Chapter 200: Wisdom and Frenzy

"Congratulations on your breakthrough!" Haesha raised her right arm, bumping her fist at him, "You are the second in our Batch to achieve this. Your Nurturing speed is high."

"Everything is thanks to me getting the Trait of Efficiency early on." Jyorta laughed, feeling happy. Only when among his peers did he feel free, no longer having to engage with complex thoughts. He could be himself, the things he had to worry about bordering normalcy.

8:20 AM, finished with their breakfast, the duo sprinted towards the Head Office Building. They soon climbed up three floors, entering the double doors of a large auditorium.

It was packed full of students, with only some seats left vacant, dispersed along the auditorium. Jyorta spotted a place with two empty seats, making eye contact with Haesha as the two sprinted towards the spot, narrowly occupying it.

"Hey, we were about to sit here?" A voice resounded, slightly irritated. A figure stood right next to their seats, retracting his raised leg. Their seats bordered a pathway, hence why they could sprint and occupy it.

"Do you want to fight me or find a seat to sit?" Jyorta smiled, displaying a face full of provocation, ready to brawl with the other party.

"You asked for it," A punch headed his way, aiming at his stomach. Jyorta wriggled his body like an earthworm, his action strange, the oddity making the attacker involuntarily pause for an instant.

A psychic arm emerged from his head, spanning 65 centimetres long. It made use of the momentary pause to arrive before the attacker's eyes, pulling both the eyelids down in one action, covering his vision.

Despite having his vision blocked, the attacker exerted strength in his punch and aimed at Jyorta, his aim accurate. His Tier 1 Skill seemed independent of eyesight to function.

His speed quickly increased, greater than Jyorta's ability to dodge. Just when his fist was about to slam into Jyorta, it paused.

The attacker's forehead was covered with sweat as he showed no signs of attacking anymore. Haesha smiled; her psychic arm had seeped into the chest of the attacker, her threat obvious. If the attacker continued with his attack, then she wouldn't stop until she dealt him a serious internal injury.

Jyorta used the seat as a spring and jumped up, watching the attacker's companion try to attack Haesha. He retracted his psychic arm, sending it towards the other person.

His leg shot forth, kicking at the attacker's companion just before he was about to hit Haesha. The companion raised his hand, defending Jyorta's kick launched with his body weight. If it had been a normal punch, then he wouldn't have paid heed.

The companion slightly jerked his body, shifting the force Jyorta had exerted using his body weight, throwing him off. His unleashed psychic arm grabbed the earlobe of the companion, pulling at it as his body flew a couple of steps away.

Unwilling to get his earlobe torn off, the companion moved his head along the direction of Jyorta's motion, preventing him from aiming an attack at Haesha once again. Jyorta tumbled once as he landed on the floor, using the momentum to spring forth, intending to ram at the companion.

The companion raised a hand, intending to withstand the attack before aiming a kick at the other party. It was because he stood right next to the seats that he had been unable to kick before. Just when he braced himself for the impact, he noticed Jyorta crouch and slip past him, making a jump before landing on his seat.

Before he could wonder, he noticed the double doors close as Madam Rizenne walked onto the dais. He then noticed Jyorta and Haesha direct derisive sneers at them, saying in unison, "Better luck next time."

Haesha retracted her psychic arm, watching the attacker heave a sigh of relief. The attacker and his companion glanced at Jyorta and Haesha once before deciding to walk away. They divided up and occupied distant seats, seating themselves with a grumpy expression.

Madam Rizenne directed her gaze at the small scuffle near the middle of the auditorium, ignoring it once she failed to find any injuries. In a place where humans had congregated, conflicts were bound to arise. Unless it wasn't anything serious, she didn't have any intention to step in.

Even if someone were bound to face a severe injury, she was capable of instantly healing them back to full health. Once it was done, imposing a relevant punishment was bound to suffice.

Madam Rizenne glanced around the auditorium once, nodding with a smile, "Good, all 878 Cadets from the October Batch are here."

She walked towards the podium, her gait slow but steady like always, picking up a remote, "Now, we have a joyous occasion. Two Cadets from your Batch have already broken through to Tier 2. One was during the day before yesterday while the other broke through yesterday."

"Give a round of applause for Laila and Jyorta Bone," Madam Rizenne pointed at the two seated among the audience, beckoning them to stand up. "They have given us exemplary performance right from the first month. Now, they haven't disappointed us and had broken through in such a short duration."

