"Alright class, good morning! I'm glad to see that everyone is here today, and today's lesson will be special so let's get started!" Luciel hummed, clapping her hands together and looking at the class with a bright smile.
"Today, we will be learning about Kindness, another fruit of the Spirit. How considerate and friendly are you to thy neighbor? Kindness goes a long way in this lifetime, y'know!" Su-Yun added, pressing a button on her remote to go to the next slide.
Luciel and Su-Yun began to go over each slide on the board, explaining what Kindness was and how it could be applied to Go-Goken. The Fruit Kindness was equal to the Human Aspect of Empathy, if not stronger than Human Empathy all together. Kindness could also be applied to the Human Charisma aspect as well.
As Luciel and Su-Yun taught, most of the class were attentive to their teachings while others like Kim Eun barely listened to the two. Kim Eun let out a soft sigh then took her dog whistle out of her pocket, placing the mouthpiece between her lips and blew, letting out a high pitched whistling noises.
So-Yi and Hyeon Bae grunted heavily as they covered their ears from the high pitched whistling, the distraction causing Luciel to pause the class. She looked over at Kim Eun, who stood up from her seat then began walking down the class aisle.
"No disrespect, Ms. Winters...but your class is rather boring to say the least. Instead of going over Battlefield Stategy and Advanced Energy Control, you'd rather teach your Fruits. After yesterday, I feel you're trying to push an agenda," Kim Eun challenged, standing in front of Luciel and meeting her eye to eye.
"And if I am pushing some agenda? Who are you going to tell? The Watchman? The Overseer? You're right that I'm pushing an agenda, it's because people like you have lost what it means to be Aetherian and Ascean," Luciel said, setting down the remote on her desk then walked from behind it.
"You've all been taught and follow a Gospel that isn't real or true. To reach salvation, you have to master the Nine Aspects of Humanity? That's an Esorian Gospel, but...instead of preaching the real gospel to you, you'll see it for yourselves," Luciel continued, crossing her arms and tilting her head confidently with a smile on her face.
Kim Eun scoffed softly at Luciel then smirked, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets. "Yeah...is that so? And who's to say the gospel we follow isn't the real one? After all, our Works paid off. Everyone here who defeated a team member got to rank up in Ambition and Talent. I am B+ now, so what's your rebuttal?"
"Is that so? Then I'm glad you're succeeding, but there's more to life than... appeasing the world. What about the god you follow? Your god? Who is he? Does he reward treating your classmates like dogs?" Luciel asked, turning back around to the board with a light hum.
"If that's so, we shall see. It's a new week, meaning a new week of grading is happening. And this time, I will grade you all. For this assignment, your mission is to gather a group of five and meet up at Battle Zone 1 at 2:45 PM," Luciel assigned, turning around to glance at Ha-Rin and Kim Eun with a sweet smile.
Ha-Rin smiled back at Luciel, watching her and Su-Yun leave the classroom then looked back down at her notebook. Woo-Yi began to feel slightly antsy, noticing Luciel's gaze upon Ha-Rin had grown more intense since yesterday. Ha-Rin paid it no mind, continuing to act natural and writing her notes.
Kim Eun scoffed and turned around to walk back to her seat, glancing over at So-Yi and Hyeon Bae then noticed the two staring at her. "What? You two lost mutts want something since you're staring so hard? You're both F Rank, I'd advise you to avert your gaze."
"Or what?" So-Yi challenged, standing up from her seat then set her pen down.
Kim Eun was taken aback for a moment at So-Yi's sudden burst in confidence and bravery, letting out a confused scoff then stepped toward So-Yi. "Or else I'm gonna rip your eyes from your skull...what's what. You survive a little stray path yesterday and now you think you're some hot stuff now?"
"Or maybe...it's that we have unfinished business? It's Friday, so we have four whole periods to ourselves today. You've been feeling yourself recently, but I think it's time to take someone with blue laffy taffies in their hair down," So-Yi retorted, her tone tinged with confidence and calculated provocation.
A few snickers and sounds were heard through the class, a few students holding in their laughter from So-Yi's joke while others acted as if they didn't hear anything. Kim Eun's left eye twitched with annoyance, the blue highlights in her hair beginning to faintly glow as she awakened her energy points.
