[21:50]
Ethan glanced at his watch. There were ten minutes left until the time he was supposed to meet Noah. He stood up, yawning as he headed towards the door. He wouldn't get much sleep tonight. Mostly because he had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow. On most days, he'd have already been asleep by now. But not today. All because of a certain system-possessing cheater.
Being an awakener was tough. Most days, he'd get hardly 6 hours of sleep. The only reason he could get by was his slightly higher Stamina stat in comparison to other awakeners at his rank. And anyways, after he'd advanced to G-9 rank while fighting against Golden Lion, he could feel his stamina increase. So getting 5 hours of sleep today wouldn't affect him much. Probably.
Tap...tap...tap. Ethan stepped outside Dust House as he turned right, walking towards the main building, Azure Block. The Combat Club's effects were amazing. He could feel his fighting ability increase over the last seven days. He put his hand on his dagger instinctively.
They didn't help him increase his rank in any way, though. He still needed to spend 2 hours in the physical section of Obsidian Block, pushing his body to its limits every single day. That was the only way to increase his rank.
He glanced at his watch.
Beep!
.
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[Name: Ethan Miller]
[Age:15]
[Status: Awakener(Physical)]
[- Stats]
[Rank: G-9]
[Strength: G-9]
[Agility: G-9]
[Stamina: G-8]
[Mana: G-9]
[Magical circuit: G-9]
[Personal stat(unnamed): G-7]
[- Skills]
[Mirror Blade (G)]
[Mana Sense (G)]
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He was pretty close to F rank. Most Pebble House people would be at G-10 rank right now, on the cusp of unlocking their innate abilities. Ethan, himself, wasn't that far from G-10 rank right now. He could feel his mana growing inside his body. Using physical and mage type mana together was like a steroid. The quality of his mana had increased explosively, propelling him towards the next rank faster. Right now, he felt like he could unlock his innate ability before July ended- just like most people in Pebble House.
Shhhh! A set of doors slid open. He had reached Azure Block. Tap...tap...tap. His footsteps echoed throughout the building as he walked forward. There were very few people over here at this time of the day. Most people were either in Obsidian Block or in their rooms. And the receptionist had already left. Beep! He turned towards a computer, holding his hand underneath a terminal.
.
.
[Name: Ethan Miller]
[Class: 1-10]
[ID has been verified...]
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.
Ethan pulled his hand back. He walked out of Azure Block, stepping outside. Multiple pathways twisted and turned, leading to a few buildings in the distance. Trees lined the edges, making it look like the entire school was carved out of a forest. Well, in a way, it was. A deadly forest completely overrun with monsters.
Creak! He pushed open a door, walking into the training room, Obsidian Block. A blast of cold air swept across his face. Tap...tap...tap. He walked through the corridor as he looked around. He could see a few people walking around in the physical section, as if they were finishing up for the day. The combat section only had one girl who was shooting her bow at one of the target ranges. And almost all of the capsules in the augmented section were empty. So where the hell was Noah?
He walked into the augmented section. Maybe he was holed up in one of these capsules? He glanced into one of them. There was a small window at the top that let you see whether the person inside was doing alright.
But, hypothetically, couldn't a creep just stare at somebody while they were using VR capsules? Hmm. Maybe the possibility of a mishap occurring outweighed the problems brought about by creeps. He sat down in a corner. Well, there was nothing to do for now. He'd just have to wait until Noah showed up. He'd probably come in the next 5 minutes. Right?
Nope. Ethan waited and waited, glancing at his watch as the minutes ticked by. At 22:17, a girl got out of a VR capsule right in front of him. She frowned as soon as her eyes landed on him. "Creep." Ethan could hear a soft mutter escape from her lips as her face turned into one of disgust.
He yawned as he glanced at his watch yet again. He didn't care if there was anysort of misunderstanding between them. He didn't recognise her. And if she wanted to think of him as a creep, what could he do? It wasn't like the rest of KGS had a favourable impression of him, right?
