Chapter 10: Beginner Rank-1

After falling for the trick, Ain chose to opt for regular delivery. The food would arrive the following day.

After contemplating it for a while, Ain realized that Cyberspace transmission wouldn't have been practical for him anyway. The nearest transmission hub was located near the city center. If he were going to travel that far, he might as well have gone to the market in person.

And so, two more days slipped by.

On a Friday morning, Ain was once again in the training hall. His progress toward his first spirit ring was significant.

For the past few days, Ain had dedicated himself to condensing the spirit ring. Teacher Turner had recommended focusing on condensing the spirit ring before fully mastering Illumination. Ain agreed with this approach; contracting a spirit pet would make him feel like a genuine spirit tamer.

At this point, about half of the students had reached Rank-0, including Hugo. It was expected that all students would have condensed their spirit cores by the end of the upcoming weekend.

At this juncture, Ain's attention was on a faint ring that had formed around his spirit core.

This wasn't Ain's first attempt at this task. He had made his initial attempt the previous day, although it had ended in failure. However, this had allowed him to identify his shortcomings and learn from them.

As Ain's spirit energy was steadily depleted, tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Finally, amidst his intense concentration, the spirit ring fully condensed and quietly materialized. Previously, it resembled a delicate ring of mist encircling his spirit core. Now, it resembled a solid metal band, slowly revolving around his spirit core.

A sense of tension that Ain hadn't even realized was present finally faded away. The ambient spirit energy surged towards him as if a vigorous whirlpool was churning within.

Within seconds, Ain's spirit energy reserves were replenished and augmented. Its quality underwent refinement simultaneously.

Although the disturbance was minimal, it didn’t escape from Teacher Turner’s keen perception.

A few students near Ain had also noticed the anomaly due to the fluctuations in the surrounding spirit energy. Their gazes turned toward Ain.

Although he was unaware of their scrutiny due to his closed eyes, Ain had already guessed the outcome the moment he began absorbing spirit energy at an accelerated rate. He maintained his meditative state, waiting for the spirit energy to stabilize.

His classmates had their own thoughts, but none of them broke the silence. Soon, they refocused on their individual training.

Several minutes went by, and the ambient spirit energy returned to its calm state.

‘I've reached Beginner Rank-1 Spirit Tamer in just five days,' Ain calmly thought.

As long as there was a path ahead, reaching the destination didn't seem astonishing to him anymore.

Before his innate talent underwent mutation, he might have been elated by his current pace of advancement. However, with his current awareness of his potential, Ain readily accepted it.

If there was one thing he was genuinely looking forward to, it was finally being able to form a contract with a spirit pet. Being a spirit tamers felt incomplete without a spirit pet.

As Ain couldn't directly observe his spirit core and spirit ring, he could only try to sense them. With the addition of the spirit ring, his spirit core seemed to have gained more solidity and strength. Both the quantity and quality of his spirit energy exhibited noticeable changes. Moreover, his perception of spirit energy seemed to have sharpened a little.

He could now faintly sense multiple clusters of spirit energy in his immediate vicinity. After a brief assessment, Ain eventually opened his eyes. Glancing around, he soon identified the source of those spirit energy clusters. ‘It's my classmates,' Ain deduced.

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His classmates in the immediate vicinity had resumed their activities after the brief interruption. Only Teacher Turner occasionally cast a glance around, checking on Ain.

When their eyes met, Teacher Turner nodded slightly before moving on. Ain reciprocated the nod and began contemplating his future course of action.

Money was still an issue, but he couldn't resolve it immediately.

He had already received his delivery of the spirit beast meat.

After trying both types, Ain had developed a preference for Green Pig meat over Daylight Rabbit meat. Although it was more expensive, its nutritional value was higher. Considering his advancement to Rank-1, Ain opted for the Green Pig meat.

Consequently, his current priority should be contracting a spirit pet.

First, he needed to decide on an attribute, as it determined the ring spells he could learn. Subsequently, he had to figure out how to acquire the spirit beast.

