Rei quickly adapted to his new life, courtesy to the ancient being that resided in him and the sorcerer assault team he was in or so called 'special sorcerer classes: assault division' that he took notes of the class. He had trained for hours until he fell to his own exhaustion prior to the weapon mistress: Rinka Yamashita, the orange haired girl that he fought first-hand which got his own ass handed back to him upon learning not to underestimate anyone ever again since his first mistake in his old school. Eunji and Rinka didn't even spare him from the quick spar or so 'one sided' fight which ended with him being more injured than usual, immediately making him go through intense training at their simulation training area which he found impressive due to how they can simulate everything almost realistically. The training consisted of a lot of variations: rescue training, team fight training, combat training and lastly the special forces training which included stealth, quick fights and long patience training. Rei would've lost focus in his training if it weren't for the being within him giving him praises and some wisdom.
"You're gonna give up like this? I expected you to be stronger than what I saw for the last few years… don't even bother trying to give up… after all, you may not just limit yourself to danger but to everyone you care and love be put in danger all because of your negative thinking."
Its words burned in Rei's soul knowing the being is right, especially when he had gotten this far already. He continued to work hard and diligent which surprised Rinka and Eunji how much he had improved in such a short time. While that has happened, his situation as a vessel to the ancient being soon to diminish due to how much improvement he had shown in his class regarding in theory or physical practices. His grades skyrocketed the moment he caught up to the school's lectures and classes, immediately getting an 85% grade which was highly impressive for someone who only got started for 4-5 weeks prior to unfortunate circumstances. "Therefore, the theory is false due to lack of evidence in using mana power and physical testing to execute this experiment." Rei finished his presentation to the class as the used to be quiet during his first weeks was now clapping their hands for his performance.
"Excellent." The professor in charge said as she pardoned Rei to leave early for such a great presentation.
As Rei left class, he was surprised by his new friends; Hinata who's waving at him cheerfully, Haruki and Erika who's arguing with each other again. "What are they arguing about this time?" Rei asked as he walked along with them. "Oh, it's who's stronger again… you know? The Fallen or the Headmaster…" Hinata sighed as they heard the two bickered even louder.
"No way. The professor wouldn't lose to some so-called ancient deity." Haruki argued. "You doofus, you do know that the Fallen had slaughtered anyone who stood in his way before?" Erika countered as she was close to throwing a slap at him. "Well, what if he only earned that because no one else was as strong as them?" Haruki countered back as he started to get annoyed.
Rei and Hinata could only sigh as the ancient being within him didn't help either by being amused in their discussion. "Can you not do that please?" Rei said through the mental link with Keith, "It's already a hassle to deal with them. Don't add more things into the-" Keith interrupted him as he manifested a mouth on Rei's left cheek. "I don't know but then I remember fighting the Black Reaper. One of the best fights that I ever had." He exclaimed proudly before returning Rei's cheeks back to normal while residing back in him. Rei and Hinata sighed as they heard the two bickers even louder, the argument seemingly never to end until they stumbled upon Eunji. "Senior! Who's stronger?! The Fallen or Headmaster?!" The question made Eunji raise an eyebrow before she gave out an answer to them which ended the debate.
"I have seen the way 'The Fallen' had used his techniques and Headmaster's techniques. But in close combat quarters, I'm not sure since I haven't seen how he fights compared to Headmaster. Although the mana reserves are what made sure that 'The Fallen' is superior in it. However, when it comes to overall judgment I'd say, 'The Fallen' would win." She stated as she found the two started to get physical in their argument, either slapping or hitting each other which she found amusing.
"Senior… Why…" Rei cried dramatically as he felt drained from such drama that was happening upon him. Eunji stared for a bit before explaining more to stop the discussion between Erika and Haurki, "To be fair, the headmaster wouldn't be able to stop it alone despite its current level. After all, 'The Fallen' grows strong in each fight is what makes him a terrifying catastrophe. That's why the headmaster created the Sorcerer Assault Team to handle future threats like him. To avoid making them stronger…" Her explanation gave the group a grim expression as they thought what would have happened if Rei succumbed to letting such calamity take over him if he managed to have full control of his body and power. Would they be able to save Rei without killing him or would they have to put him out of his misery to ease his pain upon gathering all of the marbles that Keith needs to regain his full glory?
