"Before I continue, can someone tell me the races affiliated with the five Factions that are a part of this ongoing Faction War? You can also tell me what you know about them and if I'm satisfied, I will grant them a wish as long it is within the limits. So how about it, does anybody want to try?"
There was only one hand raised in the entire class. Surprisingly it was Cass. He had learned a thing or two after staying with his brother. And it wasn't that he wasn't smart, he just didn't like studying. He would much rather train more.
David also raised an eyebrow because he hadn't expected any of them to try. Still, he wanted to see if the new kid could surprise him. He simply said, "Go on, Cass."
"As you told us before, there are five Factions taking part in the ongoing Faction War for our planet. They are Celestia, Infernia, Garden of the Fair Folk, Spirit Alliance, and finally, Earth Federation.
Celestia is a Faction that was created by the Angel Race. Three leaders lead this Faction. The Sol Throne, the Divine Throne, and the Virtuous Throne. All three of them are EX Grade.
Infernia is a Faction that was created by the Demon Race. This Faction also has three EX Grade leaders. Demon Emperor of Wrath, Demon Emperor of Pride, and the Demon Emperor of Ash. These two Factions often clash and treat each other as mortal enemies.
Garden of the Fair Folk, is a Faction that was collectively created by the many races. They include the Fae, the Elves, the Fairies, the Pixies, etc. They are led by the King of the Fair Folk, Oberon, an EX-Grade expert. This Faction is the second youngest Faction after our Earth Federation.
The Spirit Alliance is also a Faction that was created collectively by three races; the Spirit Beast Race, the Spirit Plant Race, and the Spirit Elemental Race. They are led by three EX Grade leaders. The Divine Beast Leviathan, the Divine Tree of Life, and the Spirit Emperor.
And lastly, the Earth Federation. We are a very young Faction that is not even a millennium old. We consist of the Neo-Human Race and the Demi-Human Race. Our Faction is led by our Supreme Commander, an SS Grade Neo-Human."
When Cass finished, the whole class applauded. Even David was very surprised. He said, "That was perfect Cass. You can tell me what you want after school but tell me one thing. How did you know all this?"
"Zeke told me. He then grilled me about it until I had memorised it. He said I needed to know such basic information." Cass said this with a slight shiver when he remembered Zeke used a water gun and forced him to study.
David had an unreadable expression as he asked, "Is this basic information for Zeke? What is he studying currently?"
"Nope. For him, this is even below the basics. And he was reading that book, ughh, right! It was Monster Biology for Dumbos or something like that."
David didn't know what to say. This year was going to be difficult. His students were looking at him with curiosity so he decided to continue.
"As I was saying, that was when hell began. Our enemies were too strong. As compared to our enemies, we were far weaker even though we had the same level. At first, we thought that it was due to their racial advantages.
But then we discovered something. A genius with a very strong Life Affinity was born among us. You may know him by his moniker, Mad Immortal. He experimented with his body, forcing it to absorb mana far beyond his limit. Whenever it was about to burst, he would heal himself.
He discovered that we had overlooked one very important thing. We were too reliant on the System for strength. He found that we could rely on the mana in the atmosphere to level up.
According to him, we have three vessels. The Soul Vessel, the Body Vessel, and the Mana Vessel. We were weak because none of our strength till that point had been obtained through the proper manner and was too impure. Levelling up simply meant strengthening our vessels
He started experimenting again and created the prototype of what is now known as the Supreme Exercise. He became the first Neo-Human to unlock the System's Conversion Feature. The EXP that we gained from killing other creatures, could be converted into Essence.
Essence is categorized into F - Ex Grade. Essence can be used for levelling up. But the problem with this method was that if an F Grade person needed 100 EXP to level up, he would need 100 F Grade Essence to level up.
So now we had three methods of levelling up:
1. Killing other creatures for EXP: Quickly gain levels in exchange for weaker strength.
2. Converting the EXP into Essence and using that to level up: Gain greater strength in exchange for slow levelling speed.
3. Creating techniques to safely absorb atmospheric mana and strengthen our Vessels to level up: Depends on the strength and compatibility of the technique.
