The rest of the talk with Counselor Mary was mostly about trivial stuff. She would ask questions about himself and Erys and he would give a simple answer.

Eventually, she scheduled the next session for the upcoming Saturday and bid him rest well.

However, a short while after Zeke left, Mary drank one more cup of her special tea and was about to go and talk with Principal Solas only for him to come on his own.

He knocked once then stepped inside the strangely-decorated counseling room.

“Principal Solas.”

She clasped her hands and respectfully bowed, though her expression was slightly pale as if something was affecting her.

“You face could frighten a ghost, Mary.”

In response to his unnecessary remark, the young woman wryly smiled and sat down again, her hands still clasped near her chest.

The bearded elderly sat on the rocking chair in front of her and looked at the several faced-up cards on the table.

“The divination failed? As expected.”

“It’s like you told me. That System interfered.”

Solas shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and explained,“Of course it did. You are the best Mystic Diviner I’ve ever met, but the System is beyond you. It’s beyond mortal means.”

Mary lowered her head and whispered a prayer before hesitantly asking,

“What exactly is this System? Is it a deity’s blessing?”

“I’m afraid I cannot tell you, Mary. In fact, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to. I’m bound by an oath, as are many others.”

“...”

Mary sighed and after a brief silence, she switched the topic,

“His mental state seems to be relatively normal. However, I felt something ominous and sinister, Principal Solas. Ignorant as I may be, I’m certain it wasn’t the System.”

Seeing his gentle expression turn serious, she knew that her intuition was correct. However, this time, he didn’t deign to clarify.

“It has to do with the Ascetic Blasphemers, right? They almost never reveal themselves yet they targeted a 6-year-old boy? It doesn’t make sense.”

Seeing her express her morbid curiosity, Solas sighed and leaned forward, grabbing the cards and examining them closely as he spoke,

“Generally, children awaken their abilities between the age of 4 and 8. The gifted ones, especially, even awaken at the age 3.”

Mary perked her ears and listened in silence, slightly confused about what he was saying as it had nothing to do with Zeke.

“Zeke’s parents are both genetically gifted, as in they could wield Aether. It’s totally illogical for him to be a Defect, wouldn’t you agree, Mary?”

“Although the probability is low, it’s not non-existent. The knowledge humanity currently grasps isn’t enough to determine if a child will awaken or not, even if his parents are Aether-users..”-Mary

“Be that as it may, the Orland Family never had a Defect. You’re right to say that our knowledge isn’t sufficient, but at least we know that the so-called ‘Magic Gene’ is dominant, more so in families solely composed of talented and gifted people. Looking at it from this perspective, Zeke Orland is an enigma. Honestly, It was the reason I accepted his enrollment. After all, I never expected him to chance upon the System.”

“...”

There was a tense silence after that, in which Mary, with her eyebrows creased, pondered about the old man’s words.

“The media say the kidnappers, as in the Ascetic Blasphemers, merely demanded money. It has become clear that it wasn’t the case, but what could they have wanted from Zeke?”

“Think about it, Mary. He’s a Defect yet shouldn’t be one.”

She thought for almost a moment before gasping in surprise,“Y-you mean they did something to him? Like taking away his ability?! Is that even possible?”

Principal Solas let out a self-deprecating laugh as he stared back at the Counselor. “In a world like this, I don’t think that there’s anything impossible, especially if one uses Aether.”

“Wouldn’t have been better to target his older siblings, Edward or Maxine? From what I know, their abilities are considered top-notch.”

Solas solemnly shook his head and retorted, “That’s on the basis that Zeke’s ability was worse than theirs. Whatever he had, it pushed them to deploy particularly strong individuals to kidnap him. From your earlier comment, I now know that, although they succeeded, they couldn’t completely erase or steal his ability.”

“I thought that organization was composed of lunatics and non-believers. Madmen that seek only oblivion.”

