Following The Gifted

A couple of weeks went by fast. There wasn't much to think when it came to the sensation of urgency within the students in the middle of wars; or better yet, when in of war. The majority of students that were close to the Spirit Gathering realm, thanks to the news brought from the outside, were waiting to have their turn at joining in the fray. But there were small numbers everywhere that were afraid still.

That was considered a weak mind and unbecoming of a cultivator. After all, it was the life of a cultivator that, independently from great success or mediocrity, death will always be around them. But for students to fear such things, for ‘students’ it was normal but for students of an organization in the cultivation world… That was where it all went wrong for the ones who were too afraid to accompany their fellow strongest students to battle.

On a certain week, among the 3 weeks that Ciemnosc spent there in the academy, Ciemnosc walked into the Mission Request & Acquisition building. He wasn’t there to check things out or see if he could complete a few missions before returning and gain a couple of extra Inferior Powerful Stoes in the process. Ciemnosc also wasn’t there just to ask things; nothing about asking was about to be done.

“Hello, I am Ciemnosc, and I have come here to solicit a few things.” Ciemnosc walked up to the main reception desk of the building, the eyes and lips moving towards him and about him ignored, and he simply stood there with his tall figure for his age to ask the new face at the reception desk which was that of an old man.

The old man had hair at the top sides of his head and not much anywhere else, a haggard face but looked somewhat youthful still with black hair and slightly obese. When he looked up from revising some manuscripts that Ciemnosc ignored from the library when he searched around, he saw the famous and adored Gifted of the entire academy and became surprised.

“Ciemnosc? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to leave later on.” The old man went on directly, not noticing the slightly confused glances of the crowd around them. He continued without feeling any of it, “Alright, tell me when you are leaving. The headmaster will be sad you didn’t say anything, but things are like that, it seems. Come on, tell me.”

“I’m not leaving yet, I arrived just a few days ago. Oh, but I do have a request of my own though…” Ciemnosc said in return, not taking any of the old man’s mistaken situation into consideration. And with those words, the old man became silently startled. The crowd had a few grins but nothing more, and so the old man spoke again in a quieter voice. “Then what is it you want?”

“I’d like to take between 150,000 to 200,000 new, powerful, brave, and elite students back with me to the base.” Ciemnosc flatly said, not giving much of a ‘can I?’ sensation but of a, ‘whichever is the best in-between those numbers, and do it quick’ sensation instead.

There wasn’t much to imagine how hearing his words would be for anybody, especially the old man who wasn’t even expecting Ciemnosc to do anything in this building. Aish, but now, it even seemed like he was made use of by this kid and without consideration to speak of.

“Am- I- I am so sorry, Ciemnosc.” The old man stuttered a bit, knowing this one thing could not be given to the boy that has yet accomplished things that made others jealous, he also didn’t think it was right as well. “But those are too many students!”

“Do you know how many you have brought away already? It’s almost a good portion of our whole elite students and leading students, especially the latter!!” The old man’s words were at times soft and understanding, but grave and even… slightly reprimanding at others. “There are too many on your side, aren’t there? You have like 300,000 already, but how many are still alive?”

“The reports from your ‘base’ sure come in handy to lift everyone’s mood, but there is no way that such few casualties are taken by those students whose lives had been about cultivating and studying silently so far. You are trying to make little lambs pose as dragons here! When the assistant teachers come back from evaluating your- that ‘base’, the truth about casualties would come out.”

“Ciemnosc, I’m not trying to antagonize you, but… Do you even believe the reports your base sends us? And what is that about you actually taking a lot of materials from the academy? I thought you were different when you sold the mines to the academy but now, tsk tsk…”

“Look, Ciemnosc,” the old man saw the boy’s face not change, still the same as when he looked up at the boy. Feeling he was making a change in the kid’s heart with how stiff the kid had become, the old man continued. “It’s best if you defend the academy’s interest, you don’t have to force yourself. Even though we are not good at battling like those warring savages are, we have the advantage in knowledge! Knowledge, you know!”

