say, you humans bleed such a pretty colour.'']


    "Not now." Rhys whispered as he felt his spirits drop.


    "Hey, are you coming?" Otis''s deep voice asked form behind Rhys.


    Rhys spun around to see that everyone had already gone. Room 3 was empty besides himself and Otis. Rhys peaked at the the two remaining rooms to see that full blown wars were going on inside them.


    "Yeah." Rhys rose from the floor and walked to the door. Otis was leaning against the wall next to the door and eyeing Rhys steadily as he approached.


    Rhys stepped outside to find himself in the middle of what looked like an arena. It was massive and had the capacity of atleast tens of thousands of people. And when Rhys squinted and looked up at the highest seats he saw that quite a few people where seated looking down at him.


    "My older brother told me that the term tests are held in this arena. It''s also the welcoming stage for incoming students like you and me."


    Rhys turned back to find that Otis was still there hanging around him. Rhys frowned slightly, wondering why Otis was talking to him.


    ''Does he want something from me?'' Rhys wondered.


    "Oh. Cool." Rhys replied awkwardly.


    Rhys spotted a bright yellow sign at the top of the arena that wrote ''WELCOME NEW STUDENTS, THIS WAY!'' a bright red arrow on the sign was directing them to someplace beyond the arena.


    "My name is Otis, I am from District 17 and I turned seventeen yesterday." Otis jogged to catch up to Rhys who was already making his way up the stairs.


    Rhys''s eyebrows raised slightly when he heard that Otis was from the 17th district. He was very surprised that someone from the seventeenth district was at the 20th district college program.


    "District seventeen?" Rhys turned back to look at Otis. That explained a lot about Otis''s personality. The fact that he had not tried to fight everyone for the money despite being so strong and they way he had campaigned for a peaceful outcome, that was definitely not a district 20 mindset.


    "Yes." Otis replied proudly.


    "But then why are you in the 20th district''s collegiate program?" Rhys asked confused.


    Otis paused for a second and it was his time to look up at Rhys in confusion.


    "Didn''t you know, four years ago it was ruled that the collegiate program would enrol students by sector, not by district..."


    Rhys gawked at this new information like a guppy fish. He really should have payed more attention when people talked about the military college.


    "Won''t there be too many student then in the college?" The idea of mushing together all the students from each district into one college would surely be a disaster for the military...


    "Well, there are still four college campuses per sector, it''s just that the kids from the each district are split up and not assigned a campus by district anymore." Otis explained.


    "District seventeen, huh?" Rhys mused as he turned around and continued walking. "Is it as nice as they say it is?"


    Although district 20 and district 17 were in the same sector, the living conditions of the two populations were meant to be vastly different.


    Rhys had heard that some parts of district 17 were so safe that people left their houses unlocked during the day. Rhys even heard that some people had swimming pools and backyards and were just wealthier in general.


    "Well, I like it." Otis replied quite happily. Rhys immediately knew that if Otis could so confidently say he liked living there, then it really was a good place to live because if someone were to ask a district 20 resident how they liked living in District 20, that resident would confidently reply that district 20 was a shithole.


    With that said, Rhys and Otis continued up the stairs.


    "So, uh, what was your name again?" Otis tried to sound nonchalant when he questioned Rhys.


    "I''m Rhys. I''m from district 20, and I am turning seventeen in two days." Rhys tried to emulate Otis''s style of speaking.


    Rhys was almost at the top of the stairs when he realised that he could not hear Otis''s footsteps from behind him anymore. He turned back to see a blatantly shocked expression on Otis''s face.


    "You''re from district twenty?" Otis''s eyes were as wide as saucers. "But you don''t look like..." Otis suddenly caught himself before he finished his sentence, he realised that he was being rude.


    "Yeah I know, I''m not exactly the district 20 model seventeen year old." Rhys looked down at his thinner arms and legs and knew that he did not fit in with the district 20 look at all. People from his district were usually well built, which was not Rhys.


    "Sorry, I didn''t meant to offend you or anything." Otis blurted out feeling embarrassed. "I mean if I had an ability like yours, I wouldn''t work out either..."


    Rhys chuckled slightly as he walked up the remaining steps. Otis''s misinterpretation of his circumstances was pretty amusing to Rhys. Rhys was actually less built than most because he desperately tried to stay way form fighting, and he had only had his ability for two days.


    As the two finally reached the top, they stood next to the yellow sign and saw the building that was labelled as the main office a few meters away. What caught Rhys''s attention was the grass that had been planted all around the campus. An unending supply of energy for him to consume and eventually level up his skill Energy absorption.


    Rhys was ready to head to his dorm and just have a nap. He was exhausted and desperately wanted to sleep somewhere that wasn''t a hospital bed.


    "Hey, check out that guy''s hands." Rhys''s attention was caught by the whispers coming from the arena seats a few paces away from him. He turned his head slightly to see a group of people whispering and staring at his bloodied hands.


    Rhys immediately shifted his vision and scanned the group''s auras. It was practically becoming a habit for him to do this.


    He finally got to see the dark brown mud-like aura of the earth manipulators.


    [Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    [Aura: Earth manipulator (average)]


    He then feasted his eyes on an aura that kind of reminded him of the desert. It was hot like the sun and dry, looking at it made him want to drink water.


    [Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    [Aura: Dehydration (average)]


    Rhys almost gasped when he saw the dehydration aura. That core ability was known to be very deadly when used on humans. It inflicted damage that in most cases could not be reversed.


    Rhys stared in awe at the next aura because it was nothing like he had ever seen before. The guys aura was very well detailed and it looked like it was made of fluffy feathers.


    [Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    [Aura: owl physiology (strong)]


    ''Owl physiology'' Rhys thought amazed. He had heard of wolf, bear and more rarely arachnid physiology but never an owl.


    Rhys was extremely impressed by this group''s abilities, not only was one of them ranked ''strong'' by the system, all of their abilities were rare.


    "HEY RHYS!" Otis shouted.


    Rhys winced at the volume. "There''s no need to shout. I''m right here." He grumbled.


    "I''ve been calling your name for a good minute. Your seriously couldn''t hear me?" Otis cocked his head and frowned.


    [''That burly human is right you know. Your concentration level is quite high so you tend to zone out of reality and forget about your surroundings.'']


    "Oh really, sorry. I zone out sometimes." Rhys scratched his head embarrassed.


    "Well hurry. Let''s head to the main office." Before Rhys could object Otis had gotten behind him and was pushing Rhys forward like an official escorting him to a holding cell.


    ''Geez,'' Rhys sighed internally. ''I guess this guy is determined to stick to me.''

 Chapter 13 - 13 Roomates

    Rhys and Otis reached the main office and found that it was empty. They were the only two students there besides the three military personnel conducting the room assignments.


    "Name?" The soldier behind the desk asked bleakly.


    "Rhys Anson."


    "Put both of your hands on the desk." She instructed soullessly.


    Rhys did what he was told and watched as his handprints were scanned by the blue light. The machine turned green when his identity had been verified.


    "Welcome to the Military collegiate program, MCP if you will." The stone faced woman finally looked up from her desk and stared at Rhys. To his right Rhys could hear a similar interaction going on between Otis and the administrator in front of him there.


    "You have been assigned to the Glowry residence hall, fourth floor, room thirteen." She slapped a brown paper parcel onto the desk and slid it towards Rhys. "Inside this you''ll find a map and a set of complimentary nutrient and food pills. As well as your new ID tablet and entry cards."


    The woman got up from her seat and reached for something hidden behind the desk. She hauled a familiar black duffle bag and steel safe box onto the desk, they were none other than Rhys''s belongings that he had put through the portal during registration. Rhys was particularly anxious to get his hands back on the steel safe because it contained his precious gold card.


    "You can take your belongings to your dorm and settle in," She returned to her seat and stared bleakly up at Rhys again. "Then feel free to explore the campus grounds over the next few days while the rest of the first years are still enrolling. Dinning times and other essential information is in the parcel I gave you."


    "Welcome, and I hope you have a great first year." She yawned out the lines she had memorised and probably said a hundred times that day.


    Rhys took hold of his bag and tucked the brown parcel under his arm.


    "Wow, I''m really doing this." Rhys murmured as he looked down at everything he owned in his two hands.


    Everything he knew was gone so all he had now where the things in his hands and the strange alien core in his head. This was the start of a new life for Rhys, he just hoped that he was starting out in the right place. Seeing as his spiritual body was not perfect and he would not be able to maintain the spiritual shift for very long period of time, evading the military would have been near impossible for him. When he thought about his decision to enrol in the college that way it made sense, but after witnessing an initiation test that literally wiped out a quarter of its incoming students, Rhys was seriously questioning the goal behind the military college. Would they really disregard human life like that? Rhys sincerely doubted that the military would let so many possible future soldiers go to waste. He suspected that the base was planning on using some very high tech medical equipment or an extremely skilled healer to help save the severely electrocuted students, and Gunn''s knee. If he was wrong though, this college was even more extreme than he realised. He would have to keep his eyes out for an escape route.


    "Is that all you brought with you?" Otis inquired from behind Rhys.


    Rhys turned around to see that Otis''s arms were packed with multiple bulging duffle bags as well as a humungous suitcase on the floor in front of him.


    "Yeah, but is this really all yours?" Rhys frowned at the mountain of stuff Otis was carrying. Even before all Rhys''s belongings were burnt in the fire, he was pretty sure he never had as much stuff as Otis was carrying with him now.


    "Yes of course. This is just the basic stuff I got according to my older brother''s recommendations." Otis nodded vigorously, completely sure that Rhys was the nonsensical one and not him.


    "Well let''s go!" Otis''s eyes twinkled. He lifted all his stuff off the floor and still managed to grab hold of his suitcase and began moving before abruptly coming to a halt.


    "Wait which dorm are you in?"


    "Oh, the lady said that I''m in Glowry."


    "Glowry..." Otis looked stumped at Rhys''s words. "I kind of remember my brother saying something about Glowry, but I didn''t think it was a dorm... Shoot, where was it?"


    Rhys frowned wondering why Otis who seemed to know everything about the Military college was struggling with recalling information about the Glowry dorm.


    "Anyway, all the dorms are in more or less the same place, so we''ll probably find it on the way to my dorm."


    Rhys did not like the idea of wondering around the campus for hours trying to find his dorm, so instead of that he put his bags down and carefully opened the brown paper bag he had been given, the one the lady had said a map would be inside. Rhys easily found the thin paper map and examined it. Rhys''s eyes were immediately drawn to the neat red cross on the map that marked the Glowry building.


    Rhys checked the route and saw that it was in the opposite direction to the way Otis had been heading.


    "Apparently I have to go this way." Rhys pointed down the opposite end of hallway.


    "Oh, really?" Otis''s expression suddenly saddened which caused Rhys to feel guilty for some reason. Otis continued to stare at Rhys with big watery eyes and raised expectant eyebrows until Rhys found himself blurting out words he regretted as soon as they left his lips.


    "Um, maybe we could meet up at one of the dinning halls later..."


    "Definitely. I''ll contact you over the tablet." The crestfallen expression abruptly disappeared from Otis''s face as he grinned happily.


    "Ok, I''ll see you later Rhys."


    Rhys watched as Otis and his almighty luggage darted down the hallway to the exit. They only had a casual exchange but Rhys could not remember the last time he had been so friendly with someone other than Gramps.


    Rhys picked up his stuff and began his walk to his dorm, on the way he made sure to scan the three soldiers behind the desk.


    [Aura: Strengthening (Strong)]


    [Aura: Strengthening (Strong)]


    [Aura: Strengthening (Strong)]


    Rhys was startled that all three soldiers where ranked as strong but as he thought about it again, it made sense. Of course the soldiers working at the program had to be stronger than the actual students, they might have even graduated from the program themselves and gotten stronger over the four years. But then again, the guy with electrokinesis was a freshman and he was already rated as very strong by the system, what the hell kind of monster would he be when he graduated?


    With the map in front of him, Rhys ventured out into the chilly night and walked the suspiciously long path around the campus to get to the Glowry dorm. Despite the late hour, the campus was really well lit because the glass buildings were all lined with white or neon lights.


    Rhys passed by a massive gymnasium as well as a glass tower-like library that stretched high into the air. As soon as Rhys got a chance he would be heading to the library. Rhys paused for a moment as the path he was following was leading him into a forest.


    He checked the map once again and sighed. This was the correct way, no matter how dodgy it looked. The only thing lighting up the dark forest was an old solar torch that had literally been duct taped to the trees. Rhys could not help but feel that he had been assigned to the trash dorm that nobody cared about.


    Rhys knew that his senses was very poor, so if someone was out there in the dark they could easily attack him.


    ''Aura detection''


    Instantly the dark forest was lit up in bright shades of green auras as he could see the energy of the trees and bushes and strange foliage of the forest. It was much safer to keep moving with his skill on because he would be able to see a new aura coming into play much faster than he would notice someone running at him in the dark.


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Aura detection used + 2 Exp]


    It frustrated Rhys to no end that he was now only receiving 2 experience points per plant because of his level up. Even worse than that, if he had used the skill on the same type of plant before, he would not get EXP.


    "I could level up so much faster without all these restrictions you know." Rhys grunted.


    [''And I could live a much better life without all the sass you give me, you know.''] the teacher snorted in Rhys''s head.


    Ahead of him, Rhys finally saw the outline of a building. Unlike the rest of the modern buildings that were lined with glass and metal, this building looked to be pre-invasion in its style. In textbooks Rhys had seen pictures of huge limestone or quarry rock buildings in New York that looked just like the one in front of him.


    Not wanting to waste anymore time, Rhys pushed through the huge metal doors and found himself in a giant lobby, well lit with retro lamps and a crackling fire. The floors were made of marble and Rhys was shocked to see actual wooden pillars along the walls. There were some leather couches and chairs clustered around the fire but to Rhys''s dismay there was no front desk. Only a sign that said ''Rooms'' and pointed to an elevator.


    Rhys got into the elevator with wide eyes because he had never seen one before. Restaurants and other buildings usually used portals to get between separate floors. People really only used stairs in their homes, so elevators were pretty much extinct.


    Rhys pressed the button and smiled as he felt the metal box moving upwards to the fourth floor. When the doors opened again he wrangled his way out of the elevator with his bags and headed down the hall looking for room number thirteen.


    Although the building was large, he barely heard any noises. He had expected to hear new roommates chatting and laughing from underneath the doors, but he heard nothing at all. There weren''t even very many lights on.


    Rhys blinked in surprise when he saw warm yellow light spilling out from under the door of his room. He definitely had a roommate.


    With bated breath, Rhys pressed his hand against the scanner and watched as it ran his finger prints. The scanner dinged in agreement with him which caused mechanisms within the door to crank and creak. Rhys cautiously pushed open the door to find that nobody was inside, the lights were all on but nobody was there.


    Rhys stood there for a moment and scanned over room 13 in shock because it was much nicer than he thought it would be. He was floored by how spacious and clean and homely it looked. It was more of a two person suite than just a dorm room. Room 13 had a living room with a leather couch, carpet and wooden table that were situated under a large window that looked out into the forest. The living room was adjoined by two bedrooms which each had their own desk and chair combo, a closet and a bed.


    Rhys saw that someone had already claimed one of the two bedrooms by placing a small bag on the bed. Rhys chuckled as he thought about Otis with his mountain of luggage. Now he had proof that Otis was the weird one and not him because even Rhys''s roommate packed light and only brought one duffle bag with him.


    Seeing as his roommate was not here, Rhys theorised that he must have gone to eat dinner or something and just placed his bag their. Rhys quickly went to the other room and put his bags down. Just as he was about to unpack his belongings into the closet, he heard the door opening. Rhys walked back to the living room to say hello to his new roommate but he stopped short when he saw the blonde hair and striped tattoos on the nape of his roommate''s neck.


    ''Aura Detection'' Rhys grimaced knowing who it was already.


    [Name: unknown]


    [Aura: Electrokinesis (very strong)]


    Rhys stared at the guy who he had seen electrocute an entire room of incoming students and for the umpteenth time cursed his shitty luck.

 Chapter 14 - 14 Acquaintances

    Rhys was a deer in headlights as he stared at his roommate, the one guy in the entire freshmen class whom he did not want to bunk with. The guy was an unreasonably powerful juvenile delinquent with homicidal tendencies who would probably not blink an eye about frying his new roommate to death. Furthermore, the system had warned Rhys that this delinquent''s power would prove problematic to him. The more Rhys thought about it, the more his heart rate began to rise.


    He watched anxiously as his roommate stared down at him with eagle eyes. He was like a seasoned butcher judging the latest cut of meat, deciding whether the meat could be left alone or needed to be sliced. Rhys gulped nervously shoving dry air down his tense throat.


    Suddenly his roommate''s predatory eyes softened. The acute sense of danger he felt lessened but did not disappear. The delinquent stepped around Rhys as if he was nothing more than an annoying smudge on the floor, and headed straight into his bedroom. The loud thud of the door closing behind him was a warning to keep out of his way.


    After a moment of being stumped by what had happened, Rhys threw his head back in relief. Being ignored by the delinquent was a much better outcome than having to fight him. They would be roommates but nothing more, not even acquaintances since Rhys did not know the guy''s name. They would just cohabitate, and that was fine with Rhys.


    Rhys hobbled back into his room as the weight of the last two days manifested in his body. He opened the closet in his room and was glad to find a pair of military grey pyjamas and two extra pairs of grey military shirts and pants. Itching to get out of the room and away from the electric power station housed in the room next to his, Rhys set off down the hall to find the bathrooms with his pyjamas in hand.


    To his surprise, the communal bathroom was only a few doors down from his room. It was spacious and clean with a line of twelve basins and mirrors across from a line of cubicled toilets, around the corner within the room were all the showers and one bath. Rhys plopped his stuff down at a sink and stared at himself in the mirror. His dreary brown eyes were rimmed with dark circles, his black hair looked haggard and his cheeks were sunken in.


    [''You look awful...'']


    Rhys''s eye twitched and he clenched his fists. He wished that the system''s teacher was a real living being and not a program, because that meant, one day, Rhys might find a way to physically put his hands around this jerk''s neck and strangle him.


    As Rhys was about to head to the showers, he noticed something about his hair, something odd. He leaned in closer to the mirror to take a better look. With his hand, he combed back his bird''s nest and stared at the roots of his hair. He had black hair, pitch-black hair, and yet the roots of his hair had become white...


    Certain that he was hallucinating, Rhys hauled himself onto the sink to get an even closer look at his roots. He could only blink and hope for what he was seeing to change before he realised that his hair roots were indeed white.


    "What the hell?"


    There was only one possible reason his hair would randomly be changing colour on him.


    "Does this have something to do with my transition?"


    [''Correct.''] The voice sing-songed in his head. [''The most noticeable mark of any worthy inheritor is soulless hair.'']


    "Soulless hair?" Rhys raised his eyebrows unimpressed. "Is that alien for badly bleached hair?"


    [''You ignorant ape. How dare you mock the illustrious white hair of the higher beings. Show some respect.'']


    "Well, I''m supposed to be transitioning into one of those higher beings, so shouldn''t you show some respect when you''re talking to me?" Rhys smirked as he tapped on the shower settings. The warm water rained down from the ceiling.


    [''Comparing what you are now to a higher being is like comparing a peasant beggar to an emperor.''] Rhys flinched as the teacher snarled at him in his head.


    Rhys chuckled happily in the shower, he was feeling much better now that his body was clean. He smiled contently but soon frowned when a thought crossed his mind.


    "Actually, what am I right now? My information tab just says I am transitioning but are there phases to the transition, or does the transition happen all at once?" Rhys tapped on the shower controls to turn off the water. He pressed the settings for the air dryer this time and was soon engulfed in a warm tornado of air that dried his wet skin.


    ["There are multiple phases, a few of which you are cleared to learn about, but the system is having a problem translating them because of the lack of correct vocabulary in your memories. Head to the library as soon as possible and glance through any books about spirituality, ancient civilisations, religion and death. The system needs to be able to explain things to you effectively or you will have to learn the language of the higher beings."]


    Rhys had thought about going to sleep after his shower, but apparently there were more pressing things at hand. He stepped out of the dryer and got changed into the military clothes he had brought with him.


    Rhys was about to go back to his room to fetch some stuff when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and another idea sparked in his head. Rhys turned to looked at his reflection in the mirror, and summoned his skill.


    ''Aura Detection''


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Aura: Ghost System inheritor (average)]


    Rhys was so focused on studying his aura that he did not pay any attention to the words the system printed out.


    His aura looked like a graveyard fog that wrapped around him, enclosing him inside a nightmarish egg. There was something about how the mist circled around him and twisted unnaturally that sent shivers down his spine. The more Rhys looked at his aura, the colder and emptier he felt, like he was staring into an abyss. His eyes were locked on the swirls of mist and how they eerily danced about his body, he stared at them for so long that holes and gaps in the mist morphed into hollow faces that moaned out silent horrible tunes. Rhys''s chest tightened as their horrible faces stopped moving and stared ominously at him.


    Rhys lost all sense of feeling and awareness as he stared into the mirror at the reflection of his aura. The terrible eyes of the ghastly fog pinned him to his spot, holding him there like a prisoner.


    Panic flooded his brain as he tried to move but he could not, not even a muscle. He tried to scream for help but not even a syllable passed his lips. The hollow faces of the mist in his reflection were gathering and morphing together to create one giant terrifying face that had a mouth that was widening and widening, preparing to swallow Rhys whole.


    Like a small child Rhys could only shiver in terror and watch as he was consumed by the terrifying thing in the mirror.


    "Argh! Fuck!" Rhys shouted and fell forward onto the basin as something painful zapped his neck. When he looked up, his aura was gone, but someone else was there with him.


    Rhys looked up to see his murderous roommate staring at him with his index finger out, still crackling with the electricity he had used to zap Rhys on the neck with. Rhys did not know whether to be thankful or pissed at the guy for shocking him. On one hand the electricity had caused Rhys to release his skill and free himself from his terrifying aura, but in the other hand, the shock flipping hurt.


    The two freshmen stared at each for a long time before one broke the silence.


    He raised a blonde eyebrow and stared at Rhys incredulously. "What are you doing here?"


    His low toneless voice matched his blank emotionless face.


    Rhys was stumped by the seemingly obvious question. "To take a shower..."


    "No." The blonde chuckled darkly. "I meant, what are you doing at the military college? How can a guy who is scared of his own reflection even last here..."


    Now Rhys understood what the delinquent was saying. The guy had probably walked into the bathroom to see Rhys shivering and whimpering like a wet dog at the sight of his own reflection. Rhys realised that the delinquent must have assumed Rhys was having a mental breakdown after the initiation test.


    "I''ll be just fine, thanks for the concern." Rhys tutted as he stabilised himself. He looked up to see that the delinquent was eyeing him unimpressed. It clear that Rhys gave off an impression of weakness to everyone he met.


    "I''m Rhys by the way." Rhys stood and waited for the guy to reciprocate, but instead the delinquent turned away and walked to the back of the bathroom where the showers were.


    Rhys deadpanned. He felt like he had stretched out his hand to a stray dog and instead of kindness he had been bitten. With his wounded pride Rhys returned to his room and flopped over onto his mattress. He had been all amped to go to the library but looking at the time it was almost midnight, and as soon as he laid down, he found the exhaustion he had forgotten flood back into him.


    "You could have warned me about what would happen if I looked at my own aura." Rhys grunted as he turned onto his side. "What was that anyway?"


    Rhys winced just thinking about the ghastly fog like aura.


    [''Like I said before, it''s complicated to explain without the proper words I can used in the database. I did see an interesting quote from a human philosopher in your memory banks that sums up what happened quite nicely.''] The teacher paused for a moment and cleared his throat before reciting the quote.


    [''And if you gaze for long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.'']


    "Oh yeah, I learnt about that philosopher in school." Rhys smiled remembering the words he had been captured by a few years ago.


    "So you''re saying my aura is like an abyss, Looking at it for too long is harmful for me?" Rhys turned into his side and rested his head on the pillow.


    [''Head to library and read books, once you''ve done that it will be easier for me to explain things to you. It will also raise your int stat, so get going!''] the teacher urge, but Rhys was already slipping into sleep.


    "I''ll go tomorrow." Rhys huffed.


    [''Laziness is a sign of weakness of the mind. If you''re mind was not so weak you would not have been so disturbed by the sight of your aura. Even more reason for you to head to the library.'']


    "No. I''m going to sleep." After the two days Rhys had, he felt he deserved sleep. Besides the library would be there for him when he woke up.


    [''Rhys...'']


    "No."


    [''...'']


    There was silence in his head for a moment, and Rhys thought he had won the battle. However a notification popped up in his vision.


    [Attention!]


    [New Quest: Go to the library and read texts about death. Time limit to get to the library: 15 minutes]


    [Reward: None]


    [Penalty: Haunting]


    Rhys reconsidered for a moment, however he could not find the strength to lift his body from the bed. So he just lay there not caring. Whatever the penalty was, he would just have to take it.


    Rhys''s eyes closed and he fell asleep just as the timer went off.


    [Quest failed]


    [Penalty: Applied]

 Chapter 15 - 15 Haunting

    [Penalty: Haunting]


    [Penalty applied]


    While Rhys slept he drew his fingers to his mouth. His fingers were suddenly numb from being cold so he used his hot breath to warm them up. Soon the cold crept down his whole body and he woke up shivering.


    "Why''s it so cold?" He whispered into the room and watched as his white breath dispersed around him like a smoke cloud.


    Rhys was frankly disturbed that the room was this cold. Perhaps this was the consequence of getting such a nice dorm in the first place. He brought his knees to his chest and sat on the bed shivering. As he glanced forward he got the feeling that something was wrong. It was a strange eerie prickle on the back of his neck that got his heart beating loudly in his chest.


    "Sorry about the temperature Rhys, that might be our doing." A gruff cruel voice spoke from right next to his ear.


    Rhys jolted upright. His eyes widened as he broke out into a cold sweat. He slowly turned his head and came face to face with the same large build, rabid eyes and cruel smile that had terrorised him for half of his life. The man he had watched die, eaten to death by carnivorous leeches in a black lake on an alien planet.


    "Barrow?" Rhys whispered the name hoping that it could not be true.


    "In the flesh." Barrow grinned and Rhys saw that there was a creepy pale sheen to Barrow''s skin. "Or should I say, in spirit?"


    Rhys dashed off the bed and darted to the other side of the room to create space between him and Barrow.


    "What the hell is going on? You''re dead. I watched you die." Rhys''s heart was hammering in his chest as if about to break free.


    "Yeah, you''re right kid. I''m dead as can be." Barrow broke eye contact with Rhys as he fished something out of his pocket. Barrow pulled out the same little gem knife that he had used to scorch Rhys''s face.


    Barrow pointed the blade menacingly at Rhys. "Do you know what happens after death kid?"


    Rhys shook his head.


    "Nothing," Barrow growled out angrily. "Not a damn thing. No kingdom of heaven, no nothing. All that''s left is for you to wander around aimlessly until a gap opens up."


    "A gap?" Rhys scowled not understanding Barrow''s words.


    "You bet I jumped through as soon as I could, and look where I ended up. At your bedside. I''ve got to give it to you Rhys, out of everyone, I never thought you''d be the one to make it out alive." Barrow chuckled darkly as he stood up from his crouch near the bed.


    "Why did you come here, Barrow?" Rhys glowered at the man.


    "That system of yours gave me pretty clear instructions kid."


    Rhys suddenly remembered that just before he fell asleep the system had given him a quest. He had been so drowsy that he had completely forgotten about it when he had woken up. Barrow being here and the coldness of the room, it was all the system''s doing. Rhys tried to feel better knowing that Barrow was just the system making him hallucinate, but the realistic way Barrow spoke and moved was too lifelike for Rhys to accept as purely the work of the system.


    "I''m here to make you stronger." Barrow glared down at Rhys bloodthirstily. "It''s a pity for you that I''m quite an enthusiastic educator. You remember the gang don''t you?"


    Like a horrible nightmare turning into an even worse one, all the dead members of Barrow''s gang emerged from the walls like apparitions with vengeful hateful glares, all directed at Rhys. These were the guys whom Rhys had pulled the lever on and watched on as the alien leaches devoured them. Apparently, they were back for their pound of flesh.


    ''Spiritual body'' Rhys summoned his skill anxiously.


    [Denied]


    "What? Why?!" Rhys blurted out.


    [For the penalty to be carried out, the user has been transported to the spiritual plane, therefore the user''s body is already in the spiritual phase. The user will find that the skill is functioning normally, thus the user is still able to walk through solid matter, but since you are in the spiritual realm there is no solid matter... Please also note that ''spiritual body'' does not allow the user to pass through other spiritual beings such as the spirits currently in front of the user.]


    "Fuck me." Rhys deadpanned as the group of around twenty men charged at him with blades in their hands. Rhys was apparently in the spiritual realm so he could not use Spiritual body. In other words, he could not use skills to defend himself against the oncoming attacks. The system was forcing him to fight without his skills against people who hated him because he had practically killed them.


    [Penalty Haunting lasts for 4 hours]


    [Survive until the timer runs out]


    [3:59]


    "I hate you, Ghost system."


    Barrow''s huge fisted bulldozed into Rhys''s stomach, smashing through Rhys''s muscles and organs with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Immediately afterwards another fist planted into Rhys''s face, sending him flying into the corner of the room.


    **********


    Four hours later


    [0:00]


    [Penalty complete]


    Rhys jolted awake in bed, gasping for breath. He immediately spun around on his bed looking for more attackers, but thankfully Barrow and his men were gone. The early morning light was shining into his bedroom from the small window so he knew that his penalty had been completed. He was free from that hell hole at last.


    Rhys scanned the room looking for all the damage the fighting had done to it, but everything was back to normal. Not even a chair out of place.


    Rhys bowed his head and rested it against his knees as the awful memories of the haunting came back to him. Four hours of non-stop clashing against twenty men who desperately wanted to tear him to pieces. Needless to say that Rhys had his ass handed to him again and again in the most painful ways.


    In the spiritual realm, Rhys had experienced a different kind of fighting. When he was injured he did not bleed, instead, whole parts of his body dispersed in an instant before slowly coming back together again like magnetic dust. His body would explode from the impact of someone''s punch or stab and then put itself back together again. Although he did not bleed, he felt pain normally. The first two hours had been an excruciating hell wherein he got continuously tortured by Barrow and friends. All he could do was scream and flail on the floor as they kicked and beat him. However, the last two hours were different.


    After observing Barrow and his men for a while, Rhys began to notice a pattern: None of the gang was getting tired and neither was he. No matter how many punches they threw or how viciously they attacked, they never ran out of energy and Rhys never lost consciousness.


    Furthermore, Rhys felt the hardest punches being thrown at him after he taunted them. Although Rhys was being badly beaten, once in a while his anger would flare causing him to curse out the guys attacking him. It was when he lashed out at them that their faces got more enraged and their attacks even stronger.


    In other words, when he insulted them or enraged them, they gained power and momentum. It was easy to see this after Rhys egged them on by insulting them and making fun of them. Their strength was not reigned by normal bodily functions, but instead by emotions.


    The system had called that place the spiritual realm, and from what Rhys had learned, those with heightened emotions became stronger. As if spiritual energy had a correlation with feelings and mentality.


    During the last hour, Rhys began to work on his theory. It took him a while to be able to focus past the pain, but while he was being pummeled he thought about everything that had ever given him grief. School bullies, District 20 life, being coreless, being a burden on Gramps, Gramp''s death, Barrow''s ugly face. Rhys found that it did not take very long to build up enough anger and resentment to fight back.


    Although building up strength was easy by simply thinking about all the unfair things that had happened to him in his life, keeping that momentum was extremely difficult. All it took was one punch to the face to destroy his concentration and make him start all over again.


    To stop that from happening Rhys had to keep moving, at the very least avoid their attacks for a few minuets while he gathered up momentum. So he ran. Out the dorm and down the hallway, unable to get to the elevator in time, Rhys catapulted himself out of the window into the forest.


    He landed with a sickening crunch but was soon back on his feet again as his body healed in the same magnetic way. He ran as fast as he could with Barrows'' men following close behind. All the time trying to dodge their attacks and feed his rage at the same time. When he finally stopped running and turned around to face his opponents, the situation had completely changed.


    It was no longer a one sided attack. All the anger and hatred he had left bottled up inside came out in his attacks. He was still outnumbered and did not have the fighting skills of the men surrounding him, but the rage inside of him made his punches and kicks almost three times as strong as theirs.


    During the last half an hour of the penalty Rhys found himself holding the men back, not easily, but still doing it. He felt his senses sharpen as he was anticipating where they would attack from. He was getting stronger and faster and smarter.


    It was when he finally saw Barrow''s face again that Rhys roared in outrage. When else would he get the chance to take revenge on the man who had organised Gramp''s death. Rhys charged at Barrow furiously and watched in glory as his punch ripped a whole straight through Barrow''s chest.


    It was the most satisfying moment of his life. Rhys wished that the penalty would go on for longer so that he could savour the moment, but right then the timer hit zero and Rhys was sucked back into the physical plane where he woke up in his bedroom to the morning light.


    [''Welcome back, for someone who knows nothing of the spiritual plane, you didn''t do a terrible job there.''] The teacher sighed.


    "You..." Rhys huffed while flinging the blanket off of himself and changing into his clothes. "You gave me a quest you knew I would fail and the quest didn''t even have any rewards." Rhys growled.


    [''It may not have had separate rewards, but I believe your effort made you grow all on your own.'']


    Rhys frowned wondering what the teacher was on about, but then suddenly his notifications lit up.


    [Penalty completed + 50 Exp]


    [User achieved greater understanding of the spirit realm. User achieved understanding of spiritual strength]


    [+2 Intelligence]


    [+2 Spirituality]


    [+1 Stamina]


    Rhys tried not to smile seeing his statistics levelling up. He didn''t want his terrible teacher to know how pleased he was


    [Level 3]


    [22/30 HP]


    [164/300 EXP]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 7]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 8]


    The smile on his face pushed through when he saw his stats.


    [Skills]


    [Spiritual Body Lvl 4:


    Intangibility ~ Physical disruption]


    [Aura detection Lvl 3]


    [Energy/Aura absorption Lvl 2]


    "My skills still haven''t gone up at all?" Rhys laced up his boots and picked up the brown paper parcel he had been given the day before. He tore it open and spilt out its contents onto his bed.


    [''You can''t expect to see an increase in those skills unless you understand them more. Right now your usage of them is very shallow, so like I said before, head to the library.'']


    Rhys picked up the ID tablet and tapped on the screen. He watched intently as the forearm length thin pane of glass lit up and he found himself staring at the Home Screen. With a few taps, Rhys was checking the opening hours of the dining hall and the library. As he was about to leave his room for the library, he heard the tablet ding. A message was in his inbox. Rhys chuckled to see that it was from Otis.


    ''Meet for breakfast at dining hall 1 ( ^¦Ø^ )?''


    "So he''s into emojis." Rhys tucked the tablet safely away in his closet and jogged out of his dorm feeling anxious about sitting down and eating with someone other than gramps for the first time in years.


    Rhys kept on jogging through the campus and besides some light panting he was not getting tired. Usually, a jog like this would have sent him into a stomach cramp induced coma, but now it felt like a breeze. Raising the stamina stat was awesome.


    "Hey, Rhys!" Rhys stopped when he heard Otis''s loud voice hollering at him.


    There in front of the cafeteria doors stood Otis with a big smile on his face and with the light shining through his buzzcut. Next to him stood someone shorter but also quite brawny.


    Rhys jogged over to them but immediately took a step back when he realised who was next to Otis.


    "Guess who I found running around the campus looking for you, threatening people if they didn''t give up your location!" Otis seemed to think the situation was hilarious while Rhys was still trying to find the humour.


    There next to Otis stood Gunn, his face was still scrunched up in an angry frown, and with the morning light, Rhys could better see Gunn''s thick black eyebrows.


    Rhys couldn''t help but glance at Gunn''s knees, the same knees Rhys had obliterated yesterday. Gunn was easily able to stand, but considering the injuries Rhys had inflicted on the guy, that shouldn''t have been possible unless he was completely healed. Rhys nodded in understanding, now he knew for certain that the college had high-level healers on standby to help the students.


    "You." Gunn stepped towards Rhys with eyes full of determination.


    "Fight me." He roared catching the glances of a few students passing by.


    Rhys stared at the frowning guy in front of him. Gunn was not as big as Otis nor did he seem as rational or intelligent.


    "Didn''t you just get healed? Why would you put yourself through something like that again?" Rhys scratched the side of his head and yawned. He had been up all night fighting in the spirit realm so he still did not get that full night of sleep he desperately wanted.


    "Whose to say you would win this time? You wouldn''t have this guy to hold me down if we were to fight again." Gunn snarled at Rhys offended by the bored expression on his face.


    From the determined look in Gunn''s eyes, Rhys could see that he had not dissuaded him at all. Furthermore, from Gunn''s naive words, Rhys could tell that Gunn did not actually understand Rhys''s ability.


    "You have the strengthening ability don''t you?" Rhys knew the answer because he had already seen Gunn''s aura.


    "Yeah." The pride was written all over his face as he nodded.


    "Well then, if we fight, you will definitely lose." Rhys stared blankly at Gunn to let him know he was serious.


    "What do you mean?" Both Gunn and Otis blurted out at the same time. Rhys was surprised to see that Otis looked just as confused Gunn. ''Doesn''t Otis already know what my skill is?''


    "Your core ability allows you to punch holes in the things your fingers touch, right? It''s a compression ability isn''t it?" Otis stepped forward. His eyebrows were creased together.


    "Compression ability?" Rhys cocked his head to the side wondering how both of them could have gotten his skill so wrong.


    The Compression abilities were extremely rare and extremely valuable core abilities. This type of core ability user was able to compress matter by simply touching it. When Rhys thought about it, he could somewhat understand how the two had mistaken his physical disruption for a compression ability, however, they had both clearly seen Rhys''s hand pass through Gunn''s knee, which was not possible for compression core holders. Furthermore, the cores were extraordinarily rare, thinking back to history class Rhys could only think of a handful of war heroes who had compression cores. How would a District 20 orphan like Rhys ever be able to get their hands on a compression core, which were primarily only available in District 4 and up?


    "Wait yours isn''t a compression core?" Otis looked stumped as he watched Rhys shake his head.


    "Then what the hell is it?" Gun stuffed his hands into his pockets annoyed.


    Rhys sucked in his lip as he thought about his answer for a moment. "I don''t think my core has an official name yet."


    "Huh?" Gunn snorted. "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "Ah whatever," Rhys sighed. "Come on Otis, let''s go eat."


    Otis and Rhys began to walk to the cafeteria door when Gunn suddenly jumped in front of them. He crouched low and spread out his arms.


    "No way. Nuh-uh! I''m not letting you go until you fight me." He had the same crazy look in his eyes from yesterday.


    Rhys groaned internally before coming to a decision. "Fine, we''ll fight after food."

 Chapter 16 - 16

    !!!PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW FOR THIS BOOK!!


    **********************************************


    "Fine, we''ll fight after food."


    "No!" Gunn planted his feet firmly into the ground.


    Rhys could only marvel at Gunn who was more and more turning out to be his complete opposite. While Rhys thrived from thinking situations out and coming up with the most plausible solutions, Gunn was practically allergic to rationality. All he wanted to do was fight, immediately.


    "Fight me now!" He balled his hands into fists ready to attack.


    Otis and Rhys simultaneously stepped around Gunn and reached for the doors of the cafeteria, not caring about this demands in the slightest.


    "NO!"


    Gunn ran up behind them and shoved the two out of the way. He coiled his right arm around the door handles so that no one could open the doors, and with a crazy determined look in his eyes, he shouted at Rhys. "Man up and fight me now!"


    "Hey!" A girl from behind the three snapped in disgust at Gunn. "Some of us want to eat."


    "Yeah, seriously dude, move." More and more grumbles were being heard from the students approaching the cafeteria as they were being blocked from entering by Gunn.


    Once again Gunn did not care about what anyone else thought, he only did what he wanted to and had no regrets. "Go eat dirt then, I''m not moving until..."


    "Move."


    The words were said as if a death sentence had been handed out, the threat of violence in the voice stopped everyone in their tracks.


    The students all turned around to see who had spoken, but before they knew what was happening a fearsome bolt of electricity smashed through the angry mob of students and slammed Gunn against the metal doors. Gunn was pinned to the doors, shaking violently as the electricity wrecked through his body. All everyone could do was stare wide-eyed as the spectacle in front of them. It was not long before Gunn collapsed to the ground in front of the cafeteria as wisps of smoke wafted off his back.


    Everyone caught a glimpse of the cold ruthless eyes that cared nothing about other people, and they all saw the three-striped juvenile tattoo below his blonde hair on the nape of his neck, like a mark of honour among the cold-blooded and dangerously strong.


    Rhys glanced around to see a mix of expressions on the people''s faces. The majority of people were painted with fear and alarm, though a few students looked impressed and even awestruck. One girl in particular was biting her bottom lip and staring at him with glossy eyes. Rhys glanced at his roommate''s back walking into the cafeteria and felt a small shameful ache in his gut. He wondered what it was like to be someone who inspired such vivid reactions in other people. What was it like to be someone others paid attention to?


    [''It is glorious you know'']


    ''What?'' Rhys was snatched from his contemplation by the teacher.


    [''Having others fear and admire you, I mean. It is the privilege of the strong, something attainable if you would only work for it.'']


    "That was the guy from the orientation test." Otis breathed out shakily remembering the screams that came from the fourth corner.


    "Yeah," Rhys sighed. "He''s my roommate." There was a long pause wherein Otis stared at Rhys trying to determine whether Rhys was being serious or not.


    "You''re joking right?"


    Rhys only shook his head as he watched his roommate push open the cafeteria doors and entered.


    "Hang in there." Otis looked down at Rhys with the same earnest eyes from yesterday which caused Rhys to chuckled slightly.


    "I''ll try."


    As the trance left behind by the display of power lifted, the college students outside slowly began to filter into the cafeteria. All of them were similarly inquiring about who that guy was and how the hell he was able to get such an awesome core. Rhys listened intently to their passing conversations feeling just a tiny bit jealous about how they talked about him with such admiration.


    After everyone had gone inside, Rhys tentatively put his finger under Gunn''s nose to see if he was still breathing. Thankfully, Gunn was still alive. After a few seconds of discussion, Rhys and Otis thought it would be overkill to lug him all the way to the infirmary when they could simply prop him up against the wall and pat his head for good luck. Otis wiped the drool from the side of Gunn''s mouth with the bottom of his t-shirt to ease his conscience before him and Rhys entered the cafeteria.


    Finally, Rhys was inside the cafeteria. He was astounded by how much food there was and by how delicious it all looked. He was expecting to be fed the bitter government-issued food pills or powdered eggs, the stuff he had lived off in high school, but instead, the ginormous cafeteria was chock full of real vegetables and meat, all the food groups and even desserts.


    [''Yes, you must use this opportunity to replenish your strength and add weight to you pathetic body'']


    Rhys could barely hear the insults from inside his head because the delicious smells had put him in a trance.


    "I must be dreaming."


    Otis laughed out loud from behind Rhys while loading his plate full of chicken wings.


    "Yeah well, the military college is ultimately trying to recruit us into the army. You know, they have to feed us well in order for us to get stronger, especially since they are not willing to compromise on the toughness of the training they need at least one way for the students to want to be here."


    Rhys eventually took a seat once he had stacked three plates full of meat. He could not remember the last time he had eaten real meat. Since powder substitutes or food pills were so much cheaper, he and Gramps had lived off that for the longest time.


    While Rhys ate he activated his skill and scanned the people in the room for their auras. Although the majority were strengthening cores, Rhys managed to gain some Exp from a few unique abilities in the room.


    [Aura: wolf physiology (weak)]


    [Aura: Enhanced intelligence (weak)]


    [Aura: Light generation (very weak)]


    [...]


    [...]


    [Aura detection used + 25 Exp]


    Although Rhys was happy to finally get more EXP, the abilities he had seen were all pretty common.


    From what Rhys had seen so far the majority of people were categorised as weak or very weak. Once in while Rhys would see someone with the ''average'' label. Although the system marked them as average, from Rhys''s experience people rated as average were quite strong. Otis was rated as average, but Rhys knew that when he compared Otis to other strengthening cores, Otis was definitely outstanding. Then finally it was the ''strong'' or ''very strong'' category. If Rhys''s roommate was anyone to go by, people rated as strong by the system were extremely dangerous. Rhys''s roommate not only had an extremely rare and valued ability, but he was also able to control it remarkably.


    After Rhys and Otis licked their plates clean, they sat in a daze at their booth. Rhys patted his bulging belly while Otis slumped over ready to take a nap.


    "So you''ve met my roommate, but who is yours?" Rhys asked curiously.


    "My roommate hasn''t arrived yet, so I''ve got my room to myself for now."


    "Oh right, I forgot that people are still arriving." Rhys burped and it smelled like the chicken and mashed potatoes he had eaten. "How many people are going to be at this college anyways?"


    "Well for us freshmen, were are split into groups of about fifty people when we do that initiation test, then there are about twenty-four batches of those students arriving per day. And people have been able to come to campus for four months, minus a few deaths for each batch. Um, so that''s about..."


    "Somewhere between one-hundred and forty-thousand to one-hundred and fifty-thousand people." Rhys summarised feeling too lazy to do the exact math.


    Rhys ignored the impressed look on Otis''s face and realised that there were still another four campuses in the sector, each with about the same number of freshmen students. No to mention that most people enrolled in the college early, so the number of incoming students was probably much larger than what Otis had described, most likely closer to about two hundred thousand freshmen per campus.


    "This is one huge operation they are running." Rhys sighed as he thought about all the talented students being registered.


    "Yeah, that''s a lot of competition." Otis looked sternly down into his plate of food. Rhys could see something was brewing behind his large forehead, something that Rhys wanted to unpack.


    "District seventeen is a nice place though, it''s supposed to be the best district in sector five. From what I know about you, you have an older brother and most probably a family and a nice place to call home. So why would you come to the military college? Surely there were lots of other options for someone like you?" Rhys had been wondering about this for quite a while. He understood why the military college was the favourable option for district 20''s young adults who had no better options but not for the seventeenth district and up who were living relatively good lives.


    "What are you talking about? Although the military college has a tough reputation, it''s still a great way to get trained and raise your skills. Even if I don''t decide to join the military I''ll still graduate with qualifications."


    Rhys was surprised by the genuinely happy look on Otis''s face. Although Rhys had not paid that much attention when people talked about the military college, when he had tuned in, all he heard were disturbing things, from cruel instructors to bullying, Yet Otis who had grown up in a different district praised the college to no end.


    "Anyway, we''ll find out sooner or later what kind of place this is." Rhys patted his belly.


    There was a moment of awkward silence between the two as they were each trying to figure out each other''s ideologies. After a while, Otis was the one to break the silence.


    "Do you want to go to the arena after this?" He sat forward and placed both hands on the table enthusiastically. "Apparently it''s a thing to sit there and watch as the new students come in, you know, sniff out the competition."


    ''That would be a great chance to use my Aura detection skill.'' Rhys smiled knowing that he was guaranteed to get more EXP with the arrival of new students.


    [''Yes it would be, but first the library. Don''t make me give you another quest.'']


    Rhys sighed knowing that he should really go to the library. "Maybe I''ll meet you there later."


    "Sure. After dinner?"


    "Sure."


    Rhys slowly stood up from the table and steadied himself, trying to regain balance with his extra poundage. Rhys waved goodbye to Otis who decided he wanted to stew for a bit longer and headed to the library.


    On his way out he saw his roommate sitting at a large booth surrounded by other students. The girls were leaning towards him and cooing at him while the guys were laughing loudly trying to catch his attention that way. It was clear that the other freshmen had already identified their top dog and were trying to get into his good books while he was docile.


    The image of his content smirk stuck in Rhys''s brain as he walked in the direction of the library. People really did flock to you if they believed you were powerful.


    The campus was ginormous to the point that it resembled a city rather than a campus, but thankfully the library was only a ten-minute walk from the cafeteria. The library looked more like a skyscraper than any of the libraries Rhys had ever seen. It towered into the sky and reflected the clouds and surrounding buildings with its glass panelling. When Rhys stepped through the large entrance he was immediately greeted by a large flatscreen that displayed a piece of unsettling information.


    It read, ''Countdown to the start of Military college: 15 hours!''


    Rhys''s chest tightened as he realised that class would be starting tomorrow. For some reason, he had been under the impression that he had more time, but now he realised that he really did not. He needed to try to get to level five before class started tomorrow.


    Rhys walked past the rows and rows of students at desks reading from crystal tablets. From a quick glance at their bright white auras, Rhys saw that the majority of the students in the library were people with brain enhancer cores, people with higher than average intelligence all of whom were rated as weak or very weak. Rhys planted himself in front of a librarian machine and started searching for books. Since he did not have any authors in mind he simply tapped on the non-fiction icon. From there he did a keyword search. He typed in the words ''aura'', ''spirituality'' and ''ghost''.


    A variety of different results popped up in the screen, the majority of which were links to pre-invasion television series and movies. Rhys sceptically looked over the titles that all seemed more fantastical than based in reality. With a huff, he scrolled past all the movies and arrived at the bottom of the results list where a hand full of possible useful resources were listed. Although the tower was very tall with at least ten floors, all the books Rhys was looking for were apparently on the underground floors.


    With a few more taps Rhys printed out a list of his selected books and headed to the stairs. Unlike the sleek black staircase heading upwards, the staircase heading down looked much older.


    The underground floors of the library were literally like a basement where they shoved all the stuff they did not care about but needed to house. Rhys had to squeeze past old boxes and random pieces of abandoned furniture to finally reach the old wooden bookshelves. On those shelves, he eventually located the books he was interested in. Among them was a book about pre-invasion yoga and meditation techniques from India and China, A book of Japanese folklore that apparently detailed the different types of spirits, A book that was meant to give cultural context to the belief in ghosts in Europe and Africa, lastly, there was a short thin biographical book about the lives and works of some psychical researchers.


    Although none of them looked like what he really wanted, he hoped that they would at least be able to give him some hints in the right direction. He wanted to level up his skills but he would not be able to do that without getting a better understanding of spirituality.


    Rhys carried his books to the least dusty looking lounge chair in the basement. He sat down, placed his books at his feet and began to read.


    Although Rhys expected to be bored out of his mind as he read, he found himself getting deeply invested in the books. Because of the subject matter of the books, they read more like science fiction or fantasy than boring non-fiction.


    "An aura or energy field is a luminous coloured emanation said to enclose a human body or animal or object," Rhys murmured the words as he read through the book.


    ''Why can I only see the auras of living things if objects also have auras?''


    [''The auras of objects as are complex and require a certain level of concentration to be able to see them. So until you figure out how you will only be able to see the auras of living things.'']


    "The aura of a human being is said to be the secret anatomy of the human body that reflects the health and state of mind of the human."


    Rhys immediately thought back to when he had fought Sampson and his two friends. The specific parts of their bodies where they were injured had a dull almost invisible aura light, moreover, when the two guys had died their auras disappeared altogether. If Rhys paid more attention to the auras he would be able to tell where people were injured just be looking at them.


    ''The state of mind of the human...'' Rhys reread the line in the book and wondered if he would be able to tell people''s emotions and mentality from looking at their aura.


    Rhys delved further and further into the book and found himself absorbing the words easily. The concept of chakra and the third eye and humans having a sixth sense. Rhys was reading faster and retaining the knowledge at a rate he did not think was possible. After about an hour and a half, he finished the two hundred page book and was reaching for the next one. His ability to read and absorb information had definitely increased thanks to his intelligence stat.


    [Learned about Aura and other important factors of transition]


    [+ 20 Exp]


    Rhy''s smirked when he saw the notification and continued to turn the pages of his book. He had about thirteen hours before the term started and he was planning on reading the remaining three books in that time.


    Rhys was plunging himself into the fascinating world of ESP and ghosts, things that pre-invasion humans had been obsessed with, something that he was quickly becoming obsessed with as well.


    [New Quest: Read the selected three books by midnight]


    [Rewards: None]


    [Penalty: Haunting]


    "You stingy old..." Rhys tried to curb his anger and refocus on his books before he lost the will to read. Once again the teacher gave him a quest without any rewards and only a penalty. Although Rhys had experienced the haunting before and made it out stronger, the mental toll it took on him seeing Barrow''s face again and being beaten up by him, the guy who organized Gramp''s death, was not something he would willingly go through a second time. He would stay there and read until the clock ran out, and if he missed his dinner meetup with Otis he would just have to apologise later.


    Thinking about Otis reminded Rhys that he had left Gunn in front of the cafeteria, poor idiotic Gunn. Rhys hoped that Gunn had given up on fighting him.


    "Speaking of that," Rhys suddenly thought of a question that had been eating away at him. "I was sure that you were going to issue me a quest to fight and kill Gunn, but you didn''t...?"


    [''Don''t worry, I have not grown soft on you. I will wait until the time when you have no other choice but to kill. At that time I will watch happily as you abandon your convictions and realize your true potential'']


    A raspy chuckle resonated in the back of Rhys''s head as goosebumps spread across his flesh.

 Chapter 17 - 17 Red Files

    Rhys slapped the back cover of the book closed and dropped the three hundred and nineteen-page thing onto the dusty floor with a groan. His head ached slightly but the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment overshadowed that small inconvenience. He smiled, astonished at what he had just done.


    He had just finished four books, all ranging from two hundred pages to four hundred pages, in about 15 hours, in one sitting. Rhys had always been a fast reader but never before had he accomplished a feat anywhere near this one. Although finishing four books in fifteen hours was quite possible for a lot of people, doing it in one sitting required superhuman level concentration. Rhys knew about a few brain enhancer cores that could strengthen comprehension abilities to this level, which made him even more impressed with the system.


    He remembered it all too. He could still visualise the diagrams of yoga postures and breathing techniques from the pages of the first book, as well as recall all the names of the different Japanese spirits from the second book. His ability to comprehend and memorise had increased significantly and it was all thanks to his intelligence stat. Being smart made life significantly easier, so going forward he would definitely invest in that.


