Chapter 16: Ice cream
Ding! Dong! Ding!
The class bell rang, signaling the end of class.
"Today's class was so boring," Eddie sighed as he quickly followed Ryan and the other two.
"A… anyway, since we were dismissed early, what are we going to do now?"
"Train?"
"Sleep?"
"There would be no point in me training," Eddie quickly rolled his eyes from today's class and Tracy and Ryan's suggestions, respectively, and looked at Jacob. "I wonder what Hero Killer is up to these days."
It wasn't only Ryan, but Tracy and Eddie were also looking at each other at Jacob's words.
Nobody knew Hero Killer's current location, as it was something the government wanted to know as well, so even if any of his haters or fans wanted to see him, they would never be able to do so.
"I mean, he has been awfully quiet these days." Eddie put a finger to his lips and commented, "Maybe he got caught?"
"So you're a fan of hero killers, Jacob?" Tracy raised an eyebrow as she asked sarcastically.
"Of course, we're all fans." Eddie rolled his lips as he let out a long and deep breath, and he spoke seriously, "We wouldn't be in the academy if we didn't want him to kill us in the future."
"Speak for yourself," Tracy furrowed her eyebrows. "And why are you coming with us? Since when were you a part of our group?"
"W… what? I thought we already became friends back when Ryan beat up Kevin." Eddie quickly reasoned as he walked beside Ryan, "Right, Ryan?"
"Mhm." Ryan nodded, and Tracy could only click her tongue in annoyance.
"By the way, shouldn't we be training, eh, preparing a bit for tomorrow?" Eddie said this in an attempt to change the topic.
"Huh? What is there tomorrow?" Tracy looked at him cluelessly.
"A training session." Eddie answered and added, "A team fight would be more accurate."
"Another training session so soon?" Tracy raised an eyebrow again, then frowned, opening her mirror to check her makeup.
'Did I just break character?' She wondered.
She looked at the sleepy Ryan, then shrugged. He wasn't looking, so she's fine.
"Yesterday was a simple assessment class; tomorrow is the actual start of our training schedule."
"Is that so?" Tracy nodded, and after giving it some thought, she added, "They should have informed us beforehand."
"It was in the handbook they gave us. Seriously, didn't you read it? There's even a map of the whole campus attached there! Along with the rules, there is the whole month's worth of exercise schedule." Eddie looked at her as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"There is a handbook." Ryan fought the sleepiness and looked up. Even after sleeping for more the 11 hours, he was still tired after yesterday's fight. The radiation exhaustion was quite severe, much more then he had anticipated.
"..." Eddie looked at Jacob hopefully, but much to his disappointment, whom he considered a possible nerd also didn't know the handbook existed and was just as clueless as the rest.
Jacob scratched his cheeks; his knowledge about tomorrow's class all stemmed from the novel and not the so called handbook; he was also surprised someone read that.
"Maybe I should get a copy soon." Tracy nodded inquisitively as she once again looked around the place. Considering the number of people already in the mall, they weren't the only ones who had the idea of visiting the mall on the first day... As expected of teenagers.
They had long stepped out of the academy grounds into the island's main entertainment area, which in itself resembled a well-constructed city.
"Waaaa, we look too little compared to our seniors." Eddie couldn't help but gasp in disappointment.
"What do you mean?" Tracy tilted her head.
"Why would they even have this many restaurants when there are less than 1,000 of us admitted to the academy? And out of those, only 60 of us are in our first year." Eddie pointed all over the mall and even outside the window and spoke as if it was a pity and a waste of money.
From what he heard, the island wasn't like this before but had gone through a period of renovation during the summer.
"There are only 1,000 students enrolled here!" Once again, Tracy's eyes were clouded with apprehension and doubt.
They didn't look that many during the entrance ceremony, but then again, she slept through 90% of it, and it was quite dark as well.
"Why so little...? Hero Killer." She was about to ask but suddenly realized how one man made the entire geographic area fear this profession.
No one wants to be a hero anymore.
"That's actually already considered quite a few," Jacob muttered.
"Based on a current study, there are almost five and a half million heroes roaming around the world. And it would only grow further, even taking the current Hero Killer into consideration. The current state of decline in applicants is only seen as temporary."