“When they least expect it, a-an- and- and where they least expect it, our academy would strike against them and defeat them in one move! They won’t expect such power from us!” The old man detailed, stuttering a bit more this time but continuing on and on without a stop. “But if you keep on taking students, how many have to die, Ciemnosc, how many??”

“What you’re doing is good, yes. But the academy has it all under control! These students don’t deserve to die just to show the enemy that we also know what a war is, especially if it is without any actual goa-”

“I wasn’t really requesting, just giving you a choice between those 150,000 or 200,000 elite students who are willing to come with me back to the base.” Ciemnosc, finally, interrupted just as the students who were at first feeling some kind of strange heat around their abdomens become comfortable the more the old man went on and on and on.

“W- wha-” The old man, in his stupor, tried to speak but was all in shambles by the tone used by this young man- no, kid.

“With my position as the academy’s Gifted, I’m actually not asking,” Ciemnosc’s tone was as flat as the reception desk, and as cold and fresh as it currently was. His lifeless eyes and no facial expression in his slightly pale countenance. “I’m giving you a week to get these many ready for me. When I’m leaving, it would be for the best that I have the minimum of incredible students that I asked for. And no, I’m not taking them out for a walk. They are coming with me.”

Step, step, step.

With that, but without any speech about his case being morally upright and righteous or for the sake of all lives, Ciemnosc easily made his way back out of the Mission Request & Acquisition building and back into the streets. His eyes semi closed as he put on sunglasses and began walking under the sun with the snow being blocked by the grand array, which he now thought was a misuse of this grand array’s greatness.

While he walked around the streets on his way back to the mountain to keep on improving himself and trying his own stuff in quiet environments, the old man at the main reception desk within the building was left with his mouth ajar and his slightly widely opened eyes exposing how stiff he became; instead. He was also sweating coldly in buckets, emanating odors that, considering his age, weren’t good.

The gaze of the students around wasn’t friendly or that respectful anymore, and that was only for those who stayed in the building as most left after one of the nearby leading students collocated a long piece of paper on the main reception desk before leaving, but not before writing something on it. Thereafter, more and more students came forwards to write something on that paper, with such paper being stored by other leading students nearby and placed another. This went on for days before it finally subsided… as there were no more willing students after a few days.

It was… basically the first time that a teacher was seen and treated this way, not by Ciemnosc, but by the entire students’ community of the academy. Never before has any cultivator of such status ever been so… disdained, at least in public.

… On the other hand, Ciemnosc’s actions of simply going in and then leaving the Mission Request & Acquisition building was the talk for the last 2 weeks that Ciemnosc basically stayed within the academy’s territory. He wasn’t really seen after that, but it was known that many raw materials were making their way up the mountain, delivered by large feathered turtles every few hours a day, even at night.

With this and his previous words; he became somewhat of the first idol of this student generation’s idol. The old generation was already growing old and every one of them was nearing the end of their lives. In more than 200 years at the very least, the old generation as it is known today might very well have completely disappeared, especially those like the headmaster, old headmaster, and old man Suru.

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Naturally, ambition wasn’t a new thing to the academy, despite always having been at its infancy stage. It was in fact as if there were many stages for the ambition within the academy, but it was always the ‘infancy’ stage over and over again. It couldn’t be blamed on them, only on the old men and women who chose to still follow the academy’s founders’ decision to remain hidden and basically nonexistent for that long a time.

But the students who were going born to face the current war no longer felt that ‘infancy stage’ of ambition, and even those who didn’t necessarily have ‘ambition’ per se had something going on in their minds.

The students were becoming no longer the rats that would always live in the sewers, they were now becoming the explorers of the outside world that were looking to be the ones to bring the remnants of bread back home. They were even beginning to feel that there was some kind of oppression from the academy before, which disappeared the moment the gates to war were left ajar, and fully opened when it finally reached the ‘true west’ of their academy.

Now, with Ciemnosc enduring the babbling of lackeys, he struck directly where those inspired students were the most interested; be it by intrigue, curiosity, ambition, pride, to find answers or for the sake of finding themselves even.