"Funny how all of you are struggling with deciding what to do with us but don't struggle killing those who are not humans?" Keith scared all of them as he manifested himself. "Why are you struggling? Is it because he's a human or...", his sudden pause made everyone pause and feel uneasy? "Is it because he can feel emotions like a human despite being a vessel?" his tone was all cruel as if he was mocking them.
"W-What are you talking about?" Rei asked which broke the silence that they had moments ago. Keith only smirked as he mocked him, "That's for me to know and for you to find out… After all, … You need to be strong ~" the tone at the end gave everyone a shiver in their spines, fear coursing through their body as if a calamity would soon happen.
Rei had received his uniform which was customized to his preferences for both combat and casual wear. His uniform consisted so much pockets that could hide a lot of things in which he thought that it was an overkill to put these much until getting an explanation from Eunji and Rinka that it was standard procedure since they may use all those to bring their own survival kit, weapons, evidence gathering and artifact collection. After all, they are sorcerers and not normal users or blanks living a daily life. Rei almost forgot about the tragedy since he's been occupied with his new friends if it weren't for Keith reminding him about the horrors of this new life, he's getting accustomed to as a sorcerer.
"Today's task is to scout the premises. If there are circumstances that you need to fight, don't hesitate to fight. Our goal is to make sure that we are protecting the citizens and getting rid of the rough sorcerers or rough monsters. Alright?!" Eunji said loudly with a manner of a general which made Keith give his respect for her attitude and discipline. "Yes! Ma'am!" Rei responded quickly and instinctively, reminded of his middle school days before he awakened his prowess since he joined the scouts club before.
The things he noticed were the procedures before scouting, preparation of using tools and equipment such as handguns, swords or spears like Rinka's equipment who had a spear on her back, a handgun on her right and left side of her waist then lastly the dagger that is strapped on her boots. Rei took a glance at Eunji' equipment, a katana on her left side and a pair of curved daggers on her lower back which was covered by her coat. He couldn't help but sigh as he had troubles trying to use what equipment was fit for him since training with Rinka for weapons usage. He had tried his birth right by using a traditional katana but couldn't wield it to his style, a whip he tried to use managed to hit himself in the head which made Keith laughed out loud during that session which broke the two girl's persona to stay professional as they laughed at him, then the gun was average but Rei couldn't use it best to his advantage as a close combat fighter. They have tried all sorts of weapons for him, such as the long sword, spear and daggers which was almost close to his perfect combat style in close quarters however it felt that something was missing whenever he trained his best with all types of daggers.
"Huh?" Rei muttered out as he saw two irregular shaped sickles on the display. The long razor-sharp of the sickles was perfectly crafted for slicing the enemies from how it was made, and the handles were made perfectly for gripping on it. "Are you sure about that?" Rinka called out as she walked in along with Eunji. "You do know that would be more difficult than the daggers… right?" Eunji said as she was surprised on how Rei wielded one of it on his hand, demonstrating it perfectly with the way he moved wrists and letting the sickle be a part of him.
"I think I'll try using this first… If it works, I'll train with it along with the daggers and if not then I'll just stick with the daggers." Rei said as he grabbed the necessary equipment for bringing the sickles with him that's now strapped on his back.
Rei couldn't help but have a deep connection with the weapon of choice he chose, feeling like he could keep up in this new lifestyle if he had it by his side. As the scouting mission began, Rei was immediately paired up with Eunji for a little longer due to Rinka being more aggressive than usual since their goal was to secure the bandits and kill the rogue sorcerers that had done atrocious crimes. Rei couldn't help but have the feeling of safety since he was with Eunji until their communication went off with Rinka sounding panicked and worried.
"EUNJI! THEY HAVE BACK UP WITH THE ARCHMAGE!"
Rei ran quickly with Eunji as they tried to assist Rinka although most of their time was almost wasted over the fact that they've been running in circles until Eunji pointed it out after seeing a slight glitch in their surroundings. "A temporary illusion barrier, how great… Rei… This is your first lesson from your seniors… To get rid of the barrier like this…" she said out as she started to overwhelm herself with her aura while explaining herself in the process, "You either find the caster to break by disrupting their focus or you overwhelm them with your power by surrounding yourself with lots of mana power to break the construction itself." She finished explaining as soon as the barrier shattered piece by piece.