"But it would still be considered a massive hit to the country's image, not being able to deal with a single man," Tracy added. "The number of heroes around the world isn't declining; the number of heroes inside the country of Marcoos is."
"That's true, but the possibility of hero killers moving out of Marcoos to hunt down heroes in other countries isn't far-fetched. No one could fight him here anymore." Eddie couldn't help but feel their future was bleak.
If no one could deal with Hero Killer, then they're all doomed.
"We're back to talking about Hero Killer now?"
Jacob also let out a sigh, he was half supporting Ryan and half dragging him to a nearby shop.
He said, "Come, let me treat us to something sweet!"
"What... is this?" Was Ryan's first question as they entered what seemed like a cafe, but not quite.
"It's shaved ice," Tracy blinked a couple of times as she looked at the menu. "It's been pretty popular recently."
"I prefer butter pecan." Eddie swallowed.
"I want rolled ice cream; what about you, Ryan?" Jacob called out to the cashier and then looked back at Ryan, who by now had opened his eyes wide, and said,
"I- W... want_ E... every... T- type, of flav-or you... H-- have."
"One cup of shaved ice, butter pecan, rolled ice cream vanilla flavor, and every flavor you have for him." Jacob nodded as he finished their order, looking at the cashier in earnest.
"That would give him a stomach ache?" Seeing that everyone was looking at her without a word as if waiting for her to register their order, the cashier couldn't help but blink in confusion.
"..."
She suddenly felt like she shouldn't have said that after the silence prevailed, and just as she was about to register the order, thinking that Ryan's stomach was strong enough to handle the frost, she heard him speak.
"Oh, T- thank... you- F- for... th- e... R- reminder." Ryan nodded politely, looked at the numerous options, and said, "T- Then j- just one... Chocolate-- chip... ice cream... T- to- go, please."
"..." The cashier was speechless.
"..." The rest of them, who thought his stomach was strong enough to handle the frost, were also having a hard time coming up with words.
—-
Going back to his room after an exhausting day of roaming around, he was just in time to meet up with Astin, who was entering the room.
However, a wave of dizziness invaded his body as he felt the sleepiness he had been suppressing the whole day attacks him all at once.
And without missing a beat, he collapsed straight onto his bed, closing his eyes without saying a word.
Chapter 17: Training
In front of a gigantic door, professors stood in front of the only three first-year classes at the academy.
Each year, the number of hero applicants decreased, so this year, they had to fill the spots with students who barely met the standards.
A man in his late fifties stepped forward with a loud, booming sound. He shook everyone awake from the still haunting sleepiness as multiple pairs of eyes raised to stare at his imposing figure in mage ropes in the alter.
Professor Alfred, the head professor of the academy, declared after grabbing the students' attention, "Each of the sixty students here will be divided into groups of five. You can choose your own teammates."
After his words set in, he continued:
"Behind this door are six different terrains that will change from a building to a forest: ruins, mountains, mazes, and dungeons."
"Cough… Two opposite teams will enter and fight each other... The team that will get to retrieve the flag of victory in the center will win."
"You have 5 minutes to choose your teams," Alfred said, touching his beard.
The academy used to be a place for interaction and basic knowledge before they were sent to the union for practical training; it was a place where humanity's future heroes would be taught like normal students.
This kind of event and special training was unprecedented; however, students thought that it was made due to the fact that villains were running rampant nowadays, which is why they felt the need to train them beforehand.
Students started chattering everywhere as teams formed rather quickly; the past couple of days were enough for a lot of friendships to be born.
"We. Need- Another..." Ryan said as he looked around. Through his energy vision, a small figure was looking around in his line of sight, following behind Jacob.
Jacob came in and boasted excitedly, "I found a fifth member."
"Why did you bring in a girl? You should have brought in another guy." Tracy's eyes lowered in annoyance, and she let out a short but deep sigh as she turned to look at Ryan.
"Eddie, where?" Ryan asked, ignoring Tracy's expectant eyes. There was no reason for him to stop the new girl from joining the team, just to cater to her.
Tracy answered his question shortly: "He went to the restroom."