Solas sighed for the second time and, after putting down the cards, stood up, “Perhaps that’s the hint, Mary. Whatever Zeke was capable of, it was something that could doom us all. Judging by the fact that you barely noticed it, I think the System, heaven-defying as it is, couldn’t even sense it. Anyway…”

Mary bowed her head to the leaving Solas, her mind still wondering about that soul-rending yet momentary aura she felt from within Zeke.

----------------------------------------

“Hah!”

Julia’s body moved in an unnatural yet flexible and agile manner as it charged toward Zeke. When she was upon him, she drew an arc with her leg, striking his right side.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Zeke was prepared for this as he raised his arms and defended, alas, he was blasted a couple of meters away, dust and dirt dirtying his uniform. Even with his enhanced physical stats, he still couldn’t absorb a direct hit from the monstrous Julia Lopmore.

‘Either the increase in numerical stats wasn’t as considerable as I had thought or she’s become stronger.’

While spitting some dirt and standing up, he stared at the grinning girl. She proudly puffed her chest and struck a comical pose,

“What do you think? I’m strong, aren’t I? Hehe…”

She rushed at him again, however, Zeke used ‘Sreyzhanian Arts’ to defend himself. His body, which seemingly moved in a slow manner, was able to catch the girl’s leg in time, but he still felt numb and momentarily unable to retaliate.

As for Julia, even with her leg caught, she wasn’t surprised, her reflexes inhumane as kicked the ground with her other leg, performing an impressive jump-kick that accurately hit Zeke’s chest.

He staggered to the back, coughing a couple of times as he bore through the pain. He could have used ‘Voltage Manipulation’ or other skills, but he wanted to improve his fighting abilities, thus he only relied on his physical prowess.

‘Fists of Fury’ was relatively slow and it wouldn’t affect Julia, even if it was strengthened by ‘Rune of Life’ or ‘Voltage Manipulation’. As for One-star Side-kick, it required precise timing and for someone as quick as Julia, it would be rendered useless.

‘Should I continue investing in the Martial Arts Path? The PE cost isn’t that high. The Fighter sub-path doesn’t that bad either.’

The sparring against Julia lasted for a little bit over an hour, after which Zeke went to do his Daily Tasks while the girl shifted her target to the dummy, blasting it with punches and kicks.

As always Azmer was being taught by the Dean, but the whole process seemed to be painful and included getting hit by the whip-like wooden stick.

Although the notice was lifted and the students were now free to leave Erys and hang out in Kethra’s Arms or other places, Zeke still preferred training in the secluded small forest. Not only was it a perfect and inconspicuous spot, but he had one of the top-ranked students as a sparring partner.

Admittedly, Julia’s talkative nature and overly-lively character were neither attractive nor motivational for a gloomy person like Zeke. Nevertheless, he had changed his mind about her, especially after she helped him with Jonathan and the tribulation. As for Azmer, the two were still treating each other like air and except for a handful of glaring contests in the dormitory, nothing happened.

Zeke wanted to teach his bully a lesson, just like with Rodrick, but he didn’t feel that confident, even after having come this far. First, Azmer was improving at an alarming rate, and after witnessing his golden flaming sword and his powerful Fire Magic, Zeke knew that relying purely on ‘Voltage’ wouldn’t work. His skills, specifically the Voltage-related one, consumed Life Aether, and if he wanted to deal substantial damage, he would need to use more Aethern than the standard cost, therefore, he wasn’t suited for prolonged battles, particularly against opponents like Azmer.

[Daily Tasks 3/3 completed!]

[+2 EXP]

[+3PE]

…

“Huh? Someone suitable?”

In the dorm room, Samuel furrowed before grinning from one ear to the other. He wrapped his arm around Zeke’s shoulder and lowered his voice,

“So you’re finally thinking of climbing the ranks? As expected of my friend and rival!”

“...”

Seeing his friend’s stone-faced expression, Samuel chuckled and continued,

“I happen to be knowledgeable about the ‘higher-ranked’ students. If you want to fight someone then I suggest Bella Bross from Class D. She’s ranked 32nd and her ability is ‘Water Cannon’.”

“32nd? Alright.”

