“I’m not really sure what to say.”
Here in front of him stood his lifelong enemy, no perhaps their feud wouldn’t even end at their generation. It was very possible that at this rate their animosity wouldn’t even be resolved if their children’s children did battle all their lives.
“You bastard. I tell you that I’m due for a battle with the top 1st year cadet in the academy and you tell me you’re not sure what to say!”
“I mean what do you want me to do. Realistically what can I do but wish you luck and get your parents numbers so I can let them know what happened to their son.”
“Son of a…”
“In the first place shouldn’t the one you’re most mad at be yourself? I mean this did all happen because you didn’t study and arrived late to your exam.”
“I challenge you to a combat exam.”
“You already accepted one.”
“So, you’re provoking me now!”
“This conversation is useless.”
Hao was right of course. The only reason why Kit challenged Nial was because Nial decided to retaliate against her childish teasing. The only reason he was forced to accept the challenge was because he failed Professor Mayes’s exam, but the point still stood. He didn’t come to Hao for a reasonable opinion, he came to be told everything was part of a conspiracy that was out to get him. Something along the lines of, “How could they,” or “Why would they do this to you of all people?" Alas the cold-hearted bastard in front of him was Hao Liu, the indifferent guy would probably turn down a starving orphan if they were begging for food right in front of Hao.
“But it’s not as though there’s nothing I can do.”
Of course, this was Hao Liu we were talking about the kindest, smartest person Nial knew.
“I can help you train right?”
It’s a good thing there was no challenge because the things Nial was about to do to the man in front of him went against any rule book the academy had.
“What’s up with your face dude it looks like your being possessed by two different ghosts at the same time?
“Nothing you wanna train? Let’s go.”
Nial grabbed Hao and took him out of the room as an odd premonition began to come over him.
The academy training area was quite a long way away from the dorm where Nial and Hao lived. It was a large facility with three divisions for the three broad categories the students fell under: Combat, Service, and Craftsmanship. Service was the category Nial would normally fall under, since as a traverser, it would be beyond easy for him to get hired anywhere as a private or public means of transport. Because of this he rarely used the combat training area outside of times when he needed to prepare for his combat exams, and he certainly wasn’t alone in this either. The combat training division was primarily used by, well, the students classified under the Combat category.
Combat category students or Combatants were solely comprised of the students in the top 10,000 of their class. Meaning that students below 10,000th who wanted to become combatants couldn’t, and students above 10,000th who didn’t want to be had no choice. It wasn’t as though you could just intentionally drop your ratings either. Each professor had a comprehensive list of their students’ total abilities and if they felt you were intentionally underperforming or hiding information on the full extent of your abilities it may not even end at you being expelled, you could be arrested. After all, artists weren’t any run of the mill soldiers, many of them had the ability to take on full on nukes or even output a similar amount of damage. Letting someone like that roam unchecked is far beyond irresponsible.
But that’s not to say some don’t slip through the cracks. These unknown artists are known as rogues and they’re part of the reason why Combatants exist in the first place, that is to say only part, of the reason. For these reasons all young artists are required to enlist as cadets as soon as their powers surface. Not only to train them but to make sure they’re registered. Though again it’s not as though every cadet was some sort of future war monger, the two other divisions outside of combat were far more populace. If you did interview every student in the academy, the majority would say they want nothing to do with the Combat category anyway.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
However, looking at the sheer number of cadets desperately training with determined looks on their faces in the combat division at this time one would certainly think otherwise. Standing in front of them though was perhaps the most anomalous part of this whole scene. A beautiful woman, maybe about a few years older than Nial and Hao standing behind the reception desk with a bright smile and even brighter bleach blonde hair, and in front of her was Hao, turning so red behind his glasses that the only one of his features that could be made out were his erratically moving eyes.
“S, Sarah.”
“Hao! You haven’t come by the Craftsmanship division in a while. Who would have thought that I would see you on my Combat shift of all times, though I suppose it is exam season.”
“Well, it’s not as though I don’t come by here at all. You know I’m actually considered pretty strong among the first years.”
This was a lie of course Hao was ranked about 30,501.
“Really! Could it be that you’re planning on becoming a Combatant in the future?”
Of course he wasn’t.