Jacob nodded and introduced, "This is Lina; she has great supporting power and will be a great addition to the team."
He was pretty enthusiastic about her because Lina was one of the few characters that appeared in the early days of the novel, and according to the author in the forums, Lina was one of the few that only mildly hurt Hiro.
Nothing extended a few hurtful words that she spoke out of impulse; at least she wasn't going to be a problem, not to mention that her magic was top-notch.
Lina spoke in a low tone, embarrassed, "Hi, my name is Lina Deborah; I'm from class A-3."
Professor Mia came forward, stopping the students's chatter all at once, as she turned her head toward the two other instructors, who quickly ordered their students to move to the corner of the room to make space and said, "All teams, come forward and register your members."
Multiple team representatives came to write their names.
Tracy and Jacob looked around; Eddie came along when they came here.
So where is he now?
When Ryan came forward to register his team members' names, he saw a team consisting of Kevin, Steve, Eddie, and two other girls.
Tracy came forward, annoyed again, telling him, "Anna, this girl came to us, and she didn't have a team to blend in. I told her that we're already full, but she insisted that no one wanted to take her."
Ryan pointed silently at the team; both Jacob and Tracy were stunned. They looked around, and sure enough, Eddie finally showed himself, standing with Kevin and Steve, laughing happily.
Eddie noticed a line of sight on him and waved.
Jacob looked at him hesitantly and asked, "Are they..."
Eddie interrupted his words, "You see what the truth is..."
He paused for a second as Jacob's face darkened and continued, "The three of us are childhood friends. I just felt bored playing your friend; you're no fun."
Jacob's expression crumbled, he felt dumbstruck. It was as if someone had hammered his head down.
Things have changed from the original plot of the novel in just a few days, and it has made him complacent.
The intervention of characters that weren't supposed to have any role, like Tracy and Eddie, as well as Kevin and Steve, messed up the plot and he turned a blind eye, so he lost his senses and dared to trust someone.
He felt at a loss; the sudden betrayal came unexpectedly.
It was his fault for trusting anyone in this rotten academy.
Jacob blinked.
He always warned Ryan not to trust anyone and ended up forgetting he shouldn't trust...
"W- What... Are.. You-- Thinking? About?" Ryan pulled Jacob out of his thoughts, and so did Mia's words.
"Since all teams have registered, if you hear your leader's name, head toward the gate."
The three looked at Lina, who shook her head vigorously. "It's not me."
Anna said, "I have already registered our name."
"What the..."
"DAMION'S TEAM VS ASTIN'S TEAM, ENTER THE TERRAIN N1."
Following the booming announcement, Damion's team was the first to enter, followed by Astin's team.
The door slammed shut as soon as the first two teams entered, and a huge screen lit up to show the battle that was taking place.
---
Damion sprinted through the forest, leaving his team to deal with Astin's squad. Soon, a faint laugh was heard.
He dashed toward the center, followed by Astin closely behind, and the two reached a faraway open space.
Ice spears bombarded Astin as he evaded them with ease, using the trees as a shield.
Thud!
"GAaaaaaaaahhhH!"
A dreadful scream resounded across the forest, scaring the nearby animals away.
"3 seconds, huh?"
Astin managed to catch up with Damion and began to beat him up slowly, causing him to yell out in pain. All whilst not using his mana from beginning to end, however, his presence alone made Damion unconsciously terrified.
Damion found he was unable to use his powers; he tried to fight back, but his ability didn't respond. He was beaten so senselessly he fell to the ground, his vision fading until his eyes went dark.
'The fact I lowered my power to his level,' Astin frowned.
He could have taken advantage of his arrogance and chosen the most appropriate moment to strike, which happened to be when he turned his back on him, but he decided to face him head-on, yet still, Damion's powerlessness was glaringly obvious.
He was still no opponent to him, and if he continued to be conceited, he would never be an opponent to him.
Lisa appeared from behind and said, "The others went to the center to retrieve the flag."
Shortly after, Mia announced "Astin's team's win."
'As expected from the protagonist.' Ryan thought.
"Next."
"EDWARD TEAM VS. CHARLOTTE'S TEAM, TERRAIN N2."
