I learned about Dylan Page a week after arriving at the academy. He grew up in the mines of Tennessee, slaving away for three good years before awakening his ability and getting discovered.
Usually, only nobility are allowed to have a last name, but Dylan was different. During the evaluation, Bruce couldn't decide whether to grade him S or A.
From what I heard, they eventually settled for A because Dylan wouldn't reveal his full strength to them. Bruce Ainsworth, on the other hand, saw the kid's potential and still went ahead to make him an honorary Baron like me.
He joined the academy three weeks before my arrival and is one of the few students interested in martial arts.
From my perspective, Dylan was a silent loner like myself. He never attempted to associate with anyone. Even his sidekick doesn't interact with him.
I would say he took the loner persona a bit further than I did.
"I'm curious. Mutated beasts are akin to humans who failed to evolve, correct?" Dylan's voice drew my attention.
"Yes," Miss Joanne answered with a nod.
"From my experience, beasts can force an evolution by exposing themselves to an Aetherium power source. If that's possible for them, shouldn't it be the same for humans?" he asked again, but this time Joanne froze.
Slowly, her eyes narrowed and her brows knitted tightly. Joanne hesitated, seemingly unwilling to speak further on this matter. It seemed this was an unpleasant topic she didn't want to delve into.
"If animals can do it, why can't we do the same for all the slaves out there?" Dylan pressed on in a calm voice, and a small smile bloomed on my lips.
This was the first time I was hearing him speak, and I was already liking him.
"Have you heard of the biogenic process?" Miss Joanne suddenly asked, and Dylan froze.
It seemed he didn't know about this.
Silence followed as other students began chuckling amongst themselves.
"He wants to save the slaves, but he doesn't even know what the biogenic process is. What a joke!" one laughed out loud.
"Our Slave Messiah is actually dumb. He should have remained silent." Another chuckled.
My gaze shifted to Silver Ainsworth, who always bailed out the class during times like this. He was chuckling with other members of the big four.
"It's the process of forcing a second evolution through controlled exposure to Aetherium on guardians seeking to strengthen their abilities further," I said while returning my attention to Miss Joanne. "So?"
Dylan's ears perked up in my direction while gazes were thrown my way. This was also my first time speaking in class, so this reaction was expected.
"Good." Miss Joanne nodded, but there was a hint of surprise in her tone.
Clearly, she didn't expect I would know this much. However, I wouldn't have known about it if Bruce Ainsworth hadn't brought up the topic when evaluating my power.
I was certain most of the people who mocked Dylan knew nothing about it.
"Do you know why only a handful of people dare to give this method a try?" Miss Joanne asked again.
"Because it's risky," I responded immediately, and a smile bloomed on Miss Joanne's face.
"There, you have your answer," she said while taking two steps back.
Bam!
Heads snapped in my direction after I slammed my palms on the table and slowly rose to my feet.
"Tell me… how many slaves die of Aether scourge in a year?"
Buzz!
Miss Joanne shivered at my words and frowned deeply while avoiding my eyes. Students glanced in her direction before returning their gaze back to me, clearly confused by my question.
"Once you become a slave, it's safe to say you have not more than fifteen years to live," I continued since Joanne was silent. "The quantity of Aetherium fumes we are exposed to is not enough to trigger an evolution. So it accumulates in our bodies, eventually becoming an incurable virus with a hundred percent mortality rate."
"What?!"
"Is this true?"
Students began to whisper amongst themselves, shooting Miss Joanne questioning glances, but even now she refused to talk.
"Miss Joanne, you call the biogenic process risky, but which is a bigger risk to slaves—living as a slave or taking your chances with a second evolution?" I asked in a demanding tone.
The class fell dead silent, waiting for a response, but none came. Miss Joanne remained silent and avoided making eye contact with me.
"She won't respond because this paradise they have built requires the blood and sweat of slaves to maintain…" Dylan turned to me and spoke in a calm but amused tone.
With that, he sat down while I kept glaring at Miss Joanne, but even a minute in she still refused to speak.
Hmph!
Snorting disdainfully, I sat down and shut my eyes while wrapping my hands around my chest.
Dylan was right.
For this system to exist and prosper, slaves are needed—that is why they will never offer them a way out. To end slavery, the entire government must fall.
'America must burn to the ground for something greater to rise from its ashes.'
"Now, let's talk about evolved beasts," Miss Joanne said calmly, like our discussion never happened.
[It's good you can see humans for what they are for yourself. When the time comes, you have no reason to hold back against them. Treat them like the vicious animals they are.] Lyxor's words made my eyes pulsate with a violet light.
"Evolved beasts are the true threats to the survival of humanity. They are categorized into four levels based on the scale of the threat they pose," Miss Joanne continued, unaware of the malicious thoughts brewing in my head.
Slowly, I leaned back in my chair and shut my eyes. I didn't want to see Joanne anymore—listening to her was enough.
"Wolf threat. These beasts pose a danger even to guardians," Joanne's voice rang in my ears with an irritating ting that made me squint. "These beasts pose a threat to guardians up to the C rating."
"Tiger threat. These beasts pose a threat to a large number of people, guardians and powerless humans alike," Joanne continued. "Even B-rated guardians struggle against them."
"Demon threat." Miss Joanne was breezing through the subject now. It made me believe she wanted to end the class fast.
I didn't really care since I wanted to leave here as soon as possible too.
"These monsters are agents of mass chaos and destruction. They are capable of taking down an entire city alone."
"Then there is the dragon threat level. These are beasts capable of wiping out an entire country alone. Against this beast, even S-rated guardians struggle. Only SS-rated guardians can go toe to toe against them," Joanne explained.
"And finally, God's threat level. A beast in this stage is capable of endangering the survival of humanity in general. Should one ever appear, all of humanity must gather to resist it or face extinction."
Hearing this, my eyes slowly fluttered open with a frown.
"Has such a beast ever appeared before?"
A girl, Luna, asked, and Joanne nodded.
"Once," she answered. "You will learn about this incident soon, so exercise patience."