So-Yi watched as Kim Eun began to flare up, her right eye flashing as she felt a buzz in her pocket. 'Playing by the books and getting reactions...I should have gained some Ambition and Charisma scores for that...'
"So, you got jokes now all of a sudden? Heh...well, joke on this!" Kim Eun roared, launching a spinning right hook toward So-Yi and released a small burst of wind from her arm.
So-Yi phased through Kim Eun's attack with a sidestep, allowing the gust of wind to blow the belongings of her classmates' desks. She stumbled backwards and placed her hand upon her desk, secretly planting her Silver Swallowtail upon her desk.
"Yo, watch out!" Yom Seul-Ki exclaimed, letting out a groan as she had to lean over to pick up her papers from the ground. "Take that shit outside!"
"Hey!" Pyo Yu-Ni grunted softly, letting out a timid whine as she barely caught her metal cup from before it could hit the ground.
Kim Eun rose an eyebrow, glancing over at So-Yi with confusion on how she avoided her attack. "What the hell was that? You wasn't able to do any of that yesterday or ever since you came here."
"Hmm, you learn a lot of tricks when you're a military child and in the wilderness," So-Yi said, reaching inside her pocket then threw some dust at Kim Eun's face before running out of the class at high speeds.
Kim Eun groaned loudly as the dust got into her eyes, letting out a frustrated yell as she wiped the dust from her eyes and chased after Sang So-Yi. Hyeon Bae and Jiahn gasped as they watched So-Yi bolt out of the classroom, wondering what she had planned.
Sang So-Yi glanced behind herself as she ran down the halls, seeing an angry Kim Eun dashing through the long corridors to get to her. She quickly pivoted around and stopped in her tracks, blocking the first punch Kim Eun threw then dodged the next. So-Yi deflected Kim Eun's third strike before countering with a staggering palm strike to Kim Eun's stomach.
Kim Eun grunted in slight pain as she staggered one step back, recovering quickly enough to catch So-Yi off guard with a palm strike to her face. So-Yi groaned softly as she stumbled backwards, covering her nose then looked up to see a roundhouse kick headed her way.
So-Yi ducked under the roundhouse kick then hopped backwards and crow hopped forward, striking Kim Eun's face with an electrifying Superkick, blue lightning flashing upon impact. Kim Eun groaned as she was sent flying, rolling backwards along the ground in recoil.
Kim Eun recovered upon one knee, shaking her head lightly then glanced up at Sang So-Yi with confusion. 'What is this..? Before she could barely even dodge an attack from me, but now...she's matching me? A B+ Rank?!'
"I don't know what's happening...but I refuse to lose any fight to an F Rank!" Kim Eun yelled, using a burst of wind to propel herself toward So-Yi.
So-Yi phased through Kim Eun's enzuigiri kick, keeping a close eye on her as she landed to phased through her second kick to her midsection. She continued phasing through her attacks then countered with a heavy uppercut, following with a swiping chop to her stomach to knock her back to the ground.
So-Yi grabbed Kim Eun by her tie then pulled her behind her then bumped her forward, pivoting around and thrusted her hand forward. A strong pulse of Spirit Energy struck Kim Eun's back, causing her to fly forward then onto the ground.
Kim Eun grunted as she slammed her fist against the white tile floors, quickly getting back onto her feet, her anger reaching new levels. "No way...no way I'm losing this fight to an F Rank...what is this? What is even happening?!"
"The only other person I ever lost to without explanation was...that bitch... Woo-Chi," Kim Eun said to herself, turning around to look at Sang So-Yi with a glare and noticed a small ember lighting up on So-Yi's chest. "What..?"
"If I wanted to, I could've by now and you realize that. If I wanted to destroy you here and now, I could with the power of Yuvah on my side. The lesson today is on Kindness, and Kindness in battle comes with mercy," So-Yi said, turning her back to Kim Eun and slipped her hands into her skirt pockets.
"Don't you dare try to preach anything to me about Kindness or anything! You think you can beat the System? You won't be able to stop anyone, Hyeon Bae won't even complete a single mission so she's stuck in F Rank!" Kim Eun retorted, her voice echoing through the empty halls.
