Sorey Atherion's Point of View
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It must feel so good to be Areyos; he has everything: power, women, intelligence, respect... At least he doesn't fear running into an unbeatable opponent in martial arts class. But anyway, we had class, and with the new Devas who arrived today, it would be very instructive to see them in action.
"Alright, today we're going to experiment with race transformations," began the professor. You could already see the humans sweating. The professor then used the magic console, and just like last time, we were teleported to the academy's training ground.
"Your uniforms have an emblem of the academy on each of their collars. Touch one of them, and a magical screen should appear in front of you," the professor instructed, and the students did so. A blue magical screen appeared about 30 cm from our faces, displaying the academy uniform. There were arrows pointing left and right on either side of the screen.
"You can press the arrows to see your combat outfit and customize it. Once done, you can save the changes, then press the small magic circle in the bottom right corner marked 'apply,' and your outfit will replace your uniform directly," the professor explained.
"Wow, that's very convenient... magic really does wonders," I thought. I opted for a white t-shirt with black sleeves and pants that were white up to the knees, then black from there. A gold line always separated the two colors of the uniform, whether on the sleeves, pants, or shorts.
I glanced at Areyos and saw that I had chosen exactly the same outfit as him. Kaiser had opted for a white sleeveless t-shirt. As for Yoko, she wore a custom-made white sleeveless top with black sides, extending up her neck. Below, she had shorts with colors similar to her top, perfectly accentuating her figure, along with long black boots. She also wore long black gloves that left her fingers bare.
"Alright, now that everyone is ready, we'll start with a bit of theory before practice," the professor began, bringing up the same giant magical screen from last time.
"We're going to talk about race transformations, and after the practice, we'll rank the top 10 most powerful students in the class," added Professor Zemus.
"The top 10 most powerful students?" I murmured. I already know that Klaus, Kaiser, and Areyos are in the top 3. But with the arrival of the Devas, their rankings might change, though I highly doubt it.
"So, can anyone tell me what they know about race transformations?" Zemus asked. Erina raised her hand to head level and was naturally chosen.
"Race transformations are abilities that races have to multiply their power. Physical changes generally occur during a race transformation, like marks appearing on the body or changes in eye, hair, or skin color," Erina answered.
"Excellent, Miss Erina," the professor praised.
"Professor? Are you saying that race transformations allow other races to apply multipliers to themselves instead of our powers?" asked a human.
"Exactly that. But unfortunately, humans don't have race transformations," replied the professor, which made Troy and his gang laugh.
"Oh... okay," said the human, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"Each race has 2 transformations except for the Metaryons who have 3. And with each one, one or more Sub-Elements are either unlocked or strengthened," explained the professor.
"Unlocked or strengthened?" asked a confused Aegyl.
"Yes. Let's take the example of two Metaryons we'll call A and B," the professor began as the class listened intently.
"Assume both master fire, but B also masters lightning," continued the professor.
"If both enter Overcharge mode for the first time, which is the first transformation for Metaryons, A would unlock lightning bending while B would see his lightning bending multiplied, it gets strengthened," the professor explained.
"Wow, that's handy, these transformations!" exclaimed some students.
"Regarding multipliers, the first transformation has a power multiplier of 10. That means all your stats will be multiplied by 10."
"Their power will be multiplied by ten!!?" the humans shouted, including me. It was only natural, remembering what Yoko had told me the other day at the library about lifting 100 tons; with the ability to multiply one's power by 10, she would be able to lift 1000 tons!
Looking at Mr. Kaiser, I couldn't help but think about the strength he could produce if he transformed. He had lifted 1500 tons in his base form... we humans clearly don't stand a chance against them. As the humans were still in shock, the professor continued the lesson.
"Professor! What about the next transformations, what are their multipliers?" asked a human, looking indifferent, contrasting with the fear of the other humans.
"Well, the second one has a multiplier of 20, and the third for Metaryons has a multiplier of 30," said the professor with a smile. The terrified murmurs of the humans could be heard while the elves gave them sympathetic looks.
"However, you must remember one very important thing: venous adaptation," said the professor.
"Venous adaptation?" the students repeated, confused. The professor then displayed an image of a humanoid where one could see the veins of energy.
"Here's an image of a person's energy veins in their base form; it could be Chi, Ki, or any other venous energy system. The more veins, the more powerful the person becomes. In the case of a Chi system, having a multitude of veins allows for the acquisition and use of Sub-Elements. That's why it's advised to develop your Chi veins," the professor explained.
"Professor Zemus, how can we develop our Chi veins?" an elf asked.
"Good question. Know that Chi veins are like muscles. The harder you train in using your elements, the more these Chi veins undergo shock from excessive use of these elements. Then they adapt by creating new veins capable of handling the excessive use of your elements and strengthening the existing ones.
"Professor! Does that mean a human could become as strong as a Metaryon?" I asked, surprised.
