Chapter 156: A Piece of Advice

'The first generation have dysfunctional thoughts?' Watching the middle-aged man exit the room, closing the door behind him, Jyorta shuddered at the thought.

'How much do these Parasites screw the human mind?' He mentally cursed, feeling his emotions plummet to the ground, leaving him in a confused state for a while. He then noticed the doorknob being twisted, the action slower than before.

The door craned open as a familiar face arrived into view, beaming Jyorta's face with joy. Jyorta sprang from the bed and raced towards the door, jumping into the hug of the other party.

"Sister, you have recovered now!"

"Haha, thanks for saving me." Heima lifted him with a single hand, using her other to ruffle his hair. She then placed him on the bed, taking a seat beside him, looking at him with a smile, "Congratulations on becoming an Area Controller."

"It just happened," Jyorta smiled, giving her a short recount of everything that had happened.

"Ehara Gobi…" Heima muttered, sporting a frown after failing to recall the individual possessing the respective name. "There is nothing about her in my memories."

"Based on what I witnessed when I fought against the soul of your Wisdom Parasite, you have only inherited a small portion of Gajara Rahi's memories." Jyorta recounted his probing towards Laila, "I couldn't even get an estimate of the size of her soul. It just looked like a flat surface from my point of view. Your soul is incomparably tiny with respect to her's."

"That is what I have been feeling too," Heima nodded, "I have recalled and digested almost all the inherited memories. But, the ones I possess only include the methods for an easier breakthrough, training methods, recipes for some Traits, and incomplete Unranked Skills. The experiences of Gajara Rahi, her life journey, the part of her life spent battling against the Tier 6 Frenzy Beasts, and the plans she had executed in her later years, they are all a major blank. There are only some fragments."

"Just the value of the fragments is incomparable," Heima sighed, breaking away from the topic, "How is life in the military academy?"

"It is tough but enjoyable. Though, the number of classes I have attended are quite less." Jyorta mentioned about the Credits he had accumulated and his overall opinion of the military academy.

"Everything they teach you there are things that will save your life in the Wilds. Moreover, they will train you to prepare for your cultivation journey. Because, once you attain tier 4, everything changes." Heima said, her tone solemn, emphasising the gravity of the situation.

"I won't skip any classes," Jyorta let out a wry laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"You can study in the remaining time, but never skip any classes," Heima said, shooting him a stern glance. "Credits are important, that much is a fact. But, even if you were to exchange everything available there, without proficiency in the basics, you will die the moment you step foot in the Wilds."

"They will impart you many things, repeatedly performed until it becomes your instinct by the end of the year. Their teaching methods are the only reason we humans can handle many Frenzy Beasts of the same Tier singlehandedly, with some of us capable of killing foes from a higher Tier." Heima smiled, pointing a finger at herself as she said the last statement.

She then stood up, beckoning for him to follow her, exiting the room. They arrived at the narrow hallway, proceeding along the path towards a different room. On the way, she closed Jyorta's eyes, warning him to not look at the painting on the wall.

"It is difficult for even Ground Controllers to make heads or tails of it, not to mention you. If you gaze at it too much, your vision will deteriorate and you might even go crazy." Heima led him into another room, after travelling through the narrow corridor for a couple of minutes.

The room was vast, spanning sides with 100 metres, the ceiling situated 10 metres from the ground. Placed in order were numerous cubicles, each filled with a gelatinous solution. Most of them were empty, barring a few where people were immersed inside, sporting the minimum most clothes necessary.

"You should train to mask your aura and decreased Sync Rate. It would be suspicious for the students in the military academy when they notice your Sync Rate having fallen from 71 percent to 57 percent. As for the teachers, they will be informed with a made-up excuse." Heima pointed at one of the cubicles, sporting a smile.

"Madam mentioned about using that so-called 'Trait' of yours as the reason. It is surprising how a lie becomes circulated multiple times until it cannot be differentiated from reality." She pushed him inside a cloth stand, allowing him to undress, leaving behind only the underwear.

