Awakened Academy and Glory Academy are renowned institutions that specialize in training young awakens before they become full-fledged rankers.
Even though they are located in separate precincts, the schools are tied in fierce rivalry.
All young awakens who are under powerful families or have strong backing attend one of these two schools to hone their skills.
Both institutions boast top-notch infrastructures that provide access to almost every piece of information, the best training mechanisms and centers, and some of the best instructors in all of Century 11.
Enrolling in one of these prestigious schools is an automatic ticket to all the benefits of an E ranker, and to top it off, you even get paid if the school finds potential in your abilities.
However, I am one of the few who is about to declined such an invitation.
I have never been one to put my life on the line for worldly benefits or a cause as pointless as protecting mankind.
What has mankind ever done for me that I should go out of my way to protect them by becoming a ranker?
I am content with my Electrokinetic abilities, and I can only imagine all the cool things I could do with them.
From never worrying about electricity bills for the rest of my life to zapping my electronic devices anytime they run low, my powers give me a sense of control and independence.
Moreover, I can even protect myself from the ruthless thugs that roam the streets of Precinct 5.
With my awakened abilities, no one would dare to mess with me, and I could even become one of the most popular guys in school.
What else could I ask for?
The idea of living in a world where power and dominance were determined through fierce competition with peers was something I never wanted.
It wasn't just because I didn't have a chance of winning against those who had been training their abilities since they were infants.
It was also because the idea of constantly fighting and battling didn't appeal to me.
As I looked down at Dr. Smallberries, I couldn't help but feel wary of his sly grin.
He seemed to know something about me that I didn't.
Despite his proposition being tempting, I knew I had to decline it for my own safety.
"I appreciate the offer, Dr. Smallberries, but I don't think it's something I'm interested in.
"And forgive me for asking, but who are you exactly?
"How do you have the power to recruit someone to an institution like the Awakened Academy?"
Although he appeared disappointed with my answer, Dr. Smallberries didn't give up easily. He paced around the room, muttering so quickly that it was hard for me to keep up.
"You don't need to know who I am right now.
"What's important is that you understand just how special you are.
"I don't want your talents to go to waste."
I shifted backwards uncomfortably. I wasn't sure how to respond to his cryptic words.
"First, tell me about what you saw after you circulated your mana," he said, leaning in closer.
"I didn't know why he wanted to know about the status screen," I thought to myself.
"Wasn't he supposed to have one as well since he was also an Awakened?"
Despite my confusion, I decided to tell him everything I knew.
"After I did what you taught, a bluish holographic screen appeared before me with information about my ability level.
"It revealed all my stats, progress, and even my mana capacity..."
As I spoke, the doctor scribbled down every detail in his notebook with lightning speed.
It was clear that he was taking this seriously.
"Okay, okay, I see," he muttered, nodding as he wrote.
He looked up at me, and I could see the curiosity in his eyes.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as I explained the status screen to him.
It was like having a secret power that nobody else knew about.
But as unfamiliar as it seemed to the doctor, I could tell that he already had some knowledge of it.
Dr. Smallberries grumbled to himself as he flipped through his notes.
"It all makes sense now, The Great Five's unique hair color... it all makes sense now," he murmured, his expression shifting from confusion to excitement.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but it seemed like he had made some kind of breakthrough.
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His odd behavior piqued my curiosity, and I couldn't help but ask, "What is the problem, Doctor? What have you uncovered?"
He stopped and looked at me with the same grin he had on his face when he tried to recruit me.
"Are you sure you want to know? It's quite also related to you, you know."
I nodded my head in agreement to wanting to know more.
"What's in it for me? Hmm, let's see. There is little you can do for me. How about accepting my recruitment first, and I will tell you all you need to know?"
I could see through his ploy, and I felt dumb for falling into his trap.
"I've already told you, Doctor, I have no interest in joining Awakened Academy right now.
"Thanks for healing me, though. I'll get going now."
I quickly left the hospital room before he could make another attempt to recruit me.
As I walked out, I couldn't help but notice how large and impressive the hospital looked.
You would have never believed it based in Precinct 5.
It stood out from among the ugly poorly built buildings in the vicinity.