Zeke wanted to challenge someone in the top 20, but refrained from doing so for the moment. The main reason for wanting to challenge someone wasn’t actually to climb the ranks but to test his abilities and see his weaknesses before making a judgment and spending the ample amount of PE he had accumulated.

“Y-you’re going to challenge B-Bella?”

Alan, the timid bespectacled youth heard their conversation. He looked at his two roommates with the usual embarrassed look as he fidgeted around.

From the looks of it, even the silent Azmer with his back facing them stopped whatever he was doing and threw a cursory glance at Samuel and Zeke.

“You know her?” Asked Zeke curiously.

“Well duuh! She’s his classmate and part of Francesca’s circle.”-Samuel

“Sh-... she’s a kind person.” Remarked Alan while blushing and lowering his head, his voice becoming progressively quieter.

“You make it sound as if they’re fighting to the death. It’s just a friendly battle between peers, no worries! I’ve also heard good things about Bella.”

Samuel snorted and looked at Azmer’s back, “She’s not part of the ‘bad apples’, per se. So you don’t need to worry.”

“I’m not.” Seriously replied Zeke while motioning for his friend to get up from the bed and go study.

“Ugh… I was thinking of playing a card game with you. Whatever.”

The rest of the night was uneventful as each of the four students minding their own business. After revising a bit and finishing some homework, Zeke went to bed whereas Alan and Samuel were busy with their phones.

Zeke soon fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, but amidst that strange state of resting, he heard a deafening buzz that immediately woke him up.

[Seat of Criminality requirements have been met! Crown Crystal Num.1 has been transfused into the user ‘Sulong Braveheart’.]

[Estabilishing connection…. Connection established.]

[You received 5 PE]

[You received 10 EXP]

[You obtained the Survival Skill ‘Call of Honor’.]

[Call of Honor(SS): Activate the link between ‘Voltage Sync, Zeke’, and ‘Seat of Criminality, Sulong Braveheart’; Stats of both users will increase by 50% for 5 minutes.

To use this skill, ‘Voltage Sync, Zeke’ must be close to the target (At least 20 meters).]

‘What the hell is going on?!’

….

A short while earlier, in Sulong Finance Advisement Office

Sulong and Jack stayed up late after eating a delicious dinner and enjoying some beer.

At first, Jack wanted to play Poker but, upon mentioning that, the mood grew gloomier as they missed their deceased friend, Jim.

“Dry your tears and act like a man, for goodness’ sake!”

Sulong slapped the back of his friend’s head, but the latter just sighed and looked down. He was visibly sad, which, in turn, made Sulong also feel the grief he wanted to ignore.

For the past few weeks, many things happened and none of the two were able to keep up. As much as Sulong wanted to act firm and impassive, he couldn’t.

Fortunately, Zeke’s warnings and threats, although annoying, did change Sulong’s way of doing and pushed him, ever-so-slightly, to better himself and no longer con people.

However, neither Sulong nor Jack were experts in a specific field, nor were they born into a wealthy family. To survive, they did illegal stuff and, probably, they will have to resort to shady and clandestine deals.

Lost in his thoughts, Sulong was playing with the crimson crystal shard he found at the ‘crime scene’. They had yet to find potential buyers, and amongst all the crystals, the one in his hand ‘felt’ special.

Every time he held it, he felt an indescribable warmth and coldness, which was strange since he was a Defect.

The absent-minded bald-headed thug snapped out of it when Jack cursed out loud and violently punched the air. This sudden action of his pushed Sulong’s arm and, consequently, made the sharp tip of the crystalline shard cut his finger.

“Watch i-”

Sulong’s words were cut off by a resplendent brilliance that emitted from his body and the shard. Jack was pushed back by an invisible force whereas his friend was covered in an ominous blood-red glow.

“Y-your hand!”

Sulong, who was in a daze, heard his friend’s words and looked at his hand only to freak out.

“Ahh!

A crimson flame was burning his hand, making him shout out loud and hastily try to extinguish it. Soon, however, when the rush of adrenaline calmed down and Sulong composed himself, he discovered that he felt no pain.

His bulky hand was enveloped in a red fire but that was it.