"If we're talking about raw strength, it's possible if the human transitions from Chi to Ki since it's a system based on physicality. With the aura that it provides, one can multiply their strength and resistance to compete with a Metaryon. And like Chi, excessive use of Ki will lead to venous adaptation.
"That's incredible," I murmured.
"But be careful, don't forget that Ki multiplies the base strength and resistance of its user for various uses, whether in attack or defense. So if your base strength and resistance aren't high enough, don't expect to do much against a Metaryon, Mr. Sorey," added the professor, which made Troy and his gang laugh even more.
"The poor things, thinking they can beat a Metaryon by using an energy system they were born with? Ahahaha," said Troy, mockingly.
"Quiet, Troy," said the professor.
"Sorry, professor," he immediately apologized.
"Anyway. Let's continue," said the professor, changing the image on the giant screen.
"From the principle of venous adaptation, here's now an image of the same person during their first transformation," said the professor, changing the image on the giant screen.
"There are many more energy veins," I said.
"That's correct, the energy explosion produced by the cells of Metaryons, Aegyls, and elves during the first transformation must be channeled to be used. So their energy veins undergo such enormous pressure that they are forced to grow and strengthen. The appearance of these veins thus unlocks a Sub-Element or strengthens it if it was already present."
"Wow... incredible," I murmured.
"Professor, what about other energy systems?" Yoko asked. "Metaryons and elves have two energy systems; do they all develop, or is it only Chi that develops?" she added.
"All your energy systems develop with each new transformation, not just Chi," the professor answered.
"Professor! With such power, a Metaryon could kill a human with a flick!" exclaimed a human girl.
"Of course, even hitting the air, the shockwave created could kill a human if they don't protect themselves with a strong aura," confirmed the professor, causing more chatter among the humans, now even more frightened.
"Honestly, I don't know what us humans came here for. We were told the other races were powerful, but I never imagined such a disparity in power," I whispered.
"Don't worry, we humans have what it takes to face them; they'll shut up when they see what we're capable of," said the human next to me. This was the human who seemed relaxed while others were in panic.
"You seem pretty confident," I replied to him.
"Don't worry, haha. I'll handle them," he said with a confident smile, looking determined. The professor then moved to the last point of the lesson.
"We've seen the energy vein system before the transformation and during the transformation. Now here's an image of the system after the first transformation," said the professor, pointing to the image on the magic screen.
"Uh, professor, it's the same image," said Yoko, confused.
"No, this is indeed the image after the transformation," said the professor.
"Wait, you mean we keep the power from the transformation even after returning to our base form??" Yoko exclaimed. The humans looked at the professor, already anticipating his answer.
"That's correct. The now developed and strengthened veins cannot be retracted and retain the power provided by the transformation. To put it simply, your base power becomes that of your first transformation," the professor explained.
"WHAT!!!" almost all the students exclaimed in astonishment. The professor, amused by this astonishment, continued.
"It's not over; if the person transforms again, their strength is once again multiplied by 10," said the professor, smiling.
"Professor, so does that mean they just need to transform, then return to their base form, and do this several times to become more powerful each time!" exclaimed a human girl.
"No, not exactly. As I told you, the veins grow but especially strengthen. During the first transformation, the veins, not being used to such a power boost, are forced to adapt and strengthen," the professor began as everyone listened in silence.
"After returning to normal mode, the veins are now ready for future similar power boosts, meaning multipliers of 10. Do you see where I'm going with this?" he asked.
"It simply means that the veins won't need to adapt for the multipliers of 10 brought by the transformation. So yes, the boost will be present during the transformation, but will disappear once back in normal mode," Areyos interjected.
"Exactly. Who didn't understand that?" the professor asked.
Some students of all races raised their hands.
"I see," said the professor, scanning his eyes over the students. "We're going to use Mr. Kaiser to illustrate all this," said the professor, fixing his gaze on Kaiser.
"Tell me, Mr. Kaiser, before your first transformation, how many tons could you lift?"
"When I was 12, I could lift 80 tons easily," Kaiser replied casually. The surprised expression on the professor's face made me think of what Professor Shiki had told us earlier. An average adult Metaryon can lift up to 50 tons without trouble... Kaiser, at 12, was already lifting 80 tons!? What kind of training had he undergone!? The other students were also surprised by this feat... including some Devas who then showed mysterious smiles.
"And once transformed, how many tons could you lift?" the professor continued.
"800 tons," Kaiser answered.
"And once back in your base form?" the professor asked again.
"I could still lift 800 tons since I had retained the power of the transformation."
"And when you transformed again, what happened?"
"I could lift 8000 tons at that point," Kaiser said, rummaging through his memories.
"And what happened when you returned to your base form?"
"Without my power multiplier active, I could only lift 800 tons again. My energy veins having been accustomed to a x10 boost, didn't adapt anymore. This means my base power stayed the same as before my transformation," Kaiser explained.
