Antelina frowned at the question. There was only one transfer student, it was clearly written on the notice board, so how did they end up with two? Was someone from the upper echelon testing the class? That would explain it. How else could an ordinary looper dodge thirty-seven times in a row?
She smiled, feeling confident she had found the root of the problem.
On the other hand, both the older man and the green-haired girl squinted to identify the young man sitting on the test chair.
"So, none of you is familiar with him?" She asked them.
They shook their heads.
It was at this moment that they all decided to stop beating around the bush and ask the boy in question. She removed the blindfold.
Gaus
Once blindfolded, he couldn't hear any sounds. Some races could hear murmurs from many meters away, so instead of feeling the mana in the charged tablets, they would just use sound to pick it, making the test useless. So the academy invented sound blockers and put them in the blindfolds.
He'd lost count of how many times he'd dodged when they suddenly stopped coming. A familiar hand removed the blindfold.
By the left, the teacher, Linc, and the class representative, Antelina, stood, and by the right, a green-haired girl, who wasn't previously in the class, and another man stood. Both stared at him with furrowed brows. Although not wearing any uniform, the green-haired girl looked like a student, but the man was different. Experienced. Determined.
The silence reigned for a while before Linc cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"It seems there's some misunderstanding going on here. Mister Gaus, can you be kind enough to stand?"
Gaus stood up slowly. He walked to where Antelina was and stood beside her so he could see the rest of the class.
"Now, can you tell us who you are?" Linc asked.
There was a sudden urge to frown but he resisted.
"I'm Gaus Lake. I was admitted yesterday. My guarantor is XM9999."
Linc frowned at the mention of XM9999.
"Er... look, Gaus, we cared very little about your guarantor. Just tell us why you're here. You should be in junior class 1." Linc said with a bit of annoyance.
Was that what happened? He sighed. "I followed the map to get here, I must have messed up somewhere. Sorry about that. I'll look for my class." Gaus said as he started to walk toward the door.
"Wait."
Gaus stopped and turned around.
"Have you ever attended any class before this?" Linc asked.
Gaus shook his head. "No."
"So, this is your first class in the academy?"
Gaus nodded. Linc scratched his temples, breathing heavily. They shared a bizarre look with the other man before they both turned to him.
"This is your first class?" They asked in unison.
Gaus nodded. He didn't like the look in their eyes or the one in the eyes of Antelina and the others.
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"You didn't find being in the loop overwhelmingly emotional?" The other man asked. He was inching closer to him which made it even creepier than it already was.
"I... did." Gaus stuttered. He was beginning to see where the conversation was going.
"All loopers experience emotional outbursts in their first two weeks. Many just stop talking and become depressed, some start throwing fireballs and other dangerous spells around, and some even ran out into the street, shouting words about the loop. Many times junior initiates will run back to their fathers and mothers to complain. Telling them about this 'cult' that has tried to recruit them. A few nobles have successfully brought an army here. These emotional and physical manifestations are called LA syndrome. Loopers who learn how to control their syndrome earlier are the best loopers. In fact, any looper who controls it on their first week is considered a talent. Anyone who controls it on their first day is considered a genius and a candidate for mind magic. You need exceptional willpower to do that, you know." Linc explained a bit more enthusiastic than before.
Gaus didn't like the 'lust' in the man's eyes but he remained still.
"For how long have you suffered the syndrome before accepting your new life as a looper?" Linc asked after a moment of silence.
Gaus didn't want to draw the attention of the 'upper echelon' to himself, so he decided to inch slightly away from the truth.
"To come to terms with it? Several hours, maybe more. My mind is a bit fuzzy, so it may probably be up to twenty-four hours, especially since I was supposed to start my classes yesterday." Gaus answered, trying as much as he could to unreasonably extend the time. He met XM9999 yesterday in the evening, around 7:30 pm. The man knocked him out and brought him to the academy. When he woke up it was past twelve midnight. In truth, he suffered no syndrome because he was already in the loop, but he couldn't tell them that, could he?
"Only twenty-four hours?" They asked in unison.
Shit. Despite adding several hours to make it less conspicuous.
"Wait, it might actually be more than that, I kinda lost track of time. It's..." Gaus tried. He really didn't want to attract any attention.
"Look, Zeir," Linc said with a stern voice, turning to the other man, "there might have been a mistake before but there isn't one now. These pupils," he pointed at Gaus and the green-haired, "are members of this class from this day on. You can leave."
