"You've become stronger," observed Head Instructor Riley as he eyed Damien up and down. Damien's performance during his class today had been nothing short of amazing.
Even though Damien had kept his moves to the minimum and finished his fights very quickly, Head Instructor Riley's experience and sharp eyes told him that Damien had broken through into the next level of the Enlightenment realm.
Though Damien had managed to conceal the fluctuations of his breakthrough he hadn't been able to conceal it entirely. It would take about a day or two before he would be able to completely conceal his aura.
"Thank you for your praise, head Instructor. I'm just doing what needs to be done," Damien replied politely.
Head Instructor Riley nodded as he kept observing Damien.
This kid was talented. No wonder even the Vice Chancellor had asked him to keep an eye on him.
This kind of advancement speed was really rapid.
Damien had been an awakened for less than three months but already he was close to entering the next realm!
If he maintained this speed of advancement, he would probably reach the next realm a month before his second year or when he got into the second year.
Even when he was only at the middle level of the Enlightenment realm he could easily fight those a level above him.
How much more now that he had broken through to the peak level?
Head Instructor Riley's sharp instincts told him that it wouldn't be impossible for Damien to hold his own against an Advanced realm awakened.
"Hmpf. You're still weaker than an ant. Don't slack off, keep working harder," Head Instructor Riley snorted and walked off, leaving Damien to watch his back.
"What was that about?" asked Austin as he and the others walked up to Damien.
"He came to tell me that I'm weaker than an ant and that I should keep working harder," Damien smiled wistfully, rubbing his nose.
"Head instructor Riley sure knows how to ruin people's happiness," Zane chuckled even as they all laughed.
Damien smiled at the statement and couldn't help but agree it was true.
Though he was on good terms with the four, he didn't want them to know that he had long broken through.
He wanted to keep it a secret till it was time for the first year ranking battles.
Or else if they found out, the word shock would be an understatement.
Even the head instructor himself was stunned, how much more they?
The head instructor was quite snarky though.
Damien knew that his advancement had come off as a surprise to Head Instructor Riley but the sour-faced man refused to acknowledge his efforts.
Well whatever it was, Damien still had the conviction to train harder.
Wouldn't it be awesome if I was as powerful as the most powerful third year student when I reach second year? Damien thought.
It was an unrealistic aspiration but Damien couldn't help but imagine.
Wouldn't it be even more surprising if he graduated at the Domain realm?!
That was also an even more unrealistic aspiration but Damien didn't care. Even if he didn't attain such lofty goals, that didn't mean he would be mediocre.
A smile spread on Damien's face.
"Is it me or is Damien too happy today?" Brianna whispered conspiratorially to Mindy.
"Mindy looked at Damien's back and sighed. "I don't know Bri. It's not our business anyway. It's probably because he was awarded with CP again," she replied.
Head Instructor Riley had handed out CP today too just like he did the past week. The only difference this time was that he gave CP to only those who hadn't lost a spar.
Those who managed to keep a clean win record from the past week to today like Damien were award 200 CP while those who only had a straight win streak today received 100 CP.
"But he already has a ton of CP from those bullies. Why would a meagre 200 CP make him so happy?" Brianna questioned.
"Am I Damien? If you want to know something, why don't you go and ask him?" Mindy said exasperatedly.
Brianna was too nosy!
Brianna pouted and looked away. "Can you ask for me?"
"Hell no! If you want to ask something, go do it yourself!"
"Pretty please??"
"Nope!"
"I don't want to force you, Mindy!"
"Don't you dare use your power on me!"
Brianna grinned at Mindy and her eyes glowed golden as a mystic rune replaced her irises. Mindy tried to cover her eyes but it was too late.
"I urge you to ask Damien why he's so happy!" Briana giggled.
Mindy's eyes flashed with the golden rune which was in Brianna's eyes and walked over to Damien, tapping him on his shoulder.
Damien turned around in surprise.
"Why are you so happy?" Mindy said monotonously.
"Huh?"
At that moment, Mindy was finally released from the urge spell and she glared at Brianna. "Why the fuck did you use your power on me, Bri?!"
Brianna giggled even as everyone glared at her.
Her power was a soul power called Urge and it allowed her to sense and increase the urges people felt to do something.
It could allow her to control or urge people to do what she wanted!
The power was very effective if deep down the person she used her power on had that urge to do the thing they wanted to do even before she used her power on them.