    [Spirituality +1]


    [User has gained useful knowledge through reading a total of four books]


    [+ 60 Exp]


    [User has come to understand that absorption is not just a skill but a way of life]


    [+10 Exp]


    <Skills>


    [A skill has level led up!]


    [Energy Absorption Lv 2 ¡ª> Lv3:


    The complexity of the life force that you are able to absorb has increased. The user is now able to absorb small to medium sized plants as well as a few plant variants.]


    Rhys grinned as he shakily got up from the armchair. The pain that shot through his stiff legs and back after not moving for so long was rough but kind of enjoyable. It was like the soreness he felt in his muscles after running home at full speed when he was chased by gangsters.


    [Quest completed!]


    [Reward: none]


    Although there technically were not any rewards for this this quest, Rhys still felt pretty satisfied with the outcome. He had gained a good amount of experience and had finally levelled up his absorption skill, even if he was still only able to absorb plants.


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 3]


    [Exp: 259/300]


    [HP: 15/30]


    "Enlightened Human?" Rhys frowned as he scanned over his stats and spotted the changes.


    [''After your reading of those books, the system has decided that this is the best English term to describe your stage of the transition.'']


    Rhys squinted as something caught his attention on the far side of the basement wall. "How many stages are there exactly?"


    Rhys channelled his spiritual body skill in his legs because he was feeling too lazy to climb over all the discarded boxes and old furniture. Instead, he walked through the dusty objects with his hands in his cargo pant pockets.


    [''You don''t need to know yet'']


    Rhys snickered annoyed at the familiar answer from the system.


    "The whole point of me reading these books was so that you could explain everything to me, yet you''re still hiding shit from me."


    [''If I hide shit from you, its because you aren''t ready to know shit''] The teacher scoffed.


    Rhys tentatively touched the blackened cement wall of the basement in front of him and felt the bubbly crispy texture under his fingers. He summoned his skill and watched as the dark wall in front of him started to glow a dark smoky green.


    [Aura Detection Used + 2 Exp]


    [Mold]


    [Aura Detection used + 2 Exp]


    [Fungus]


    Rhys sighed in relief at this happy discovery and instantly activated his other skill. His HP was pretty low so he needed to absorb some energy.


    [Energy Absorption used + 5 Exp]


    Rhys watched elated as the dark green aura of the fungus and the mould was siphoned off the walls and came pouring into him. His fatigue and tiredness faded away as the energy was slowly absorbed into him.


    [16/30 Hp]


    Through the books he had read, Rhys had learned more about aura. Aura was believed to be a body of light that enclosed every human like a hidden anatomy. According to the texts, aura gives insight into the person''s health and state of mind, a hypothesis that Rhys already knew to be true. When he had fought Sampson''s friends and had injured them, their auras became distorted: the auras dimmed or disappeared in the places they had been injured. Through aura observation by psychics or some holistic practitioners, they were able to see what was ailing their patients and help them according to the distribution of their aura.


    In other words Aura was like a map or spiritual projection of the body, Rhys just needed to figure out the key for himself.


    [18/30 HP]


    Rhys stared intently at the mould and fungus on the wall, and concentrated as the smoky green aura came pouring into him. He watched as the bubbly fungus began to dry and crumble as its energy was extracted from it. He watched as his own body greedily sucked up the energy and used it to strengthen himself. The paper cuts on his thumbs healed and the hunger in his belly disappeared. He could feel the affects of absorption more clearly now and he smiled brightly feeling a warm sensation reverberate through him.


    [20/30 Hp]


    The fungus on the walls covered a much larger area than he realised. It seemed that at least 70 percent of the 100 meter long basement was covered in it. Rhys slowly walked along the wall and trailed his hand over the mould and fungus so that his skill would work. The longer he walked the more intense the rush of energy flooding into him became. His heart beat quickened. His blood pumped. He stared at the fungus and watched it die.


    [22/30 Hp]


    [23/30 Hp]


    Rhys was a in a trance as the energy came surging into him and before his eyes something strange happened. The green smoky aura of the fungus in on the walls suddenly swelled as if creating something. All of a sudden the tiny auras burst open, spitting out thousands of even tinier little green auras around the room like luminescent dust particles.


    [Aura Detection Used + 2 Exp]


    [Fungus spores]


    From biology class, Rhys knew that fungus reproduced by releasing spores into the air. It was an amazing biological process that was highly effective. Rhys sighed as he dragged his hand over the wall and continued to absorb energy. Compared to the fungi''s method, Rhys''s way of absorbing energy was downright pathetic. If he could launch thousands of pieces of his aura into the air and absorb from those aura particles, this skill would be a lot more convenient.


    [''Hm... you are beginning to have less useless thoughts now.'']


    "Are you staring that it''s possible? Can I really spread out my aura to do the absorption for me?" Rhys could not help but get excited at the thought of advancing.


    [''Perhaps,''] The teacher chuckled [''But first you need to unlock the Aura manipulation skill.'']


    Rhys nodded in understanding. It made sense that he would first need to unlock that skill in order to do what he wanted to achieve. The thumping in his chest got louder and faster all on its own as his head was filled with ambitious thoughts.


    "ARGH!" Pain clenched inside of Rhys''s chest, as if someone had grabbed a hold of his heart and squeezed it.


    "FUCK!" He belched as he fell forward into the piles of discarded junk. "What''s happening to me?"


    [''Oh don''t be so dramatic, it''s just your pathetic body reacting to the influx of energy.'']


    Rhys groaned out in pain at what felt like a heart attack. He helplessly lay on the floor and bit down on his lip as a horrible heat clamped down on his heart.


    "Argh, is this because I absorbed too much energy?" Rhys winced trying to hold back humiliating tears.


    [''No, you are still within your limits. You can just consider this to be growing pain due to the changes your body is going through, your aura expanding is most likely the cause of this. I suggest that you pace yourself next time you absorb energy. Come now, there''s no need to be embarrassed, everyone goes through this'']


    The mocking was clear in the teacher''s tone which caused Rhys''s face to redden as he was plastered to the floor. The pain was slowly lessening but not enough that he was confident about getting off the floor.


    The door at the top of the basement suddenly opened. Bright yellow light flooded in from the first floor of the library. Rhys turned his head concerned to see what was going on. Thankfully there was a slit in one of the boxes in front of him so he could see what was going on at the stairs to the library.


    There were two men dressed in black military uniforms. Their thick black combat boots and black leather sheathed weapons were telltale signs of the famous military elite forces.


    Rhys bit through the pain and summoned his skill.


    [Aura Detection used]


    [Aura: Strengthening (strong)]


    [Aura Detection used]


    [Aura: Strengthening (strong)]


    Rhys was once again greeted by the common yellowish auras.


    "Here are the files you wanted. You have to read them quickly though, if anyone realises that these are missing I''m dead." The soldier''s voice shivered as he handed over three red files to the taller, more well built soldier.


    "Thanks."


    Rhys watched curiously as the larger soldier licked his thumb and turned the pages of the first file.


    "This ones interesting." A mischievous smirk darkened his expression as he stared down at the first file. "So she''s the first success of the eugenics lab, poor girl, her life must have been hell."


    ''Eugenics lab...'' Rhys winced thinking about the terrifying red coats.


    "She''s kinda cute too. Whatever, she''s probably way too damaged to get close to if she came out with a poison generation ability anyway."


    Rhys''s eyes widened as the image of the dark skinned curly haired girl he had seen at the initiation test. She was the only other person in that room beside the electrokinesis guy whom the system labelled as strong. Could they really be talking about her? Could she really be involved with eugenics? Was she the result of their testing programs that they had been advertising all over the district? If she was, Rhys could only shudder to think about what she had gone through.


    "Hey speed it up." The smaller soldier pleaded. "I need to be back there in like five minutes."


    "Okay, okay."


    The soldier opened the next folder, immediately his eyebrows shot all the way up his forehead.


    "How the hell did a guy like this end up in the Sector 5 recruitment pool? He should be in Sector 1 with the rest of his family." The soldier gripped the file firmly as if his fingers were just as shocked as his face.


    "Hey! Don''t crumple it. They''ll know I moved it!" The anxiety level of the other soldier spiked.


    "With this ability there''s no doubt that he''s a Tardras. What is he even doing here? Oh wait, here it says that the general discovered him in a juvenile facility..." The soldier chuckled lifelessly. "Thank my lucky starts that I don''t have to be in the same year as him. Can you imagine? A Tardras family member with anger management issues. I''ll pray for these freshmen."


    The other soldier forgot his anxiety for a moment and nodded in solidarity with the larger soldier.


    Rhys was wide-eyed on the floor as he listened to the two soldiers. There was no doubt that they were talking about his juvenile facility attending, electrokinesis having roommate. Apparently he was a Tardras... Whatever that meant it sounded important. District 20 was not really connected to the news and going ons of the higher districts, so perhaps that was why he did not recognise the name Tardras.


    "His name here is listed as Connor Twenty. He has the twentieth district''s collective orphan surname, but there''s simply no way that he''s an orphan with the electric current manipulation ability."


    "Yeah, yeah, thats all very interesting but quickly read the last file." The smaller soldier snatched the two files away and pushed the last file towards him.


    "Okay, let''s see." He mumbled while focusing on the small letters. "His name is Rhys Anson, and his ability is unknown. Wait, what? Huh, what''s going on? Why isn''t his ability listed here?"


    Rhys''s stomach turned to ice as he heard his own name come out of the soldier''s mouth. He should have seen it coming, but he had not.


    "No way, all his information has been blacked out."


    "Huh, let me see."


    The two soldiers gawked at the file of the seemingly harmless looking teenager and wondered who on Earth he was that his file had been meticulously blacked out.


    "Oh wait here''s something."


    Rhys immediately focused back on the two soldiers wondering what had been written in his file.


    "He''s on the termination list."


    There was a brief but frigid silence between the soldiers as the reality dawned on them. An even icier feeling was settling in Rhys as he mulled over the word ''termination''.


    "They''re, planning, on exterminating him..." The smaller soldier''s shoulders dropped. "But he just turned seventeen."


    Rhys smiled bitterly as he remembered that today was his birthday. He had forgotten because of everything that was going on. But at least this sweet piece of news would brighten what was left of his day.


    "Why would they want to kill him? His ability is unknown so why are they being so proactive on this?"


    "It''s not that simple." The soldier closed the red file and handed it back with a solemn expression. "Trust me, if the general wanted someone dead he would not have waited for this Rhys to get here. He would have been dead and buried in the district he came from where his body would not be easily found. The general must have brought this kid here to test him and see if he really needed to be culled or not."


    "Then why put him on the termination list at all? Why not just..."


    "It''s a safety measure. In case something gets out of hand in a training period per say, whoever is supervising won''t need to waste time and call in for permission, they will legally be allowed to execute him on the spot. That''s the beauty of the termination list, if an instructor or supervisor kills a student on the list they won''t face any penalties. It''s a safety measure for the military against government involvement if they decide to kill him."


    The smaller soldier slumped back against the wall and sighed. "Poor kid, he''s walking around with a target on his back without even knowing it."


    The soldier shook his head and frowned. "But still, they''re this cautious when it comes to unknown abilities?"


    "They have to be because of what happened last year."


    A light of curiosity went off in the younger soldier''s eyes. "What happened last year?" He asked with bated breath.


    "Don''t you need to put those files back?" A smirk spread across his face as the other soldier''s expression spiralled into panic.


    "Shit!" He snatched the last red file away and ran up the basement steps. "Dammit Ryker, you should have reminded me!"


    Ryker chuckled as he walked up the steps after his friend and closed the basement door behind himself.


    The pain had long since gone from Rhys''s body but he remained shell shocked. He lay on the floor thinking about the complicated life he had that he knew was only going to get more complicated.


    "Happy birthday to me."

 Chapter 18 - 18 Check It Out

    As per usual Rhys found himself a spot tucked away from all the others where he could quietly observe the masses. All the freshmen were in their grey military uniforms, the same set of t-shirt, cargo pants and sneakers that had been given to them when they registered for college. Although Rhys had only been on campus for a few nights, there were other students that had been here for months already and the way they interacted showed it.


    Rhys watched with stiff shoulders as people greeted each other with smiles and hugs and slaps on the back, apparently bonds had been formed over the waiting period. And these people were lucky enough to have been sorted into a class with people they knew. Rhys awkwardly stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, secretly disappointed that he had been put into a different class from Otis and hoping the door to the lecture hall would open soon so that he would not have to witness all this happiness.


    The atmosphere was just too bright and welcoming, a feeling that made Rhys frown and lean further back against the wall. After such a violent initiation test, and finding out that his name was on the termination list, Rhys could not get himself into the same relaxed mindset as the others.


    The light above the lecture hall door finally turned green and the door slid open to reveal a large empty lecture hall. The room was well lit but eerily quiet. It made everyone who was eager to go inside hesitate and hold their breath. Rhys watched as the students around him glanced at each other nervously, waiting to see who would be the first brave person to enter the hall.


    One handsome guy with a big goofy grin eventually stepped foreword with a shrug. "Okay then, I guess I''ll go first."


    His bravery was rewarded with chuckling and light clapping from the other students. And once they saw him enter safely, the rest followed.


    Rhys entered the hall and quickly sought out a seat near the back where he would have a good view of his classmates. Unfortunately, the others had the same idea as him because by the time he got inside the back rows had already been filled up with students.


    After a few minutes, everybody who had been waiting outside had been seated, and among the students, Rhys spotted the girl with the poison generation ability near the back corner of the hall, as well as his roommate Connor, surrounded by a bunch of people. This scene looked exactly the same as what Rhys had seen in the cafeteria. The students were trying their best to get on his good side. They were so obviously fawning over him and cracking jokes with him like he was their best friend. In a sense, it was wise to make friends with the strong but the way they were so desperately clinging onto the uninterested Connor looked so pathetic to Rhys.


    Among the group of suck-ups, Rhys recognised the brown-haired guy who had been the first to enter the hall. Rhys looked curiously at his luminescent light green aura and checked what his ability was.


    [Aura Detection used + 5 Exp]


    [Aura: Energy transfer (weak)]


    [''That one has a useful ability. Go solidify a comradeship with that human.''] Rhys rolled his eyes at the teacher''s words but did not disagree with him. People with the energy transferal ability were actually quite sought after. Especially in battle situations, people with this ability came to be even more preferred than people with healing abilities.


    Energy transfers were on the same level as taking adrenaline pills, they allowed soldiers to go hard and fast for varying times depending on the strength of the transferer.


    ''It wouldn''t be a bad idea to make friends with him, but I''m not so sure that he would want to make friends with me'' Rhys thought as he watched the guy trying his best to have a conversation with Connor who was so obviously disinterested. He was among the people gathered around Connor like beggars hoping for scraps. They had their eyes out for the people who looked strong, Rhys doubted that any of them would give him a second glance.


    Suddenly the door to the lecture hall slid open revealing a man in its stead. To Rhys''s surprise he looked ordinary, painfully so. The most noticeable thing about him were the dark circles under his eyes and the way he slouched his shoulders. He walked lazily to the centre of the hall where a desk and podium were waiting for him. He quietly cleared his throat and slid a pair of circular rimmed glasses onto his face before looking up at the students. Although his appearance was lacklustre, his gaze on the other hand was noteworthy. His sharp eyes landed on each student before he coldly looked down at the papers in front of him.


    "Stand up and greet me." Despite his humble appearance his voice was severely authoritative.


    Immediately the students shot to their feet, leaving Rhys and a few other clueless students to scramble to their feet afterwards. Everyone clenched their hands into fists and kept their arms at their sides and unanimously echoed, "Good morning, Sir!"


    Rhys frowned wondering when everyone besides him had learned the formal greeting.


    "Be seated." His face was completely unimpressed.


    "I usually like to start off the first day with a history lesson, but since we are limited for time, I''ll just give a quick recap that will hopefully remind you all of what your purpose is here."


    The tall thin man, stepped around his podium and approached the stairs in between isles of students.


    "In March, two thousand and twenty-six, Earth came under attack by the Xerserth Empire, a race of humanoid type aliens who had already conquered tens of planets."


    Rhys was immediately taken back to his high school classes where he had seen pictures of the Xerserth. Despite their amazing technological and scientific feats, the Xerserth Empire functioned like a large kingdom. They had a king and queen who reigned supreme with knight-like warriors all swearing allegiance to sovereignty.


    "Meteor sized projectiles were launched at the Earth which lead to the drowning of the majority of the old continents and a reduction in the Earth''s population from eight billion people to five billion people."


    The lecturer walked slowly up the steps and past the students, his voice getting louder in Rhys''s ears as he approached.


    "From then on, what remained of Earth''s forces faced full-on battle confrontations with the Xerserth battalions. These confrontations led to the widespread discovery of cores and gems which made up for the fossil fuels, oil and energy plants that were lost in the initial attacks."


    The lecturer''s face was completely blank as he spoke. He simply projected his words round the hall as he continued to climb the steps, now only a few rows below Rhys.


    "With the huge losses in population and land mass, world governments almost entirely collapsed. Leaving the desperate survivors to fend for themselves. During that time, the various military powers stepped up and became autonomous from their separate states and began to work together to defend Earth. Because of the military''s efforts the Earth as they knew it managed to survive for five years."


    Rhys nodded slightly thinking about how the military and the government were still autonomous today. The fracture from back then still held try to the present.


    "After the fifth year, the most devastating attack was launched against Earth. You with the hair, what was the name of this attack?" Rhys had a mini heart attack when he looked up to see that the lecturer had stepped into his isle and was pointing at him. Just as he was about to speak the girl beside him started muttering.


    She had big curious eyes and her long pale blue hair was haphazardly shoved into a messy bun.


    "Yes sir." She stood up immediately. "The Pangea attack also known as the continental devastation attack, sir."


    Rhys sighed in Reid realising that the lecturer had pointed to the girl next to him. Even though Rhys knew the answer, talking in class had never been his thing. A mix of social anxiety and stage fright.


    "Correct."


    He shifted his glasses up his long nose before continuing.


    "The Pangea attack was carried out by what the Xerseth call a Saint. A being powerful enough that he was able to rearrange the continents to the configuration that we have today, which also matches the configuration of what Earth looked like three hundred million years ago."


    "This attack was carried out without prior warning leaving billions of people to face tsunamis, volcanoes, and hurricanes without any protection because of the continental rearrangement. This attack reduced the already sunk population of five billion people to a little less than eight hundred million."


    It was hard to even understand what type of core that Xerseth person must have inhaled to have the power to rearrange continents. What the hell did that even look like.


    [''It seems that these Xerserth people are far more advanced than your race, it''s a pity that the inheritor could not have been one of them instead....'']


    Rhys ignored the teacher and sunk back into his own thoughts. Even though Rhys had heard it many times before, it was still shocking to think how many people had died because of the Xerserth. From 8 billion humans to 800 million in five years. That meant that only a tenth of the world survived.


    "Then came the enslavement of humanity. The surviving eight hundred million were colonised and were being used as miners to dig up all of Earth''s hidden gems and cores to send to the Xerseth bases. Due to the Xerseth''s poor treatment of humans during their enslavement a further hundred million perished in the mining projects."


    Rhys cringed thinking about all those people. He had seen pictures in his textbook of skeletal-like humans dressed in rags dusting off gems and cores that would he shipped to other planets.


    "As you all know, it was because the Xerseth considered Earth to be defeated and became complacent in their organising of humans that the military began to work underground again. The military continuously and successfully rescued people from the mines and carried out organised attacks on Xerseth bases. The military allowed for humanity to gain a stronghold again and allowed for full blown bases to be constructed underground. I won''t regurgitate the fine details of the sequence of events that led to Earth''s independence, but you should all known that because of the military, Earth was finally classified as a Phase 4 planet by the ACRONX union. And so the Xerserth forces were forced to retreat and leave Earth alone."


    The lecturer had made his was to the back row, the highest spot in the hall where he could look down at all of us.


    "The military fought fiercely to win Earth back, and it did so successfully. But only fools would be happy with the temporary peace humanity has achieved. If one day the Xerserth convince the other allied races of the ACRONX union to invade Earth again, we will have no help but our own. Our temporary classification as a phase 4 planet is the only thing keeping humans from being enslaved or killed off by the Xerserth."


    Rhys gulped heavily, feeing the weight of a reality he had not thought about in a long time. With all the troubles of district 20, he often forgot about the impending alien invasion. Humanity was seriously fucked it it didn''t get its shit together.


    "For the convenience of strategy, what was left of the population was divided into twenty districts and five sectors. As you all now, each sector contains four districts. All of your are from the fifth sector, which means you are people from the twentieth to the seventeenth district."


    "It''s not a secret that the fifth sector is under the military''s control, and is the most impoverished sector. Those of you from the twentieth district especially might resent the military for the poor living conditions that you have lived through..."


    It was true, no one in the 20th district could speak very well of the military. They saw the way they lived and new it was directly linked to the military''s government of the district.


    "Please know that unlike the government that controls the other four districts, the military puts all its resources into finding ways to save humanity. The military doesn''t waste money on superficial things like street lamps and neighbourhood restoration. That money goes into research, and creating weapons and bettering our chances against the Xerseth..."


    Rhys''s jaw clenched at the garbage that was spewing out of the lecturer''s mouth. He leaned his head forward against his hands to hide the anger that he knew was spilling onto his face. Nobody in district twenty was asking for ''street lamps'' or ''neighbourhood restoration'', people in the 20th died meaningless deaths everyday because the military simply did not care about them. There was no police force in the 20th, and unless you had money there was no healthcare. Schools fed children into gangs, and gangs fed the people to their graves. It wasn''t like people could immigrate to a better district either, people from the twentieth could not migrate without a special passbook and government approval which was getting increasingly rare. Rhys hated the way the lecture diminished those problems like it was a matter of the military not wanting to waste money.


    "Your purpose at the military college is to let the military grow you into something capable of defending Earth. The path you are walking on now is one of bravery and righteousness..."


    Rhys wondered if this guy wrote his own script or if it was given to him by the military.


    "With that said, let us commence your first class." The lecturer turned around and pushed against the back wall of the lecture hall. An opening suddenly appeared in the wall that led to what looked like a gymnasium.


    "Today we will be joining another class for you initial evaluations. I''ll give you about fifteen minutes to warm up and another five minutes to get into groups of four. Your group does not have to only be people from this class, you can team up with students from the other class as well."


    The atmosphere quickly thickened as people hurriedly got out of their seats and stormed into the gymnasium. They wanted to get into the strongest teams for the evaluation test.


    "Hey Connor, you''ll team up with me right?"


    "Let''s make a group man!"


    "Connor I saved you a spot in my team."


    "Come on, Connor, please."


    "Hey babe, you''ll group with me right?"


    Rhys rolled his eyes at the frenzy that was happening around Connor and continued into the gym. The fifty or so students from the other class had some nice abilities too, but nothing that could match the electrokinesis and poison generation from Rhys''s class.


    Rhys paused when his eyes caught sight of a bright red flaming aura. His stomach dropped to the floor as he heard the teacher guffaw in his head.


    [''You idiot, I told you! You should have finished him off when you had the chance'']


    "Check it out..." Rhys''s head shot up when he heard the familiar snicker of the guy he had left alive in an alley back in District 20.


    "Oh my days. I was wondering when I would run into you."


    [Aura detection used]


    [Name: Sampson Welsh]


    [Aura: Fire manipulation (Average)]


    "Sampson." Rhys swept a hand through his black hair in an attempt to calm his anxiety, aggravation, humiliation and rising anger. "What are you doing here?"


    "I have more pride than to let some freak, who I used to chew out for breakfast, beat me bloody in an alley and just leave it at that..." Rhys gritted his teeth at the sickening grin Sampson''s face.


    "But for now, let''s team up." Sampson suddenly broke out into a strangely non-evil grin.


    "Huh?" Rhys stared forward at Sampson, not sure if the guy was joking or not.


    "Join my team. We know each other''s abilities pretty well so we''ll make a good team. I plan on doing well in this evaluation, so join me."


    Rhys did not believe for a second that Sampson didn''t have ulterior motives, but as he looked around the gym, he saw that everyone had already gotten into groups.


    "Fuck my life..."


    Sampson grinned happily down at Rhys.


    *****************


    IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING


    Connor''s full name is Connor Twenty. They give surnames to Orphans based on the districts they come from. Connor is an orphan of district Twenty so his name is Connor Twenty. I don''t know why I wrote it as Connor Twelve in the previous chapter... just had a brain fart or something.


    Anyway say it with me, "Connor Twenty!"

 Chapter 19 - 19 Rankings

    Sampson grinned happily down at Rhys, while Rhys blankly stared forward into a face he thought he would never see again.


    "Do you want to be in the same team so you can take revenge on me? Is that why you followed me to the military college?" Rhys stared up into Sampson''s cocky smirking face.


    "Don''t kid yourself." Sampson chuckled incredulously at Rhys, "I was always going to join the military. Although I was swayed when Barrow offered me a seat in his gang, when you beat me I realised that I couldn''t waste my time in the 20th anymore."


    Sampson reached into his pocket and squeezed his trusty lighter in his hand. "Being the strongest is my right. So I cant sit back while the wimps I used to chew out get stronger than me at college."


    "That still doesn''t answer why you want me on your team." Rhys grunted, annoyed at the mention of Barrow.


    "Your ability is unusual. I don''t think anyone here has ever seen anything like it, so it could be the surprise factor that helps me win first place." Rhys could practically see the ambition burning in Sampson''s eyes.


    "Yes, you did always have this obsession with being the best." Rhys remembered the incident a few year ago when their high school finally scrapped together enough funds to have an ability tournament. In the fifth sector, schools were expected to host tournaments like that every year, but their school had a problem with upper management dipping their fingers into the funds meant for the tournament, so it never happened. By some miracle one year the funds didn''t ''go missing'' and the tournament was held at an old arena. Or it was being held until Sampson placed second overall for his performance. That''s when he went on a rampage and burnt down the arena. Needless to say there was never another tournament.


    "It''s natural to want to be the best." Sampson shrugged of Rhys''s judgmental stare.


    "Well, we can''t make a team with just the two of us, we need two more people. Do you have anyone in mind?" Rhys sighed wondering if he was actually going to consider being on the same team as Sampson. The guy who had burnt his friends to death in an alley a few days ago.


    Sampson scowled as he surveyed the crowd of college students. "It''s annoying to choose when you don''t know their abilities."


    Rhys smiled secretly knowing that he could see everyone''s abilities with ease. "Well if we could, what would your ideal team look like?"


    Sampson turned back to look at Rhys. "I''d be in charge of attacking since that''s my specialty." Sampson expertly spun his lighter between his fingers like some kind of fidget master. "You have that weird ability, so you''d be doing as many sneak attacks as possible. I don''t want another offensive person since they''d only get in my way..."


    "Since you want to do all the straight up fighting, a healer or energy transferor would be ideal to keep your energy up." Rhys was already scanning the few people awkwardly walking around the gym who had not found a group yet, looking for the brown haired guy with a goofy grin.


    "And I don''t know if you heard about Connor yet, but we will definitely need someone with a defensive skill, like a barrier creator or an energy absorber."


    "Connor," Sampson''s eyes sharpened. "Yeah I heard about him."


    Rhys watched as Sampson''s mood worsened. Rhys knew that Sampson was volatile, especially when his god complex was being threatened. Having someone like Connor whose core ability was undoubtedly better than Sampson''s was probably making his blood boil.


    "Do you know if he has a generation type or a manipulation type core?" Sampson stared blankly into the crowd of students where Connor had his back to him. The black stripes of his tattoo were clearly visible on his neck, which only added to his already frightening presence.


    Rhys knew his words would agitate Sampson, but he decided it was better that Sampson understood the huge gap between himself and Connor before the evaluation test started.


    "Neither. Connor is electrokinetic. He has complete control over electric current, so he can generate it and manipulate it however he wants."


    To this day researchers and core developers argued about whether manipulation cores or generation cores were better for elementists. However it was common knowledge that a person infused with a core that allowed them both to manipulate and generate elements was by far the superior. No one with a brain could argue differently. Although Sampson had some severe personality defects, he was not stupid. He knew now that there was no way he could beat Connor by himself.


    Sampson was silent for a bit before he turned back to Rhys. "We don''t really need a defensive person then, I mean your ability means that his electricity won''t affect you."


    Rhys''s eye twitched remembering what his teacher had said about him being weak to Connor''s powers. "Even if I won''t be affected by his electrical current, it will pass straight through me and hit the rest of our team. A defensive team member will be for your benefit not mine."


    Sampson''s eyes suddenly glowed defiantly and Rhys saw that his fiery aura was churning and flaming. "You think I need protecting? Is that what you''re saying?" Sampson growled out at Rhys.


    Rhys was about to rip out his hair in frustration when the loud voice of the other class''s instructor boomed around the gym.


    "Okay recruits, listen up." She was a huge burly woman with a cleanly shaved head. She had at least a foot on the other lecturer and her thick arms bulged with muscles and veins.


    [title: Other class''s instructor]


    [Aura: Strengthening (almost strong)]


    ''Almost strong'' Rhys had not seen this label from the system yet. So far no one had surpassed Connor and his ''very strong'' label.


    "Those of you who already formed a team please move backwards and allow those who have not formed complete teams to move forward." Rhys and Sampson begrudgingly walked to the front of the gym.


    "Everyone who hasn''t gotten into a team, come stand on this line and face the others." She pointed to the painted white line just in front of her.


    Those who were by themselves sheepishly made their way to the white line and turned around to face the crowd while groups of twos and threes like Sampson and Rhys scrutinised them.


    Among the line of thirteen people Rhys was happy to see the guy from his class, the energy transferor who he had set his sights on. Even now he had a big carefree smile on his face but Rhys suspected he was only smiling to mask the embarrassment of not being picked. On the other hand, Rhys was pretty shocked to see the poison generation girl standing right next to him in line. Although Rhys could see why some would be hesitant to pick the energy transferor since he could end up being dead weight to a team, but poison generation was an amazing skill that should have surely secured her a place in a group. Perhaps she didn''t want to tell people her skill.


    "Okay, you groups of three over there." The instructor pointed towards a bunch of students who had made groups of three and were in need of one more member. "Since you guys did a better job at getting into groups within the time limit, I''ll let you pick first."


    Murmurs of dissatisfaction rustled through the groups with two members but they quickly quietened down when the instructor sent a menacing look their way.


    A brave girl with a weak healing ability immediately stepped forward and pointed to the largest guy in the line. He had a mean scar from his cheek to his lip and impressive muscles that made him look like he was in his thirties. All that was a bluff though because he was just another weak Strengthening ability user.


    "We''ll take him." She burst out quickly.


    "Good," The instructor nodded. "Go join your team." The big guy walked off the line with a frown on his face, apparently he was not too happy with his group.


    The first girl''s decisive but stupid actions created a frenzy within the other groups of threes, they all started to suddenly point to the most impressive-looking person in the line and called them to their team. They knew nothing about their abilities and were going with the mentality of ''he/she looks tough, so they are probably strong''. That panic had made people forget their senses and just revert back to judging people on unreliable first impressions.


    Before long all the groups of three had been completed and seven people from the line had been chosen leaving six people behind. Everyone who had been chosen was picked because of appearance, not because of their actual strength, thus some of the best people were still on the line waiting to be chosen.


    "Okay then, you guys please join the other completed groups." The seven groups walked back to where all the other groups were waiting.


    "Now will the remaining three groups please choose two people from the line each. One at a time please, starting with you two." Rhys grinned when he saw that the lady pointed at him and Sampson.


    The last six people in the line consisted of the petite poison generation girl, the class clown with the energy transferor ability, a timid looking girl with a weak healing ability, a toned girl with a weak strengthening ability and two guys with very weak Earth manipulation abilities. Unfortunately, there wasn''t anyone left with a barrier ability. The next best thing for Rhys would be one of the guys with the Earth manipulation abilities because the electricity ability was weak to the Earth ability. However, the system had marked the two guys as very weak so there was actually no point in choosing them. Connor''s ''very strong'' electric current would turn any manipulated earth controlled by a ''very weak'' manipulator into dust, instantly. That meant the best choice was the poison generation girl. If they could not get defence, Rhys would need to supplement the team with more attack.


    "We will take him and her." Rhys consecutively pointed to the class clown and the poison generating girl eager to get those two standing next to him. However, Rhys''s hopes and dreams came crashing down when Sampson opened his mouth.


    "Wait, that weak chick? Fuck no." Sampson snickered as he looked at the poison generation girl. By the scowl that appeared on her face, it was clear that she had heard him.


    Rhys elbowed Sampson in his side and put an apologetic smile on his face. "I''m sorry about him, we''d be really happy to have you on our team."


    Sampson looked at Rhys like he had gone insane. Why would Rhys apologise on behalf of him to some insignificant little girl, who looked like she could be a middle schooler?


    "Forget it." She stepped back onto the line and stared coldly at Sampson. "Pick someone else."


    "Gladly." Sampson spat back at her. "Okay, we''ll take that..."


    "Ugh, you guys are too slow. Next group, it''s your turn to choose." Sampson was interrupted from picking a new teammate by the impatient instructor who gave their turn to the next team of two, who promptly picked the poison generation girl to join their team.


    Rhys squatted down on his haunches and added this incident to the list of reasons why he hated Sampson, and then and there swore to himself to never forget the list.


    "Don''t be dramatic, she''s just some little girl. We don''t need that kind of dead weight in our team anyways." Sampson crossed his arms confidently with no idea of the gem he had just let slip through his fingers.


    Rhys wanted to yell at him that she had a poison generation ability, but then he would have to come up with a way to explain how he knew that, so for now Rhys swallowed his frustration. If the evaluation was going to be carried out like a tournament, then Sampson would have an opportunity to see her fight, and then Rhys would get the satisfaction of seeing Sampson regret what he had done.


    As Rhys expected, the next two groups chose their teammates, leaving the timid girl with the healing ability left in the line. Like a scared mouse, she scuttled over to Rhys and Sampson and their other teammate with her head down and her face flushed red with humiliation at not being picked for a group.


    "Hello," She shyly looked up at us between her messy ginger hair that curled about her face in a bob. "My name is Nim Reglin. I''m from the seventeenth, and I have the healing core."


    Rhys nodded slightly at her words. She was so intimidated that her knees were trembling. Of course a healer from the seventeenth district would be shaken by this kind of atmosphere.


    Sampson didn''t even try to hide the disappointment and annoyance on his face. He scowled down at her and turned to the guy Rhys had chosen. "What about you?"


    "Oh, haha." He chuckled nervously while keeping the usual smile on his face. "I''m Joel Adams and I''m an energy transferor. I''m from the nineteenth and I''m a decent fighter as well." Joel patted his side and brought attention to the double sheathed daggers strapped to his thigh. At a second glance, he did seem pretty sturdy, so hopefully, he would be able to hold his own if he had to fight.


    "At least you are somewhat useful." Sampson snickered at Joel''s introduction and threw another scowl Nim''s way which made her shrivel up even more.


    "Okay, so our team ended up with two support type members," Rhys gestured to Nim and Joel. " And one fully offensive member," Rhys looked at Sampson. "And then one combination of the two." Rhys pointed at himself.


    "Hey, I''m Rhys Anson from the twentieth. My ability has not been officially named yet, but I''ve been calling it intangibility. That basically means that I can pass through any solid matter."


    Nim and Joel stared at Rhys for a moment, waiting for what they had just heard to make sense, and waiting to see if he was being serious or not. The idea of meeting someone with an unknown ability had never even crossed their minds.


    Although Sampson had controlled his face, he listened intently to what Rhys said. The first thing he had done after Rhys knocked him out in that alley was break into the nearest scrip store and search for scripts that explained Rhys''s ability. Of course, he had found nothing, but that had only piqued his interest. He would let it go for now, but he was determined to find out how Rhys had gotten hold of such an ability.


    "I''m Sampson Welsh from the twentieth. I''m a fire manipulator and I was the highest-ranked fire Elementalist in our school district. I''ll be carrying this team today." Sampson naturally fiddled with the lighter in his fingers. "You two need to make sure to not get in my way. If I lose because of you guys, you''re dead."


    Sampson was serious. He would literally beat the shit out of the two of them if they annoyed him during the upcoming evaluations.


    "Okay trainees, listen up." The bald instructor''s loud voice caught everyone''s attention again.


    "Today''s evaluation test will be in the style of a classic group tournament. You will all fight in randomly drawn lots against the opposing team. If you win, you earn the chance to fight again. If you lose, you''ll sit on the side and watch the others." She reached into her dark green cargo pants and brought out a little finger-sized device and clicked the button on it.


    The floor of the gym started making loud noises as the mechanisms beneath the flooring started to churn. Metal panels in the flooring opened up to reveal large circular pits filled with compressed dirt. Each pit was about 15 meters in diameter and a foot lower than the gym floor, and there were twelve of these pits in total.


    "In the first round, each group will fight against another group. The winners will advance to the next round while the losers will sit on the sidelines." She said the words ''losers'' with a grimace as if the word tasted bad in her mouth.


    "To avoid the same incidents that happened in the previous years, the fight''s winners won''t be determined on a last man standing basis''. Instead, each group will receive a numbered flag like so," From her pocket, she pulled out a material folded flag. She peeled off the plastic lining on the back of the flag and pasted the flag onto her chest. Apparently, the flags were stick-on.


    "Your groups are free to choose which member will wear the flag, but the flags must be worn on the front of that member''s shirt and must be visible at all times during the match. Anyone trying to hide their flags will be eliminated immediately."


    Rhys sombrely wondered what had happened during the past evaluations that they decided to change it.


    "As a team, you will work together and try to snatch the other team''s flag. Of course, weapons and gear are permitted. And you are all encouraged to use your abilities. There are medical crews on standby so don''t be squirmish when taking down your opponents. Although we did change the format of the evaluation to reduce casualties this year, the easiest method of getting the flag would probably still be beating the other team to a pulp and peeling the flag from them once they are down." The way her eyes shone with excitement disturbed Rhys.


    "There are twelve pits with two teams per pit. That means there will be twenty-four groups participating in this round. So one lucky group will not have to fight and will immediately advance to the next round."


    The crowd murmured angrily at her words. Rhys looked around at their disgruntled faces and realised that none of them knew the instructor was doing them all a favour by doing this. Despite the way she talked so happily about beating people to a pulp, it seemed that she was at least kind enough to allow the students a round of fighting without the most dangerous student in it.


    "That lucky group is you four." As expected the women pointed straight at Connor and his three teammates.


    [Name: Connor Twenty]


    [Aura: Electrokinesis (very strong)]


    Connor stood casually with his hands in his pockets and gazed boldly at the instructor. Unlike the rest of the students whose nerves were beginning to get to them, he was not phased in the least. After years in juvenile hall, this all seemed so boring and safe to him. Despite his lifeless expression, his powerful aura crackled and zapped with electrical current which made Rhys frown nervously.


    Rhys looked over Connor''s teammates and realised that Connor wasn''t just some delinquent. Even without Connor, his team would probably be the winning team because each member had a useful ability.


    ''Birds of a feather flock together.'' Rhys murmured the old forgotten idiom that he heard Gramps say many times.


    A few minutes later Rhys was pasting their team''s flag onto his grey T-shirt. The luminescent yellow material flag had the number 12 pasted on it and was easy to paste on and pull off, but that did not matter since now that it was on Rhys no one would be able to touch it.


    "Are you sure about this?" Joel looked slightly concerned at Rhys''s decision. "Shouldn''t Nim or I wear it since we will be staying behind you guys? If you wear it, won''t the other teams just go straight for you?"


    Rhys didn''t know a better way to explain it than a demonstration. Rhys took Joel''s hand and shoved it towards his chest. Joel''s jaw dropped when he saw his hand had gone straight through Rhys''s body as if Rhys was just an illusion.


    "So this is intangibility..." His face lit up with a smile and he seemed to relax a bit more. "If you''re like this, no one will be able to get our flag."


    A little seed of hope started to grow within the usual smiling but aloof Joel.


    "That''s crazy amazing." Nim whispered as she raised her finger, eager to poke through Rhys''s chest.


    "Okay trainees! Lend me your ears one last time before the matches start." Her loud voice infiltrated their ears once again.


    "After today''s matches, you will all be ranked with letter grades ranging from A to F." The back wall of the gym suddenly lit up. Apparently, it wasn''t just a wall but a ginormous flat screen. "A-B-C-D and F." She emphasised the letter F loudly. Rhys frowned slightly wondering what happened to the E rank. Did they just leave it out?


    "Because the fighting event was made a bit less brutal this year, the freshmen head decided to place more emphasis on the different rankings to motivate you guys."


    The giant flatscreen flashed a big golden ''A'' and began to display images.


    "The winning group will automatically have all its members ranked as A. And people who make the A category can enjoy unlimited meals, unrestricted access to campus facilities, a personal growth tutor who will help you create a personalised training program to help you get stronger, as well as a trip to the blacksmiths who will custom make a weapon for you."


    The shots of previous year''s A group and their smiling faces flooded the screen. Pictures of mouthwatering food, and restricted libraries as well as gem powered weapons had everyone swooning. For the district twenty kids in particular, the A category lifestyle was probably much better than they had ever experienced.


    "The B category students can enjoy three meals a day with a few extra meal points to use at their own discretion. They will be awarded a weapon consultation to figure out which weapons would best suite them. B students can also enjoy access to some specified restricted training facilities."


    As the screen flashed with pictures of the B category lifestyle, most people were still happy with the rewards but just could not get as excited about it.


    "The C category students can enjoy the dining facilities on weekdays only. On weekends you will be given food pills, anything else you want to eat you must pay for with your own funds. You will not have tutors or consultations or access to any restricted training facilities. Since C students are lacking in power you will be given a training regime on top of your coursework that you must complete and have signed off by specific instructors. Failure to complete your regime will result in punishment."


    A picture of a student laying bloodied and unconscious on the floor while instructors stood over him with grins in their faces flashed on the screen. Everyone''s mood suddenly darkened. The happy pictures of the A and B groups were no more.


    "D category students are really expected to work harder. Dining facilities are only available to them on the weekends as a treat. During the weak they will live off of food pills and be expected to complete lots of extra training shifts, almost double the amount of shifts C students have to complete."


    The mood was souring quickly. Rhys shook his head in pity for the students that would have to live off of food pills during the week. Food pills would technically give you all the nutrients you need but robbed you of the satisfaction of eating food. Food pills tasted awful and no one would voluntarily eat them for more than a few days straight. The psychological effect of eating food pills for a week would take its toll on a person.


    "F category students will be the first to wake up in the morning and the last to go to bed at night. You will be assigned morning and night regimens as well as unpaid construction jobs around campus. You will not have the privilege of eating at the dining halls, and will live exclusively off of food pills unless you have the money to spend on extra food from the convenience stores."


    Rhys frowned thinking about the kind of life you would have as an F ranked student, it was actually a good thing there wasn''t an E rank category because then the F rank students would be even worse off. Extra training and work on top of the scheduled college courses, and no actual food for months. And since people were naturally prejudiced Rhys was sure F ranked students would get bullied. It was basically the life he had lived in district 20, a lifestyle he was not going back to.


    "Hey, you guys." Sampson glared at his teammates. "We are making the A group no matter what."


    Rhys nodded confidently. He would need to use all his strength to get his team to that golden category.


    Joel and Nim looked less confident, having support type abilities had always put them on the weaker end of the rankings they had taken part in during their lives. However, they knew that they did not want to be part of the F group, at all costs.


    As Rhys looked around the gym everyone had a determined look on their faces. The rewards of being strong had tempted them and the consequences of being weak scared them. As was the military''s plan.


    "Okay everyone, head over to your assigned pit, the matches will begin shortly."


    ***********************


    IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING


    Connor''s full name is Connor Twenty. They give surnames to Orphans based on the districts they come from. Connor is an orphan of district Twenty so his name is Connor Twenty. I don''t know why I wrote it as Connor Twelve in the previous chapter... just had a brain fart or something.


    Anyway say it with me, "Connor Twenty!"

 Chapter 20 - 20 First Match

    A quick look around the gymnasium would tell how serious everyone was about the evaluation. No one was chatting or standing by idly, if people were talking they were group members discussing strategies. And quite a few others were taking these last moments before the match to sharpen their weapons. The sounds of metal scraping against metal echoed throughout the tense gym.


    "You two need to stay out of our way." Sampson turned around to growl at Joel and Nim. "Don''t make yourselves targets or hostages while I''m taking down the other team."


    Joel and Nim didn''t manage to nod their heads fast enough so Sampson continued to berate them.


    "Seriously, don''t get in my way. If you make yourselves a nuisance or end up in my line of fire don''t think I''ll hold back to protect you or any soft shit like that."


    Nim nodded enthusiastically almost slamming her chin into her neck as Sampson threatened her. Joel on the other hand was gripping the handle of his dagger while Sampson was barking at him. He definitely had a support type ability but from the pretty decent looking weapons he kept on his person to the fact that he was quite sturdy-looking, made Rhys think Joel was probably useful in terms of combat as well.


    "Calm down Sampson. It''s not realistic that the two of us can take on the other teams by ourselves for all of our matches." Rhys looked straight at Joel. "If you see an opening, go for it."


    Sampson looked disgusted at Rhys''s encouraging attitude and was about to say something when soldiers in black uniforms made their way to the different match pits. The hall of students immediately quieted down at the appearance of the fully-fledged soldiers in black. Rhys dry gulped thinking about how many of them knew that he was on the termination list.


    One of those men approached their group with a tablet device in his hand, he looked forward at group 12 comprised of Rhys, Sampson, Nim and Joel, then he looked at the group they were scheduled to fight, group 19. After confirming that all the required people were present he proceeded to tap on the screen of the pad without saying anything, leaving Rhys and the others to stare at him expectantly.


    "Trainees, you may now enter the match area." He looked up from his tablet to stare at the two groups who all flinched at the sudden sound of his voice.


    Rhys, Sampson, Nim and Joel cautiously stepped down into the large circular pit and they found themselves naturally separating from the other group. Rhys and his group had found themselves on one side of the circle and the other group was occupied the other half. The circle had a diameter of at least 15 to 20 meters so there was a decent distance between the two groups.


    "You have a time limit of two hours. The match ends when the flag of one team is completely in the hands of a member of another team. Also, be warned that medical staff will not enter the pit until after the match is over." Rhys''s attention perked up at the last bit of information. Someone could potentially die if they did not receive the medical attention they needed right away.


    [''oh, so no one receives medical treatment until a team is confirmed the winner... that makes things even more interesting.'']


    ''You mean it makes this evaluation that much more dangerous.'' Rhys marvelled at his teacher''s appreciation for unnecessary cruelty. What if someone got a fatal injury but the match wasn''t over? That person would just bleed out and die waiting for the match to be over.


    The soldier looked down at his tablet and tapped on the screen a few more times. A strange mechanical whirring sound churned from under the gym floor and suddenly a light orange force field shot up around the perimeter of the pit, imprisoning the eight trainees inside.


    Rhys squinted at the orange barrier and recognized them as the barriers used by high-class storefronts in district 20. He and gramps used to dream about being able to afford a barrier like that around their script shop to put a stop to the burglaries. Orange barriers were used in prisons and probably facilities like juvenile hall as well. The question was, would Rhys be able to pass through it with his skill?


    [''Part of being a teacher is letting the student learn for himself'']


    ''Stingy...''


    "They really take this shit seriously." Sampson scoffed as he pounded his fist against the orange barrier. As if he was hitting some kind of reinforced glass, only a light thud vibrated off of the surface. Barriers like that rejected energy and physical interference so there would be no getting out of the pit until the soldier lifted the barrier.


    Movement from the other team caught Rhys''s eye. The four guys were walking to what looked like pre-determined positions around their half of the circle. Before long they had spread out and were standing in a trapezium formation. Even more worrying than their display of teamwork and strategy was the fact they were all staring straight at Rhys, the group member with the flag pasted on his chest.


    "Hmmm..." Sampson chuckled, "looks like these guys will be going straight for the flag." He smirked and crossed his arms. "They''re not going to waste time. I like it."


    Although Rhys and Sampson had only been on campus for a few days, many other trainees had been on campus for up to a month and in all that time they could have been planning for the first evaluation. The way the other team had gotten into formation without so much as a word made Rhys sure of that.


    "This could be a little tough," Rhys muttered as he used his Aura detection skill on the other team.


    "Speak for yourself." Sampson tutted before frowning. "It''s a bit annoying when you don''t know their abilities though," Sampson admitted, trying to suss out any clues as to their core strengths.


    "The guy in the front on the left is a water manipulator. All the others are just ordinary strengtheners." Rhys had planned to let Sampson figure out their abilities during the match, but seeing the other team be so organised had made him a bit nervous. Rhys did not want to lose the first match and be given F rank, and then live out his college career munching on stinky black food pills. So giving Sampson this bit of information was out of necessity.


    When Sampson stared Rhys down with a questioning eyebrow, Rhys gave him a nonchalant explanation. "I overheard them talking about their abilities earlier when they were organising themselves."


    "Yeah, sure." Sampson didn''t look convinced.


    "The match will begin in, five." Once again the soldier spoke all of a sudden leaving Rhys, Sampson Joel and Nim to panic.


    "Oh fuck, we don''t have any time," Sampson growled out.


    "Four."


    Sampson waved at Nim and Joel to retreat to the edge of the circle. "Ugh! Hurry up and get back."


    Nim and Joel immediately scurried to the edge of the circle where they stood next to each other.


    "Three."


    "Since they are going to attack you first, I''ll wait for them to pounce on you and then I''ll torch them with my fire. Be ready to do your whole ''intangibility'' thing." Sampson hurriedly whispered before running to the other side of the circle.


    Rhys nodded feeling a bit more confident. It was a good plan. The other team had been so obviously staring at him because the flag was pasted to his chest. It seemed like they would try and go for him as soon as possible. Now that Sampson had run to the other side of the circle, they would definitely charge at Rhys who was standing by himself. Little did they know Sampson would release his full firepower on them as soon as they reached Rhys.


    "Two."


    Team 19 was ready. They were all staring at Rhys, ready to run at him and overwhelm him with their united strength. It was interesting to watch their individual auras blaze as the adrenaline pumped through them. The water manipulator had a particularly interesting aura, instead of just the usual bluish water aura, his aura looked like it was made of small balls of water, levitating around him like little bullets. After reading those books, Rhys knew that auras were like blueprints of a person''s ability, his peculiar water aura definitely had something to do with his abilities.


    [Aura: Strengthening (weak )]


    [Aura: Strengthening (weak )]


    [Aura: Strengthening (weak )]


    [Aura: Water Manipulation (average)]


    "One."


    "Begin."


    Before Rhys could even get a handle of what was going on, a small lightning fast water jet soared across the circle and smashed into Sampson''s neck.


    "Argh!" Sampson cried out and fell backwards as blood spurted out of a sizeable gash on the side of his neck.


    Nim and Joel were astonished to see such a fierce guy fall so quickly. Nim was already running towards Sampson with her green aura glowing brightly, ready to heal him, however, a powerful ball of water flew straight into her stomach knocking the wind right out of her. She fell forward onto the floor with a thud, clutching her belly as red began to stain her grey shirt. Joel smartly stayed put and drew his daggers hoping that he would be able to slice the balls of water in half before they got to him, but ultimately the balls were too fast to even see. At least three splashes connected with his legs, knocking him to the ground as well.


    Before Sampson could recover, two more water jets crashed into his knee and gut. The pain was enough to make Sampson shriek and writhe on the floor like a worm in the sun. His pants and shirt were quickly stained red as his clothes were being soaked in the blood from the wounds underneath. Rhys was frankly disturbed that water would be able to cut people that badly.


    The water manipulator snickered at Sampson lying down on the floor with his hand pressed over the wound on his neck. He had a satisfied expression on his face that made Rhys think this had been team 19''s plan all along. All of them staring at Rhys had just been a feint to throw them off their real target.


    One of the water manipulator''s teammates quickly tackled Sampson on the floor. With his strength, he easily held the injured Sampson to the ground and kicked his lighter away from him.


    The water manipulator turned to his other two teammates who were standing a ways behind him. "Go get the flag."


    They immediately set off in Rhys''s direction with eager smiles on their faces.


    The water manipulator turned back to Sampson and walked over to the bleeding restrained fire manipulator and let out a victorious laugh.


    "I personally still think that manipulation elementists like us are superior to generation type elementists. I mean, we can mould our elements to be whatever we want them to be, we can turn them into serious weapons with enough training. Our only setback is that without a supply we are pretty much useless."


    The guy picked up Sampson''s lighter and twiddled it between his fingers mockingly, provoking Sampson to struggle violently in the hold he was being kept in.


    "I''m not some idiot who would only rely on a single flimsy lighter to supply me with my element." The guy lifted up his grey shirt to reveal plastic bags of water that he had taped to his torso. A great supply of water for him to manipulate into water jets. Moreover, floating around in the water was what looked like tiny little metal blades, like mini razor blades, they were the secret behind why his water jets were cutting.


    Sampson''s face burned with rage and humiliation as he flailed about in the strengtheners hold, wanting nothing more than to rip the water manipulator''s tongue out of his throat. The hard truth was hitting Sampson like a truck, without his lighter, he had no fire to manipulate. He was a manipulator type and could not create fire on his own, he needed some kind of source.


    "If you''re mad at anyone you should be mad at yourself." The water guy twirled the lighter in his fingers enjoying his moment of domination against someone he disliked.


    "If you hadn''t shown off so much at the initiation test, I wouldn''t have been able to make such an effective plan against you today. Oh well, enjoy being in the F category, maybe I''ll give you my leftovers after mealtimes."


    The water manipulator extended his finger and pointed it at Sampson''s face. A stream of water funnelled out from the sacks taped to his torso and accumulated in a small ball in front of his finger. He aimed his finger at Sampson''s face and the ball of water began to spin and churn. The secret to his water jets was not just the high acceleration he managed to manipulate them to and the tiny razor blades inside, but the spin he applied to the water ball itself.


    "I wonder if element manipulators can handle their elements without their eyesight?" He grinned down at Sampson and aimed his finger at Sampson''s right eye. As the water ball in front of his finger was spinning at an alarming speed. The water was so fast and compact that it looked more like a spinning top than a ball of water.


    Sampson kicked and struggled and furiously fought, he had not been this passionate since Rhys had defeated him in that alleyway.


