Chapter 162: Skills

"Thankfully, you returned today." The girl smiled, picking up her empty plate, "Due to the construction for the November Batch's Graduation Ceremony Battlefield, our classes have been rescheduled. We have Madam Rizenne's class next."

"What are they preparing for this…Graduation Ceremony?" Placing his final plate in the section meant for used plates, Jyorta washed his hands, and accompanied the girl to the exit, gazing at the massive yellow wall.

They had finished their lunch within five minutes, thanks to the girl's eating habits; Jyorta too accompanied suit, keeping up with the pace. He followed the girl's lead, watching her turn around as she conversed with him, leading the way to their next class.

Along the way, he hadn't spotted any of his other batch mates. But, since he would meet them in class anyway, he wasn't too bothered about the issue. All he wanted to find was the destination.

The blue soul unleashed a Soul Cornea, traversing it out his body, slithering its way to the ID card the girl had hung out, quickly making note of her name.

'Laekha Walta; so, she is someone from Sir Rishinik Walta's family.' Jyorta expressed no change in expression, feeling slightly relieved, no longer ignorant about the other party's name. Though, he never expressed this fact to the other party, lest she thought of him as a weird fellow.

After all, they hadn't had a formal introduction yet, not to mention the case for the rest of the batch mates. As someone who occupied the second rank spot in their Batch, it wasn't a surprise for him to be recognised. But the other way round was bound to raise suspicions; he didn't want to rake his mind to prepare a proper excuse.

"We haven't been informed of the details yet," Laekha Walta shook her head, "All I know is that everyone from the military academy will be able to witness the ceremony."

The duo soon arrived before the Head Office Building, entering it upon Laekha Walta's lead, climbing three floors. Pointing at an auditorium door, she waved her hand, "This is where we will have to assemble by 2:00 PM."

She then smiled once, pointing in the other direction, "I have a book to issue, I will see you later."

Jyorta thanked her once, watching her disappear from his vision. He pushed open the door, gazing inside to find an empty auditorium, bereft of any lighting or air conditioning. Jyorta felt slightly dubious, glancing around to find a staff member.

He approached the staff, folding his hands behind him, and talking with a tone of respect, "Sir, I am Jyorta Bone, Esper from the October Batch. May I know if our class is scheduled here next?"

The staff gazed at him, glancing at the auditorium behind him, nodding once before walking away. Having gained confirmation, Jyorta entered the auditorium and occupied a seat on the third row, one next to the path for traversal.

His position allowed him a comfortable view of the stage, the height perfect for his line of sight. Jyorta glanced at his watch, noting the time. He closed his eyes, intending to sleep for the time being.

His body was still exhausted, the small duration of sleep he had in the morning proved to be insufficient. The blue soul in him severed some connections, putting his body in a state of sleep. It sent a Soul Cornea outside him, keeping track of the surroundings, as a precautionary measure.

Due to everything he had experienced, Jyorta had his apprehensions. Besides, some measure of safety gave him mental peace, one that he sought to maintain.

1:35 PM, the first student from the October Batch had arrived, gazing at the empty auditorium. He was accompanied by a couple of his friends, making a merry as they walked in. They settled in the seventh row, relaxing under the atmosphere as they engaged in some small talk.

One of them noticed the sleeping Jyorta, nudging his friends, "Someone is sleeping, should we wake him up?"

"Maybe he's someone from a different Batch." Another boy replied, waving his hand for them to drop the matter, unconcerned about the sleeping student.

The students filed in one after the other, sometimes accompanied by their friends, other times alone. They occupied their seats according to their preferences, without raising much of a fuss.

Glares were exchanged between the passersby, the sense of rivalry long established between them, thanks to the numerous activities conducted by the military academy every day, always striving to incite competition between the students.

A girl walked towards the front, followed by a group of girls, intending to occupy a seat on the front row. She then spotted the visage of Jyorta, sleeping on the third row. Jyorta's seat was situated on the left extremity on his row, to his left was the pathway allowing the students to shuttle between each row.

The girl paced her steps, entering the third row from the opposite direction, finally seating herself to the right of Jyorta. The group of girls following her filed along the row, filling it up.