"Go-Goken, an app that has defected your minds into thinking the fruits you produce matter more than the finished works of Yesha, more than His Fruits. You're a B+ Rank, and yet...you lost to an F Rank. So what do your works truly consist of? Where was your god during this fight?" So-Yi combatted, glancing back at Kim Eun from over her shoulder.
"That's right...the god you follow is actually Esomojisolan, St. Keiran. And sadly he doesn't answer to anyone other than his own tribe, The Esorian and the Mojisolan Tribes. You will never taste true Esorisn Divinity because you don't belong to Momoji, you belong to Yuvah," So-Yi added, turning around to face Kim Eun with her Beshin-Keh activated.
Kim Eun began to grow increasingly annoyed by So-Yi's comments, deep red and purple energy faintly surrounding her body as a Spirit of Wrath and Pride began to manifest within her. "You speak very boldly for a peasant born halfbreed...Ever since Ms. Winters and Sa Nu Rim showed up, you think you've gained authority."
"I do have authority in the name of Ascea, The Nexus! And in his name...I will cast out any thoughts you have about being better than the least," So-Yi said, one of my Sovereign Butterflies manifesting upon my shoulder as she invoked my name.
Kim Eun smirked at So-Yi and cracked her neck with a tilt of her head, her dark red and purple energy spiralling around her body powerfully. "Is that so..? It seems like someone needs a reminder of where they stand in the hierarchy!"
Sang So-Yi glanced past Kim Eun down the long corridor, noticing a Hall Monitor at the end of the path then got down into a running start. Blue lightning crackled around her legs, her muscles tensing as she used a burst of speed to charge past Kim Eun.
Kim Eun grunted heavily and rose her arms to guard against the rushing winds, but the winds were too strong for her to stand against. She groaned as she flew backwards then grunted as So-Yi struck her with a Warp Strike, her Crescent Kick sending her crashing to the ground.
"Show me where I stand, Kim Eun! I yearn to know!" So-Yi bellowed, warping to the ground as Kim Eun bounced off the ground, launching her away with a Purifying Blow.
Kim Eun grunted as her body rolled along the ground, but she recovered onto her feet by rolling backwards then leaped into the air. She began launching bursts of wind at So-Yi by kicking her feet in the air, each burst of wind ripping through the walls and tile floors in hopes of shredding So-Yi into pieces.
Sang So-Yi weaved her arms around in a circle, causing the orbs of wind to orbit around her body. My Sovereign Butterfly landed atop of one of the orbs of wind, marking it with a Warp Sigil then fluttered back to So-Yi.
"You truly think you're something special huh?! Well, allow me to show you what a TRUE Valkyria can do!" Kim Eun bellowed, charging toward So-Yi at high speeds.
So-Yi fired two of the three orbs of wind toward Kim Eun, but Kim Eun deflected them both and struck So-Yi with a rising knee to stun her. So-Yi staggered backwards, a pulse of light blue energy flashing around her body allowing her to phase through Kim Eun's follow up strike.
So-Yi countered with a critical palm strike against Kim Eun's stomach, following it with a launching roundhouse kick then pivoted around to hurl the last warping wind orb toward Kim Eun. She warped in front of it, striking Kim Eun with a staggering gut blow then phased through her wind orb. The wind orb struck Kim Eun, causing a large wind explosion and sounded the school's alarms.
〘Alert, Unauthorized Usage of Spirit Energy in Wing 12-F!〙
〘All First Responders report to Wing 12-F!〙
So-Yi smirked and warped back to her Silver Swallowtail into Class 12-A, surprising everyone around her then my Sovereign Butterfly disappeared into silver energy particles. She took her phone out of her pockets to check her notifications. "Task complete...take care of Kim Eun.."
〘So-Yi Trait Gains〙
▸ Ambition +40
▸ Talent +50
▸ Charisma +35
〘Updated Aspects〙
▸ Ambition: D+
▸ Talent: D+
▸ Charisma: D-
▸ Overall Rank: F
〘Others: F〙
--------------------------
Luciel sat in the staff office at her desk, letting out a soft exhale as she inspected the golden watch Shiro left behind to give Ye-Won. She began to wonder what type of system it contained, but left the thought in her mind as she set the watch down.
