Zachary reached the back row, taking up the closest avaliable seat next to Andrew.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts, not paying attention to any of the reactions that were still ongoing around him
Unbeknownst to everyone else, including andrew, he was having a private duscussion with his 'Master'.
"Good job kid, this went even smoother than i expected, you'll definitely reach high priority for resource allocation in the school…"
"All thanks to you Master. If you didnt bless me with a heaven defying physique, i wouldve been stuck as a normie for the rest of my life."
"Hehe, all I did was awaken the latent potential within you, remember this is just the beginning. In due time you will shine brighter than any "star" in this small dimension."
"Of course, i will never become complacent."
….
Andrew noticed him zoned out, so he quickly made the first move without wasting any time.
"Hey whats good Zachary, I dont think ive ever seen you before at this school. Are you perhaps a transfer student?" He said, a light smile on his face, with curiosity within his stare.
Zachary looked over, he didnt expect someone to talk to him, however he did recognize Andrew.
Over the past year, he had been hearing of his name around the school periodically. Went from being a completely average and ordinary student in terms of grades, apperance and strength into becoming one of the tops of the class like a lightning bolt.
He saw how he failed to awaken, and guessed in his heart maybe he was just trying to get close because he saw the scene just now.
However he was not gonna be an asshole, he gave a light smile back.
"Hello Andrew, ive actually always been in this school believe it or not. Always bottom of the class in every single subject, so you probably never took note of my presence."
Andrew reached out a hand, "Well its nice to actually meet you then, feel free to let me know if you need any help in basic body work."
Zachary smiled back, but he knew this was gonna be unnecessary as his master would help him reach the top faster than anyone else could.
"Okay, well i will say thank you in advance then!" Zachary responded, shaking the hand of Andrew firmly.
In an instant, as soon as their hands made contact, Andrew thought "Copy!"
[Hold contact for 5 seconds, copying in progress]
"Brooooo, are you fucking serious right now?" Andrew thought as he froze for a second.
One second passed, and then two seconds.
Zacahary felt a slight strangeness in Andrews actions. Not that it was odd to give a handshake to a fellow classmate, but he started to get the subtle feeling that this was starting to get a little awakward.
Andrew didnt say anything, he just looked at him with a bright expression, but in his head he was counting down the seconds.
"Um my hand?" Zachary finally said after the 4th second.
"Oh yes, my apologies, kinda soaced out for a second." Andrew slowly responded, letting the handshake exist for a couple beats longer as he finished his sentence.
Just as he loosened his grip he heard a ding go off in his head.
"Perfect, that was starting to get weird…" he thought as he quickly scanned the notification that appeared in front of his eyes, turning his body away from Zachary.
[Congratulations! Host has successfully copied his first talent! It will be stored as 'not fused' in the talent column.]
Andrew quickly looked at his status page, however he froze upon seeing it, as he noticed something was missing.
[Status: Andrew Clancy
Strength : 15 (Average = 5)
Intelligence : — (Average = 10)
Endurance : 15 (Average = 5)
Agility : 15 (Average = 5)
(Locked)
(Locked)…
Talents: Talent : Low Grade - Level 1 Space-Void Body - (2X ALL Stats, Low Affinity to the Space-Void dimension)(not fused)
Skills: Full Body Manipulation (High), Meditation (High), Pain Tolerance (Medium)
]
…
"…Ayo system… where the hell is the 'growth' tag??"
[…Host can not yet copy talents that exceed their fixed level as of now, please continue to work hard to upgrade the system in order to do so!]
"Fuck! I had a hunch something like this was gonna happen." He internally sighed, feeling that he just got scammed.
"Whatever, this is still good for now. I can tell the effects of this might be far greater than other talents even at the mid grade, when taking into account the compounding boost across all stats…"
Andrew was resolute to look at the bright side of things instead of ruminating over the inconveniences.
He knew that there would be many oppurtunities to come into contact with this protagonist, as long as he could keep up with him.
"Ill fuse with this once i get back home as to not cause a scene, i dont want Zachary to sense anything odd either…"
…..
5 minutes passed after the last awakening, conversations still rang about but slowly started to die off.
Just then, the principle appeared on the stage one more, looking quite pleased.
He cast a quick glance at the three trust fund kids, before looking at Zachary for half a beat longer than the other 3.
"Ahem… im very proud to say this has been one of the most successful years of awakening in the past 50 years!"
"I wish all of you great luck on your upcoming journeys to becoming outstanding individuals! I have faith in every single one of you."
"For now, everyone is released for the day. Go tell your parents the good news in your awakening, and class will proceed as usual tomorrow. There will be a class placement test to determine where you will start out."
"If your stats meet the requirements, you shall be given the opportunity to learn martial arts in the school. If not, then you will have to go through academic learning here as per protocol."
"Well then, I look forward to seeing you all very soon!" The principle finished, as he dissapeared what felt like seconds after he got back on stage.
Everyone was very excited, some more than others, but even those with lower level talents knew there was still potential opportunities that awaited them.
The auditorium quickly cleared out, walking out of the school, Dylan and Andrew conversed with each other.
"Haha, looks like im gonna be the one taking care of you afterall!" Dylan bragged, with a sly, giddy expression.
"Well… we shall see what happens." Andrew responded with a slightly mysterious look on his face.
"Thats the spirit! Dont be too heartbroken Andrew, your one of the most impressive people i know without a talent. I believe there will be plenty of room for you to succeed at whatever you choose to do!"
"I appreciate it Dylan, let me know what the move is and if you want to rrain together at some point. Who knows, maybe i have a latent talent that just couldnt be awoken through the orb." Andrew responded with a smile.
"Well see haha, dont fall into delusion though!" Dylan laughed before departing from Andrew as they reached the street he lived on.
Andrews gaze subtly flipped, going from light hearted to serious in an instant.
The smile never left his face, "Now its time for me to see what this talents all about for myself, Zachary…"
_____