Adam's POV
The week and the next were a blur of monotonous activities for me. From the morning run, to the classes after that, then my training session with Aurora, and last but not least, condensing my eighth star. I've progressed a lot these past two weeks. First, the morning runs had become less of a torture and more of a workout, and I was arriving earlier.
Normal classes were going well, and as for the combat class, I've always won against every single opponent I was paired with—though that was because I wasn't paired with any Rank 2. The combat class was one of the most productive classes, not to mention the best place to gain experience. Instructor Blake had said that only by fighting different types of opponents and going against numerous unique bloodlines do you become a veteran.
As for my training session with Aurora, to be honest, I was still reasoning why the hell someone like her would want to train me. No matter which angle I looked at it from, it just doesn't make sense. As for her excuse of wanting to keep a close eye on me—"please, I'm not a fool," I scoffed.
Then another thing happened that made me question my world. It was a few days ago; I walked into Aurora's office as usual, but before I could even utter a greeting, "Come in," Aurora said.
Come in? Ain't I already in? I said to myself.
But as if to prove me wrong, the door swung open. And in came a very familiar person.
What's she doing here? I thought.
The person in question was none other than our homeroom instructor, Instructor Cornwell. She walked in with poise, her blonde hair bouncing with every step. She didn't even spare me a glance; her eyes were on Aurora all this while. But the thing that overturned my worldview was—
"My lady, there's a message from the estate," the instructor's voice rang out across the room.
Words couldn't describe the kind of astonishment I was currently experiencing. The usual cold instructor—or rather, the no-nonsense instructor—was talking to a cadet like this?
"Close your mouth!" It was only from Aurora's words that I realized I was slack-jawed. Something I didn't think I was capable of.
Then a chilling realization occurred to me. The Big Seven have got their claws in the academy. Then what if… no, if that red-haired bastard had someone as capable as an instructor behind him, I wouldn't be thinking this right now.
"I'll review it later."
"As you wish," the instructor replied before stepping aside and heading toward the door. Chills went down my spine… or was it up?—as her gaze fell upon me.
After the instructor went out, Aurora broke the chilling silence. "Evelyn was originally my head maid, but she was very talented and reached Rank 1 at the mere age of thirty-one."
Thirty-one!? My mind was reeling. The number thirty-one was all that was echoing in my mind right now.
"Seeing as I was about to enter the academy, she applied for an instructor's position. And since the academy would accept any Rank 1 so long as said person has nothing to do with New Eden, she got the job," Aurora continued.
Hearing the explanation, it was now clear to me. "What's the youngest record for breaking through to Rank 1 though?" I found myself asking.
"It's twenty-six," she replied curtly.
"I see," I muttered. Thirty-one didn't seem so shocking anymore. "And who is it held by?"
"Eliza De Silva!"
'Of course, it would be one of the Big Seven, and is that pride I hear in her tone?' I thought, but looking at her expressionless face, 'nah I'm probably imagining it's I inwardly shook my head. By the looks of it, Aurora might—no, will definitely—break the record. And it wasn't only Aurora; it was said that this entire generation was broken. But I wasn't discouraged. If anything, what I just heard would only serve to fuel my determination to grow stronger.
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Back to the present—since I couldn't figure out why she decided to train me, and I wasn't losing anything—I simply enjoyed the services, though it was a ton of pain. I could easily beat the Adam of two weeks ago as if I were fighting an infant when it came to hand-to-hand combat or a sword fight. Not to mention the sum of three hundred points every week.
Then came my eighth star. This is the fastest I've ever condensed a star before. In just two weeks, I was almost halfway through condensing it. And the energy I could draw from the plane kept increasing, until it stabilized at five times more than I could draw before.
In short, the past two weeks have been pretty productive. Today was Friday, the last day of the week. Our break was just over after the morning run, and Owen and I were heading for Alchemy class. Apparently, Tokito was in the Artificing class. We were among the last to get in, just before Instructor Connor showed up.
Owen went to sit at the front, just beside Ashley—even though he vehemently denied her being his girlfriend when Tokito and I confronted him. It was last weekend; we were lounging in the restaurant when Tokito brought it up.
"Say, Owen, I heard you had a girlfriend."
"Of course. I told Adam I would teach him how to live life, but he refused," Owen replied with a roguish grin.
"Oh? Who is she?" Tokito asked with a sly smile.
"You don't know her," Owen smirked.
"It's that girl who asks a lot of questions in class, isn't it?" Tokito said with a knowing smile.
"Which girl?!" Owen asked, confused. At this point, I began to lower myself back away from the table.
"Ashley, of course. Do you think we're fools!?" Tokito replied, still smiling.
Visible veins appeared on Owen's forehead. "The fuck you're talking about—I can't even stand that girl!" Owen exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah. Do you think we don't see you making faces at her in class? Besides, Adam said you always sit down with her in Alchemy class," Tokito shot back. "Ain't that right?" he turned to me.
"I didn't say nothing," I hurriedly defended as Owen also turned to me. And from the look of it, he wasn't buying it.
"Fine!" I admitted. "But in my defense, you're really always sitting with her in Alchemy class." It was the truth—he couldn't deny it.
"Why would you even think that!? She's not my girlfriend," he denied. "In fact, we can't stand each other."
We left the talk like that, and here he was—sitting beside her again. Well, none of my business.
"Today, you all are going to try potion-making," Instructor Connor began. "I trust you've memorized all the workings of the basic potions. Today we're putting those workings to practice. Now, on the table before you are the ingredients for the Samsara potion—otherwise known as the regular healing potion." The moment she said that, the previously empty table before me was now equipped with various apparatuses and the ingredients for a basic healing potion.
Probably had something to do with her bloodline, I thought.
"Now I want you to follow the steps explained in the making of the Samsara potion. I will award the first twenty cadets who succeed a hundred points," Instructor Connor announced, causing a stir among the cadets.
—"Damn, a hundred points just like that!?"
—"I should have memorized the steps."
—"Quit wallowing, I'm trying to work here," said a cadet who had already started setting his apparatus.
I also got to work. "All right, first—the ingredients," I muttered to myself. There were three main ingredients to make the Samsara potion. The first and most important one was the Samsara grass. It was a chunk of grass with stripes of blue and white. It possesses healing capabilities when used correctly in a potion; otherwise, it was notoriously poisonous.
Next was the Casted Flower. It was a gold-colored flower with heart-shaped petals. It had both healing capabilities and also gave the potion its golden color.
Then there was the Azure Mint. It's supposed to make the potion taste good, which in my opinion, it was doing a very bad job of. I mean, the potions taste like shit.
After that was the liquefying agent. It was a liquid that liquefies the ingredients.
And last but not least, the Serene Dust. It's the catalyst used to speed up the reaction.
"All right, time to start," I muttered. "First, set the temperature at sixty degrees," I said, repeating the exact line from the steps. Now, the table in the Alchemy class was a furnace, but if the instructor hadn't said it, I would have remained clueless. I mean, it looked like any other table.
Tapping the side of the table, a hologram sprang up. It showed the functions and controls of the furnace. I slid my hand over the bar designating temperature and took it up to sixty degrees.
"Then pour the liquefying agent into the cauldron," I repeated the steps. I then poured the liquefying agent into the bowl-shaped cauldron which was already on the furnace.
"Once the liquid is heated to thirty degrees, pour in your ingredients."
—Three stalks of Samsara grass,
—Three petals of the Casted Flower, and
—Five leaves of the Azure Mint.
Once I had done these steps, then came the next.
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