"Mother Parasite."
The two words sent his mind into chaos, exerting mental pressure on him. Moreover, the hair of Rhachis Ancestor Parasite was an exact replica of the creepy-haired man, further serving to confuse his mind.
"What…the hell is even happening?" Jyorta facepalmed, muttering in confusion, his expression one of fear, mixed amid broiling suspicion.
'Does that mean the creepy-haired man was similar to Rhachis Ancestor Parasite? Even if he was, is he on the side of humanity? Also, why did he bring me here? How am I supposed to face against a monster that is claimed to come out unscathed from a fight with six Tier 6 beings? Moreover, how can I stay assured that he hasn't done something unspeakable to my soul that will erupt at the opportune time?'
Jyorta closed his eyes, using his blue soul to overlay a false persona—one of calm—on him, thinking. He slowly sorted his thoughts, taking the view of his blue soul, trying to look into its depths, in fear of encountering something dangerous.
Fortunately or unfortunately, he failed to find anything amiss, making him wary. For external problems, even if they were too much to handle, there existed solutions to rectify them. But, internal problems were tricky, often hiding in you, becoming you, their existence fused into you.
'If the creepy-haired man actually did something to my soul other than what I'm aware of, then I will be damned. I can't do anything about it. So, I will just focus on what is feasible for now.' Sorting out his thoughts, Jyorta retracted his false persona, listening to Madam Rizenne.
"We will go into detail about him on a later date. Some books in the library are a compilation of his involvement in various matters; they are just a brief account and can be accessed by you at present. If you are interested, you can further read about them in the Portal." Madam Rizenne then continued to talk about other topics, finally concluding the lecture.
2:00 PM, Jyorta sprinted towards the cafeteria, hoping to join the queue early, and avoid the scene from the previous day. When he had reached the area, he noticed the queue just forming, with there being less than 10 people.
He joined the queue, placating his thumping heart, his mind distracted to the contents from before. 'Do I have to face such a monster in the future? Moreover, will I even become strong enough to warrant something like that?'
Showing his ID card and getting a slip, Jyorta walked towards the food counter, giving his slip to a chef stationed there, preparing the food of his requirement. In practiced motions, the chef received his slip and retrieved an empty place, quickly filling it with calculated proportions of the food.
Jyorta motioned with his hands, touching his thumb on his index finger and sliding it down, asking for an extra portion. The chef stared at him, the intention behind it vague, adding an extra portion. Jyorta nodded his head, a smile beaming on his face, thanking the chef. He then found himself a vacant table to sit, starting to dig into his food in a hurry.
The smell and taste of the food cleared up his thoughts, 'From what I know, Gajara Rahi hasn't faced anything of the sort even after being a Tier 6 Warrior for almost a century. The cause that led to her demise is because she created too many subsouls—most of which were of the Frenzy Beasts—and absorbed them into her main soul, eventually causing her to suffer from a multiple personality disorder. The other Ancestors also acted against her. They are as a result of her actions—an external threat.'
'As long as it's not obvious, I should opt for an optimistic mindset. I'll deal with any problems when they arise and strive to increase my strength for the time being. After all, if I am not strong enough, I can only continue to dance in the palm of others.'
"One step at a time; I will prepare for the future." Jyorta murmured, continuing with his lunch. Even though the food wasn't exactly to his liking, it seemed to have a high nutritional value. Moreover, he required a lot of energy to nurture his powers; so, he wasn't picky.
Within a minute, all the tables surrounding him were filled with Espers, talking, and eating. Two girls approached his table, "Hello, can we sit here?"
"Sure, feel free," Jyorta nodded, his gaze focused on the food before him, his mind thinking about the subjects he had to study next.
"Maths will take a week to finish. Physics and Chemistry are my strong suits; they will need at most 4 days considering all I need is a revision. The contents of the computer science subject are pretty easy too. History and language…I'll think about them in the future when I have read enough. Commerce and accountancy…I know next to nothing in them. I'll first score as many credits as possible from my strong subjects." Jyorta murmured, his mumbling barely audible.
He was lost in thought, the feeling of wanting to become stronger growing in him. It was only when he had finished his food did he break out of his thoughts, hearing the conversation between the two girls. Also, at some point in time, another boy had arrived, occupying the final seat.