Talking about buildings what the heck is happening to mine right now, the last I remember a massive hole through the walls.
I rushed with lightning speed straight home.
The distance between my house and the hospital was surprisingly not that far, saved me some change as I dint have to board a bullet vehicle.
[TN; bullet vehicles are large transportation vehicles that takes people from one place to the other with an incredible speed. They hover just above the ground and move in specific railway designs.]
I walked down the street right past my neighbor's house.
A cozy cute little newly painted house laid in the corner.
"I've seen so many nice buildings today than I have ever seen my whole life."
I said as I walked a few steps past the house then confusion hit me.
"Wait a minute. Isn't that where my house is supposed to be."
I approached the building and on the door was a short note pinned to it.
The handwriting looked pretty and sleek, whoever wrote this must have not been from around here since you wouldn't find many literate people in this Precinct.
I plucked the note and read it.
---------------------------------------------
Sorry For any inconvenience
I may have caused you.
I made sure your house was fixed.
and any damages repaired.
From.
Eleanor Eisenhower
--------------------------------------------------
Eleanor must be a goddess sent from the heavens to bless me.
Not only did she take me to the hospital, but she even went out of her way to fix my house and make it look better than it used to.
As I entered the house, I could see a lot of changes had already been made.
The walls had been repainted to a cool white with etched designs all over them.
My rough, dirty bed that used to lay on the ground had been upgraded to a queen-sized, fluffy bed.
The old curtains that had been hanging on the windows for ages had been replaced with beautiful new ones that matched the color of the walls.
The living room had been rearranged, and the old, worn-out sofa had been replaced with a comfortable new one.
Being crazy rich must feel nice.
I could have never afforded such things, even if I sold my being as a whole on the black market.
I sat on the sofa and tried to recall whatever had happened today.
It all happened so fast, and it still felt like a dream: my awakening, Eleanor, and Dr. Smallberries.
I wondered if the status screen would appear again or if it was a one-time event.
I circulated my mana around me and imagined the status screen appearing before me.
[--Initializing user profile--]
The bluish holographic screen began forming before me again.
<< Profile >>
Name: King Kortez
Sex: Male
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Ability: Electrokinetic
Description: The user has the ability to generate and manipulate electrical energy.
Passive Ability: Electric Resistance - The user's body is naturally resistant to some amount of electric shock.
Active Ability: Shock - The user can channel current and direct it towards a target.
Volts: 60
Skills: None
Special: Peek -Allows user to see ability of other people who isn't beyond his power level scope
Rank: Tier 5 > Bronze
Mana: 200/200
Strength: 20
Speed: 28
Defense: 24
Accuracy: 39
Intelligence: 70
Charm 76
Equipment: None
Side effects: Electric Induced Psychosis- Cannot affect the user at this level. Ability power too weak.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Although I couldn't touch the status screen, I couldn't help but stare at it in wonder.
The font was like nothing I had ever seen before, almost otherworldly.
It hovered right above me, teasing me with its unattainability.
As I read through my stats, I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
I was so weak; it was almost laughable.
All my stats were below forty, except for my charm.
But that wasn't surprising. I mean, just look at me.
I could easily be mistaken for a model.
My beauty was unmatched, with my piercing amber eyes and chiseled face.
I had it all in the looks department.
But as I looked back at the status screen, I realized that I needed to focus on more than just my looks if I wanted to survive in this world.
I needed to work on building up my strength, speed, and intelligence.
I couldn't rely on my charm alone to get me through everything.
I felt a sense of trepidation as I gazed at the mana reading on my profile.
The power required to use my Shock ability was substantial and I wasn't sure if my room could withstand the impact.
The last thing I wanted was to cause irreparable damage and face the wrath of my sister.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to me.
I could test my ability on a flat board and observe its impact before attempting it on anything else.
I searched through my storeroom until I found a white board tucked away in the corner and brought it to the center of my room.
With a deep breath, I extended my hand towards the board and focused my thoughts on the Shock ability.
However, when I yelled out "Shock!", nothing seemed to happen.
Disappointed and frustrated, I opened my eyes to find the white board untouched.