    The spinning bullet of water was about to be shot into Sampson''s eyes when all of a sudden the orange barrier around the pit shrunk back down into the floor and the voice of the soldier announced the results.


    "The Match, team 12 versus team 19 is over."


    Sampson stopped struggling and looked around in shock. How was it already over? How could this have happened? Did team 19 take the flag from Rhys so quickly?


    "Lucky you, seems like your eyes were saved by your team''s loss." The water guy smiled satisfied at the stricken expression on Sampson''s face. He wasn''t actually planning on destroying Sampson''s eyes, but he did get a kick out of bringing toxic bully jerks like Sampson down a notch. He might have taken it overboard with his taunts. Maybe. But he had been a little angered when Sampson had looked him square in the face and did not recognise him. They had gone to the same high school together and although they weren''t in the same class, Sampson had sent him home every week with burn injuries, bruises and charred clothes. It was fair that he got in a little pay back while he could.


    "Team 12 is the winner. Team 19, head over to the benches on the side of the gymnasium." The soldier announced.


    "Haha, you should have seen your face you look so shocked when..." The water manipulator paused. He turned to the soldier in black with a scrunched up forehead.


    "Wait, what did you say? Did you say team 12 won, didn''t my team win? Didn''t team 19 win...?"


    There on the other side of the pit was Rhys standing calmly with team 19''s flag in his hands. In front of him were the two guys from team 19. They had looks of utter confusion on their faces. A moment ago they had simultaneously lunged for the weakest-looking guy in team 12, but somehow they had gone right through him and when they turned around to attack, their flag was in his hands.


    "What! what happened?" The water guy staggered backwards at an utter loss as to what was going on. He had planned everything perfectly. He had taken down Sampson and sent his two other teammates to take care of the weak scrawny guy with the flag. They should have made short work of it. How did the opposite of what he wanted to happen take place?


    While the water manipulator was struggling with an early mid-life crises, Sampson slowly got off the floor and walked towards him. Sampson was still putting pressure on his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. With his other hand he snatched his lighter away from the water manipulator. And before anyone could stop him, he flipped open the top and ignited the flame.


    "Sampson, Don''t!" Rhys already knew what Sampson was going to do.


    The water manipulator''s eyes went wide with dread before he was engulfed in Sampson''s searing hot flames. He shrieked and tried to run away but Sampson easily extended the flames to eat him up again. Sampson cackled like a possessed person as he took out all his frustration on the water manipulator.


    A moment ago Sampson had looked so weak and small, but as Rhys saw him with his flames he remembered who Sampson truly was: a sadistic, insane person. Someone who had basically ruled over an entire schooling district with fear and fire.


    In the blink of an eye the soldier in black who had overseen their match was behind Sampson. He swiftly punched Sampson once behind his ear and Sampson immediately keeled over. He dropped his lighter and pretty much collapsed onto the floor with a groan.


    "Once the match is over, all fighting will cease immediately. This is Sampson Welsh''s first warning. If there is a second instance of this, you will be disqualified." The soldier was basically a robot, he was so emotionless and formal.


    "Everyone except those who want medical attention, please exit the match pit." With cold indifference to the trainees'' shocked faces, the soldier commanded them out of the pit.


    A medical team in white coats with green auras rushed into the pit and pounced on the more seriously injured people: Sampson and the water manipulator. They also crowded around Nim who still had not gotten up from the floor after she was first hit with the water ball. She most likely had some tiny blades embedded in her stomach which made healing herself impossible, she would need special attention. Joel''s wounds weren''t that bad so they didn''t make as much a fuss about him.


    While his teammates were being checked on, Rhys stepped out of the pit and sat down on the floor. It had been so easy for him to take the flag from the other team. All he had to do was concentrate his spiritual body into everything except his fingertips. So when they charged at him, all he had to do was stand still and catch the lip of their flag in his fingers and peel it off of the guy as he ran by. It had been so simple, and yet Sampson and Nim almost died. Joel was also injured, just one match had taken out three-quarters of their team. The rest of this tournament was looking very grim for them.


    Rhys perked up when he saw the healers who had been treating Joel''s legs get up and move towards Nim and Sampson. Joel happily jogged over to Rhys and took a seat beside him. His legs were completely healed and a fresh smile was on his face.


    "Geez, you really saved us. If it wasn''t for you we would have lost." Joel seemed just as bewildered by the situation as Rhys was. Joel''s gaze landed on Sampson who was sitting on the floor surrounded by medical staff. He was completely still, just staring forward into nothingness. Sampson was someone with a big ego, so being put down like that was having a serious effect on him. Rhys only hoped the guy came out of it with more sense instead of less.


    "And after all that talk, he''s the one who ended up the most damaged." Joel chuckled as he stretched out his legs and leaned back on his elbows. Apparently, Joel was not a fan of Sampson''s.


    "This shows how important teamwork is. If we had been more prepared..."


    "No, it doesn''t." Joel''s sharp tone startled Rhys who turned to look at the former.


    "We won because you have a better ability than those guys. Teamwork is useless if you don''t have powerful teammates." The smile Rhys was so used to seeing on Joel''s face was gone and his yellowish aura looked dimmer than before. Rhys would not enter into an argument about the importance of teamwork with him right now because it looked like that was the last thing he needed. Even if Rhys wanted them all to work as a team, he had no idea how to talk them into it. He himself knew that in the face of an ability like Connor''s, teamwork was pretty much useless.


    The sound of loud footsteps encroaching made the two boys turn their heads.


    "Well, well, you are the first group to finish so why don''t we jump straight into the next match. This team sat out the first round because of the uneven numbers. You guys can fight them for a chance to get into the second round."


    Rhys almost had a stroke as he looked up into the pleased face of the bald female instructor. She spoke like she was completely unaware of the death sentence she had just handed to team 12.


    Even her formidable figure could not hide the crackling electric aura behind her. It was Connor. Connor and his frightening power, accompanied by three other formidable teammates were all gazing down at Rhys casually. Unlike Rhys and Joel who were practically shivering, Connor and his group eyed their opponents, eager to use them as a warm-up.


    "But. But..." Joel was speechless but desperately trying to come up with something, anything so that they would not have to fight against Connor''s team.


    "That''s doubtful, Instructor Zora." The cold indifferent voice of the soldier who had overseen their match came to the rescue. "The medical staff said that the treatment for the other half of this team will take at least twenty minutes. Another team will most likely free up for a battle before then."


    Zora rubbed her glistening bald head and sighed as she gazed around the gym at all the other teams fighting in their pits. "If it''s gonna take that long, I''m sure another team will be ready before then."


    Just as she finished speaking, sounds of hollers and cheers broke out from the other side of the gym. Rhys turned to see four very happy team members high-fiving and hugging. They were doing a victory lap because they had just won their match. Little did they know that they were about to have a match with the most feared team of the two classes.


    "Perfect." Zora beamed. "Come on boys, your match awaits." Zora walked in the direction of the other team with Connor and the three others following behind her.


    [Name: Connor Twenty]


    [Aura: Electrokinesis (Very strong)]


    It didn''t matter how many times Rhys had seen this aura, he never got used to how incredible it was. Honestly it was a pity that only he could see it.


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Teleportation (Average)]


    The guy walked past Rhys and Joel with a smirk on his face and dragged his fingers through his ginger hair. He was tall and lean and stank of arrogance. Then again if Rhys had started out life with a teleportation core than maybe he would have been too. With a core as expensive as that, he was definitely from the 17th. More importantly his aura looked like a grey mesh cloth was floating around him like a cloak.


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Black Bear Physiology (Average)]


    The next guy was massive. He was bordering on obese and was at least a head taller than Connor who already dwarfed the majority of the freshmen. And his aura made him look like he was standing in the middle of a black bear.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Wind Manipulator (Average)]


    Connor''s last teammate was neat and trim with her hair secured perfectly in a bun. Unlike her team mates she didn''t find the need to glare at Rhys or Joel as she walked by. She just quietly followed as he windy aura blew around her.


    "What a frightening bunch..." Rhys let out a big breath and slumped back against the floor. He felt like he had just escaped some great calamity. He knew he would have to fight Connor at some point, but not right now, not when Sampson was half dead and Rhys still didn''t know that much about his power.


    "They''re my age, but they really scare me." Joel traced the handle of his dagger absentmindedly. "Can you imagine if we had to fight them? That''s scary stuff to think about."


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 3]


    [Exp: 278/300]


    [HP: 29/30]


    Rhys took a look at his stats and sighed. He desperately needed to get to level 5 to unlock the aura manipulation skill. He needed a good offensive skill like that if he wanted to win this tournament, and yet that seemed so far away.


    He would need to get as many Exp as possible in the next matches. His teammates would have to take a backseat to him, because Rhys had a goal to achieve.


    ''Any hints on how to level up faster?'' Rhys directed his thoughts at the teacher.


    [''Did you forget about your quest?'']


    ''That whole, familiarise yourself with death thing?''


    [''Of course'']


    The system pasted the quest Rhys had received soon after he had woken up in the hospital in his vision.


    [New Quest: The user has recently witnessed the death of a loved one, as well as sent others to their deaths. The user is becoming familiar with death which is necessary for the user''s transition. Have ten unique experiences with death.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: Haunting]


    [2/10 death experiences completed:


    ? Unique experience: holding an urn


    ? Unique Experience: touching a dead body]


    [''Like I said before, you will receive the best rewards from this quest when you kill people. Kill one person and you will be rewarded enough Exp to level up to level 4. Kill a few more than that, and getting to level 5 will be so easy for you.'']


    Rhys couldn''t deny that he was tempted but ultimately he knew that he would not be able to kill someone for something like wanting to level up. Sending Barrow''s men to their death had been okay for him since they had tried to kill him first.


    [''Are you suggesting that killing someone is fine as long as they go after you first?'']


    ''Yes.''


    [''Well then, by your logic you should be fine with killing every trainee here. The whole point of this evaluation is to fight each other isn''t it?'']


    ''Yes, to fight each other. The instructors want to get a sense of our strength so that they can rank us. That''s why they provided medical staff, so that no one actually ends up dying.''


    Rhys rubbed his forehead wondering if his moral logic was actually as solid as he always assumed it was.


    [''What nonsense, if they really did not want any casualties they would not make you fight each other. With the technology I have seen available in this world, a device that measures an individual''s power should be possible. If they didn''t want any of you trainees to die they would have just used a device like that.'']


    Rhys knew the teacher had a point about this evaluation. There were many other ways that they could have ranked the students without doing a battle like this that was bound to have casualties. But in the real world fighting and being able to win against others or other beings was the only thing that mattered. And if they didn''t care about losing students they wouldn''t supply medical staff at all.


    Rhys was firm in his stance. He would not kill anyone, who like him, was just trying to get a good ranking. However, if he felt that someone was really after his life, he would absolutely protect himself. Even if protecting himself meant someone else''s death.


    [''You are uselessly stubborn.'']


    Rhys chuckled as he stared up at the ceiling of the gym.


    "What so funny?" Joel asked seeing Rhys''s amused expression.


    "Nothing much."


    ''There''s just a complete psycho spouting nonsense in my head.''

 Chapter 21 - 21 The Interval

    Out of curiosity Rhys followed Instructor Zora and Connor''s group from a distance as they made they way to team 4. The group who had just won their match and by sheer bad luck would be fighting against Connor''s group next.


    Rhys leaned against the barrier of a pit a few meters away from the group and watched the scene unfold.


    "Listen up team 4, your next match will be against team 25. You''ll be fighting against them to earn a place in the second round." She gestured to the group of three guys and a girl standing behind her.


    It was painful to watch as team 4s gleeful faces turned listless and depressed. Rhys had expected to see this kind of reaction but it didn''t stop him from feeling bad for them.


    Rhys squinted at team 4 and the familiar faces he recognised among them. Three members of this team had been in his initiation group a few days ago. They had been there when the room adjacent to theirs had lit up with electrical energy, and bloodied hands had banged desperately against the transparent walls. They already knew about Connor''s terrifying ability, maybe that was why they looked so crestfallen.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Telekinesis (weak)]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Water manipulator (weak)]


    The telekinetic guy from his initiation group balled up his fists as his face crumpled up in pain. The girl standing next to him had a similar expression on her face, she had also been in Rhys''s initiation group.


    She let out shaky breath. "We forfeit the match."


    Her other teammates said nothing to oppose her, so it seemed like they were all in agreement.


    "Huh?" Zora belittled them with her eyes. "You seriously don''t even want to try fighting them?"


    The telekinetic guy spoke up this time. "We can''t win against them, so what''s the point in risking our lives for a match? The best case scenario here is that we come out of this with a few injuries. The worst is that we die. It''s not worth it."


    He had obviously thought this through, they all had, and they were choosing to give up instead of going through unnecessary pain.


    Zora once again glided her palm over her smooth egg head and grunted. "If you forfeit a match you immediately get put in the F category. Are guys okay with that?"


    They hesitated for a moment. The telekinetic guy didn''t looks so sure anymore, the threat of being rated as an F student had stopped him in his tracks. However the hesitation only lasted a moment, because his eyes dimmed again.


    "Yes, we''re sure."


    "Suit yourselves." Zora rolled her eyes as she turned back to Connor''s group. "Okay boys, since this team gave up, you''ve officially made it to round two of the tournament. The second round will start when all the matches from the first round are over. So just walk around, stay warm and you''ll be called to fight in no time." With that said Zora speed walked to the other side of the gym where another soldier was trying to get her attention.


    "Too scared to fight us?" The ginger haired teleported on Connor''s team was all smiles as he looked at team 4.


    "I guess being a smart coward is better than being a normal coward." He laughed so innocently that you would never be able to tell from his chuckles alone that he was insulting them. "Isn''t that right Connor?"


    When all he got was silence, he turned around to see that Connor had already walked away.


    "Connor! Wait up!" He pouted.


    Rhys straightened up a little bit when he realised that Connor was actually walking towards him.


    Connor''s long strides came to a halt a few paces in front of Rhys, who stared forward at the most feared freshmen on campus.


    There was a stretch of silence wherein Connor stared at Rhys, and Rhys defiantly stared right back.


    "I''m surprised that you made it to the second round." Connor looked incredulously down at his scrawny roommate. The guy whom had to save from having a panic attack in the bathroom, did it make sense that someone like that could be enrolled in the military college, let alone win a match against someone else.


    Rhys deadpanned at the comment and felt all his anxiety fly out the proverbial window, it was replaced by annoyance. This guy had straight up ignored him when they were in their room but now he suddenly felt like talking...?


    Rhys scowled at Connor. "I''m surprised you haven''t killed anyone yet."


    "Just haven''t had the chance."


    Rhys had to stop himself from laughing at Connor''s reply. For someone who barely spoke he was surprisingly witty. Rhys was in the middle of thinking up a good comeback when an arm slinked over Connor''s shoulder.


    "Who''re you talking to?" It was the red head teleporter on Connor''s team, a guy who seemed to be trying to make friends with Connor like so many of the others had.


    "My roommate."


    "Oh?" The teleporter regarded Rhys with an expression he was all too familiar with. The ''seriously-this-guy?'' Look.


    "Hey, Ezra." Connor shifted his gaze to the side to meet the teleporter''s eyes.


    "Yeah?"


    "Don''t. Touch. me."


    Connor''s aura instantly doubled in size, it raged and crackled with a surging energy that was almost painful for Rhys to look at. Ezra immediately took his arm off of Connor''s shoulder and jumped a few steps backwards.


    Connor regarded him coldly, not in the way you would look at a friend, and walked away, leaving Ezra and Rhys to catch their breaths. You didn''t need an aura detection ability to sense the danger that emanated from Connor. He was like a bomb that threatened to go off at anytime, at least Rhys now knew that touching him would be a potential trigger.


    "Hey Rhys!" He snapped back to reality at the sound of Sampson''s voice a distance away. Rhys jogged back to their match pit and was happy to find that both Sampson and Nim were fully healed. Nim''s healing had taken a bit longer because of the tiny metal blades that had made it past her skin and needed fishing out, but she seemed completely fine now. Even the water manipulator from the other team had been treated for his burns and was heading over to the benches after staring daggers into the back of Sampson''s head.


    "There are only a handful of groups still fighting, so we should get ready for the next match. By the way what happened with that other group? Don''t tell me their match is already over." Joel''s eyes went wide at the thought.


    "No it''s not that. When the instructor told them they would be fighting against Connor''s group, they decided to forfeit the match."


    Nim''s eyes drifted towards the floor as she gripped her wrist with her other hand. Although she was physically fine, mentally she didn''t look all there.


    "I usually wouldn''t agree with just giving up, but in that case..." Joel''s voice drifted to Connor''s group standing a few feet away.


    Sampson was silent and he looked like he was deep in thought.


    "If we have to fight them in an upcoming round would you guys just give up?" Rhys wasn''t asking the question to shame them, he genuinely wanted to know whether they were okay with fighting team 25.


    "No way." Sampson was confident. "I''m not a coward and I''m not going to lose to that tattooed freak."


    Rhys was also confident that he wanted to fight Connor. He knew if he did, he would definitely grow stronger, and that was something he desperately needed. However, if Joel and Nim refused to fight would they still be able to go into a match?


    "I''ll fight with you guys." Joel nodded earnestly.


    "I''ll try my best." Nim sighed still looking downward. This first match had been pretty painful for her already, Rhys could understand her reluctance but that really wasn''t what he needed. He needed someone who wanted to fight and could actually fight. Not a healer who had no battle sense at all. If only the poison generation girl had been on their team...


    The last couple of barriers were switched off in quick succession of each other, and medical staff rushed in to heal the injured people. Round 1 came to an end and round 2 began shortly.


    Rhys watched from the edges of the gym while the new pits were being formed. It was pretty cool to see the floor panels closing up again and sealing off the 24 pits that had been there. After some mechanical whirring and churning noises were heard under the floor, the panels opened up again to revel 12 match pits this time. The pits were almost double the size of the first round and had more space around the pits so that people could spectate.


    The large screen at the front of the hall displayed the 12 groups that were still in the tournament. Groups: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 17, 18, 22 and 25.


    A mini draw was displayed in the screen, where two groups were randomly paired together as opponents. Everyone was holding their breath and praying that they were not paired with team 25; Connor''s team. Among those was Rhys. He did want to fight Connor but not right away. With the way things were with his team right now, if they were paired with team 25 they would lose instantly.


    Rhys and most of the others collapsed to their floor in relief when they saw that they were safe, however one unfortunate group stared at the results on the screen with lumps in their throats. The board read: Team 18 vs Team 25.


    Rhys was pretty surprised to see that Connor''s opponent was actually the poison generation girl and her team. From what he had seen of her so far, he could tell she had a strong mentality. Little things would not break her. Even when she saw the result of the random pairings she did not despair and curse like her teammates, one of whom practically collapsed when he saw that he would be fighting against team 25. She was resilient and Rhys could not help but admire that about her. He would have loved to watch her match but he had a match of his own to get to.


    "Dude hurry it up." Sampson was crude as ever as he hollered at Rhys from across the gym.


    Rhys jogged his way over to their new match pit where his team and their opponents were already waiting.


    As Rhys ran past the side benches he had no idea of the eyes that were watching him.


    "I''m telling you man, I went right through him. He didn''t even move or doge when I came at him. It''s like he''s not even there." The guy gripped his hair in his fist, annoyed that he wasn''t explaining what had happened very well.


    "He''s telling the truth, Grey. I kept my eyes open the whole time, and I swear to you he''s made of smoke or something because we went right through him. When we turned around he already had our flag in his hand."


    The water manipulator, Grey, who had fought against and lost to team 12 was trying to pry the information of exactly how they had lost out of the responsible teammates. However what they were saying didn''t make any sense. ''A guy made of smoke'' what the hell did that mean?


    Instructor Zora was discreetly listening to the trainees conversation while looking over the single document that had arrived on her desk this morning. A concerning document to say the least. It had been something like two years since a student had been put on the termination list, and never in her ten years at the Military college had she seen a freshmen on the list.


    Even more perplexing than the idea of a freshman on the list was that his ability was not listed. At her level of clearance almost nothing was restricted information, and yet his ability and how he had gotten it been blacked out on the document.


    She had been keeping an eye on him all morning. And she had been relatively unimpressed until she had seen the end of his match. From what she had seen, it really did look like what the boys had described. But she had never heard of anything like that, an ability that made him, untouchable...? Did it apply to just humans or objects as well? What about barriers...? What about energy? Most of the abilities on the market had been thoroughly research and were explainable scientifically, but an ability like this... it didn''t even remotely make sense.


    She would make sure to watch his next match and see for herself exactly what type of being he was that the military considered his life a threat. If she agreed that he was, well then, she would be more than willing to take the matters into her own hands. For the sake of Earth and humanity she would do whatever needed to be done, even murder.


    She clutched the military tag around her neck and breathed in deeply.


    ''Killing fellow humans is noble if it''s done with the permission of the military.'' She repeated the words she had been taught growing up at the private military orphanage.


    ''The military has everyone''s interests at heart.'' She spun her tag necklace in her fingers, an action that always proved to calm her down.


    ''The military takes care of me, so I must take care of the military.''


    ''I love the military.''

 Chapter 22 - 22 The Second Match

    [Name: Unkown]


    [Aura Detection: Barrier creation (weak)]


    Rhys felt his heart sting slightly when he saw that one of the guys on the other team had Gamp''s power. He shook that feeling off though and glanced at the others.


    [Name: Unkown]


    [Aura Detection: Strengthening (weak)]


    [Name: Unkown]


    [Aura Detection: Strengthening (weak)]


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Unkown]


    [Aura Detection: Possession/Brain wave interrupter (weak)]


    "Possession..." Rhys had read the scripts of the brain wave interrupting ability, but why had the system put the word ''possession'' in front of it.


    [''Oh, and here I was beginning to think that humans had not encroached upon the spiritual revolution at all...'']


    ''Huh, what do you mean Spiritual revolution? And why is the brainwave skill being called ''possession?'' Rhys frowned in confusion.


    The teacher sighed one of his classic pained sighs before explaining. [''Every intelligent race in existence goes through cultural or societal evolutions. I can see from your memories that humans started out wearing animals skins and fashioning tools from rocks, you would call that the stone age. Humanity than evolved to greater things, like the iron age. From there you utilised science and practised industrialisation. When humans were on the brink of extinction at the hands of the Xerserth, you arrived at the Gem and Core stage of your civilisation, where you are now. Have you never wondered what the next stage is?'']


    Rhys faltered for a moment. He had not even been thinking of a next stage, he had pretty much assumed that this was it in terms of humanity evolving, he thought all that was left was finding better gems and cores in order to secure Earth from alien interference.


    [''Ghosts are the higher race because they are the only lifeform to have fully integrated into the next stage of civilisation. That is what you are becoming Rhys.'']


    Rhys stood still for a moment, really unsure of what to say or think. It was just too much information to process before he was supposed to have a match.


    [''To make a long story short, that human over there has an ability that is spiritually based. It is an extremely pathetic version of an ability that you will inherit, but still, it is pleasant to see a familiar ability.'']


    ''I will be able to use the brain wave interruption ability one day?''


    [''No. You will be able to use the much stronger possession ability. This brain-wave malarkey is truly pitiable, I doubt that it will even work on you.'']


    Before Rhys could demand more answers from the system, Sampson, Joel and Nim surrounded him.


    "Spill it, Rhys," Sampson demanded sharply.


    "Huh? Spill what?"


    "Ah Geez." He growled. "Just tell us what their abilities are."


    Rhys stiffened at Sampson''s demand and tried to keep a neutral expression. "What are you talking about? How would I know what their abilities..."


    Before Rhys could finish, Sampson growled so loudly that the other people inside other pits turned around to see what the strange sound was about.


    "Don''t play dumb with me right now. We need to win and in order to do that, we need to know what their abilities are. We won''t ask any questions about how you know, so just fucking tell us what their abilities are."


    Rhys could only hold his breath as Sampson stared him down with determined eyes. Joel and Nim were also looking at him expectantly. But how did the thick-headed Sampson figure out that Rhys was able to tell what other peoples'' abilities were?


    "Teams, you have three minutes to organise yourselves, then the matches will begin." The same stone-faced instructor was spectating their match this time.


    "Please Rhys," Nim''s eyes were watering as she tugged on the end of Rhys''s sleeve.


    "Shit." The lie he told Sampson last time must not have been as believable as he thought it was. Anyway, with so little time before the match and the mounting pressure to win, Rhys wasn''t all that motivated to make up excuses again.


    "I won''t be answering any questions about how I know. And don''t dare tell anyone about this." Joel and Nim nodded vigorously, while Sampson nodded once, firmly.


    With a sigh, Rhys pointed out each member of the other team and their specific ability, as well as whatever information he had read in scripts about the best way to counter them. Sampson, Joel and Nim looked at Rhys with equal parts awe and bewilderment. The way he knew exactly what their abilities were and how strong they were was amazing but also terrifying. They huddled together and quickly set up a plan with what little time they had left.


    After cementing their plan, the group got into their formation. The group stood close together with Sampson and Rhys in front, Nim directly behind them and Joel a little ways behind her.


    They all watched curiously as the other team also got into position. Unlike team 12, team 3 was relatively spread out across their half of the circle. The strengthener of their team was in the middle of the circle, with the barrier creator a little ways behind him. The brain-wave interrupter was standing to their far left, almost on the edge of the circle, and the other strengthener was standing on the far right.


    Rhys could tell what they were trying to do here. The strengthener in the middle with the flag would obviously be the target of the other team, if someone approached him or threw an attack at him, the barrier creator behind him would create a barrier to block it. While the attacker was struggling to get through, reinforcements were waiting to help out in the form of more muscle coming from the right or the brain wave interruptions from the left, which were usually capable of paralysing a person or even making them faint depending on the strength of core-user.


    Rhys stiffened as he saw the Strengthener in the middle peel off the sticky flag from his shirt and paste it onto his neck. The strengthener smiled proudly at the disconcerted look on Rhys''s face.


    "I''d like to see you try to take the flag off me now." He obviously felt certain that with his height and build that he would be Abel to stop anyone from taking the flag if it was pasted to his neck. He beamed a big toothy grin and punched swiftly into the air in front of him to show off... his... What he was trying to show off, Rhys was not really sure.


    "This idiot..." Sampson had to hold back a chuckle. "Maybe he''s confident about his neck or something."


    Although everyone found the guy''s antics amusing, Rhys''s stomach tightened a bit. He would need to be very careful not to injure the guy with physical disruption when he reached for the flag around his neck.


    "I want to give you trainees a reminder that your team''s flag must be visible at all times. You can wear it on your neck like that so long as everyone can still see it. It''s also fine to block attacks that are coming at your neck, but if you fully cover the flag, for even a moment, your team will be disqualified and this match will count as the other team''s win." Soldier Stone-face looked directly at team 3''s strengthener.


    "Understood, sir." The guy saluted at the soldier. Once again everyone chuckled, the strengthener was a real class clown.


    Suddenly the orange barrier shot up around the pit.


    "Five." Soldier Stone-face began the count which immediately put everyone into fight mode.


    "Four."


    "Three."


    "Two."


    "One. Begin."


    As planned, Rhys charged forward the instant the match started. He ran at full speed towards the strengthener. The barrier creator behind the strengthener looked at Rhys and assumed his friend in front of him would easily be able to take care of Rhys. Rhys did not look like a fighter, especially compared to the well-built strengthener. Also, Rhys had the flag on him, so it was better that Rhys came to them so they could quickly take the flag from him.


    The strengthener was already stretching out his arms ready to grab Rhys and remove the flag from him, however, Rhys grinned. Their plan was working.


    [Spiritual body used + 5 Exp]


    Rhys shifted his entire body into the spiritual state just as a tunnel of flames engulfed him and surged towards the Strengthener and the barrier creator. Sampson grinned wickedly as his magnificent flames bulldozed through the circle and engulfed Rhys as well as the other team''s two members. Their shocked faces only fueled his fire.


    [Warning! : Continued exposure to fire]


    [Continued use of skill: Spiritual body +15 Exp]


    [User will lose 1 HP for every second the skill is used]


    Rhys knew this warning would show up but he was not worried in the least. 30 seconds was far more than he needed to get the flag.


    The strengthener and barrier creator tried running backwards, but Sampson''s tunnel of flames was extremely disconcerting for the people inside who were going through extreme pain and closed their eyes because of the fire. In this situation, very few people were able to calm themselves down and run sideways out of the flames. Even the barrier creator was overwhelmed by the searing pain and forgot how to create barriers.


    [28/30 HP]


    Rhys could not see very far ahead of him inside the flames, but he ran forward because he could hear the other team''s screams as they were being burned. He felt awful listening to them, so he resolved to get the flag as soon as possible.


    [27/30 HP]


    Outside of the tunnel of flames, the brain wave interrupter was horrified by the fire enshrining his teammates. He knew that he had to put a stop to It. He immediately concentrated on Sampson by staring intently as his side profile, and just as he was about to mess with his head and paralyse him, a dagger flew into his shoulder breaking his concentration.


    He cried out at the pain and before he could get away, Joel was on him. With a few blows to the head, the guy was unconscious. Joel smiled triumphantly. Rhys had told him to target the brain-wave guy when he looked like he was going to use his skill. He had been right and the plan went perfectly.


    [25/30 HP]


    Rhys finally found the Strengthener in the flames. The guy was in complete panic mode and was rolling around on the floor in anguish as the pain of burning ate away at him. Rhys carefully dipped his spiritually phased fingers in the guy''s neck and was trying, to as quickly as possible, remove the flag without destroying his throat.


    [24/30 Hp]


    The last standing member of team 3 was stupefied at what was going on. He would never have thought that Sampson from team 12 would actually sacrifice his own teammate to win. Even if some people were like that, he was not, he was not going to leave his teammates to burn. From outside of the flame tunnel, he could see the outline of someone rolling around on the floor and could hear their screams. Out of desperation and panic, he hoped that it was one of his teammates who he could rescue. Like a madman, he yelled at the top of his lungs and charged into the flame tunnel. He lunged for that person and rolled out the other side of the tunnel with them in his arms, hoping he had grabbed one of his teammates.


    [22/30 HP]


    Sampson saw the guy lunge into his fire and immediately stopped manipulating the flames, afraid that the guy had tackled Rhys. The floor of the pit was scorched and smoke wafted from the panels. Rhys was standing in the same spot where he had been when Sampson was manipulating the flames with a distraught look on his face.


    "No... I." He trembled as he looked down at his hands.


    He had been a moment away from peeling the flag off the strengthener''s neck, however, someone lunged and grabbed the guy, violently moving the body just as Rhys phased his fingers back into solids. The guy''s neck had been thrust straight into Rhys''s fingers just as he had unphased, causing severe physical disruption to the guy''s neck.


    Rhys stared a the smoky bloody flag in his hand and the thick dark red blood coating his fingers, that was dripping all the way down his arm. He had felt it. The sensation he felt when bone and tissue was violently moved aside to make way for his fingers. The same thing he had felt when he had tortured Gunn''s knees.


    "Fuck." Sampson whispered as he looked at the guy from team 3 who had made him laugh at the beginning of the match. Besides being badly burned, a horrific chunk of his neck was missing. It was to the point where he could see the bone''s from the guy''s spine. To Sampson this fell under the category of decapitation.


    Sampson turned back to look at Rhys. And from the expression on Rhys''s face, he could tell Rhys had done it by accident, but what the fuck had he been doing in the first place to injure the guy this badly.


    The orange barrier around the pit shot down and medical staff charged into the arena.


    "The match Team 3 versus Team 12 is over. Team 12 is the winner. Vacate the pit and make space for the medical staff." The soldier looked from the young man on the floor who was missing half his neck to Rhys Anson, the boy on the termination list, and the soldier was beginning to understand why Rhys''s name was listed there.


    Rhys could only stare on in shock as the strengthener gargled and coughed, desperately trying to draw breath from a windpipe that had been shattered by physical disruption. The medical staff were shouting and giving out orders, a few were trying to usher Rhys away from the scene, but he could not hear them. Time slowed while he stared on in horror as the yellow aura of the strengthener grew dimmer and dimmer. It slowly dispersed into the area surrounding him and quickly disappeared as if it had never been there at all. Even as his neck tissue was being rapidly recovered by the healers, the aura grew dimmer.


    Dimmer and smaller still. Until ultimately, there was no more light. His aura was gone.


    [Aura detection used : dead body]


    Rhys staggered backwards at the terrible words in front of him. He felt like his throat was closing up and his heart was trying to break out of his ribs. It wasn''t supposed to be like this, if he killed someone, it needed to be someone worth killing, not some ordinary guy.


    [''Ahh, finally.''] A cruel delighted chuckled echoed in his head.


    "It was an accident." Rhys breathed out shakily.


    [''Isn''t everything though?'']


    Somehow Nim had rushed to his side and was trying to speak to him, but none of her words got through to him.


    [Congratulations! 3rd experience of main quest completed]


    [Main quest: Familiarisation with death]


    [3/10 death experiences completed!]


    [New Unique experience:


    ? killing someone ]


    [Reward...]

 Chapter 23 - 23 Level 4

    [Aura detection used: dead body]


    [Congratulations! 3rd experience of the main quest completed]


    [Main quest: Familiarisation with death]


    [3/10 death experiences completed]


    [New Unique experience:


    ? killing someone ]


    [Rewards: Calculating Rewards..]


    Rhys watched as one of the medical staff held a life scanner to what was left of the guy''s neck. Unlike when the device was used on gramps, the results were immediate. The black cross appeared on the display of the device and the medical team stopped what they were doing. To them, there was no point in fussing over spilt milk the boy was obviously dead so there was no point in wasting resources over him anymore. They opened up a blue portal around his body that quickly exported him somewhere, probably a morgue on campus, or if he had a family that cared for him his body would be sent back to them.


    [The user took a human life by accident and therefore the user cannot be awarded the full set of awards. The user must kill someone with full intent in order to unlock all the rewards.]


    [Rewards:


    + 100 Exp


    + 3 statistic points ]


    All the medical staff who had been working on the strengthener packed up their equipment and moved onto the barrier creator who also got burned in the flame tunnel. His groaning and crying showed that he was still very much alive so the medical staff got to work on healing his burns.


    A few of the staff then approached Rhys. "Please show us your wounds."


    Rhys offered them his blood soaked hand because it was the only place he had released his skill while he was in the fire. If he was injured his hand was the only place he could think of. One of the healers pulled out a spray bottle from his bag. He gently sprayed the bloody area with cold water to slowly reveal Rhys''s fingers. The two healers in front of him glanced at each other before looking back at Rhys.


    "Is this all?" They looked at the tips of Rhys''s fingers that were only slightly singed. They were red and swollen from the heat, marks that would just barely be categorised as first degree burns. Rhys nodded in reply, waiting for them to heal him and then leave.


    They stared at each other with furrowed eyebrows before letting their green auras seep into Rhys''s fingers. They wondered how he could have so few burns with such little severity. As soon as they saw the huge flames coming from that particular match pit, the medical team had lined up outside waiting to heal trainees when their match finished. They had all sighed loudly when they saw three of the trainees practically get swallowed up by the flames, the team knew they would be spending a lot of energy on healing the students. They had seen Rhys be engulfed by flames, and yet his fingers were the only parts of his body that were burned...? They assumed that he must have some type of fire effective barrier ability.


    As soon as his hand looked better they set off to go and help the other injured people.


    "I''m glad you''re okay. Sampson and I got a fright when that guy lunged at you." Nim murmured from behind Rhys. He was a little startled to hear her voice, but then felt a little comforted by her unassuming presence. She had big brown eyes and a really calming demeanour, even for a healer. Even though she was pretty much useless during the matches, it was somewhat nice having her around.


    He wanted to say something to her. He wanted to explain to her that he didn''t meant to kill that guy. But the words wouldn''t come out of his mouth, because he knew that deep down he was more excited by the rewards he had received than feeling guilty for the murder he had just committed.


    [''Yes Rhys, that''s the spirit. It was only an accident anyway, there is no reason to be brooding all day. Instead focus on these exciting new statistics!''] This was the first time that the teacher had sounded even remotely happy.


    [Congratulations!]


    [You have levelled up!]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 4]


    [Exp: 103/400]


    [HP: 25/40]


    <Statistics>


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 7]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 8]


    He was finally at level 4 and thanks to his rewards and the Experience he had gained in the previous match, he was starting off with a great amount of Exp. His health however was really low after using his spiritual body skill continuously in Sampson''s flames. The healers had only healed his fingers but had not replenished him completely. He needed plants as soon as possible but from a look around the gym there were none.


    [Congratulations!]


    [A skill has levelled up]


    <Skills>


    [Spiritual Body Lv 4 >>> Lv 5]


    [Reminder: Skill spiritual body evolves every 5 levels]


    [Skill ''Spiritual body'' has evolved to the skill ''Spectre Form'']


    [Spectre Form lv 5:


    The User''s body has upgraded from the spiritual level to the spectral level. Once the user applies this skill, the user''s body will hold the power of a spectre. Spectres are metaphysical beings whose bodies are the result of spiritual energy and mental capability.]


    < Common Applications of this skill >


    ?Intangibility


    ?Physical disruption


    ?Aura extension (dormant)


    ?Spectral manipulation (dormant)


    ?Spectral movement (dormant)


    ?invisibility (dormant) ]


    Rhys''s eyes widened as he looked down the list of applications for the evolved skill. Spiritual body only had two different applications but this evolved skill had six applications altogether. Four new ones with the word ''dormant'' next to them in brackets. It was clear to him that the applications he had not used yet were marked with the word ''dormant'' while the ones he had mastered, like physical disruption, were listed normally. He eyed the four dormant applications greedily. All this time he had been desperate to get to level 5 to unlock the aura manipulation skill, but this skill was turning out to be pretty amazing by itself.


    "Invisibility..." The shame and worry that had been on his face disappeared and his fingers began to tremble with excitement.


    ''No way...'' He chuckled softly. ''This evolved skill is going to let me become invisible?''


    [''It will take practice, but yes'']


    Rhys had never been so happy to hear the teacher''s voice. Imagine how effective intangibility and physical disruption would be if nobody could see him. Wouldn''t he practically be, invincible? Wasn''t this too easy?


    [''Do not get ahead of yourself, mastering all that application will take months if not years of practice. And of all of them, invisibility is the hardest to achieve. If you can achieve invisibility in five years from now, I''ll suck up my pride and call you a genius.]


    ''Are you serious? Will it really take that long for me to use invisibility?'' Rhys''s face dropped and the bitter reality of the ghost system slapped him in the face. Nothing about this system was easy.


    [''Do not question me, you idiot. And here is another piece of tough news since you have insulted me. This skill won''t level up until you have achieved every single application on the list! Hah! So there.'']


    Rhys''s stomach sank as he listened to the echoes of the teacher''s cruel laughter. If invisibility was almost impossible to achieve before five years, then this skill wouldn''t level up until then either.


    "Dammit." He groaned.


    "Huh, Rhys you''re shaking! Are you okay?" Nim''s panicked voice broke through his concentration and he saw her looking at him with teary eyes.


    Rhys looked down at his hands and confirmed that he was shivering, he frowned as he lifted up his arms and tried to steady them. He took in a deep breath and tried to calm whatever was coming over him, but the shivers only progressed to shaking. Suddenly a strange coldness prickled all over his body and the sensation slowly creeped around inside him, inching closer and closer towards his heart.


    "We need some help over here!" Nim frantically cried out as she saw Rhys''s body begin to convulse violently.


    To her it looked like he was having a seizure of some kind. She had been so amazed by Rhys''s impossible skill that she had not taken a minute to think about the drawback. Perhaps to use such a skill, a skill that let him stand in raging fire and come out unharmed, there must be a heavy price. Maybe it used up a lot of his energy which lead to him having seizures from the shock. She felt so sorry for him that she was determined to help him herself. She clasped Rhys''s hands in hers and put all her energy into healing him. It wasn''t like she was much use in the matches anyway, this was the least she could to for a teammate that was working hard to get them all a good ranking for the evaluation.


    [26/40 Hp]


    [27/40 Hp]


    [28/40 Hp]


    Rhys wasn''t in pain but the strange shaking continued to wrack the through his body. It was like a mix of the sore muscles you get after exerting yourself and a chilly breeze blowing over your body. The longer he felt it, the more he liked the feeling, so much so that he almost broke out into a smile.


    ''What''s happening?'' Rhys lost strength in his core and fell backwards onto the gym floor with a thud. Although he had pretty much lost control of his body, he wasn''t concerned. He was content to just wait there and let the shivers do their thing. It was most likely something to do with him levelling up anyways.


    [''This will probably happen every time you level up, the severity will depend on how ready you actually are for your new strength. With a reaction like this, it''s obvious that you are still too weak.'']


    Suddenly medical staff appeared in his vision. They were standing over him, collectively seeping their green auras into him. Thanks to them his health stat was recovering swiftly, however his shaking was not dying down yet.


    [31/40 Hp]


    [32/40 Hp]


    [...]


    Rhys signed internally as Sampson''s and Joel''s faces popped up into his view as well. He was practically a vegetable, rendered completely useless just staring up at his teammates and the medical staff. Never mind the awkwardness, he would take this precious time to ask the system more questions. A particular question had been at the front of his mind for a while.


    ''Is the spectral form skill still weak to fire and electricity?'' He waited for the answer anxiously hoping for good news.


    [The skill is weak to humans with electrical abilities whom have the same or greater aura strength than the user. Humans with fire abilities that are ranked with a ''strong'' or higher can weaken the skill.]


    Rhys understood after he read the system reply. An electrokinetic like Connor who was ranked as ''very strong'' by the system would definitely still have an affect on him. Rhys clenched his fist feeling a little frustrated that Connor was still a weak pint for him.


    Sampson however... Rhys looked up at Sampson, who was crouched over staring down at Rhys with an almost worried expression on his face.


    [Name: Sampson Welsh]


    [Aura: Fire manipulation (average)]


    Sampson''s aura was marked as average, and therefore, his flames would no longer be a problem for Rhys. Rhys had a glint in his eye as he stared up at Sampson. Sampson must have noticed the spark in his eyes because Sampson smirked before standing up.


    "This freak''s fine. Call me when our next match starts." With that he slipped his hands into his pockets and jogged out of sight.


    Rhys was convulsing less violently now and he could tell that the strange shivers running through his body would soon come to an end, however the medical staff decided they would take him to the infirmary attached to the gym to run some checks on him. While he was being loaded onto the stretcher, he looked at the second reward he had received.


    [Rewards:


    + 100 Exp


    + 3 statistic points ]


    ''What are statistic points?'' He already had a idea of what they were but he still wanted to confirm it with the system.


    [''They are points you can apply to your stats to increase your abilities, they will have an immediate affect on the user''s body.]


    Rhys looked over his stats again.


    <Statistics>


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 7]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 8]


    If the teacher hadn''t gotten angry and blurted out that the spectral form skill would not level up until he mastered all the applications, he would have definitely put all his points into his spirituality. However, there wasn''t much point now if it would not help his only combat-like skill. As tempting as the idea of getting smarter was, putting his stats into intelligence wouldn''t help him out now either. What was important was winning so that he could get a good ranking, at least a B.


    ''I want to put all my points into Agility.'' He directed his thoughts at the system confidently.


    [Agility 7 (+3)]


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 10]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 8]


    During the last match when the plan had revolved around Rhys charging at people, he realised how slow he was compared to the others. It took him far too long to get to the other team and had deadly consequences for the strengthener. Since the Spectral form skill was still not a clear combat skill and he still had no long distance attacks, his abilities relied heavily on him getting close to his opponents. People were still so shocked by his ability that they had not realised its greatest flaw. If they could evade Rhys, if they kept a bit of a distance from him then he would not be able to do anything to them. It was only because so many airheads had charged at him that the matches had been going well for him.


    Agility was the best choice for the current situation. He needed to be able to get to his opponents quickly or else he would definitely lose.


    As he was being carried out on the stretcher, Rhys let out a relieved breath as the shivering finally came to a stop. As they were walking by, the orange barrier beside them shot back down into the ground and Connor''s teammates hobbled out of their match. Connor looked perfectly fine, but his teammates on the other hand looked like shit. Rhys recognised the distinctive burn marks that were caused by electrical burns on his member''s skin. Did Connor electrocute his own teammates?


    When he looked further into the match pit, Rhys caught a glimpse of the poison girl laying on the floor of the pit. Her dark purple aura was still around her body but she was looked exhausted, maybe even unconscious. The electrical burns were all over her body as well. She had a great ability but Connor''s ability was an even greater one, her loss proved that. Rhys felt that something was a bit off though, he wasn''t sure why he suddenly felt suspicious but it was a taste he couldn''t get out of his mouth.

 Chapter 24 - 24 Aria Francis Aka Achlys

    She bit down on the inner lining of her cheek and winced as the blood seeped into her mouth. She swirled the blood around with her tongue, mixing in her saliva and readying her next poison attack.


    She had been badly beaten by team 25 so far. The tender muscle between her neck and shoulders had been slashed a dangerous number of times. The red-headed teleporter on team 25 had been repeatedly teleporting behind her and stabbing her trapezius muscles with his hand knife. His teleportation speed was frighteningly fast, so he appeared and disappeared anywhere in the pit in an instant. The pressure to stay vigilant and avoid his attacks had taken a toll on her entire team. All of them except her had panicked and raced around the room in fear trying not to get stabbed in the back by his unpredictable attacks. By himself, the teleporter could have been the ace of any other team, yet on team 25 he wouldn''t be considered anywhere near the most powerful member, not when Connor was part of their group.


    Her good instincts had been keeping her alive so far, but the dangerous amount of blood staining her grey shirt told her that she needed to act quickly. She knew what she could do, however, this attack was not meant to be used when she was working in a team. Overall her poison ability was its best when she fought alone.


    "Blurrgh!" She belched as the huge fist of her opponent slammed into her stomach. He was so powerful that she was lifted off the floor and thrown backwards by the impact of his punch. Without a doubt this guy wasn''t a normal strengthener, he definitely had the physiology ability, probably a manifestation of a large powerful creature like a bear or large cat. When he breathed it came out gravelly and throaty and the way his eyes simmered reminded her of some of the animals she had seen in the eugenics labs.


    The twinging pain from deep in her gut made her acutely aware of how much trouble her body was in. She needed medical attention as soon as possible, but before that, she needed to turn this match around without killing her last remaining teammate.


    "Kyaa!" The wind manipulator on team 25 had an annoying habit of shouting out whenever she made an attack. She thrust her palm forward into the space in front of her.


    Like a rag doll, her last teammate was thrown against the orange barrier and fell to the floor with a thud.


    She was all alone now, all her teammates were lying on the ground defeated and unable to get back up.


    "Finally."


    She gurgled the blood in her mouth as a relieved smile spread across her face. Now that her teammate was no longer in her way, she didn''t have to worry about killing him any more. Now she had the chance to really get into this fight.


    The wind manipulator, the red-headed teleporter, and the huge bear guy all looked down at her confidently. To them, the match was already won. All they had to do was take the flag from her and they could successfully waltz to the next stage of the evaluation. little did they know she was about to change all of that.


    She pulled herself up from the floor and gripped her metallic flute.


    "Oh, she still has some fight in her." The red headed teleporter snickered as he raised his knife that was stained with her blood. "Don''t worry guys, I''ll take care of her."


    "Don''t mess around with her, just get the flag so we can end this." The wind manipulator barked at her teammate. After only knowing the red headed teleporter for a few hours, she was already irritated by him.


    They were a team of exceptionally strong opponents who were working well together despite only knowing each other for a short while. But still, they were not quite on her level yet. Aria slid her finger passed her lips, coating it in the liquid under her tongue. It was time for revenge.


    Just as she predicted, the red headed guy teleported behind her, eager to slash her shoulders again with his knife, but her hand was raised and ready for him. She slapped his face making sure to swipe her coated finger across his eyes.


    The effect was immediate. The red head screeched and stumbled backwards while clutching his face.


    "Fuck! My eyes!" The horrible sizzling that was eating away at his face was unbearable. He could not hold in the pain and completely forgot about the match.


    "Help! Someone help. That bitch did something to my eyes. Gah! It burns help." He screamed, however the medical staff waiting outside did not budge, they would not attempt to help anyone that was still inside a game.


    Before he could cry out anymore, her boot smashed into the side of his face, dislocating his jaw and knocking him to the ground with a thud. It was a small revenge that would have to do for now.


    The wind manipulator and the bear guy on team 25 stared at the gross rotting purple flesh on their teammate''s eyes and cheeks. It was like some kind of acid had been poured on his face.


    Their horrified faces brought Aria back to when she had successfully infused with the poison generation core. She vividly remembered kissing the cute little laboratory rabbit she had been keeping as a pat, and then watching in terror as its body slowly rotted and died in her arms.


    When she was first brought to the eugenics lab, the doctors and researchers had let her keep her name. Aria, her name was Aria Francis. However after all the experiments and clinical trials had turned out to be a success, and she had miraculously survived what was equal parts torture and experimentation, they decided to give her a new name. Without consulting her the head researcher adopted his great success story and renamed her Achlys, after the goddess of poison and the mist of death. Although the name had a somewhat accurate meaning as to the nature of her ability, she hated it. She hated every bit of being renamed and rebranded. She hated every bit of what she had gone through to get this ability and hated the consequences that came with it. Nevertheless, she would use it to survive. She had made it out of that hellish eugenics lab and arrived at the military academy. This place was by no means a haven, but it was much better than where she came from.


    She looked to the opposite side of the circle where Connor was casually leaning against the barrier. When their match had started, he had walked to the edge of the circle and leaned against the barrier. As if nothing important was going on, he simply slumped against the edge and lowered his head. He did not participate at all, he didn''t even watch. He simply closed his eyes and dozed off. Aria was not easily provoked but that got to her. She never thought of herself as prideful, but being deemed unworthy to even stay vigilant of during a match was a blow to her self esteem.


    He was watching now though. Eyes that were drowsy and disinterested where now locked on her. She had gained his focus and she was planning a n keeping it, right up until the moment she took the flag from him.


    Aria took a deep breath in through her nose and collected the air in her belly. And with all the rage and frustration that was lurking underneath her surface she let out a harrowing scream, only she didn''t make a sound. Instead the liquid and blood she had been collecting in her mouth sprayed out into the air like sprinkler. A technique the scientists had helped her achieve by running electric pulses through her cheeks and tongue to create a vibration in her muscle memory powerful enough to project her poisonous venom into the air like a spray.


    Because of the blood mixed in with the poison she secreted in her saliva, the liquid poison had a red colour that tinged the air light red.


    The bear coughed violently and clasped at his throat. His eyes stung and his windpipe burned as soon as he breathed in the light red air. His eyes watered to the point that he couldn''t see anymore and he wildly flailed his arms around, panicking at not being able to see his surroundings.


    She ran at him and stabbed the sharp edge of her flute into his neck and cracked the body of the metal rod against his head.


    The wind manipulator began to cough and wheeze as well, however she had a plan. She used her skill and manipulated the wind to flow away from herself. She quickly regretted her actions. Because of the orange barrier, the poisonous particles in the air could not escape from the match pit, so all her attack did was spread the poison more evenly around the room. The wind girl continued to cough and her chest sounded much more aggravated. She soon tumbled forward and blood splattered out from her mouth.


    "H-help!" She frantically rolled around on the floor and pleadingly reached towards Connor, who was still slumped against the barrier.


    There was no sense of worry or concern in his face. If there was anything, Aria thought it looked like irritation.


    The wind girl lost consciousness still reaching for Connor while blood oozed out from the corners of her nose.


    "And then there were two." Aria straightened herself up ignoring the pain in her gut and shoulders. Even If she was in her best condition she doubted that she could defeat this guy, let alone now that she was wounded.


    Connor narrowed his eyes at the petite curly haired girl in front of him. She didn''t look like much because of her small stature, but she had still managed to take out all his team members in a few minutes. Connor ticked his head think that it really was true that power came in many shapes and sizes.


    "If you''d used this attack earlier, you wouldn''t be such a mess right now. I might have even enjoyed having a go at you, but you had to wait until you looked like shit to do anything good. Why?"


    Aria was taken aback by his straightforward way of speaking. He had seemed so distant and uninvolved in the match, so it was strange to hear him talking like he had been paying attention the whole time.


    "I wasn''t going to use my attack when my teammates were in the way..." The poison was produced in her body so she was not affected by it, but everyone else was. If she used her mist attack, her teammates would have been poisoned alongside team 25. And she would never do that intentionally.


    "But you were still fine with waiting until they were knocked unconscious to do anything..." He raised a slick eyebrow and eyed her amused. "Isn''t that just as cruel?"


    Aria scoffed at his question. The light pink air had not reached him yet, the air around him was still clear, but when he breathed it in she knew he would understand.


    "Trust me, it''s much better to be knocked out by some blows than to inhale my poison."


    Small crackles of electric energy zapped around Connor''s body and his eyes lit up with a predatory mischief. Aria sucked in a fearful breath. For a long time there were no people her age who could measure up to her core ability, in that time she had grown used to being ''the best'' among the other test subjects. So to stare at Connor and feel intimidated by his power was a feeling she had forgotten. An exhilarating but terrifying experience.


    Connor purposely sucked in a large breath, inhaling the pink poisoned air. He immediately coughed and grunted as his airways reacted to the venom. It was like he had breathed in acid that was as slowly eating away at his chest.


    "Ugh..." The veins in his eyes bulged but he kept eye contact with Aria. "You''re right, you were being kind. This stings."


    Just like that, a blinding surge of white electric energy exploded from Connor''s body and encapsulated the entire pit. It only lasted for a few seconds, and when the electricity was gone, Aria was laying on the floor unconscious while Connor stood over her. Her team flag was in his hand.


    "The match team 18 vs team 25 is over. Teams 25 wins."


    The orange barrier was lifted and the medical team immediately rushed in to take care of the trainees. Aria had handed them a vile of the antidote for her poison before the match started so that if she was incapacitated by the end of the match, the medical team could treat whoever she poisoned. Since her particular poison was acidic and would dissolve flesh, the medics would still have more work to do than just administer the antidote.


    After a few injections and healing, most of Connor''s team were back on their feet and begrudgingly hobbling out of the pit. Aria however needed some special treatment because of her internal injuries, so she was wheeled into the infirmary.


