Novels2Search
Soulmaster's Ascent
Chapter 20: What the Heart Wants (1)

Chapter 20: What the Heart Wants (1)

“Would I like to enter? No. Not a chance!”

Jun picked himself up off the floor and straightened out his dress, which he somehow had gotten used to wearing over the last four days.

“Now, how do I leave this place?”

The system’s voice immediately responded once prompted.

“For a user to exit PSI World, they must first be in a safe environment. Then, they must command their soul to return to their body.”

Jun raised an eyebrow once he heard this.

Command the soul? I wonder how intuitive that is for most people. Perhaps it’s instinctual once the soul has been transmitted away from the body? But I thought PSI World was supposed to be just as real as normal life.

He swiftly closed his eyes and thought about leaving the world of white. The next time he opened his eyes, he could see the dim lighting of his private room.

“Well that was easy. It feels so good to be here right now.”

He shook his head and sat upright before dangling his legs off the side of the bed.

“If even I struggled so much in picking a name, I can only imagine how hard of a time Amon is having.”

He smiled haughtily as he thought about the immense amount of progress he made.

It was hard picking a name, but he did it. It was surely an ordeal that only the most determined of individuals could complete in a single sitting.

No, it’s not right to brag. I must be modest. Yes, modesty is key.

He hopped off the bed and made his way towards the first floor while humming a tune. It truly felt good to walk along familiar scenery once again.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the ground floor, where he found Ciena alone at a desk. Stacks of papers were organized neatly on the desk’s surface, and at the center was a small device that had various images flickering past its screen.

Those look like profile pictures of some type. Are those applications?

“Ahem.”

He cleared his throat while closing the gap towards Ciena.

“It is good to see you are up, young master.”

She nimbly stood and performed a half bow. At some point, the screen on the device went blank without Jun noticing.

“Where’s Bennon? What time is it? Or what day, for that matter.”

Jun decided that it would be rude to pry into her personal affairs, so he casually asked what was on his mind.

“Of course. Bennon is currently using the PSI System to improve himself. You have been in PSI World for over two days now. Today is the first day of the week, but the sun has yet to rise.”

Jun was somewhat shocked by just how long he had spent picking a username.

It wasn’t my imagination! I spent over four days picking a username… fortunately, that tedious task is now done.

“I see, It seems I skipped two exercise routines. I’ll have to make up for it.”

Ciena’s eyes glimmered at the thought of it being just the two of them for a short while.

“If I may, young master. It’s often understood that people will spend a lengthy amount of time using the PSI System. Additionally, some of the effects of PSI World will naturally affect your physical body over time. I think it is enough to only exercise when you are at a stopping point.”

Jun shook his head, walking toward a set of shelves that held stacks of sweatpants and simple shirts.

“Nonsense. If I spend so much time in PSI World, how will I spend time with my beautiful assistant?”

As if it were planned, he immediately stripped off his nightwear in an exaggerated fashion.

Ah yes, proper clothes are nice, instead of that silly dress…

Ciena fervently watched from a distance.

Although the area that Jun was changing his clothes was located towards the back of the arena, which was opposite of her location, her trained eyes still allowed her to relish the scene as if it were happening right next to her.

Jun sauntered back towards the center of the facility with an enthusiastic smile. Then without any additional words, he began a grueling workout regime based off the previously curated one.

He made natural adjustments as he systematically went through each exercise, paying careful attention to not overdo it. After all, he still needed to attend class later in the day.

Eventually, the sun graced the world with its presence, marking the official beginning of the week. Jun had spent the entire early morning both exercising and poking fun at Ciena’s expense. In general, it was a very carefree atmosphere.

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Time flew by swiftly, and now Jun was watching his classmates shuffle into the room as they chatted excitedly amongst themselves. He keenly listened in, attempting to pick out what kind of usernames his fellow classmates chose, if they were able to choose one at all.

It couldn’t be stressed enough, but he spent four days in that deadly white space of nothingness picking out a name.

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Not everyone would be able to withstand that level of torture. Surely most would need some sort of break and tap out early, only to rejoin later and continue trying, right?

“I heard you guys cleared a lot of the untiered missions already!”

A brown-haired boy playfully elbowed his friend next to him, who flashed a confident grin once he realized that he had been found out.

“Yup! I was lucky to party up early on with some talented people. We worked well as a team and made really good progress.”

His friend responded with a vibrant energy, which seemed to fill the atmosphere.

What missions? Wait, what about their username? How did they skip that part?

Jun looked around in bewilderment as he heard the different conversations around him.

“Miss Luo, I’ll be in your care after I finish the tutorial!”

A young woman fawned over Hina Luo, who once again made her appearance within the classroom.

“Take your time and enjoy the tutorial but still treat it seriously. It only lasts for so long, and it’s relatively easier than when you’re truly on another world.”

“Thanks Miss Luo! I’m already done with untiered missions, I promise I won’t let you down!”

Jun soon became horrified after hearing the different conversations that permeated the air.

I have to ask someone!

“Pst, hey, Alder.”

He poked the boy, named Alder, who sat in front of him. Alder had a stockier build than normal, but he wasn’t exactly considered pudgy. Some would just say genetics. However, his build did look somewhat disproportional to his short brown hair and small beady eyes.

“Huh? Oh Jun. Need something?”

Despite his looks, he was quite intelligent and kind to everyone he interacted with.

Although Jun didn’t talk with him much, he still heard that he had been raised into a business-oriented family; perhaps his cordial personality was a direct result of his environment.

