"WOW! Hold up, guys, is that any way to greet a friend you have not seen in a while?" asked Rin as he stepped back, dodging the duo's attack while also teleporting a short distance away from them.
"Tsk, some friend you are," spat Ethan with disgust after suffering from Rin's antics, as he completely discarded whatever feelings he held toward Rin's situation earlier.
"Same here, as who goes around scaring their family and friends the moment, they return from prison?" Maze said as she shot daggers at Rin, who just acted clueless about what she was referring to as he held up his hands in innocence.
"Sigh... come on, guys, I was only testing y'all's spatial awareness," commented Rin as Maze and Ethan rolled their eyes in disbelief at the excuse, he found to make his actions seem reasonable.
"Fuck you, Rin. Why don't you go and terrorize another group of teenagers? Why must we always be the ones to suffer from your antics? Is this some sort of sick kink of yours to see your friends on pins and needles at all times?" shouted Ethan in a questioning voice as the entire bottom floor of the library went quiet as everyone cracked their neck to see what was going on.
"... dang, I never knew you guys felt that way," said Rin as he took a moment to reflect on his actions.
"Rin, I never~."
"Relax, Ethan, you're right, I have been a horrible friend and cousin to you both; so, to make up for all the hell I have caused you guys. I'll be entering seclusion for some time to grow stronger and be a better teammate to you two. So that when the training camp rolls around, I won't be dead weight... and with that, I will see you guys in a week," said Rin, leaving Ethan and Maze flabbergasted as he disappeared and entered seclusion under the gaze of the entire library.
***
Sometime later...
Following Rin's disappearance, it would appear we've returned to the training hall, where he failed to reach level 100 of the gravity chamber the last time, he was here. During which he only managed to reach level 40 out of 100, in an effort to prepare himself, for the daunting task of withstanding the weight of forty-nine stars.
But that was in the past, so just how far will Rin reach this time with the new strength he has acquired following his return from the Star Realm? Once he manages to not only refine his power but also increase his cultivation in the span of a week.
And with that, let's tune into Rin's seven seclusion...
Click. Thud.
Tip. Toe. Tip. Toe. Tip. Toe.
"Um... sorry to disturb you, but how much would it cost to rent a multi-facilitated training room for a week?" Rin asked the receptionist, who was currently munching on chips and watching a video on their phone.
"Huh?" replied the receptionist as he took his eyes off his phone and looked up at Rin, "Sorry about that, but could you repeat what you said?"
He said as he straightened up and got into work mode, in the time it takes to flick a switch.
"You're good, and I was just asking how much it would cost to rent a multi-facilitated training room for a week?" Rin asked once again.
"Hmm, and why would you like to use such a training room? Considering, they are usually reserved for upperclassmen and off-limits to freshmen, but with the recent hype of Project X, our rules have gotten a bit lenient." asked the receptionist as he picked up a tablet next to him and checked whether any of the multipurpose rooms were available for rent.
"To train, of course," Rin replied as he couldn't think of any other reason, why someone would use a training room.
"Just making sure, as there has been a recent rise in people using these halls for dual cultivation and other such activities, that I won't touch on." The receptionist said before changing the subject, "Nevertheless, you seem to be quite fortunate, freshmen, as someone just recently finished their training session. So could you please pass me your student ID, so we can begin the process of renting such a training room?"
"Quick question, if by any chance this type of training hall was damaged, how much would the repairs cost?" Rin asked curiously for future reference in case such a thing occurred.
"That depends on the extent of the damage. For something minor, like a broken tile, it would cost around 50–100 credits; however, for more serious damages, like the destruction of the hall's AI. You could be looking at anywhere between 1,000 and 100,000 credits," said the receptionist slowly.
"Gulp. Damn, I'd better be careful then," Rin smiled nervously.
"Relax, freshmen, you'd need the power of a Peak God to even leave a scratch on the walls of the training hall, and from what I can sense, you aren't even a God yet. So don't fret about matters that don't concern you and just hand over your ID."
"Fair point," sighed Rin as he handed his student ID to the receptionist.
Swipe. Beep.
"Hmm, for a freshman, you have deep pockets," commented the receptionist with surprise as he handed Rin back his ID and a keycard that read X13, before returning to his lazy self.
"Thanks," replied Rin as he dismissed what the receptionist said and began to walk toward his residence for the next seven days.
And with that, it was time to prepare for Project X...