Followed by the sounds of collective exclaim echoing off the audience, a round of applause ensued. Some of them began to chant the name of Laila over and over, with the same happening for Jyorta too, but the magnitude being a lot smaller.

After a minute, Madam Rizenne waved her hands, turning the auditorium silent despite the students still in their collective cheers, "Alright, that is enough. Time is running short, so we will resume our lessons. Before that, I am positive your seniors would have informed you but, upon successful breakthrough to Tier 2, you will be awarded 20,000 Credits."

Her voice turned serious, "Today marks the beginning of your final three months in this military academy. Until today, we had trained you in the basics, allowing you to develop your abilities as Warriors and Espers respectively. From now on, you will be putting everything into practical use."

"You will directly be dispatched into the Wilds upon short notice once you graduate from here. Therefore, it is prime time you get used to the atmosphere. The Red Building will be opened to you starting today. It is where many Frenzy Beasts are isolated in a cage each. You can spend time there to soak in the feeling of being surrounded by Frenzy Beasts."

"There are many races of Frenzy Beasts out in the Wild Zones alone, not to mention the Wilds. But, after considering many factors, we have limited the number of Frenzy Beasts races here to only 12. You can try to hunt them one-on-one and get a feel for it. A staff will be there to supervise, preventing actual harm from befalling you."

"The Orange Building will also be accessible to you from today onwards. You can customise weapons, armours, etc. to suit your requirements and try to get accustomed to them in battle. I don't think I have to tell you about the Green Building right? It is where you can meditate to soothe your nerves. This keeps your mental state in optimal conditions so you can battle without any setbacks."

"Finally, the Labyrinth of Frenzy will be open to you. It is where you can battle the Frenzy Beasts to amass Credits. I will detail it later in today's class. In the afternoon, you will all have to assemble at the entrance to the Red Building."

Madam Rizenne clicked a button on the remote, allowing a screen to flash into life behind her. It showcased the figures of 12 Frenzy Beasts, their names labelled, with all Warriors—at Tier 1. "Now, we have learned a lot about the Frenzy Beasts over the past few months. But, if I grade the usefulness of your knowledge to your survival out in the Wilds, you would struggle to get a passing grade."

"Even though the intelligence of the Frenzy Beasts is inferior to humans, they are not far apart. Their intelligence also varies according to their races. Also, Espers among the Frenzy Beasts have intelligence similar to humans from Tier 3 onwards. So, never underestimate them as primitive beasts."

Madam Rizenne curled her hand into a fist, placing it before her chest, "Remember that wisdom has and will always be humanity's greatest weapon. It is only thanks to it that we have stood tall to this day. Even the most intelligent races among the Frenzy Beasts have only developed to this extent by imitating us."

"Never underestimate the Frenzy Beasts but, even more than that, don't underestimate humanity. That is all I ask from you," She glanced around, watching everyone nod their heads in response, "Now, in order for that to happen, we have to first understand the strengths and weaknesses of both humanity and the Frenzy Beasts."

"Our first and foremost strength originates from the Wisdom Parasite. It prevents us from falling under the influence of Rhachis Ancestor Parasite. The Frenzy Beasts lack such protection, with the Frenzy Parasites fused into their bodies originating from Rhachis Ancestor Parasite itself." She displayed a picture of the Wisdom Parasite and Frenzy Parasite on the screen.

The Wisdom Parasite was white in colour, arm-length while sporting a suction pod-like mouth. It had a sinistrous appearance, but lacking any character of its own, looking ready to blend in with the surroundings.

The Frenzy Parasite was grey in colour, sporting traces of black and white in between. It had a bulge on one end, sporting tiny root-like projections. Its other end had a suction pod-like mouth, displaying a brown coloured ring slightly beneath it.

It looked gentle, its appearance bordering normalcy when compared to the appearance of the Wisdom Parasite. But, it seemed to possess a definite character, its being suffused with a regal aura, one whose trace was omnipresent in their world.

"The Wisdom Parasite and the Frenzy Parasite are one and the same, barring slight differences, with the prime difference being their source. We had captured newborn Frenzy Beasts, cultivating them in a secluded region within Marble City, administering a Wisdom Parasite to them after they had grown up to a certain extent. It was then we discovered a strange phenomenon…"

"The Wisdom Parasite, after entering their bodies changed into a Frenzy Parasite."