    ______________________


    "Seriously I''m fine, can I go yet?" Rhys snatched his arm away from the nurse who had been relentlessly poking at him.


    "Young man, people don''t just have seizures." She huffed. "It''s not like a sneeze or cough. If you lose control of your body for that long and have such violent convulsions, it means something is very wrong with you. And if you''d just be a bit more cooperative, I would find out what it is!"


    "But I''m fine!" Rhys''s eyes rolled to the back of his head. This conversation had been going around in loops for a while now. He couldn''t seem to convince her to let him go.


    "Tell that to your six minute long seizure!" The older woman shouted while waving a clipboard in his face.


    Rhys''s head was about to explode. Even if he couldn''t give her an explanation as to why he had such a sever seizure, all the checks she had done proved he was perfectly healthy. Surely that was enough to let him go. Rhys was about to storm out when the door opened and a new stretcher was wheeled into the infirmary.


    "Nurse, we have another patient." A bored voice announced. Another nurse wheeled in the poison generation girl whom Rhys had noticed during the initiation.


    "We already finished with her shoulders, we just need some extra treatment for her abdominal area, we suspect internal bleeding, possibly some damaged organs."


    The nurse nodded with a sigh before turning back to Rhys. "If you really think you''re okay you can go, but at least take a break between your matches. Just rest here until you have to go out again." Her tone was much softer than before and it felt as though she was genuinely worried for Rhys.


    Rhys nodded. The nurse then turned towards the poison generation girl on the table and seeped her green aura into her stomach area.


    Rhys watched as the girl''s damaged dark purple aura regained its original volume and colour. Slowly blowing up like a balloon. It was the most relaxing thing he had ever seen.


    "Hey."


    Rhys''s eyes snapped to her face. She had turned her head to face him and was staring up at him intently.


    "You''re that guy..." She murmured softly. "You''re that guy on the team with that asshole."


    Sampson''s face immediately popped up into Rhys''s head. He winced and hoped that she was not still too mad about how Sampson callously insulted her a while ago.


    "Yeah. Sorry about that." Rhys pressed his fingers to his temple trying to think of words that would make the situation better. She was a powerful person after all. Someone he wanted to be on good terms with. "It''s just... His personality."


    She chuckled softly before placing her head back against the stretcher.


    "Anyways, how was your match?" Rhys had been deathly curious about it since he had been rolled past their match pit. Connor had been the only one who was unharmed, while the others had all been covered in electric burns. He wanted to learn as much about that match as possible, specifically anything to do with Connor and his ability.


    "I saw that everyone besides Connor had been electrocuted. He must have actively used his skill during your match?"


    [''You obviously sound desperate for information. She will see right through you.''] The teacher snickered in his head.


    "Everyone?" She frowned.


    "Yeah, everyone." Rhys squinted down at her confused face.


    Rhys watched curiously as the poison girl''s eyes widened momentarily, before her expression sunk back into neutral. She definitely knew something or had figured something out. Something to do with Connor.


    "What is it?" He urged her, leaning forward.


    Her eyes shifted to him and she stared at him for a long moment.


    "Nothing." She resolutely turned away from Rhys and focused on the nurse healing her belly.


    ''Dammit.''


    He clenched his fists anxiously. She definitely knew something but would not tell him. To her, he was just another trainee hungry for a win, and to top it off he was on a team with the guy she disliked.


    [''You know....?'']


    ''What?''


    [''You could just torture it out of her.''] Rhys froze at the familiar cruel tone in the teacher''s voice.


    [Attention! New Quest]


    [Quest:


    Extract the information from the human female in front of you. ]


    [Rewards: + 100 Exp]


    [Penalty: None]


    Rhys couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw the reward of 100 Exp. If he got this reward he would be more than halfway to level 5 and his prized Aura manipulation skill. This was way too good to pass up, on top of that when else would the system be so generous. Best of all, the system did not specify how he was allowed to extract information. He wouldn''t have to torture her at all if he got her to tell him naturally.


    [Does the user accept the quest? Y/N]


    ''Yes, I accept.'' Rhys sucked in a breath and hoped this worked out.


    "Umm... I''m Rhys by the way. What''s your name?"


    Yes, starting with a light introduction was a good idea. Rhys didn''t actually have any friends during school because of his status as coreless person, so the process of making friends was unfamiliar to him. But wasn''t this how people usually got to know each other?


    She turned her her head to look back up at him and emotionlessly replied. "It''s Aria."


    "Well. That''s a pretty name..."


    Silence. A long awkward silence ate away at Rhys''s confidence. Just as he was about to try again, the door flew open and Sampson stood there wide-eyed.


    "Hey!" The nursed turned to the boy who had just barged in. "This is the infirmary. You can''t just walk in here."


    "Rhys." Sampson huffed, looking more agitated than Rhys had ever seen him.


    "The pairings for the next round are up. We''ll be fighting against Connor''s team."


    Rhys shut his eyes for a moment and clenched his fists. He turned back to look down into Aria''s cold brown eyes.


    "I want to survive. No... scratch that, I want to win." Rhys''s chest tightened as he blurted out his truth.


    "I''m sure that''s how you felt before your match too, maybe you even felt that way while you were fighting. Whatever you felt, you had your chance against him but you lost, now it''s my turn. You can''t win but my group and I still have a chance, and if you have any desire, any inkling of a wish to see us defeat him at all please tell me what you know. Please."


    Rhys turned to Sampson and sternly looked at him. From that look and the plea Rhys had just made, Sampson knew the girl knew something, something probably vital to them winning the next match.


    Sampson bit down his pride and did what Rhys wanted him to do.


    "Please, tell us what you know." He pleaded.


    The pathetically submissive words felt revolting in his mouth. He only did it because Rhys had asked him to. He hated to admit it, but without Rhys he would not have made it past the first round. For now, he needed to listen to Rhys.


    Aria sighed as her resolution crumbled. She wasn''t trying to be a bitch, but knowledge was power and giving it up for nothing was stupid. But then again she was out of the tournament, so she had lost her opportunity to use what she knew.


    "I hope you didn''t get you hopes up too high. I don''t know the secret to his ultimate weakness or anything that useful. Just what you said earlier about everyone from my match pit having electric burns..." She looked back up at Rhys.


    "He didn''t participate in the match until the very end. His three teammates were strong enough to take care of my team by themselves. He just leaned again the wall like he didn''t care while the others engaged in the fight."


    It still upset her that Connor thought so little of her strength. She bit her lip to calm herself.


    "Only once I made a comeback and knocked down his teammates did he even start to focus. We were the only people standing. Everyone else was laying unconscious on the floor, they weren''t in the way of our fight at all. But somehow everyone ended up with electric burns..."


    Rhys cocked his head wondering why Connor would''ve used his electricity on everyone including his own teammates. Why not just attack Aria?


    "Huh? That''s all you''ve got? I''ll tell you why he attacked everyone, because he is a sadist freak."


    Aria rolled his eyes. "A sadist is someone who gets pleasure from inflicting pain on others. If everyone was unconscious already they wouldn''t have been awake to feel the pain, so he wouldn''t have gotten any pleasure from doing that." She snapped back at him.


    "Oh. Right." Sampson scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.


    "It''s just a hunch, but I think that guy has trouble controlling his power."


    Rhys''s eyes widened as he thought back to the initiation ceremony. Connor had done the exact same thing. Instead of small concentrated attacks, his power surged out of his body in different directions, completely engulfing the space around him. What if he didn''t do that on purpose, what if he did that because thats the only way he knows how to use his power? He came from a juvenile detention Center in district 20, they sure as hell would not have helped him hone his abilities. If anything they would have put restrictors on him to block his power. Maybe that is why his attacks are so explosive. Maybe he is used to wearing suppressors and thus he only knows how to use his ability by surging to the max and creating electricity beyond the capacity of what a supressor would be capable of holding back.


    Rhys''s heart was racing thinking that he had found a weakness to the mighty Connor. However he deadpanned when a thought back to the incident in front of the cafeteria with Gunn.


    "No, that can''t be it." He sighed "I saw him shoot a line of electric energy straight at someone before. There was this guy blocking the entrance to the cafeteria a few days ago, and Connor directly sent his electricity at him. It was a pinpoint attack."


    "No, you''re remembering it incorrectly." Aria interrupted. "It wasn''t pinpointed. I was there that day and saw what happened. Connor''s Attack did hit that guy with the big eyebrows, but the electric burns singed a large portion of the door behind the guy, as well quite a few people who were standing close to Connor."


    Hope flooded back into Rhys. "Then, that might mean that Connor doesn''t have control over the intensity of his attacks. He might have a bit more control over the direction but it''s still not near perfect..."


    If you thought about it, it wasn''t a very exploitable weakness, but at this point any weakness of that guy was important.


    "And before he electrocuted me during our match, he inhaled some of my poison. His eyes were watering and his throat was probably burning too. He would definitely have lost some of his concentration and lost control of his power. If he loses concentration, he probably loses whatever control he has gained of his power as well." Rhys nodded deep in thought as Aria put all the pieces of this puzzle together.


    "If we can distract him or just make sure he can''t concentrate, we might be able to do well in this match." Rhys rubbed his temple, the game plan was already forming in his head.


    "What do you mean ''do well''?" Sampson scoffed sarcastically. "If he concentrates he can make more precise attacks, if he doesn''t concentrate, he showers the room in electric energy. It doesn''t fucking make a difference."


    Sampson angrily kicked the trash can next to him, sending it bashing into cabinet.


    "Hey!" The nurse shouted. "I''m still here. You pick that right back up young man!" She growled from over Aria''s stomach. The three teenagers stared at her wide eyed, all of them had forgotten that she was there, including Aira, even though the nurse was treating her.


    "Any weakness in Connor, even if it''s a small one can help us beat him. We''ve just got to find the best way to exploit it. I''ve got plan." Rhys jumped down from his bed and walked towards the door.


    "Thanks Aria, I owe you one." He smiled brightly before exiting the infirmary with Sampson.


    "Don''t think I won''t come and collect on that." Rhys chuckled when he heard her call after him.


    [Congratulations!]


    [Quest completed]


    [Rewards: + 100 Exp]


    [Penalty: None]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 4]


    [Exp: 203/400]


    [HP: 25/40]


    He was now a little over halfway to his goal, thanks to Aria.


    [''I still think you could have tortured her.''] The teacher huffed.


    "You''ve really got a plan?"


    "Sort of." Rhys squinted. "Sampson, how much electricity can you take before you pass out?"


    "Me getting electrocuted better not be part of the fucking plan." Sampson growled.

 Chapter 25 - 25 The Match - Part 1

    Zora glided a hand over her smooth bald head again and flexed the muscles in her arm habitually. That boy from the termination list, Rhys Anson... He was strangely unsettling. She did not notice at first because of his humble appearance, but now, it was clear that there was something eerie about him. He was not like the other six trainees she had her eyes on who all stood out among the group of sector five trainees. Zora honestly would not have noticed him at first if she had not seen his name on the termination list. however, she only had to watch him fight to realize how dangerous he was. He seemed to have a power that made him untouchable but at the same time meant death for his opponent if he touched them...?


    "Ridiculous..." She muttered as she stared at the young man talking to one of the other trainees she had been keeping an eye on, Sampson the fire manipulator.


    Zora shook her head free of worry and sucked in a deep breath before shouting across the gym.


    "Listen up trainees, the third round will commence shortly." She pointed to the board that displayed the six remaining groups and their random pairings.


    {team 12 vs team 25}


    {team 9 vs team 1}


    {team 5 vs team 8}


    "Unlike in round two, these matches will not be held at the same time. The matches of the third round will be held one at a time. I expect all of those who did not make it to the third round to watch and learn from these upcoming matches. Use this opportunity to learn from those who are better than you. And for those who will be fighting soon, don''t lose your spirit. All the members of the winning group will be ranked as A students and will enjoy all the privileges that status has to offer. that could be you."


    Zora eyed the students and their different reactions ranging from despondent to confident.


    "Teams twelve and twenty-five will go first. You have five minutes. Those who are not fighting can watch from outside the barriers." With that, Zora retreated to the back of the gym where she could have a better look at all the trainees.


    *****************


    Rhys stared at his status and his upgraded skill, trying to come up with a better plan than the one he had.


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 4]


    [Exp: 203/400]


    [HP: 25/40]


    <Statistics>


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 10]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 8]


    <Skills>


    [Spectre Form lv 5:


    The User''s body has upgraded from the spiritual level to the spectral level. Once the user applies this skill, the user''s body will hold the power of a spectre. Spectres are metaphysical beings whose bodies are the result of spiritual energy and mental capability.]


    < Common Applications of this skill >


    ?Intangibility


    ?Physical disruption


    ?Aura extension (dormant)


    ?Spectral manipulation (dormant)


    ?Spectral movement (dormant)


    ?invisibility (dormant) ]


    The bright ideas that usually lit up in his head had all gone dark. He could not think of anything better. Team 25 was just too strong.


    "Dammit." He sighed and looked forward into Nim''s expectant face. She still looked traumatised from the first match and Rhys could tell she was hoping that he had come up with a way for them to win easily like he did for the last match.


    "Listen up guys." Joel and Nim looked at him keenly. "Team twenty five outclasses us in pretty much every way, so if we want a chance at winning we all need to stick to this plan."


    [''You imbecile, no human power could outclass the ghost system. Not in a million millennia.'']


    Rhys ignored his irate teacher and carried on talking. He quickly explained the power of each member of team 25 and also quickly explained how he thought they would use it. He could not be sure on exactly how they would attack because he had not seen them in action but if he thought logically about their different abilities and from the wounds he had seen on Aria, he could somewhat piece together how the team would operate.


    Once he had finished explaining the plan he stared at his teammates, wanting to gage their reactions. They looked just as worried as he felt. His plan was by no means perfect and honestly relied heavily on luck. You would have to be an idiot to feel confident about following such a plan.


    "That''s it?" Joel clutched the daggers at his side anxiously. This was not at all like the detailed strategy Rhys had come up with last round which had guaranteed a win for them.


    "Umm... guys." Nim was quiet and unsteady as she spoke, the doubt and anxiety were visible on her face. "We could always forfeit. Being in the A category isn''t everything, aren''t our lives more important than..."


    A ferocious look from Sampson silenced her. The little confidence she had used to speak up vanished in the face of Sampson''s glare.


    "We''ve only got a few minutes left before the match. Don''t waste my time." Sampson looked at Nim as he spoke, the threat in his words was clear.


    Rhys raised an eyebrow at Nim who looked back up at Sampson somewhat defiantly. She was definitely still scared of him, that much was obvious from the way she was pressing her hands against her stomach to stop them from shaking. She was scared but she was determined to say what she thought was necessary.


    "This fight is pointless..." her words came out strained like she was holding back tears. " There is no way we are going to win, but we could seriously die if we decide to fight them. Let''s just forfeit and..."


    Sampson backhanded Nim across the face. She crumpled to the ground clutching her cheek, tears spilled out out of her eyes as she stared back up at Sampson in shock.


    "Sampson!" Rhys didn''t think he would actually get physical with Nim.


    "What the hell? You didn''t need to do that." Even Joel who was usually quiet in front of Sampson spoke up. He immediately crouched down to help Nim.


    "Just shut up," Sampson growled as he looked down at her mercilessly. "You came to the military academy for what? What did you think you were going to do when you got here? You fucking seventeenths are so clueless. You can go and be weak when you''re not part of my team and you''re not affecting my future."


    Rhys watched as Sampson''s fiery aura blazed and crackled. What Nim said really sent him into a passion-filled rage.


    "Get back up. Stick to the plan and do your bit. Or I''ll fucking kill you."


    He was deadly serious.


    Rhys watched as Sampson walked towards the match pit with his aura still ablaze. Rhys knew that Sampson would never admit it, but the idea of this match was probably winding him up as much as it was Nim. It''s just that the two different people had very different approaches. Nim''s reaction was to escape from her reality by forfeiting, while Sampsons method was to confront his reality head-on. They were really like oil and water. Right now, Sampson''s approach was the one Rhys preferred.


    "His delivery was way off, but his message was right, Nim. You have to want this win as much as we do." Nim''s eyes were hidden underneath her curly hair so Rhys could not see her expression. However, her green aura looked calm and steady, maybe Sampson''s slap helped her regain her cool.


    "Let''s go." Joel helped her off the ground and held her hand as they walked to the match pit together.


    Rhys sighed as he walked behind them, his entire plan revolved around two uncertain points: Firstly that Connor would not use his power until his teammates failed, and secondly Rhys''s own ability to properly utilise his upgraded skill. Their chances were very low.


    "That team is so screwed, they''re already turning on each other." The voices of the other students picked at Rhys''s ears as he walked by.


    "I''ve heard about that guy Sampson before, he''s got this great fire core. I don''t know, they could still have a chance with him on their team."


    "No way, even if Sampson has some decent power the others are all weak as shit. Connor''s gonna fry them, no contest."


    "Oh no. That girl on their team is a healer. Isn''t it a bit messed up to make a healer fight?"


    Rhys could only clench his fists as he listened to the chattering going on around him. He had to admit to himself that it kind of stung that after he had fought twice, still nobody recognised him. Then again, their had been a lot of teams participating in the first and second rounds and the people who were out would obviously go and watch the matches of their friends or people they knew. The only people who had even seen his powers in action were the instructors and the teams he had fought against.


    [''You lack charisma. You should try to stand out more like Connor and Sampson. People will notice you more then'']


    ''Shut up.'' Every time the teacher spoke it got more annoying.


    Rhys stepped into the match pit and glanced around the edges of the pit to see all the other groups staring in at them. Their beady eyes were desperate to discover weaknesses they could then exploit if the opportunity ever came. The people here were so cutthroat.


    "Hey Grey, you seriously lost to that team?"


    Rhys''s ears picked up on the familiar name. It was the name of the water manipulator he had fought in the first round. The guy who put razor blades in his water pockets so that his water attacks became more lethal. That guy probably could have gone much further in the tournament if he hadn''t been paired with Rhys''s team in the first round.


    "Yes." Grey replied begrudgingly. "You see that guy with black hair."


    Rhys could feel quite a few eyes on the back of his neck.


    "Uh-huh." "Yeah." "Yes." A few people around him responded as their eyes landed on Rhys.


    "You better watch him. He''s the MVP of this team."


    "Huh? Grey Are you serious?" The disbelief in their voices was obvious. "But they''ve got Sampson in their team. Surely he''s..."


    "Just watch if you don''t believe me." Grey snapped angrily at them.


    Rhys couldn''t hide the small smile on his face as he got into formation. A strange formation that he knew would earn them a ton of criticism from the people watching their match.


    "What the fuck is team 12 thinking?" Rhys heard the shocked audience outside the pit.


    "What are you guys doing? If you stand close together like that you''re done for! Spread out!"


    The orange barrier shot up around the pit and made the voices of the students watching their matches a bit muffled. However Rhys could still clearly hear the onlookers dissing their intelligence and strategy.


    "Those fuckers better watch out for me when this match is over." Sampson glared at the people booing them from outside the pit.


    "Let''s make it out of this alive first." Rhys could feel sweat beading on his forehead.


    Rhys was standing in the middle, while his three teammates were standing with their backs to him. They were practically touching each other they were standing so close together. They created a compact triangle formation with Rhys standing inside the triangle.


    "Is everyone ready?" Rhys couldn''t see their face so he wanted to check up on them.


    "Yeah." Sampson sounded vaguely annoyed.


    "Yes!" Joel was chipper but nervous.


    "Yes." Nim sounded calmer than he expected she would. That backhanded slap from Sampson somehow worked wonders on her resolve...? That couldn''t be it.


    [''You see, violence is always the answer.'']


    The stone-faced instructor who oversaw their first two matches spoke from outside the barrier. "the match between Team 12 vs team 25 begins in, five..."


    "Four."


    Connor was on the other side of the circle slumped against the barrier with a bored look on his face. Rhys sighed because it didn''t look like he would be participating anytime soon. His strategy was still valid for the moment.


    "Three."


    The other three members of team 25 were spread out a few meters in front of Connor. The very muscular guy with the bear physiology core was in the front, the red-headed teleporter was on the far left, and the girl with the long straight hair who had a wind core was on the right. Perhaps it was because Aria''s strength had taken them all by surprise that they all looked concentrated and ready for a fight.


    "Two."


    "One. Begin."


    A cruel smile slid across the teleporter''s face as he stepped forward. "Don''t worry guys, I''ve got this. I really need to vent some frustration until that poison girl gets out of the infirmary." The teleporter''s grey mesh aura surged, he was about teleport.


    "He''s coming," Rhys whispered to his teammates.


    In an instant, the ginger guy was gone and the people outside of the pit gasped and drooled at the demonstration of such an awesome core ability. Rhys knew it was an amazing ability, however to him, an ability like that was no longer a threat because of one simple reason. What made the teleportation core so frightening was that the user could pop up anywhere within a certain distance that only the user knew. The user could do this in an instant without a sound, without a trace even. It made fighting a teleporter mentally exhaustive as a person would constantly be in fear of their opponent popping up behind them.


    Rhys grinned as he saw the teleporter''s grey mesh aura begin to reform in front of Sampson. If a person had the ability to see auras, then the teleportation ability drastically decreased in ineffectiveness, because like a shadow the aura followed the being wherever it went. And in this case, Rhys could see where the teleporter would reappear before the teleporter''s body completely reformed.


    [Spectral form used +5 Exp]


    Time slowed as Rhys lunged forward through Sampson''s body to where the teleporter was teleporting to. The teleporter had both his arms raised holding small pocket knives in his hands eager to carve up Sampson.


    Just as he completely teleported to the space in front of Sampson, Rhys''s arm went through the teleporter''s shoulder and his other arm went through the guy''s stomach. Rhys immediately shifted back into his human form and heard the disturbing squelch of physical disruption tearing up the inside of the guy''s shoulder and stomach.


    The teleporter fell to his knees, his mouth was agape but he seemed unable to scream. The veins on his forehead were sticking out and his eyes bulged in his head as he stared up at Rhys.


    He looked more shocked than in pain as he stared up at the person who had somehow predicted where he would teleport to.


    "H-how?" He mouthed as blood splattered out of his mouth.


    The blood was oozing and spurting out of his wounds and Rhys watched as he to swayed on his knees. He fell onto the floor unconscious, his blood gathering around him like a pool.


    The entire gymnasium was silent as everyone was trying to make sense of what they had seen. The teleporter had teleported, and somehow the guy with the black hair had taken him down. Some had seen him run through Sampson like he was made of air but they were keeping quiet because they didn''t want to sound crazy.


    From the audience, Grey let out a loud laugh at everyone''s reactions.


    "I told you so." He slapped the shoulder of one of the guys who had doubted his words about Rhys earlier.


    From inside the pit, Rhys looked up to see that Connor was staring straight at him. Connor''s cold eyes were focused on him. Whether that was a good thing or not he would have to wait and see.


    "Let''s do this guys." Rhys locked eyes with his teammates, Joel and Nim looked like they had regained some confidence. The team dashed forward ready for the fight of their lives. The crowd cheered as they realized that this would not be the one-sided battle they were expecting.


    **************


    On a planet far away boney creatures wandered through a dark thick forest in search of meat. They were the creatures of nightmares that Rhys had managed to survive only a few weeks ago.


    A tall man walked through the forest and arrived at the edge of a black lake. After he had seen the burnt trees in the forest, it was obvious that some other life form had made it onto this planet. He frowned as he stared at the lake and the stepping stones that made a path to the castle. Whatever beings had come there even made it to the castle.


    This was not good.


    He ran his fingers through his long white hair and walked to the castle. At the entrance, he was greeted by a pool of half dried red blood. There were so many species that bled this color that he needed to test a sample. He crouched down beside the red pool and dipped his finger in the sticky substance. He loaded a sample of it into the device around his arm and after a few seconds, the machine pinged.


    "Bodily tissue identified. The lifeform is human from the planet Earth." The device read out its findings.


    The screen of the device displayed a picture of the pretty blue and green planet, as well as its recent history and location in the universe.


    He realized that he did in fact know of this planet. It was the planet the Xerserth Empire had tried and failed to colonize. For a planet that had so recently been involved in a war, it was recovering quite well.


    The man stepped over the blood and continued into the castle, up the stairs to the room at the top of the tower. There he found that the place had been somewhat ransacked. Many of the gems were gone and their cases were upturned. He paused and he stared at the empty glass container in the middle of the room. It was the case where the core was being held, but the core was gone. Something had taken it. And for their sake, he hoped that taking it was all they had done.


    With his sharp eyes and skills as a tracker, he scanned the room and deciphered what had happened there. He followed the small seemingly invisible clues that beings always left behind, the small traces like smudges and footprints even lingering sells that he could pick up on. He tracked the traces of the human who had taken the core. The trail came to a stop somewhere in the forest. He crouched down low and examined the black soil around the area. Nested in the ground he found the glittery remains of the core. There was no doubt about it now, a human had infused with the core.


    The tall man stood up and raised his arm to his face. He tapped an icon on the screen and recorded a message in his language that would then be sent to his organization.


    "Agent 2 speaking. I arrived on the planet Sepulcris and found that the core was taken. There is enough evidence to show that an infusion with the core took place. The suspects of this crime are Humans from the planet called Earth. Any agents near Earth must immediately be dispatched. The traces of the infusion are still visible but faint, so the infused person has not been paired with the core for very long. The being cannot have progressed very far into the higher being state, before it can further evolve the dispatched agents must take care of it."


    He finished recording his message and looked down at the black soil. His only thoughts were on exterminating the being who infused with the core as quickly as possible. For the safety of the universe it must be culled.

 Chapter 26 - 26 The Match - Part 2

    The crowd of students roared in appreciation for what they had just seen. It was the brilliant debut of team they were not expecting much from, that only made this match more exciting. Connor and his almighty power versus Sampson the fire user and Rhys, the guy who made holes in people. They all zoned in on the match like hawks as team 12 suddenly darted off in different directions after the teleporter fell unconscious.


    Rhys marvelled at his new speed as his legs propelled him towards his opponent. Those three points towards his agility made a huge difference and he was definitely going to make the most of them. Rhys locked eyes on his target and was determined to take her down as quickly as possible.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Wind manipulator (average)]


    Her face was pale and eyes still wide with shock, as if Rhys taking down her teammate was the last outcome she expected. She whipped her head around to refocus her attention on Rhys, her long straight hair danced around her shoulders as her windy aura swelled around her. She raised her hands ready to attack but Rhys was expecting it.


    [Spectral form used + 5 Exp]


    The powerful gust of wind she directed at him went straight through his body. Rhys continued to charge at her. He was less than a meter away from pushing his fist through her shoulder when her body was launched away from him.


    Rhys cursed under his breath as she made a quick escape. She was much better at manipulating wind than he thought she would be. She was able to manipulate the air to move her body around as well as create powerful attacks.


    Rhys twisted his body around and lunged at her again in one movement. She grunted loudly as she had to quickly propelled herself away from Rhys''s hands. Her face was scrunched up as if she was in pain and Rhys saw her hair clinging to the moisture on the side of her face. It looked like that particular wind manipulation was physically taxing, which meant she wouldn''t be able to keep it up for long.


    Again Rhys bolted for her. He stretched out his arms as long as possible in the hopes to reach her, but she was able to blow herself away from him again just in time.


    Rhys loathed how smart she was being, she had already figured out that the best way to fight him was to evade him. Without physical contact with an opponent, his skill became useless. But still, he was catching up to her. The gap between then was closing quickly.


    It was tricky trying to get used to this new agility level, he could feel the muscles in his legs straining beyond what they were used to and he was getting dizzying fast, but he couldn''t stop now. Rhys knew from reading wind manipulation scripts how hard it was to use wind to propel one''s body; it required high levels of stamina and concentration compared to just directing powerful bursts of air at an opponent. If he continued like this, he would definitely ware her down. And then he could strike.


    Again, Rhys turned on his one leg and lunged at her from a new direction. She slid herself away from him just in time. He shot straight back at her. She managed to dodge him again but this time she made a miscalculation, perhaps she had lost some concentration on her power while continuously evading Rhys, but instead of using the wind to move across the floor she accidentally flung herself against the barrier. She let out a muffled whimper and looked at her shoulder.


    Without a second to lose Rhys dashed for her. His eyes were ablaze as his fingers just penetrated her uninjured arm. Her aura swelled but Rhys knew what was coming. Before she could propel herself away Rhys phased his fingers back into the physical creating four gruesome finger-sized wounds in her elbow. She grunted in pain as her wind propelled her away from the wall towards the centre of the circle where Sampson was facing off against the black bear.


    It was not a fatal injury but it was a significant one. Wind manipulator''s especially used their hands and arms a great deal to manipulate the wind. Her shoulder that slammed against the barrier did not look good and now that Rhys had injured her other arm he knew her ability to manipulate her element would be greatly reduced. But still, the fight was not over. He turned on his heel and ran after her, his veins pumping with adrenaline. He still wasn''t used to being the aggressor in a fight but he found that he was quickly growing a taste for it.


    The huge black bear on team 25 let out an animalistic growl as his jaw elongated and he opened his mouth to reveal inhumanly large canines. His ferocious aura which looked like he was cloaked in the spirit of a black bear growled around him.


    The tell-take click of Sampson''s lighter sounded and the black bear was immediately engulfed in a raging tunnel of fire. The huge guy whined and grunted desperately scratching at his burning body while Sampson watched on in delight.


    The wind manipulator landed with a thud a few meters away from Sampson and Joel. She was obviously in pain but was still fighting, she shakily raised her arm with the injured elbow and sent a gust of wind in Sampson''s general direction. With the powerful rush of air, Sampson was knocked back a few steps and his flames were put out. Smoke rose off what was left of the bear''s grey uniform. He was free from Sampson''s fire, which was a huge mishap in the plan.


    Like a man with only one goal in mind the bear guy charged at Sampson, his aura surged and Rhys felt its ferocity. Sampson seemed unfazed though. He simply flicked on his lighter and set his flames on the bear again.


    The wind manipulator shakily rose her arms again, biting down on her lip trying to bypass the pain she felt in her shoulder and elbow. She was about to intervene for the sake of her teammate, instead she let out a harrowing cry as dreadful pain pierced her.


    Rhys''s hands were poking through tops of her shoulders. Her arms dropped to her side. Blood seeped down her shirt from the two gaping holes in her shoulders. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed onto the floor.


    Once again his hands were covered in blood from using physical disruption. He wiped them clean on his shirt and was about to go and help Sampson. Despite being burned severely by fire, the black bear was not giving up. He lunged forward through the fire and took a swipe at Sampson.


    His thick claw-like fingernails sliced Sampson''s arm, the arm he was using to hold up the lighter. Thankfully he didn''t drop it. Joel who was standing beside Sampson stabbed his dagger into the bear guy''s hand which gave Sampson the time to recover and fire more flames at the bear.


    That bear guy was scarily resistant but from the way his aura was shrinking, he would not last long either. As soon as that guy fell, they could finally go after Connor.


    Rhys took a moment to stare at Connor who was still nonchalantly leaning against the barrier with his arms crossed over his chest. He was expressionless but he was still observing the fighting going on around him. As if something caught his attention, Connor''s eyes swivelled away from Sampson, Joel and the bear and were looking at something else. For a moment Rhys thought Sampson was staring at him so he balled up his fists ready to be shocked by electricity, but the shock never came. Connor''s eyes were fixed on something else. Rhys knew Connor couldn''t be staring so keenly at the wind manipulator because she was lying unconscious at his feet.


    ''What is he looking at?'' Rhys''s fear turned to confusion as he stared at Connor who seemed to be staring straight through Rhys''s body.


    [''Ah, Rhys...''] the teacher''s voice infiltrated his head again.


    [''I''ll use this as a teaching moment and leave these words with you before it happens. You know, food for thought as the humans say.'']


    ''What is it?'' Rhys was starting to get really nervous.


    [''you might think me cruel, but... Experience is the most brutal teacher.'']


    Rhys''s eyes opened wide and he was suddenly flooded with anxiety. Nim! It was Nim. She was supposed to be with Sampson and Joel in case they needed healing but she wasn''t. That meant she was probably still with the teleporter at the other end of the pit. And if she was with him... Dammit. Knowing her personality she definitely would have healed him.


    Rhys spun around to see a bloodthirsty face in front of him as two pocket knives were suddenly stabbed into his stomach.


    "Argh!" The knives were violently twisted inside of him. It was excruciating. His head was coursed with the pain and in that state of mind he couldn''t seem to shift into the spectral form.


    [24/40 Hp]


    [23/40 Hp]


    [22/40 Hp]


    [Spectral form used + 5 Exp]


    Rhys was finally able to focus and shift into the spectral form. He stabbed out his hand and tried to strike at the teleporter but the red-head dodged and teleported a few meters away. Rhys noticed that when he shifted phases the pain greatly reduced. The wound was still there and looked gruesome, but the bleeding stopped and he could barely feel anything. He had just discovered a new benefit of the spectral form.


    The red-head''s shoulder still looked very raw, his stomach however was looking much better. It definitely was not a hundred percent healed but it was enough to keep him fighting. Nim probably healed his stomach to try keep him alive and ultimately underestimated how resilient the guy was; as soon as he was able to move he went on to attack Rhys.


    "You''ve got some really nice teammates you know." The guy motioned behind him to where Nim was laying passed out on the floor. He must have knocked her out after she healed him.


    "Stupidest person I''ve ever met, but still nice I guess." He ran his hand through his red hair, Rhys''s blood coated his finger tips. "And you..." he pointed his knives at Rhys. "It seems that you can be cut." He grinned wickedly.


    A loud thud resounded around the pit as the large bear physiology guy hit the floor. He had finally succumb to his injuries and collapsed. Two down and one to go before they took on Connor.


    "Argh!" The teleporter shouted out his frustration. Rhys saw that his aura was opening up in the space behind Sampson. The guy was planning on stabbing Sampson in the back.


    "Sampson behind you!" Rhys urgently pointed to behind Sampson where he could see the teleportation aura forming, where the redhead would teleport to.


    When he heard Rhys, Sampson immediately spun around and torched the space behind him in flames. They were definitely in sync as teammates.


    A muffled cry came from inside the fire but then silence. Rhys turned his head to the opposite side of the circle where something caught his eye. The teleporter''s aura appeared and then suddenly the teleporter did. His clothes where a little smoky from the quick flash of Sampson''s fire, but more than that the fury on his face was evident.


    "You!" He coughed and glared at Rhys. "How did you do that? This time and last time you knew exactly where I would teleport to. How?!"


    Rhys was not going to answer the question. He remained silent and stared down the irate teleporter.


    "That''s enough."


    Rhys, Joel, Sampson and the teleporter turned their heads to look back at Connor who was standing up straight now. His hands were still nonchalantly in his pockets as he gazed at everyone.


    "Connor wait. Just give me a few more minutes... I''ll definitely have their flag in a few more minutes." The fear in the teleporter''s voice was clear.


    Connor looked at him, his eyes trailed over the wounds on his shoulder and stomach, then on his burns.


    "No, you won''t. You can''t."


    "But I-"


    "Shut up."


    The teleporter immediately kept quiet.


    Connor''s ridiculous aura began to surge. It buzzed and crackled and practically shone. It was beautiful but ultimately terrifying. In an instant electricity engulfed the pit.


    [Spectral form used + 5 Exp]


    Rhys shifted forms just in time before the currents could hit him. Meanwhile Sampson shouted out in pain as he was shocked. Him and a Joel fell to the floor helplessly, their bodies shaking as they were racked with dangerous energy. It was the same with the teleporter who was convulsing on the floor. Connor really had a monstrous power.


    Rhys felt like he was standing in the middle of a wasp''s nest and was being stung by a swarm of hundreds of thousands of them. The pain was horrible, far worse than having a knife twisted inside of him. Even in his spectral form, the currents were so intense that he could not move from his spot. It was a horrible acute burning that he would do anything to escape.


    [''Focus Rhys. What is your goal?'']


    It was so painful that he could barely hear the teacher''s voice.


    [''Listen to me. You''re still standing. If you''re still standing it means this isn''t enough to cripple your spectral form, which means you can still fight.]


    The teacher was right. He felt like he was going to collapse but somehow he was still standing. Maybe it was just his mind psyching him out right now.


    [''If you couldn''t handle it you would have collapsed like the others.'']


    Rhys glanced over at the others who were convulsing on the floor. He needed to stop this. They would all die if he did not stop this.


    He gritted his teeth and turned to face Connor who was staring at him with another unreadable expression.


    Rhys could barely feel his legs over the pain of the electricity but he managed to make himself step forward. A step, then another step. The pain wasn''t lessening he was just gritting through it.


    He stared back at Connor who was now only a few meters away.


    ''I can do this'' He urged himself on. He nodded as he remembered his master plan. Most of it was ruined by Connor joining the fight before all his teammates were defeated, but there was still one thing that could work.


    [Prolonged use of skill +10 Exp]


    Rhys cursed internally. He knew this would happen sooner or later.


    [Warning!]


    [User will lose 1 HP per second the skill is in use]


    [21/40 Hp]


    Rhsy cringed as the realisation dawned on him. He had 22 seconds to get the flag, less than that if he wanted Sampson, Joel and Nim to live.


    [20/40 Hp]


    [19/40 Hp]


    Now! He had to do it now.


    [18/20 Hp]


    Rhys bit through the pain and was about to lunge forward with all his strength when suddenly the cloud of electricity disappeared and the pit was suddenly filled with the voices of the audience.


    "Ah! Finally, we can see again."


    "Look! That guy over there is still standing."


    "Geez that''s incredible. What the hell, he isn''t even hurt?"


    "What is that guy? I can''t believe someone could withstand that?"


    Grey in particular had his eyes glued to Rhys, whose clothes and skin looked like they didn''t take any damage, but somehow he looked exhausted even if he was not physically injured.


    Rhys stared forward at Connor with his brow furrowed. He didn''t understand why Connor stopped attacking. It definitely wasn''t because the guy ran of out energy. Connor''s aura was just as bright and powerful as it was before his currents flooded the room.


    "You really aren''t injured are you...." Connor frowned as he scanned over Rhys. "My power didn''t injure you..." He tilted his head as if his own words were confusing him.


    Rhys was putting on a brave face, trying to maintain that he was unaffected by the electricity but he could not ignore the sheer exhaustion and dizziness he was feeling. His body swayed and before he could stop himself he fell onto his knee.


    "Oh?" A slight smile lit up Connor''s puzzled face. "So you were affected by my power, just not externally maybe."


    Rhys gulped as Connor''s aura spiked. It double in size from the last time and the crackling and buzzing of his aura was enough to make Rhys feel like he was going blind and deaf.


    "Whatever your ability is, let''s see how well it protects you when I do this."


    Without a second to lose Rhys dove forwards. He was aiming for the spot just in front of Connor''s feet and his body was heading towards the floor at a downward angle. He stretched out his arms and hoped that they wouldn''t take too much damage.


    [Spectral form used +5 Exp]


    Everything but his hands shifted to the spectral form. His palms and fingers slapped against the floor as Connor''s electricity flooded the room. Rhys''s spectral body was flung straight through the pit floor while his physical hands stayed above the surface and stopped him from falling all the way down.


    His hands were racked with electricity and they burned terribly but Rhys was resigned to sacrifice them for this fight. This was his end game and the match would soon be over.


    Rhys clamped his hands down against the floor and swung his body back up through the floor. To everybody''s shock the guy who had suddenly fell through the floor flew back out from the floor just under Connor''s feet, catching Connor by surprise.


    Their movements were so fast and the cloud of electricity inside the match was hard to see through, but only a moment later Connor''s power dissipated and the orange barrier sank bank into the floor. The outcome was clear as day.


    Rhys was laying on the floor and Connor was the last man standing.

 Chapter 27 - 27 The Outcome

    Rhys was laying on the floor and Connor was the last man standing.


    The audience was silent as they stared at the sad scene in front of them. Most of them had predicted this outcome but during the course of the match team 12 had surprised them. Especially the guy with the weird power. Most of them were secretly hoping that team 12 would win, if not for the fact that they had put up a good fight against the scariest team in the tournament, then for the fact that for a moment team 12 made them feel like beating someone like Connor was possible.


    "No way, guys..." A loud voice among the students caught everyone''s attention. "Connor''s flag is gone."


    Just short of a hundred heads snapped around to look at Connor''s abdomen and they were all shocked by what they saw. His grey uniform t-shirt was torn at the front, a large patch of his abs were exposed where his flag had previously been pasted to his shirt.


    On the floor, Rhys struggled to turn his body. His hands were all messed up, he was thoroughly exhausted from using his skill against Connor''s electricity and now that he had phased back into his physical form, his stomach wound started bleeding again. But none of that mattered.


    [17/40 Hp]


    Rhys finally relaxed his jaw letting the team 25 flag slip out from between his teeth. He smiled down at the flag that he had managed to take from Connor. After he had flung himself back up through the floor, Rhys had managed to use their close proximity to his advantage. His hands were pretty much useless from being exposed to Connor''s power at such close proximity so he had to improvise.


    The momentum from swinging up through the floor let him land a pretty good kick under Connor''s chin. Astonishingly the kick wasn''t enough to knock Connor out or even push him off balance, all it gave Rhys was a moment of invisibility because Connor could not see him as his head was thrown back from the kick. In that split second Rhys had leaned his head in and bit down hard on Connor''s flag.


    Connor recovered a moment later and sent Rhys flying forward with a revenge punch to the chest. Rhys''s bite on the flag was strong enough that it was ripped from Connor''s shirt as he flew backwards.


    [''Not bad for an enlightened human.'']


    Rhys smiled brightly even though everything hurt.


    The nurses flooded the pit in much larger numbers than he had seen for his previous matches, then again so many of them were injured, with the exception of Connor of course. Teams of around ten healers surrounded each student and immediately began healing them.


    Rhys slowly looked up and there he saw Connor standing in front standing in front of him. Connor''s face looked steely as always which added to Rhys''s anxiety now more than ever. He wanted the nurses to get to him quickly so there was at least someone around to protect him if Connor went insane and tried to attack him.


    Connor took a step closer and Rhys gulped nervously as he tried to sit up straight.


    A crooked smile abruptly broke out across Connor''s face. It was so non-threatening that Rhys was immediately suspicious of it, there was no way it was genuine.


    "You surprised me." Connor crouched down in front of Rhys and tilted his head. "I guess we''ll get along."


    Connor''s eyes were bright and mischievous which made Rhys hesitate for a second, but he ultimately relaxed a bit because he didn''t see anything weird in Connor''s aura.


    "Well this is better than I expected. I was sure you were gonna be a sore loser." Rhys grinned right back at Connor who was suddenly starting to feel less intimidating.


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself." Connor ruffled his blonde hair. "You only won because I didn''t take you seriously at first."


    Rhys hated to admit it but Connor was speaking the truth. The size of Connor''s aura when he first sent his electricity around the room was not as bright and powerful as it could have been, he had definitely been holding back. Things would have gone very differently if Connor had used his full power from the beginning.


    "The Team 12 versus Team 25 match is over!" The instructor called out for everyone to hear. "Team 12 wins!"


    Rhys looked back to see that Sampson, Joel and Nim were conscious again. They all had stupidly happy smiles on their faces because they heard the announcement. They were the winners, despite all the odds.


    "Well, next time use your full power and then we''ll see." Rhys replied to Connor''s taunt with a happy grin and Connor chuckled back.


    "We''ll see-"


    "Wait a moment." Zora the bald headed instructor broke through the crowd of students and nurses.


    "I''ve reviewed the footage and come up with a ruling." She glanced over at Rhys who looked to be chatting with Connor. "Team twelve is disqualified for violating the rules of the tournament."


    Rhys immediately turned around and was trying to get back on his feet but the nurses and healers suddenly swarmed him.


    "Student, please don''t move!" They stopped him by holding onto his shoulders.


    "What do you mean?" Rhys''s face went pale and his happiness crumbled.


    "What the hell are you talking about? What violation?" Sampson growled from across the pit where he was being treated. His arm was already healed and he was being wrapped in bandages like a mummy for the sake of his electrical burns.


    "Trainee Rhys Anson violated the most fundamental rule of the tournament at approximately eleven minutes and thirteen seconds into the match." She read from her tablet while addressing everyone in the gym.


    "I explained this to all of you at the beginning, and so did your match instructors. Your flag must be visible at all times. This is one of the fundamental rules of the game."


    Rhys''s heart sank because he figured out what she was going to say next and he honestly had no way to defend himself.


    "For a period of about two and a half seconds, Rhys Anson used his power to lower himself through the ground. For that period of time the flag pasted on his chest was not visible or attainable by the other team. Therefore team 12 is disqualified. Team 25 wins by default and will advance to the final round."


    "But that''s not fair." Joel wobbly made it to his feet, much to the horror of the nurses who were trying to heal his burns. "It''s part of his power to move through stuff. By saying it''s breaking the rules aren''t you just discriminating against his ability?"


    Joel''s eyes trembled as he stared down Zora. Rhys didn''t know where he got the sudden boost of confidence to speak out but he liked it. However his argument wasn''t all that solid, and his tone towards the instructor was slightly aggressive; Rhys knew Joel''s words would not be well received by Zora.


    "Every trainee is encouraged to use their power without restriction during this tournament. Our only rule is that the flag must be visible at all times. We definitely do not discriminate against core abilities." Zora scowled down at Joel as she fought the urge to yell at him. As an instructor she needed to remain stoic and professional for the new trainees.


    Joel seemed to lose a bit of steam at her rebuttal. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again as if he could not find any meaningful words.


    "But instructor," Everyone''s head turned to Nim who shakily got to her feet. "Even if the flag was visible the other team wouldn''t have been able to take it from Rhys. His power is like that. Even if you can see him you can''t touch him, so really it makes no difference if you can see the flag or not because Rhys-"


    "Enough." Zora''s loud voice stifled Nim. "My decision is final. Team 12 is disqualified and team 25 advances to the final round."


    Nim slumped back down on the floor and placed her head in her knees. Her fingers trembled as she gripped her hair in her hands. She was racked with guilt over what she had done during the match; her healing the teleporter had been the thing that ruined the plan and was probably the reason Rhys was forced to attack Connor in a way that got them disqualified. Tears swelled in her eyes and she shakily breathed in and out trying to regain her cool. Her power had been so useless for the entire tournament, with each round she could only look forward to it ending and hope she wouldn''t get badly injured. The round she finally used her healing, she cost her team the win.


    She mustered the courage to lift her head and look at Rhys on the other side of the pit. His back was to her so she could not see his face, but from his slumped posture she could tell that he was depressed.


    [''That teammate of your''s makes a good point. Your spectral form skill means that it would be impossible for another person to take the flag from you, so why does it matter that it was out of sight for a few seconds? Those humans would not have been able to take it from you anyhow. As pointless as this is, you must learn from it and move on.'']


    Rhys was silent as he listened to the teacher. He could hear his heart beating in his chest and the grumble of the other disgruntled trainees discussing the outcome of the match. He wanted to win so badly and for a moment he thought he had. He had tasted sweet victory only for it to be ripped away from him for a mistake of two and a half seconds, his chest tightened at the thought of it.


    "Bye." Connor abruptly stood back up and walked away, leaving Rhys to wallow in his disqualification.


    Heavy footsteps were making their way across the pit to him, he turned his head to see Zora, Sampson, Joel and Nim a few paces away.


    "Please listen carefully. The other overseers and I have come to a decision." Zora stared at the very disheartened trainees in front of her. Perhaps her news would cheer them up a bit. Even if they were disqualified they were all very promising trainees and she didn''t want to see them in a slump.


    "We would usually automatically give disqualified teams the F rank. However, in light of your team''s performance in your matches today, and taking into account Rhys''s particular power that was the root of this disqualification, we''ve decided that it would be unfair to drop you all to the F rank. After the final round is over you will all be given a rank based on evaluations from the overseers who have been watching you. So don''t fret so much."


    She looked up from her tablet and awkwardly tried to smile at the trainees.


    "You fought well and you should be proud of yourselves. There will be a little break between now and the next match. Feel free to wander outdoors, cheer yourselves up a bit."


    Zora swiftly walked back to the other students and proceeded to make an announcement about the thirty minute break; there were lunchboxes waiting for them at the front of the gym. The crowd quickly dispersed and Rhys could hear people whispering about going to the cafeteria instead.


    "I''m so sorry guys." Nim''s eyes were so red it looked like she was bleeding from her eye sockets.


    "It''s okay Nim. You''re a healer after all, you were just following your instincts." Rhys felt like he was coming down from a high, and the reality of what he had done was sinking in. Using physical disruption on that teleporter in such a vital spot was definitely not an accident. In that moment he really wanted that guy to die so the system would give him more rewards. Now that his head was clear it was troubling to realise just how he was acting a few minutes ago.


    "I was the one who got us disqualified not you. Please don''t worry about it."


    [''And I thought I was making progress with you...'']


    The teacher sighed in his head. [''Never let a subordinate get away with making a mistake like that.'']


    "Be more careful next time Nim. If you heal the wrong person like that again, you might end up dead. Be glad that he only knocked you out and didn''t decide to kill you."


    Nim nodded enthusiastically while wiping away her tears. "Okay!"


    "You''re soft as always Rhys." Sampson snarled down at Nim who immediately jumped away form him. "Anyways, team 12 is done for. This is where our partnership ends."


    Sampson abruptly turned to face Nim. "I don''t want to see you around campus. Stay out of my sight or I''ll burn you."


    Sampson swivelled his head around to glare at Joel next. "I thought your were a total wimp at first but you''ve got nice reflexes and your power makes my power stronger. You''re still a support type though, so stick around with me if you want protection."


    Joel''s eyes lit up and he nodded excitedly at Sampson. Rhys was confused for a moment as to why Sampson''s crude words would make Joel so happy but then it all made sense. At the beginning of the tournament Joel had desperately been trying to get along with Connor, not because Connor was a social butterfly but because he was strong. Someone like Joel knew how hard it was to have a power like his that he couldn''t use to fight, he wanted someone to protect him and follow around. Becoming Sampson''s lackey was a great option for him, especially with his calmer personality which he could use to deal with Sampson''s violent mood swings.


    Sampson then focused on Rhys. He was silent for a long while and the two just stared at each other waiting for something to happen. "I''ll see you around." Sampson finally murmured.


    "Come on, Joel." Sampson beckoned his new lackey to his side as he set off for the lunch boxes at the front of the gym. Joel jogged after him and took his place at Sampson''s side.


    "Wow, it''s really over. I can''t believe it." Nim murmured as she crouched down beside him. "This was only the first day of school but it feels like months have passed." She giggled as she pushed her messy brown hair out of her face.


    "Thanks for being so kind to me."


    Rhys shook his head and sheepishly looked away from her. "It was nothing. But Nim-"


    Rhys was going to ask why she had come here. She was going to have to stay and survive here for four years now that she had arrived and Rhys wanted to know how she was planning on making it. But then he shut his mouth. This system was changing him more than he liked to admit and getting close to truly kind people like her was not good for either of them.


    "Never mind it''s nothing." With that Rhys stood up and made his way to the lunchboxes.


    "If you ever need healing, come straight to me!" She cheerfully called out after him.


    Rhys grabbed a lunchbox and walked out through the open gym door that lead outside. The sunlight felt great against his skin, he felt like It was energising him just by basking in it.


    The gymnasium was situated next to what looked like an athletic field, beyond that was a wide field of wild grass and in the distance the forest. Rhys found himself a patch of grass far away from the others and sat down. He munched down hungrily on the large chicken sandwich inside the box and slurped up the juice in the juice box before using his skill to replenish his energy.


    [Aura: Grass]


    [Energy Absorption +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption +5 Exp]


    [Energy Absorption +5 Exp]


    [...]


    Rhys watched as the green aura of the plants were siphoned off into his body, leaving behind dried black grass. His body felt so much better and his HP was full again.


    [40/40 HP]


    Absorbing energy was so satisfying, especially when he was running low and he got to absorb a lot in one go like this. He wondered if people who took drugs went through a similar high.


    Soon the thirty minutes were over and everyone funnelled back into the gym to watch the final match. It was a battle royal between Groups 25, 9 and 8.


    The rules of the game changed a little bit as well. Instead of fighting in a large circle, they fought in an equilateral triangle shaped pit. And instead of having flags pasted to their bodies, each group had their flags tied to a pole in their corner of the triangle. The new goal was to take the two other team''s flags and tie it to their pole. The winner of the tournament would be the first group to have three flags tied to their poles. On top of that, any group that was that didn''t have a flag to their pole would be out after 3 minutes. So if I team hit their flag stolen, they had 3 minutes to get another flag or lose the match.


    Rhys was certain that this would be an easy win for Connor''s team because of the teleportation guy, however it seemed that everyone payed attention during Rhys''s match because both opposing teams immediately made preparations to stop their flag being taken by the teleporter. One team had a fire manipulator who immediately surrounded their flag and pole in a blanket of fire, making it impossible for the red-head to teleport there. The other team copied Rhys''s strategy and stood with their backs right up against the pole, ready to take down anyone who suddenly appeared.


    Although the preparation looked good, team 25 came into the final match with a fresh ferocity. The wind girl''s mouth was pursed into an angry line, the teleporter had a furious scowl on his face, the bear guy was not hiding his aggression at all; his fists were balled up ready to take out his frustration on his opponents, and much to the other two teams worry, Connor was standing up straight as if he was going to participate.


    The other two teams fought back admirably, Rhys noticed a guy from one of the other teams had an incredible skill.


    [Aura detection used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Metal physiology (weak)]


    His aura looked like he was cased in a giant metal egg. In the blink of an eye his body would transform as his skin turned into a silvery metal, probably steel. He proved to be a very good opponent for the bear physiology guy. The two of the continuously tore into each other during the match.


    The other person to catch Rhys''s eyes was a guy with a very popular core ability at the moment. It was the core ability of a famous war hero and his entire family, which meant the core was not cheap. The guy was definitely from the 17th.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Energy Emission (weak)]


    He was not strong enough to actually project his energy from his body, however he was able to extend it from his hands. He ran around the pit attacking his opponents with the glowing light blue energy that pulsed out from his hands. He was a very skilled fighter; clean and concise in his attacks which really enhanced his core ability.


    They were on different teams but the two of them stood out as the most talented and the leaders of their respective teams. Rhys could hear the people around him praising them with gritted teeth, they were envious of such core abilities.


