Chapter 176
Late (2)
Vanessa raised a single eyebrow. "Do you understand that we are almost halfway through the lesson, and you are only just arriving now? Normally, I wouldn't comment, but you and your friends seem to have developed a little habit of being late."
IAM cleared his throat, offering a small, helpless shrug. "I…promise it won't happen again," he said.
Vanessa studied him for a moment, her gaze cold and piercing. Then, just as IAM thought she might continue, her expression changed—surprise and confusion flickered across her face, and she gave him a questioning look.
IAM noticed, but said nothing.
"Go sit down," she said finally.
IAM nodded and began to move toward his seat. Just as he was about to sit, Reuel leaned forward, his voice urgent and slightly panicked. "Where the hell have you been? We thought… we thought you died!"
IAM didn't answer immediately. He simply slid into the empty seat next to Henry, who was giving him a questioning look that slowly softened into a flicker of confusion.
Reuel and Yohan both stared at him, their also brows furrowed.
"You… what are you doing?" Yohan finally asked, his different-colored eyes wide as they reflected the mixture of concern and confusion he felt.
An ascender had a fairly reliable way of recognizing another ascender—through the perception granted by an avien. While they couldn't literally see mana with their eyes, they could sense it, almost as if it had a presence of its own.
This perception allowed them to detect when someone was actively circulating mana through their body—a nearly universal indicator that the person was an ascender.
Of course, normal people without aviens had no way to perceive this energy, meaning they could never know who was an ascender unless it was explicitly revealed, or unless the person was using a particularly conspicuous mech that broadcasted their power.
It was through this awareness that Raj had realized IAM hadn't formed an avien the first time they met. Later, once IAM had developed his own avien, he could notice the steady, rhythmic flow of mana moving in and out of Raj's body.
Through careful observation, IAM began to discern another distinction: the way experienced ascenders circulated their mana differed from novices.
This perception made it easier to distinguish novices from experienced ascenders. Once IAM had formed his new avien and officially reached experienced, he realized that the way his mana flowed had changed noticeably. Anyone attuned to such things could immediately tell that he had advanced beyond the novice level.
Normally, IAM wouldn't have cared. A random student who caught a glimpse of his mana flow would have no context—no knowledge of how fast he had ascended or the history behind his path—so they wouldn't react or pay much attention.
But the situation would be very different around his instructors, classmates, and the academy itself. His instructors might not know every detail of his past, but the relevant records of his path and growth would be available to them. They would immediately notice the unnatural speed and intensity of his advancement.
His classmates, on the other hand, wouldn't have access to his full history. They would notice the unusual flow of his mana and suspect something remarkable, but their assumptions would likely be that he came from a privileged background or had access to a path manual from a young age. Even so, in a school filled with geniuses, that alone would still provoke a strong reaction, though not as extreme as if they knew the full truth.
At the academy, they had access to his origins and the full record of his path journey. They would see the unnaturally rapid growth for what it truly was, and misunderstandings could arise. Some might assume he was a prodigy of impossible caliber. IAM could already imagine their faces when they realized he wasn't—shock, awe, maybe even suspicion. The reaction would be anything but positive.
While he couldn't hide his advancement forever, IAM hoped to maintain a cover for at least a month or two. That window would hopefully give him time to not face the full brunt of judgment or misinterpretation from everyone around him.
"How could he possibly hide it?" some readers might ask, almost desperately.
The answer was surprisingly simple. Mana was stored in the core, and the avien functioned as the tool that collected it. When the core was full, the mana naturally circulated through the body, reinforcing it in a continuous cycle.
For IAM, concealing his power came down to a method used by many ascenders: simply "turning it off." By cutting the supply of mana to his body, he could prevent the flow from manifesting. As long as the core remained full, the avien wouldn't automatically reactivate to refill it. That meant that as long as IAM refrained from using any path methods and kept his avien deactivated, he would appear no different from an ordinary person.
Of course, this also meant his body would no longer receive the reinforcement of mana, leaving him physically unenhanced. But within the controlled environment of the academy, IAM judged the risk entirely acceptable. And if needed, it would take only a few seconds to reactivate his avien, restoring his power instantly.
Of course, this had drawn the questioning gazes of Vanessa, Reuel, and the others, all of them waiting silently for an explanation to this seemingly random and inexplicable behavior.
IAM had already made up his mind—he would have to tell Reuel, Yohan, and Henry. They needed to know, especially if he wanted them to "protect him" in any unexpected situations, like Blaze deciding to take revenge or any sudden danger that might come their way. Keeping them in the dark wasn't an option; he needed allies who could act quickly and understand the risks he carried.
He also wanted Henry to know, since the two of them would be training closely together. Sparring wasn't just about learning techniques—it was about reading each other's strengths and weaknesses, and that required trust. The thought of eventually sparring with Reuel and Yohan crossed his mind as well. If they didn't understand what he was capable of now, it could lead to mistakes, misunderstandings, or even injury.
IAM turned to them, his expression was calm. "I can explain later. Maybe after class, I'll tell you everything," he said, choosing his words carefully.