There was a slight commotion as a petite girl entered, sauntering in with a gentle demeanour, conversing with her friends, occasionally letting out a giggle or two, enamouring the onlookers. Some of the boys in the proximity blushed a little, averting their gazes from the scene, feeling their hearts race.

Since the other party was surrounded by her friends, they didn't have the courage to take a step forward. A boy, one who was a head taller than most, walked out, making eye contact with the petite girl, flashing a cheerful smile. He stood before the petite girl, his size making him seem as if he could squish the other party with his strength.

The crowd clamoured at the scene, wondering what would happen next. The boy didn't utter any words, turning around after smiling once again. He occupied his seat, which wasn't far from the area, his actions incomprehensible to the onlookers.

2:00 PM, Madam Rizenne walked in through a door situated next to the dais, closing all the doors upon her entry. The auditorium turned silent, with the students present inside hurriedly occupying their seats in a matter of seconds.

Jyorta woke up, rubbing his eyes to quickly regain clarity of mind. He glanced around, finding a familiar figure seated to his right. The girl made eye contact with him, her gaze suffused with a glare, brimming with fighting spirit.

Jyorta retracted his gaze, focusing on the stage. He didn't want to create a commotion for no reason whatsoever. He already had many things that garnered his attention; something like a rival was the least of his needs. He had more than enough reason to strive for his betterment, the cause stemming from his own ambition. External catalysts were unnecessary to ignite his spirit.

Madam Rizenne emitted a gentle fluctuation of psychic energy, coursing through the entirety of the auditorium and retracting it in an instant, shaking her head, "43 Cadets are absent."

The doors opened once again as the students who had failed to enter on time hurried inside. They took a couple of steps inside before their legs froze, a chilling voice reverberated around the auditorium, startling everyone present.

"I will make an exception today since the topic is of vital importance. As punishment, you will listen to the class while standing there. After class, run 10 laps around the ground." Madam Rizenne's voice infused a sense of primal fear in the latecomers, causing them to nod their heads in a hurry, their emotions a fluster.

"Good, all 878 Cadets of October Batch are here," Madam Rizenne nodded, walking towards the podium. She picked up the remote that controlled the screen behind the stage, flashing it to life at the push of a button.

The screen flashed a word, the font occupying half its size. It mentioned the term, "Skills" radiating a gentle hue. Madam Rizenne began her lecture, "It has been 15 days since you arrived at the military academy and 45 days since your Induction Ceremony. Of the 747 Warriors in your Batch, everyone has successfully Nurtured your Tier 1 Skill."

"Now, what do you mean by the term, Skill?" Madam Rizenne smiled, "10 Credits for the correct answer."

Jyorta raised his hand, assuming a confident posture. Since he was the first to raise his hand, Madam Rizenne pointed at him, giving him permission to speak. A mike flew towards him, landing in his hold.

Jyorta held the mike closer to his mouth, speaking his conjecture, "Skills are a physical manifestation of the body's dominant genetics developed to the extreme compounding with the muscle memories."

The definition of Skills wasn't present in the portal, for some reason unknown to him. But, that didn't stop him from guessing based on his experiences. Madam Rizenne gave a light nod of acknowledgment, "It is partly correct; a good try nonetheless."

After being motioned by Madam Rizenne, Jyorta sat down, feeling slightly disappointed at failing to receive the 10 Credits. But, he wasn't disheartened. It was a freebie; had he gotten it correct, he would have been able to claim some extra credits. Even otherwise, it didn't affect him.

"Skills are a physical manifestation of the body's genetics. That part is correct. But, the base is not just our own body, but also includes the body of the Wisdom Parasite." She pressed a button, allowing two helical strands to appear on the screen, "The moment our genetics experience a change or mutation, the effect will be displayed externally."

"But, none of our Skills does anything of the sort. They are something that has to be actuated by the energy in the Heart Crystal to unleash the desired effect." Madam Rizenne smiled, her face showcasing a mysterious look. She glanced at the faces of the students, watching their confused expressions, stopping at Jyorta.

"Why do you think this is the case?"