Zeir raised both shoulders and brows, apparently one wasn't enough. "Don't be greedy, friend. I understand the need to take a promising student, but don't you think one is enough? I'm also in need of a good student if my application is to be renewed. You can surely help me, eh?" He gave a wry smile.
Linc harrumphed. It was his lucky day. There was no way he would let a lower-class looper to rob him.
"Gaus isn't only good in controlling his syndrome almost as soon as he became aware of the loop, but he's better than most in mana sense. Do you really think I'll let you have him? Scram, friend."
The two teachers decided to go out and settle it away from the prying eyes of the students. Once they were out, Antelina and Ariwen turned to him.
"How did you learn mana sense before coming to the academy?" Asked Antelina.
"Or better how did he learn mana sense but he can't get a simple direction to a class." Asked Ariwen.
In response, Antelina narrowed her eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something before she turned to the green-haired girl.
"Hey, green hair, this is not a proper way to speak to a classmate. As a class rep, I'm compelled to advise you on the truth."
The green-haired frowned. Just now they were on the same side.
Antelina was probably trying to win him over to her side in a desperate attempt to maintain her control in the class, but he'd very little interest in any child's play between two teenage girls, so he remained silent and uninterested.
The teacher came back a few minutes later, carrying a smaller version of the punch bag he saw yesterday during the recruitment process.
"Do you know how to use this?" Linc asked him.
Gaus nodded. "I've seen it being used."
"Good then. Come forward and try it."
"Teacher, shouldn't I introduce myself first?" The green-haired cut in.
Linc smiled apologetically. As a teacher, he must treat all students equally since that would factor in his basic assessment when it was time for the renewal of his loop contract. Besides, the green-haired was probably just as good as Gaus was.
"Er.. sorry about that. I go by XM1002. Call me Linc."
The green-haired bowed deeply. "I'm Ariwen, Longevity Child of House Avianti. It's an honor to be under your tutelage, sir."
Suddenly there were gasps from the class.
"Huh? House Avianti of the First World?"
"Longevity Child?! But that would make her... Hell!"
"Don't tell me it's that Avianti."
It appeared house Avianti was popular.
"Nobody told me you are from the First World." Linc said thoughtfully, "but it all makes sense now. Anyway, you're welcome. We'll have plenty of time to know each other. Now, Gaus, come forward."
"You just need to punch this bag so we can save your starting physique. The junior classes use it to fish out the incompetent ones, but it's mostly formality here." Linc explained.
Gaus punched the bag. It was soft and yet so heavy he couldn't even move it. The force of the punch passed through the glass wall in the middle and hit the whiteboard at the back. In response, several black dots appeared on the board. A few dots were clustered in the center but most were sparsely distributed around the board.
The class erupted into laughter.
"He doesn't have focus..."
"He doesn't."
"What a surprise!"
"Shut up." Linc snapped at them. "It's still good for a first try." He turned to Gaus, "you can sit."
After he was seated. Linc turned to Ariwen who was now waiting calmly beside Antelina.
"It's your turn, Ariwen."
"Please, sir, I have a request."
Linc nodded.
"I want to be tested in private."
Linc frowned. According to the new student privacy act, a student had the right to be tested in private, but none of the teachers had implemented it yet for obvious reasons that had to do with time and motivation. Once you started then everyone would want to be tested in private, away from the prying eyes of their colleagues, which would be a massive time-waster, not to mention the estimated 24.7% fall in the overall students' academic performance.
"Ariwen, I don't think we can allow..."
"Sir," she interrupted, "I really need to be tested in private."
That attracted glares and some angry murmurings from the other students. Meanwhile, Linc and Ariwen silently stared at each other.
"Alright, but you won't be allowed in class whenever we're testing any of your colleagues."
"I understand, sir. Thank you." She bowed her head deeply until it was touching the chair in front.
The introductions were over and it was time for some teaching.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"All of you must have noticed that physical damage disappears once the loop resets. It's also expected that some of you have noticed that only the dark arts - mind magic, soul magic, and time magic - truly injure a looper. Outside the academy, mind magic is highly restricted, in fact, only a few selected government officials are allowed to reach level 10. Soul magic has always been ostracized as evil by almost all countries. Anyone caught practicing soul magic risks imprisonment depending on his expertise and crime. Many high skilled soul mages have been imprisoned for life.