Spirit beasts were only referred to as spirit pets after they formed a contract. Hence, Ain needed to acquire a spirit beast somehow. He had an idea in mind, but he wasn't entirely certain about it.

While he was immersed in his thoughts, the morning training session concluded. Ain rose and walked up to Teacher Turner without awaiting instructions.

A few of the students who had noticed the minor commotion earlier exchanged whispers with their peers.

With Hugo's abilities, he had naturally detected Ain's advancement. He patiently waited for Ain to finish.

"Teacher, I've successfully condensed my first spirit ring," Ain informed, awaiting Teacher Turner's response.

Teacher Turner remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Ain, you're the most talented student I've ever taught. However, don't become complacent with your current accomplishments. Continue to work even harder."

Initially, Teacher Turner had refrained from showering Ain with praise, fearing it might have a negative impact. But after observing Ain over the past few days, he recognized that Ain was level-headed.

"Do you have any plans for your first spirit pet?"

"Not yet."

"Be certain to consider all aspects. Your spirit pets will be your lifelong companions."

"Understood."

After a few more exchanges, Ain met up with Hugo and they made their way back to the classroom.

"Congratulations on reaching Rank-1."

Hugo, well-aware of Ain's personality by now, refrained from excessively praising him.

"Thank you. How's your progress?" Ain inquired, smiling.

"I might reach Rank-1 sometime next week. Let's have some training matches with our spirit pets when that happens. I know someone who attended this academy last year; they mentioned that there would be several competitions with substantial rewards. We should be prepared."

"Competitions?" Ain echoed. His words and thoughts no longer remained in alignment after he said that. He continued his conversation with Hugo while he inwardly fixated on the word 'rewards.'

This was another advantage of Wisdom Root that Ain had recently discovered – the ability to maintain parallel trains of thought.

Rewards equated to free things, or at least relatively free. Given his current lead over his fellow students, he held promising prospects in these competitions.

Ain decided to keep them in mind.

...

The sun completed its usual arc, hovering directly above the academy.

As the month progressed, Ain grew fond of the spirit ecology class.

The education he received from his mentor surpassed the standards of his age group. However, only a small part of it was related to spirit tamers.

He had learned about various sciences and arts, with occasional spirit ecology. Back then, spirit ecology had been his favorite subject as well.

Spirit ecology was an expansive field. The current curriculum only covered low-rank spirit plants, spirit beasts, their habitats, resources, and climate. Ain had already studied most of this material before and received an even more comprehensive education from his mentor.

But his learning had been confined to Rank-0. He had never delved much deeper.

After a brief overview of the class's learning objectives, Ain found out that they would be covering up to Rank-1. This intrigued him, prompting him to looked forward to it.

Soon enough, the afternoon training session commenced.

Instead of commencing his own training, Ain chose to offer some pointers to Hugo, who was on the cusp of successfully casting Illumination.

Ain was increasingly aware of his lack of contacts in his hololink. Recognizing the importance of social interaction, he decided to put in extra effort.

Furthermore, Ain held a favorable opinion of Hugo. He was aware of social boundaries, unlike some students who had almost hounded him for advice.

From Hugo, Ain learned that there would also be wilderness survival trainings later in the year. Hugo's innate talent could play a crucial role if they formed a team. Therefore, Ain was willing to invest some time in helping him.

Time flowed, and the afternoon training session eventually drew to a close. Teacher Turner gathered everyone's attention and conveyed some words.

"Great job, students. This is just the first week, and you've made remarkable progress. I expect all of you to achieve Rank-0 by the time we meet next."

"I also anticipate that each one of you will attain Rank-1 by the end of the third week."

"At the one-month mark, we'll be having our class competition. Every student is required to participate."

"Additionally, at the two-month mark, there will be an interclass competition. Participation will be voluntary, but the rewards will be significantly more substantial. So don't slack off!"

Upon hearing this news, excitement rippled through the students, sparking heated conversations.