The first method was spending the TP on leveling up. The second method is to spend them on lottery tickets. The third method is saving them for the future in case he gained other functions by leveling up.
After spending half of the period thinking, Noah decided to go for the first and second. It was quite easy, leveling up and the lottery were both ways to give him more abilities and strength, making him earn more TP in the future.
'Open User Data.' Noah said inwardly and the holographic panel appeared. Noah then proceeded to level up.
[Level 1 – Trace Points: 60/1]
[1 TP spent! You leveled up! All stats are increased by 1!]
[Level 2 – Trace Points: 59/5]
[5 TP spent! You leveled up! All stats are increased by 1!]
[Level 3 – Trace Points: 54/10]
[10 TP spent! You leveled up! All stats are increased by 1!]
[Level 4 – Trace Points: 44/50]
'It seems the Trace Points required to level up are either a multiple of 2 or 5 of the previous amount. And it takes turns for either. So it was 1, 5, 10, and 50… I don't know if it'll continue like that in the future.' After figuring out the leveling up pattern, Noah opened his stats. He can feel his body being strengthened at the moment by the warm stream. The stream also traveled to his brain making him a bit dizzy for a moment.
[Name: Noah Ezra]
[Trace Points: 44]
[Level 4 – Trace Points: 44/50]
[Physics: None]
[Class: None]
[Title: None]
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 13]
[Stamina: 15]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Defense: 13]
[Active Skills: Mild-Focus. Level 1]
[Passive Skills: None]
[Reversal Countdown: 100d:13h:22m:33s]
His Strength and Stamina were originally 12 each because of working for two days. His intelligence reached 12 yesterday after using Mild-Focus to study Soshus Geography and Trade Routes in preparation for the Reversal. All of his other stats increased by 3 due to the leveling up.
'Should I buy four lottery tickets? No… I'll buy two and save the rest for the next level up.'
[Two Lottery Tickets (Common) have been purchased]
'Unlike the previous ticket, these two are common.' Noah sighed and looked at the clock. There was still 15 minutes before the lunch break, so he might as well use the tickets. However, he remembered that he can't just bring things out of thin air in the middle of class. Thus, he decided to leave the lottery for later.
Noah spent the rest of the time thinking about his next course of action. First, he had to apply for a club. Second, he had to gather highly potential members. For that, his school was the perfect place to do so. After all, the name Seven Slates signified something. It referred to the seven clubs the school was known for internationally. One of them was Martial Arts, and Noah already convinced Alfred. Although it would cause a stir in the school, Alfred can handle it. There were six more clubs left.
Archery, Metalsmithing, Information Technology, Martial Arts, Mechanics, and Calligraphy. These were the seven internationally recognized clubs. They were recognized based on their awards and achievements in their respective fields. Noah wanted to head to these clubs to scout geniuses for his new club.
After rejecting Alfred's offer to head to the cafeteria, Noah applied for his club through the school's local network. After finishing the forum, he was about to grab lunch when an announcement came through the broadcast speakers all over the school.
"All students, please head to the central auditorium." This message was repeated several times.
All of the students were confused as this only happened during an emergency. Usually, the principal would give an important speech during such cases.
As expected, Noah could see the principal on the stage waiting for the students to gather. He was an old man with golden trim-glasses, greyed out hair, and athletic body shape. After the students gathered, he grabbed the microphone and begun his speech.
"Greetings, students."
"Unlike other events, I won't get the chance to give a speech. The situation is crucial and I need you to pay attention to what I'm about to show you. Please do not panic and remain seated."
What the principal said grabbed the attention of the students and his serious demeanor created a heavy atmosphere. The principal then stepped back and a video clip started on all of the screens in the auditorium.
The video was of a famous news anchor from the international GNC news agency. It was known for its neutrality as it wasn't biased to any political organization. The anchor wore a grim expression just like the principal. The auditorium grew quiet and waited for the news to unfold.
"Breaking News, citizens of the world. Today, the Royal Bank of the Weohan Kingdom has been robbed. This has thrown the Royal Family's prestige and financial state downhill. However, this wasn't the most shocking thing. It was who and how anyone could rob the bank. Please watch this CCTV clip."
The anchor then proceeded to show the clip. However, his earlier words were already quiet shocking to the students. There were a lot of students from the Weohan Kingdom who were pale due to the news. This robbery would send the kingdom into a dire financial state. Their scholarships from the kingdom might also be revoked.
However, everyone's attention wasn't on the Weohan's students, but a student with blonde hair and remarkable features. But these features were currently distorted by anger and embarrassment. It was the Third Prince of the Weohan Kingdom, Albert Weohan. He was also a third-year student in A-class.
Before the young prince can explode, the video was already showing the robbery. It was taken from the internal vault of the Royal Bank. The video clip lasted for 10 seconds exactly. After watching it, the hall grew silent. Even Albert had his jaws dropped in a not-so-royal manner.
Noah's heart shook when he saw the video. It was simple. The vault was empty except for a table with many shelves in the middle. It had many gold bars with the Weohan's royal stamp on them.
Then, a masked man appeared in the middle of the vault. He didn't enter through the door… but from thin air. Then the man looked around and looked at the CCTV and did a victory sign before placing his hand on the table and disappearing again leaving with all the gold bars and the table.
The auditorium was silenced before gulping sounds came from every student. The first idea every student had was 'This must be fake.'
But not Noah. He was sure that this was real because he experienced a supernatural phenomenon himself. The screen showed the news anchor again.
"This must be fake. That's what you're all thinking of, right? Let me tell you that it is not. Not just in Weohan, every part of the world is witnessing the birth of supernatural humans as we speak. Scientists are saying this is due to the Blackout happening a couple of days ago. Representatives from every nation are having a conference today to decide how to deal with this phenomenon. One of the extremist scientist, Li Zhao, says that this is the beginning of a new era preparing us for doomsday. Please stay tuned for more updates on this matter."
The video ended there and every student was frozen in shock. However, there were some that Noah could see having a more mild reaction just like him, of which he took a mental note of.
"As you can see, this is a worldwide phenomenon. My duty to protect and guide every student of the Seven Slates even in these circumstances. That's why I'm starting a committee led by the student council president. Anyone who awakens any type of supernatural abilities can report to the committee. We will make sure to protect you and guide you through this. However, if a person is found to be using his ability without reporting, he will meet immediate expulsion. Let me tell you my personal opinion.
"Being a supernatural human doesn't mean you will be harmed or imprisoned. This is not a science fiction novel. Logic tells us that more such abilities would appear in the future. Thus, you wouldn't be among the minority even if you can use an ability. Li Zhao says that the new era would be led by these humans. That is all, thank you."
The principal's speech made the students' faces flush with excitement. Their childish dreams of being superheroes were being resurfaced. However, Noah had a different opinion. The principal's words sounded glorious, but they were delusional. An era led by the new humans? Noah can already foresee a witch-hunt happening. People feared powerful entities.
The students started to scatter. They were divided into two groups, the worried and the excited. Noah thought he might be able to spot supernatural humans among these groups, but he failed to do so.
All of the students headed back to their dorms to surf the web. After a single day, the committee assigned by the principal announced that a supernatural human joined their ranks. With this, Noah's school life changed.