"On the other hand, time magic is a religious taboo. Six of the seven most practiced religions have prohibited it. Once caught you'll be killed on the spot. The marines actively chase anyone practicing it. You may be spared if you're caught with mind magic, sometimes they may even hire you to do their dirty jobs, but you won't be spared from time magic. By being here in this class, the academy has recognized your efforts and is willing to teach you the dark arts, however, you should all know the risk you are taking. Do not, I repeat do not practice what you are going to learn here anywhere despite the loop. Are we clear?"
The class shared anxious looks for a long while that Gaus thought they would sign out, but they finally nodded their agreement.
"Good. The dark arts are controlled through world essence and mana. What you've seen earlier is a demonstration of mana sense, but what I'm about to show you is a demonstration of mana tame."
He retrieved a small knife from his inventory and put it on the table.
"What do you think this is?" He asked.
"A rare 5 God sword." A girl answered thoughtfully.
"Wrong."
"An archaic 1 flying knife." A boy said.
"Wrong."
"Demon summoning anchor," Antelina said.
"Wrong."
While the rest of the class were thinking of highfaluting answers, Gaus looked at the knife carefully, it had a sharp point and two sharp edges, and he thought it was only a...
"A dagger." Said Gaus.
"Yes!" Linc commended, "this is just a dagger, so stop calling stupid names. If you want to make it something more then you've to use mana."
He channeled mana into the dagger. A reddish smoke popped out of nowhere and covered the knife. It remained like that for a few seconds before it disappeared. The knife looked... more or less the same as before. It wasn't until the teacher used it to punch a hole in the stone wall that they realized it wasn't just a dagger anymore. "I used mana to make it sharper." He levitated the dagger above his palm and then spun it, "when you master sharpening, levitation and spinning will be next. Only then will we be talking about the dark arts."
Gaus Rewound the whole process and saved it.
"Sir, I... don't really get it, can we have some demonstration?" One student asked.
"Of course," Linc said with a wicked smile. He retrieved a bunch of daggers from his inventory and gave it to them. Their job was to 'just' channel mana into it. Linc personally observed each of them.
"You are all doing it wrong." Linc declared, "you've to first sense the mana in you and then try to channel it to your palms. If you can't sense it you can't channel it. It's that simple. The dagger in your hands absorbs mana: it'll automatically absorb mana from your palms as long as there's a difference in mana concentration between your hands and the dagger. We'll withdraw the mana absorbers after a week and you'll be forced to use plain weapons." He warned.
Two hours of nonstop, tedious practice, and only Antelina, Ariwen, and three others got it. Linc was disappointed when Gaus couldn't do it even after spending extra time explaining it to him.
"Today's class is over. Class rep, Ariwen, and Gaus stay behind."
Once everyone was out, the teacher turned to him. "Do you know why the class was laughing at your earlier performance?"
Gaus shook his head.
"It's because your demonstration was awful and because you don't have an ordinary skill that's so common some even consider it mundane."
He gave Gaus a suspicious look before he murmured to himself, "hiding skills won't help." Though he was loud enough for Gaus to hear.
"While the initiates are dealing with LA syndrome, they are also subjected to heavy physique modeling that will raise their strength, constitution, and speed to at least twenty each. Anybody you see in this class has at least twenty in each figure, except you, of course. Not only is your strength less than 13, but it's also not focused. Watch carefully." He went to the punch bag, clenched his fist, and punched. The force passed through the glass to appear on the board. "Did you notice any difference?"
Gaus thought carefully. The whole process looked the same to him, only the results differ. "Your punch generated half a meter sphere on the board, unlike mine."
Linc shook his head. "Focus on the force. The force from your punch is not focused. That's why instead of generating a sphere you've dots. Most people have this skill before coming here but you probably don't have it."
Probably, he said. Gaus listened silently.
On the other hand, Ariwen was just playing with her pen while Antelina was frowning and furrowing her brows just like the teacher.
"Granted. You'll have one extra class every five days." Said Linc after a moment's consideration. He then wrote an address on a paper and gave it to Ariwen. "Meet me in that place at 9 pm. Don't be late. Class rep, will you please show them around, we wouldn't want people getting lost and eaten by a wandering snake or something?"
The teacher left them at the mercy of the class rep. Antelina seemed like the simple-minded, power-grabbing type, but Ariwen was...
"I think I already know my way around. But thank you." Ariwen bowed and left.
Huh? That was unexpected. If she came yesterday then how did she know her way around?
