While in the air, Raia focused below him and locked his eyes on the center of the Wild Boar's forehead. With lightning speed, he shot his two fingers forward and plunged them into the beast's head.
The onlookers were stunned when they saw the Wild Boar freeze, then collapse to the ground.
Raia knelt, catching his breath.
He did it. He killed the Mutated Beast!
The students roared with cheers at the spectacle they'd just witnessed. It was exciting and nerve-wracking.
Raia could hear their cheers, yet he was thinking differently. 'F*CK THIS TRUE HAVEN!'* he cursed internally. 'They're not here to train warriors! They'll use us as Guinea Pigs!'
He found the experience dangerous. It seemed like the founders of True Haven were trying to weed out the weak.
Raia also doubted that this was truly for training. Maybe the goal was to awaken powers in others, but so far, only two students had shown notable abilities on the metal platform... Raia and Arman.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was already watching closely from a secret backroom filled with monitors.
Raia and the others returned to their seats as the metal platform reset.
Mistress Fate congratulated their abilities and fighting performance, announcing them by name. She also warned all students to follow the rules... or else they'd face consequences.
Weirdly, the students were more excited than scared. They were so caught up in the thrill of using powers to fight monsters, they'd forgotten how twisted the situation really was.
Only a handful of students, including Raia, grew suspicious of True Haven.
After the Assembly, military personnel escorted them back to their barracks. Upon arrival, Raia noticed something strange.
The building now had a huge letter "H" plastered on it.
Raia didn't focus on that, though. What really caught his attention was the state of the building. Earlier, there had been chaos and damage... but now, it looked untouched, as if nothing had happened. Like the earlier events were all an illusion.
But in a world where powers now exist, Raia believed it could be the work of a T-User from the military.
Fixing a six-story building in just a few hours was impossible. It was baffling. Some students noticed it too but shifted their conversations back to what had happened in the Dome.
Raia, however, was suddenly surrounded by people throwing questions at him.
"Wow, you were so cool back there!"
"You're so powerful! How did you kill that Boar?!"
"What's your power?"
"How old are you?"
"Are you single?"
"Do you want to build a team?"
"Bro, do you work out? Let's hit the gym!"
"Raia-sama, are you looking for a servant? Please let me apply!"
A crowd blocked his path, bombarding him with compliments and questions.
Raia was actually a friendly and outgoing person but only with people he was close to. In this social context, he felt squished and nervous.
He couldn't even move, and he was a little flustered by all the compliments. Raia was weak against praise. He didn't get much when he was just an ordinary student and now, he wasn't enjoying the spotlight.
Arman looked at the crowd fawning over Raia, his expression darkening with annoyance.
"But I helped him beat that beast. Aren't you going to congratulate me?" Arman exclaimed, envious of Raia getting all the attention.
The crowd ignored him like he was a ghost.
Infuriated, Arman pushed through the crowd and grabbed Raia's hand, dragging him to the elevator.
The crowd tried to follow, but the elevator doors shut just in time. Arman pressed the button aggressively, refusing to look at Raia. Raia noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"
Arman didn't respond.
Sensing Arman's frustration, Raia simply said, "Okay," and didn't press further.
That surprised Arman. "Unbelievable! You're not even going to ask what's wrong? Well... fine! Just stop hogging all the praise!"
Raia stared at him in disbelief. He hadn't thought Arman would feel that way.
Then, Raia laughed. "Idiot! Ahahaha! I didn't enjoy that one bit. If you want praise then... thank you. You were amazing out there. Without you, a lot of students could've been injured or worse. Your ability is more useful than mine."
When Arman heard this, he blushed and rubbed the back of his head.
'Excuse me?!' Inner Self suddenly exclaimed inside Raia's head, reacting to the last comment.
Raia ignored him and continued praising Arman. As they reached their floor, Arman noticed something.
"Raia!" he called.
"What?" Raia responded, seeing the disheveled look on Arman's face.
Raia looked down. Arman was clutching his jacket tightly, trying to cover himself.
Raia's eyes widened. He wasn't wearing pants!
"What happened to you?! Where are your pants?" Raia exclaimed.