The minutes ticked by as his eyes started to drift off. Creak! He glanced at his watch 22:29. The doors of the augmented room had finally creaked open. Ethan looked up. Dark black hair, empty eyes and a face that would make any otome game pro go 'kyaaaa'. It was Noah.
Ethan slowly got to his feet, making himself visible so that Noah would notice him. Tap....tap....tap. Noah's footsteps tapped through the carpeted room as he walked towards him. "Well, you're pretty early!" Ethan spoke in a slightly annoyed tone. Noah had already stolen a precious hour of sleep. He didn't want to waste any more time and sleep.
Noah ignored him. "Have you told anybody about our trip to Hydragyros?" Ethan shook his head. "Nope. Who'd believe me?" Noah nodded slightly. "In two days, we're going to leave this mountain for about 6 hours." Ethan frowned slightly. This wasn't a request.
"Why? What are we going to do?" Noah's eyes darkened. "You don't need to worry about that." Ethan's frown deepened. "Then I'm afraid I won't be able to come." Noah was unpredictable. He'd used Ethan as bait on Hydragyros without giving him any information. Of course, in his eyes, his instruction of 'don't move' was more than sufficient. And, in that aspect, Noah might as well be considered blind.
"I wasn't asking." Noah's cold voice pierced through Ethan's ears. "Neither was I." Ethan's eyes glinted slightly. "The last time you pulled this kind of shit, I was almost killed by an F rank monster. So forgive me for being cautious." He stared back at Noah. "I have enough of a reason to get rid of you. You know too many secrets."
Noah was capable of killing him. Ethan knew him well. But he also knew that Noah wouldn't kill for no reason. He was crazy. But he wasn't a psychopath. He didn't derive pleasure from killing. Killing humans.
"I won't go down as easily as you think. You're not the only one with secrets." Noah's dark eyes bored into him as he observed him for a moment. Ethan could see it in his eyes. He was wavering. He'd finally tell Ethan what he was up to.
"No." Suddenly, Noah's voice shattered his dreams. "Be here by 3:00 p.m. in two days. Make sure you're alone." He turned around as he started walking away. Was it going to end like this? Was Noah going to completely disregard him by treating him like a pawn?
Suddenly, Noah paused. "We're going to an G rank gate. The Flat Den. So make sure to bring your suit." Tap...tap...tap. "And be ready to handle another one of those white orbs." Creak! Noah pushed open the door, disappearing from the augmented section. Ethan stared ahead for a moment.
Noah had actually told him where they were going! It didn't seem like much, but knowing how he acted while dealing with almost every other person in 'The Ghost System', Ethan could see the difference. This simple act of giving him basic information, of giving in yo his demands ever so slightly- it meant much more coming from Noah.
He smiled widely. How could he not? Getting acknowledgement, however little, from the main character of your favourite book- it felt amazing. Like getting complimented by your favourite celebrity, but better.
Tap...tap...tap. Creak! He pushed open a door, heading outside the augmented section. Frankly, he had absolutely no idea what Noah was going to do. But he didn't care. If Noah didn't use him as bait kike he had on Hydragyros, he'd have no problem helping out.
Suddenly, his face paled. No. What the hell was he thinking? Now was the absolute worst time to get involved with Noah. Haven was starting to move. And if he wasn't careful, he might end up on their list of targets.
He took a deep breath. Alright. Coming to KGS meant that he'd have to deal with Haven one way or another. He just had to make sure that he was as strong as the people from Class 4 students by the time they came. Which wasn't really tough, considering the fact that his strength was around the weakest member of Class 6 right now.
His god-awful luck made him warp to an alien planet with Noah the first time he met him. But there wasn't anything he could do about it. All he could do was work with what he had. He put his hand on his dagger. It seemed like he'd be sleeping even lesser than before for the next few months. He sighed. "Life's a bitch!"