--
Time passed by, and soon, TJ was about to face the last challenge of this semester: the final exams.
TJ had been working hard each day. He relentlessly pursued his goals, barely getting any rest in between. And his updated profile displays the result of his hard work.
**
Name: Tristan James Whitlock
Age: 16
Race: Human
Bloodline: Human
Allegiance: East Victory
Profession Archetype: Combat
Class Archetype: Warrior
Rank: 4☆ Novice (10/400)
[Skills]:
• Lotus Core Breathing Technique (Entry 0/1000)
Perks: [Healthy III], [Resistance III], [Poised III], [Purity III] (New!)
[Purity III]: Purifies the user's body, mana, and spirit by 40%
• Super Soldier Combat Technique (Entry 0/1000)
Perks: [Fighter III], [Combat Instincts III], [Combo III], [Armor Break III] (New!)
[Armor Break III]: Your attacks now have a 40% chance to break the opponent's armor.
• Flash Steps (Entry 0/1000)
Perks: [Lightfooted III], [Speedburst III], [Thunderous Thighs III], [Evasive III] (New!)
[Evasive III]: +40% chance to dodge incoming damage when using this skill.
• Fencing Lv.3 (Entry 0/1000)
Perks: [Sword Art III], [Sharpness III], [Carved Steel III], [Armor Pen. III] (New!)
[Armor Pen. III]: Attacks with your sword now have a 40% chance to penetrate the enemy's armor.
• Shooting Lv.3 (Entry 0/1000)
Perks: [Steady Aim III], [Steady Grip III], [Steady Reload III], [Armor Pen. III] (New!)
[Armor Pen. III]: Your projectiles now have a 40% chance to penetrate the enemy's armor.
• Advanced Mana Control (Perfect 0/5000)
Perks: [Better Flow II], [Faster Flow II], [Charged Flow II] (New!)
[Better Flow II]: Your mana flows 10% better through your body.
[Faster Flow II]: Your mana responds 10% faster to your will.
[Charged Flow II]: The density of mana you can control at once is increased by 10%.
• Detection Lv.2 (Perfect 0/5000)
Perks: [Range II], [Efficiency II], [Lasting II] (New!)
[Range II]: The range of this skill is increased by 10%.
[Efficiency II]: This skill's feedback is 10% better.
[Lasting II]: The effects of this skill linger longer by 10%.
• Barrier Lv.2 (Perfect 0/5000)
Perks: [Toughness II], [Efficiency II], [P.Resist II] (New!)
[Toughness II]: The barriers you create are 10% more difficult to break.
[Efficiency II]: 10% Less Casting Time, Mana Consumption, and Repair Time.
[P.Resist II]: +10% Additional Physical Resistance for the barriers you make.
**
All of his skills had experienced great changes, especially the three basic skills Mr. Eden taught at the start of the camp.
They have all evolved; the Advanced Breathing Technique turned into the [Lotus Core Breathing Technique]—a more advanced breathing technique that was available on the professional market, albeit priced somewhere around 1 to 2 million geos.
Typically, only pros at the Apprentice Rank would start learning this. Novices could only make do and be satisfied with the advanced breathing technique since most couldn't afford it.
Universities provide this technique for a large discount, but to enroll in a university, one must go through numerous tests. The requirements are strict, obviously, but for the poor noobs, this was their next best choice.
Even then, the Lotus Core Breathing Technique isn't actually the best one out there. There are many other options, better ones, but most of the time, these options are only available for those who are truly special.
TJ doesn't have any control over how the skill will evolve, and he's not really one to complain either, especially when the benefits are already this good.
The Advanced Fighting Technique and the Advanced Footwork Technique also evolved. The former became the [Super Soldier Combat Technique], while the latter became the [Flash Steps].
Again, the evolved versions of these skills were also available and still pretty common on the market, and they're also usually learned when one reaches the Apprentice Rank.
These skills are expensive. If it weren't for TJ's Boon [Limit Breaking Hard Work], he wouldn't have been able to learn any of this, simply because he was too poor. The inheritance he received from Sr. Maxwell had only enough to buy one, and if he did, that would instantly bankrupt him.