Su-Yun approached her and grabbed a seat to sit beside her, placing her hands between her lap. "Luci, what are we going to do for the class? I mean...Battle Zone 1 is like a search and destroy arena! I played a lot of games during my time, and trust me, you need a coordinated team to get through it."
"Plus, I've searched around and it has three supporting towers and a Main Tower. To get the Main Tower running, you'd need to have all three supporting towers powered on at the same time," Su-Yun continued, looking down at the notes she took while traversing Battle Zone 1.
"I see, so it's truly a team based area. How do you power up the towers?" Luciel asked, turning in her chair to face Su-Yun with a curious gaze.
"You need five people to power on one supporting tower, so 15 people for one tower and the remaining five for the main tower... however we have an issue. We only have 24 students. We need one more," Su-Yun sighed deeply, leaning back in her seat and running her fingers through her hair.
"One more...It isn't like one will just randomly be assigned to us. Besides, we joined in during the mid season of their first term, so a transfer student is unlikely," Luciel said half jokingly, opening her laptop and noticing an email from Kaguya to her.
〘Email to Luciel Winters, From: Headmistress Kaguya〙
▸ Subject: New Student
Hello, Luciel! I am sending you an email to inform you that the student who will be filling in for Min Woo-Chi has arrived, but there is a bit of an issue. In the midst of handing an incident regarding Kim Eun, unsurprisingly, we have no first responders to find the new student.
The student in question is named Mul Ir-Wol. She's a docile girl with an aquarius hairpin in her lavender hair. She's a transfer student, so she's going to be wearing a uniform from Gangga High School. Be gentle with her, she's highly emotional.
Your truly, your actual boss, Kaguya Yuta~
〘End of Email〙
"Highly emotional? Sounds like a Spirit," I said from behind Luciel and Su-Yun, letting out a soft chuckle.
Luciel and Su-Yun let out a terrified yelp, the two of them quickly turning around to see me before them as Ascea. I stood before them wearing my white robes with a single Sovereign Butterfly fluttering around me happily. I couldn't help but chuckle at the surprised reactions of the two, giving the two of them soft smiles.
"Nox..? I-I mean Ascea? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Do-hari, her family, and Woo-Chi?" Luciel asked, looking up at me with a warm smile on her face.
"Can the Father not be at more than one place at once? My Spirit can be here to assist you while my flesh attends to the Bong Clan and Woo-Chi. For now, I am here to help you find Ir-Wol," I said, glancing over at the entrance as I heard the door opening and seeing Ray enter into the staff office.
"Ahh, there you two are. Did you not get the staff email about your class? Kim Eun got into trouble once again," Ray said, walking toward the two women, unknowingly walking through my body.
'He didn't see, Nox..? That's strange...' Luciel said mentally, keeping a cordial smile on her face as she watched Ray walk to his desk.
"Ah, yes. Headmistress Kaguya just emailed us about the situation and another one we must take care of. Another of our students got lost around campus and we have to find her," Luciel said, grabbing the golden watch from her desk and slipping it into her pockets.
"Ahh, a wandering student eh? I could help you find her if you'd like. I don't mind, granted I am the school's Guidance Councilor after all," Ray said, setting down his belongings and clapped his hands together. "So, who are we looking for? Reene Kagosaki? Ko'rai Alrean? Yom Seul-Ki?"
"Actually...none of them, Mr. Ubel. We're looking for a new student, Mul Ir-Wol," Su-Yun answered, standing up from her seat as well then glanced over at me quickly to make sure Ray actually didn't see me.
Ray glanced over at what Su-Yun was looking at, looking past me and at the white board behind me. "Ahh, that's just planning for future events. Nothing too serious. How about we go find Ir-Wol and then we can discuss that, shall we?"
Luciel and Su-Yun watched as Ray approached them, grunting softly as he lightly guided the two out of the office with a light push. I followed behind the three, slowly growing more curious about Ray as he either didn't see my Spirit or completely ignored me both times.
Su-Yun and Luciel both exclaimed as they escaped from Ray's guidance once they reached outside, Ray letting out a low amused chuckle as he followed the two women around to find Mul Ir-Wol. I continued to hover behind them, my arms crossed as I kept a watchful eye over Ray yet never acted on any impulses.
