5:00 PM, Jyorta returned to his dorm, placing a towel and a pair of baggy clothes inside a basket. He picked up a shampoo and soap, placed them inside it, and closed the door. After locking it, he placed the key underneath his towel, carrying the basket as he headed towards the restroom.
After taking a nice shower that spanned 30 minutes, he changed into his regular clothes and returned to his room. He sat on the bed, gazing at the ground through the window, looking at the ground staff sprinkle something over it.
They then released a dispersed concentration of the pale blue light, making it sprinkle down on the ground. Immediately, the ground was covered by patches of green, soon growing to the previous height in a matter of minutes.
"There are many ways to use the psychic energy of Espers. I should also begin to learn more about them." Jyorta muttered, thinking back to Laila's actions. Her gait, her confidence, her demeanour, and her attitude, they all left a deep impression on him.
'Tier 6.' He thought, opening the cupboard overhead, and taking out a trolley bag. He carefully fished out a small box, recalling the instructions that Heima gave him. He concentrated, focusing on his forefinger, permeating his psychic energy through it, making a trace of it seep out.
The box absorbed his psychic energy and erected a spherical barrier, enveloping him. Jyorta touched it with his hand, feeling the sensation of granite—hard, and smooth to the touch but, painted the illusion of it being soft.
He placed the small box on the bed before him, increasing the distance between them by a margin, feeling tense.
Jyorta took a deep breath, gently opening the lid, ensuring the gap he parted not exceeding 2 millimetres. The moment a gap appeared, a dense aura slammed into him. He instinctively retracted his hand, watching the lid close by itself.
His body shuddered in fright, like an insect caught under a storm, the broiling winds scattering its insignificant body, the rain drowning it with a hail of impacts, and the sparks of lightning that streaked through like a death sentence.
Jyorta gasped for breath, clutching his chest, struggling to overcome the sensation of oppression. His body was soaked with sweat, trembling like crazy, failing to respond. His limbs hung limp, unmoving. It took 15 minutes before Jyorta could regain his bearings, taking a glance at the time.
He slowly reached out his hand to the box, infusing a bit of his psychic energy, dispersing the spherical barrier around. He then stretched his left hand, feeling a bit strained as he grabbed hold of a water bottle, downing more than half its contents.
Taking a meditative position and closing his eyes, Jyorta took in the view of the blue soul, feeling the world around him turn dark. There was the presence of his blue soul, looking huge, emitting a blue hue. Hovering next to it was a wisp—the subsoul belonging to his Wisdom Parasite.
The blue soul focused on a particular tendril, trailing along it, ending up at the Brain Crystal. Observing it closely, the formation of the Brain Crystal had increased, albeit the difference being minimal.
'So, the nurturing effect of the Wisdom Parasite increases under pressure.' With a thought, the blue soul extracted the memories of his previous 15 minutes and segregated it to one corner inside it. Exiting from its vision, Jyorta opened his eyes, feeling his body regaining most of its functions.
He then stood up and began to pace within the room, getting a feel of his body's behaviour while trying to bear with the headache. 15 minutes later, he felt perfectly alright, taking a glance at the small box once again.
'I should make use of my advantages and prepare myself to the utmost limit.' Jyorta recalled the experience of gazing at the three students hovering in the air, the feat of the staff changing the terrain of the ground, and levelling it in a matter of minutes.
Taking a seated position on the bed, he once again pressed his index finger on the box, creating the spherical barrier. This was installed to conceal the aura emitted from the Tier 5 Artifact inside the box, lest it affected the other students.
Moreover, it was something created by Jyovic Bone, a Tier 5 Transformer who had created an Unranked Skill. The arrangements he made were so meticulous that even if a Tier 4 Ground Controller were to stand outside the barrier, he wouldn't be able to detect anything.
Once the barrier formed, Jyorta took a deep breath, slightly parting the lid, once again embracing the suffocating aura that slammed into him. The lid closed instantly, blocking out the aura. But, just the fraction that impacted his body made him convulse.
6:30 PM, Jyorta walked to the cafeteria and ordered some snacks. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served only at designated times, the intervals of each limited to 30 minutes. But, snacks were available 24x7. Moreover, they were all available to the students for free, courtesy of the military academy.
Filling his plate with snacks that lacked any taste but boasted high nutritional value, Jyorta occupied an empty table, quickly gobbling the food. Under the effects of the aura released from the Tier 5 Artifact, the Wisdom Parasite in him increased its 'Nurturing' effect, meaning, it sapped greater quantities of the energy stored—accumulated as carbohydrates and fats—in his body.