During his remaining stay at the academy, staying half the nights at the workshop and the other half back in his bedroom without any teammates around. Ciemnosc spent some time with Tini and Older Brother, but not that many times, as he was really mostly getting too focused on his work at creating in all 3 of his buildings. Even the heavy machinery processes could be heard, and Tini and Older Brother both would look at sparks and scintillating flashes coming from the building closest to the mountain.

Whenever he, basically, hung out with them, it was to have a few talks here and there. In which, sometimes, the stupid Tini would sit on Ciemnosc’s lap like he was really just a child, so much head-shaking was done by Older Brother that he became allergic to seeing the two become so stupid even in front of him while they conversed.

While they took snacks from the now-improved ice cream machine, Ciemnosc kept eating the last remaining Conflagrate realm cultivators time after time. Even during some processes at forging and alchemy; in which… a few curious things were discovered by the always attentive him.

Other than that, Ciemnosc also took care of looking at the private bedrooms of all his teammates, which he engraved to memory in the first attempt, but kept revisiting the girls’ private bedrooms because he is a boy and it couldn’t be any more obvious~.

Ciemnosc concentrated all his efforts on keep on creating tools and weapons for his people though, for what was to come wasn’t going to be simple brawling with the enemy and armor would be less useful than even naked Power Energy protecting their bodies, or just as useless and helpless. That was if Ciemnosc was to massively produce armor as he was with all kinds of weaponry and tools, they were, after all, going to be helpful for the most ordinary attacks unless the cultivator using them decided to only defend themselves and not attack at all.

And for what was to come, Ciemnosc wouldn’t allow his troops to choose such an option, it had to be to either attack or attack harder. There could be many more and better options for protection, and it wouldn’t be for just 1 person. And the best of it would be that it would only need very little Power Energy from every cultivator as the ‘thing’ would be infused with their Power Energy along with many others to protect each other.

It wasn’t unknown in the cultivation history of this world, but it hadn’t been seen before in what was to come. Ciemnosc didn’t mind being the first one to do it and do it better than ever seen before, as well as in an unreachable demeanor for the major organizations.

In reality, all Ciemnosc hoped for the future was to just lay back on a chair, with a pretty red haired someone on his lap, feeding him pieces of flesh from who knew what and resting while his army trained and built their own weaponry and armor. Was it too much to ask? He had a lifelong purpose to fulfill after all.

… On this very day, the 6th month and 2nd day of the 3rd week since the war started. Ciemnosc was standing at the exit/entrance of the academy with Tini and Older Brother there for bidding another farewell to him.

By now, all the secrets about the workshop, the eminences, and the 2 descendants of such were still not being told aloud as if asking the major organizations to assassinate them and the hows, whens, and wheres. However, things were slowly coming out to light, and news that the surrounding allies were sending all of their most incredible materials and the largest amount of basic resources was also greatly lifting the spirits of any western ordinary person or cultivator.

Hell, there was even news that the neighboring fellow westerners, the anthropomorphic from the Beast Race were beginning to talk back some words to the academy and began with a little gift of their own… After receiving many from the academy.

It all seemed to just go so well for the academy, for the allies out of the Region, and for the entire West itself. In no time, it would be called ‘west’ instead of ‘true west’, once the entire west was conquered that is. And there was one reason, one person and one of a kind in the entire history of the academy that was to be thanked for all of that right now, and in the future.

“Woohooo!” - “YEAH! I couldn’t go, I’m too weak. But next time, I will accompany you, Gifted Ciemnosc!” - “Good luck in your battles, Gifted, bring our friends and family glory even in death!” - “Give me your children, all of you, brave warriors wohoo!” - “Slut!” - “A good slut though!” - “True!!”

Ciemnosc was standing together with Tini and Older Brother, hearing the overly chatty and… ‘active’ students who were just at the early stages of the Spirit Gathering realm and not enough in the level that Ciemnosc was asking, and needing.

Tini flushed from time to time, especially hearing some very excited females’ cries, but even more so when she heard little whispers about the Gifted’s love interest, it was all an out-of-a-drama-like scene where she just couldn’t help but feel ridiculous.