"A girl with lavender hair and an aquarius hairpin...she shouldn't be too hard to find. Hopefully," Su-Yun said, glancing between the picture on her phone and the campus around her to find one girl.
Luciel searched the campus as well using her Divine Discernment to try to single out Ir-Wol through the various students and staff traversing the campus. "Mmm...I'm not finding anything either."
"Maybe try somewhere that isn't so...obvious?" I asked with a bit of playful sass, looking down at Luciel with a soft smile.
"Mmm, I don't see you doing anything to help," Luciel muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as her lips curled into a soft smile as she began to follow my butterfly to a more hidden area of the campus.
"Let's just hope we can find her before the fourth period begins. Who knows what Class 12-A can do next without our supervision," Su-Yun sighed, following behind Luciel with a light jog.
Ray followed the two women as well, wondering they were being led to go. As he followed, he recognized the familiar back alley of the campus and stopped walking before pushing up his glasses. He let out a soft exhale and slipped away from the area, allowing the two women to continue ahead alone.
Luciel began to feel a strange chill crawling down her spine, turning around to see Ray had disappeared then glanced up at me. "Where did Ray go?"
"He left you two. There must be something down this path that he must know about..." I answered, glancing behind me where I saw Ray last and planted my feet upon the ground. "You must proceed forward...and see if Mul Ir-Wol is there.."
Luciel nodded at my command then turned ahead, gently grabbing Su-Yun's hand before treading forward with Su-Yun following behind. Reaching an opening with a damaged wire fence, the two peeked inside to see three familiar girls standing under an old shed.
Su-Yun gasped in surprise, Luciel quickly covering her mouth before she could exclaim. She stared at the three girls, discerning the first two to being Ha-Rin and Woo-Yi and noticed the third girl had lavender hair just as Kaguya said. Seeing Ha-Rin, she decided to watch closer and send her Dove to land on top of the shed to listen.
Ha-Rin reached inside her pocket and let out a soft exhale, taking out a box of cigarettes and opening it then placed one in her mouth. "Aigoo...Another transfer student. One to take after our dear lost friend, Woo-Chi."
Woo-Yi stood beside Ha-Rin with a smirk on her face, the stick of her lollipop hanging from her mouth. She placed her hands upon her hips, looking the new girl up and down. "Hmph...and who might you be? To come to Grushia High School, you'd need the top level grades and peak combat performance. You look like you lack either..."
The third girl glanced between the two, giving the two of them a respectful smile and bow. "Annyeong~ My name is Ir-Wol, and this is my friend, my V.O.I.D System, Mul. We are actually B Rank Valkyrias. Gangga High School has a different grading system so my talents might my translate well here at this school, hehe!"
Ha-Rin took a short drag of her cigarette then blew out the smoke from her mouth, her eyes never leaving Ir-Wol's V.O.I.D System. 'A V.O.I.D System..? I haven't heard of those in a long time...'
Mul was a tiny humanoid android with long, wavy blue hair and deep star like eyes wearing a cute water themed dress with a plethora of blue ribbons decorated upon it. She stared at Ha-Rin and Woo-Yi with a sweet smile, waving at the two of them.
'A Valkyrian Intelligent Operating Droid...there were said to only be 13 in history. There are new ones now..?' Luciel questioned mentally, glancing up at me for clarity.
"It's been at least a century between Hisumi's Era and now...V.O.I.D Systems were bound to become abundant, but good systems are rare," I answered, looking ahead to continue watching the three Class 12-A girls.
"You must believe you're pretty special with that droid of yours huh? The question is if you deserve it more than the A Rank Valkyria, Kan Ha-Rin!" Woo-Yi hummed, waltzing over toward Ir-Wol and snatching Mul from her arms with a mischievous laugh before hurrying back to Ha-Rin.
"Hey, give her back!" Ir-Wol whined softly, chasing after Woo-Yi to reclaim her droid friend.
Ha-Rin, the perceived perfect A Rank, watched the two run around the hide out, taking another drag of her cigarette and playing with her favorite white metallic lighter. Suddenly, she turned around as she heard a crash coming from behind her.
