Runners improved their attributes and thus their levels by absorbing Aura balls obtained after killing a dungeon or Rift monster.
There were two types of Aura balls: essence balls and mana balls.
A Runner could choose either of these as their main aura, most choosing mana to become one of the seven mage classes.
Essence cultivation only had the warrior path, and it became hindering as the Runner's tier increased.
If possible, Noah would have also liked to cultivate mana, but he could only absorb inverse mana.
Even after searching the Rift Net on his smartwatch for a long time, he hadn't found a dungeon offering inverse mana balls, it was unlikely anyway.
So, his only option to cultivate was essence. Noah checked the Tier 1 dungeon options available on Zenith.
"The Goblin's Lair is a great choice," he mused, "but the essence balls they drop are low Tier 1 quality."
Noah scanned through the list of essence dungeons, but because lower-tier Runners didn't run essence dungeons, most of the essence dungeons on the list were low-level Tier 1.
Noah saw some Tier 2 dungeons with better-grade essence balls, but with his current inexperience, challenging them without any prior dungeon experience would be deadly.
Also, the rules in Zenith banned new Runners from running higher-tier dungeons than their current level unless they attended classes at the Zenith Runners Academy.
Noah wasn't in a rush to challenge higher-tier dungeons.
Unable to find a suitable dungeon, Noah was about to choose one randomly when his eyes fell on an option: The Emerald Grotto.
Because of almost entirely negative ratings from Runners, this dungeon was hidden from the main pages.
Only because Noah scrolled down so much did he get to see it. Reading the details of the dungeon, his face brightened.
Finally, he stood up, his fists clenched in excitement.
This was the dungeon that matched all his expectations, even exceeding them.
It was a lush, cavernous network filled with bioluminescent flora and creatures adapted to the darkness.
The monsters here dropped essence balls after death, and the quality of the essence balls was high, reaching Tier 2.
Looking at it from every angle, this dungeon was perfect. Noah wondered why it had such low ratings.
With his ID number, he booked a slot to run this dungeon. Because it had zero bookings, he was delighted to choose a time to his liking.
After booking his first run for 6:00 p.m., he decided to enroll in the academy in the meantime.
Opening the door, he met Luna, who was busily reading something on her smartwatch.
"Hello..." he greeted her with a smile, his previous awkwardness disappearing without a sign.
She turned to look at him, then greeted him with an even expression. It was like she had forgotten him and was now trying to recall who he was.
"I am Luna…" she seemed to waiting for him as her eye eagerly looking at his.
"Eh? Ahem, I am Noah…"
She then returned to her reading. Noah awkwardly stood there for a few moments before leaving for the academy.
'What a odd girl…'
Luna looked up to watch him leave, her brow furrowed in a frown.
"Why am I forgetting his name?" she muttered.
She reminded herself of the effects of her Tier 1 talent, her frown deepening as she summoned her status panel.
:
Name: Luna Lancaster
Age: 16
Tier: 1
Talent: Akashic Record
Effect 1: Remember the past they forget.
Effect 2: Record the past you see.
Talent grade: Impossible
:
'Why can't I see his past?' Luna wondered, a glint in her eyes.
'I'm even forgetting his name…' she thought, staring in the direction Noah had left, even though he had long since disappeared.
Something unknown about this seemingly ordinary boy sparked something inside her.
Something she thought had disappeared long ago after her parents' death.
"I'm really curious… eh? What was your name again?"
Noah chose to walk to the academy, enjoying the city with a contented feeling. The air was fresh, without the impurities of the city he used to live in.
He remembered reading somewhere that the atmosphere on higher-grade planets was pollution-free.
The climate on Zenith seemed to be better than any of the higher-grade planets he had read about.
The population was much smaller, so he felt like he was alone as he walked.
'Well, most of them might be in a dungeon run or challenging a Rift…'
The buildings had a uniform design, except for those controlled directly by the Zenith lord. He opened a map on his smartwatch, setting the directions to the academy.
The academy was near his apartment, with a large statue of a bull in front. It was rumored that the Zenith lord had a high-ranking bull as a pet, but it died in his last ascension challenge.
This statue was a memorial to that bull. Noah admired the might of the statue for a moment.
It was made with the bones of the dead bull, and he could feel the strength of an existence he couldn't fathom emanating from it.
'It gives me this pressure even after death.'
Noah slightly bowed in respect. Such an existence had failed to survive ascension.
How powerful must that ascension challenge be?
After showing his ID to the security guard at the entrance, he followed the directions the guard gave him for registering at the academy.
Entering through the gate, he was greeted by a building spanning a distance his eyes couldn't reach and a height that seemed to touch the sky.
The top of the building was shaped like the sharp points seen on churches, and a huge bell was connected to the top.
Noah entered the academy, feeling countless eyes on him, raising goosebumps on his skin. That feeling quickly disappeared, but he knew there were still eyes on him.
His blood started to make sparking sounds, and a hoarse but strong voice echoed in his ears.
"Thundrith…"
Something from his body seemed to move towards the direction he felt the gazes coming from.
Noah could see electricity flowing into the surroundings, like something was carrying it.
'What's going on?' he cursed internally, panicking as his bloodline acted on its own.
He lost control of it as electric currents slowly formed a shape behind him.
"Hoho, who is this Noah beauty? Oh no, handsome. Blame your parents for giving you a feminine name, haha…"
Before Noah felt something was about to happen, a cheerful voice rang out, disintegrating the electric current in the air.
"KILL… Kill… THUNDRITH…" Noah heard the sound from his agitated blood, but his attention was focused on the man standing before him with a cheeky smile.