But then I remembered the training I received from Dr. Smallberries. Perhaps instead of trying to conjure up the ability, I should imagine the sensation of electricity coursing through my body.
With that in mind, I closed my eyes and channeled the mana from my core, allowing it to flow through my limbs.
Suddenly, a notification appeared before me on my status screen.
[-- User is using shock --]
[Volts: 5...15...30...45]
The numbers continued to rise until they hit 60 volts, at which point I was unable to channel any more voltage.
I could feel a massive amount of energy coursing through my arms, crackling and sparking around my palms.
Without hesitation, I directed the electricity towards the white board, watching as the area of impact became darkened.
It appeared that the board was barely affected otherwise, which was a relief.
As I checked my profile again, I noticed that my mana had decreased significantly.
<
Mana:140/200
As I experiment with my abilities, I noticed that channeling electricity consumes my mana, with one volt costing me one mana.
However, my passive ability grants me some resistance to electric current.
Eager to test my limits, I grabbed a voltmeter and set up a current regulator between the wire and power source, ensuring that I could control the flow of electricity.
Although the idea of potentially facing death was slightly nerve-wracking, I pushed the thought aside and proceeded with caution.
I started at a safe 10 volts, carefully adjusting the regulator until the meter displayed the desired voltage.
Gingerly, I touched my finger to the wire and quickly drew my hand back.
To my surprise, I felt nothing.
My curiosity piqued, I decided to try holding onto the wire this time.
The sensation I felt was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
It was a soothing and refreshing feeling that flowed through my body, and for a moment, I felt one with the current.
As the electricity flowed through me, I noticed my mana gradually restored itself.
[-- Current detected--]
[--Transforming it into mana--]
[--Mana restoration: …145,150,155...]
"Oh, it seems absorbing current also restores my mana" Let me move the regulator to 60 volts.
I tweaked the regulator until the voltmeter read 60.
[--User has reached maximum resistivity--]
[--Transforming current into mana--]
[--Mana restoration: …160…190…200]
[--Mana restoration complete--]
[--User is advised to direct current elsewhere--]
[--User is advised to direct current elsewhere--]
[--User is advised to direct current elsewhere--]
[--User is advised to direct current elsewhere--]
As I lay on the ground, I realized I had reached my limit of resistivity. Desperate to ground myself, I placed my hand on the floor and imagined the electric current flowing out of my body and into the earth.
[--Directing current flow to ground--]
Surprisingly, it worked. I felt a surge of pride and relief wash over me.
Exhausted, I decided to take a break and sat up, only to feel a sharp pain in my left buttock.
Digging into my back pocket, I found a card with Dr. Smallberries' contact information on it.
How did he manage to slip it into my pocket without me noticing?
I was impressed by his stealthiness and wondered why he felt the need to give me the card.
Turning it over, I saw a message written in bold ink: "Never disclose your Status Screen to anybody no matter what."
I trusted Dr. Smallberries and took his warning seriously.
Putting the card back in my pocket, I pondered my next move.
I had no skills yet, except for the Peek ability, which allowed me to gauge the abilities of people. I wondered if it would work on inanimate objects, like the whiteboard in front of me.
Closing my eyes, I focused on the whiteboard and used Peek.
[--User attempts to use Peek on an inanimate object--]
[--User attempts to use Peek on an inanimate object--]
[--System is adjusting user profile--]
[--User profile adjusted--]
[--Peek can now be used on inanimate objects--]
<< Peeked Object Profile >>
Wooden Board
Color: White
Health: Slightly damaged
Special: No unique attribute
The Peek ability was truly amazing, I could gauge the abilities of anything or anyone within my range.
I couldn't help but feel excited about my newfound powers, and I spent several hours experimenting with them.
Eventually, I decided it was time to call it a night and get some rest.
But before I drifted off to sleep, I remembered the side effect I had read about earlier: Electric Induced Psychosis.
Meh, I wasn't too worried about it.
My ability level was still weak, so it wouldn't affect me anytime soon.
Nevertheless, I made a mental note to look it up sometime in the future, just to be safe.
With that thought, I dozed off into a peaceful slumber.