    All their glory came to an end when Connor stepped forward and did something unexpected. He engulfed the triangular pit with his power but only for a second, maybe even less than that. However long it was, it caught everyone off guard and left the other teams in a daze. The bright flash of light and pain of the current made them lose focus and struggle to regain their fighting instinct. In that time of confusion, Connor ran to get the other teams'' flags. A few people tried to stand and fight him but Connor only had to electrocute them for a second to knock them out.


    There was an interesting minute where the guy with the light blue energy tried to face off against Connor. To everyone''s surprise his energy proved surprisingly useful in blocking and nullifying Connor''s electricity, however, they were ultimately on different levels. That guy was ranked as ''weak'', while Connor was ranked as ''very strong''. After a few electrically enhanced punches the brave energy wielder was down. Team 25 was the winner as expected.


    It was finally time to learn the rankings of all the students.

 Chapter 28 - 28 The Rankings

    As instructed, Rhys stood up straight with his legs in line with his shoulders and his hands flat against his sides.


    After the final round Rhys and the others were herded into one section of the gym. The one hundred students were made to stand in ten lines of ten people each, with a narrow isle down the middle. All the instructors who had been overseeing their matches ominously stood around the group of students demonstrating how they were supposed to be standing.


    Zora was at the front of all of this, her beady eyes scanning through the rows of students making sure no one was out of place. She nodded her head, finally satisfied that everything was to her liking.


    "Congratulations." Her voice once again filled the entire gymnasium. "You survived the first day of the Military College Program. MCP for short. Today was without a doubt one of the toughest days for the freshmen to get through. Not because you won''t face harder challenges than this in the future, but because you are all still ignorant babies who have not learned how to control your abilities properly yet."


    She burst out laughing at what she must have thought was a funny joke in her speech. Rhys cringed as everybody stayed silent while she chuckled to herself.


    Zora finally cleared her throat and continued. "As you''ll remember, the purpose of this tournament was to rank all the students and put you in categories that reflect where you are in your training. As an incentive to improve, rank A has the best benefits while rank F..."


    From the way she had described rank F before everyone had pretty much surmised that it was a particularly awful hell in what was already a hellish military academy.


    "Rank F..." Rhys saw she trying to come up with an explanation as to why Rank F was so horrible. "The students in Rank F are encouraged to rise in the ranks through the specialised extra training they will receive as F rank trainees."


    She clapped her hands together with a big smile on her face. "Let''s get on with the rankings then!"


    "As the winners of the evaluation tournament you four will all automatically be placed into the A rank class. Please step forward team 25!"


    Connor, the red-headed teleporter, the huge burly bear guy, and the wind user girl with long straight hair stepped out of the line and walked to instructor Zora. They were an imposing bunch and all eyes were on them as they made their way to the front.


    "Welcome to the front Connor Twenty, Ezra Abrams, Roman Grigg, and Wren Collins. Congratulations."


    Rhys finally heard their names, he could stop referring to them by their features now.


    "On top of the perks of being A ranked students, you four will receive these silver cards each loaded with 50,000 zen that you can spend on outings or at any of the MCP stores on campus."


    Whispers of disbelief broke through the lines of students. For the kids from the 20th district especially this was an insane amount of money. Rhys also would have gasped if he didn''t have a gold card tucked away in his room.


    "As soon as you are given your rank you are free to leave, but you are also free to watch the others'' ranks being called out." She advised the students and pulled up her tablet to scroll through the lists of names.


    "Okay let''s start with the C category!" She swiped her hand over her bald head. "When I call your name please come to the front to fetch your evaluation card then you can leave."


    Rhys watched with a pounding heart as students were called to the front and they received a folded card with a big stamped ''C'' on it. Rhys knew he deserved a better score than a ''C'' but then again he did break the rules and get his team disqualified. But Zora did tell him they would evaluate him fairly despite that. But still... This was honestly a lot more nerve-racking than he thought it would be. Finally, after the 29th name had been called Zora spoke up again. She congratulated all the C-ranked students and then moved onto the B rank.


    "Joel Adams." Rhys''s eyes went wide as he heard the name of his teammate being called. He watched as Joel raced to the front with a hug smile on his face and collected his grading card. Honestly, Rhys was a little shocked that Joel was ranked so high, but when he thought about their matches Joel had been a huge help. He transferred his energy to help Sampson make powerful fire tunnels, and he did his fair share of impressive fighting. Although he wasn''t quite what the standard for a B rank was, it meant sense why the instructors gave him a chance.


    Rhys was biting his lip as the names were being called. If he was not placed in the B rank, he would either be in A, D or F. Zora announced another seventeen names including the water manipulator Rhys had faced off against during their first match. Despite being knocked out so early he was still marked as a B student.


    Zora then went on to announce the D rank which was filled with the majority of the strengthening core users as well as other weak elemental manipulators. Rhys could not help but glance over at Nim whose head was downcast, her name had not been called yet and there was no doubt that she would not make it into the A rank. If she wasn''t called out for the D rank she would certainly go to the F rank.


    "And that''s all for the D rank." Zora was chipper as ever as she scrolled down to the next list of students. The instructor proceeded to call out the names for the students in the F rank, Nim''s name was the first one called. She hid her face behind her short ginger hair and jogged to the front to get her grading card.


    Rhys felt bad for her but then again he saw it coming. The only time she used her power was to heal a guy on the opposite team who just got back up and attacked Rhys.


    Rhys watched a few other familiar faces go up and get their F ranked cards, among them was the team whom had forfeited against Connor''s team at the beginning of the second round.


    "Finally, we come to the end!" Zora cheered. Including Rhys there were only four more people standing in the line: him, Sampson, Aria and the guy who could wield light blue energy.


    "Congratulations you four. You''ve earned your spot in the A rank despite not being in the winning team. I hope you train hard at MCP and never fall from your spot."


    There were some whispers from the crowd as Aria went up to fetch her grading card. Most of the people did not see her match so they were unaware of how terrifying she actually was. Rhys on the other hand knew that she absolutely deserved the A rank.


    With the rankings all announced Zora said goodbye to the remaining students. Rhys was relieved to hear that they had the rest day off, he already decided that he and his bed were going to spend some quality time together. He quietly walked back out through the lecture hall and headed towards the forest where the obscure Glowry dorm was situated.


    Even though he lost to Connor and was disqualified he still managed to get an A rank. It was annoying and frustrating but at the end of day everything had worked out. Somehow he just did not feel satisfied.


    Rhys froze as he heard the crunch of dirt and old twigs under someone''s shoes. He spun around to see Connor nonchalantly walking a few meters behind him, and ways behind Connor was Aria making her way through the forest.


    Rhys knew a Connor had good reason to be heading to Glowry, they were roommates after all but what was Aria doing here?


    "What are you doing here Aria?" He asked with a smile fully aware that she could project poison at him any time she wanted.


    "Um... I live in Glowry?" She made a face like it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    "What, really?"


    She nodded blandly before walking past Rhys, leaving him puzzled as to how he didn''t know this.


    "Connor did you know this?" He was so confused that he accidentally called out to Connor like they were close.


    "Yeah, I saw her in the hallway before you moved in."


    "Oh." This was all Rhys could think to say after Connor replied to him. Slightly embarrassed, Rhys followed on behind them until their old stone building was visible behind the tall green trees, but the three of them halted in their tracks as three shady figures in front of their dorm became visible. Both Connor''s and Aria''s auras surged on instinct ready to attack whoever was blocking their path.


    Rhys on the other hand frowned at the familiar auras he was seeing in front of the door.

 Chapter 29 - 29 The Sophomores

    "Who are you?" Aria''s tone was icy as she stared down the three people in front of them.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Dehydration (average)]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Owl physiology (strong)]


    There was a third, much smaller guy standing behind the two in front, but Rhys could not see him properly because the other two were pretty much blocking him from view.


    Rhys quickly recognized the auras of the two guys in front. A few days ago, just after he had finished his initiation test, he had seen some guys sitting together in the seats outside the initiation venue. One guy with an owl physiology core and another with a dehydration core. He remembered them because of their crazy rare core abilities and high ratings by the system.


    "You guys must be the new freshmen on the fourth floor." A tall, uncomfortably thin guy with a gaunt face stepped forward.


    He was wearing the dark green version of their grey military uniforms. With a crooked smile on his face, he reached out his hand and placed it on the trunk of a tree. Rhys''s eyes bulged as he watched the tree wither before his eyes. The dark brown bark quickly turned dull and began to crack and flake off, the luscious dark green leaves yellowed then greyed at the top of the tree.


    All the moisture was being drained from the huge tree right before their eyes. A loud crack sounded from inside the dry tree trunk and the guy removed his hand, leaving the dehydrated tree alone incase it toppled over.


    Rhys honestly felt a little envious after seeing the guy''s dehydration ability in action. Although he knew his Energy Absorption skill work differently, it had a very similar result. The big difference was that this guy was able to cause a whole tree to die in a few seconds while Rhys was stuck on absorbing medium sized plants.


    "My name is Cyril," the guy who dehydrated the entire tree grinned, obviously pleased by their startled reactions.


    "And that''s Chris." He gestured back towards the guy with the owl physiology core who was wearing a large green sweater that covered half his face.


    "We are second years living on the third floor. And more importantly, we are your welcoming committee." He did not sound in the least bit welcoming though, especially not with that malicious smirk on his face.


    "We''ve been here for days already, why didn''t you welcome us then?" Aria raised an eyebrow as she stared at Cyril.


    "It would have been a waste of our energy to throw you guys a welcome party if you all died during the first evaluation..." Chris chuckled darkly from behind Cyril.


    There was an uncomfortable pang in Rhys''s chest because Chris''s words reminded him of the guy he killed in the second round. That goofy guy who made all his teammates laugh. The image of his severed neck was starting to poke Rhys''s subconscious now that Rhys was not completely absorbed in fighting.


    Rhys was suddenly torn away from his thoughts by a frantic voice.


    "Please let me go, I just want to go inside!" A small whinny voice came from behind Chris. "Run you guys! don''t let them catch you and do this to you..." He whimpered as he tried to make a run for it from behind Chris. Unfortunately, he was swiftly put in a headlock and pinned to Chris''s waist.


    The guy grunted as he tried to wrestle himself free, but he was no match for Chris.


    That was when Rhys noticed that the smaller guy was standing in nothing but a pair of white boxers with little blue dinosaurs printed all over them. And someone had taken a red marker and written a large red ''F'' across his chest.


    [Aura Detection Used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Enhanced Senses (weak)]


    Rhys noticed that the guy''s light yellow aura was concentrated more thickly around his head.


    Cyril and a Chris were obviously hazing the guy. Rhys had gone through something similar a few times in high school, so he was pretty familiar with this sight. He clenched his fists discovering some dormant anger and bloodlust still left in him from the tournament.


    "You guys have just been graded so you are probably really tired right? So we won''t make all of you go through the Glowry initiation." He licked his lips, feasting off of what he thought was fear in the freshman''s eyes. In reality Connor was getting increasingly annoyed, Aria was thoroughly grossed out by them, and Rhys was wondering which of the two of them would go down easier.


    "I''ll say that..."He licked his lips. "Any of you who got A rank can skip out on the initiation!"


    He guffawed thinking that all three of them would have to take part in his hazing ritual, because what were the chances that of all of three of them got A rank? Impossible! Chris only said that so he could watch the flicker of hope die from their naive eyes.


    Rhys, Connor and Aria deadpanned at this anticlimactic announcement. They then nonchalantly walked forward ready to get back to there dorms.


    "Hey! Where do you think you guys are going? I said only the A ranks among you three can go back, the rest have to stay down here with Archie and us." He pointed to the pathetic looking guy in dinosaur boxers.


    "We heard you." Connor glared at Cyril, his aura spiking dangerously like he was just managing to hold back his electricity.


    "We are all ranked as A students." Rhys confirmed before side stepping them and reaching for the door handle.


    Cyril and Chris looked forward, completely dumbfounded by what they had heard. Did the three freshmen in front of them seriously all get A ranks?


    "What?" Archie, the half naked guy spoke. "All three of you got A''s?" His jaw dropped and his eyes were filled with unbridled pain. Rhys guessed that the huge red F written in his chest was meant to mark him as an F rank student. Cyril or Chris must have drawn it on him once they learned of his rank


    Rhys nodded at him as Archie tried to shield the front of his boxers with his hands.


    "Well, what about initiation then? I had a bunch of fun stuff planned to do with you guys." His cruel smile form before was replaced with a crestfallen look.


    Rhys''s eyes drifted over to a bag that was next to Cyril''s feet. What looked like dog collars and leashes, as well as a carton of eggs were sticking out of the bag. What kind of ''initiation'' was this guy planning?


    Rhys had enough and was about to open the door when someone form the inside opened it instead.


    "Oh my goodness, you''re back already. I wanted to greet you guys when you came back but I lost track of time again." His smile was warm, gentle and genuine looking as he stood in the doorway.


    This man wore a white lab coat and had long blonde hair tied up in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. His circular rimmed glasses framed blue eyes and Rhys had to admit that the guy was really handsome. Probably even better looking than Connor in his opinion.


    That warm smile vanished when he caught a glimpse of Archie in his boxers.


    "Cyril, Chris." He looked at them sternly. "I said no hazing."


    "We''re not hazing anyone sir, we''re just having fun..." Cyril spouted.


    "Give him back his clothes please." The man in the lab coat looked like a disappointed father trying to correct his kid''s behaviour.


    Cyril begrudgingly reached into his bag and retrieved some crumpled up grey military clothes which he tossed at Archie.


    The man opened the door and looked sternly down at Chris and Cyril. The two of them got the message and and made their way inside leaving the four freshmen outside.


    "I''m sorry about those two." He chuckled nervously. "They''re good kids, it''s just that Cyril is really big on seniority, and Chris just does whatever Cyril wants. So there''s not much reasoning going on between those two heads."


    The blonde man looked down at Archie who was hastily putting on his pants with an apologetic look.


    "They might seem scary now but they are actually good kids."


    "Yeah, sure." Archie huffed.


    "My name is Killian Heisenberg. You may call me Professor, or Professor Killian. Whichever is more comfortable for you."


    Rhys was impressed by this guy. He was not very old, late twenties at most but he was already a professor. On top of that, this Professor had a unique air around him. He somehow seemed refined and high class, but then again most scholars would seem like that in a place like the MCP.


    [Aura Detection Used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Killian Heisenberg]


    [Combination Aura: 2 Auras detected]


    [Auras: Enhanced Intelligence (average)


    ? Telekinesis (strong) ]


    Rhys''s heart burst in his chest at the unexpectedly unique aura around the Professor. The Professor had two auras which meant that he was infused with two different cores. Rhys had never met someone with two cores before. It wasn''t uncommon in the other sectors and within the military but it was still Rhys''s first time seeing something like this.


    "Heisenberg..." Rhys regained his focus and looked at Aria who had just murmured the Professor''s surname. She frowned as if struggling with something.


    "Killian Heisenberg..." She looked up at the Professor with suspicious eyes. "That''s not a name you''d hear in Sector 5."


    Aria knew from experience that people in the higher districts had a habit of naming their children with longer names. It was a way of creating a class barrier without having to enforce anything. People in Sector 5 generally had shorter names with fewer syllables. Single or double syllable names like Max or Otis where normal. Whereas people in the wealthier districts had long first names and especially long surnames. Aria had visited Sector 1 a few times as she was shipped there to be worked on by some Eugenics doctors. From her time there she knew polysyllabic and more ''elegant'' names like Theodore and Acantha were all the rage. That''s why she knew ''Killian Heisenberg'' was not a name you would see in Sector 5.


    The Professor chuckled. "They told me you were quite sharp. You must be Aria."


    She nodded in reply.


    "You''re correct Aria, I''m actually from Sector 1, District 4, to be exact."


    Rhys looked at the Professor in a completely new light. Sector 1 was incredibly wealthy and glamorous compared to the other sectors, a place that was not under military control but under governmental jurisdiction. Of course District 20 was completely cut off from information about the better off districts but that didn''t stop the rumours or odd pictures being leaked. Apparently their systems were different, their laws were different and judging from Professor Killian, their people were very different as well.


    "So what is a Professor from Sector 1 doing in a Sector 5 Military college?" Rhys asked now more suspicious of the Professor.


    The man paused for a moment and regarded Rhys calmly before speaking.


    "I came for the Glowry dorm, for all of you to be specific. For a scientist like myself, I could not pass up the opportunity to work with such rare cores."


    Aria stared straight at the Professor, she kept a straight face but her dark purple gas-like aura was rising and swelling dangerously. She looked like she was about to attack the Professor. "Are you saying you''re here to do experiments on us?"


    "No, nothing scary like that." He chuckled seeming unaware of Aria''s hostility.


    "Besides, the Eugenics teams have done enough experimentation and research on you, Aria. My particular fascination is with cores and their application. I want to study how each individual can utilise their cores to the full extent. Besides giving you guys a few blood tests and the odd infusion scan, I won''t be dissecting you or doing anything so pervasive."


    He nudged his glasses up his nose with a long finger and smiled gently down at the students. "You''ve probably already noticed that this residence hall is not like the others."


    Rhys nodded. Glowry was pretty much at the opposite end of campus compared to all the other residence halls, moreover there were very few students living their. And from what he had seen all the students living in Glowry had exceptionally rare core abilities. Rhys paused as he suddenly remembered Archie.


    He turned to look at the guy who''s aura was fairly common: Enhanced senses. That core ability was less distributed then strengthening or elemental cores only because people found them really lame and did not want to infuse with them. Rhys thought the Glowry dorm was actually the military trying to keep all the dangerous students together, but his theory was off if Archie was living there too.


    "I negotiated the creation of this dorm for my transfer here. I wanted all the students with cores and specific applications of their cores that weren''t yet understood by science to be together, so that I could study them. Each if you, from the sophomores to the freshmen living in this dorm are exceptional in that your powers are not fully understood."


    ''Teacher, am I missing something about Archie? He is just has a normal Sense enhancement, so why is he in the Glowry dorm?''


    [''You''ll have your answer when you figure out which of his senses has been enhanced. So look harder.'']


    It would be too obvious if Rhys just blatantly stared at him while the Professor was talking, so he reminded himself to spy on Archie when he had the time.


    "The survival of the human race is dependent on how fast we can catch up to other races like the Xerserth. That''s why my work and your cooperation is necessary. You Four in particular are crucial to this work."


    Professor Killian spoke eloquently and convincingly, moreover his aura flowed calmly around him. He seemed trustworthy, however Rhys was not about to let his guard down. If the Professor would be studying him, he needed to be extra careful.


    "Oh I''m sorry. You''re probably very tired from the evaluation, and here I am giving a boring speech and making you stay outside like this. Please go inside and have rest. Your schedules and textbooks have been delivered to your dorm rooms. Let''s also meet in the common room later for some ice-breakers. Let''s say ten o''clock?"


    He stepped out of the doorway and held the door open for them with that same smile.


    Rhys stepped forward eager to go inside but suddenly a body collide with his.


    Archie shouted and stumbled backwards onto the forest floor. Rhys frowned, yes they had bumped into each other but the impact wasn''t enough to throw Archie to the floor like that.


    Archie stared up at Rhys in shock, his eyes were wide and his mouth open. His lip quivered as he tried to speak. Everyone including the Professor stared down at him in confusion. Why was he so upset? What was wrong with him?


    Archie breathed out shaky words as he stared up at Rhys.


    "W-what are you?"

 Chapter 30 - 30 But There Are Only Five Senses

    "W-what are you?"


    Rhys''s heart squeezed tightly in his chest, he felt his panic rising and all he could do to keep calm was quietly clench his fists. Archie was staring at him with equals parts horror and bafflement, a look that would only be justified if Archie somehow knew the truth about Rhys.


    "What do you mean?" Rhys tilted his head and managed to fake a confused innocent expression.


    What did Archie feel when he bumped into Rhys that left him in such a state? Rhys could only compare this to the time he had seen his own aura in the bathroom mirror and froze from the shock. But Archie''s ability was Sense Enhancement. Depending on the person who infused with such a core, their hearing, touch, taste, smell, sight or a combination of the five improved. There was no way Archie''s power would be able to expose him in any way, right?


    "There''s something..." Archie struggled to find the words. "It''s like you''re..." He scrunched his forehead up as he stared up at Rhys. "The feeling I got from you, it''s like the feeling I get from dead people. It''s like you''re a ghost or something."


    Rhys''s heart was hammering against his chest at this point. The moment he heard the word ''ghost'' from Archie he felt like was going to have a seizure. He was only just managing to keep his face straight.


    [''Perhaps you should silence him.'']


    Rhys forced himself to chuckle. "Well, I know I can be a little gloomy, but don''t you think it''s kind of unfair to compare me to a dead person?"


    Rhys tried to make a joke out of this so that the others wouldn''t think too deeply about Archie''s words. The last thing he needed was them all suspecting him.


    Thankfully Professor Killian laughed lightly at Rhys''s joke. The Professor reached down and offered his hand to Archie to help him stand up again.


    "Archie, would you mind explaining your ability to the others? It might help lift the confusion a bit." The Professor slipped off his glasses and tucked them into his coat pocket.


    "Hey guys, I''m Archie as you already know." He sheepishly scratched his neck, probably embarrassed that they saw him in his dinosaur boxers a few minutes ago.


    "A few years ago I infused with a Sense Enhancement core, sadly none of my conventional senses improved..."


    Rhys frowned at the phrase ''conventional senses''. There are only five sense period. Was he implying that there are unconventional senses?


    "For a while I thought that the core dealer just sold my parents a fake core or something, but I changed my mind when I realised I gained a new sense."


    "A new sense?" Connor sounded more than a little skeptical.


    "Yeah, it was like my intuition improved. Like no one has been able to beat me at a game of cards since I''ve infused. Like I''ll seriously crush you if we play Rock Paper Scissors or any kind of guessing game really." A big smile lit up his goofy face and he spoke with more confidence.


    "Not just that either, I get certain feelings when I touch people. Not only people, random stuff too. Not like a temperature feeling, but an actual impression. It makes me good at guessing what cores people have infused with. I don''t really know how to say this but, it''s like the Senses Enhancement core gave me a sixth sense."


    [Name: Archie]


    [Aura: Senses Enhancement (weak)]


    Rhys remembered that the teacher told him to look harder. He had the skill to see people''s aura''s, and he was very grateful for it, but now he needed more. He couldn''t find himself in a situation like this again where someone could learn about him without his knowledge. Rhys strained his eyes scanning over Archie''s aura, he had been working this skill all day by constantly looking at peoples'' auras because he wanted the skill to level up. Now he needed it to level up.


    "I sensed something different when I touched you." Archie refocused on Rhys. "The impression you gave was cold and dark. Really scary. Like you''re hollow, it made me think of a ghost."


    Rhys forced himself to hold his manufactured expression. Everyone was watching him, the Professor, Connor, Aria and Archie were all staring at him as if waiting for him to explain, something he couldn''t do.


    "That''s very interesting." The Professor came to the rescue. "So far you''ve had success in identifying people''s powers, perhaps Rhys gave such an impression because his core is not from Earth."


    Rhys''s eyes shot to the Professor, while everyone else''s eyes shot to Rhys.


    "How do you know that?" This was probably the third time Rhys was shaken up in the past few minutes. "Your information can''t be blocked from the person who is doing research on you. Of course I read the general''s report on you."


    Rhys had not thought about that scary old general he met in the hospital in a while. What was the old man doing giving out his information to other people?


    "You''re core isn''t from Earth?" Aria''s light brown eyes peered you at Rhys curiously.


    "That actually explains why I''ve never heard about your ability." She mused to herself.


    "What exactly is your ability?" Archie stepped closer to Rhys, his gaze was fixed on the person who gave him such an unusual impression.


    "Uh." Rhys was grateful that the mood had lightened. "I''m calling it intangibility." He repeated the words he told Joel, Nim and Sampson a few hours ago. Rhys demonstrated by moving his hand through his head.


    "Woah, that''s creepy." Archie took a step backwards in disgust.


    "How interesting." The professor''s face flushed and he pointed to his forehead, wanting Rhys to demonstrate on him. After Rhys stuck his hand through the Professor''s head at least five times, the Professor finally regained his focus.


    "I really do have an interesting group to study this year." He slipped his glasses out of his pocket and placed them back over his eyes.


    "A boy with a normal core but an unprecedented ability." Professor Killian regarded Archie with a smile.


    "A boy with a core from another world." He nodded at Rhys.


    "A girl with a core that was modified by the Eugenics labs." He smiled down at Aria.


    "And a boy who never infused with a core to begin with." He finally locked eyes with Connor who stared back at the Professor unimpressed.


    ''Never infused with a core to begin with'' Rhys frowned when he realised what the Professor meant. Connor never infused with a core? But that didn''t make any sense seeing as he had powers.


    Rhys suddenly remembered the conversation he overheard a few days ago when he had read books in the basement of the library. That time when he learned about the red files and that he was on the termination list. That guy, one of the guys who had been discussing the files, had called Connor a ''Tardras''.


    Did that have something to do with what the Professor just said? There were so many questions that he didn''t have the answers to.


    "Professor." Connor''s cold tone caught Rhys''s attention. He didn''t look angry or emotional, instead he looked alarmingly murderous as he stared down the Professor.


    "I know we might just be lab rats to you, but maybe think again next time you want to give up our personal information so easily."


    The Professor froze for a second and looked taken aback by Connor''s words. he was silent for a moment before his eyes fell to the floor in shame. "I sincerely apologise, students."


    He sheepishly shifted his glasses back up his nose and chuckled nervously. "I got a little bit excited at having such remarkable powers in front of me. You''re right Connor, I shouldn''t have talked about your personal information without your permission."


    "Oh, it''s okay." Archie was the first and only person to comfort the Professor. Rhys and Aria didn''t care for Connor''s tone but did agree with what he was saying. Rhys and Aria both felt that the Professor had outed them in a way they weren''t comfortable with.


    Connor turned around and headed for the door without a word.


    "Goodbye, Professor." Aria headed inside after him. Rhys followed after her leaving a wounded looking Professor outside.


    Once Rhys was back inside he quickly headed to the communal bathroom and took a shower. Connor had already barricaded himself in his room so Rhys just settled into their little living area to unpack the package that was left outside the door for him.


    Inside he found some textbooks, as well as a class schedule. On the schedule he saw that he had meetings scheduled with Professor Killian on Mondays and Fridays every week. Another interesting thing was the home room class, the first class of each day which was labelled with an ''A'' symbol. Perhaps it was a class for only A rank students. It would definitely be interesting to meet the other A ranks. If they had abilities he had never seen before he could get EXP from them.


    With that, Rhys put down his stuff and went back into his room to put his sneakers on.


    [''Hmm, what''s this? I thought you were going to bed?'']


    "Nope." Rhys left his room, took the elevator to the ground floor and jogged out the building into the forest. He walked far enough away from the building so that no one inside could see him.


    "Teacher." Rhys sucked up his pride and spoke to the system. "Please help me. I want to get stronger, I''ll do whatever you say so just please teach me how to be an inheritor."


    There was silence in his head for a long tension filled while, but the teacher finally spoke.


    [''Very well.'']


    Rhys somehow felt that the teacher sounded a little pleased.


    [Attention!]


    The system pinged to life.


    [New Quest:


    User must level up the skill ''Energy Absorption'' by one level.


    Time limit: User has until 12 midnight.]


    [Reward: None]


    [Penalty: Haunting]


    Rhys deadpanned when he saw the quest. No rewards, a horrible penalty and a task that seemed impossible. He swore the teacher was a sadist.


    "Can I at least get a hint about how I''m supposed to do this?" He huffed feeling regret creep up behind him.


    [Hint: Expend all your HP through physical exercise or self harm, then replenish your energy by using the skill Energy absorption on medium sized plants. Then repeat.]


    [''Train with the goal of never having to beg for help ever again.'']


    Rhys couldn''t disagree with that sentiment. He charged deeper into the forest running at full speed, with the goal of wearing himself out. He was determined.


    *******************************


    Far, far away, across the galaxy a young man''s eyes gleamed as he stared at his computer aboard his space glider. The destination was set to Earth, and his mission was simple: Locate. Annihilate and return.


    The rewards and notoriety he would get from completing this mission would be grand. Perhaps he would even get himself ranked. He was practically frothing at the mouth thinking just thinking about it.


    Although he was the closest to the planet it would take a few months for him to get there, but when he arrived it would be quick work to find it and carry out the mission.

 Chapter 31 - 31 Gate

    It was like chewing on mint gum and feeling your airways clear up, only much more intense and bordering on painful. By the time it was ten minutes to midnight, the once refreshing feeling of absorbing energy from plants had turned unbearable. Rhys felt like he was inhaling a cold fire every time the green auras flowed into him.


    His face was scrunched up in pain as he lay on the forest floor. His palms were flat against the ground and he was absorbing whatever plants his body was touching. He knew he was close to levelling up and that was fuelling his perseverance, but this kind of strain on his body was far worse than he thought it would be.


    Sweat dribbled down the side of his face and his body ached in resistance at the influx of foreign energy.


    Over the course of six hours he learnt that by concentrating he could absorb energy through any part of his body, any patch of his exposed skin, not just his hands. As soon as he realised he could use the skill all over his body, he took off his shoes, pants and shirt so that he could maximise on surface area. So there he was laying flat on his back in his boxers on the forest floor.


    Rhys groaned as he felt this terrible fullness. Despite not eating dinner he felt extraordinarily bloated, a feeling he definitely wasn''t used to after all those days scrimping on food back in district 20.


    "How much." Rhys wheezed out the words. "..more time do I have?"


    [''Less than five minutes.''] The teacher replied promptly.


    Rhys had less than five minutes left to level up his energy absorption skill or he would be put through the ''haunting'' again. As much as he liked the rewards he got from the last haunting, he would prefer not to see Barrow and his gang again. In other words Rhys was determined to level up the skill.


    He was almost there, he could feel it. The cold fire inside of him that was threatening to tear him apart was pushing his boundaries and slowly nudging the skill to the next level. If he could hold out for a few more minutes then he would definitely level up this skill.


    Rhys shakily pulled himself onto his hands and knees. He had absorbed all the plants within his range leaving the earth around him to look like an ugly dead patch in an other wise lush forest. He desperately crawled forward, absorbing the plants and roots that made contact with his bare skin as he dragged himself across the dirt.


    The energy inside him was overflowing and it was overpowering his other senses. He was so numb that he didn''t notice the thorns and twigs scraping against his flesh, and his vision was so blurry that he was having trouble crawling straight.


    He felt his body sway, the cold ground grew closer to his face. He landed with a thud in the dirt. He deliriously reached forward to what looked like a fresh patch of foliage and began to absorb it. He cried out as even more energy was forced into his already overwhelmed body.


    "Almost. There." He gritted through the pain and tried to picture his skill advancing. If he levelled up this skill he might be able to absorb large plants, maybe even entire trees, perhaps animals as well. Of course there was also the possibility that he would be able to absorb the energy of other humans.


    [''You have five seconds left'']


    Rhys was at his breaking point, but he could not let all his work be in vain. He could do it.


    [''5'']


    [''4'']


    Blood dribbled down his nose as a massive migraine swamped his head, but he pushed on.


    [''3'']


    [''2'']


    His muscles spasmed causing his limbs to buckle and shake in resistance to the energy, like his body was about to shatter.


    [''1'']


    [''0'']


    [Quest failed]


    [Penalty Applied]


    Rhys wheezed as the awful message appeared in his vision. Honestly, he had never tried this hard to achieve something before so he was gutted that he wasn''t able to accomplish his goal.


    Absolutely exhausted, he let his body rest for a moment. He closed his eyes for a second and relaxed all his muscles. The pain of the overflowing energy inside of him suddenly disappeared. His body felt normal again, albeit colder.


    Rhys opened his eyes again and slowly got to his feet. He was standing in the same forest however it looked vastly different. A second ago it had been a clear well lit night because of the bright moon and stars, but now a misty veil was winding around the trees, stopping Rhys from seeing too far into the forest.


    It was the same atmospherical shift he had experienced last time this penalty was applied. The system had already taken him to the spiritual plane, there was no doubt about it.


    Rhys crouched down low and focused on the surrounding trees. He was preparing himself for Barrow and his men to ambush him from behind the fog. That bastard had beaten him badly last time, and was probably drooling at the mouth to get his hands on Rhys again.


    In the distance behind him, mouldy twigs crunched under someone''s feet. Rhys spun around and focused on the direction he heard the noise come from. Someone was heading towards him, probably Barrow.


    "Hello?" The voice of a young man echoed out from inside the fog. "Is anyone there?"


    Rhys frowned at the sound of the voice. That wasn''t the voice of a middle aged man like Barrow or anyone on his crew. The guy shouting sounded much younger, someone closer to Rhys''s age.


    "Hello! Can someone please help me. I''m lost!" The guy was getting closer with each step. Rhys could just make out his approaching figure in the fog.


    ''Who is this guy?'' Rhys squinted trying to see through the fog.


    "Where am I?" A brawny teenager dressed in a grey MCP uniform stepped through the fog into the clearing.


    Rhys''s lips parted and his mouth was suddenly parched. For a moment everything stopped and he only felt regret tugging at his conscience. He stared at the teenager a few meters in front of him, the Team 3 flag was still pasted to his neck.


    "Hey!" The guy brightened up when he saw Rhys crouched down on the ground. He happily jogged the distance between them.


    "Hey man, I''m totally lost. It''s my first week here at college and I don''t know the campus that well." His big brown eyes looked so relieved to have found someone.


    "Don''t ask me how I ended up in the forest cause I don''t have a clue." He chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck a little embarrassed.


    Rhys slowly stood up, never taking his eyes off the guy. It was the same crooked smile and same happy-go-lucky personality he had met in the evaluation tournament. This was the guy Rhys killed in the second match, the guy whose neck he accidentally slit open with his physical disruption. Yet another person he had killed came back to haunt him.


    Rhys''s heart sank looking at this guy who evidently had no idea that he was dead.


    "Dude... why are you in the middle of the forest without your clothes on?" The guy raised an accusatory eyebrow at Rhys in his boxers.


    "Um." Rhys looked down at himself before turning back to the guy. He panicked at the sudden question and found himself blurting out a few words. "It''s a preference."


    Rhys cringed at his inability to come up with a better explanation as the guy took a few weary steps away from Rhys.


    "I mean... whatever." Rhys gave up when he saw the grossed out look on the guy''s face.


    [Penalty Haunting lasts 30 minutes]


    [Help the soul pass on]


    ''Pass on where? Pass on to what? How am I supposed to do that?'' He panicked at the system''s vague instructions.


    [''Human souls perceive the Gates as paths of light. Guide him to the light so that he can pass through the gate.'']


    Rhys was dumbfounded by what he was hearing. Gates? Walking towards the light? This was really uncharted territory for him.


    ''But what is beyond the gate? Where am I leading him to exactly?''


    [''You are leading him to the only place he now belongs. It''s the gate all bodiless souls must go through. That is all you need to know.''] The teacher was firm in letting Rhys know that he would not be answering any more questions.


    "Hey, my name''s s Rhys." He tried to sound calm and non-freakish so that the guy would get the wrong idea about him being in the middle of the forest without his clothes on. "


    Do you recognise me at all?" Rhys decided that the first step would be getting this guy to realise that he was dead.


    "Um." The big guy squinted at Rhys for a second before a goofy smile lit up his face. "Oh yeah! You''re the guy from team 12. I was fighting a match against your team. Wait, what happened? How did the match end? I can''t remember."


    The smiled dropped from his face and he frowned creating deep creases on his forehead. The atmosphere around him suddenly went cold and Rhys could only stare at him and wait for the guy to talk.


    "That teammate of yours, the guy with anger issues, I remember him blasting me with fire."


    The scared expression on the guy''s face worried Rhys a bit. But then again Sampson had that affect on most people.


    "He was burning me alive. I remember the pain and wanting to die. And then..." He reached up to his throat and grazed the flag around his neck with his fingertips.


    "Then it all went dark. The next thing I knew I was walking around in this forest." Rhys was wracked with guilt as the guy''s eyes swelled up.


    "Come on man, you''ve left me hanging for long enough. Tell me what happened with the match. Did my team win?" His voice cracked up as he spoke. Even if he was choosing not to put logic together and realise that he had died, Rhys could see that his heart had already come to the right conclusion. The tears swelling up in his eyes and his shaky voice were a sign that in a way he knew what had happened to him.


    "What''s your name?" Rhys offered him a sad smile.


    "I''m Jack Punce, from the 19th district. You?" He wiped his soggy eyes with the back of his hand and stared forward at Rhys determined not to cry.


    "I''m Rhys Anson, from the 20th. And I''m sorry..." This time Rhys''s voice broke off before he could finish his sentence. A painful combination of guilt and regret was logged in his throat. This would have been much easier for him if Jack was not such a likeable guy.


    Rhys swallowed and forced himself to speak. The person in front of him was confused and lost, and needed an explanation. As the guy who took his life away, even if it was by accident, the least he could do was make everything clear for him.


    "You''re right." Rhys started. "I was in team 12 and we had a match against your team in the second round." Rhys repeated the words ''clear'' and ''concise'' in his head as he spoke.


    "My teammate Sampson used his fire manipulation core to create a tunnel of fire around you. While you were burning, it was my job to get your team''s flag from you."


    Rhys gulped knowing that what came next would be the harder part to hear. "Unfortunately, just as I was about to take the flag from around your neck, your teammate dove into the fire to rescue you. Because of that, my hand slipped and I injured you quite badly. The wound was too severe for the medical staff to heal. So you died in the floor."


    Jack''s eyes were wide and his face was so bleak, the complete opposite of his usual composure.


    "You''ve been dead for more than six hours now." Rhys finished firmly. He probably could have said this in a nicer way, but really what difference would nice make when telling somehow a difficult truth.


    Rhys breathed out and waited for Jack to reply. That was all he could do.


    "I see." Jack chuckled sadly and looked down at himself. "I think I kind of already knew..."


    His eyes glanced back at Rhys curiously. "Does that mean you''re dead too?"


    "No, This is just part of my ability."


    Jack nodded slowly, seeming to accept Rhys''s explanation and quietly digesting his new reality. "I remember now, I was lying on my back on the floor before everything went dark. One of the nurses was bringing a life scanner to my neck, but I passed out before I could see the results. Yeah, I''m really dead aren''t I?"


    Rhys nodded slowly.


    "Ah geez. My mom''s gonna be a mess when she hears. And my little sister gonna be crushed." The tears freely flowed down his face as he stared off into the fog.


    "I was gonna be a really famous general and send them lots of money when I graduated." He scoffed at his childish ambition now knowing that it would never come true.


    "Mom took out a loan to get me a core so I could go to the military college, how are they gonna survive now that I''m gone?" His forehead creased and his lips twitched uncontrollably. The pain in his face was so devastating that Rhys had to look away.


    "Don''t worry man, I don''t blame you or anything." He smiled reassuringly at Rhys through his tears. "It was really stupid of me to put that flag around my neck."


    Despite being told that he was dead, he wasn''t breaking down or having a tantrum. He thinking of his family and forgiving the person who had killed him. He was such a good guy and because of that a painful lump was forming in Rhys''s throat.


    "Ah geez, I''m sorry mom. It doesn''t look like I''m gonna make it back home." Jack wept out loud, his anguished cries sailed through the trees and mist.


    Rhys was paused at the thought of a mother to come home to. Rhys had that once, a really long time ago. He was only a toddler when she left, but somehow he still remembered her. He remembered warm hugs and soft hands that patted his back when he cried. He remembered that she had long black hair and that she often made porridge over the stove, probably because it was cheap.


    Rhys''s heart ached as he remembered her tear stained face as life as a single mother in District 20 became too much for her to handle. And of course there was the last memory he had of her, the most painful memory. It was the clear image of her back as she walked away and left him alone on the side of the road. A memory of abandonment.


    He was just a kid then, but that pain and confusion was still clear in his mind. He couldn''t imagine what Jack''s mother go through when she learned her son would not be coming home. At least Rhys could hate his mother for abandoning him. He could think of her as an evil person, he could project his grief and anger onto his memories of her. But Jack''s mom would have to suffer the loss of her beloved child taken away from her before his time. Jack''s cries were filled with harrowing emotion that stirred something up in Rhys that he had long since pushed back in his memories.


    "What am I supposed to do now? Please don''t tell me I''m just supposed to wander this forest alone forever." He glanced downward sorrowfully.


    "No, you''re meant to go somewhere. That''s why I am here actually, I''m meant to guide you there." Rhys was pulled away form his thoughts by Jack''s questions.


    Jack rubbed his swollen eyes and stared at Rhys ready for whatever he was going to say.


    "Jack, do you see a bright light anywhere?" Rhys was a little unsure of what the system actually meant when it gave him this little mission. So he nervously tried to rephrase what the system had told him.


    "You mean the light behind you?" Jack pointed to the space behind Rhys with a confused frown.


    Rhys spun around but saw only the dark forest and mist. He guessed that since it was the place Jack was meant to go, he was the only one who could see it.


    "I think only you can see it Jack, but if it light that''s where you''re meant to go. That''s the place where you belong now." Rhys really hoped that wherever that gate lead to would bring Jack peace. Jack was a good guy, and Rhys honestly hoped that he was going somewhere better.


    "The place I belong..." Jack sighed. "If there''s no way I can go home. I''d rather go into the light than stay in this forest. You have any idea of where I''m actually going though?"


    "No, I don''t. I''m sorry. I just know that it''s the place where all bodiless souls go." Rhys replied not knowing how to reassure Jack.


    Jack nodded at Rhys and quietly walked past him. Even with tear tracks staining his face, Jack looked brave as he walked by and Rhys was thankful that he had the opportunity to meet him again. This felt like closure to the guilt that had been eating away inside of him.


    Jack reached out into the space in front of him and Rhys''s eyes went wide as a great white light surged at the end of Jack''s fingertips. That was probably the light that Jack had been able to see but Rhys could not.


    "Hey, I know that it''s a lot to ask but, could you, maybe..."


    "Yes." Rhys cut him off before he could finish speaking.


    I''ll look out for them when I graduate." Rhys didn''t have to wait to the end of Jack''s sentence to know what he was going to ask. Of course his last thoughts on this plane would be for the mother and little sister he was leaving behind.


    Jack smiled brightly at Rhys. "The payback for the loan will only be due in five years. If you could help them with that I would be so grateful. Your from the 20th so I mean neither of us are well off, but by then I think anything you could give would be great. It doesn''t even have to be money, maybe just lend them a hand. I mean I don''t know if I''m gonna be me anymore, and there''s probably no way I can repay you or anything like that. But I just... Thank you."


    "Don''t worry about. I''ll look out for them." Rhys did kill him after all, so he wouldn''t mind giving Jack''s family a little money.


    "Goodbye Rhys. This is kinda sad, cause I think we could have been great friends if I had lived longer. Thanks man."


    With that, Jack stepped forward and was swallowed up by the great light. The white light shone magnificently for a few seconds, but it collapsed in a moment leaving no trace of its existence behind.


    The cold dark forest was silent again and Rhys stood there feeling like a weight had been lifted off him. Jack''s forgiveness was worth much more than he thought it would be. And it was because of the system that this Wright had been lifted off of him.


    "Thanks."


    [''... Whatever.'']


    Rhys watched as what he could describe as a veil was lifted from the forest. The white mist disappeared and the unnaturally cold feeling of the plane vanished, returning the forest to its original state. The sound of life flooded his ears as the crickets chirped again and the little animals animals homed in the forest scuttled about. He realised how full of life the forest was after seeing the spiritual plane.


    [Penalty Completed]


    Rhys sighed contently knowing that he had a promise to keep, but more importantly a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.


    [The user has successfully helped a soul pass on]


    [+20 Exp]


    [+1 Spirituality]


    Rhys grinned as he hastily put his clothes back on. Although he received a lot more Exp and stat level-ups after the last haunting penalty, he knew this time had been much easier than the last penalty wherein he had to fight Barrow and his gang for four hours. So getting fewer rewards was only natural.


    [Congratulations! 4th experience of the main quest completed]


    [Main quest: Familiarisation with death]


    [4/10 death experiences completed]


    [New Unique experience:


    ? Guided soul to Gate ]


    Rhys blinked in surprise at the display. He got his fourth death experience and he didn''t even have to kill anyone for it... sort of. On top of that he was almost halfway to through his main quest. Even though he didn''t manage to level up his energy Absorption skill, he still made progress on something.


    [Rewards: Calculating Rewards..]


    Rhys clenched his fists anticipating what the rewards would be. He was hoping for more stat points but a chunk of EXP big enough to knock him into the 5th level would also be awesome.


    [Rewards:


    Book of the Dead unlocked]


    Rhys gawked at the sole reward because he had not idea what it was. ''Book of the dead... what''s that?''


    [''It''s time for you to learn some theory and a bit of history.''] The system chuckled from inside his head.


    [The user has met the hidden requirements to unlock the low level ''Book of the Dead'' by seeing a friend through a Gate.]


    Rhys''s eyes darted over the System''s message and once again he was thankful to have said goodbye to Jack. Maybe by reading this book he would understand a bit more about where Jack went.


    Rhys frowned as he realised that although the system said he had a book, he didn''t actually have a physical book. Perhaps the book was something he would have to read on the System''s display.


    [''No, you''re going to have an actual book that you will have to look after yourself until you unlock a specific skill.''] The teacher chimed in.


    [''Go back to your dorm and fetch a book. It has to be on the larger side, something with a length that''s a little less than your forearm. I''ll tell you what''s next after you get the book.'']


    Rhys nodded and set off running in the direction of Glowry dorm. Although his body felt like hell when he was absorbing all that energy, he felt fantastic now. He was confident that he could run a marathon right then if he wanted to, the energy inside of him was just bursting to be used up.


    After a few minutes of running with his improved speed, he opened the door of the Glowry Building and darted to the big common room where he had spotted some bookshelves on his way out last night. Thankfully no one was in the common room, everyone was probably sleeping in their beds.


    Rhys looked through the shelves to find a book that was both big enough and unwanted enough so no one would miss it.


    Rhys quickly found a large dusty rendition of the Bible that was being used as the foundation for a small tower of unwanted books. He carefully eased the big black book out from under the pile so he would not send the other books crashing to the floor. With his little mission accomplished he jogged back out the common room and into the lobby where he slipped out the doors again.


    "All done."


    [''Its probably best to go a little deeper into the forest, you still do not want people to see you doing this.'']


    Rhys happily complied and set out jogging further into the forest. He came to a stop when he knew the trees would block him from view of the people inside the dorm.


    [''Set the book down in that patch of moss over there.'']


    Rhys did so carefully and waited for the teacher''s instructions.


    [''Place your hand flat against the cover'']


    Rhys touched his palm to the book and glanced at the gold lettering that read ''Holy Bible'' on the cover. Most religions had up and died after the Xerserth invaded and brought humanity to its knees. The fragile world in which humans lived where they could believe in the watchful eye of a deity who loved them, was violently destroyed by the appearance of a mightier race of beings intent on colonising and destroying them. People lost faith after all that death and destruction, and even now that almost a century had gone by, that faith wasn''t coming back.


    [User''s System is summoning the Book of the Dead]


    Rhys stared wide eyed as the energy from the moss and surrounding plants was sucked into the book. It was as if the book was using the Energy absorption skill. His heart sped up as the book morphed and churned beneath his palm. The gold letters twisted and swirled on the cover. The size of the book shrank and the old yellow pages looked a little fresher and bluer. Finally the black leather book cover bubbled and popped beneath Rhys''s fingers reforming the cover of the book.


    [''You may lift your hand now.'']


    Rhys moved his hand and stared at the ghostly book below him. Distorted gold letters read ''Book of the Dead'' on the front cover. The cover looked very tattered because strings of leather hung over the marred edges. Rhys tentatively picked it up and felt oddly possessive of it.


    He glanced down at the dead circular patch of ground the book had absorbed which was probably two meters in diameter. This thing has absorbed a lot of plants, and Rhys was practically drooling at the mouth to read the book.


    [''It doesn''t quite function as a normal book. Some parts of it you will be able to read, and other parts you will have to absorb with energy absorption...'']


    The teacher suddenly paused while he was explaining, which made Rhys weary for what was coming next.


    [''I almost forgot how you pathetically failed to level up your energy absorption skill.''] The teacher cackled and Rhys could feel an evil plot brewing in his teacher''s mind.


    [Attention]


    The system pinged to life and Rhys''s face dropped when he saw the message.


    [New Quest


    - User must level up skill ''Energy Absorption'' by one level.


    - User must Read a chapter of the Book of the Dead


    Time limit: Midnight]


    [Rewards: None


    Penalty: Haunting]


    Basically Rhys had until the end of the day to do these two things while also attending his first full day of classes. This was a definite daunting. He wouldn''t admit it to the teacher but he felt excited to get going, training like this was actually really fun, despite the pain, the feeling of accomplishment was addictive.


    [''I know you don''t feel tired because of the energy you absorbed, but at the end of the day you are still human and relying solely on absorbed energy to keep you going is dangerous. Sleep for a few hours, attend the human classes and begin again with ghost training in the evening.'']


    Rhys was buzzing with energy and the thought of going to bed was upsetting, but he decided to listen to the teacher. It knew much more about his situation than Rhys did so he would try to get some sleep like it asked.


    With the book tucked into his side Rhys jogged back to the dorm to take another shower and get into bed, even though he felt like he would just stare at the ceiling all night.


    Despite all his energy, as soon as he set his head upon his pillow he fell asleep. His last thoughts before losing his consciousness were about Jack Punce''s mother and little sister, and how he would help them.

 Chapter 32 - 32 The School Newspaper And A Confrontation

    The C, D and F rank students around the campus were woken up at 5 am by their alarms. Thousands of groggy freshmen begrudgingly crawled out of their warm beds to attend their mandatory extra morning training. The three different ranks of students that were required to do additional training had thirty minutes to reach their assigned training spots, if they failed to arrive on time, they would be punished with demerits which would lead to detention.


    The C rank students were given a regimen of early morning fitness to complete, starting at 5:30 am, which was overseen by instructors who yelled out insults at those who were falling behind.


    Gunn barreled ahead of the other students running around the field, pushing a few unfortunate students to the ground as he pushed past them. He knew he just had an ordinary Strengthening core, and that going up against the other trainees with fancier cores might not guarantee him a spot in the A-class, but he still did not predict that he would be dumped in with the C students.


    Gritting his teeth in disgust, he sped past the other C rank students who were already losing their breath. He was better than them and he was going to prove it. He would train for a week as hard as he could and then challenge someone in a higher grade to take their spot. Gunn was not going to settle for just being part of the herd, he would rise above and show everyone how great he was.


    At his high school he used to be someone that the other people feared and respected, a top dog, but since he had arrived at the MCP he had already faced two crushing defeats. The first was during the initiation test where he came face to face with Rhys, a guy who had a powerful core that outranked his common ability. Before he met Rhys he was confident that he would do well for himself at the MCP. However after his knees were turned to mush by Rhys''s crazy power, his prospects crumbled.


    Channeling his growing anger into his legs, Gunn stamped harder into the ground and charged forward, zooming past the person who was running at the front of the pack.


    It gave him chills to think about how that guy obliterated his legs in one movement. Gunn knew without a doubt that Rhys could have easily killed him and the thought of his inferiority was driving him to push harder. He needed to reach that level soon.


    He panted loudly as he pushed his body to work even harder, straining his muscles legs and ignoring the protest from his lungs.


    "Oh hey! You''re Gunn, right? How are you?"


    Gunn''s eyes shot forward in shock at hearing someone speak to him. He was sure that he ran past the person running at the front of the class a while ago. He was supposed to be far ahead of everyone, so then who was speaking to him?


    "You-". Gunn seethed to see the face of the reason he was stuck in the C class, the cause of the second crushing defeat he experienced since coming to the MCP.


    It was Otis, the guy who had beaten Gunn''s team in the first round of the evaluation tournament. By a stroke of fate, Gunn and Otis had ended up in the same batch of one hundred students competing for a spot in the A-class. Regrettably, Otis''s superior strength bested Gunn and his team, meaning that Gunn did not have the opportunity to show off his battle skills. Which was the reason he was ranked as a C student.


    "You''re in the B class, shouldn''t you still be sleeping? What are you doing at the training session for the C students?" Gunn panted out his words but picked up the pace so that he was a foot or two ahead of Otis. He might have lost to that meat-head during the tournament but he would not lose to him in fitness training.


    "I''ve always started my day with physical fitness. And as a member of a higher-ranked class, I should serve as an example for the C students like you." Otis grinned cheekily as he effortlessly closed the gap between himself and Gunn.


    "You''re trying to piss me off, aren''t you?" Gunn''s heart beat violently in his chest as he broke out into a full sprint to try and get ahead of Otis.


    The two continued running at full speed neck and neck along the track leaving the other C students to eat their dust.


    "Slow down!" The other trainees breathlessly huffed at them. "You guys are making us look bad."


    The C class would do fitness training for an hour before being released at 6:30 am to go about their days. On the other hand, the D and F trainees were at various obstacle courses and building sites around the campus. The D and F rank trainees completed an hour of physical fitness like the C rank trainees, but then went on to Raid simulation training on the obstacle courses for an additional hour.


    People who fainted were given a few minutes of rest and an energy pill before being thrown back into the thick of it.


    When the bell rang to signify 7:30 am, the D students collapsed in relief. The training was finally over, and they could go and rest. The F rank trainees could only look on in despair as they still had another hour left.


    Nim''s hand trembled as she clutched her gut because of a painful stitch that felt like someone had stabbed her right through her middle. Despite the her fatigue and pain, she knew the instructors would not give her a break. So she sucked it up and put all her body weight into the shovel as she dug into the earth. The metal tool clanged in protest as it hit the rock-hard ground. The shock from the impact reverberated back up through her swollen hands causing her to drop the shovel.


    She winced and clutched her bright red fingers to her chest.


    "Hey, pick it up and keep shovelling!" An inspector yelled at her from across the training ground. She could only bite back tears and pick up the shovel again to continue working even though she could barely feel her hands anymore.