“Yea. How do I say this. Did you enter the tutorial last week?”

Jun spoke in a low and discreet voice.

“Yup, my first time was a couple nights ago with everyone else. Why?”

Jun became a little nervous as he asked his next question. He refused to believe the obvious answer that he would likely receive.

“Did… No, how long did you spend picking your name?”

Alder looked at Jun strangely.

“Well it didn’t take too long. Maybe a few seconds? Normally people don’t spend too long on that I would think. Maybe a couple minutes at most?”

Jun paled once he heard this.

A couple minutes at most?!

“You okay little guy? You don’t look so good.”

Alder asked with a hint of worry. Was it something he said?

“No, no. I’m fine. Thanks.”

Jun easily waved him away and returned to his thoughts.

I can’t believe it. How far… just how far behind am I?

There was only a certain number of days that one was able to access the tutorial, and it was common knowledge that the opportunities in the tutorial were incredibly good for starting out. Wasting 2 out of his 100 days just to pick a name was nothing short of a tragedy if that wasn’t the normal case.

Jun kept his horrors to himself and tried to get comfortable in his chair. It was almost time for class to begin when a certain domineering voice called out.

“So Hina, where were you last week? You do know that we only have class on the first day of the week now, right? Surely you’re not that incompetent.”

Myra spoke in her usual demeaning tone as she stared at Hina with a smirk.

“Where was I? Hmm… I wonder...”

Hina tapped her pointer finger on her cheek as she pretended to look around in thought. Jun glanced in their direction, easily welcoming the distraction.

It’s very veiled, but did Myra indirectly try to inform Hina about the new class schedule? If one looked at from that point of view, she might even come off as caring.

“Do you not even know? Or perhaps you were somewhere too embarrassing to mention, maybe like spending the night at a certain someone’s house?”

As soon as Myra suggested that, a vein visibly popped out on the temple of the young girl standing next to Hina.

“Who are you saying is spending nights where?! How can you say such a thing even knowing that Hina will possibly never see that guy again? Do you even know how much he means to her?”

Little Chi was like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. Her normal docile appearance was now bristling in aggravation in response to Myra’s accusations.

“Calm down Little Chi, just let this little girl think what she wants. Who knows, maybe I really was spending the night with him?”

Hina spoke offhandedly with a mysterious smile on her face, suggesting she could have really spent the night somewhere. Although, despite wondering thoughts, she was simply thinking about her dreams.

“But that’s not true! You spent the last few days recording that new song!”

Hina turned to her attendant with a deadpan expression.

“Oops…”

Little Chi’s fury immediately wilted once she realized she had made a mistake. This wasn’t supposed to be public news at all. It was like someone’s birthday present being unveiled early, ruining the surprise entirely.

“Ah well, it’s fine. People would find out when I release it anyway.”

A small commotion soon gathered around Hina as they began asking her questions. Most people in the class knew that she sung covers of songs under the pseudonym Angel Biscuit.

“Are you really making a new song?”

“Goddess Hina! When will we get to hear it!”

“Is it as good as all the other ones?”

Myra frowned once she realized she was practically being ignored.

That man… again… always him! I hate him. I have to remove this man from my Hina’s life. This plague. This corruption. I have to-

Jun stopped listening in on Myra’s thoughts at this point. He knew from previous experience that she would soon dissolve into a broken record with her consciousness on repeat.

See, this is exactly why I stay low. Super low. Crazy people like her terrify me. Why can’t I just live a simple life?

“Tsk.”

Jun clicked his tongue and frowned. It didn’t take long for the professor to make his appearance, which slowly, but surely, quietened the class.

“Alright! Alright! Settle down.”

His voice rang out loudly as he tapped a small wooden paddle in his hands on the podium before him like a gavel.

“We have a lot to cover today, but before we get into that. Let’s see who was selected into which class type and their progress!”

Everyone silently looked around the classroom anticipation. In a class full of elites, it was only natural for them to be judgmental and ready to make comparisons.

“Out of everyone here, who all has chosen the scout class?”

About 40% of the class raised their hands, the rest mentally noted down the scouts of the classroom.

“Good, good, 40% is really good. Now who here was selected for fighter?”

Another 40% of the class had shot their hands into the air.

“Nice! That leaves the rest of you… who are our acolytes?”

The remaining students raised their hand, leaving just one person who hadn’t raised their hand at all.

It looks like Jun didn’t enter PSI World after all, what a shame.

The professor thought to himself. How could he have guessed that Jun didn’t even get to the class selection stage?

“That’s great! Now I want the fighters and scouts to remember something important. Just because one class is more rare than the other, doesn’t mean it is more powerful. Everyone can reach the same peak. In reality, it will all boil down to the amount of effort you put in and the support you receive.”

It seemed as if most of the class was already aware of this type of information, because only a few of the students were quietly whispering amongst themselves. The rest of the class simply sat confidently in their chairs.

“Now for the next point. Our class of elites is truly abnormal. Normally the class distribution is as follows: 60% fighters, 30% scouts, and a mere 10% acolytes. Be sure to find your allies and prepare for the trials that are yet to come.”

The professor spoke with gravity once he mentioned preparations and trials.

“This takes us into our topics for the day; class distribution and role expectations.”

The professor soon droned on about the different roles that each class would take within a party and their different points of expertise. At the same time, Jun neatly buried his face into his arms for a wonderful nap.