"Yo, who put this crap here?" Ko'rai said in the background, taking down the blockage Woo-Yi worked hard to set up.
Woo-Yi gasped as she heard Ko'rai's voice then quickly turned toward Ha-Rin, watching as she gestured for her to leave Mul Ir-Wol back and escape before they were spotted. Woo-Yi tossed Mul back to Ir-Wol, Ir-Wol letting out a terrified as she hurried toward her droid before she could hit the ground.
Miraculously, a shadow hand emerged from the ground to catch Mul, the hand lowering to hand her back to Ir-Wol. Ir-Wol happily took Mul back into her arms, looking up to see the Night Terror Squad approaching her, Ko'rai, Ahmed, and Reene searching around for their fourth member.
"Well, well! A brand new face? Are you a student of Class 12—" Ko'rai began, pausing as he watched Mul Ir-Wol dash away from the trio. He looked at his two friends with confusion, letting out a surprised yell as he noticed Reene's Hachishakusama. "Girl, you can't just have Hachi out and about everywhere.."
"But she's not dangerous to friends to nice people. She even helped her! The lesson today is on Kindness right? So right did she run like everyone else?" Reene asked, looking up at Ko'rai with bright doe eyes.
Ko'rai blushed lightly at Reene's gaze, looking away from her and scratching the back of his head with a light grunt. "Erm...I honestly couldn't tell you if I tried...if I was to be honest, I'd say it's because Hachi is just staring people down..?"
"Hachi is nice!" Reene stood firmly, stomping a convicted foot down and puffing her cheeks at Ko'rai. "I'm the leader here and if Hachi wants to be out, she can be!"
"Ay, ay, Captain Reene," Ko'rai said with a light grunt, an awkward bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.
Ahmed stifled his laughter, masking it by clearing his throat but couldn't hold back his snicker. "Wouldn't let that happen to me thooo..."
Luciel smiled at the three then looked to where Ir-Wol ran off to then watched the Night Terror Squad walk off to resume their search. She slipped through the opening of the wire fence and began to investigate the area, looking around with a curious expression and began rummaging through the old rubble.
"This place is so hidden, I wouldn't have even found this area with my discernment. This definitely looks like it was an old gym, a smaller one at that," Luciel said with high intrigue, pulling out an old rusted short sword from the rubble.
Su-Yun pinched an old scarf and picked it up with an uncomfortable gaze, sniffing it and letting out a sound of disgust. "It reeks of cigarettes...yuck. This looks like the true hiding spot for our dear Perfect A Rank Queen Bee, Kan Ha-Rin. That two faced..."
Luciel hummed softly as she began hatching a few ideas in her mind, her gaze staring at the rusted chipped sword in her hand then at the old tattered light brown cloak and a broken mask resting on the ground. "I think I have an idea on what to do for the next exercise..~"
I looked over at Luciel, watching her try on the old cloak and mask then rose an eyebrow with slight intrigued. With her new attire, she looked like an entirely new person, one I recognized from Naju's Valkyrian Index. "Huh, you look like that one legendary Valkyria, IllIlI.."
"Who?" Su-Yun asked with high confusion, her cat ears going airplane mode and her brow raising with genuine perplexity. "I've studied upon literally every historical figure on Earth for the last seven years, and never heard a name like that."
"That's because her name isn't found in history books. She's known as a Chronical Hero, a name only found in The Chronicles. IllIlI was known to be a Botanist with large gold and silver scissors strong enough to slice down any foe. She's known as the Vinesever," I explained, looking over at Su-Yun with a soft smile on my face.
Luciel checked herself out in the broken mirror against the wall, noticing ethereal white energy with glass like particles flowing around her body. She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket, taking it out to see a notification from her D.A.Y System.
〘New Angel Battlesuit Gifted!〙
▸ Battlesuit: Flora Vinesever
▸ Strength: B+
▸ Spirit Control: A
▸ Speed: C+
▸ Peace: A+
〘Description: A battlesuit made in remembrance of the Botanist IllIlI. With her Twisted Scissors, she's able to cut the vines (Energy Sources, Points, and Blessings) of all targets via the power of Genesis. Known as the Peace Keeper of St. Goken's Fruit Keepers. P.S. Has a strong sense of justice, will cut all branches and vines that do not produce good fruits.〙
"Whoa, a Gifted Battlesuit? Wait, what system is that? I've never seen one that looks like...that," Su-Yun said, pointing at Luciel's phone with high interest.
