Jesse only raised his head after he emptied his soup bowl.
"Get up."
His ears twitched at the sound of the familiar voice and he turned to the direction of the voice.
A group of students left their table at Silas' command.
Jesse stared silently at the haughty kid and his group of minions before using the inspect skill on him.
[Name - Silas Dohwa]
[Race - Human]
[Status - Awakened]
[Ability - Mind Mirage]
[Tier - Intermediate]
[Level -1]
'What does mind mirage mean?'
[Creates a false perception of reality in the target's mind]
"Ha!" Maxwell breathed out a sigh of relief. He pushed his tray aside and relaxed on his seat, "That was good."
"This? This tastes terrible." Avila replied, scrunching up her nose.
"Can I have it then?" Maxwell jerked up.
"No...no, you can't."
"Tsk, petty." Maxwell murmured underneath his breath with a scowl on his face.
"Where's your team by the way?" He asked.
"They're right there." Avila nodded at Silas' direction, "A company of bootlickers."
"..."
"..."
"Do you think you can take him on?" Avila turned to Jesse.
"..."
Jesse, unwilling to answer her picked up his tray, "When are we leaving?"
"When everyone is ready I guess." Maxwell shrugged.
"I'll leave first." Jesse stood up.
"Sure, I'll come get you when everyone's done."
"Well, well, well. Look who's finally decided to join us," Silas says, his voice dripping with condescension. "The infamous Jesse Louis. I heard you made it here simply because you found that shitty little button."
Jesse glanced at him briefly. His head was already aching from all the noise.
"What do you want, Silas?"
"Hahaha! Did you see that?" Silas turned to his table, "He knows me!"
"How far has the world fallen? That anyone could attend the academy and become an ability user simply by finding a button." Silas smirked.
"Not impressed," Jesse said, dropping his tray on top Silas' table.
Silas's face twists in anger, and he takes a step closer to Jesse, "What did you just say?"
"I said not impressed." Jesse repeated, "Maybe you should have found the button yourself, huh? How's that?"
"How dare you speak to me like that?!" Silas raised his fist.
"-Fights are prohibited inside the dining hall or anywhere around this area. Have duels only when you get to the academy-" An announcement interrupted their squabble.
"Get ready for me, asshole." Silas said through gritted teeth as he left the hall, accompanied with his minions who didn't hesitate to bump Jesse's shoulder as they walked by.
"Well-"
"-All students head to the deport site- I repeat, all students head to the deport site-"
"Let's go!" Maxwell stood up, and returned his tray before leading the way.
"Want me to tell him off for you?" He turned to Jesse who was walking beside him.
"Hmm?" Jesse furrowed his brows.
'Why would he need help to deal with a level one intermediate mental ability user?' He thought to himself.
"A few bucks will do." Maxwell added.
"I'll be fine, and I don't think real money is used in the academy, unless you plan on living outside the academy." Jesse answered.
"It cost a fortune to rent an apartment in the Third Wall City, and even if you have that much money, you can't live outside the dorm. Every student of the academy must live in the dorm till after graduation." Avila chipped in, "Besides, didn't they mention points as a means of exchange?"
Maxwell scrunched up his nose, "What should I do with all my money then?"
"I don't know. What I do know is that you'll earn more by the time you graduate the academy and get a job." Avila shrugged.
"Shh, I worked so hard for that money." Maxwell pursed his lips.
"You can just save it up then." Jesse said.
"In comparison to a single pay as a certified ability user, that money won't amount to anything. I'll just send it to my younger brother once we get to the academy."
"Stop sulking, already. We're here." Avila announced as soon as they reached the deport site, "We're gonna be using a teleportation train this time."
"-All students head to the deport site- Get ready to board the train in five minutes-"
The doors of the white HSR train opened and the students flooded in.
"Let's sit at the front." Avila suggested.
The train's interior was stylish and comfortable, with rows of plush-looking chairs and expansive panes that were covered in a translucent thick dark glass-like material to avoid impact from the teleportation ring.
Since one row had three chairs, they sat together, quietly awaiting the others.
"-Board the train in 3...2...1-"
After the announcement was made, all the doors closed up.
"-Put on your seatbelts and get ready to depart-"
Jesse placed his head on the comfortable backrest and closed his eyes.
A cool wind blew as the train slowly started moving and it picked up its pace in no time.
"-Teleporting in 3...2...1-"
As soon as the countdown ended, a disorienting and exhilarating feeling washed over them.
"Ugh. I should have skipped that meal." Maxwell groaned with his eyes tightly shut.
"-Please step out of the train-"
"My legs feels like jelly." Avila commented, pushing herself up with her hands.
"-Welcome, students, to SSAD Academy! The third wall city welcomes you!"
A loud announcement came from outside and the doors slided open.
Jesse also stood up His non-human system properly resisted the effects of the train teleportation, hence, he felt nothing.
"Let's go."
"Welcome, students." A calm-looking middle-aged man stepped forward as soon as all the students gathered outside the train.
"Your wristbands contains everything you'll be needing. A map, your points accreditation, the access to your rooms, and a portable spatial storage." He walked a few steps forward and continued, "Agent Lora has probably briefed you on everything when you completed your test, however, I shall go through it again. Your test was not completely evaluated due to unforseen circumstances, therefore, the students from the seventh wall city shall receive the lowest ranks."
Jesse raised his brow slightly at the new information.
"You can, of course, raise your ranks by defeating other students in duels. Remember, both parties must attest to this duel first."
-Ting
Alarm noises sounded from the wristbands.
Jesse raised his hand up and the number seven had disappeared, now, number three hundred and thirty six was displayed on the plate.
"Call out whatever instructions to the wristband. Either map, account balance, or other things you may need. You will only be allowed to handle missions outside the academy when you rank higher than two hundred and one."
"What? How can I go from three hundred and thirty five to two hundred?" Maxwell sighed, placing his hand over his wristband.
"Going from three hundred and twenty to one hundred wouldn't be that difficult, would it?" Avila smiled, flexing her wrist.
"And before I forget, a test will be conducted shortly." The man added.
"What test?" A random student asked.
"An infection test, it is compulsory for every student from the seventh wall city. So, please do not move from your positions."