Thus, with her power, she could urge a lady in heat to either masturbate or look for a partner and the person would do it, no questions asked as already they had the urge to do that!
This meant that Mindy wasn't averse to finding out why Damien was so happy. In fact, she was the most curious!
Brianna knew her friend very well and knew that she was very interested in Damien, stealing glances at him, asking his opinion often, observing what he did and all.
Her friend had a crush on Damien!
Even though right now she seemed angry at her for urging her to ask Damien a question, Brianna knew that deep down, Mindy was hoping for an answer.
"Bri why did you do that?" Austin asked.
"Mindy said Damien was smiling too much today and wanted to know why so I decided to help her out!" Brianna said righteously.
"Bri!" Mindy face palmed herself in exasperation.
Her cheeks became a fiery red with embarrassment.
How would she ever face Damien again?
Why did her best friend have to do this to her?!
Hm? Was my happiness too obvious? Damien questioned inwardly even as he maintained a calm façade, looking at Brianna and Mindy.
Mindy's blush became even more profound from his gaze and blurted, "Don't mind Bri, Damien. She's quite childish sometimes. She was the one who wanted to know that!"
"How am I childish!?" Brianna asked.
"You are! Why can't Damien be happy? Is happiness a crime?" Mindy retorted, her face alight with red hot anger and embarrassment and perhaps something more.
"Hmpf! If you're so chicken I'll ask him myself!" Brianna huffed and turned to Damien with a smile.
"Why are you so happy today Damien? Your face is almost always straight and you have this faraway look as if you're thinking deeply about something but today you've been grinning since the start of Riley's class!"
"Huh?" Damien blanked out.
Brianna had been observing him?
Damien didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
From his encounters with Brianna, he knew that she was headstrong and that if she made her mind up to get to the bottom of something, she would do whatever she could to find out!
Damien scratched his head sheepishly as even his calm façade was broken.
"It's a secret," he smiled at Brianna.
"No fair!" Brianna stomped her feet in annoyance.
"Everyone is entitled to their secrets, Bri. It's rude to ask someone's secrets!" Mindy glared at Brianna.
Brianna ignored her though and her eyes took a golden sheen. "Why are you so happy?" she asked Damien.
A mystical rune lit up in her eyes.
"Hmm?" Damien's brows furrowed as he felt a strong urge to blurt out his breakthrough but he quickly suppressed it.
His mental defense had increased rapidly due to his psychic element so suppressing urges wasn't too difficult for him to do.
"Not telling," Damien said to Brianna after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.
As expected, because Damien wasn't willing to tell them about his breakthrough and he was also far stronger than Bri, the urge power failed to work.
Brianna sighed inwardly. As expected of Damien. He can even defend himself against my urge powers!
"Bri are you crazy?! Why did you do that!" Mindy became hysterical at Brianna.
"Not cool, Bri. You shouldn't have done that," Austin shook his head.
Brianna bowed her head as tears smarted her eyes. "Sorry," she squeaked.
"It's nothing. Don't worry, it won't be a secret for long. Very soon you will all know," Damien smiled mysteriously.
He wasn't really angry at what Brianna had done. Out of all the four, she was the most straightforward and vocal, doing whatever pleased her.
Besides, it wasn't like she had bad intentions but she was genuinely curious.
Brianna's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yep."
While responding to Brianna, Damien was thinking though.
Brianna's stunt had drawn his attention to something he had neglected.
His body was very strong, with natural defenses and all but what about his mind?
Sure, he had the psychic element and all so his mind was far stronger than that of others but that didn't mean that people with mental powers or people who could perform mind attacks and charms couldn't hurt him!
On the contrary, he would be unable to put up too much resistance.
Had it not been that he was a level above Brianna and that he wasn't willing to share his secret yet, he would have blurted everything out.
"I have to get a technique which improves my mental defenses," Damien thought.
He couldn't afford to let anyone attack his mind or charm or urge him against his will.
"Let's hurry to the colosseum. I heard that the top 10 might have fights today!" Zane said, breaking Damien out of his thoughts.
"The top 10? Shit! What are we standing here for? Let's go!" Austin exclaimed.
Hm? Didn't it mean that Hank and Frank may fight today? Damien's interest was piqued even as he and the other four headed to the colosseum.
Just yesterday's fights had allowed him to understand so many things!
A fight between Advanced realm students would be extremely beneficial for his comprehension and let him know how far he was behind in terms of strength!