Ariwen aside, as soon as the teacher stepped out of the class, everything erupted into gibberish. The floor, the walls, the board, the chairs, and even the damn desk were all talking and shouting different languages of nonsense.
"Why is every damn thing alive in this place?" Gaus asked with exasperation.
"I thought you wouldn't talk about it. People panic when they first come here, not you. You move and talk confidently and even your gestures are unusually calm for a newcomer. You didn't even fidget when the chairs started talking; you are just like 'hey, Antelina, why's everything talking?', like it was just an annoyance to you. Tell me, are you really starting today?"
Now, this was becoming a problem. He could try not to stand out but there was no way he could fake panic for several days, or even weeks.
"Or maybe you're just naturally stoic."
That might be it.
He kicked the chair in front of him. "Can you tell me why this chair is talking like it was the most normal thing?"
Antelina frowned at his shameless attempt to change the topic but she let him. "There was once a looper with an archaic 3 sound skill. Legend says this person blessed the academy and since then things have been like this."
Weird. Very weird.
"Trust me," she went on, pointing at the chair he just kicked, "we should leave before they start cursing you for 'abusing' one of them." Antelina ran out of the class with Gaus in tow.
A few minutes later, Gaus and Antelina arrived in a small hall full of glowing names. So many names it was dizzying.
"The hall of the dread, they call it." Antelina said, "it features the temporary loopers who were erased, or are in the process of being erased."
"The dread?" Gaus asked.
"Yeah, the dread." She led him out of earshot before she explained, "once you become a temporary looper, you'll receive a name. In that name, you'll have a number that will determine how long you'll live. But even if you live out your days you can easily apply for more time and The Master will generously grant you more. Although, you've to impress him. If you haven't impressed him in any way your application may be rejected. Once you're rejected your name will appear on this list." She jerked her head in the direction of the names. "It's a Rubicon: a sign that The Master has given up on you. But 'the dread' don't take it lightly: they are commonly prone to self-destruction behaviors, suicide, and even murder. Nobody in the loop is more dangerous than them. In their final days, some have wiped out an entire village and used their souls in a bloody ritual, some have caused apocalypse-level destructions, and some have even tried to create ways to remain in the loop against The Master's wishes. It ends in vain, of course, but they do it nonetheless. This is why the world has come to see them as a calamity, a dread. I don't know who first coined the term but everyone calls them as such."
She took in a breath and cleared her throat before she pointed at the first three names on the list. "Dorian the dread is the first one. He reportedly climbed thirty floors of the water dungeon before he was erased. According to some rumors, he tried to specialize in a class against The Master's advice. His most notable act was fighting Javier Minorita face-to-face in the Battle of Mlor. The second one is Albinoz the dread. She was a vice-captain in the assassin's league. Legend says she was only erased because she contracted an incurable illness and The Master didn't want her to infect the rest of the academy. Even more dangerous was the third one - Elivja the dread. He actually challenged XM9999 to a duel. He obviously lost but even just challenging that monster was a great feat. What a waste."
"So, all these names were once in the loop?" Gaus asked rhetorically, "it doesn't make any sense. Why would they build such a massive force and then just discard them?"
"Isn't it obvious? Anyone here has done something against The Master's wishes. They may not say it out loud but it's the truth. I've heard temporary loopers talk about it." She whispered.
Gaus was starting to see how it worked.
"That aside, tell me how this XM thing works. I've seen XM0033 and I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. Despite surviving the harsh training and becoming a temporary looper, he only has thirty-three days to live."
"Come, I'll explain it on our way."
She took him to the sub-dungeons reserved for initiates. They sat on the eastern edge of the academy at the base of a discrete mountain. All thirty-eight of them were arranged in a row, looking like traditional shops with giant gates as an entrance.
"XM0000 is an initiate who has not yet become a temporary looper, just like us. XM0001 to XM9999 are all temporary loopers." She explained.
"So there is XM 0001?" Gaus asked in surprise.
"Haha.. everyone wants to know about XM0001. I think she's more popular than the upper echelon."
"I can't blame them. The number is... curious. Do you know her?"
"Yes, I know her. She's the little girl at the entrance."
Huh? That? But it still didn't make any sense. She had one day to live, so she had to constantly apply for more time, making her no different from the XM0000s.
"XM0001 to XM0100 have automatic clearance for three months every time they renew unless they break some rules. XM0101 to XM0499 manage smaller quests both within and outside the academy. Most of them are sleepers that are monitoring other people's activities in the cities. Any number above 0499 is big. They are the so-called upper echelon and they handle both the teaching in the academy and any other white-collar quests outside the academy. It's just a rough classification and sometimes there are overlaps because only He has the total authority to assign quests."
