Aether had made himself busy since he had arrived to the academy. Although he had not taken any classes, he had joined some regardless to observe and have conversations with the other sleepers.
Right now, he was laying on his bed and going over what he had observed for the past two days.
Apparently his aspect was much more complex than the runes suggested. Making him curse whoever wrote them.
Firstly, when we activated his aspect on a person he created a mental link with them. Creating this link did not require any effort, with just a simple mental command the link would form. The other party did not seem to be aware that they were linked by him.
He had not deduced how many links he could create at once. Maintaining one or two links were not a problem, however more than that started to hurt his mind.
Secondly, with this link, Aether could deduce a small amount of general information from a person. Such as their age, blood type, birthday and identity. Other than that he could deduce their attributes, which he had already used almost on everyone in the campus.
This was he already knew that Theola and Nephis were lineage bearers.
He had learnt that Nephis was the princess of the Immortal Flame clan. Aether had acquired this information from Caster of the Han li clan. During the conversation he had linked minds with him and sensed a sense of duty from Caster as he spoke and some animosity towards Nephis.
Although he could not decipher what was the reason, he assumed it to be a small dispute between clans.
And finally, probably the most important side of his aspect. Aether could anticipate what a person was going to do. He could tell if they were going to lie or tell the truth, or what action they were going to take. However it was not all knowing, sometimes he could not tell what was going to happen if the thought process was too complicated.
This was either going to improve as he ranked up, or if he practiced.
***
During the next day, he had is breakfast at the cafeteria.
Unfortunately he had not chosen the best place to sit and now had no chances to sit in a more lively place. Neither Cassia nor Sunless spoke, making it awkward to be in their presence.
Not many people approached this place either since this place was known as the death corner. He understood that Cassia had chances of survival that neared zero, however Sunless seemed to be doing better than her.
From the information he had gathered, Sunless was a pervert and an obnoxious liar. He had talked about having a divine aspect, but most had brushed him away.
But Sunless had made a simple mistake. He had revealed his appraisal was 'glorious.'
And glorious was never mentioned in any textbooks, and judging by his demeanor and appearance Sunless was from the outskirts. So there was no way of him knowing that an appraisal like glorious existed.
'Unless he had a divine aspect.'
Aether was not the only one it seems.
"Is something wrong?"
The voice seemed to be directed at him. It did not take Aether much to realize he had been staring at Sunless for a long time. He smiled at him and assured:
"Oh no.. My apologies I was in deep thought. I did not realize I was staring."
Sunless turned to his meal, but Aether was not done speaking.
"I heard you have a divine aspect. Is that true?"
Sunless looked at Aether questioningly. Cassia next to them looked up from her meal and glanced the way their voices came from.
"Of course it is true! But it seems no believes me, it is such a shame."
"A shame indeed. I myself whole-heartedly believe you!"
"Really? You believe me?"
Aether gave a nod. And just like that the conversation died, Sunless was most likely wondering if Aether was being sarcastic or if he really believed him.
After some while, they finished their meals and got up from their seats.
***
Some time later, Aether was in the middle of a crowd inside a large dojo. He was observing his fellow Sleepers who, under the guidance of Instructor Rock, were going through the motions of the introductory combat class.
Today was mainly dedicated to testing their general competency and abilities. After that, the Sleepers were going to be separated into groups based on their level, such as novice, advanced or expert, as well as their weapon of choice. Some would be assigned a personal tutor or paired together.
Currently, Sleepers were taking turns delivering their strongest punches to a wide plate attached to a special measuring machine. After each strike, the machine would display a number corresponding to the Sleeper's physical strength.
In theory, a machine like that was not hard to build. However, considering that many of Sleepers had combat-oriented Aspects that enhanced their might in a variety of ways, it was actually a marvel of engineering and durability.
Their technique and training also affected the final result.
Most people were getting numbers ranging from ten to fourteen. It was considered a good result, something that only the most athletic people could reach. However, a lot of Sleepers, obviously those with enhancing Aspects, were able to achieve a score of fifteen or even sixteen.
'I could try to see if my innate ability works on non-livings.'
It was Nephis's turn.
The slender girl approached the machine and, without much preparation, delivered a sudden, crushing blow. He was impressed by the flawless economy and speed of her execution.
After a short pause, the machine displayed the result: sixteen.
'Her aspect is not about physical prowess then.'
Or simply she did not use it.
Theola got the same result.
It was Aether's turn later. He approached the machine and activated his innate ability.
Immediately a thread connected to the middle of the machine. When he looked around discreetly, he noticed that no one seemed to be aware of the thread that had formed before him.
'So it is only seen to me.'
Not wanting to waste more time, Aether delivered a punch to the weak point of the machine. His technique was not as flawless as the princess's but it was still great if they compared the backgrounds and the people they had been tutored with.
His score was seventeen. It was most likely because he had punched the point where he would get the most points.
Instructor Rock seemed to be impressed by his result, and asked him if he had an aspect about physical strength. Aether denied it, but did not elaborate further. He could feel a few gazes on him.
After that, only Caster remained. His aspect was of the ascended rank, and it revolved around speed. The machine trembled and took more time calculating. Finally, two numbers appeared.
Twenty-one.
Everyone gaped at the display, stunned. More than a few admiring looks were thrown at Caster, who simply bowed and took a step back. Instructor Rock smiled.
"Not bad. Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin."
Nephis was the first to step forward and walk to the center of the ring.
What followed could only be described as a massacre. One after another, Nephis managed to defeat almost every single Sleeper present in the dojo. She didn't seem to be faster or stronger than them, but each time someone entered the ring to fight her, they would inevitably end up beaten and thrown to the ground.
However she eventually lost to Caster. Although Caster did not seem to be satisfied with his result, because he knew very well that Nephis had not even used her aspect against him.
And the next one was Theola.
As she was about to step into the ring, Aether decided to create a mental link with her. But the moment he did, Theola snapped her gaze towards him. Her gaze did not bear any hostility, simply wariness. And when she locked eyes with Aether, she nodded and turned away to the ring.
'Interesting..'
Aether would be lying if he said he was not startled. The link was not severed, nor he was experiencing any discomfort. That meant that Theola sensed something else, not the link.
He assumed that it had to do with her aspect, but that theory was shut down when she used golden threads to fight Caster. Caster tried using his speed to his advantage, but unfortunately he tripped over a thread.
And the moment he tripped, Theola landed a devastating uppercut into his chin. Just like that she won the short battle.
It was now Aether's turn to step into the ring. Theola smiled at him and beckoned him to enter the ring.
Aether did not even hesitate.
To forfeit that is.
"I would like to forfeit." He said with a smile on his face. Theola seemed somewhat disappointed, but did not pursue the matter.
After that, the introductory combat class was over. Sore from the beating they received, Sleepers headed for the showers.
Instead of following the crowd, Aether decided to head to his room.