On the other hand, Older Brother was looking at this damnable boy that was so capable he might very well trip with his own feet, again, and end up blooding more than his nose this time. Worried, he sighed and sighed ruefully with his nostrils alone while they witnessed the tons of students already formed up in 2 gigantic square formations out of parade-like sensations and were chatty among themselves

The 240,000 new students who were to be part of his troops this time was no small matter, there were only supposed to be around 150,000 students chosen, according to certain little rumors from the ‘peak of the mountain’. But on the 2nd day, that number was filled up. Hence, the Mission Request & Acquisition building had to allow those 200,000 to sign up their names… but that was just the beginning of their nightmare.

After the 200,000 elite students signed up with barely any hesitation, there then came the ‘volunteers’ that, according to not a single rule in the academy yet established by the academy, were supposed to be allowed to go to war if they so wanted to as volunteers.

In the end, with a bit of haggling from ‘the’ higher ups, and after halving the number of volunteers for a ‘next time li’ bro’, the final number of elite students going to war and out of the academy was to be more than 240,000. If this wasn’t a loss, then what could be? They were now having fewer ‘reasons’ that the Gifted of the academy has had thanks to such, and with less and less of them, ‘the’ academy surely thought that there was bound to be weakness in their numbers.

In any case, the academy acquiesced, but that was it for the time being and Ciemnosc was going to lead these huge amounts of people out to ‘his base’. While parts of the academy thought that the base belonged to the academy indeed and all, the headmaster had already named Ciemnosc as a Gifted from the academy. Or rather, so far, the only Gifted of the academy as he had been with the title of a Genius.

“... Be careful Ciemnosc, it is not going to be easy remaining at the top, this place is quickly learning even if it is in… not the best of ways.” Older Brother spoke at this moment, while some more lewd comments were being made all around by the other students. Ciemnosc looked up from the left corner of his eyes to Older Brother and Tini did the same as she grabbed Ciemnosc’s right wrist with both her hands.

“I will. There’s nothing that can surprise me that much, and with my new status, I can afford to leave the base from time to time without fearing the academy’s reprimand, I think.” Ciemnosc said in good nature, Older Brother nodded to it and looked with his eyelashes down. At this time, Tini turned Ciemnosc around and as he did, he saw her waving her hips waving left and right and slightly back and forth.

“What does the little princess want?” Ciemnosc asked with a somewhat ‘annoyed’ tone, to which Tini scrunched up her nose and showed the inner, delicate meat of her lips before saying. “You take care then, hmph. When you come back next time, you better prepare to call me Big Sis at that time or get the ice cream machine to move at my command and bring me yummy stuff right at my door. Or I’m never letting you grab me in my sleep anymore!”

Older Brother: ( ´థ,_‥థ｀)

Ciemnosc: “...”

“Aight, just come here.” Ciemnosc spread his arms a little, revealing his comfy looking, warm looking, muscular looking, and ‘I would like to sleep bare on top of that torso also bare’ looking body with his slender build. And what could little Ti-ti do but blush and fall to his depraved temptations? All she could do was give him a little warning before jumping into his arms.

“Okay. But not touching me butt okay?!”

Whoosh! Rustle, slap slap slap slap.

“Kyaaahh~!!” Feeling both her buttcheeks slapped lightly a couple of times, each by a hand while the other hand held her like a toy that had no weight whatsoever, even as she had her legs closed while her arms pressed on his shoulders. She was still defenseless to his hands!

“I said no touching!” Tini yelled, her eyebrows angrily and uglily frowning while her pout only revealed more of her silly self, and seductively somewhat as well.

“I didn’t touch, I hit you.” Ciemnosc the Innocent said, looking at her chin and then at her obscure blue eyes. Tini looked back down defiantly but didn’t lower herself, even as Ciemnosc gave her some extra pats at her lower back up to her upper back, like a baby that needed comfort and to ‘buuuurp’.

Older Brother, once again: ఠ ͟ಠ (¬_¬)

…