    The morning session for the F-rank trainees was not even over yet but she already wanted to give up, only she could not give up because she had no choice in the matter. Even if she collapsed, the instructors would pour cold water on her, shove and energy pill down her throat and send her back to digging. She was an F ranked student now, so this would be her life until she made it up to a different rank.


    For some reason that was unknown to Nim, the last hour of training for the F-rank class was manual labour wherein the students were given shovels and were expected to dig through a patch of hard reddish earth. There did not seem to be a rhyme or reason for the work, other than making the F rank students suffer and regret not trying harder to get into a better rank.


    She dragged her arm over her wet forehead, wiping away the hair that was clinging to her sweaty skin. This was horrible but at least she was building up her muscles.


    Finally, the bell for 8:30 rang, relieving the F rank students of their harsh morning labour.


    "That''s it for this morning. You may leave your shovels where they are, and we expect to see you all back here at half-past five for your afternoon session." The instructor dismissed the students with a daunting message that reminded them their torment was not over. There would be more in a few hours.


    The trainees groaned and whimpered at the thought of having to complete a full day of classes and then come back in the evening for more digging.


    Ping pong sized food pills were handed out to the trainees. They would not be able to go eat at the dining halls since they were F ranked trainees, instead, they were given bitter food substitutes that would keep them going for half the day before they had to consume another one.


    Nim bit down on the pill and her mouth filled with the taste of black bitter herbs and a smell that made her want to spit out what she had just put in her mouth. They tasted awful, but she had to eat it or she would starve. She clenched her mouth shut so that she wouldn''t throw it up and forced herself to chew on the inky doughy ball.


    The sound of retching was heard across the field as the other trainees tried their food pills. Nim''s eyes filled with tears as she thought about having to live this way for an entire year, because honestly how was she supposed to make her way up the power ladder when she had a measly healing core ability. She couldn''t see how it would be possible to make it out out of the F class.


    The sound of whistles and running footsteps sent Nim looking into the distance where she saw a group of people in dark green military uniforms sprinting towards them. All of them had whistles in their mouths and large metal cages filled with what looked like stacks of papers strapped to their backs.


    "School newspaper coming! First addition of the year. The headline says Meet the A-ranked Freshmen!" The runner at the head of the pack shouted out his announcement as newspapers came flying out of the metal cages and landed around the trainees. Someone among the group was definitely telekinetic.


    Without another word the strange group jogged off in a different direction. Nim squinted at the weird display but nonetheless picked up the wrapped newspaper that had landed at her feet. She glanced around to see the others doing the same.


    She was about to open up the paper when her stomach grumbled hungrily. Embarrassed, she cover her belly with her hand and closed her eyes to focus. The food pills gave her sustenance but they could not rid the body of its urge to consume food. Clutching her waist in regret she wished she had eaten more from the dinning hall before her ranking.


    "Come with me." A low voice commanded from a few feet away.


    Nim looked up to see none other than the guy who had knocked her unconscious during the tournament. It was the red-headed teleporter she had healed from Connor''s team.


    Nim stared up in shock into his cold eyes that seemed to be snarling down at her. She vividly remembered him having the same expression on his face when she healed him, before he clobbered her over the head with his fist.


    "What?" Nim instinctively moved backwards hoping that it would not make him angrier. He closed his eyes as if channeling the strength needed to not hit her over the head again.


    "Just- Come with me." Before she could protest, he reached forward and grabbed her forearm, pulling her close to him.


    Whispers broke out among the other students who saw this interaction. They recognised the red-haired guy as one of the people on the front page of the newspaper. He was Ezra Abrams who reportedly made it into the A rank with his impressive Teleportation core.


    Everyone was gawking at the pair, Ezra and Nim, because of how close they were standing together, they looked like they knew each other, well. What an unlikely pair, an A and an F.


    Ezra noticed the whispers and instantly lost his patience with Nim. He quickly caged her to his side and teleported them across the campus to right in front of the dinning hall.


    "Let go!" She screamed. Ezra did as she asked. She fell backwards on her but.


    "What do you think you''re-" Nim paused as she looked around. She was no longer at the training site but right in front of the dinning hall. He must have teleported her there.


    Frowning in confusion, She picked herself up from the ground and stared up at him pointedly waiting for an explanation.


    "F ranks can''t eat at the dinning halls right-." He looked down at her and got distracted by her droopy eyes and swollen hands.


    "But its the privilege of my rank to be able to give meal points to whoever I want to give them to." He glanced down at her scrunched up face and realised she still did not realise that he was trying to pay her back for saving his life during the tournament.


    "If you want to eat actual food and not pills come find me, I''ll give you a meal point." With that he pulled Nim inside the dinning hall and informed the dinning manager at the desk that he would be sponsoring Nim''s breakfast.


    "Thank you." She whispered gratefully as he handed her a plate.


    She continued to stare up at him in awe as he quietly dished up food and walked over to an available booth. Nim beamed as she dished food onto her own plate. She never regretted healing him, but now she felt vindicated in her decision to save him. Even though it wasn''t a smart decision battle-wise, she was happy that she did not lose sight of her main objective. She was going to be a healer after all, and healers heal people. It was only natural that this good luck came back to her.


    *****************


    Gunn and Otis stared in shock as they examined the Newspaper on their table. They were expecting it but they also weren''t expecting it, nevertheless they were satisfied when they say Rhys''s photo on the front page along with the other A ranked students.


    "I still don''t know what his power is exactly, but I was sure that he would need to rely on close quarter combat to win against an opponent..." Otis murmured as he visualised Rhys''s fingers going through Gunn''s knee during the initiation. That was an ability that could only work if Rhys was touching the guy.


    "I was worried that his ability might prove futile because he was so underweight and wouldn''t be able to keep up physically with his opponents, but I guess I was wrong." Otis nodded thoughtfully wondering if Rhys had some kind of long ranged application for his power that helped during his battle.


    "That guy is annoying." Gunn growled as he shovelled scrambled eggs into his mouth. "He looks weak as hell but he''s actually an A rank student. I wonder how many other guys he has tricked with his whole weakling act."


    Otis shook his head sternly as he stared down at the newspaper. "I doubt it''s an act. I think that his ability probably takes a large toll on his body, perhaps that''s why he is kind of frail-looking."


    Otis pointed to the body of writing under Rhys''s picture. "It even says here that he collapsed and had something similar to an epileptic episode after using his ability during one of his matches."


    Bread crumbs flew out of Gunn''s mouth as he stared at Otis. "You think?"


    "Yes, that''s definitely the reason." Otis nodded solemnly. For an ability like Rhys''s that had such a huge impact on whatever he touched, the backlash from with his body must have been in some way proportional. Yes, Rhys was very powerful but he was definitely worthy of pity.


    "Achoo!" Rhys sneezed.


    "Bless you." Aria excused him. "Someone must be talking about you." She uttered from beside him.


    "I doubt it." Rhys deadpanned.


    "Which dinning hall is closest to us?" Aria inquired as they stepped out of the forest and had to chose which path to take.


    "The one by the training field is probably the best choice." Connor pointed down the path on their right.


    "Okay, let''s go."


    Rhys, Aria and Connor walked down the path side by side ready to settle into the swing of college life. They had not planned to walk together, they had all just stepped into the elevator on their floor at the same time, which lead to them walking together, which also somehow meant they were going to eat together. They weren''t really friends but this level of closeness was comfortable enough for the time being.


    Rhys felt a little unsettled though because of the email he had received early in the morning from Professor Killian.


    "Did the Professor send you guys anything this morning?" Rhys asked at last, too tired to think of a way to manipulate the answers out of them.


    "Yes." Aria nodded and turned to Rhys. "He sent me a list of supplements and foods that I need to eat everyday. They''re supposed to help me naturally secrete more poison. Apparently, the dinning halls are going to prepare special drinks and meals for me in the future as well. Was it the same for you guys?"


    "What he sent me wasn''t as strict." Connor spoke up. "Just some suggestions about what to eat to increase my energy output, also some supplemental drinks." Connor ruffled his hair as he thought about the email from the annoying Professor.


    Rhys tried to hold back a scowl because of the teacher laughing at him in his head.


    "And you?" Aria looked up at Rhys while Connor looked down at him.


    Rhys sighed before relaying the email the Professor sent to him.


    "I''m supposed to down two protein shakes a day, as well as take vitamins and supplements that the dinning staff will provide for me every morning. I have to eat four meals a day but I can''t choose what I eat. My breakfast lunch and dinner will all consist of a portion of meat, some kind of carbohydrate and vegetables, that are already made for me. I mean it sounds delicious, but in the email he made it sound like me being underweight was enemy number one. And I''m going to get penalised if I don''t eat everything on my dietary plan..."


    [''Its because you are made of nothing but skin and bones. Eat your meat, drink your shakes and don''t complain!''] The teacher guffawed inside Rhys''s head which only agitated Rhys more.


    Aria giggled from beside Rhys. "I can''t believe you''re going to get punished if you don''t eat enough. They are really serious about you gaining weight."


    Connor was silent but the way his mouth was twitching upwards made Rhys aware that he found his strict dietary regiment amusing.


    ''They''re making me feel like I''m a skeleton or something.'' Rhys kicked a loose stone out of his way as he walked forward. He had to admit that all that food sounded amazing though. He rarely got to eat twice a day in district twenty, and when he ate it was hardly ever meat. Doubling his intake was going to be a stretch for him, but he knew it was infinitely better than going hungry.


    [''With all the food you''ll be consuming plus the energy you''ll be absorbing, you should reach peak health in a few weeks or so.'']


    The trio entered the dinning hall together which immediately got them the attention of everyone in the room. People curiously peered at them over the newspapers in their hands, examining the trio of A rank trainees whose faces where on the front page of the newspaper. The whispering only got louder as the three sat down together.


    "This is annoying." Connor uttered as he forked some sausage into his mouth. He did not seem to enjoy the attention either.


    "I doubt it will always be like this." Aria licked her thumb as she turned a page in the newspaper. "They''re just curious since so few people made it into the A class."


    "How many?" Rhys nodded appreciatively at the lunch lady who personally delivered his food to his table. Not many kids had dietary plans, on top of that he was probably one of the only people who had to eat steak for breakfast. So of course they had to make food specially for him and bring it to him. It was a little embarrassing, but he suddenly didn''t care as he looked down at the juicy hand-size steak on his plate.


    "They''ve got fifty two people listed here."


    "Only fifty two?" Rhys couldn''t believe the number was so small, he had calculated that there were supposed to be more hundred thousand freshmen, how could there only be 52 A rank people if at least one team from each group of a hundred students made it into the A class.


    Aria took a moment to read the newspaper before replying to Rhys. "Apparently most of the classes yesterday didn''t even have one person who made it into the A rank."


    Rhys looked up from his steak and mash potatoes with a frown. "How''s that possible if the prize for each winning group were seats in the A class?"


    "It says here that quite a few groups who won their tournaments were denied A rank because the instructors thought they weren''t good enough. Apparently our class was the only tournament group that produced more that two A ranking students."


    "They probably put all the trainees they thought would make A rank in one tournament, which was our class'' tournament. That''s why so many people from our class got A''s." Connor sipped on his black coffee. He had already wolfed down his food and was working on his coffee now.


    Rhys nodded because Connor''s theory made a lot of sense. By putting the prospective A students in one tournament the instructors would be able to see better quality matches since the more skilled students were facing off against each other. It would also decrease casualties to have students of more or less the same strength facing off instead of really weak versus really strong students.


    Rhys was beginning to understand the method behind the madness of the MCP. At first he thought this place was just a slaughter/survival house putting young adults through hell to see if they could create worthy warriors after everyone else had been crippled, but actually there was a lot of sense and logic going on behind their seemingly cruel policies.


    He grinned as he drew a parallel between the military college and his system. Rhys placed his knife and fork down and swallowed the last piece of his steak. His stomach felt full but not bloated surprisingly and he thought he actually might be able to munch on something else.


    "We have ten minutes to get class, we should head out." He stood up from his seat as he saw the clock on the wall.


    Aria and Connor nodded and got up from their seats as well. Connor and Aria walked out first while Rhys grabbed the newspaper as he left the table, something interesting caught his eye at the very bottom of the front page.


    As he left the dining hall, Rhys was stopped by one of the dining staff at the exit.


    "Don''t forget your protein shake, young man." The same woman who served him his food pointed to the tumbler labelled with his name.


    "Thanks." He smiled at her and grabbed the tumbler, wedging it between his arm and side so he could still read the school newspaper as he walked.


    At the very bottom of the list of A rank trainees were two name that stood out him. The names reminded him of what Aria said yesterday about Professor Killian Heseinberg, what she said about his name being too long syllabically and pretentious for someone born outside Sector 1''s four districts.


    "Hey Aria," Rhys caught up to her and Connor who were waking a few paces in front of him. "Do these names sound like Sector 1 names to you?"


    He cleared his throat before reading off the notably long names. "Georgina Callahan and Kataru Romano?"


    She turned back to look at Rhys and he clearly saw a spark of recognition flash in her eyes. She nodded slowly, obviously something was eating away at her mind.


    "Yes, definitely names from Sector 1. Maybe even-." She stopped herself and glanced up at Connor as if waiting for him to say something. When he only looked back at her blankly she faced Rhys again.


    "Are they supposed to be other students who got A ranks?" She slowed her pace so that she was waking next to Rhys and could get a look at the newspaper.


    It was obvious that she knew something, something involved with Connor. Rhys suddenly remembered the term he had heard two military personnel mention in the basement of the library. They had called Connor a ''Tardras''. On top of that, Professor Killian said something very confusing yesterday about Connor not infusing with a core. The plot was only thickening and Rhys was eager to learn more.


    "The article said that they arrived late on campus and weren''t able to participate in the tournament, but despite that they were given A ranks just based off of their cores." Rhys relayed to Aria and Connor what he had read in the article.


    "But if they''re from Sector 1, what are they doing in one of the Sector 5 colleges?" Rhys sharply locked his eyes on Aria who instantly avoided his gaze. However, he saw her momentarily glance at Connor before zooming back in on the newspaper. As much as Rhys was trying to gage her reaction, she was trying to see Connor''s reaction.


    Rhys gazed at Connor''s back, and the thick three-lined tattoo at the nape of his neck. From Aria''s actions he knew that this was somehow all tied to Connor. But was Connor aware of it? There was only one way to find out.


    Even if they were roommates and were walking to class together that did not make them friends and did not give Rhys the right to pry into his life, however, staying in the dark about a situation just was not his style.


    "I was in the library a few days ago and overheard some instructors talking about us, all three of us." Connor immediately paused and his aura spiked dangerously, but Rhys continued hoping that the spike in aura was more due to surprise than aggression.


    "Our private information was being kept in three red files and I listened as they read over our details." Aria too was now staring at Rhys with a guarded expression.


    He felt like he might have just killed the rapport they had built up over the time they had spent together during the morning, but maybe he didn''t need friends if he had the system.


    "I heard that you''re the success of the eugenics lab." He said and observed Aria''s strong gaze.


    "And I heard them call you a ''Tardras''." Rhys waited to see how Connor would react.


    Connor turned around and glared back at Rhys for too long a moment for comfort.


    "And you?"


    "And me?" Rhys frowned confused.


    "That Professor said your core wasn''t from Earth. Explain yours and then I''ll explain mine."


    Rhys''s shoulders relaxed a little bit, the air between Connor and him was still tense, but Connor''s reaction was much calmer than he expected since the guy had a reputation for electrocuting people when he was irritated with them.


    "There isn''t much more to it, what the professor said is technically right. I ended up going on a raid through a portal. Things turned ugly quickly and my only choice of survival was to infuse with a core from that planet. Luckily it worked and now I have my ability." What he said was technically the truth, they weren''t asking for the little details so he just gave a summary.


    "Then I got forced to attend this MCP by the military general who rescued me, and so here I am." Rhys stared back at Connor waiting for a reply.


    Connor sighed and frowned gently. He seemed a little annoyed that Rhys had been so forthcoming with his story. If Rhys had dodged the question then that would have given him a reason to be evasive about the truth as well.


    "I don''t know much about it, really I don''t." Connor breathed out as he turned around and continued walking down the path.


    "I just know I''m not supposed to have these powers. They belong to a certain group of people who I''m not a part of. I came here because the general promised me answers, but that geezer hasn''t shown his face yet." He stroked his hand through his blonde hair, before continuing.


    "That old guy mentioned the name ''Tardras'' before. He said they would come looking for me once news about me spreads, but he would tell me anything else. All I know is the name, I don''t know anything about who or what they are." Connor stuffed his hands in his pockets and glance down at Aria with a sigh.


    "But you know, don''t you?"


    "Come on, we''re going to be late." She turned on her heel and started down the path again. "I''ll tell you on the way there."


    Rhys and Connor followed along behind here, keenly listening to her words.


    ***************


    A slim toned young woman walked down the path with her long dark hair swaying about her waist. Her bright eyes sparkled in the sun and caught the attention of everyone she passed by. Her silky hair and unblemished skin were a sight to see among the students who had just sweated their way through morning training. Whispers of awe and admiration trailed behind her as people were left gobsmacked by her beauty.


    "Lady Georgina-" The dark skinned, shaven haired young man behind her called out.


    "You have to call me by my first name from now on, Kataru. You can''t address me with my title anymore." She interrupted him.


    "Actually, call me Georgie. I should probably go by my nickname so that my distinguished name doesn''t stand out too much."


    She pursed her name plump lips for a moment, a bit reluctant to go by such a short and tacky name, but then clenched her fist and nodded satisfied. Sector 5 was a whole different world from Sector 1, she was practically remaking herself and to do that she needed a new funky name to blend in with the Sector 5 students.


    "Yes, call me Georgie!" She flipped her buoyant hair over her shoulder and walked forward.


    Kataru shook his head, vehemently opposed to the idea. He wouldn''t dare do something that broke noble customs "I couldn''t possibly demean you like that Miss Georgiana-"


    "It''s Georgie, Kataru! G-E-O-R-G-I-E!" She insisted, turning back to flash him a smile to let him know that it was alright. His troubled face earned him a giggle from her.


    "I''ll call you Kat, while we''re here Kataru. Addressing each other like this will be the key to fitting in with the lower classes, so you have to do it, Kat." She stared at him, waiting for him to agree.


    "Yes, milady-" He paused troubled. "I mean, Georgie."


    "We are here, Georgie." Kataru grumbled out the informal name begrudgingly. "This is the hall where all the A ranked students will meet."


    He grabbed hold of the door and opened it for her, as he had always done. Something he would continue to do even if she insisted on pretending that she was not a noble.


    "Let''s think of this as a grand adventure." She beamed as she walked past him into the hall.


    Kataru could not share her excitement. He knew they were there because Lady Georgina made a deal with the general. The protection of the MCP in exchange for information they had on the noble families.

 Chapter 33 - 33 World Building: Terrakinesis Of A Xerserthian Saint

    Rhys barely had enough time to process what Aria had just told him, before she opened the doors to the lecture hall. Suddenly a room full of cautious, curious and aggressive eyes openly glared at the three of them standing in the doorway. Thrown off guard by their gazes, Rhys decided to clarify what she told him later, for now he would just find his seat.


    Rhys, Connor and Aria had to spilt up because the only available desks were far away from each other. While Connor and Aria headed for their desks, Rhys carefully walked to his seat, making sure not to bump into anyone and possibly ignite the tension in the room.


    The seats were configured in semi-circular rows that looked in on the lecturer''s desk and large board in the front of the class. Unfortunately, most of the seats near the back were already taken so Rhys had to take the empty spot on the far side of the front row. He glanced back to see Aria taking her seat near the Center of the room and Connor settling down at a desk a few people in front of Sampson.


    Rhys hooked his bag over his chair, and set out his notepad, MCP issued tablet, textbooks and stationery on the slanted desk. Finally everything was settled and the thick atmosphere was dissipating now that everyone was seated. He was about to look through the textbook when the girl next to him spoke up in a surprisingly friendly tone.


    "Good morning fellow Sector 5 student, My name is Georgie." Rhys turned to see the bright eyed, dark-haired girl beside him. He put two and two together and gathered that she must be the Georgina Callahan from the newspaper.


    "Enchanted." She flashed him a prim smile with dimples on her cheeks. She held out her hand with her palm facing downwards, as if she expected Rhys to kiss the back of her hand like some suitor greeting a princess.


    Rhys awkwardly reached out his hand to take hers. He was definitely not going to kiss it, but perhaps when he took her hand he could smoothly manoeuvre their contact into a handshake.


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Georgina Callahan]


    [Aura: Crystallokinesis (weak)]


    Her aura was on the smaller side but it was beautiful. It looked like she was encased in hundreds of shards of glittering crystals.


    [''Even if her ability to harness her power is weak, do not underestimate this one.''] The warning was clear in the teacher''s voice.


    Rhys immediately pulled back his hand when he saw her power. Even if the teacher had not warned him, he would not have touched her hand because a script for crystallokinesis once came into Gramp''s script shop. Of course he read the script, so he knew that In its weaker application, Crustallokinesis was a dangerous power that could crystallise any moisture that it''s core holder touched. The moisture in question could range from water vapour in the air, to blood or excess moisture on a person''s hand. Even if she wasn''t planning anything, it would be wiser not to touch her.


    "Hey, I''m Rhys." He safely rested his hands on his desk. "Nice to meet you."


    The girl''s lips pursed and her forehead creased showing her displeasure. Maybe she felt slighted by him not taking her hand, well he did not care because Rhys preferred not to turn into a crystal, he was sure it would painful.


    She loosened her face and gave Rhys a curt nod before turning forward, probably wiping their exchange from her memory. Although she looked calm, the swirling grey aura of the person sitting next to her spiked and a face full of rage turned to glare at Rhys.


    The way his eyes simmered with anger startled Rhys, who was not sure why this random person looked like gutting him was the only thing he wanted to do.


    "How dare you disrespect Lady-"


    Georgie''s hand clasped onto the angry guy''s shoulder, which stopped him mid-sentence. Like a dog being kept at bay by its master, the guy turned back to face the front of the class.


    Rhys realised that the guy must be the other person from Sector 1, Kataru Romano.


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Name: Kataru Romano


    Aura: Gravity Manipulation (average)]


    Rhys glanced at the two of them curiously. Both of them had very rare core abilities, which was practically evidence of them being from the districts of Sector 1, that and their long names. Also, Kataru had clearly called Georgie ''Lady'' before she cut him off, which was only more evidence of what Aria had explained to him and Connor on the walk there. What she told them was pretty shocking, but it was becoming more believable by the second in the company of Georgie and Kataru.


    The practice of something called ''Nobility'' was real in Sector 1. And ''Tardras'' was the name of one of those noble families. Rhys frowned, still finding it hard to believe.


    The sound of heavy boots clacking against corridor outside the hall caught everyone''s attention. Rhys and the other A rankers stared waiting to see who would walk through the door.


    The door slid open and out came none other than the General. The same general who rescued Rhys from the nightmare planet where he infused with his core, and possibly the same general who promised Connor answers about his power. Moreover, the general definitely had something to do with teenagers from Sector 1 entering a college in Sector 5. This was the large, muscled man of the hour. He was the keeper of everyone''s secrets and the holder with all the answers to everyone''s questions.


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Title: The General


    Aura: Pyrokinesis (very, very Strong)]


    His fiery aura was incredible, it was like he was standing the middle of a tornado of fire. It was the largest and most vivid aura he had ever seen, far more incredible than Connor''s even. Furthermore it was pyrokinesis, so he could both generate and manipulate fire.


    ''Very, very strong?'' Rhys squinted at the System''s reading.


    [''This man has incredible power for a human, it''s almost in humane. The System''s measuring system is based on the average strength of humanity, so I''m sure this man is pushing the upper limits of what is possible for a human. Know that someone reading as very very strong is at the limits for what the current measuring system can read.'']


    Rhys gulped slightly thinking about the gravity of what the teacher said. The General was at the top of the food chain of humanity, a predator and someone he could not cross.


    Alongside the General were two soldiers dressed in black combat-ready military gear, complete with sheathed weapons and masks that covered the bottom halves of their faces, leaving only their eyes on display.


    They were intimidating as hell, especially when Rhys used his aura detection on them.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Combination Aura: 2 Auras detected]


    [Auras: Enhanced Senses (average)


    ? Healing (strong) ]


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Combination Aura: 2 Auras detected]


    [Auras: Strengthening (strong)


    ? Barrier Creation (average) ]


    Rhys stared dumbfound at the two military personnel standing behind the General. As if the old General was not bad enough, he brought two double aura, double core monsters with him.


    "Stand up and greet the General." The soldier with the Strengthening and Barrier Creation core growled at the students through his mask.


    Like obedient little students, everyone got to their feet and greeted the general with a solemn nod of the head with their arms at their sides.


    "Don''t be so hard on the babies." The General waved off the soldier''s serious tone. "Students, please take your seats."


    Rhys sat and stared up at the grey bearded general, entranced by his fire aura of ferocious dancing flames.


    "I have come here this morning to introduce myself to the most promising students among our large batch of freshmen this year." He grinned widely, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. He looked like he belonged in a toothpaste commercial.


    "I am General Hawthorne and I am in charge of this Military college. You may call me ''General Hawthorne'', or just ''General''." Rhys was really intrigued by this old man who was the complete opposite of his Gramps.


    "Besides introducing myself, I''ve come to introduce you to your teachers who will be teaching and guiding you throughout your first year here." He gestured to the two soldiers at his sides.


    "This is-" The General squinted down at the soldier with the Enhanced Senses and Healing core. Rhys watched as the life drained from the soldier''s eyes as he realised that the General did not know his name.


    "Well, I think it''s probably best for them to introduce themselves." The General cleared his throat and made a hasty exit for the door. Startled by his sudden departure, Rhys wanted to stop him and have him answer some questions, but he was already out the door before Rhys could speak up.


    Everyone deadpanned thinking about the behavior of someone who was supposed to be dignified and honourable, like a General should be. Instead he forgot the names of his subordinates and gave a half assed greeting to the new A ranked Freshmen.


    The two soldiers in front sighed in resignation. To Rhys it looked like they had been dealing with the General''s behaviour for quite a while.


    "You may call me ''Teacher A''." Said the soldier with the Healing and Enhanced senses core. "And you may call this soldier, ''Instructor A''."


    Rhys pondered their ''simplistic'' names. Were they being referred to as Teacher and Instructor A because they were in charge of the A rank students? Or were they going by these names because they didn''t want to reveal their identities. Along that point they had not even taken their masks off.


    Teacher A continued to speak. "As your teacher I will be guiding you through the theoretical and knowledge based side of your training, while instructor A will be in charge of the physical and combat side of your training."


    Teacher A stepped forward to the front desk and began to set up the computer. "Today''s lesson is about world history and current affairs. Being from the Sector 5 districts, you students most likely do not have an accurate understanding of the Sector system, especially the students from District 20. Today''s lesson is about clearing that up so you are all on the same page. You only need to look at the board and listen. If you have a question raise your hand."


    An old world map was displayed on the board in front of the classroom. The seven continents as they used to be before the Xerserth invaded.


    "I hope everyone knows what this is." Teacher A cleared his throat. "This is a world map from 2021, showing the seven continents as they used to be."


    With the onscreen mouse Teacher A pointed to the seven continents and repeated their names. "Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North American, South America and Antarctica."


    The picture of the screen changed to show the current world map which was a vastly different picture.


    "As you all know, among the Xerserth armies was an incredibly powerful being, called a Saint, who had an ability the military has of yesterday evening officially named ''Terrakinesis'', or as popular culture has renamed it ''Terrorkinesis'', because of the terror and devastation is brought to Earth. From peace talks with the Xerserth we confirmed that the ability is in fact a core ability that allows the user to reshape landscapes and terrain, even on a planetary level."


    [''Terror-kinesis, that''s humorous.''] the teacher chuckled.


    Rhys looked at the new world map. The Saint used his power to push the continents back together, creating a kind of Pangea. South America tucked into Africa. North America now bordered Northern Africa and Western Europe. Australia and New Zealand were pushed north into Asia along with many other Island countries.


    "The Xerserth decided to push the continents together in order to easily extract the resources they wanted from Earth without having to travel long distances and over oceans to colonise the entire planet. As you can see, pushing the continents together was not the only terra manipulation they did."


    Teacher A outlined the ovular shape of Pangea on the screen.


    "Parts of the old seven continents that stuck too far out of the Pangea continent were broken off by the Saint, and used to create the belt of islands around Pangea."


    Rhys stared up at the map and marvelled at the kind of power that would allow a being to reshape a whole planet.


    "Eastern Russia, all of Antarctica, Southern South America, Southern Africa, Most of Greenland, all of Canada''s islands as well as North America''s Alaska were broken off of Pangea, and broken up into smaller islands and spread around the ocean to become part of belt of islands encircling the Pangea continent."


    Rhys stared at the circular belt of islands that surrounded Pangea. He knew from school that the government and the military had only been able to reach about three thousand of the islands surrounding Pangea, but apparently there were thousands more that still had not been located.


    "Some of you might not be aware, but a few of the islands on the belt were used as dumpsites for animals and other alien beings that the Xerserth apparently did not find valuable anymore."


    Rhys frowned at this. This was completely new information to him.


    "Yes, you at the back?" The teacher pointed to a student at the back of the class with his hand up.


    "Um, Teacher A, what exactly was dumped there?" Rhys was relived to see that he wasn''t the only ignorant one.


    Teacher A nodded, as if deeming the student''s question worthy of answering. "As you should know, the Xerserth are a race of beings that colonise other planets habitually. Many of which were not able to fight back like Earth was. From these colonised planets the Xerserth seemed to have taken the native beings as well as native animals as test subjects. When they were done with them, they would dump those beings and creatures in the seas or on the islands of our Pangea. That is why alien species of sea dwelling creatures now inhabit the seas around Pangea as well as a few aliens and alien creatures inhabiting the islands."


    ''That''s actually pretty cool.'' Rhys tried not to smile thinking about the aliens running around on the islands.


    "Yes, you?" Teacher A pointed at a different student.


    "Aren''t there like any collisions with these aliens. Like, if they stay on Earth''s islands isn''t there gonna be a war?"


    "No. As of now, Earth''s government and Military has maintained a friendly relationship with the Aliens inhabiting our waters and islands. They too are the victims of Xerserth and we have maintained a successful relationship by mutually sharing information, resources and technology."


    Rhys could only wonder what they looked like, and hoped he would get to see them one day. There had to be pictures in the library.


    "I digress. You''ll learn more about those beings during your island expedition later."


    The class broke out into whispers and excited movement at the hint of going to see the islands. However, Rhys noticed the puzzled look on Georgie and Kataru''s faces. The looked confused as to why the others would be excited by this, as if the beings on the island belt were old news to them.


    "Let''s refocus." Teacher A brought everyone''s attention back to the board. "Now let''s talk about the Sectors and Districts as well as the Nobles in Sector 1."


    Rhys''s eyes shot to the board again, he was surprised and excited to match what the teacher would tell them with Aria''s explanation. Was a practice like nobility really happening in this new age?

 Chapter 34 - 34 The Nobles And A Troublesome Weapon

    "As you can see here, District 1 is the largest district and it''s at the Center of Pangea." Teacher A retraced the large circular border on the map.


    "It also has the lowest population density."


    Rhys tried not to scoff thinking about how District 1''s citizens enjoyed larger living spaces and lavish lifestyles. He heard rumours once that there were no homeless people there.


    "District 1 is home to government head quarters as well as ordinary District 1 citizens. I''m sure you have all heard about how wealthy District 1 is. In comparison to the four districts in Sector 5, yes I would say the standard of living is a bit higher there."


    Teacher A brushed past what was probably an awkward subject for him, seeing as he worked for the military and the military was responsible for Sector 5''s lower standards of living.


    "What you students don''t know is, at the very Center of District 1 is what the military refers to as District 0."


    The map on the board zoomed in to reveal a thin gold borderline cutting through District 1, creating a smaller mini-district in the middle of the District.


    The classroom broke out into whispers again at this revelation. For their whole lives they believed that there were only twenty districts, four districts in each of the five sectors. But somehow this District 0 had been kept from them.


    Rhys would have been shocked like the rest of the students if Aria had not given Connor and him a brief explanation of this already.


    "And this special District is home to the noble families."


    Rhys noticed Georgie clutching the pencil in her hand, gripping it so hard that her fingers were turning white.


    "During the Xerserth invasion, after the world governments fell apart, humans only defence against the slaughter were the people who had been living in secret from the rest of the world. Those who knew about the existence of cores long before the invasion and had already gained abilities from them. They became humanity''s only hope while the military powers were still joining hands."


    Rhys watched as Georgie''s trembling hand combed her hair behind her ear. She placed her hand in her lap out of his view.


    "The groups or ''families'' that saved humanity and shed light on the cores during the struggle, asked for and were granted status and private land within Pangea."


    "All the noble families enjoy a status higher than normal civilians. Each family head has the same privilege as a Governor with the Government, and a select few family heads'' have the same privileges as a General within the military."


    The same statuses as Governors and Generals was a pretty high status. Rhys guessed that those titles came with insane privileges as well.


    "The most intriguing thing about the noble families is that they do not infuse with cores. The official statement from them is that since their bloodlines absorbed cores for so many generations, the core abilities became part of their DNA, so children from noble families are born being able to use their powers."


    Rhys stared at Connor from the side of his eye. Connor did not infuse with a core but he had electrokinesis. There was no doubt about it now, Connor definitely came from a noble family.


    "Also know that noble families not only give birth to ability users, they also collect them. Most of the families offer places to outsiders, thereby growing their forces. Because of this, the need to legally prove that a person is part of a family became a reality. That is why all members of a noble family share a middle name. Of course the biological family members usually share a last name as well, but those brought into the family on contract are granted the family''s middle name."


    Rhys stared up at teacher A, full of anticipation because this was what Aria detailed to him and Connor.


    "To name a few of these prestigious middle names, Fract, Tardras and Saki are quite famous. So if you meet a person with any of these middle names, be aware that you are talking to a noble family member. Like I''ve said before they have more privileges than a normal civilian so do not be rude to them." Teacher A''s tone went deadly serious and he stared down the students to let them know that he was serious. Which only begged the question: what happened to those who upset the nobles? And why wasn''t Connor living in Sector 0 with the rest of his family?


    "You''ll learn more about them later, so I won''t take any more questions about this topic."


    Some students dejectedly lowered their hands.


    "As for the rest of this class, we will go through with your weapon consultation."


    Instructor A ducked below the desk for a moment and came up with a stack full of files. He went around to each desk and handed each person a file.


    Once a thick file was placed in front of Rhys, he cautiously opened the cover and was surprised to see his profile picture staring back at him.


    "In these files are the comprehensive notes written by the overseers who watched each of your matches. In them you''ll find constructive criticism about your performance during the tournament as well as suggestions about what type of weapon you should think about getting." Teacher A nodded and gestured to Instructor A to take over.


    "Yeah so-" He snatched away a person''s file from them and held it up for the entire room to see. "You''ll see your appointment times with the weapon consultants on the front cover of your files."


    He pointed his thick finger at the information printed inside the file. "Just give the consultants your files and answer their questions. Then they''ll prepare the gear that you need. I want to remind you that they''ll give you the gear you need, not necessarily the gear that you want." Instructor A glowered down at the students as he spoke.


    "Sometimes the freshmen don''t agree with the weapons that are given to them and think it''s their place to argue with the consultants-"


    Instructor A''s fist slammed into the desk, causing the student who was sitting there to jerk backwards in shock. Rhys just frowned up at Instructor A whose aura was completely even and calm, the man was just pretending to be angry to scare the students.


    "I better not hear about that happening this year. Be grateful that the General is willing to spend so much money on people like you who haven''t even pledged your allegiance to the Military, yet."


    Rhys blinked in surprise when he saw his appointment number and consultation time. His was the first appointment and he had exactly three minutes to get wherever he needed to be.


    As he was about to speak up and ask where to go, Teacher A addressed the class. "As soon as your appointment comes up, you may leave through the door at the back." He pointed in the direction of some sliding doors at the back of the class. "They are waiting for you right through there. Come straight back to class as soon as you are done-"


    Instructor A barged into Teacher A''s announcement, rubbing his big hands together excitedly. "Those of you won''t don''t have appointments in the next thirty minutes will join me outside for a little sparing. Your Teacher and I were out on a mission yesterday so we didn''t get to see you guys in action. There''s nothing like some one-on-one matches to get to know my students better."


    He was wearing a mask but Rhys could practically see the man grinning underneath.


    "Those of you who are getting consultations first, don''t worry, you guys can fight when you come back."


    Rhys cringed at Instructor A''s behaviour. The guy was practically drooling to see them fight. While instructor seemed like your typical fighting obsessed hothead, Teacher A was refined and more academic. Total opposites.


    While the rest of the class exited out the front doors, Rhys shuffled around the desks and opened the door to the back, where he found none other than Professor Killian standing in the middle of a small weaponry workshop and waving like the goofy mad scientist he was.


    "Hi Rhys," His prefect white teeth sparkled and bleach blonde hair shone making Rhys squint.


    "Hello Professor, I wasn''t expecting you." He slid the door shut behind him. "Are you really a weapons consultant because I thought you were more of a core researcher?" Rhys hopped onto the metal stool the Professor gestured him to take a seat at.


    "I was actually focused on Gem gear and weaponry for a long time before I found my passion in trying to understand cores." He chuckled while shifting his circular glasses up his face.


    "And because I am in charge of you three staying at the Glowry residence hall, it''s best for me to create your weapons." His eyes lit up as he reached for the file in Rhys''s hand. He brought out a sketchbook and pencil as well and quietly flipped through the pages of Rhys''s file, circling and underlining as he went along.


    Rhys stared intensely at the Professor who had entered a state of intense concentration. Professor Killian was clumsy, but quite driven if he moved all the way from Sector 1 just to study cores. He seemed friendly but that could simply be a ruse for him to get Rhys and the others to trust him. Rhys was having trouble deciding whether or not the man was trustworthy.


    [''He''s not. No one is. He will be nice until he get''s a whiff of how valuable you truly are, then he will either try to contain you or kill you.''] The teacher snapped at him.


    "Your biggest weakness is distance." Killian suddenly spoke. Shutting the file, he looked Rhys dead in his eyes.


    "You have a formidable defence. From what I''ve read in the file, the only element that had any affect on you was electricity. Other physical and elemental attacks don''t seem to hurt you either¡­"


    The Professor rested his head in his palm and stared sideways at Rhys.


    "Thus, In a real life battle scenario, you would be the last man standing but with no way to defeat your enemy if they kept their distance from you."


    "But I-" Rhys wanted to remind the Professor that he was very capable of offence too, but Killian cut him off.


    "Yes, I''m aware that you can inflict devastating attacks on your opponents, however that''s only possible if you can get close to them. It worked for you in the tournament because nobody knew about your ability."


    Rhys could only nod sombrely. Since he saw his profile and a vague description of his ability in the newspaper, he knew the other A rank students would read through everyone''s profile, trying to find a way to get an edge on each other from the provided information.


    "All it would take for someone to best you, is for them to keep away from you."


    It was a reality that Rhys was aware of, so he was hoping that his new weapon could fix that problem for him.


    "Sure you could wait for your opponent to get tired and stop running from you, but who''s to say that you won''t be the first to tire? Or, what if you''re on a mission with a time limit and you don''t have the time to wait for your opponent to give in?"


    Rhys nodded in agreement, he would be in trouble if he couldn''t think of a way to solve this.


    "Good, I see that what I''m saying isn''t shocking you. That means you''ve already thought about some of this." Killian took a few minutes to sketch and scribble on the sketch pad. He suddenly got up from his chair and walked over to the wall of hanging hardware behind him.


    He unhooked a few items from the wall and collected them in between his fingers. A few more minutes of searching, and he turned downwards and rummaged through a large wooden box and from it, retrieved a metal suitcase.


    The Professor slapped everything down onto the desk.


    "Seeing as how your clothes don''t fall off your body when you use your power, Am I right in saying that anything directly touching gains your power as well?"


    Rhys nodded slowly, "Sort of-" He paused thinking about how to explain his views. "Anything flat against my body will become intangible when I become intangible."


    Rhys picked up the stray pen on the desk and placed it flat against his palm. He then phased his hand and the pen through the desk.


    "See when it''s flat against me like that it works. But when I do this-"


    Rhys held the pen perpendicular to his palm with his fingers and began to move his hand downwards towards the desk. The pen''s tip made contact with the table first and stopped moving, while his hand continue to move downwards and phase through the length of the pen.


    "Interesting." Killian shifted his glasses up his nose again. "At first I thought your power was a completely physical attribute, but seeing this I need to shift my thinking a bit."


    He stared at the pen for a moment. "What you''ve showed me makes me think that your power functions more like an energy that you coat your body in than just a physical attribute."


    Rhys''s eyes shot to the Professor who was obliviously biting his lip and looking beyond Rhys. Rhys was unsettled that the Professor had pretty much inadvertently described his aura, which was the source of his Spectral form skill.


    "And if you''re power is like an energy that coats your body, then as you get stronger you should be able to manipulate it or stretch it someday."


    [''This human is accurately describing the aura manipulation you will unlock at level 5, even though he has no knowledge of spiritual energy. Kill him swiftly so that he does not learn any more.]


    Rhys reminded himself to be guarded around Professor Killian.


    "Try this on." The Professor busily strapped what looked live a leather, fingerless glove to Rhys''s hand.


    "Okay, point your hand that way." The Professor pointed it to the side. "And make a fist."


    Rhys pressed his hand into a first, automatically a blade the length of his arm shot out of the top of the glove.


    "Woah!" He jerked in surprise. His swung his arm around a little trying to get used to the weight pressing down against his wrist.


    "Okay, release your hand."


    Rhys did as the Professor said and watched as the blade retracted back into the wrist brace. It was a cool weapon, definitely something that would throw an enemy off guard. But, Rhys could not picture it as his weapon.


    "Can you try use your power on this weapon, I want to see if you are able to make something this size intangible."


    Rhys nodded and concentrated on his hand for a moment. The wrist brace was a little thicker than what he was used to covering with his spectral body, but he was sure that he could do it.


    [Spectral form used + 5Exp]


    After he applied the skill, he easily phased his hand and glove through the table.


    "Excellent." Professor Killian grinned wickedly as he opened up the silver suitcase. "Rhys, I''m guessing that you don''t have any experience using whips or chains in fighting do you?"


    Rhys shook his head as he stared at the two objects in the box.


    "Well then you''ll need to start practicing." The Professor took out the whip and the wrapped chain from the box. "I''ll have your weapon ready in a few days. In the mean time I want you to practice with either of these. Actually just train with the chain."


    The Professor quickly snatched the whip back into the box.


    "As you can see this is actually a Gem weapon. The Crystal within this chain will be similar to the Crystal that will power your weapon-"


    "Wait, I''ll be getting gem-powered gear?" Rhys''s eyes went wide with the news. He knew he would be getting a weapon, but gem-powered gear? For a freshmen? How wealthy was the military exactly?


    The Professor nodded as he nudged the chain closer to Rhys.


    "Your final weapon will be similar to the brace I gave you earlier, but instead of a sword shooting out, a long chain with a blade at the end will be launched from the gauntlet. If you aim it at faraway enemies, you can sink them with the blade and keep a sturdy hold of them while you attack them."


    Rhys stared blankly at the Professor. Still trying to imagine what such a weapon would be like. Wasn''t something like that too risky? If his opponent managed to dodge his chain he would be left wide open. Even worse, if his opponent caught his chain, he would be in big trouble. The more he thought about it the move he began to worry.


    "And one day, when you''re able to cloak the entire chain in your intangible ability." Killian''s eyes glowed with excitement. "Just think about the possibilities."


    "Um, what about the Gem-"


    "I have to go now, but I''ll see you back at Glowry later. Feel free to take the chain with you!" Like a man on a mission, Professor Killian dashed for the door leaving Rhys''s question unanswered.


    Rhys picked up the chain and apples out the sliding doors, just as a larger man with a beard stepped inside. He was probably the weapon consultant for the other students.


    Rhys fiddled with the chain in his hand as he walked through the classroom to get to the others who were supposed to be fighting outside under the supervision of instructor A.


    The chain link was only as thick as his thumb but it felt extremely tough. Probably some kind of reinforced metal. The chain had a jagged blade linked to its end which had a small dark blue gem embedded in it.


    Rhys knew a lot about raw gems, but those that had been tampered with and forged into weapons were a different story. They had a tendency to change colour and clarity so there was no way for him to know what properties the little gem held. Furthermore, the Professor left the room without answering his question. In the meantime he would try and get used to fighting with a chain, and he would need to reach level 5 as soon as possible.


    "Aaaah!" A terrified scream pierced Rhys''s ears. He jogged to the end of the classroom and out the door to find out what was going on.


    There he saw Sampson standing with his usual malevolent grin as his flames engulfed another student.


    "Stop it, don''t hurt him!" Georgina shrieked in horror as she watched Kataru be engulfed in flames.


    "Sit down trainee. Don''t involve yourself in another student''s match." Teacher A snapped at her from the sidelines.


    Although Sampson was smiling, he did not look very good. His breathing was ragged and his aura was warped around his legs. He was not bleeding but he had obviously sustained some damage.


    "But it''s not fair!" Georgie protested. "That fiend tricked Kataru! You all saw it didn''t you?"


    She desperately turned back to look at the other students who blatantly ignored her cries.


    "Don''t ignore me-"


    A sudden cry from Sampson cut her off. The concrete ground at Sampson''s feet suddenly broke apart and sunk further into the ground as if a force was pulling the area downwards.


    Sampson strained his legs to keep his himself standing but the force proved too much for him and he sunk to his knees. His flames dispersed and a furious, slightly charred Kataru emerged from the flames victorious.


    "How dare you." He glowered down at Sampson. "I offered you a hand in friendship when I knocked you down the first time. However, you took advantage and used my outstretched hand as a means to burn me. Now you shall pay the price!"


    Rhys watched excitedly as Kataru''s aura spiked. A gravity manipulation core was so rare. He wanted to know how much disturbance the guy could make at full power, that and it was always nice to see someone kicking Sampson''s butt.


    "Okay that''s enough!" Instructor A stepped between them. "Today is just a friendly spar, no need to kill anyone. You two, go over to Teacher A to get healed."


    Sampson and Kataru glared at each other as they made their way to Teacher A. Sampson never failed to make enemies of just about everyone he met.


    "Ah, you there." Rhys looked up to see Instructor A peering at him over his mask. "You''ve just come back from your consultation right?"


    "Yes."


    "That''s ''yes sir'' to you, trainee." Instructor A snapped back.


    "Yes, sir." Rhys corrected himself and tried not to look annoyed.


    "Okay then, you can come have a spar with her." He pointed at Georgina who was fussing over Kataru.


    "Maybe you can tire out that loud mouth of hers." He muttered a little too loudly.

 Chapter 35 - 35 Crystallokinesis And Knowledge

    Georgina took a hair tie from around her wrist and slipped her long hair into a bun. Many eyes from the group of A rankers ogled her figure and glossy hair as she went through the motion of readying herself for the match. Rhys could only marvel at this strange behaviour, it was just like Aria said it would be. Georgina and Kataru acted weirdly. It was hard to explain but now that he had seen them both in action he could point his finger on the root of what made the two stuck out so much from the others. It was in the way Kataru was so shocked that Sampson would try to trick him to gain the upper hand. And it was in the way Georgina comfortably tied up her hair, leaving herself wide open to attack but expected Rhys to wait for her.


    They expected people to have the same values as they did, and therefore they expected too much. Rhys sighed solemnly, already predicting how this college and the people here would change them. He had already given Georgina quite a shock by not accepting her hand earlier, so he would leave disillusioning her to someone else. For now, he would wait for her to get ready. While he waited for her, Rhys pulled up his stats to check on his progress.


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 4]


    [Exp: 313/400]


    [HP: 39/40]


    The last time he checked his numbers was during the tournament, so he was glad to see that his EXP was almost where he needed it to be. Level 5 was near.


    <Statistics>


    [Intelligence: 13]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 10]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 9]


    Although he put stat points into Agility during the tournament, from now on he would be working hard to improve his Spirituality stat.


    <Skills>


    [Spectre Form Lvl 5:


    The User''s body has upgraded from the spiritual level to the spectral level. Once the user applies this skill, the user''s body will hold the power of a spectre. Spectres are metaphysical beings whose bodies are the result of spiritual energy and mental capability.]


    < Common Applications of this skill >


    ?Intangibility


    ?Physical disruption


    ?Aura extension (dormant)


    ?Spectral manipulation (dormant)


    ?Spectral movement (dormant)


    ?invisibility (dormant) ]


    He didn''t pay much attention to it before, but now that he was thinking of stretching his aura over his chain weapon, the ''aura extension'' application looked very useful.


    [Energy Absorption Lv3:


    The user is able to absorb small to medium sized plants as well as a few plant variants such as mold and types of fungi.]


    [Aura detection Lvl 3:


    Allows the user to see the energy fields of living things.]


    "Do you want me to hold that for you?" Aria pointed to the wrapped chains in Rhys''s hand.


    He nodded and handed her the bundle gratefully, which she placed in her lap as she sat down again on the grass surrounding the concrete slab. Rhys suddenly felt lighter, relieved that Aria was still acting friendly towards him.


    "What are you two waiting for, get at it already!" Instructor A huffed from the grass.


    Georgina glared at him, disgusted by the attitude he was showing that was so unfitting of an educator. This sector 5 military college was certainly lacking in qualified educators, unlike the refined institutions that she had attended in District 1.


    Interested, Rhys watched as Georgina whipped out a small golden spray bottle from her side. He squinted at the expensive-looking bottle and caught sight of three cursive letters engraved into its side ''G.F.C''.


    Rhys guessed that the bottle contained water because from reading the scripts he knew that people with the core often relied on water to create their crystals.


    "I hope we have a good match!" She energetically thrust her bottle into the air and pressed down on the head. To Rhys''s surprise, liquid sprayed out of the small bottle with a reach of at least two meters.


    He jumped back, but not before some water particles stuck to his clothes. Before he could react, the mist in the air solidified and turned into a curtain of tiny sparkling crystals that reflected the light beautifully. The floating crystals immediately fell to the floor and scattered around the concrete, sparkling as they travelled across the floor.


    Rhys looked down at himself to see patches of his clothes sparkling and felt small shards scraping against his skin. The liquid she had sprayed on his clothes had crystallised making Rhys''s uniform look like some sort of Opal ornament.


    [''Be careful now, this human''s power is weak but still tricky.'']


    Without a moment to lose, Rhys dragged his shoe on the floor, collecting the crystal shards against his foot and kicked up, sending crystals flying back at Georgina. She instinctively flinched backwards, bringing her hands up to her face to stop any shards from entering her eyes.


    Rhys saw his chance and dashed at her, raising his arm and poising his hand like a spear. He was aiming for her right arm, he wasn''t going to sever it but he was definitely going to injure it enough so that she would not be able to hold the spray bottle anymore.


    [Spectral Form used + 5Exp]


    He saw the stunned look in her eyes as she realised that she was moments away from being attacked. Like a dear in headlights, she was frozen, but Rhys knew better than to hold back against someone just because they looked weak.


    "Enough!" Instructor A shouted from the grass as a light blue barrier materialised just in front of Rhys''s attacking hand.


    "Woah!" Rhys tried to stop himself but his momentum pushed him forward, all he could do was use his spectral form skill on his entire body so that he would not slam into the blue barrier. In a second, Rhys phased through the barrier and through Georgina and came to a stop on the other side.


    [''What was that pathetic human thinking, putting up a barrier all of a sudden? I say you kill him for his stupidity.''] The teacher sneered inside his head.


    ''The way he''s stopping the matches before they get good, it looks like they don''t want anybody to get hurt today. The instructor must not have realised that I can phase through barriers as well.''


    The A-rank students who had not seen Rhys in action during the tournament blinked in surprise at what they had just seen. Even though they read a brief description of his ability in the newspaper, it was still weird to see it in person. Even weirder to think that his ability worked on barriers as well.


    "Show off." Sampson muttered as Teacher A was seeping his green aura into Sampson''s legs.


    Kataru stared at the scrawny dark-haired boy who had insulted Lady Georgina by not taking her hand earlier. Besides his obvious lack of manners, it seemed that the commoner had a very useful power.


    "What-" Georgina spun around, confused at seeing there was nobody in front. "Where did he go-"


    She spotted Rhys behind her, heading over to the grass to take his seat.


    "How did you do that?" She trialed off as the uncertainty of what she had seen took over.


    "Oh." Instructor A stared down at Rhys who took a seat next to Aria and Connor. "So barriers don''t have an effect either? How annoying."


    "Here you go." She handed Rhys his bundle of chains. "These will make a cool weapon once you get the hang of it."


    "Yeah?" Rhys sighed staring doubtfully at the pile of silver in his hands. "I''m not so sure."


    "Let''s get on with it then." Instructor A cleared his throat. "You and you, get on the concrete. And don''t make it so quick like the last round." He huffed folding his arms.


    Connor reached over and picked up the small jagged blade attached to the end of the chain. He curiously swiped his finger over the blue gem embedded in it.


    "Gem gear?"


    "Mmh." Rhys nodded. "Professor Killian was my weapon consultant but he forgot to tell me what type of property the gem has before he left."


    Connor''s face sunk disapprovingly. "I don''t trust that guy, and I don''t want him as my weapon consultant. I thought he was a researcher, what is he doing messing around with Gem gear anyway?"


    "Apparently he worked on weapons before he even got into cores."


    "That sounds like a lie." Connor abruptly fell back into the grass with his hands folded behind his head. "He looks too young to have switched industries and still have reached a high enough level where he''s affiliated with the military."


    "That''s true." Rhys hasd to agree that the Professor''s story was a little suspicious, however, the Professor did seem skilful and knowledgeable when thinking of a weapon for him.


    "Forget about that guy and focus on yourselves." Aria broke them away from their suspicions. "I used to do a lot of training with whips. I know it''s not the same as a chain, but I can still give you some good pointers about how to get started with gaining balance and control."


    "That would awesome, thanks." He beamed down at her cool brown eyes hoping there wasn''t a catch to that offer.


    "And what kind of weapon are you hoping for, Connor?" Rhys looked back to see Connor enjoying the sun.


    "I don''t need one."