The blue light that once surrounded Raia faded completely.
"I don't know! And you've turned back already too. Why is this happening?" Arman said, clearly confused and embarrassed.
DING!
The elevator doors opened.
Without a word, the two sprinted to their room before anyone could see them.
They made it just in time.
"That was close," Raia said, laughing. "Oh, shut up!" Arman snapped, still flustered.
They began discussing possible reasons for Arman's disappearing clothes. A few theories surfaced. Raia guessed that every time Arman used his powers, something he wore would vanish as a cost.
Arman's theory? Every time he used his powers, a ghost stole something important from him.
Raia gave him a look. That one sounded a bit more... childish.
Then, curious, Raia asked, "You said you can't control your power, right? So how did you use it again?"
Arman was wondering the same thing.
He thought about it and only one memory kept replaying in his mind.
The thought of Raia dying.
He turned his head away. He didn't want to see Raia die. Ever. They'd been friends since their first year of college. Two years strong and still going.
Raia noticed Arman was hiding something.
"Come on, spill it. Promise I won't laugh," he encouraged with a grin.
Arman took a deep breath and gathered his courage.
"I think… it's because I wanted to help you. The thought of you dying in front of me haunts me. I think that's what triggered my powers."
Raia heard every word. His heart raced, not from romance, but from realizing just how selfless his friend truly was.
His perspective of Arman shifted. He wasn't just goofy and serious, he was also incredibly sweet.
Raia smiled warmly.
Arman got defensive. "But it's not like I like you, alright—"
"I know," Raia cut in, chuckling. "Thanks for being a good friend." He held out a fist.
Arman smiled and bumped his fist against Raia's.
Their bond deepened. Raia's trust in Arman grew even more. He thought of him as a brother. Even though Arman was two years older, their friendship wasn't defined by age, it was built on trust and understanding.
Then Arman smirked slyly.
"Besides, we all know you already like J—"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Raia glared at Arman, warning him with his eyes. Arman just laughed.
Raia opened the door. A military officer stood there with two boxes.
"Jeraiah Mont Blanc. Arman Pines. Mistress Fate wants to reward your performance in the Assembly Dome. Use these well. And follow the rules next time." He handed over the boxes and left.
"Uh… thank you?" Raia muttered.
He closed the door and placed the boxes on the bed. Arman looked excited.
Raia was just as curious.
The boxes were wooden and sealed with black tape. Each had a paper with the owner's name.
They peeled the tape and opened the lids.
Arman's eyes lit up. Inside was a fresh set of uniform. No more worrying about his missing clothes.
Also inside were four vials: two green, two purple.
Each box also had a small chip in plastic wrap, with a note. 'Insert into your wristband.'
Arman did so. He tried looking for a small hole that would fit for the microchip and he found it. The digital wristband projected a display in the air.
[Arman Pines]
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Status: T-User (Student)
True Origin Ability: Buff
True Origin Count: 1
Evolve Origin Count: 10
Primal Origin Count: 10
Warning: 0
Punishment: 1
True Credit: 1,000
Arman and Raia stared at it, jaws dropped.
Raia, always fascinated by sci-fi-like things. He rummage through his box as well and forgot about the rest of his box.
He found a wristband, put it on, inserted the chip.
It activated.
[Jeraiah Mont Blanc]
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Status: T-User (Student)
True Origin Ability: Unknown
True Origin Count: 1
Evolve Origin Count: 110
Primal Origin Count: 100
Warning: 0Punishment: 1
True Credit: 2,000
Raia was stunned. That explained his power and heightened senses. But… why was his True Origin still marked as unknown?
Another question popped into his head. 'How did they get this information?'
His suspicion of True Haven grew. Meanwhile, Arman threw him a jealous look.
"Why do you have more True Credits than me?! That's not fair! I helped kill that beast too!"
They'd been told earlier that True Credits were the school's currency. It will help them in buying food, supplies, and such.
Each student was given 700 True Credits weekly to sustain them.
So why did Raia get 1,300 extra… and Arman only got 300?
"Life is so unfair!" Arman cried.