Luciel looked at Su-Yun then back down at her phone, letting out a soft giggle at her question. Luciel's phone was shaped like any other phone with its outer case having soft, round angelic wings at the sides. "It's call the D.A.Y System, meaning Divine Assistance from Yuvah. It keeps track of...well it does the exact opposite of Go-Goken. It was made by a well known person known as Laneret."
Su-Yun gasped with great awe from hearing Laneret's name, her hand slightly covering her mouth. "Ms. Eternal herself? THE Laneret Noxius who's the descendant of the Great Noxius Nagini? It's strange how her name is Noxius and your name is Noxius as well."
I cleared my throat and slightly tugged the collar of my robes, closing my eyes and letting out a soft exhale. "She's...a close relative surprisingly, plus we share the same amount of intelligence so it makes sense. Besides, in Exzodian Language Noxius means Night's Revelation."
"You know...how Yesha's Second Coming will be like a thief in the night, Ascea, who was born at night? Or me, who was born at night as well under the Polaris Star? Nagini was the same way, except when you add Nagini it means Light under Darkness," I added, unable to help but feel a bit excited to explain my genealogy.
"Ahh, that makes sense....kinda," Su-Yun said, embarrassingly scratching the side of her head while Luciel giggled at her in the background.
----------------------------
The bell for lunch period rang, the students of Grushia High School all making their way through the halls to meet up at the cafeteria. Within the sea of students, Sang So-Yi, Hyeon Bae, and Jiahn Wa all walked together and continued to discuss their plans of recruiting Pyo Yu-Ni and Song Jae-in.
"Alright, this is the perfect time to recruit someone before 2:45 PM. We need to act fast or else we won't have enough people for the next lesson," So-Yi said, looking down at her phone at Yu-Ni and Jae-in's information on the Go-Goken app.
"It says on there that Jae-in really like boy groups in the K-Pop scene and Yu-Ni...she's likes...trading cards and stickers," Hyeon Bae said as she read from So-Yi's screen, walking beside her with their shoulders touching.
"Trading cards and stickers? I might have some of those in my locker from when my Hyeong brought some back home. I could also buy some from my Ji-MAN App. Does it say what she specifically likes?" Jiahn asked, looking over at So-Yi and Hyeon Bae.
So-Yi let out a thoughtful hum as she scrolled through Pyo Yu-Ni's page, a deep exhale leaving her nose. "Oh, it says here that she likes...the Mini Beast Trading Cards and the Pocket Beast Stickers. Specifically the Zodiac Edition of Mini Beasts."
"Aishh! Are we serious? Those trading cards go for at least 600 zodia a CARD! And don't even get me started on the exclusive Queen Lioness Leona Card, that one is worth your damn life!" Jiahn sighed deeply, resting her hands behind her head.
"You own a Shop for Valkyrias and Heroes, and you can't buy one card?" So-Yi asked, giving Jiahn a sly side eye.
Jiahn scoffed lightly at Sang So-Yi's slick cast of judgement, rolling her eyes and sucking her teeth. "It's not that I can't afford it. It's the principle! These damn scalpers buying up all the merchandise just to resell them at a billion times the market price? Yeah, no deal for me."
Hyeon Bae hummed with curiosity and looked ahead as she continued forward to the cafeteria, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side. "Maybe my uncle has some cards stored up at his shop..?"
"Yeah right. At a Stigmata Shop like Aetherpoint? You'd be lucky to even get a piece of candy from that store," Jiahn said with playful doubt, glancing over at Hyeon Bae and grunted in slight shock once Hyeon Bae pulled out bag of candy from her bag.
"Hehe~ My uncle does think about me and Eomma a lot! Since I'm always going there at night, he keeps a lot of candy for me. The candy helps keep my powers at bay though, so it's a quirk for me!~" Hyeon Bae beamed, plopping a pineapple flavored candy ball into her mouth with a hum.