"Ahh, I see," said Yoko. The other students seemed to understand as well. During the first transformation, the energy veins adapt, which means that upon returning to base form, the user keeps the power received from the first time. Thus, during the second transformation, although the user receives the power boost, the veins, now able to handle this boost, don't need to develop or strengthen further.
"Okay, this is going to be a bit tricky to deal with," said the confident human next to me.
"You said it," I responded, watching Kaiser.
"However, I must warn you, the veins don't develop all at once during a transformation; they take about an hour to fully develop. So, during the first transformation, it's useless to immediately return to base form hoping to be even more powerful by transforming again." Added the teacher.
"Nature is clever; otherwise, everyone would want to return to base form and become even more powerful with each new transformation," Areyos said to Yoko.
"And finally, the last point of today's theory. Let's say Kaiser here reaches 'Inferno Mode,' which is the second transformation for Metaryons, with a multiplier of 20; you can guess that the veins will need to adapt to this new boost, going through the same process as during the first transformation, right?" the professor asked, and all the students answered affirmatively.
"Do you think the first transformation becomes useless then?" the professor asked. Some answered that indeed the first would become useless, while others thought there might be constraints to the second, like greater energy consumption or a shorter duration.
"Ahah, you're far from the mark," the professor finally interjected. "There is no time limit or excess energy consumption in race transformations."
"But professor, so the first does become useless since the power multiplier of the second is higher," said Arwyna, the elf.
"No. Understand that after your cells have learned to provide a x20 boost, they will now only provide this new boost, and this for all previous transformations. This is what we call 'cellular adaptation'," said the professor.
"Cellular adaptation?" Areyos repeated, confused. Clearly, even he didn't know what it was.
"Cellular adaptation allows all transformations to remain useful while improving their power multipliers with each new transformation."
"Professor, so if Kaiser reaches Inferno Mode with a multiplier of 20, then his Overcharge mode will now have a similar multiplier instead of 10??" I exclaimed.
"That's correct. The cells won't give a boost of 10 anymore but of 20. And if a new transformation with a higher boost is achieved, it's this new boost that will be given for all transformations," the professor explained.
"But where's the point in having multiple transformations if they all have the same power??" I asked.
"The answer lies in the second multipliers of race transformations," explained the professor, changing the image on the screen. Two images of silhouettes with their venous systems visible.
"The first multiplier of a transformation is the power multiplier. The second one is a ability multiplier."
"A ability multiplier?" the class echoed.
"Yes. Overcharge mode multiplies the power of Ki and lightning abilities by 100, while Inferno Mode, in addition to unlocking the bending of lava, plasma, and gravity, multiplies the power of these abilities by 100 generally, regardless of whether they are used through Chi or another energy system," the professor explained.
"So, each transformation is suited to a circumstance," Areyos deduced.
"Exactly. Against an opponent sensitive to fire, Inferno Mode is a better choice than Overcharge. But against an opponent resistant to elements or who hits very hard, the physical damage power and resistance provided by Ki in Overcharge mode is the best choice," concluded the professor.
"Each transformation will thus remain useful," Areyos murmured. Indeed, thanks to the venous adaptation of energy systems, these races will see their base power increase with each first transformation. And thanks to cellular adaptation, cells having learned to provide a higher boost will now provide it to all previous transformations. No doubt about it, race transformations are brilliantly designed, allowing each transformation to remain unique and useful.
"Alright, now it's time for practice; let's start gently."
"Mr. Troy Rocklander, come here," said the professor.
"Oh no, not against Corvus again," Troy exclaimed, making the class laugh.
"No, no, don't worry, you'll face a human. Be careful," said the professor. Troy had trouble holding back his laughter.
"I'm... I'm sorry, professor... but do you want to work on my self-control or something?" said Troy, interspersed with small laughs.
"Ahah no, I want to work on your psychology," said the professor with a mysterious smile. Everyone had a confused and surprised expression at the same time, even Areyos and Erina.
"Mr. Keldo Stark, please come forward," the professor requested, and the human who had been next to me all this time stepped forward in front of everyone and stood in front of Troy.
"You are allowed to use your weapons. No need to worry; the training magic system gives you a life gauge based on your power. During this fight, you won't suffer any real damage, but if you receive an attack that would have incapacitated one of your limbs or organs, like an attack that would have gouged out your eye or torn off a limb, the magical system will simulate the effects of these attacks and their consequences. Also, know that the pain will indeed be felt," explained the professor. "Now that the information has been conveyed, it's time for the fight."
"I hope you can entertain me a bit, human," said Troy, pulling metal gloves from his signet ring. Keldo pulled from his dimensional bracelet high-tech boots and gloves with a futuristic look, something only seen on the human continent.
"I guess there's no point in asking you to shut up now since your mouth will soon be busy biting the dust," the human retorted with a cocky smile, to the surprise of all the students who looked at him as if they were afraid for him.
"Let the fight begin," the professor shouted.
To be continued...