"I heard Khasta managed to breakthrough yesterday and became an Amplifier. Also, his breakthrough was supposedly so smooth that he walked out an hour later, looking as if he had just eaten some snacks."
"I saw him just now," The other girl nodded, "He looks perfectly healthy, as if he hadn't lost even a single kilogram during his breakthrough. This will drastically change the rankings of the January batch next month."
"Indeed, making a successful breakthrough to Tier 2 nets you 20,000 credits after all. Seeing his success, the other two top rankers are also planning to breakthrough by the end of this week."
"You should have seen the top ranker from the November batch," The boy interrupted their conversation, receiving glances of surprise. He then smiled, acting as if they were close friends, "He is an absolute maniac. He has already exchanged for the Trait of Severability and is now aiming for the Trait of Growth."
"How is that possible?" Hearing the claims, Jyorta couldn't help but interrupt, "The Trait of Severability costs 90,000 Credits while the Trait of Growth costs 1,00,000 Credits. Altogether, they add up to 1,90,000 Credits. Isn't such a number impossible?"
"You are…" The Boy looked at his shirt, smiling, "You are from the October batch, right? It is normal for you to not know. There is something called the Labyrinth of Frenzy. It will be open to you during your final three months here. You can accumulate a lot of credits there."
"Labyrinth of Frenzy…" Jyorta muttered the name, memorising it.
"Back to the point," The boy turned around, looking at the two girls, "The total duration of his stay there has exceeded one week."
"A week?" One of the girls muttered out in shock. As part of the December batch, she knew very well of the dangers that inhabited the Labyrinth of Frenzy. She could hardly survive there for an hour before retreating with grave injuries. The duration of a week was too much to think for her.
"Moreover," The boy continued, "He has also vowed to exchange all the Traits available and strengthen himself to the maximum."
"All the Traits?" The other girl too expressed her shock, mentally calculating the number of credits needed for that. Noticing the time displayed in his watch, the boy began to gobble his food, almost choking a couple of times.
Jyorta looked at the boy's shirt, noticing that he too was from the November batch. "Senior…"
The boy coughed violently, spilling the contents from his mouth, raising disgusted shrieks from the two girls. He then gulped down half a glass of water and tapped his chest, gazing at Jyorta in anger, "Stop with the bullshit senior business. I am just 11 months older than you."
"Call me Rakh,"
"Rakh, can you tell me more about the Labyrinth of Frenzy? I am curious about it." Jyorta stuttered, failing to pronounce the name correctly on the first try. He then noticed Rakh taking a second glance at his watch, getting up from his seat.
"Sorry man, got to go. You can search up the information in the Portal though. Everything you need to know is there." Saying his piece, Rakh hurried with his empty plate, dropping it in the designated area. After washing his hands, he bolted towards the exit, his speed shocking the nearby Espers.
"…He was a Warrior?" Jyorta exclaimed, taking a glance at the two girls. One of the girls grunted in annoyance, looking at the unfinished food on her plate. Some particles of the food had flown to her plate from before, making her disgusted to even touch it.
"He probably stole the ID card of an Esper and sneaked here. Many Warriors do that since the cafeteria for Warriors is almost ten times as crowded as ours."
"Wait, I remember his name," The other girl smacked her forehead, her voice shrill, "He's Rakh Veera, the top-ranked student from the November batch."
"Does that mean…" Jyorta wanted to laugh, "He was talking about himself as a third person?"
"No wonder his face looked familiar. Though, everything he said is probably true. I heard one of my friends mention that he had the habit of spreading rumours about himself. He claims the pressure from the rumours motivates him to work harder."
Finished with his lunch, Jyorta returned to his dorm, changing into a tracksuit. He then sighed, "Whatever world it may be, geniuses exist in large numbers, standing head and shoulders above their peers."
"Well, that is what makes life so interesting. Challenges, rivalry, and competitiveness, they exist everywhere." With a smile, Jyorta exited his room, heading towards the open ground.
He followed behind some familiar faces—Espers from his batch—and marched on the ground, his heart feeling slight trepidation, wondering the training activities he would have to face.