So-Yi and Jiahn glanced at each other then back at Hyeon Bae, Hyeon Bae looking at then with an innocent gaze and smile. She offered the two of them a piece of candy, in which the two happily accepted along with accepting the fact that Hyeon Bae's uncle was more than what they've heard.
The trio made it to the cafeteria and got their lunch trays, the three of them making their way to a table to sit together at. Sitting down and enjoying their lunch, So-Yi began to scan the cafeteria for either Pyo Yu-Ni or Song Jae-in with a watchful eye. Finding Jae-in sitting alone and watching a video of a live concert happily, she gestured to Jiahn and Hyeon Bae that she was going to get.
Sang So-Yi stood up from her seat then made her way toward Song Jae-in, peeking over her shoulder to see what she was watching. "Whoa, you're watching 'Night Chaser'? Aah, Remi looked so hot on the stage last night!"
Song Jae-in glanced over at So-Yi, taking an earbud out of her ear and watched So-Yi sit beside her with her lunch tray. "Mwo? You're in the Serenade Fan Club as well? Really?"
"You too? Ugh, I love Serenade so much," So-Yi giggled softly, scooting closer to Song Jae-in and began to engage with the concert video with her.
"Me too, ahh! I'm so glad someone else loves this group!" Jae-in fangirled, restarting the concert video for So-Yi and gave her an earbud so she could listen.
Jiahn watched as Sang So-Yi smiled and laughed with Song Jae-in, raising a curious brow and took a sip of her juice. "Who knew she could be a little socialite? It's almost uncanny seeing her smile and be so happy like this."
"I guess. She can smile and laugh when we aren't at school. This place keeps you on edge, but So-Yi is actually extroverted. It's just Class 12-A is filled with wolves in sheep's clothing," Hyeon Bae said, giving one of her chicken nuggets to Hoon, her Spirit Hound happily accepting it.
After a few moments of spending time with Song Jae-in, Sang So-Yi got up from the table to return to Jiahn and Hyeon Bae. Sitting down in her original seat, she set her phone down upon the table and exhaled softly.
〘So-Yi Trait Gains〙
▸ Charisma +50
▸ Empathy +40
▸ Passion +35
〘Updated Aspects〙
▸ Charisma: D+
▸ Empathy: D-
▸ Passion: D-
▸ Overall Rank: F
〘Recruit Failed: Unable to recruit others as F Rank.〙
"I managed to become her friend, but due to the rules of Go-Goken, recruitment for me and Hyeon Bae is impossible since we're F Rank. We can only recruit other F Ranks and Jae-in is a D Rank Valkyria," So-Yi explained, glancing over at Jiahn and crossed her arms.
"Just like how I did it, just talk to her about K-Pop and she'll come around. It all comes down to you because you're C+ Rank now. Just...be more..." So-Yi started, gesturing at Jiahn with her hands. "More... feminine..."
"You don't think I'm girlie enough to connect with Song Jae-in about some measly K-Pop? Tuh! Watch this," Jiahn scoffed, standing up from her seat then walked over to Song Jae-in then stood behind her to look at the concert on her phone. "Hey."
Jae-in glanced up at Jiahn, her body slightly jolting in shock from Jiahn's strong demeanor. "Y-Yeah? What do you want, Jiahn?"
Jiahn pointed at Jae-in's phone screen, gesturing at the concert that was playing. "Who are they? They seem funny."
"What?" Jae-in said in perfect English, raising a brow and looked Jiahn up and down. "Why are you picking on them? Tch! A Shopkeeper like you wouldn't know about good music."
Jiahn stood there in shock and confusion, watching as Jae-in stood up and walked away from her with her tray in hand. "Huh..?"
Hyeon Bae hummed softly then looked over at So-Yi, noticing her eyes closed and her lips slightly puckered in attempt to hold in her laughter. "So-Yi, I can see you right now. Why are you trying not to laugh?"
"I'm not laughing... I'm praying..." So-Yi answered while keeping her laughter in, covering her face with her hand and leaned forward against the table.
Sang So-Yi knew that it was going to be a long two hours before they could successfully recruit Jae-in and Yu-Ni due to them having to only rely on Jiahn for recruitment. Though, their chances of recruiting Jae-in failed, the three knew they still had time before the fourth period began and decided to strategize another plan.