The way how the barrier shattered amazed Rei as this is the second time he has witnessed how an actual sorcerer would fight compared from what he had heard from his school before. Calm, reserved and cunning as he saw Eunji powered up seriously as she manifested a barrage of ice spikes towards the archmage wearing a ragged cloak. "Fucking mortal… How are you able to break it with such mana power…!!!" Its dialect is way too complex for Eunji and Rei to understand, "A woman as well… But then it would be great to have a sex slave once I got rid of the brat and put you in your place!!!" It continued while eyeing Eunji's curves with such degeneracy from the way they showed their manners.
Rei sprung into action as he imbued his mana to his dual sickles as he tried to slash the archmage which ultimately got blocked with a spell that deflected him. "Ok… The spell he used is not that strong judging from the aura it emitted… It is only designed to block quick and precise attacks…" He noted as he made an opening once again by dashing to the archmage with his sickles. The moment his sickle hit the spell shield; he immediately used his other sickle to catch the archmage off guard as he managed to slash their chest which ultimately led Eunji to use it as an opportunity to land the final hit. Her hand glowing a bright blue as her palms struck them right on the injured chest.
"Absolute Zero…" she muttered as the ice formed around their chest before lots of spikes went through them, killing the archmage in the process.
Rei didn't expect the brutal execution but if this is how a sorcerer would do daily or on duty then he has a lot of things to do in order to have a strong resolve like her. After all, taking another one's life is the same no matter how different their species are which makes his moral judgment waver. Was this what Keith is referring to if they could take his life away easily compared to those they deemed wicked and irredeemable. Rei couldn't help himself but felt guilty despite knowing that their life was on the line whether Eunji could manage to defeat it by themselves. "Rei!" Eunji's voice caught him away from his thoughts as it was getting darker in each moment and second of his inner dialogue. "Yes?" He responded in a surprise manner that caught her attention. "I was asking you if you're okay or needed time to recover." Her explanation made him feel at ease knowing that she either understood his situation or assumed what he was feeling at the moment.
"I-I'm fine… Just a bit shaken up… You know… Since this is the first time I'm on an important mission as a sorcerer." He said while pausing in between his words from either thinking too much of the situation. "H-How do you deal with this?" He asked timidly which surprised himself since he hadn't shown this side of him since childhood and before being awakened. Eunji gave him a look that had a serious expression and yet surprisingly a soft and gentle look. "It's never easy but you either get used to it by ignoring or accepting what has happened already." She said before continuing. "Although, I would prefer remembering that I've done this for the best knowing that I could prevent future disasters." Her words gave Rei a sense of hope and reassurance to his morality which he accepted to himself. However, Keith could only scoff at the words Eunji had spoken which got him smirking to himself. "How cute ~ I wonder how long you mere mortals could cling to those the moment you lose more of what you care the most…" He muttered to himself.
Rei and Eunji rendezvous with Rinka after they had sealed the archmage's body into a scroll that Eunji was carrying with her. While Rei waited for them to finish as he started mind storming on what he can do to improve as a sorcerer. "Is he doing well?" Rinka asked Eunji as she looked in his direction before returning her attention back to her. "Honestly, I have no clue since I'm used to it already and I've always worked alone or with you." She replied while sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. "He was shaken up a while before I gave him some reassurance." Rinka looked surprised at her. "You? Saying some things to him for reassurance? That's new…" Eunji nodded at her as she responded back. "Got myself surprised too. Can't believe that it even worked as well without sounding bad or too professional as well." She sighed again while Rinka only scoffed at her.
Eunji appreciated her playful teasing since it was the only thing she found reassuring when on a mission that can put her in such a tight spot. The two sorceresses felt a power spike as they look in the direction where Rei was, they were surprised to see him somewhat meditating while his mana was leaking but what surprised them the most was how his mana was turning slightly into like a crystal and liquid like substance floating and forming around him in a red and purple color. It went on for a few minutes before it halted when Rei got startled by Eunji and Rinka's voice. "I'm sorry. Did something happen?" He asked while being unaware of what he had done when he was meditating. "Yeah. You activated your prowess and started to perform a technique-" Rei cut her off as he was surprised by her answer. "Wait. A technique? You mean like those things you and Yamashita-senpai can do?" He asked while Rinka raised an eyebrow as she nodded her head while Eunji explained more. "Yes. A technique is like an extension of what you can do with your prowess. Like Rinka's Blood Manipulation prowess that grants her technique to create weapons or advanced skills like hardening." Her explanation made Rei shocked which confused the two sorceresses. "But I can't develop other techniques with that explanation of yours." His response made the two women confused before Rei explained his reasoning. "My prowess is Aura Manipulation. My only techniques based on what I've learned around here are mimicry and enhancement depending on what prowess is active around me…" He explained as Eunji and Rinka looked at him dumbfounded.