After he shared this with the rest of the Neo-Human race, we started innovating, gradually getting stronger and reaching the stalemate that we are at today.
Now we have thousands of verified techniques apart from the Supreme Exercise which be available to you when you unlock the System. I'll advise you to never get complacent even after unlocking the system and remember that only 150 years are left from the grace period granted to us by the System.
Alright, class dismissed."
Coincidentally just as he said this, the bell rang marking the end of school. It was as if he had intentionally timed it that way. Cass and his new friend, Jason, walked out of class while discussing their training regimes. Like Cass, Jason also loved training and they quickly bonded. They were like two gym bros meeting after a long time.
Outside the school, Katherine and Zeke were waiting for him in the car. He said bye to Alex and quickly entered the car.
"How was your day, Cass?"
"It was fun. Mr. Wilson taught us about the history of the Faction War. It was very interesting. I even won a wish from him for answering his question."
"A wish?"
"You found history interesting?" Zeke was genuinely surprised. Whenever he tried to teach his brother something, he would doze off. He had to use a water gun to teach him the basics of the basics.
"Zeke, be nice to your brother."
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm happy that my brother is finally thinking about his brains instead of brawns."
"Anyway, what did you mean by won a wish?" Katherine asked.
"Mr Wilson will grant a reasonable wish of mine."
"That's good. Have you decided what you want?"
"Not really. I would have chosen access to the gym but we already have one at home. I can't think of anything right now. That's right, Zeke, do you want something?"
"I do. Do you think I can get access to the school's chemistry lab?"
Even though the school's lab couldn't come close to what he needed for the elixir, he could start practising brewing some low-level potions.
"I will talk to the school. Even if the wish doesn't work, you should be able to use the lab under supervision," said Katherine. She knew that Zeke was a prodigy when it came to anything academic and wanted to provide him with anything he needed to make his talent shine.
"I also have a surprise for you both. But it will arrive in the evening. And you cannot ask me about it before that."
Cass instantly became excited. Zeke already knew what the surprise was and he was even more excited. They had a light lunch after they reached home. Cass was too excited and decided to cool off by training. Just as he was heading towards the gym in the basement, Zeke stopped him.
"Hey Cass, I have a proposal for you. I will join your daily training sessions, both of them."
Cass was surprised and excited to see his brother finally taking an interest in working out. "That's great, but what do you want in return?"
"An hour. You will join me for a study session for 1 hour every day. I promise that they won't be boring like the last time."
'This is the first time that Zeke has come to me for training willingly. I can't let this chance go by. After all, I am his big brother. It is just suffering for an hour every day. After that, I'll be able to train him properly.'
"Sure, let's do this. Meet me in the gym in five minutes."
1 Training session later...
Katherine was taking the laundry to the washing machine in the basement when she heard the two bickering and started laughing.
"How do you do this every day? You monster!"
"Hey, you came to me. It's not my fault that you didn't train before. Give it some time. You'll get used to it. And don't forget that this was just one session. I want to see you in the gym tomorrow at 5 AM sharp, got it?"
Zeke mumbled a yes and began questioning his life choices. Was he going to be alright? Then they both saw a laughing Katherine. She wiped a tear from her eye and said, "Go take a shower you two. You both stink. Your surprise is about to arrive."
They took a shower, freshened up and came down. Katherine was making dinner and it looked like she was preparing a feast. Just then the bell rang and they both rushed toward the door.
They opened the door. It was a tall man with black hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing denim jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. He had a sharp jawline, and one could see his abs through the t-shirt. He could best be described as a Greek God from the Olden Earth.
As soon as the man saw them, he hugged them hard. Cass was still confused as to what was going on but Zeke knew. This man was Alexi Bane, their father's best friend and their Godfather. He was like brother to his father and he most probably saw him in them. They resembled their father a lot.
"Let go of them, you big doofus. You might scare them. They were just newborns the last time you saw them."
Alexi immediately let go of them. Katherine came to the door and hugged him and said, "Welcome back."
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Author's Note:
Hey guys, I hope you like the novel.
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Shout-out to @_ASURA_2414_ and @Aditya_Chandra_6960.
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