They took two more hours to see the rest of the academy. She even showed him the locations of the higher tier dungeons reserved for temporary loopers.
An hour after their meeting, Gaus decided to go back to the hall of the dread. There was someone he had to find.
"Evening," he greeted the man in charge, "I'm looking for a name. I.. can't go through all these names. Can you help me with..."
"Just say the name?" The man interrupted with a smile.
"Tyren Onis."
For a moment, he considered a possibility: what if the name wasn't on the list? It was just wishful thinking but still...
The man spent a whole minute flipping through the hardcover on the desk.
"We have a match." He said, "check the 1022nd name on that wall."
Gaus visibly deflated. The temporary looper was there under his full name.
Tyren Ayurvada Onis
Time left: 4 days
He would be erased in four days just as he told him.
Gaus hurriedly went back to his room and opened the save library.
Save library
You've two books and four skills waiting to be activated.
You've 1 CP fully recharged. Use it to activate books/skills? Y/N?
Note that you've only 1 CP and it will take 10 minutes to recharge once used.
Levitation
Rank: ordinary
A branch of mana tame that allows you to temporarily suspend objects on air and make them float. Skill may vary depending on the gravitational effect of the area and weight of the object.
Cost: up to 1MP (cost will rise with leveling up thereby allowing you to control larger objects).
Activate skill? Y/N?
Sharpening
Rank: ordinary
Imbue weapons with mana to increase their penetrating capacity. Every layer of mana increases the sharpness of weapons by 10%.
1 layer per level.
Cost: 1MP per layer.
Activate skill? Y/N?
Spinning
Rank: ordinary
Ability to move objects without actually touching them. It has a minimum range and is mostly used to enhance control of bladed weapons.
Range: 10mm from the anchor (+10mm per level)
Cost: 0.1MP per second
Activate skill? Y/N?
Focus
Rank: ordinary
When you punch or kick, your strength, constitution and speed react on a cellular level to create a force to smash your target. But this force is distributed equally to different parts of your body and most of it is wasted. Enhance your body with focus to direct the force of your punches and kicks in the desired directions.
Range: up to 100 cm (force is increased every time you minimize the range; -10 cm per level).
Cost: 0.1MP
Activate skill? Y/N?
He activated the four skills over a period of forty minutes.
Skill book
{Loopers book} {save library} {blink} {stealth} {mana sense} {skywalk} {blader} {metalmancer} {swordplay} {Sharpening} {levitation} {spinning} {focus}
Exp waiting to be assigned: 0
Sharpening lvl 1/10 (0/100)
Levitation lvl 1/10 (0/100)
Focus lvl 1/10 (0/100)
Spinning 1/10 (0/100)
Stealth lvl 1/20 (0/100)
Mana sense lvl 1/20 (0/100)
Skywalk lvl 1/20 (0/100)
Blader lvl 1/30 (0/100)
Metalmancer lvl 1/30 (0/100)
Swordplay lvl 1/20 (0/100)
Save library lvl 1/100 (0/100)
He retrieved a sword from his inventory.
Sharpening activated.
Unlike the dagger he used in class, the sword couldn't absorb mana, making it several times more difficult, but he hoped to bypass that step by using sharpening.
He sensed the heat in his body known as mana, forced it to his hand holding the sword, and then channeled it to the sword.
A thin layer of reddish smoke lined the edge of the sword. It remained there only for a second before it disappeared. And just like the teacher's, it remained physically the same. But when he stabbed the floor of the room, half of the knife disappeared inside. He had to use both hands to pull it out.
Levitation activated.
His grip on the sword immediately improved; it became fluid, like moving his fingers. However, the sword didn't levitate. When he activated the skill, he'd expected the sword to raise into air and float in the same way it was mentioned in the skill, but it didn't. He tried spinning but it didn't work either. What did the job was reducing the weight to 50g. He later realized that until he leveled up he couldn't just float any objects around. But still, levitation and spinning had improved his control on the sword. He just needed an actual opponent to test it.
The day was still young and he already had four more skills. Perhaps, it was time to sit back a bit and relax...
He quickly shook his head at the thought. There was no time to waste, at least not until Tyren was dealt with.
He ordered food from the cafeteria, cleaned up, and headed to the eastern section of the academy. It was time to raid some dungeons.