Jono then read the news on the internet. Several channels reported on the announcement of the new school year for middle schools, high schools, universities, academies, and other institutions. There are also many news stories that provide information about the most talented and promising newcomers at every school level.
Competition in the selection of universities, academies, and the like is the most popular news today. The entry selection competition at this level is indeed fierce and exciting.
High school things news ranks second in popularity in the academic field. The news about high schools discussed many new students who had a high aptitude and cool super abilities. Some also discussed high-level fighting abilities and high mastery of super abilities.
"Are there a lot of highly talented people this year?" he remarked disparagingly. Previously, Jono paid little attention to it because he thought that his only [C] aptitude was good enough.
Maybe, other people will take the aptitude or talent test seriously. It's different with Jono. His grandfather always said aptitude tests weren't everything, and he believed that.
For others, high aptitude is very important because they have a strong and reliable background, or for people who want to make money quickly by joining companies, families, or organizations that recruit high-talented individuals. It's different for Jono, who doesn't have a strong background, family, company, or organization and also doesn't plan to join such things.
If someone has a high aptitude but does not have a strong background, they will usually become the target of criminal groups. Many criminal organizations want to recruit talented people. Jono understands this, and most people understand it too.
So, Jono feels more comfortable with his current aptitude, which can be said to be only average. For the time being, his top priority is safety. Jono is not interested in joining an organization. Only small organizations require people with a level of aptitude like him. Therefore, he is more interested in increasing the level of his own strength.
Jono's grandfather once said that he should be independent and make his own power. With this will, he hopes that someday he will be able to establish his own organization or company. It is a plan or a dream that he wants to achieve in the future, of course, not in the near future. For the time being, he feels short on money and resource. How can he create an organization without money? After pondering for a while, he shook his head with a long sigh.
"At least I entered a class that is better than [G]," he thought to himself for a moment to calm down.
Some people with strong backgrounds do not consider high school all that important. But for Jono, this is important as a basis for him to enter university or an academy later.
Others may go straight to university if they can pass the entrance test without having to attend high school. People who have strong backgrounds and have a lot of resources to teach their people without having to go to primary or middle school or even high school mostly done this. Unlike Jono, who has nothing.
Therefore, everyone will complete their data, especially the super ability section, prior to the day of taking the university entrance test. It was in universities or academies that the competition for strength or power started.
In the next eight days, Jono plans to continue his intense training. The training will cover four main points. The first is practicing sword techniques. The second is to practice the puppets' control. The third is to practice using the puppet's super abilities. The fourth is practicing the breathing technique and physical body strength. Apart from that four-core training, Jono also practiced using his dagger on the sidelines.
It's not only Jono who trains hard; in various parts of the city, there are also many teenagers who are training hard to improve their strength before school starts. The higher the level of their strength, the easier and smoother their days at school will be.
"I have to advance to the next stage before school starts," said a teenage girl whose hair was tied in a ponytail. The teenage girl was practicing in a private yard that looked quite spacious and closed.
In another place that looked like a training room, there was a teenage boy who kept swinging his sword.
"I'm already at the peak of the third stage."
"A little more and I can advance to the next stage," said the teenage boy.
In a mysterious place where there are many fire torches around, a teenage girl is practicing a martial art movement accompanied by a bird-like creature made of fire.
"My strength and my guardian spirit have reached their peak."
"Soon it's time to advance to the next stage," said the teenage girl while gasping.
In a restaurant, a teenage boy is eating voraciously. "Eating after exercise is very delicious," said the teenage boy as he continued to chew his food.
Of the many people, not a few are also frustrated when they are exploring their super abilities. Some of them don't even understand anything about their super abilities. Despite their exceptional talent, these students will struggle to keep up with the activities at school. Those who have an aptitude below [B] and have not understood their super abilities must accept the fact that they will not be able to enter regular high school.
"Damn it, having unique super abilities is annoying."
"Until now, I didn't know the effect of my super abilities!" exclaimed a frustrated teenage boy with short curly hair while hitting a fist in a gym.
"Fortunately, I have A-class aptitude," he said to calm his mind a little.
...
On the edge of the river that divides the City of West Witwur, a young woman wearing a long skirt is throwing stones at the flow of water. "Why can't I master my super ability?"
"What exactly is my super ability?" the young woman asked herself.
"If I didn't have [B] aptitude, I wouldn't have been able to get into high school," said the young woman rather sadly.
...
"F*ck it!"
"I only have a C aptitude, and I don't know the effect of my super ability yet."
"Bad luck, oh bad luck," angrily exclaimed a teenage boy in a small apartment.
There are numerous benefits to attending a high school. There are five major benefits that schools offer to their students. First, high schools provide certain materials or resources to enable students to increase their power levels faster. Second, high school provides many fighting or martial arts techniques that are not available on the internet. Third, many professional teachers and trainers teach in schools and are ready to assist their students. Fourth, the school provides funds for excellent students, which can be used for anything. Fifth, the school canteen provides high-nutrient food from beasts that can increase the body's physical strength.
Of course, to be able to benefit much from school, students must also have a certain level of strength, intelligence, and ability. High schools also provide many opportunities for their students to show their excellence.
Jono has his own opinion on the benefits that high schools provide. According to him, the most prominent benefit for students who enter high school is that they can venture outside the safe zone to hunt beasts.
Jono has always wanted to go to the wild zone to hunt beasts, but some rules prevent him from hunting in the wild zone. There is an age limit that must be met before getting a permit to hunt in the wild zone or the danger zone.
The age limit rule can be avoided by taking advantage of the opportunities provided by a high school. However, that opportunity is also difficult to obtain due to a limited quota.
Jono wants to have this opportunity to venture into this wild zone. Therefore, he will train very intensely in the few days before school starts.
After eight days of hard training, Jono felt an increase in his power level. His control over his super ability has also increased. What he felt had improved the most was his stamina, which was directly proportional to his physical body's strength.
Apart from training himself, Jono has also increased the strength of his special puppets in the last eight days. His puppets, Outan, Tita, and Smokie, have reached the pinnacle of their power level now. He accomplishes this by having the three puppets absorb the carcasses of beasts. Outan, his ape puppet, could have barged into the third stage if he had wanted it. However, Jono suppressed the desire so that Outan's power level matched his in order to avoid raising suspicion at school later, even though the possibility of raising suspicion was very small.
Jono will increase Outan's power level if he feels that his strength is already at its peak, which will advance him to the next stage. If Outan's power level is still at the second stage while he is about to advance to the third stage, he will have a hard time breaking through to advance to the next stage. To simplify the process of breaking through and moving forward, it was necessary to maximize the power level of the puppet first. He was confident of it.
Many theories also mention increasing proficiency in using super abilities as much as possible in order to break through and advance to higher levels more easily. This is very important, especially if someone already has a very high power level.
For people who still have a low power level like him, this doesn't matter as long as the talent limit is still far away. But he thought differently. He wanted to advance to a higher stage with the maximum effort possible.