    Rhys chuckled at the guy''s confidence. "But I''ll take one if it helps me focus my currents."


    "Yeah, surging a room full of electricity is cool and all, but you''re screwed the day that you have to go on a rescue mission." Rhys smirked, satisfied that he could take a dig at Connor.


    "And how exactly would you rescue someone? Every attack would go straight through you and hit the person you''re trying to save." Connor dragged his hand through his blonde hair with a grin.


    The two of them chuckled and Aria giggled beside them. Rhys felt oddly content at having people to laugh and chat with.


    Rhys''s face scrunched up as he remembered the kind muscly sledgehammer wielding doofus who he met during initiation. He wondered how Otis was doing and which rank he got. He would be sure to contact him soon.


    After a few more fights, the bell rang around the school and it was time for the next class. Aria was off to the science block, Connor was headed to his private session with Professor Killian while Rhys was off to a different training ground where he would learn to control his new weapon.


    The second class was not just A ranking students, it was a mix of everyone with a majority of C students which was also the largest group on campus.


    Out of all the students, only Rhys and the B ranking students already had weapons. The other students had to go up in order of rank to choose weapons they thought would suit them from a wall of scraps. By the time the F ranking students got to choose, all that was left were the common weapons like aged swords, and a few strange weapons that the others did not want to touch, such as nunchucks, single ball flails and fencing sabres.


    The groups were quickly divided based on their weapon types. Rhys found himself surrounded by a bunch of people with whips, chain whips and the person with the flail.


    The instructor who was focused on their group showed them a few videos of experts using weapons like there''s. Rhys blinked in surprise to see the people in the videos easily pinpointing small fruits with perfect accuracy and slicing trees with the formidable swings of their whips and chains. One video, in particular, made Rhys swoon, it was actual battle footage from the invasion of a human with a thick chain facing off against a Xerserth soldier with a long sword. The way he caught the soldier''s sword in his chains and then lurched him forward to deliver hard kicks to the face was so cool. Rhys was practically drooling as the large chain whip was cracked down on the soldier''s head, which immediately put the alien to sleep.


    The video ended with a close-up shot of the Xerserth soldier''s head. Red blood seeped out from the wound on top of his skull and dripped off the tips of his little horns.


    Rhys was a little disappointed to see that the Xerserth''s horns were relatively small. As a race, all Xerserth people had horns on top of their heads. Rhys knew from school that the horns were proportional to age and strength. He knew that Saints and Xerserth commanders had much larger horns while the soldier in the video''s horn''s only protruded from his head a few centimetres. It meant that particular soldier was either young or weak. However, the human guy still managed to defeat it with a chain.


    Rhys was getting excited about his weapon. ''It''s like Killian said, right? I''ll be able to use intangibility on it when I get strong enough, won''t I?"


    [''Most definitely. You will be able to reinforce it in a number of useful ways once you get to the fifth level.'']


    Rhys put his soul into the next hour of class, learning how to swing the chain around his hand steadily, learning how to catch the chain under his elbow and use that thrown off momentum to change the direction of his swing. He nicked himself with the blade at the end of the chain a few times when he swung the weapon too close to his body, but other than that the motion of the weapon was coming easily to him, probably because he was enjoying it.


    After the class ended he was headed to the dining hall to down another steak, he made sure to take the long route through the open grass next to the forest so he had space and time to swing the chain in his hands. When he swung it fast enough he felt like he was arm wrestling someone, but when he swung it slowly he could manage it around a few fingers. He imagined himself swinging the blade end down on someone''s head as the guy in the ideo had done to the Xerserth soldier.


    Once he devoured the last morsel of his delicious meal, he was headed off to his afternoon classes. Of course, he practised his chain skills during his walks in between his classes.


    Finally, the bell rang for the last class of the day and Rhys immediately went running back to his dorm room where the Book of the Dead was waiting for him.


    He carefully changed out of his clothes not wanting stray crystal fragments to scratch him as he changed. He then stuffed his water bottle, the Book of the Dead, his chain and his protein shake flask into his duffel bag. He raced back out of the dorm and into the forest where he had the privacy to complete his mission.


    [''And so it begins.''] The teacher chuckled darkly. [''Which part of the quest will you attempt to complete first?'']


    "I think reading the chapter will be faster, then I can get into trying to level up my energy absorption skill."


    Rhys sat crossed-legged on a nice patch of wild grass and spread the large book out on his lap. He eagerly opened the cover, desperately wanting to absorb the knowledge from within. As if he had been slapped across the face, Rhys stared down at the first page in horror.


    He flinched as the distorted kackling of the teacher sounded in his head.


    "What the hell is this?" His jaw clenched in frustration.


    [''It''s a book from another world. You didn''t think it would be in English did you?''] The guffawing of the teacher only proved to irritate Rhys more as he stared down at what was an alien language.


    Swirling loops of ink that resembled art more than a writing system covered each page, making it unreadable.


    "Wait-" His temper cooled as he remembered the teacher''s words from yesterday. "Didn''t you say I would have to absorb some parts of the book?"


    [''I did.''] The teacher cleared his throat in an attempt to push back his laughter.


    [''Tell me, what exactly is this book made out of?'']


    "The aura of the plants." Rhys thought back to the huge circle of plants the book absorbed to become the book of the dead.


    [''And are you capable of absorbing plants?'']


    "Yes."


    [''Then get to it!''] The teacher snapped making Rhys jump.


    Of course, he could absorb plants, but this book was no longer a plant. Rhys tried to use his Aura Detection skill, but since it was not a living thing, he could not use the skill. So he decided to try a different method. He thought back to the previous night when he saw the book being created. He remembered the familiar green aura of the forest plants being pulled into the book. He visualised the process and tried to imagine that same mixed green aura surrounding the book. Even if that energy had been changed into the form of a book, it was still in there somewhere.


    When he looked down at the pages again he refused to see a book. Instead, he willed himself to see the product of absorbed plant energy and overlapped his memory of what happened with what was in front of him.


    He flinched and covered his eyes as an icy tingling feeling pricked at his pupils. He waited for a moment to regain his calm and then blinked open his eyes.


    Rhys immediately broke out into a grin when he looked down at the book again. It was faint, but it was there, glowing around the book. He could see a shallow, almost transparent green aura. The longer he looked, the clearer it became, until a satisfying ping came from the system.


    [Aura Detection used +5 Exp]


    [Congratulations. The skill Aura detection has levelled up.]


    [The user has recognised the aura of an object.]


    [Aura Detection Lv 3 >>> Lv 4]


    [Allows the user to see the energy fields of living things and objects.]


    "Huh?" Rhys laughed out loud in surprise. "I levelled up a skill! I mean it''s the wrong skill for my quest, but its still good news."


    [''Yes, my idiot pupil managed to level up the wrong skill. Well. Done. Now focus on the quest.''] He taunted Rhys dryly.


    "It''s a level 4 skill now. One more level up and it will evolve like how my Spiritual body skill turned into the Spectral Form skill." He licked his lips excitedly thinking about the possibilities.


    Rhys zoned back in on the book, now that he was able to officially recognise the energy of the book, he would be able to absorb its power.


    [Energy Absorption used + 2 Exp]


    Even though it was in book form, the energy was still that of a plant so the system still only gave him 2 Exp.


    The pages of the first chapter of the book shivered as if they were alive. The green aura of the object became unstable and trembled along with the pages. All at once the first chapter burst apart into tiny glowing particles of aura that rushed at Rhys''s face. The green aura flowed in through his open mouth, nostrils, ears and eyes. The sensation it gave was incredible, like breathing in a gust of crisp air. As the aura burst through his head, Rhys heard a thousand voices whispering to him at the same time, bludgeoning his brain with secrets and revelations. When it finally came to a stop, Rhys found himself longing for that sensation again, craving it almost.


    He looked down at the book and saw that the pages of the first chapter were gone. There was only a gap in the book where those pages had been.


    [''Tell me, Rhys. What have you learned?''] he chortled mischievously.


    Rhys rose from the ground with a wicked grin on his face. He had absorbed all the knowledge from that first chapter and now everything was clear.


    He checked his surroundings for a suitable place. When he found the ideal spot, a patch of large knee-high ferns that created a bed of coverage for him, he picked up his belongings and walked over to the spot.


    "What I''ve learned-" Rhys''s eyes were alight with a strange madness. He knew he wasn''t acting like his usual self but he couldn''t bring himself to care, in fact he reveled in his new state of mind.


    He dropped his belongings at his feet and threw his head back to look into the sky. He wondered if they would ever look the same again.


    [''Rhys¡­?''] The teacher urged him.


    "I''ve learnt¡­" He relaxed as a cold wind slithered past his body. "That death is the beginning."


    [Spectral form used + 5 Exp]


    Rhys pushed his intangible arm deep into his chest until his fingers were visible from his back. He stared in a daze up at nature and the small creatures that called this place home.


    The lively forest suddenly went deathly quiet as he phased his arm back into a solid, destroying his heart and its neighbouring organs with physical disruption.


    His health points plummeted so quickly that it looked like the numbers where rolling.


    The light filtering down from the tree tops darkened, the colours of blue sky and green trees paled and distorted as his vision faltered. He fell back into the ferns, a lifeless body.


    [0/40 Hp]


    [The user has died]


    [¡­]

 Chapter 36 - 36 Death And Evolution

    [0/40 Hp]


    [The user has died]


    [Congratulations! 5th experience of the main quest completed]


    [Main quest: Familiarisation with death]


    [5/10 death experiences completed]


    [New Unique experience: Suicide ]


    [Calculating rewards¡­]


    [Rewards:


    +1 Intelligence


    +1 Spirituality


    +100 Exp]


    [Congratulations! The user has levelled up]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Race: Enlightened Human]


    [Level 5]


    [Exp: 25/1000]


    [HP: 0/50]


    <Statistics>


    [Intelligence: 14]


    [Strength: 8]


    [Agility: 10]


    [Stamina: 6]


    [Spirituality: 10]


    <Skills>


    [Spectral Form Lvl 5]


    [Aura Detection Lvl 4]


    [Energy Absorption Lvl 3]


    [Aura Manipulation Lvl 1:


    The user can manipulate his aura/energy to his will. Application of the skill is dependent on the user. The more control the user gains over his aura/energy the stronger the skill will get.]


    [System shop Unlocked]


    [Alert! Requirements for the first evolution have been met.]


    [The user has traded in his life for death. The higher beings now recognise him as one of their own. As a welcoming gift, the higher beings grant him new life in death with the bestowal of a heart.]


    The sky above Rhys''s lifeless body distorted, the air itself seemed to twist and tear as if it was a piece of paper. Suddenly a brilliant bright white energy surged through the rift and struck Rhys''s body where his heart used to be. The bright energy went unnoticed by the students walking around the campus because the energy existed in a realm that they did not belong to. Only the animals inhabiting the forest with their superior senses darted out of the way when the energy struck the ground.


    Once Rhys''s new heart was lowered into his body, the strange energy was sucked back up into the rift, returning the sky to normal.


    The organ looked completely out of place for Rhys''s body. It was discoloured as if it had been bleached, it was too small as if it was a child''s organ, and it was all shrivelled up as if it had been dried out. On top of that, the rhythm of its beating was entirely too slow for a normal human heart.


    Despite how wrong it looked, the organ began to twist and churn as its valves and aortas stretched out, connecting itself to Rhys''s biology.


    [The transplant of the ghost heart was successful]


    [Alert!]


    [The innate skill of the ghost heart is activating]


    The heart inside of Rhys''s body beat violently, working hard to restart the blood flow. At the same time, the heart began to glow an eerie white colour. The birds that had flown close to Rhys out of curiosity, and the little bugs and creatures that had encircled him hoping to snack on his corpse suddenly turned around and scuttled away for their lives. Sensing something terrible was coming, they gave up on their will to eat and hurried deeper into the forest.


    A moment later, the heart beat so loudly that it managed to jolt the rest of Rhys''s body and send a shockwave into the surrounding area. The area around his body suddenly exploded into a flurry of tiny glowing aura particles that were immediately sucked into the small shrivelled heart.


    The worms wriggling around in the Earth, the little insects scuttling about the beneath rocks, the grass, the ferns, the tall trees, the birds that did not fly far enough away, the mice and squirrels that did not cover enough ground, every living thing within a five meter radius of Rhys''s body exploded into aura particles and were sucked into the ghost heart.


    As the energy flowed into it, the heart filled out growing bigger and plumper, no longer shrivelled and too small, it now looked like a proper organ and not something that belonged to a corpse.


    Like the heart had a mind of its own, it funnelled its energy through the wounded area, repairing Rhys''s damaged lungs and fixing his broken ribs.


    [The ghost heart has successfully assimilated to the user''s body. The evolution is now complete.]


    [Alert! The first evolution is complete]


    [Name: Rhys Anson]


    [Title: Inheritor, Heart Evolver]


    [Race: Ghost]


    [Level 5]


    [Exp: 25/1000]


    [HP: 50/50]


    "Gah!" Rhys choked as he suddenly woke up. He desperately breathed in air trying to fill his empty lungs.


    "Argh." He winced placing his hand over his chest. "It feels weird." He croaked through a dry throat. It felt like a cold weight was pressing down on him.


    [''Welcome back. How was your dirt nap?'']


    "Quiet. Uneventful." Rhys slowly sat up not wanting to irritate the strange pressure pounding inside his chest. After he destroyed his heart with physical disruption, he felt nothing and remembered nothing, except the harsh pounding of something foreign inside his chest.


    [''You surprised me.''] He mutter incredulously. [''I did not think you would kill your self so willingly, I was certain that I would have to talk you into it, and by that I mean force you to do it.'']


    Rhys scoffed at the teacher''s bluntness.


    "After I absorbed the first chapter and learned about how the evolution happened, there wasn''t any reason to hesitate." He paused, alarmed to see that he was surrounded by a circle of dry dirt. The ferns that he had chosen to rest in were gone, so was every other plant and bug. He was just sitting in a huge circle of dirt and rocks.


    "What happened here?"


    [''You can go back and read all the notifications yourself, but I will tell you that the organ you were gifted has an innate ability quite similar to that of your energy absorption skill.''] While the teacher explained, Rhys could only frown as he started to read from the top of the list of notifications he got since he killed himself.


    [''If your health ever drops to zero, your heart will intervene and do this again.'']


    Rhys glanced around the circle of bare dirt wearily. It somehow felt more sever than what he left behind when he used his energy absorption skill. "It does more than just absorb energy from plants, doesn''t it?"


    [''Yes, it will absorb anything with an aura in order to keep you alive. Plants, animals, and even your friends if they happen to be within range.'']


    "My new heart can absorb people?" Rhys felt the foreign body inside of him pick up speed the way his heart would when he got anxious. It was acting like a normal organ, but Rhys couldn''t bring himself to think of it as such. Instead he felt like he was carrying a concealed weapon inside his chest.


    [''Yes. And it will not discriminate between your friends and foes when it gets hungry. It will just absorb anything it comes in contact with in order to maintain your life.'']


    The seriousness of what the teacher said sunk in. If he ever felt that he was close to death, he had to get himself as far away from his friends as possible, otherwise his heart would absorb them. The image of Connor and Aria chatting with him during breakfast suddenly popped into his mind.


    [''Of course, if you did not have friends you would not have to worry about such consequences.''] The teacher''s snicker aggravated Rhys.


    In a huff, he picked up his duffle bag from the ground and moved away from the barren patch of earth. He walked until the patch was out of sight and slumped back against a nice thick tree.


    He sat there for a few minutes and read every word of the notifications, making sure that he understood everything.


    "My titles," He murmured confused as he read over the new information. "I''m called a Heart evolver, because I was given a new heart?"


    [''Essentially.''] The teacher began, [''I told you before about the physical manifestations of the race of higher beings. The first and most obvious point is the soulless hair. The second manifestation is the evolution point or birthmark.'']


    Rhys instinctively placed his hand over his chest as he listened.


    [''Each higher being has what is referred to as a birth mark, the wound with which they offered their lives to become one of us. The spot on their bodies that marks the birth of their new life. Your wound is still fresh but soon the skin over your heart will be marked with a birthmark. It will be further proof of your race.'']


    Rhys was a little concerned by this. He was already worried about the day his white hair would become noticeable to others, the thought of him getting some elaborate birthmark on his chest was another blow to his anxiety.


    [''Fear not, idiot.] He grunted, angry that Rhys''s mind was drifting away from his words of wisdom.


    [''Now that you have unlocked the shop, you will be able to purchase items that will help conceal your physical manifestations.'']


    "Thank goodness." Rhys relaxed into the tree. In the last hour alone he had killed himself, gotten a heart transplant, finally got to level 5 and became a member of the higher race.


    "I''m not human anymore." It sounded like an impossible statement but according to the system it was true. After all, no human could live after their heart was destroyed.


    "Death is the beginning." He repeated the knowledge that he had absorbed from the book. As if the statement held a power of its own, Rhys suddenly felt energised. He got back onto his feet determined to finish his quest and learn more about Aura manipulation.


    "Okay." He grinned pumping his fist against his chest. "Let''s do this."


    ***********************


    A man with long white hair grinned wickedly and licked his lips as he zoomed in on the location. By a stroke of luck he managed to procure a portal to the planet Earth through the galaxy''s illegal trade market.


    Once he went through the portal, he found himself inside a human city referred to as District 20. Luckily the particular human city he was transported to did not have much surveillance, thus he was able to successfully settle into an uninhabited ruin near the outskirts of the city to set up his equipment. The equipment he was using to track the criminal being was a highly sophisticated tool that acted as radar for spiritual energy; a telltale sign of the race his organisation was committed to destroying.


    Not even a few days had passed since he had been on Earth, when the alarm bells of his tracking system went off. The system had detected an enormous amount of spiritual energy at a location only a few hundred kilometres away. Although the surge of energy only lasted a few minutes, his equipment was able to pinpoint the location.


    The man cracked his knuckles and then stamped out the small fire he was using to keep himself warm. If there were no unforeseen hindrances, he would arrive at the location in a few days. And when he came face to face with it, he would cut it down with all his power.

 Chapter 37 - 37 Connor And Killian

    "It looks so old." Georgina murmured as she stared at the stone walls of the Glowry residence hall. "It''s definitely pre-invasion architecture."


    Kataru nodded in agreement, marvelling at the type of building he rarely saw in District 1 where everything was modern.


    A tall man in a white lab coat rounded a corner and came face to face with the two students. Professor Killian paused for a moment as he stared at them. A moment later, a knowing smile broke out onto his face as he remembered that two new special students were meant to move into his dorm from Sector 1 .


    "Greetings," He dipped his head low and placed his right hand over his chest to greet the nobles. "You must be Lady Georgina Callahan, and her attendant Kataru Romano."


    "Please, rise." A proud smile lit up Georgina''s face at Professor Killian''s polite greeting. The solemn way he bowed his head was the type of greeting she had grown used to as a noble lady. Ever since coming to the MCP, the reverence others used to show her had all but disappeared.


    "I am Professor Killian Heisenberg." He raised his head and peered down at the two through his glasses. "I am the head of this residence hall as well as a core researcher investing time into the growth of the students living here."


    "We noticed how small this dorm was compared to the others..." Kataru commented while nodding his head with understanding.


    "And it''s so far away from the main buildings too. I see, so this building is for researching particular students. Interesting."


    Kataru was under the impression that the people with the most interesting abilities all lived in Sector 1, so it surprised him to hear of a researcher coming to Sector 5 to do core research. However, after participating in class, he saw that there were students with very unusual abilities. A certain scrawny guy with black hair came to mind.


    Professor Killian scrambled back to his office and returned with two parcels in his hands. He gave one to both of the students knowing that each contained everything they would need to move into their dorms.


    "Lady Georgina-" He began.


    "Call me Georgie, please. I don''t want the other trainees to know about my lineage." She beamed up at him.


    "Sure," Killian uttered wondering if she would stick by that mentality for very long.


    "Georgie, you''ll be sharing a room with Aria Francis. You should have met her already in today''s class, so I hope there won''t be any awkwardness between you two." Killian turned to the serious-looking Kataru.


    "And you''ll be rooming with Archie Hunt." The Professor frowned slightly thinking about how the goofy easy-going personality of Archie would do with Kataru''s stone-faced seriousness.


    "Archie is the only freshman in this dorm who didn''t make it into the A rank, so he should be the only unfamiliar face. He''s a good kid, be it a little silly, but I hope you two can make friends."


    "That''s not why we came here." Kataru huffed indignantly at the Professor''s suggestion of making friends. They were not in that lowly MCP to make friends, nor were they on vacation. He and Lady Georgina were there because their lives depended on it.


    "Of course." Killian cleared his throat, sensing that their presence there was still a sensitive topic for the two of them.


    "That reminds me!" Killian instantly brightened up.


    "The General will drop by in a few days to check up on you two, and discuss how you will communicate with your family."


    Georgina''s eyes sparkled at the news. The prospect of speaking to her family again made her hopeful, she was itching to see the General now.


    The sound of the door to the entrance hall opening sent all three of their heads turning back to see who was there.


    The boy''s fierce eyes became even more lethal when he saw Professor Killian standing among the three. He did not bother holding back his scowl as he closed the door behind him.


    "Connor," Professor Killian called out to him energetically. "It''s quite late, where have you been?"


    "Outside," Connor replied as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.


    Kataru and Georgina instantly recognised the blonde-haired guy with a neck tattoo from their first class of the day. His abrupt and cold way of speaking complimented his unapproachable presence. The guy was one of the few who did not roar with anyone so they did not know what ability he had, but they were awfully curious. Kataru was a little thankful that this guy was not his roommate.


    "I presume you''ve all met already." Killian tried to play off Connor''s rudeness. "I hope you all get along." He chuckled nervously.


    Connor stared at the Sector 1 students in front of the Professor. From what Aria explained to him, he knew they could possibly be nobles who came from District 0, which meant they could have information on the Tardras family, the people who he wanted to learn more about.


    He could just ask them, but he did not want any more people in his business than there already were. He only confided in Rhys and Aria because they had opened up to him first, and he somewhat liked them. It was a different situation with the prissy nobles who he already disliked in front of him.


    Connor stepped forward, heading for the elevator so he could get back to his room, but the Professor urgently called out to him again.


    "Um, Connor. Could I have a word with you in my office?"


    "I''m busy." He wanted nothing to do with that dammed researcher so he kept on walking.


    "The General asked me to explain to you a bit about your¡­" Killian trailed off as he tried to find the right words. "Your situation."


    Connor paused in his tracks. He looked back to gauge whether the Professor was being serious or not. When Connor''s gaze met sincere eyes rimmed with glasses, he decided to put aside his sour feelings towards the Professor and go to his office. If Killian had the information he wanted, then he would have to bite through his dislike for the guy and hear what he had to say.


    Connor strode past Georgina and Kataru wordlessly. He couldn''t quite place his finger on why he disliked them, he just knew that he did. Once Connor was inside the Professor''s office, he took a seat on a stool and quietly observed as Killian scrambled to make some space in his cramped office. The place was not messy, it was just packed with well-organised files.


    The Professor cleared a little patch on his desk and then leaned against the edge of the wood to look down at Connor.


    "As I said before, I''m from Sector 1. District 4 to be exact. Although I definitely wasn''t acquainted with people as high up in the food chain as the Tardras family, my research got me invited to many exclusive parties in District 1 where I learned quite a bit about the upper echelon."


    "Yay for you." Connor slumped back in the chair, crossing his arms and stared back up at the Professor defiantly.


    The Professor sighed with his eyes, feeling wounded by Connor''s continuous sharp remarks.


    "Connor, I know I didn''t give off the best first impression¡ª"


    "Yes." Connor glared up at him.


    Killian sighed again, wondering how he would ever patch up his relationship with the young man.


    "Anyways." Killian cleared his throat dejectedly.


    "The General told me to tell you everything I know about the Tardras family, since the gatherings I went to boost my knowledge on them more than the average District 1 resident. The General''s quite busy at the moment and he regrets not being able to come talk to you himself, so he asked me to answer any questions that you have."


    Connor stared blankly up at the Professor, waiting to see if the guy actually had any valuable information on the Tardras family.


    Seeing as Killian was not getting through to Connor, he reached back and pulled out a folder. He slipped a page out of the file and handed the photograph to Connor.


    "You learnt in class today that the name ''Tardras'' is a shared middle name among those who are tied by contract or lineage to the family. At the heart of Tardras is the actual Tardras family who have been well versed in core abilities since way before the Xerserth invasion." Killian pointed at the photograph in Connor''s hand.


    "That man is the current head of the family. Lochlain Tardras Galbraith."


    Connor stared down at the picture and felt something disturbing stir within him, a deeply uncomfortable and familiar ache of his head and heart. He scanned over the man in the photograph''s blonde hair and severe eyes, it felt like he was looking at a doctored image, as if someone had sat down and remastered the photo to make it look like the older version of himself.


    Killian did not need to ask to know what Connor was thinking. The resemblance between the young man and the head of the Tardras family was uncanny. If they were to stand side by side, no one would question that the two were related.


    Killian slipped out a few other photos from the file and handed them to Connor. "These are pictures of some of his acknowledged children."


    Connor examined the pictures with sharp eyes. He looked like them, undeniably so. He felt like he was staring at different versions of himself, the resemblance was so strong.


    "Acknowledged children?" Connor peered up at the Professor confused.


    "You see, from what I''ve heard, the Tardras family prioritises producing powerful children from the main family. So Lochlain, and all the previous heads of the family, have multiple wives in order to insure that a powerful successor is born."


    Connor stared down at the pictures of the children and wondered how many of them had different mothers.


    "They are considered a noble family because they pass down the lightning ability through their children. However, not every child is guaranteed the ability. Its a widely known fact that children who do not inherit the power are sent away. Their names are changed and they are often adopted out of District 0."


    Connor gripped the picture of his potential father, Lochlain Galbraith, crinkling the paper between his furious fingers. "So, you think that''s what happened to me?"


    His face tensed up as he glared down at the pictures. "Did they throw me away because I wasn''t powerful enough?"


    Connor''s mind raced with every hardship he faced growing up. He agonised over all the blood, sweat and tears he endured because these people sent him away to District 20. Hell for an orphan.


    Killian hunched forward, caressing his frowning temple with his long fingers. "This is where things get confusing."


    A little of his anger cooled as he stared up at Killian waiting for an explanation.


    "Acknowledged children are those who strongly inherit the Tardras genes." Killian gestured to the photos in Connor''s hands. "I''m sure you can see the resemblance with that blonde hair, those straight noses and high cheekbones."


    Connor peered down again at the older and younger versions of himself in the photographs.


    "Of course looking like a Tardras is not what gets you acknowledged. What gets you acknowledged is inheriting the lightning attribute. It''s just a coincidence that this group of Tardras children who inherited the lightning attribute also got the Tardras looks. What I''m saying is that any children who are born with lightning abilities are kept, no matter how weak. Only those born without abilities are sent away."


    "But then why was I sent away?" Connor grimaced, struggling to understand.


    Killian shook his head slowly and Connor could see that the Professor was deep in thought.


    "I have no idea." Killian gave a deadpan expression.


    "You don''t have great control over it now, but I''m sure your lightning ability would still be considered amazing, even for the Tardras family. It makes no sense why they would give up such a gifted child."


    Killian was truly puzzled as to why a talented child like Connor would be sent away. For him, the only reasonable explanation is that the Tardras family didn''t give him away, knowingly. Perhaps he was sent away by mistake? But then again, did it make sense that such a powerful family who practically lived on a fortified private island managed to lose a precious potential heir?


    Connor''s frown cleared and the tension in his face all but vanished. He looked up Killian earnestly, with the most innocent expression the Professor had ever seen from the boy. "Then, it could have been a mistake, sending me away?"


    The beginnings of a smile started at the tips of his mouth. "They could have given me away by accident, right? Like maybe they thought I didn''t have powers as a baby. Or maybe there was a mixup or something¡­"


    His eyes widened hopefully as he thought of all the ways this could have been a big misunderstanding. "If I contact them, they''d definitely want me back right?"


    Killing froze, staring down at Connor''s face. The young man was always abrasive and on guard, yet in that moment he looked so childish and naive. Connor always looked tough with his tattoos and his bad attitude, his overwhelmingly strong ability also made those around him fear him, but underneath all of that was lost child trying to find his way back home. Of course the pictures of a family who resembled him, and the idea of being acknowledged had drawn out this softer version of himself. Killian felt awful that he would have to rip that dream away from him.


    "I''m sorry, Connor." Killian turned around, putting away the file and picking up an electronic tablet.


    "The fact is that a baby with their sacred lightning attribute was sent out of the family stronghold, which is basically a fortified castle with better security than most military bases. Tardras making a mistake like that is inconceivable, most likely impossible."


    He stared down at Connor solemnly. "Someone with enough authority wanted you out of there, and the fact that you were sent to District 20 instead of District 1 where they usually send their unwanted children, means that they probably wanted you dead. You being cast out was not a mistake. Contacting them without knowing the full situation would just be putting yourself in harm''s way."


    Connor jerked upwards from his chair, his eyes prickling hot. "But I should still contact them! They''re my family, I have a right to know-"


    "You''ve signed away four years of your life to the military college." Killian''s statement stopped Connor mid-sentence. The gravity of his words hit Connor like a truck.


    "The General found you, an impossible talent among the masses of District 20 and got you to sell four years of your life to him. I admit that I don''t know the man very well, but I doubt that he would let go of you so easily."


    Connor gritted his teeth full of frustration. He only came to the Military college in the first place because he wanted answers. Finding his origins and learning his history had always been his top priority. So learning that he had a potential family out there motivated him to go find them, but now hearing that he would be barred from meeting them was so maddening.


    "So what?" He snapped at the Professor. "The General won''t let me contact them?"


    Killian''s gaze shifted to his tablet screen guiltily. "Not for now¡­"


    "When?" Connor croaked desperately.


    Killian averted his eyes to his screen again. "I don''t know when, exactly."


    Connor''s fists balled up at his sides, as frustration and heartbreak wrecked him. He had a family, a real family, a place he belonged to and yet he was being stopped from seeing them. It was infuriating.


    "Fuck," He slumped back into his chair, placing his face in his hands and tugging harshly on his hair. His mind was boiling with plans of escape and ways of threatening the General to make contact with the Tardras family.


    "I know you''re probably angry right now, but just watch this." The electronic tablet was slid onto Connor''s lap below his down turned face.


    Connor wanted to shove it off and hurl it at the Professor but he paused when he recognised the person in the video. It was one of the boys from the photographs he had seen. A young teenager with a sharp rueful expression and head of curly blonde hair.


    "He is Cimmerian Tardras Galbraith, and he was born with a marvellous lightning ability, just like you. Right now he is being groomed to be the next head."


    Connor watched silently as the boy in the video stared across what looked like an arena to atleast twenty men in full armor, expensive gem gear that would be any raider''s wet dream.


    The group of twenty or so soldiers shouted their battle cry and then charged at Cimmerian in unison.


    The crackling sizzle of electricity buzzed around the handsome boy, wrapping him in a blanket of energy. Cimmerian''s hair wafted about his head as if he was submerged in water. His feet lifted off of the ground and sparks of lightning dashed between the bottom of his shoes and the arena''s floor. In an instant, the boy was out of sight of the camera.


    Connor was wide-eyed as he saw Cimmerian disappear from the screen. The person who was filming seemed just as panic as the frame violently swivelled around trying to refocus on its subject. Off-camera, harrowing screams and shouts were heard from the group of men in gear.


    The camera finally panned back and captured the terrific scene. Like a lightning bullet, Cimmerian darted through the soldiers, knocking them meters into the air and creating huge holes in what Connor always thought was impenetrable armour.


    Cimmerian moved so quickly that his body was a blur of lightning and the garments he was wearing. In a few seconds, all the soldiers were down, groaning in pain on the floor, completely and utterly bested by the boy. The video ended on a shot of Cimmerian glowering straight back into the camera, his lethal gaze looked all too familiar to Killian.


    "He''s strong," Connor murmured with shadows covering his features. "Stronger than me."


    "Yes," Killian smiled softly hearing the envy in Connor''s low voice. "But that boy was raised to be strong. Day in and day out, training and honing his skills under the tutelage of experts, all the while being well fed and cared for like a precious heir should be."


    "If you had received the same care, I''m sure you would have been well beyond that level by now."


    Connor stared up at the Professor. The gentle smile and soft gaze that he wore like a mask was gone now, in its stead the true Professor was beaming back at him. Killian''s eyes were too wide and glinted too brightly, he looked like a man drunk on something too good. Connor was still not sure if the Professor was a good man or not, but he knew for sure that the guy was interested in more than just ''core research''.


    "The General can''t keep you locked up here forever. One day you''ll be free to return to your family, but how you return to them is up to you¡­" Killian grinned wickedly waiting for Connor to bite his bait.


    "How I return to them¡­?" He repeated the words wanting an explanation.


    "Do want to return as the poor lost child, weaker and meeker than all your younger siblings? Someone to be pitied. Someone to be looked down on¡­"


    The idea of that irked Connor who was now used to be the strongest everywhere he went. The idea of being weak was so disgusting that is made him shudder in his chair.


    "Or do want to return as the miracle child? A young forsaken Tardras heir, coming back to the castle in style, stronger and ready to stake your claim as a rightful successor?"


    Connor could not hide the longing in his eyes very well. He knew he was being sold an embellished dream but he could not help but bite his lip in desire for it.


    "I can help you Connor," The Professor lowered himself from the table and crouched down so that he was now looking up into Connor''s eyes. "I''m your best shot at getting to your family, I can also keep you updated on what is going with them as well as what the General is planning. I have sources, you see. And most importantly I can help you get strong before you meet them. I''m not asking you to trust me, I''m asking you to let me help."


    "In exchange for?" Nothing was free in this world, Connor knew that.


    "My price is cheap." Killian chuckled, standing and turning to face his desk again so that Connor could not see his elated expression. "I just want you to keep tabs on Rhys for me."


    Connor''s eyebrow raised at hearing this request. It was an unexpected plea only because Connor was sure that the Professor would not be so transparent about his interest in Rhys. Connor figured it out the day before when they were all introduced to the Professor. The guy made a show of being equally interested in all of them, but Connor could see through that facade. It was clear in the way the Professor''s eyes pinpointed Rhys when he thought no one was looking. Not to mention the files that were scattered across the top of his desk, all of them had a little cursive word written on them in black ink. ''Rhys''.


    "What exactly do you want to know?" Connor eyed his back.


    "Nothing specific, anything you find out about him, especially things to do with his power would be useful." He sounded calmer now as he began to move the files around on his desk.


    "Why are you so interested in him?"


    "As a researcher, I am interested in all four of you."


    "But you didn''t ask me to spy on Aria or Archie..."


    Killian turned around to look at Connor, who he realised was more than just raw power. The young man was insightful and clever beyond his years. Not even the emotional distraction of seeing his family for the first time let the Professor''s hidden motives slip by him.


    "I''m not asking you to spy on him. Just keep me updated on him, for his own sake. Rhys is not very forthcoming about himself, so I have to resort to asking his roommate to keep an eye on him for me. That''s all." It was a convincing lie but not enough to sway Connor''s suspicions.


    "Please stop by anytime, Connor." The Professor smiled gently again, cueing Connor to leave. He left the room, his hands placed firmly in his pockets as he walked, deep in thought.

 Chapter 38 - 38 Level 5: Aura Manipulation

    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


    Breathing techniques were a compulsory part of the school curriculum in District 20. It was not taught to students in the hope that they would relax and learn to destress, rather it was a part of the instituted physical curriculum. Since humanity''s main goal was survival, raising strong newer generations who would not lose their heads in battle was important. Through breathing control, prospective soldiers could learn to better control their bodies and yield better results.


    Rhys breathed in for four counts and then exhaled slowly as he had been taught. He repeated this until his body was relaxed and his head was empty.


    Sitting cross-legged on a patch of wild grass in a clearing, Rhys focused his attention inward on his aura. He thought his new skill, Aura Manipulation, would work like the other skills in that he would automatically be able to use it. However, that wasn''t the case. Apparently, he needed to get in touch with his own aura first.


    His only reference to what his aura looked like was the terrifying memory of staring at his reflection in his dorm bathroom, he could never forget the shadows that moved within this energy field and the almost-faces that stared back at him in the mirror, so he was lucky enough to have a clear image going in.


    Chills ran up his back as he visualised his aura. The icy sensation it gave off and the horror movie-worthy image of it were coming together in his mind. As if he was getting in touch with a new sense, he could in a way feel his aura around him. Up until now, he had only been able to see others auras and sometimes hear them, like when Connor''s lightning aura crackled.


    He opened his eyes and was startled by what he saw. Usually, he couldn''t see his own aura very well. To him, It basically looked like a thin, almost transparent veil was cloaking him, but now he could really see it.


    His aura looked like smoke. He lifted his hand and stared at the dark grey wisps of smoke that swirled around his fingers.


    He refocused on that hand and tried to stretch his aura the way he did when he wanted his aura to cover his thicker clothing. To his surprise, it was working. The black smoke was slowly extending past his fingertips, stretching inch by inch until his aura reached about a rulers length from the tips of his fingers.


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


    Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he tried to stretch his aura even more. His hand trembled and he lost feeling in his fingers as he tried to force out more aura. With a pained grunt, he finally stopped trying to push his aura out. The smoke immediately returned to its original form around his hand and the sensation in his fingers slowly returned.


    "This is difficult," He admitted while staring at the grass. It took so much concentration and time just to be able to manipulate his aura that much. "Any tips?" He asked the teacher.


    ["Yes, actually. Instead of stretching it as far as you can all at once, try to bounce your aura away from you."]


    "Bounce it..?" Rhys frowned slightly.


    ["Think of your aura as a gum or elastic type substance for now, until you learn better aural flexibility. Push it out in quick bursts and immediately retract it. Like the motion of a yo-yo... Or when you try to bend over and touch your toes. Instead of just pushing downwards and straining yourself, bounce downwards until you are flexible enough to touch your toes. Use that method on your aura."]


    Rhys nodded satisfied and tried what the teacher was telling him to do. He pushed his aura out hard but then released letting it flow straight back into him. The little push barely extended his aura a few centimetres from his fingers.


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


    He held out both of his hands and continuously bounced his aura out of them. It was fun and much easier than what he tried to do in the beginning. With each bounce his aura reached a little further away from his hands.


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


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    [...]


    He watched with a satisfied grin as the distance his aura could extend to increased. His hands were throbbing to the beat of him pushing out his aura.


    He only began to lose feeling in his hands when his aura was bouncing about a forearm''s length from his palms, but he kept pushing.


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


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    [...]


    He panted as he pushed himself to continue. Sweat collected on his brow again and dribbled down the side of his face. The bouncing method was effective in more than one way because he could feel his aura ripple across his body as the aura he bounced outwards collected in his hands again and created aura shockwaves across his body. He wasn''t just working out the aura in his hands but the aura all around him.


    [Aura Manipulation used +5 Exp]


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    [...]


    Finally, when his aura was reaching about a meter in front of him, his arms dropped to his sides completely numb. He was exhausted, but not in a way he was used to. Instead of panting and being out of breath, he felt drained and slovenly.


    Rhys leaned against a tree for support as a familiar cold dizziness came over him.


    "Shit." He slurred out the curse word because a wave of dizziness flooded over him. He recognised this feeling as the sensation he felt before he levelled up the last time, the feeling he got just before he started convulsing after his team match in the tournament. He was going to have another seizure.


    He tried to grab onto the tree for support, but his hands were completely numb. He lost his grip and fell with a thud onto the roots and grass beneath the tree. His vision became blurry as his head started shaking along with the rest of his body.


    The aura around his body was trembling along with him, the smoke erupting and swirling in random and violent projections.


    The feeling was different this time, even more intense than the last time. He was barely managing to stay conscience as his body was being wracked with icy cold shivers.


    ''This is a real inconvenience you know.'' He directed his thoughts at the teacher.


    ["Tell me about it..."] The teacher snickered. ["I can''t believe you''re so weak that you practically go into a coma each time you level up. I hope the higher beings are not watching this..."] He sounded genuinely embarrassed of Rhys.


    The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a blurry figure moving towards him in the distance, and perhaps he heard the echo of someone calling his name.


    ***********


    Rhys''s eyes twitched as harsh white light penetrated his eyelids. The familiar sounds of medical machines and equipment buzzed around him. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in what at first glance looked like a hospital room. However, he quickly spotted a large black glass window on the wall, it was an observation window that he could not see through but people on the other side were most likely able to see in.


    He was alone in the room and his was the only bed inside there. The room was also far too small to be one of the MCP''s infirmary rooms. No, this was somewhere else.


    The door to the room clicked open and Rhys turned his head to see Professor Killian step into the room.


    "Rhys, you are awake! Welcome back." The professor looked surprised but pleased to see Rhys sitting up on the reclined hospital bed.


    "Professor..." Rhys felt a little comforted to see someone he knew. For a second there he thought the military found out about his Ghost powers and locked him up in some observation room for testing. That irrational fear disappeared when he saw Killian looking as cheery as usual.


    Killian pulled up a chair next to Rhys''s bedside and sat down next to him. "It gave me quite the scare when Connor brought you to the dorm while you were shaking like that. From your medical record, that''s now the second time you''ve had an episode like that, is that correct?"


    Rhys gulped nervously. The questions themselves were fine, but questions about his power, in general, made him nervous. "Yeah, I guess this is the second time now."


    Killian frowned slightly as he nodded his head. "You know Rhys, seizures like that can be a sign of delayed infusion rejection. This might be your body rejecting your core..."


    Rhys nodded his head slowly and knitted his eyebrows together in a fake worried expression. "You think so?" He knew that wasn''t the case. The seizures were happening because he was growing stronger, but he did not need to look so confident in front of Killian.


    "I don''t think you need to worry too much though. We did some blood tests while you were asleep, so far there is no sign of a delayed rejection."


    Rhys forced himself to smile, while he was actually a little sour that Killian took his blood while he was asleep. "Well, that''s good to hear."


    "What time is it, by the way?" There weren''t any windows nor digital clocks on any of the machines, so he could not tell how long he had been asleep.


    "It''s around 5 p.m." Killian smiled as he picked up a file and began scribbling.


    Rhys raised his eyebrows at this news. He passed out in the forest in the late evening and woke up the next day in the afternoon. The teacher was not kidding when he said Rhys would go into a coma.


    ["Guess again."] The teacher laughed out loud in the back of his head.


    "So, in total, you''ve been sleeping for a little less than four days." Killian nonchalantly informed him while he kept scribbling in his chart.


    "Four days?" Rhys jolted up in the bed and stared down at Killian with wide disbelieving eyes.


    "Oh, yes." Killian chuckled, amused by Rhys''s shocked expression. "You were unresponsive for four days. You were quite literally in a coma, and J really don''t know why."


    Killian''s forehead creased. He was confused and frustrated as to the cause of Rhys''s seizure and short term coma. All he could do was hypothesise but that was not very satisfying fit a scientist like him who proffered facts.


    "Remember to thank Connor for bringing you back, while you were having a seizure no less." Killian shook away his frustration and refocused.


    "Yeah..." Rhys murmured absentmindedly, still fixed on the idea of being asleep for four days.


    Rhys felt a flush of anxiety when he realised that his bag was still probably in the forest. The Book of the Dead was still out there somewhere, hopefully not being mauled on by a squirrel. Connor must not have seen the bag when he dragged Rhys back to the dorms, thank goodness.


    "Um... So, can I go?" Rhys asked, eyeing the professor hopefully.


    "If you are feeling up to it, by all means head back to your room. But take it easy for the rest of the day, please. And come straight to me if you ever feel yourself slipping into a seizure again." Killian smiled warmly at Rhys, which made Rhys want to let his guard down in front of the professor.


    Rhys hopped off the bed and realised for the first time that he was wearing light blue hospital pyjamas and not the uniform he was wearing the last time he was conscious. They must have changed him when they brought him in.


    "Just take a left and you''ll find yourself in the main lobby," Killian said as Rhys reached for the door.


    Rhys was about to open the door when Killian nonchalantly asked, "By the way Rhys, about tattoo tattoo on your chest..?"


    Rhys froze with his hand on the door handle. His new heart pounded in his chest and his temperature suddenly spiked up. The tattoo Killian was referring to was his birthmark, the manifestation of his ghost race. It was something that he did not want anyone to find out about.


    Rhys turned around and faced Killian calmly. He pointed to his chest that was covered by the light blue pyjamas.


    "It''s cool, right? I got it before I came to the military... Designed it myself." He pulled down his collar, exposing the inky black markings of his birthmark that had darkened while he was asleep. There was now a distinct black pattern on his chest where he had destroyed his heart.


    "Mhmm. It looks great." Killian chuckled lightly at Rhys''s prideful smile.


    Rhys turned and left the room, relieved that Killian thought it was just a normal tattoo. His hands balled up into fists and his fingers dug into the flesh of his palms. That was close, too close...


    Just when he reached Level 5 and finally got the skill he wanted, he was left exposed and defenceless for four days. Was it even worth levelling up if he ended up so vulnerable?


    What would have happened if Connor had seen his duffle bag with the book of the dead inside it? What if Connor had shown it to Killian? Rhys wanted to go back into the woods and train where he could be alone, but even the woods didn''t feel safe since Connor had been there...


    Rhys came to a halt as he realised that Connor had found him exactly as he collapsed. Rhys had been pretty deep in the woods at that time, not somewhere a passerby could have just happened upon him...


    How did Connor know he was there?


    Rhys found himself running towards the elevator. He needed to get changed and go back to the forest to retrieve his things, then he needed to confront Connor. It was too much of a coincidence that Connor just happened upon him in the forest. He must have been following Rhys, to begin with.


    The elevator dinged as it reached the fourth floor, Rhys dashed out of it, heading to his room. He flung open the door but halted in place when he saw Connor seated calmly on the chair in their small common area. The Book of the Dead was open in his hands and he was calmly glancing through it. Rhys''s duffle bag was at his feet.

 Chapter 39 - 39 Intruder: Part 1

    Connor looked up from the book and remained silent as Rhys stepped inside their shared room and closed the door behind him. Rhys managed to explain away the birthmark as a simple tattoo to Killian, but there was no quick lie he could tell to explain away an entire book written in an alien language.


    ["This is a little troublesome... "] The teacher grumbled softly in his head.


    "You''re awake." Connor snapped the book closed in his hand and continued to stare at Rhys blankly.


    "Yeah¡­" Rhys was at a loss for words. He knew Connor couldn''t read the book since it was in the language of the higher beings, but the book itself was damming evidence that Rhys had been lying to everyone.


    "Thanks for helping me out of the forest." They were talking, but it also felt like they weren''t saying anything at all.


    They stared at each other for a long time, each waiting for the other to say something first. Unable to take it anymore, Rhys was the first to break the silence.


    "So you found my bag..." Rhys glanced at his duffle bag and then the book in Connor''s hand, not sure yet on how he would broach the subject of the Book of the Dead.


    "I did." Connor''s blank expression was anything but comforting.


    "Did you show it to the Professor?" He asked while holding his breath.


    "No."


    "Why not?"


    Connor shrugged. "I didn''t want to."


    Rhys narrowed his eyes because there had to be a better reason than that, "Why?" He insisted on knowing.


    Connor sighed and slouched back in the chair. Finally, he let some kind of recognizable emotion show on his face: irritation.


    "Killian tried to bribe me into keeping tabs on you in exchange for information on my family. In other words, he pissed me off. That''s why I didn''t tell him."


    Rhys was startled by that loaded statement. The professor tried to bribe Connor to spy on Rhys in exchange for information on his family, but Connor did not follow through with it. This unsettling news told Rhys two things. Firstly, that he needed to be careful of the Professor. Secondly, Connor was somewhat trustworthy. He kept Rhys''s secret at his own expense since Connor wasn''t going to get the information on his family.


    "Thanks, Connor." This was all Rhys could think to say. He was grateful because he could not imagine how things would have turned out if Killian got ahold of the book while he was unconscious.


    Rhys''s thinking shifted to Killian. What was the Professor''s business with him anyway? Why would he ask Connor to keep tabs on him?


    "And the Professor didn''t ask you to spy on anyone else?"


    "No. Just you," Connor confirmed. "He seemed to think you were keeping stuff from him. I guess he was right..." Connor gently shook the book in his hand and then tossed it to Rhys.


    Rhys caught the heavy thing and pressed it to his chest, feeling oddly possessive of it.


    "I spent hours in the library trying to find out what language that is, but I couldn''t find anything. Its not a writing system from Earth, is it?"


    Rhys closed his eyes for a second, frustrated that he put himself in a situation where he was so easily found out by Connor. He shook his head. "No, it''s not a language from Earth." He admitted, knowing that he would not be able to convince Connor that is was.


    The urge to just come clean to Connor was strong. He had been dealing with the ghost system all on his own since he got it, and had been consistently lying to the people around him to keep his secret safe. Connor already figured out this much, would it be so bad to tell him everything?


    "He tried to convince me to spy on you four days ago. As soon as it happened I went to go and find you. I wanted to hear it from you¡­ Why the Professor is so obsessed with you."


    Connor stood up from the chair and walked around it to the window. He tapped his finger on the windowpane that looked out into the forest and said, "I always see you heading out into the forest in that direction, so after my chat with Killian I went the same way to try and find you."


    Connor stared at Rhys again, his sharp eyes putting him on the spot. "You left a trail of dead plants for me to follow¡­"


    Rhys thought of the plants he used his Energy absorption skill on in the forest. It made sense that Connor was able to find him so easily. All the guy had to do was follow the path of death and decay to Rhys. He was frustrated with himself for being so careless, stupid was probably a better way to describe his negligence. He had grown to comfortable in the forest over the last few days and forgot that he was in a place where privacy was scarce.


    "There was even this big circle of dry dirt in the forest¡­" Connor stared pointedly at Rhys, waiting for an explanation.


    Rhys thought about his new heart and the skill that allowed it to absorb anything within range, which left a circle of nothing in the middle of the lush forest. Something like that would stand out to anybody who passed by it.


    Since Rhys remained silent Connor continued. "Then I found you, just as you were collapsing against a tree."


    Rhys nodded with understanding. It was no wonder how Connor was able to find him. This was a valuable lesson for him to learn, he needed to be more discreet when he entered the forest, like he had been the first time he went into the forest to train. He had gotten sloppy over the past few days.


    "I saw that big hole in your shirt too, and that mark on your chest..? We''ve been sharing a bathroom for a while, so I know that mark wasn''t there before¡­"


    Rhys sighed. Connor was clever. Spinning some big elaborate tale at this point would not work on him.


    "If I''m going to be keeping your secrets, you should at least explain some of what is going on with you." Connor crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the wall, glaring at Rhys.


    "Fair enough." Rhys closed his eyes for a moment, defeated by Connor''s logic.


    ["You want to tell him the truth?"] The teacher sounded unbothered but curious.


    ''I do¡­ but I won''t tell him everything.''


    "You know that I got my core from another planet when I went through a portal on a raid with some guys from District 20..." Rhys squatted down on the floor suddenly feeling drained.


    "Yeah, I remember what you told Aria and me." Connor thought about the conversation they had on the first day of class


    "After I infused with it I realised pretty quickly that it wasn''t a normal core..." Rhys chuckled to himself thinking about how abnormal his core really was. A core that gave him the system and turned him into a different race of species was definitely not normal.


    Connor was staring intently at Rhys, waiting for an explanation for all the weird things he saw in the forest and all the craziness with Professor Killian.


    "It gave me more than one ability," Rhys admitted. "You saw the dead plants in the forest, so you can probably guess what my other ability is."


    "Something like the dehydration ability?" Connor asked, unsure.


    "Yeah, it''s similar to dehydration..." Rhys nodded.


    He clenched his jaw before saying the next bit, struggling to find the words. "It can also communicate with me¡­ The core, I mean." Saying this out loud was painful because of how crazy it made him sound.


    "Communicate with you?" Connor raised a disbelieving eyebrow.


    Rhys nodded his head and chuckled to himself. He admitted that he sounded like a crazy person, but it was all the truth. "I know how it sounds, but... Yeah."


    Rhys took in a deep breath, willing himself to keep talking. "I didn''t tell anyone and I still don''t want anyone to know because I don''t think I''ll be safe if the wrong people find out."


    "And you think it isn''t safe to tell Killian?"


    Rhys shook his head firmly. He had considered telling Killian and getting his help at one point. However, as the days went on, he was finding Killian to be more and more suspicious.


    "Okay." Connor nodded once. "I''ll keep your secrets."


    "Thanks, again." He could not trust Connor completely but he was relieved to be sharing part of his secret with someone else.


    "But I still want to know about that book." Connor pointed to the Book of the Dead in Rhys''s arms. "Did you bring it back from the planet you raided?"


    Rhys thought about lying to him again, but decided against. Instead he would just evade the question. Rhys scratched the back of his head. "This one is a bit hard for me to explain..."


    Connor raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by Rhys''s devotion to secrecy. "Fine, suit yourself¡­ Then, the least you can do is let me train with you."


    Rhys blinked in surprise at Connor''s sudden suggestion. "You want to train with me?" He asked.


    "Killian also offered to make me stronger if I spied on you. Since I won''t be doing that and he won''t be helping me, I need a way to get stronger on my own. I just have a feeling that training with you is a good way to start."


    Rhys smiled, feeling proud, as if Connor had just complimented him.


    "Don''t kid yourself," Connor smirked. "I''m only asking you because you''re the only one who can withstand my currents for more than a few seconds."


    The helpful and kind Connor who had kept his secrets safe from Killian disappeared in a flash and out came the arrogant smirking Connor who Rhys was more familiar with. "There you are..." Rhys muttered under his breath.


    "What was that?"


    "Nothing." Rhys coughed a little to hide his words.


    "Let''s go train." Connor suddenly pushed off the wall and headed for the door.


    "Now?" Rhys asked in disbelief.


    "Yes. Move it." Connor growled impatiently seeing as Rhys had not gotten off the floor yet.


    Rhys sighed, he couldn''t exactly say no to the guy after what he had done for him. He begrudgingly got to his feet and went into his room to change into his uniform. He could not train in pyjamas after all.


    The pair walked out of the Glowry dorm together and headed deeper into the forest. Connor was filling Rhys in on all that had happened during classes over the past four days. One piece of news in particular interested Rhys. Connor told him that a challenge took place over the course of the four days.