Jyorta wore a respirator, one attached to an air supply. Based on her instructions, he jumped into the cubicle from above, watching his body slowly seep into the gelatinous solution, the process consuming ample time. 20 minutes later, he was fully submerged; his head was situated one metre below the surface layer.

"From Tier 2, your body will exert its presence, thanks to the upgraded body cells. This is what we term as an aura; the higher your Tier, the greater your presence. At Tier 4, it experiences a qualitative change. We will not focus on that for now. Having become an Area Controller, your body will soon begin to exude its presence."

"The fact that you have become an Area Controller in just 45 days since your Induction Ceremony will raise many suspicions. The teachers can be satiated with some excuses but, it will be difficult for the students to digest it. Everything will be for naught if your aura is revealed in full brunt. This allows them to easily sense your Tier and make an accurate guess of your Sync Rate."

Situated within the cubicle, Jyorta nodded his head, able to hear her voice clearly. It seems an earpiece was attached to his respirator, allowing him to converse normally.

He felt a numbing sensation around his skin, suppressing something within him. His body retaliated in response, seeking to burst out with full might. The suppression effect was akin to being submerged inside a water tank, with its depth surpassing human tolerance, its effect impossible to be resisted.

Jyorta gradually got used to the feeling, allowing him to retract the trace aura his body exuded. He then turned his head, noticing the few people who were similarly immersed in their respective cubicles.

Noticing his gaze, Heima continued, "They have recently managed to breakthrough to a higher Tier. So, they are preparing to suppress the higher-intensity aura their body will begin to exude. It is something we all have to experience at every Tier."

Two hours later, Jyorta got accustomed to the feeling, now able to enact the suppression manually without external help. An instrument beeped in his cubicle, inciting a colour change, signalling him to exit the cubicle.

Jyorta exerted some strength in his legs, inching his way up. Twenty minutes later, he had fully extricated himself from the gelatinous substance, noticing his body lacking any residue of the gelatinous substance. He touched his undergarment, finding it too lacking any residue, heaving a sigh of relief.

He then entered the cloth stand, finding his set of clothes replaced with the tracksuit issued by the military academy, the set he had worn when he had arrived at the Headquarters of Grapple Force. He wore it quickly and headed out, finding Heima holding a suitcase in her hands.

"Contained in this suitcase are 70 Tier 4 Frenzy Fruits. If you input the password, it will send out a Frenzy Fruit. This action can only be performed once per day. If you consume Frenzy Fruits without a set interval, it will cause you to lose control." Heima placed the suitcase in his hand, whispering the password in his ear.

As an Esper, he retained better memory power, quickly memorising the password. She then brought him to another room, taking a winding path, the journey spanning 30 minutes.

She knocked on the door, entering upon receiving a response from within. Jyorta trailed behind her, noticing Atika Light seated behind a desk, going through a document displayed on her monitor. On noticing them, Atika Light pointed at four boxes placed on one side of the room, making eye contact with Jyorta.

The moment he glanced at the four boxes, Jyorta nodded without a change in expression, knowing what he had to do. He unleashed his two Soul Corneas, seeping them into a box. Fifteen minutes later, he executed the same with the second box, proceeding to the next at similar intervals.

In the span of an hour, he had converted the souls in all the four boxes into his subsouls, heaving an exhausted sigh as he stood beside Heima.

Atika Light nodded once, "Inside them are a Floating Spider, a River Whale, a Lava Turtle, and a Spindle Bee, all Warriors at Tier 1. They will be researched upon to help us gain knowledge about the weakness of the foes that threaten our city."

"A piece of advice." Atika Light pointed at Jyorta, "Even if the condition proved to be in your favour, absolutely refrain from attempting a breakthrough to Tier 3. The hound may be lingering in the vicinity, trailing you. Unless you get a green signal from Grapple Force, you are to remain at Tier 2."

"Yes, ma'am." Jyorta saluted, showcasing his comprehension of the situation.

"You are dismissed now." Atika Light waved her hand, "Heima will accompany you to the military academy. She will detail you about the excuse we have prepared."

Followed by a bow, Jyorta exited the room, accompanying Heima through a myriad of winding paths, heading to and fro the Upper Strata, finally arriving at a station in the Lower Strata.