Such is the nature of a pro's life. Money was truly important. The worst part is that he, or any other pro in his situation, wouldn't be earning much anytime soon, so it's not really strange to discover that most of the upstart pros are buried in school debt.
With all of the upgrades he just got, plus the recent star-rank up he just experienced, the difference between TJ's strength now compared to his previous self was truly like night and day.
He could instantly defeat several of his old selves in a row, or even at once.
'Confident, are we? '
'You're still trash.'
'Still weak...'
'Still as pitiful and incapable as the day that deranged vampire almost killed you.'
'You have nothing to be proud of. You just got lucky.'
'Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, you guys. I'm so fucking touched.'
The voices in his head were still the same old news. Still bitter, still his biggest detractors, or his loudest humblers.
Since that night, they never said anything useful again. Bolstering his belief that he just truly heard things that one time.
"Hello! Earth to TJ!!"
TJ blinked. When his attention returned to reality, it was Lily's pout that greeted him first.
"Oh, hey. Is there something you need?"
"Nah, nothing much. But it sure would've been nice if you didn't start daydreaming about Neverland. The practical exam is about to start, you know?"
Now that woke him up. TJ stood up all of a sudden and started looking around.
"Are we late?"
"I said it's about to start, not that it already started. Calm down." Lily sighed while shaking her head. "Just don't start daydreaming again."
"Right. Got it." TJ felt relieved.
This was the final stretch, and he really can't afford to be distracted.
Being reminded of this really made TJ feel a bit emotional about how fast time flowed, especially when you're occupied.
To him, the start of the semester felt like yesterday. Now, the finals were already upon them.
TJ was pretty sure he zoned out during the written exams, too.
Anybody would be worried, but not him. Even if he somehow failed the written exam, which was nearly impossible, it wouldn't matter that much since he could just make up for it through the practical exam.
Speaking of the practical exams...
Mr. Eden appeared before them as usual, like a ghost appearing out of nowhere. He cleared his throat, and that was enough to silence all of them and get them to pay attention to him.
"We will begin the practical exams shortly. Focus, and try your best. Especially you, repeaters. If possible, I don't want to see your faces again next school year."
Muttered grunts of protest could be heard from the targeted group. Some seemed to be saying that they didn't want to be repeaters either; the rules were just too strict.
Alas, no matter how much they complained, the school wouldn't change their requirements just for them. If they really don't want to repeat another year, then they have to show some real results.
Of course, this wasn't just a reminder to them. It extends to all. Mr. Eden reminded all of them of the possibility that they'd be held back for another year. None of them were out of the woods yet, not even TJ and his friends.
"Look there," Mr. Eden ordered.
He was pointing at the sealed doors, the very same ones that he and his colleagues told the students at the start of the semester to never be curious about.
The pair of doors, the very same ones that caused one of the students to be expelled, was now opening before their very eyes.
"Don't be nervous; you can look now," Mr. Eden told them. "That's where your practical exam will take place."
Mr. Eden wasn't one to lie to trick them, so everybody looked over.
Behind the large set of doors was a wide and spacious room. It's filled with machines, some most students have never seen before.
At the center of the room lies a large machine connected to the ceiling. It was bulky with a sleek and shiny exterior. It projected several hard light rectangles, which awfully resemble system messages.
There were a bunch of computers beneath it; there were chairs and tables too.
The walls were lined with pods with glass covers. Each one was connected to the central computer through tubes running across the ceiling. The floors were covered with white tiles, and the lighting was too bright, almost making it seem like they're inside a surgery room.
"Enter slowly; don't touch anything unless you're told to," Mr. Eden ordered, and so the students obeyed.
TJ went in, obviously. He already had his suspicions upon seeing what's inside the room; they were confirmed once he went inside.
'VR Pods,' he muttered to himself.
Virtual Reality—it's one of the mainstream entertainment forms of this current era. Its possibilities were limitless, or so many would say. Unfortunately, access to it was very limited due to its price tag.
A single VR Pod, the most common and commercially available one, costs about 100 million geos at base. And that price can change depending on the demand or event.
Understandably, not many pros, especially noobs, could afford one.