“I would but I just don’t want to take on the risk to my life of course.”
“Right, I totally understand so do you want me to give you suppressors for when you take on your friend here?”
“Naturally, but he’s rather weak so I’ll need suppressors for about 20,000 ranks.”
“Really?! In that case you might even be above rank 15,000 is that right Hao?”
“I prefer not to say.”
If Nial didn’t want to hurt Hao before then now he definitely did, so after they walked to a nice, secluded area of the division Nial turned off transparency for the room. Hao tried to offer Nial the suppressing gear, but Nial turned it down.
“But don’t you need these to make the training effective?”
“Whatever could you mean I’m sparring someone 20,000 ranks above me, if anything, you should be the one to put on the gear to make the training more effective for yourself.”
Hao ever, the smart cadet seemed to realize exactly what Nial was getting at and immediately tried running for the door but alas, it was too late. Nial didn’t need any sort of envisioning when his jumping target was right in front of him. In just a second he was already in front of Hao ready to deliver upon his nemesis his just desserts.
“I, I won’t go down without a fight!”
The normally composed Hao’s face turned strident, as though ready to make a last stand that would go down in the history books. Hao Liu’s power was simple; he could see the future. You may be wondering with such a power how has he not taken over the world yet? Simple, he just can’t see that far ahead yet, seers describe their ability like looking at a comic strip, with the past and present happening all at once. Not only that but with multiple pages worth of different timelines that are virtually indistinguishable from one another due to their sheer volume. Due to this even the best seers can really only comprehend about one year into the future and trying to go any further can lead to an aneurism.
Nial ran towards Hao, vengeance painted on his face and as he sought to land the first blow Hao’s forehead pulsed with veins as he seemed to anticipate it countering Nial’s right hook with his wrist before trying to hit him with a straight. But this is where the difference between a lower and higher-level user of the fourth dimension comes in as Nial immediately used his ability to traverse behind him while Hao who had already strained himself with his last ability use was helpless as Nial swept his legs out from under him and got on top of him to use control position as he rained his fists of retribution.
“I yield! I yield!”
“Don’t waste your breath, there is no mercy only justice!”
Fist after fist flew towards Hao until Nial was sufficiently satisfied. Though, of course, none of this was actually hurting him. Every cadet had training gear which included gloves that would shelter the victim from any blow they inflicted. This didn’t change the fact, however, that the scene these two were causing would look like a bully ruthlessly beating up a helpless victim to anyone else.
When Nial was finally satisfied with his enforcement of justice, or reign of terror, the two got up and it was time for Nial to put on his suppressing gear so the two could actually begin their training. As soon as he put the gear on it was as though he had just gained 50 kilos. He felt weaker and slower but most of all it was though his ability had regressed to how it was in 2nd level academy. All of a sudden if he wanted to traverse to the other side of the room, he would have to imagine what it would be like on the other side of the of the room and he wasn’t even sure he’d be accurate with the jump.
The next round Nial couldn’t respond nearly as fast to Hao’s blows, in fact Hao didn’t even need to use his ability to hit him. After Hao landed five blows, he simply swept Nial’s legs out from under him and sent him hurtling towards the ground.
“Unlike certain uncivilized bastards I won’t continue an assault on my enemy once they’ve already been defeated.”
“Which is why you’ll never rise above 30,000.”
“What was that?”
“I said I want to go again.”
“Me too”
After what felt like days, they finally exited the training building under the inky black cover of night.
“There’s no way you actually think you’re going to beat Kit, right?”
“Who’s to say? Maybe I could be the next number one of this academy.”
“Dude be honest, even if you did win there’s no way they’d immediately promote you to number one anyway.”
“Look obviously I don’t think I’m going to win.”
“So why put in all this effort, you’re guaranteed to get a passing score anyway?”
“You’re the one who suggested training.”
“And normally you would have said no you like training even less than me after all.”
“…”
“So?”
“I dunno man, I guess this is the first time me and Kit are hanging out in a long time so I figured I might as well make it count y’know?
“Dude, that’s like actually stupid, I mean didn’t all this happen against your will in the first place? Have you been watching romance dramas again?”
After that another grand battle commenced between Nial and a cadet an intimidating 20,000 ranks above him.