'If I continue to eat and use the Tier 5 Artifact at regular intervals, I would be able to create a synergic effect, increasing the speed of the formation of my Brain Crystal. Eating snacks once every 3 hours while feeling the aura once every 90 minutes, and studying my subjects during my recovery period.' Jyorta created a mental sketch.
'Also, I need to begin studying the methods to use my psychic energy. The elders from the family have only instructed me on the basics of basics. Since everything the Bone family has compiled about the Espers is in the Tier 5 Artifact I have, they haven't said anything much. Sister too hasn't commented on the topic, saying that I wouldn't understand the complicated stuff without having experienced the basics.'
Finished with eating, he returned to his dorm, beginning to study while his stomach digested the food.
7:30 PM, he once again experienced the aura of the Tier 5 Artifact, the shivering from his body more intense as compared to before. He then decisively stopped to use it for the next six hours, alarmed that his body might suffer from something unknown.
8:00 PM, he went to the cafeteria and was one of the first to join the queue. Presenting the slip to the chef at the service section, he motioned for him to put an extra portion. Thanking the chef, he occupied an empty table, beginning to eat the food, soon finding his stomach full.
He hadn't even finished half of the food on his plate, looking at his bulging belly, lamenting at the fact that his stomach had yet to fully digest the snacks he had eaten before. Just when he was thinking about what to do with the food, he noticed a familiar face sitting near him.
"Rakh, are you sure you can eat in the Esper cafeteria every time?" Jyorta looked at the person, recalling the afternoon's incident.
"Of course I can," Rakh laughed, "I mean, I have the IDs of more than one Esper. If one gets confiscated, I can use another without trouble."
"Moreover," He continued, taking a glance at his plate, noticing the half-eaten food, "The Warrior cafeteria is always overcrowded. If I line up in the queue there, I would waste too much time. Most warriors there line up at least 30 minutes before the dinner timings. Talk about people with free time."
"Rakh, can you tell me more about the Labyrinth of Frenzy?" Jyorta inquired, amazed at the speed that Rakh gobbled his food with.
"Sure, if you give me the remaining food on your plate. I can tell you my insights." Rakh smiled, seeing Jyorta push his plate towards him without hesitation. Rakh laughed and scooped the contents into his plate, returning the empty plate.
"The entrance to the Labyrinth of Frenzy is situated below the Red Building. In the Red Building, you can find numerous cells, with each cell housing a Tier 1 Frenzy Beast. You can enter them and fight to gain experience. But, you will not gain any Credits should you kill one."
Rakh grabbed another mouthful and stuffed it in his mouth, his actions efficient, "But, the real challenge is the Labyrinth of Frenzy. Even though its entrance is in the Red Building, the Labyrinth of Frenzy spans the area of our Academy."
He then paused, lowering his voice, "Moreover, it has many levels, proceeding to the bottom until the Lower Strata. Each level spans a height of 30 metres, with its floor thickness also being 30 metres. There are five levels altogether, with the fifth level based on the Lower Strata. The labyrinth is an expansive maze, filled with Tier 1 and Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts that roam freely."
He then resumed eating, pausing each moment while he chewed, "Level 1 consists of weak Tier 1 Frenzy Beasts, similar to you. Level 2 consists of medium to peak Tier 1 Frenzy Beasts while Level 3 is full of peak Tier 1 frenzy Beasts and weak Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts. Level 4 is full of Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts while Level 5 is filled with peak Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts. And, if your luck is worse, you might even chance upon a Tier 3 Frenzy Beast."
"Even though everything is monitored, the staff will ignore the Tier 3 Frenzy Beast that recently managed to breakthrough. Once it gets a bit stronger, they would pull it out." Rakh then pointed at him, "Everything there is dependent on your Sync Rate. You will soon learn in class about getting a grasp of a person/beast's Sync Rate based on the aura they emit."
Rakh then raised his hand, putting forward his index finger, "Killing a Tier 1 Frenzy Beast nets you 10 Credits, if its Sync Rate is between 91 and 100. If its Sync Rate is between 51 and 60, you will only get 6 Credits. As for Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts…it is 100 Credits for a Tier 2 Frenzy Beast with a Sync Rate between 91 and 100, and…you get the idea. This is what I have inferred based on my experience. So, prepare accordingly."
Rakh stood up, his plate empty, glancing at Jyorta, "The only piece of advice I can give you is to learn fighting techniques and try to augment it with your psychic energy. Yeah, similar to what the Laila person did in the evening. Your psychic energy is really weak at Tier 1 and Tier 2, so try to supplement it with your physique."
"And finally, you must have a lot of stamina. After all, only when you reach the surface with the Heart/Brain Crystals of the Frenzy Beasts you have hunted will you be awarded the respective Credits."