"If that's the case then how did you do that then?" Rinka asked while Rei only shrugged in response. They started to focus again later on as they went back with their usual routine after arriving back at the campus after their mission. From having a close experience of melting down by seeing someone or 'thing' die before his eyes to writing some report and signing documents in the same classroom for this special extracurricular class that he was assigned by the headmaster. He now understood why Eunji was always tired and looked dead whenever he saw her or encountered her in the hallways during break time and going to different classes. "Eunji-senpai. I've finished writing my statement for the report and signed the other files that were used for this case." He called out as he carried everything before handing it all to her on the desk. "Great work. I'll review them after finishing mine. You can go ahead and have your break." Eunji said as she adjusted the large rounded glasses she was wearing.
As he left, he was surprised to see how dark it was already when it felt like he just left school in the evening. Rei checked his phone and saw a lot of messages but he checked the time first since he was still getting used to this lifestyle. "9:30? That's the first time being out late from school and still on campus." He muttered to himself before smiling as he read through the messages on his phone. Messages ranging from simple questions, random jokes, looking out for him by sending files for the homework he missed by the classes he shared with his friends.
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Sylvie Chat Log
Sylvie: Take care, Rei. I hope you're doing well there.
Sylvie: Don't try to fail your classes because I'm not there to help you.
Sylvie: Especially with math.
Sylvie: Anyways, I want you to take care of yourself and always remember that I'll stay by your side even if everyone is against it.
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Hinata Chat Log
Hinata: Got the theory assignments and notes for ya!!!
Hinata: Just pick them up when you arrive back at the dorms or at the Headmaster's office.
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Haruki Chat Log
Haruki: Dude
Haruki: Quick Question
Haruki: Wat u think could happen if u copied my prowess then combined it with Hinata or Erika's prowess?
Haruki: Maybe Jeong-senpai's prowess as well?
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Erika Chat Log
Erika: You gonna look like Jeong if you keep being stressed out with those extracurricular classes lol.
Erika: Mimic ahhh dude
Erika: Fuk u btw for using my prowess and knowing more than me
Erika: Promise to teach me how to use my prowess better tho
Erika: :))
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He was surprised when seeing a recent notification from Eunji. He immediately opened it since he couldn't assume or know what she needed if he should go back and help her or just assume that he needs to pick up something to give it to her now or maybe tomorrow.
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Eunji Chat Log
Eunji: Your assignments are delivered at your dorms btw.
Eunji: We'll have a quick briefing for the next case next week so don't need to worry about paperwork and any documents piling in our class.
Eunji: Oh right. Tomorrow's training will be you trying to copy Rinka's ability while amplifying it. She's 0.5 higher than you but try your best to amplify it while dodging her attacks when she's using one technique.
Eunji: After that, you'll be having a quick physical test to gather your reaction time, strength, speed and stamina results since you've been training for the past week.
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Rei couldn't help but shiver from the last two parts of her message, after all, Rinka could make the entire top 10 students of his former school a run including him and win without a scratch. Her prowess was interesting since she had used her blood to create shapes or irregular patterns to either create weapons or enhance her physical abilities and traits. The first time he fought her while dealing with Eunji at the same time did not end well since he had dodged a lot of her ice projectiles like bullets that were extremely sharp. Rinka's prowess proved a lot of mastery and control since she could make faint moves that he thought would happen just like how she threw a spear before it turned into a lasso as she managed to catch him and pull him to throw a punch to his guts. He respects her for it since it takes a lot of mental focus and mana control to get a grip on activating one's technique or deactivating it especially when Rinka did it in a second during the spar.
"Looks like I got a lot to do for tonight and tomorrow." Rei muttered to himself before heading back to the dormitory to finish what he had left to do.