    Rhys learned that a challenge was when someone of a lower rank challenged someone of a higher rank, in this case, some from the B class challenged some for the A class.


    An official challenge had to be overseen by an instructor, but essentially the two students would fight in a one on one match for the higher rank. If the lower ranking individual won, the two students would swap ranks/classes. But if the higher-ranking individual one, the lower-ranking individual would drop by one rank, or if they were already in the F rank a condition would be negotiated before the start of the match which would be agreed upon by the higher ranking students.


    Apparently, Otis challenged someone from the A rank and won. Thus Otis became part of the A class and the person he won against went to the B class.


    Rhys smiled thinking about Otis and how happy he would be. He could just picture that blockhead smiling like an idiot.


    After a while of walking in an unfamiliar direction, the two came to a stop at a clearing in the woods, where Connor''s powers would not be so hazardous.


    Connor cracked his neck and began to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet. He was intimidating even when he warmed up.


    "It''s been a long time since I really let out all my electricity." He grinned as he stretched his arms. "Be prepared because I''m going to hit you with everything I''ve got."


    Rhys looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "Am I you''re personal shock absorber?"


    Connor only grinned as his aura swelled with electricity and his hair stood up straight on his head because of the static.


    Rhys chuckled at Connor''s new form, he was at a loss for words. Connor''s aura was truly impressive, at least twice as brilliant as the last time he saw it. Connor really had been holding back this whole time.


    "Overpowered bastard," Rhys muttered under his breath.


    [Spectral Form used +5 Exp]


    This was going to hurt like nothing else, but he needed to gain resistance to electricity as soon as possible. Although Connor was only thinking about letting loose, Rhys knew this actually would be great training for him as well. Teaming up was a great idea.


    Just as Connor was about to release the full force of his electrical power towards Rhys, a screeching siren wrecked through the forest. It was a emergency siren so loud that it shook awake the sleeping birds in the trees, so loud that Rhys covered his ears with his hands.


    Rhys looked at Connor hoping he had the answer, but Connor looked just as confused as he was.


    The volume of the siren lowered a bit, just enough so that the voice being projected around the campus could be heard.


    "ALL STUDENTS RETREAT TO THE CENTRAL GYMNASIUM. I REPEAT, ALL STUDENTS RETREAT TO THE CENTRAL GYMNASIUM." It was a man''s voice and it sounded panicked and urgent.


    Rhys and Connor looked at each other, each of them was alarmed by this sudden announcement.


    "THIS IS NOT A DRILL! ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF NEED TO IMMEDIATELY PROCEED TO THE CENTRAL GYMNASIUM!" There was a serious urgency in the speaker''s voice that made Rhys worry.


    "THE BARRIER AROUND THE CAMPUS HAS BEEN BREACHED! ONE OR MORE INTRUDERS HAVE ENTERED THE MILITARY COLLEGE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, IMMEDIATELY MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE CENTRAL GYMNASIUM!"


    Rhys and Connor stared at each other in shock. Someone broke into the MCP... How and why were the first questions on Rhys''s mind.


    "We should get going!" Rhys shouted to Connor over the wailing siren. Connor nodded in agreement and the two turned towards the direction they came, ready to head to the central gymnasium.


    As the two started jogging out to the forest, Rhys could feel that something was off with the teacher. At first, he thought the teacher was simply a voice in his head, but he was beginning to realise that it was more complicated than that. He did not only hear the teacher, he could sense him.


    ''What''s wrong?'' He asked.


    ["There is a filthy stench in this forest."]


    Rhys frowned at the strange words, ''I don''t smell anything.'' The air was fresh and earthy just like you would expect it to be.


    ["You need to be careful, Rhys."] There was a grave seriousness in the teacher''s voice.


    ["Don''t use your power unless your life depends on it. Head straight to the central gym that the announcement mentioned, and stay with the others. Don''t come outside until that intruder they were talking about has been found. Do you understand?"]


    ''Yes, I understand.'' He had heard the teacher be serious before, but this was different. The teacher almost sounded fearful as he instructed Rhys.


    ''What''s going on?'' Rhys gulped, suddenly feeling very aware of the darkening forest around them as the sun was setting, ''You''re scaring me...''


    ["Good, you should be scared. No more questions. Just focus on getting to safety."]

 Chapter 40 - 40 Power Dynamics

    After jogging for a while, Rhys and Connor arrived back at the Glowry dorm where they found the Professor waiting for them outside. Killian''s face lit up with relief when he saw the two coming towards him.


    "There you are!" Killian breathed easier now seeing that they were both well. "Hurry, we have to get to the gym now. Everyone else has already gone."??


    Rhys found himself being ushered towards the central campus with Connor. All the while, Killian kept a tight grip on his shoulder.


    "Do you know anything else about what''s going on?" Rhys asked the Professor while all three of them jogged away from the Glowry dorm. Breaking into the military college could not be a common occurrence. Although people knew there was a military base in each district, the colleges were not shown on maps, and portals were used to gain entry to them, so very few people actually knew where the colleges were located. Rhys thought this meant people couldn''t break into them.


    "No, I''m afraid not." Killian panted lightly as they went. "The rest of the dormitory heads and I just got instructions to make sure all of the students in our resident halls make it to the gym."


    It seemed that the Professor didn''t know very much about the situation either.


    Rhys thought back to the teacher''s warning. The urgency in the Teacher''s voice was bothering him. The confident and snarky teacher in his head had never sounded that serious before. Actually there had been times when the teacher got serious, but this time was different. Rhys wasn''t sure if he hallucinated, but the system sounded... frightened.


    Rhys thought back to the warning the system gave him, from what the teacher said, he was sure that the intruder mentioned in the MCP announcement was specifically coming after him. More importantly, the system had not given him a quest to go and challenge said intruder like it had when he met Sampson in that back alley. Instead, the teacher instructed him to retreat. Which could only mean one thing¡­ The system did not think Rhys was capable of winning.


    It was making him anxious.


    "Okay, you two go ahead. I''ll meet you in the gym to do roll-call later." Killian''s words snapped Rhys back into focus.


    The Professor walked over to a group of instructors that were huddled together outside the entrance of the gym. Their eyes were full of uncertainty, they looked just as lost as the rest of the students.


    Rhys looked beyond them to the entrance of the central gym where students were gathering and funnelling into the venue.


    "Let''s go." Rhys said as he moved towards the entrance. Connor followed after him.


    They joined the cue of students and eventually made their way inside the massive fortress of a gym, where thousands of other students were being slowly sorted into groups according to their rank.


    At the front of the gym on an elevated platform an instructor was holding up a bright neon green sign with the letter ''A'' on it, and all the A students were congregating around him.


    Rhys and Connor made their way towards the A group.


    "There you guys are." Aria gave a small smile as Rhys and Connor settled in beside her.


    "Hello, sleepy head." She eyed Rhys amused to see that he had woken up in time for the emergency announcement. "Did you dream a lot?"


    Rhys shook his head. "No, not at all." He hadn''t dreamed, it didn''t even feel like he had slept. When he opened his eyes after losing his consciousness he was shocked to find that four whole days had passed by. It was still unnerving to think about.


    "Hey, Rhys! Over here!" A familiar voice immediately relaxed Rhys and set a wide easy smile on his face. It was Otis.


    The muscly teenager hurriedly made his way around the group of A students and jokingly punched Rhys in the shoulder. "We were supposed to get dinner!" He reprimanded Rhys with a laugh.


    Rhys chuckled. "Yes, sorry about that, but to be fair I was in a coma..." He rubbed his shoulder where Otis had ''jokingly'' punched him. He would have used his spectral form skill, but the Teacher warned him not to use his power unless his life depended on it. Did that mean that whoever broke into the military college was able to track him when he used his power¡­?


    ["You can use your passive skills like Aura detection and Energy Absorption. But don''t use Aura manipulation or Spectral form."] The teacher groaned, annoyed by his ignorance.


    ''Why?''


    ["Just do as I say."]


    Again Rhys was filled with the overwhelming urge to strangle the teacher.


    "I heard about that." Otis eyed Rhys worriedly. "A coma is a pretty big deal. How did it even happen?"


    "Just some bad after affects of using my ability." He gave a halfhearted explanation, wanting to sweep the issue under the rug. The fewer questions the better.


    Somebody nearby scoffed loudly, unimpressed by his explanation. Rhys looked up to see none other than Sampson glowering at him.


    "What''s the use of your power if it knocks you out for days at a time?" He snickered and a few others around him sneered similarly.


    [Name: Sampson Welsh]


    [Aura: Fire Manipulator (average)]


    Connor''s fiery aura was burning a little brighter. It wasn''t shaky as if he was going through a mood swing, the flames around him simply looked clearer, as if Sampson had grown a little stronger in the last few days.


    "Sampson¡­" Rhys sighed out his name, feeling less energetic just by looking at his face.


    Scattered behind Sampson stood a few familiar faces from the class. They weren''t standing behind Sampson in the same way the kids from District 20 stood behind him, Rhys only had to blink to remember the way those scrawny thugs clung to Sampson''s power desperately. Sampson was the strongest then, and those guys knew it, so they made sure to stick to Sampson like glue whenever he let them. In contrast to back then, Sampson''s crew was now scattered around behind him, each strong in their own way but still choosing to back him.


    Among the group, Rhys recognised the red haired teleporter who had been on Connor''s team during the Evaluation tournament.


    [Name: Ezra Abrams]


    [Aura: Teleportation (average)]


    Rhys also recognised another member of that team, the overweight guy with the aura that looked like a bear.


    [Name: Roman Grigg]


    [Aura: Black Bear Physiology (average)]


    Scattered behind Sampson were a few others whom he did not know. A girl with an ''average'' telekinesis ability and a guy with the Earth manipulation ability.


    Sampson grinned proudly standing front and center of all those prominent people within the class. He had once again managed to make himself the leader, and in a mere four days gathered followers or strong companions and possibly made a name for himself. Sampson was a piece of shit through and through who consistently gave Rhys headaches but the guy was a born leader.


    "You know, the entire A class has had to put up with being challenged and having duels these past few days." Sampson''s voice got louder as he spoke so that his words reached the other classes. Rhys was aware of the eyes beneath the platform turning to him. Sampson''s words weren''t just meant for him, he was practically giving a speech to the other classes and sucking them in to the situation.


    "Everyone of us has been challenged and had to fight for our place. And those who weren''t good enough got thrown back to the lower ranks where they belong¡­" He grinned cruelly. The few victories he had gained from being challenged had fully restored his confidence.


    Rhys''s eyes darted towards a person whose face was pinched up and whose clenched fists were turning white. It was none other than Kataru who looked more frustrated and angry than words could describe. Rhys noticed that Georgie was not by his side and came to the obvious conclusion that she had been challenged and lost in a fight. Even if she had Crystallokinesis, it was obvious that she was not a skilled fighter and could not use her ability very well.


    "Well, everyone except you¡­" Sampson grinned wickedly at Rhys, his plot becoming obvious.


    Whispers swept across the crowds of lower ranked students beneath them. Rhys couldn''t make out what they were saying, but the sensation of judgemental eyes landing on him gave him the gist of their thoughts.


    Rhys clenched his fists as he realised what Sampson was trying to do. He wanted to make Rhys fight, something he might have been glad to do any other day, but not now when the teacher had told him not to use his powers.


    "Give it a rest, Sampson." Rhys turned to see another vaguely familiar face. It was the guy from the finals of the evaluation tournament, the one with the light blue energy ability. The only other guy who seemed to have some resistance to Connor''s ability.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Energy Emission (weak)]


    Although his ability was ranked as weak, energy control by itself was something that was considered by many as a superior ability.


    "We are here on emergency protocol. The last thing this military base needs is unruly students having a duel while the instructors are trying to ensure our safety." His eyes were clear and determined as he spoke.


    Rhys recognised that type of noble attitude as something Otis would align with. The energy emitter was probably from the 17th district as well, the home of the morality police of Sector 5.


    "Fuck off, Dean." Sampson glared at the energy emitter looking royally pissed off as his aura flared up.


    [Name: Dean]


    [Aura: Energy Emission (weak)]


    The system immediately corrected itself after learning the energy emitter''s name.


    Behind Dean a group of followers were standing glaring at Sampson. Among them was Wren Collins the wind manipulator who was on Connor''s team during the tournament, Kataru from District 1, the metal physiology guy from the finals of the tournament and not surprisingly, Otis.


    Rhys squinted from one group to the other, the tension between them was thick as Sampson''s squad of ambition filled and imorally inclined students were the total opposite of the outspoken and ethic-loving group led by Dean.


    Rhys blinked in surprise at this display. The power dynamics within the class had really bloomed while he was asleep.


    "Sampson''s right." The girl with the telekinesis ability standing near Sampson spoke up. "Everyone has to earn their place. Special treatment shouldn''t be handed out to him just because he''s a little sick." She glared at Rhys condescendingly before looking back at Dean.


    "A coma is far more severe than ''a little sick''¡­" Otis spoke up indignantly. "Besides that''s not the point, this is not the time or place to make things difficult on the instructors and staff who are trying to secure the grounds-"


    "So what?" Ezra the teleporter butted in. "We just stand here for hours doing nothing? Why don''t we make things interesting and watch as Rhys fights a challenger?"


    The crowd below them stirred again, their whispers growing more audible at the prospect of seeing a duel between members of the A rank.


    It was obvious to Rhys that Sampson and his cronies were trying to make him fight. Rhys did not know why, but there had to be a reason behind it. Maybe they thought he was weaker since he just woke up from a coma and wanted to take this opportunity to have him knocked down to a lower class¡­


    Perhaps Sampson was just tripping on his new found power as a prominent member of the group, and wanted to regain his pride after relying on Rhys so much during the tournament¡­


    Perhaps revenge for when Rhys beat him in their alleyway fight before coming to the military college¡­


    Never mind all the uncertainty, what Rhys did know was that the system told him not to use his Spectral form or Aura manipulation skill, which were the skills he needed to fight. Thus he would lose if he was forced into a fight.


    Aria leaned sideways and spoke lowly so only he could hear her. "A challenge is when two people fight, usually in order to raise one person''s rank. Don''t worry, you don''t have to fight if you don''t want to since both parties have to agree to it first."


    Rhys nodded, he had heard as much from Connor already, but still felt on edge. Sampson seemed a little more organised than usual, it was like he was planning something.


    "Forget it." Rhys stared back at them coldly. "I''m not fighting anyone." Rhys knew better than to disregard what the teacher told him. Plus there was no merit in getting involved.


    Sampson smirked and turned towards the crowd of students below the platform. He raised his hand and curled his finger toward his palm, signalling someone to come to him.


    Rhys watched as numerous heads started moving in the crowd and making their way towards the stairs to the platform. Ten students from the other ranks were now standing in front of Rhys with grins that mimicked Sampson''s.


    Unsure of how this line of random people made a difference, Rhys sent a questioning stare towards Sampson.


    "Everyone wants to get to the A class, so naturally loads of kids try and challenge us." Sampson started. "But if we accepted every challenge we would be completely worn out. On the other hand, if we said no to every challenge it would be unfair on the other students. To make things fair for both sides, A students have to accept one or more out of every ten challenges."


    ["He''s got you cornered"]


    Rhys glared at the ten guys in front of him, they were all part of Sampson''s plan. A surprisingly solid plan¡­ Now that they were challenging him all at once he had to accept one of their challenges.


    ''I have to use my skills. I''ll lose if I don''t.''


    ["¡­"] The teacher sighed a long pained sigh, equal parts frustration and exasperation. ["I told you not to use your skills as a precautionary method. If it is who I think is coming after you, they''ll recognise your skills and instantly attack you. And it is my professional opinion that you are not ready for them yet¡­"]


    The instructor who was holding up the neon sign finally made his way over to Rhys.


    He plainly said. "I have been authorised to supervise any challenges during this emergency period. Please pick your opponent." With that, things were out of Rhys''s hands, he would have to fight.


    "So who''s it gonna be?" A guy standing in the line of ten spoke up. Rhys glared at him and checked the auras of the students. He was interested to find that they all had what was referred to as psychic abilities, or abilities that the system recognised as weaker versions of Ghost skills. Sampson chose these people for a reason, he most likely wanted to get a better understanding of Rhys''s power by making him fight people he had not seen him fight before. It seemed like Sampson was determined to find Rhys''s weakness.

 Chapter 41 - 41 Rhys Vs ?

    Sampson''s arrogant grin, the pleased smirks on his friend''s faces, the muffled whispers from the crowd below, every snide remark and sideways glance was boiling up inside Rhys. The new heart inside his chest was beating to an abnormal rhythm. It was contracting and expanding at random intervals, quickening and then slowing down, almost trembling in fury and influencing Rhys.


    They were looking at him like he was weak, like he was someone they could easily get the best of. Maybe because he had just woken up from a coma they had convinced themselves that he was not in his best form. Maybe it was his personality that stopped people from respecting him; he was not loud and dominating like Sampson or cold and severe like Connor, he didn''t inspire fear in others the way they did. He thought the other students would get the picture after he killed a guy during the tournament, but it seemed that was not enough.??


    Word of him collapsing during the tournament and being rushed to the infirmary, and then again falling into a coma for days had probably washed away any notoriety that he had earned. He had let these fools forget how scary he was, and now he was going to remind them.


    Rhys glanced towards the entrance of the gym. The doors had long since been shut and soldiers in full gear were stationed there. They looked calm as if they had the situation under control, but that wasn''t enough to go by. If the intruder was outside the gymnasium, then whoever it was wouldn''t be able to see Rhys use his power, but if he was inside already... His eyes instinctively darted around the crowd but he only saw the grey and dark green military uniforms. There was no way to be sure.


    He wanted to fight. He wanted to give each of them the thrashing of their lifetimes. He wanted to create a scene so bloody that none of the onlookers would ever forget. But then again, he was acutely aware of the erratic rhythm of his heart and the flood of malicious emotions filling his mind, thoughts and feelings that weren''t his own. He was certain that his heart was doing more than beating weirdly. It was influencing him somehow...


    He couldn''t let it cloud his judgment. He needed this situation to be over with as soon as possible. He could accept one of the matches and immediately forfeit, but if he learned anything from the tournament he knew that a forfeit counted as a loss and he would be dropped in rank just as the loser of the match would be.


    Even if he accepted the match he did not know how many others Sampson had convinced to challenge him. He could be stuck fighting there all day if Sampson arranged numerous other groups of ten. What if his plan was to tire Rhys out so that he would be as weak as possible when Sampson finally decided to challenge him. Not that that would work since Rhys''s new heart would take over if he ever got too tired.


    "What''s wrong?" Sampson and his goons snickered. "Scared?"


    Murmurs from the crowd below grew in volume. Rhys could feel them looking down on him, their scathing eyes were passing judgement on him and his resistance to fighting.


    Rhys stared at Sampson''s gleeful face and had the sudden urge to destroy it. That smile was disgusting, it made him want to break things, people even. His heart thundered in his chest.


    "Let''s stop with all this crap¡­" his words came out much calmer than he actually was.


    Rhys gestured to the line of ten students who he knew he could easily tear to shreds. He thought about taking out his anger on them, but he thought of someone better. "There are ten challengers here so I''m obligated to pick one to fight... But why don''t we just have a duel first?"


    The crowd stilled. The students were shocked by Rhys''s sudden bravery to challenge Sampson after he looked so reluctant to fight one of the guys of a lower rank. The thought of watching a match between two A rank students sounded much more interesting to them and their excitement collectively increased.


    Rhys saw Sampson''s cocky bravado disappear at his suggestion. The whole reason Sampson set up these ten challengers was because he didn''t want to fight Rhys himself, he wanted to test him. He wanted to be able to find a weakness that he could exploit later on.


    "They can challenge me afterwards if they''re still feeling up to it¡­" After all, the best was to kill something was to go after it''s head. Rhys did not have the luxury of wasting time and exposing himself to the intruder. He would just go straight for Sampson and be done with all this mess.


    Sampson''s mouth twitched in irritation. He could feel the situation slipping from his control as the crowd below grew more excited to see a match between him and Connor.


    Rhys turned to the instructor, he wasn''t actually sure what the rules were for a same-rank duel. The instructor preempted Rhys''s question and explained.


    "Before the match, the two parties must agree upon a set of terms that will take place in the event of their loss or victory. I want to remind the both of you that death and torture cannot be terms."


    "Okay then!" Rhys was chipper as he thought of a fitting punishment for Sampson. What would humiliate him? What would teach him a lesson? Rhys smiled when he thought of the perfect term.


    "If I win, Sampson has to go to the F rank for the rest of the year." Sampson was prideful more than anything else, being in the worst rank surrounding by people he deemed as losers everyday would make him furious.


    "Wait!" Sampson snapped indignantly. "I haven''t agreed to anything-".


    "What''s wrong? You scared¡­?" Rhys mimicked Sampson''s words from earlier and watched with a satisfied grin as Sampson''s faced pursed like a prune. His pride would not allow him to turn down Rhys''s challenge, not in front of so many people, not when he had set Rhys up to be challenged in the first place.


    Sampson muttered his agreement through gritted teeth, "Fine."


    Rhys loved seeing the sour expressions on Sampson''s friends'' faces. They had tried to use the large student body as a way to pressure Rhys into fighting in front of them, but now Rhys would use it against them.


    "I want the same term, you''ll also go down to the F rank if I win. " Sampson''s forehead creased in frustration, nothing was going as planned.


    The students on the platform stood still in a daze for a moment because things had taken a surprising turn, but they quickly realised that they were in the way and rushed down the steps to join the other students below.


    "Good luck." Aria whispered as she passed by Rhys. "Not that you need it."


    "Cripple him." Connor said loud enough for Sampson to hear.


    Rhys laughed, he was planning to do just that, maybe worse. He thought back to the time he chose not to kill Sampson in that alleyway, he didn''t regret that decision, but he knew now that he should have given Sampson a more sever beat down. He should have done something more memorable that would have scarred him for life and lessened that superior attitude.


    The root of the problem was that Sampson still thought that Rhys was someone he had a chance against. He didn''t. He never would, ever again.


    The instructor stopped towards the edge of the platform and raised his hand up high in the air and held it there for a moment, drawing in everyone''s attention. He suddenly swung his hand downwards and commanded the two boys. "Begin!"


    Rhys chuckled darkly as he put his hands into his pockets and slowly stepped towards Sampson. Each step felt too slow, he wanted to be running at the guy, charging at him and ripping his head off, but he restrained himself for tactics sake.


    It was already working because he could see Sampson getting nervous. The guy was fighting off the urge to step backwards and avoid Rhys''s advance.


    A flicker of a grin flashed on Rhys''s face when Sampson hurriedly reached for his lighter in his pocket.


    He chose to fight Sampson for two reasons: firstly, Sampson was the one organising these challenges for Rhys so going after Sampson and beating him directly was the fastest way to get rid of the annoying challenges. Furthermore, if he inflicted enough damage he could warn off the others from challenging him ever again. Secondly, he chose to go after Sampson for the sake of the intruder coming after him.


    Sampson''s fire ability, rather the way he used his ability and created huge flame tunnels that could swallow up an entire alley, meant that Rhys''s entire body would be engulfed and hidden from sight within the fire. Any onlookers wouldn''t be able to see his body while he fought Sampson. Sampson''s fire was actually the best chance he had of remaining undetected by the intruder.


    Rhys grinned a little wider as the familiar click of the lighter sounded on the large platform. Fire blasted out from the lighter, roaring as it surged forward and engulfed the entire stage.


    [Spectral form used +5 Exp]


    The instructor dove off the platform at the last minute, just avoiding being burned to a crisp. Some unfortunate individual shrieked as the instructor landed on him.


    The crowd surrounding the stage screamed in terror and ducked for their lives as furious flames came too close to them for comfort. Students who had the barrier creation skill quickly put up force fields around themselves, and those with energy abilities used their powers to shield themselves from the fire.


    The heat was hellish and singed the eyelashes and eyebrows of those standing too close to the platform. The students ran further back into the gym for safety from the heat, they stood in awe and marvelled at Sampson''s fire. He was far above the level he should have been at his age, a prodigy.


    Sampson concentrated with all his might. This was the biggest, hottest, and most powerful flame he had ever been able to make and he was proud as hell, but he wasn''t sure if it was enough to burn Rhys. From watching Connor he knew that Rhys skill wasn''t perfect, if he could get his flames to hot enough he could burn Rhys again.


    He had been working on his flame amplification ever since the tournament when he had seen Rhys''s real power. Sure Connor was scary with his electricity, and there were a few other notable people in the A rank, but Sampson only cared about Rhys.


    He hated to admit it; he probably would never say it out loud, but he knew that Rhys was stronger than him. And that fact had been driving him crazy ever since Rhys beat him up in that alleyway. He had been training like a demon to try and strengthen himself. The training produced this result.


    He needed to catch up to Rhys. He needed to get stronger than him. He needed to train. He needed to have a breakthrough. The humiliation and frustration of being pummelled and led by someone he once threw around for fun was bad enough, but being left alive when he knew Rhys could have easily killed him that day was much worse.


    Sampson grunted as pain surged through his head. This was a warning sign that he was pushing his ability too hard. He hadn''t figure out how to steadily and continuously shoot out this great flame but he couldn''t stop now. Not until he knew that his fire could burn Rhys.


    He stared straight into his fire, he could barely see anything through the flames but he wouldn''t dare let up. He would only stop when he couldn''t make flames anymore.


    The question ''why'' filled his dizzy head. Why did Rhys not kill him that day? It would have been so easy and Sampson was sure that Rhys hated him¡­ So why did he let him live?


    He knew Rhys enough to know that he wasn''t a saint, not some 17th district prissy who preached about love and respect thy neighbour¡­ So why did he act like one that night?


    Sampson grunted in pain as his head throbbed and his hands shook. He was loosing control.


    He bit down on his lip, using the sharp pain as a way to refocus.


    He gritted his teeth thinking about Rhys. The guy liked acting all high and mighty like he was better than anyone else but he was just a screwed up bastard who left his grandfather in District 20 to go to the MCP and get stronger. While Rhys was here fighting him, his grandfather was all alone left to deal with all the gangs and robberies by himself. A new wave of rage coursed through Sampson at the thought of Rhys''s grandfather trying to fend for himself without Rhys.


    "Selfish!" He grunted through his pain. His fire roared even louder and the flames burst to an even bigger shape. Sweat dribbled down the sides of his face and it felt like his heart would explode.


    He suddenly thought back to his school days, it was primary school before everyone''s parents signed up for life long debt in order to get their kids cores. It was a time before power mattered and kids chose friends based on compatibility and not fear. When Rhys was the happiest little kid in school and had loads of friends, while Sampson was always alone in a corner, watching Rhys from a distance and wishing that he could he like him.

 Chapter 42 - 42 Fall Of The Gymnasium

    In this state of enormous pain and exhaustion Sampson''s mind was taking him back to memories he had shoved into the back of his mind, moments in his life he wished he could forget.


    Rhys was yet again surrounded by kids. They were all laughing and holding hands and making plans to have play dates, while Sampson was hunched up in the corner watching them. He wasn''t confident enough to go and talk to them, not when he smelled because he hadn''t taken a bath in ages since his mother couldn''t afford to pay for water. And his clothes were tatted and dirty for the same reason. He was alone most days, watching Rhys enviously and wishing that he could be him.??


    The worst time of the day was always the end of school when the kids'' parents came to pick them up. Rhys''s grandfather was always there, waiting with a smile and small treat like a sweat or even a biscuit for Rhys. Sampson always watched sadly from behind as they hugged and then set off for home.


    He had to wait and watch as all the other kids were picked up by relatives or friends, but he just stayed put, waiting until the teacher got frustrated enough to just send him home on his own.


    His mother was a prostitute and her work hours started around when he finished school, so he was usually left to walk the perilous streets alone. It was a good day when the wondering thugs didn''t decide to harass him for their own entertainment. He would often arrive home bruised and depressed to a small, cold, and empty apartment.


    It was a few years later that his mother managed to seduce some high profile core associated businessman from Sector 1 and move out of Sector 5 to begin her new life. As consolation, she left her son the spoils of her seduction: a core she had managed to convince her new boyfriend to give her as a present as well as the money for the infusion at the hospital. He hated his mother but she had done him a solid by getting him that core.


    Other kids and their families raced to get cores and practically signed their souls away for loans from the military that they would be paying off until they died, while he had a core manufactured by a prestigious company from Sector 1 for free.


    People''s attitudes towards him changed. Kids in his grade who usually wouldn''t give him the time of day were interested in his power and getting onto his good side. He watched amused as those who were friends with Rhys left and joined his side. They didn''t bat an eyelid when Sampson made them go after Rhys. And Rhys wouldn''t break no water what he did to him.


    Rhys''s grandfather''s core business was doing badly ever since the military put sanctions on the government''s involvement in District 20. Small core vendors like Rhys''s grandfather could only buy cores from the government and the new bill greatly decreased the number of cores and scripts he could buy. To make up for the lack of product to sell, the prices increased greatly which slowly drove him out of business and meant Rhys remained coreless for all of his school career.


    It made him an easy target for Sampson to take out his frustration on.


    Sampson knew he was a piece of shit, but hey, with his origins did people really expect him to turn out any better. Rhys on the other hand grew up with a loving grandfather, but as soon as Rhys managed to get that weird core he left his grandfather in District 20 to fend for himself. The thought made his blood boil.


    If It had been Sampson, he would have stayed with his grandfather and used his powers to help him. Instead Rhys was here, leaving his grandfather to survive in his own. It infuriated him. Rhys didn''t have to grow up with a shitty mother like he did, so what if he didn''t have a core for a long time, at least he had a family, but the bastard abandoned his grandfather and went to the MCP. It was unforgivable to Sampson.


    A sharp pain shot through Sampson''s head. He realised with a start that he had not been focusing on Rhys. He was drenched in sweat, his body ached like he had a high fever and his arm holding up his lighter was shaking uncontrollably. He knew he had reached his limits.


    His eyes widened when he looked into the flame and he could make out a blurry figure in front of him.


    He was frozen in place, shocked by what he saw.


    A pale arm energy from the fire and stopped just before his face. Suddenly the hand flipped around and showed him the middle finger. To Sampson''s horror there was no doubt that it was Rhys.


    In a motion too fast for his dizzy eyes to see, the middle finger swearing at him sloped downwards in a flash. A second later the blazing fire was sucked back into the small flame of his lighter as his severed hand dropped to the platform floor.


    Sampson didn''t even have a second to scream or dodge because a barrage of attacks came straight for his body. Excruciating holes were being torn through his flesh at a ridiculous rate as Rhys''s hands disrupted his body.


    His neck, shoulders, chest and abdomen were being torn to shreds and all he could do in his state of exhaustion was stumble backwards and try and get away from what felt like small bombs going off against his skin.


    Rhys''s hands were darting at Sampson and phasing back into the solid form inside his body. Tearing holes in him that were getting deeper and deeper as Rhys got closer.


    Rhys''s heart was hammering in his chest, and he could hear every loud beat of it in his ears like a siren. It was shouting at him to kill and destroy. That was when Rhys snapped out of his rage and stopped attacking.


    He looked forward to see that Sampson looked completely defeated. Not because of his injuries, it was his glazed over almost unconscious eyes that showed Rhys that Sampson had lost the will to fight.


    Rhys stared at him for a moment and checked his aura. The bright flame surrounding him earlier had shrunk so small that it was barely an outline of Sampson''s body. He was on the verge of death.


    Rhys looked at Sampson''s severed hand and the blood falling to the scorched platform floor. The wounds on his front were nasty, the kind that would take healers a while to heal because of the rib bone fragments embedded in his flesh. Sampson surely would not survive this.


    Rhys watched as the last flicker of light drained from Sampson''s eyes. His body swayed and fell forward unconscious. Rhys stood and stared at Sampson. The guy gave him nothing but trouble, when they were in high school he was Rhys''s second biggest problem after Barrow. After everything he had done, Rhys was still finding it hard to hate him. Even now¡­


    Rhys still remembered the sad little kid at the back of the class who wouldn''t talk to anyone. He had caught Sampson staring at him many times back then but simply ignored him as more important things like playing were on his mind. Would things have been different if he had tried to talk to Sampson back then?


    The instructor came running up the steps to check on Sampson. His words faded into the background as Rhys stared at Sampson''s dying body.


    He never got the chance to ask Sampson if he was involved in Gramp''s death. He remembered Sampson saying something about joining Barrow''s gang in that alleyway and he knew a fire was the cause of Gramp''s death which made Sampson an obvious culprit. However, deep down Rhys had a hunch that Sampson wasn''t the one who set that fire.


    For all Sampson''s hostility towards Rhys, Rhys always got the sense that Sampson somewhat liked his grandfather. It wasn''t a hunch he could explain with reasoning or even anything intelligible. He just had a feeling.


    If Sampson was responsible then his death would be justice for gramps, and if he wasn''t then his death would be justice for the years of bullying Rhys had endured during high school.


    Rhys watched as people from the crowd started moving towards the platform. From their green auras he knew that they were healers. The instructor had probably called for all the nearby healers to come assist Sampson. Not that it mattered much. Rhys couldn''t see much hope for Sampson in his state.


    ["You we''re so adamant about not killing him last time¡­ I''m surprised that you are ready to let him die now."]


    ''People change.''


    ["technically you aren''t what humans would refer to as ''people'' anymore"] The teacher chuckled.


    Rhys shoved his bloodied hands in his pockets turned on his heel towards the stairs, leaving the frazzled healers to see if they could heal Sampson.


    ["Well I guess you''ll have your final chance at goodbyes later when you send him through the gate."]


    Rhys shoved his conflicting feelings down where he didn''t need to confront them and continued walking away. He focused on what his main concern should have been this entire time: the intruder.


    ''You said something earlier about a filthy stench when you were talking about the intruder, can you smell them or something-''


    Rhys thoughts were interrupted by a deafening bang. He swivelled around to where the noise came from, the large metal doors to the gym.


    The soldiers in front of the doors had unsheathed their weapons, a few of them were holding guns, and pointing them towards the fortified doors.


    The entire gymnasium was deathly quiet as everyone stared at the doors.


    Bang!


    Another loud blow to the doors caused the soldiers to flinch and a few students to gasp.


    ["Its coming. All that shrieking because of the fire must have drawn it here."]


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    "Get back!" The soldiers in the front shouted at the students warning them away from the doors as terrifyingly powerful blows from the other side were shaking it on its hinges.


    Rhys quickly left stage and got himself into the crowd, disguising himself among the other students.


    "No way, is it the intruder they mentioned from the emergency announcement?" Someone in front of Rhys whispered.


    "Aren''t those doors reinforced with gems? How are they even budging?"


    "What''s going on?"


    The panic in their voices was rising and Rhys himself was getting nervous. What kind of strength could busted open doors like that.


    Rhys and the other students watched in horror as the blows from outside started to deform the doors. The thick metals barrier caved inwards from the force of whatever was banging on it.


    ["Rhys, stay undetected for as long as you can. Don''t try and take it on one on one unless it''s seriously wounded or you have a solid plan."]


    ["Thankfully, it looks like those people only sent one of their agents to come find you. He must have detected the huge spike in spiritual energy after the higher beings granted you a heart¡­"] The teacher''s voice faltered.


    ["I really didn''t want this to happen yet because you''re not ready-"]


    The doors to the gym flew off their hinges, crushing one of the soldiers who was standing there.


    The students shouted in terror while the soldiers held up their guns and weapons to the intruder. A large man in all black gear stood in the doorway. Something that looked like an oxygen mask covered most of this face and Rhys could see numerous gem weapons sheathed in the belt around his waist. The thing about the man that shocked Rhys the most was his hair. Disturbingly familiar white hair that fell all the way to his abdomen.


    Rhys stared in shock at the soulless hair, white hair that was meant to represent the higher beings. Was this person also a ghost?


    ["Don''t be fooled Rhys. That being is not one of us. It chose that appearance to trick you. It will kill you as soon as it gets its hands in you."]


    "Halt!" A soldier in the front shouted. "If you advance any further we will attack!"


    The man in the doorway simply ignored the soldiers words. He didn''t even look at him. His cold eyes simply scanned the room, seemingly looking for something.


    "Leave now or we will attack!"


    The threat was completely ignored as the strange man continued to glance over the students in the gym.


    "I''m warning you!" The soldier shouted indignantly. "Retreat now or we will attack."


    The person didn''t even pretend to take head of the soldiers words, the man just continued to scan the gym.


    A single shot was fired from the aggravate soldier''s gun. People hardly used guns anymore but for situations with lots of uncertainty they sometimes proved useful. But not in this situation.


    The bullet stopped midair just before the man''s face and then dropped to the floor with a clink. There was a dreadful silence in which the white haired man stared at the useless bullet on the floor and then at the soldier who had tried to shoot him.


    Terror was in the air as the intruder glowered at the soldiers with such hostility that even the students far away from them felt afraid.


    The man extended his arm and in a display of power the soldier who had fired the shot flew towards the wall of the gymnasium and crashed head first into the wall. His head was crushed on impact.


    [Name: Unknown]


    [Aura: Gravity Manipulation (strong)]


    ''You''ve got to be kidding me.''


    Knowing that they had to fight, the soldiers immediately launched into an attack. The scene by the doors devolved into chaos as fire, water, and Earth attacks were launched at the intruder. One of the soldiers manipulated the metal layering the gym walls to attack the intruder.


    "Students, run!" The instructor on the platform overseeing Connor and some healers shouted out his command as loudly as he could.


    Like a crazed herd of animals the students ran backwards, away from the only doors and towards the other side of the gym. They started employing their abilities with desperation to try and break a hole through the walls.


    The gymnasium had turned to chaos in an instant.

 Chapter 43 - 43 Escape The Gym. Find The General

    The soldiers were at the entrance facing off with the intruder, but from a glance Rhys could tell that they were fighting a losing battle. Against the power of the intruder''s gravity manipulation they were being thrown around like rag dolls.


    While the soldiers were busy distracting the intruder, thousands of students were trying to breakthrough the reinforced Gymnasium walls, a task that was proving to be harder than anyone thought it would be. The gymnasium was meant to be an impenetrable fortress from the inside and out. Even though the intruder managed to break in, the ordinary students were not up to the task.


    Rhys struggled through the sea of frantic students without using his power, pushing his way towards the stage where the instructor was still standing over Sampson.


    The thousands of retreating students were running together towards the back of the hall like a stampede and Rhys had to push with all his might against the crowd, earning himself a few sizeable bruises.


    He was finally able to grasp onto the side of the platform, holding on for dear life and panting as the people around him continued to bash into his side as they charged.


    "Instructor!" Rhys yelled over the thunderous sound of thousands of boots on the floor.


    The instructor was sweating profusely and his eyes darted from Sampson to the battle at the front of the gym. Rhys glared, annoyed that the instructor, the person who was meant to be guiding them, looked just as panicked as the students.


    The instructor met Rhys''s gaze. He darted to the edge of the platform so he could hear Rhys better.


    "Where are all the soldiers?" Rhys shouted above the deafening noise.


    There had only been about twenty soldiers in the gymnasium to begin with, which had concerned Rhys from the very beginning. This was a college but it was also a military base. It was practically a small army and yet there were only twenty soldiers to protect thousands of students¡­ something wasn''t right.


    Beads of sweat rolled down the man''s face. "They''re not here." His own words seemed to frighten him. "They''re all at the head office¡­"


    Rhys looked up at him in disbelief as he barely made out the instructor''s words over the noise.


    "What the hell are they all doing there?" Rhys''s face scrunched up in horror. A massacre was about to go down in the central gymnasium, but the fighting power was on the other side of the campus.


    "Everyone thought the intruder was going after confidential documents from the main office or even the higher ranking heads of the MCP!" The instructor tried explained. "That''s why the majority of the soldiers were sent to defend the General and the main office, while a few low ranking ones were just meant to guard the students until the intruder was caught."


    A foul taste filled Rhys''s mouth as this revelation. The military was more concerned about their precious files and cabinets than the students who needed protecting.


    Maybe it would have been a different story if this gym was filled with juniors or seniors, maybe even sophomores could make a difference¡­ but the juniors and seniors were all off campus and only a few of the sophomores were actually present. The military left untrained freshmen to defend themselves.


    "Contact them!" Rhys demanded. "Tell them that the intruder is here and is about to attack the students." He wanted to curse at the stupid instructor but held himself back.


    "I can''t!" The panic in the man''s eyes skyrocketed.


    "Why not?" Rhys was close to exploding.


    "I physically am not able to! For security purposes, the only way to make contact with the main office is through telepathy from specific individuals among the soldiers. The guy who was able to contact the main office among this batch of soldiers is already¡­"


    Rhys followed the instructor''s gaze to a dead soldier, lying bloodied on the floor. If Rhys wasn''t mistaken it was the first guy who got killed by the intruder.


    ''Shit.'' If he was the first one to be killed, there was a much higher chance that he didn''t contact the main forces before he was offed.


    ["This is worrisome."]


    "Maybe he contacted the office before he died?" It was still possible, right?


    "They would have been here by now if they knew." The instructor shook his head solemnly.


    Rhys was silent for a moment, racking his brain. Backup wasn''t coming. The students could not get out of the gym. It was only a matter of time before the last soldier died and the intruder started looking for Rhys among the students. The system told him not to fight because he wasn''t ready yet.


    His options weren''t great, but he thought of something.


    "Where exactly is the main office?"


    The instructor stared at him in shock for a moment but a relieved smile quickly lit up his face. "Yes, That''s right! You have that ability. You can get outside easily and go get help from the other soldiers." Relief flooded the instructor''s face.


    Rhys nodded to confirm that was his plan.


    "You have to go past the library and get to the Entrance hall where all the freshman signed in on your first day. At the back of that hall is an underground tunnel that leads to the official sector of the campus. Once you''re in the tunnel you should be able to find your way."


    Rhys had a general idea about where it was, but hearing the instructor he realised that it was very far away. If he ran it would still take about thirty minutes. And judging by how many soldiers were left, the students didn''t have thirty minutes.


    A wretched scream echoed from the front of the hall as the last soldiers were lifted off the ground and pulled towards the intruder. The intruder''s gravitational ability was quite terrifying because of its disturbingly large range.


    "Go now!" The instructor shouted desperately. Rhys finally let go of the side of the stage and allowed himself to be pulled backwards by the stampeding crowd.


    Rhys caught a glimpse of the man pulling out a weapon from his side and jumping off the front of the platform, leaving Sampson an a healer by themselves.


    ["What is the point of that? He is much weaker than the intruder, he is not even a soldier and yet he''s trying to put up some kind of last stance¡­ pathetic."]


    Rhys didn''t think it was pathetic, but he didn''t have time to watch this little fight that he knew would end badly.


    Instead, when the pull of the crowd had taken him as close to the back wall as he could possibly get, he crouched low on the floor, he got on his hands and knees and crawled forward, winding his way past peoples legs and outright shoving them aside when they got close to trampling him. He was using the other students bodies'' to block any view of him doing this.


    He scuttled forward until he arrived at the gymnasium wall. He easily passed through the wall, as he did he could understand why the other students could break through it, it was at least one and a half meters thick of gem-enforced metal.


    The night air was cold and the surrounding green area was quiet. If he had not just come out from the gym, he wouldn''t believe that there were thousands of students clamouring against the wall trying to get out.


    Right now all the students were in one place. They were all gathered together nicely for the intruder to inspect. When the guy realised that Rhys was not among them, he would go after Rhys.


    [Spectral form used +10 Exp]


    Rhys stepped inside the wall and spread out his body so that he occupied the largest space he could. Then he phased back into his physical form.


    The thick wall tore apart like butter. Of course Rhys''s body wasn''t big enough to completely tear open the wall, but he had created a small opening.


    "It''s opening! The wall''s finally opening!"


    "Make it bigger!"


    "Push through!"


    The exited cries from behind the wall spilled out.


    Rhys repeated his method until he had created a sizeable hole for the students to get out. Immediately, students stormed out from the hole, tripping over themselves as they tasted sweet freedom. Everyone was running off in different directions and Rhys took this chance to start on his own mission.


    Get to the main hall. Alert the military about the intruder. Have someone else take down the gravity manipulating executioner hunting him. If the system said he wasn''t ready, then he wasn''t ready. The next best thing was to find the strongest in the base who were capable of taking this intruder down.


    As he ran, Rhys turned back to see that the hole he created had gotten bigger. The force of all those students pushing through had made the already damaged metal more malleable. Rhys smiled knowing the more students that got out meant more confusion for the intruder inside.


    His plan was simple and accomplishable. His problem was time, and the fact that he didn''t know how exactly his hunter was tracking him.


    In situations with unknown variables, he needed to prepare something more.


    ''Open the System shop.''


    There would definitely be something useful in there for him to protect himself with.


    ["Well, Well¡­ Let''s see."]

 Chapter 44 - 44 Abyss Butterfly

    The agent rolled his shoulders, releasing the tension he had built up. Even if his opponents were pathetically weak, they had still outnumbered him significantly.


    He glanced down at their bodies and grinned. It was always a pleasure to see his handiwork displayed so well in front of him.


    Cheerful cries and the creaking sound of metal bursting open caught his attention. The hordes of humans at the other end of the hall had managed to break through the walls and were now funnelling outside into the night.


    He scowled. He had planned to keep all the humans in one area and sift through them to find the one he was looking for, but now that they were escaping to the outside he would have to go hunting again.


    Although this would delay him, it would only lengthen the thing''s lifespan for a little while. He would find it, kill it, and take its corpse back to the base as a trophy. He would go down in history for taking down one by himself, so he purposefully didn''t share his exact location with the others.. They were all still far away from Earth, but he definitely didn''t want them showing up in the nick of time to take away his glory.


    His heavy boots whacked the floor as he walked forward. He came to a stop next to a platform where two humans were huddled together.


    One was severely injured, nearly dead. The other one was unhurt but trembling in fear at the sight of the intruder.


    He lifted his long arm and pointed at the shaking human.


    From travelling through some of the human cities he had heard the common language, and with the help of his technology he already knew quite a bit of English.


    "You." He made out the unfamiliar word in his mouth.


    The healer couldn''t stop shaking, knowing that this intruder had easily killed off twenty soldiers.


    "Y-Yes?"


    The intruder cleared his throat and reached for the mask on his face. His large fingers snapped open the buckles. He slowly pried the large filter mask off his head and revealed his face.


    His jaw was sharp and his cheekbones were high. He would have looked human if it wasn''t for the long sharp pointy ears that protruded from the side of his head.


    The healer stared at the intruder in utter shock. "Y-you''re not even human¡­" The healer shuddered.


    "No, not human." The intruder over pronounced the words as he pulled his fake white hair out of his face.


    "Where is the Valkis Theofagos?" The intruder frowned realising that he had not learnt the human word for the being he was hunting. Each civilisation had a different name for the beings, so a direct translation often did not make sense to people of different worlds. Since he did not have any other choice, he did a direct translation.


    "Where is the God Eater?"


    The Healer''s face crumpled up in confusion, he had no idea what this so called ''God Eater'' was.


    "Huh¡­?" His lips trembled.


    It was obvious to the agent that the human knew nothing, but it still annoyed him.


    The agent motioned his index finger downwards. The Healer''s head slammed into the floor of the platform with a sickening crunch.


    The agents eyes then drifted towards the heavily injured human laying on the platform floor. He only had to glance at it to know that it would not survive. He decided to be merciful since it was dying anyways and left the human alone. Instead he reached into his large coat and retrieved a small silver cage.


    Inside the cage a large almost transparent butterfly type creature fluttered it''s wings.


    The agent grinned and licked his lips in anticipation.


    *************


    Rhys was panting like a dog, nonstop running for twenty five minutes just had that affect on him.


    He dry heaved as sweat dribbled down his face. It felt like his lungs were made of sandpaper and he tasted blood in the back of his mouth like he always did when he exercised too much.


    ["This is embarrassing to watch."]


    Rhys didn''t even have the energy to talk back to his teacher, he only scowled as he ran. He was almost there.


    [Stamina +1]


    "Finally!" He chocked out the words.


    Suddenly he felt a little better, still exhausted but slightly less dehydrated.


    Rhys looked up and was proud to see that he had reached the signpost. The signs pointed in the different directions of the different buildings. Rhys was relieved to see that the tunnel to the Main office was straight ahead.


    Once he reached the tunnel everything would be okay. He was sure that military forces would be surveying the tunnel, and would see him, a freshman student, running to the main office. Then he would able to alert them of where the intruder actually was and everything would be fine.


    Honestly he was a little surprised he had not seen any military personnel yet. Wouldn''t it make sense for them to watch the area surrounding the tunnel for the intruder?


    Rhys was only a few meters away from the steps that led to the tunnel when he heard a light flapping noise a few inches from his head. It sounded like a bird had flown past him. He spun around confused, scanning his surroundings looking for whatever had made the noise.


    He saw nothing and was about to head for the tunnel when he heard that same fluttering noise pass right by his ear.


    He came to a stop and scanned the air around him. However, again he saw nothing.


    He looked around anxiously anticipating the arrival of the black clad intruder. Yet after no sign of anyone or anything approaching he gave up.


    He continued towards the steps but the sight of strange glimmer right in front of his face stopped him in his tracks.


    There was a strange blotchy patch of air in front of him. It was similar to a hot-road mirage when the heat in the air distorts the images you see.


    Rhys stared tentatively at the distorted patch at a loss as to what was going on, intriguingly, the longer he looked at it, the more he could decipher it''s shape, the could better make out the outlines and soon he recognised a familiar creature.


    "A butterfly¡­ An invisible butterfly?"


    He could see it clearly now, an almost invisible butterfly as big as his head was fluttering it''s wings in front of his face.


    [Aura Detection used +2 Exp]


    [Name: Abyss Butterfly]


    [Aura: None]


    Rhys could see that the butterfly was without an aura, not even a faint glow surrounded it¡­


    "It doesn''t have an aura?" Rhys stared at the large transparent butterfly. "But the book of the Dead said that all living creatures have an aura."


    ["Then you can be sure that it is not a living creature. That filthy being must have brought it here¡­"]


    The teacher sighed, faintly annoyed by the situation. ["It seems you will have to fight after all."]


    Rhys could only frown at the teacher''s sudden pessimism.


    ''So that intruder has something to do with this butterfly?''


    ["Oh, yes¡­"]


    "Even if he sent this thing, I''m right here at the tunnel, I can alert the real soldiers." Rhys sidestepped the large butterfly and made a break for the stairs leading down into the tunnel.


    The butterfly immediately sprang into action and attached itself to Rhys''s back.


    Dismayed, Rhys turned his head back to watch as his Aura was sucked into the butterfly.


    The butterfly''s form stared to darkened, like a drip of ink dispersing in water, the transparent insect quickly turned a deep red colour, and its formed swelled up to three times its original size.


    Rhys tried to swat it away, but his hands passed through it like it wasn''t there. A skill he was dismayed to see that another creature had.


    ["Don''t bother¡­"] The system chuckled at Rhys''s useless action. ["The Abyss butterfly cannot be touched unless it wants to be touched, and it cannot be seen unless it wants to be seen. That is its ultimate power."]


    Rhys let his arms fall to his sides, believing that it was useless to try and shoo it away. "And it''s other power is stealing people''s auras?"


    ["The Abyss butterfly can only feast on the auras of higher beings, that is how it survives. These creatures are one of the few beings that can coexist with us. If you survive your battle with the filthy being, you should take it in as a pet."]


    Rhys was baffled by how calm and relaxed the teacher sounded in this moment. It was the teacher who initially told him to be to runaway from the intruder, but now his teacher was slowing him down.


    ["The chance to level up your skill is here, you should take advantage of it."]


    A lightbulb went off in Rhys''s head, as the Knowledge he had absorbed form the book of the dead suddenly flooded his mind. He immediately used his Aura Detection skill.


    [Name: Abyss Butterfly]


    [Aura: Ghost]


    The butterfly finally unlatched from his back and hovered in the air just in front of him for a moment. Rhys kept his eyes peeled, watching every flutter of it''s wings.


    The night was cold and there was no wind blowing, so it was deathly quiet without the leaves rustling in the wind. Rhys could only hear his new heart beating and the gentle sound of fluttering wings that he dared not take his eyes off of.


    The butterfly flapped it''s wings one last time before it exploded into a cloud of red that swallowed Rhys whole.


    He instinctively raised his hands to cover his face from the cloud of red dust but stared in awe when he realised that the butterfly had not exploded into dust. Actually, there were thousands of tiny red butterflies all fluttering around him like red autumn leaves.


    Even for someone like him who never really appreciated the beauty in nature or art, he found the sight breathtakingly beautiful.


    [Alert]


    [Congratulations!]


    [A skill has levelled up]


    <Skills>


    [Aura Detection Lv 4 >>> Lv 5]


    [Skill ''Aura Detection'' has evolved to the skill ''Aura Inspection'']


    [Aura Inspection Lv 5:


    The user is able to decipher auras. The user will gain a deeper understanding of a being by looking at their auras.]


    ''The skill levelled up just from watching the abyss butterfly multiply?''


    ["I can safely say that you have used your Aura detection skill the most out of all your skills yet it wasn''t the first one to level up. That was because the variety of creatures you detected was not good enough. Not that you got the chance to detect such a rare creature, of course you will finally able to improve the skill."]


    "It came just in time too." Rhys muttered ruefully as he looked out between the swarm of red butterflies.


    Time slowed as he stared at the intruder dressed in black, standing just outside the humongous swarm.


    The intruder knew this would happen. He sent the butterfly after Rhys, knowing it would create this very big, very visible swarm around the target he was looking for, like a giant red ''X'' marking the spot.


    Rhys glanced back at the silent empty tunnel. There was no way the military had not seen him through the cameras. It was obvious that they would rather sit back and watch instead of coming out to help, perhaps they wanted to see the strength of this intruder and were willing to use an expendable freshman student to do it, after all he was on the Termination list.


    Rhys chuckled wondering if they were watching him on some big screen TV.


    Even though he had tried to go and get help, he hadn''t considered that the people he was seeking help from, wouldn''t care to step in.


    He nodded, finally understanding that he was really alone in this world. And alone was how he would have to survive.


    All that was left to do now was fight.