CHAPTER 26
The moment the batch were done with their test, they were swiftly teleported to a different place.
Now standing in front of them was a huge building that dominated the space, looking about two stories tall, with a few smaller structures scattered around its sides.
Standing at the steps of the massive building was a man with his hands crossed behind his back, his posture rigid and authoritative.
Ray quickly turned around to observe others who had completed the testing before them.
They were already waiting and chatting amongst themselves, no doubt trying to form connections and size one another up.
The moment they were teleported, Trisha and Chloe walked away from the group to stay alone, while Ray subtly pulled Van away from Kai as they stood off to another side.
"To those that have just arrived, kindly hang on for the others to be done so I can address you all together."
"... So, what should we be doing?" Kai trailed off as he realized that the people he aimed the question at were nowhere to be seen, having disappeared into the growing crowd of Aspirants.
***
"What happened? Why have you been avoiding that 'Kai' guy?" Van couldn't help but ask, having already deduced why Ray dragged him into the crowd.
"... He smells like trouble."
Van tilted his head in confusion.
"'Smell'? What are you now? A dog? Haha~."
Ray simply clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, deliberately ignoring Van, who had his hands shoved into his pockets, purposely burying his grade level from view.
Ray wasn't afraid of anybody and had no intention of hiding his own grade.
Even though he wasn't overwhelmingly strong like Kai or Trisha, he wasn't about to let anyone walk all over him.
Strong or not, they all needed to know their place and understand that crossing him would come at a cost.
And with his new system, he would make sure to weaponize it properly against his foes….
'Wait! System. That's right. I got a message.'
Quickly blocking out the surrounding noise, he opened his system and navigated to the last message he had received.
[Congratulations: New attribute received]
'Attribute?'
Clicking on it with his mind, the description was displayed before him.
[Perception: This attribute measures how well Host notices, senses, and reacts to his surroundings, including danger, movement, and openings before they happen.]
'Oh. And if I were to guess, I got this from the spike test eh? I did feel my head overloading with information as I tried avoiding it. It was like my senses were being stretched and sharpened.'
"Stats."
[Status]
[Name: Ray Dawson]
[Age: 15]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 1]
[Exp: 0/100]
[HP: 10/10]
{Attributes:}
[STR: 8]
[AGI: 9]
[INT: 7]
[PER: 4 (new)]
'... Just four points? Tsk. That's quite low, not going to lie.'
He began scrolling mentally, examining each and every attribute carefully.
While he practically surfed through the interface, trying to catch a hidden loophole he could exploit from the system, more and more Aspirants began appearing continuously.
Minutes stretched into nearly two hours as the crowd steadily grew, and after a few more moments, the man standing on the staircase clapped loudly, the sharp sound echoing across the area.
"Finally. You are all complete, so let's begin."
Ray lifted his head as Van subtly shifted closer to him.
"... Welcome, Aspirants, to the Aspirant Corps. I'm Millitant Chuck, and this is the Aspirant Corps.
A place where the brave and powerful are forged, whether you are a meta or not. You all have equal roles to play and contribute to the safety of humanity."
The man paused briefly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the silent crowd of teens.
"Before we go in, I just need to briefly explain some things you need to know and expect, so listen attentively and try your best to remember every single thing I'm about to say."
After making sure that everybody was listening and no one was making noise, he continued:
"First off. Your training is going to last a year. No more and no less. After you are done with your training, a higher-up would assess you guys, and when they deem you and your achievements worthy, you can then choose which corps you would like to join.
And if you want to join a faction, you are free to go. As long as you aren't using the Blade family's signature ability, that is…"
Ray, upon hearing this, frowned as he glanced back at Van.
'... So this is actually why he didn't accept the ability book. He must have realized that it was a trap to bait vulnerable humans and wrap them tightly around their fingers. I never knew these guys were this dirty.'
Oblivious to Ray's thoughts, Chuck continued:
"Around your wrist is a smartwatch. It has been fitted with advanced AI features crafted by one of the big four. It's not just to display your grade, it will also show you all the spots in this corps.
Be it your dorms, your homeroom class, training grounds, or the library. It will show you the direction to all these places."
Ray nodded along as he tapped his watch with a small, almost imperceptible smile.
"... Also, this place is a place where brave fighters are born, so you can also challenge yourselves to duels or fights. Just don't overdo it and cause something lethal, otherwise you will be expelled from this place."
Chuck paused, letting silence pervade the air for a moment as his words hung heavily.
"....."
'Damn it! This is bad for me and Ray.' Van's heart began thumping loudly, but thankfully, it was drowned out by the surrounding crowd.
He began glancing over his shoulders, paranoid.
'... This rule and loophole is perfect for bullies. They can now do as they like, and we will be at the receiving end.'
He gulped as the Millitant continued:
"Also, every single day, you will all be given ten free credits to get whatever you want within the academy. Food is free here as long as you get to the cafeteria on time.
Every morning by six am, you all need to be on the field for your physical training, which will last for about two to three hours.
Then you will be allowed to have breakfast for thirty minutes before heading over to your homeroom class.
After that, the last class for the day is your aspect class. That will be explained properly in your homeroom class."
Ray showed no outward reaction as he listened calmly.
"One last thing; for just five minutes, your watch will display your room number and guide you to your room. Since this is the largest batch we have received in a while, it's going to be three per room.
So don't come over complaining about who you got. Manage and try to get along with them. That's all for now."
"... Welcome once again to the Aspirant Corps. You can now head in and begin the next torturous phase of your life."
Chuck finished speaking as he stepped aside, clearing the path to the huge double doors that led inside.
'Well, this is it. Here we go.' Ray exhaled deeply as Aspirants began moving excitedly toward the entrance.