…
The next few teams came forward, and after a while, it was finally their turn.
"EDDIE'S TEAM VS. RYAN'S TEAM, TERRAIN N6."
The door opened, and Professor Alfred, standing in front of the door, said, "Eddie's team would enter first; you can follow afterward."
The door opened to a limitless maze, and Eddie's team was the first to enter.
One minute later, Professor Alferd said, "You can enter as well now."
Entering the maze, Ryan found a trace of radiation usage.
'It seems like they set a trap for us.'
---
"Where is Ryan?" Jacob asked.
"How would I know,"
"We are stuck inside an illusion," Lina looked at the two and said, "It's Anna's ability; she can use illusions to trap people."
"Huh?" Tracy fumed, "If you already know her ability, why didn't you tell us beforehand that you were also a traitor like that, Eddie?"
Lina shook her head in a low, angry voice that wouldn't startle a fly. "I'm not; you didn't ask. You should have known I knew since we're classmates; besides, she's our teammate too."
Lina was on the verge of tears; why were her teammates yelling at her?
"I know her ability to," Jacob suddenly said.
"Why didn't you say anything beforehand?"
Jacob scratched his head and said, "Because I forgot."
"Forgot? What about Ryan, who was left alone?"
"Shut up, don't you pretend you care about Ryan."
"Are you sure you want to care about Ryan's well-being? Shouldn't you worry about yourself?"
"Guys, please don't fight."
"Shut up."
"Don't yell at me." Lina shrank back.
"Wow, is it really the right time to fight?" Amanda and Elsa appeared out of nowhere.
They were Eddie's other team members.
Tracy and Jacob raised the mana inside their bodies.
Tracy said, "Be prepared to use your elemental magic anytime; otherwise, we're doomed."
"I can't," The hands that had been hanging from the side unconsciously clenched into a fist.
"Huh!"
"I don't know how to use my elemental magic." Jacob lowered his head in embarrassment.
Tracy was left dumbstruck. "What did you just say?"
***
Ryan looked at Eddie in front of him, and behind him were Steve and Kevin.
"Are... you... okay?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Eddie burst out laughing. "You are really sick in the head, aren't you, which part of this seems to you to mean that I'm not okay?"
Ryan said, pointing at his head, "Y- Your power... Said- It... all; it's screaming; it's... hurting."
—-
Rank: D+
—-
Sup Power:
Energy vision (S+): the user would be able to see the energy and the energy in the air, as well as the ability to sense the emotions contained in others or to see auras around people.
—-
Ryan's eyes filtered through his status and stared at the side effect of his energy vision, then looked back at Eddie.
Eddie wasn't a character that appeared in the novel, but it appeared in the original script as well as the twins; they were children of a highly respected politician.
Eddie's father was the twin's driver; he wasn't born with a strong ability, nor was he blessed with an outstanding qualification, but he became the twin's playmate. Ever since they have constantly bullied him.
A lot of students from the first year played an active role in the original script; they were later deleted from the revised version because of their minimal roles.
Ice spears came from both sides as Ryan jumped upward, only to meet with a fiery explosion mid-air.
Ryan created a fire shield due to the fact that his ability couldn't be known; he could only use fire. He was sure the seer was too busy to pay attention to him.
Landing on the ground unharmed, a huge water bubble suddenly launched at him. He used his fire to burn it up, only to be surrounded by fog.
Yet, it didn't obscure his vision; the three attacked him from different sides and surrounded him, and he had no choice but to take a direct punch to the gut and protect his head, his body engulfed by fire as he resisted Steve and Kevin's attempt to freeze him.
He sent out waves of fire in all directions, pushing them all several steps away from him. He quickly punched Eddie in the face, smashing him to the ground.
Boom.
Fire exploded from both hands at Steve and Kevin, who were behind him, trying to sneak attack him. The recoil of such attack sent him couple of steps forward, he almost fell face first on the floor.
Ryan panted heavily, "Huh ha huh," as he looked at the collapsed trio on the floor. He sat on the ground, exhausted.
'I had never been a fan of fighting in the past.'
It's time to crack this illusion.