"I.....-Impossible!" Natee exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief at what he had just witnessed.
Being shown superior abilities by someone he considered inferior was not only surprising, but it also evoked a feeling difficult to put into words. It was a negative feeling far worse than the humiliation of someone superior.
Natee wasn't alone in feeling this way. Most students at Asashi Academy shared the same sentiment. A significant number lacked reason and patience, resorting to the common method of self-deception: making excuses.
"He must be cheating! How could someone who hasn't even studied at Asashi Academy use such high-level skills?"
"Yeah, that's right. Using magic skills of that level without artifacts, even a high-rank mage player would find it difficult. He must be up to some trick!"
The accusations, lacking any evidence, suddenly seemed plausible, especially when judging by the raging emotions of those around him. Echo Chamber blossomed, turning self-deception into something far more compelling than reality.
"Let's search this cheater! Don't let someone like him tarnish the player community!"
Students from the Asashi Academy swarmed in, intending to take matters into their own hands and deal with Nawa.
Officers struggled to restrain them, but outnumbered and hesitant to resort to violence against the Asashi Academy students, many of whom were children of influential figures, a group of students broke through the cordon and reached Nawa.
But then they stopped in their tracks. A fireball appeared before Nawa, emitting intense heat no less powerful than the previous one.
"You piece of trash! You dare use force against us, students of the Asashi Academy!? Do you want to die?!"
The Asashi Academy students were unequipped with any artifacts. Facing the destructive power of the previous fireball would leave them severely injured or even losing limbs.
Therefore, even with more numbers, the Asashi Academy students were no match for Nawa. But no one dared to act, only standing guard around Nawa.
"See? This guy's really cheating. How can someone who's not even a player have so much mana to use two fireballs in quick succession? He must be using some kind of item or artifact." Unable to act, the students from the Asashi Academy resorted to verbal attacks instead.
"Normally, I don't mind nonsensical words. Insults, arrogance, and condescending attitudes are tolerable. But if it's blatant slander without shame, I won't be lenient anymore." Nawa said, unleashing a terrifying killing intent.
The students from the Asashi Academy could barely stand. The killing intent Nawa released was like a demon from the depths of hell, capable of taking their lives at any moment.
"Impossible! How can he release such a powerful killing intent?" A female officer from the association exclaimed, unable to control herself.
The killing intent this man released was even more terrifying than an Elder-level monster.
"How are these students who've never even set foot in The Oneness supposed to endure this?" the female officer thought to herself.
Among the hundreds of students from Asashi Academy, only Natee and his three friends remained composed. Natee stepped forward to confront Nawa.
"So, Natee's going to act now."
"Hahaha! Your lame tricks won't work on our Four Heavenly Kings. You'd better kneel and repent now."
Seeing Natee take the lead, the fear subsided. Some students began shouting again, urging for vigilante justice against Nawa.
"Shut up!" Natee's shout brought everyone back to calm.
"Are you all crazy to even think about attacking someone who isn't even a player? You know it's one of the academy's taboos. If anyone dares to break the rules and tarnish Asashi Academy's reputation, Natee will show no mercy, no matter who they are."
The students from Asashi Academy seemed extremely afraid of Natee. No one dared to speak up. The main reason wasn't that Natee was the strongest second-year student, but that he was the son of the CEO of PPTP, the largest energy group in the country.
In terms of wealth, Natee's family was among the top five richest in the country. Furthermore, his three friends also came from extraordinary families, so the other students didn't want to get into trouble with them.
"I understand. You're right. It's our fault," one student said, and the rest dispersed to their seats.
Seeing this, Nawa dispelled the fireball in his hand before looking at Natee with admiration. But Natee didn't even glance at Nawa. He walked towards the exam proctor, bowed slightly, and spoke in a polite tone:
"I would like to apologize for what happened. I will compensate for all the damages. The only thing I would like to request from the association is regarding standards." While speaking, Natee glanced at Nawa out of the corner of his eye.
The female officer nodded in acknowledgment. She understood what he meant before speaking in a serious tone:
"I understand. Our The One Association has the same standards worldwide."
"Those who do not respect even the rules of The One Association will certainly not have the opportunity to use the association's services. I assure you of this on my honor."
Nawa was taken away for questioning by the officers, while the students from the Asashi Academy dispersed to collect their player equipment. After training on its use, they all went home. Now, only Nawa and the interrogation officer remained in the interrogation room.
"Are you going to tell me how you managed to do that?" The female officer couldn't remember how many times she'd yelled this question into his ear.
Nawa gave the same answer, saying he only used his basic psychic abilities, without any artifacts whatsoever.
"Are you saying that your useless psychic manipulation of objects can create a C-rank fire magic skill without any artifacts? Do you think I'm a child?"
The officer raised her voice at Nawa, believing he was joking, but that was all she could do. No matter how many times she reviewed the security camera footage or scanned Nawa's body, she found nothing unusual.
"I'm telling the truth. If you understand the principles of spacetime fields that I explained, you'll understand that telekinesis can easily do something like that."
Nawa replied wearily. It's difficult to explain the concept of spacetime fields to the average person in a day or two.
Moreover, the hardest part of understanding Nawa's spacetime theory is breaking down the materialistic worldview that modern science has instilled in humanity for hundreds of years.
After another one or two hours, the female officer finally reluctantly handed over the player equipment and let Nawa go home.
"Will I still get that nickname?" Nawa asked. The exam proctor's face was difficult to read; she seemed to be racking her brain trying to find an expletive to curse Nawa in her mind.
"Gosh...of course you will."
Because of this, Nawa didn't get home until almost midnight. Not only was he starving, but he also hadn't received the training on how to use the player equipment like the others.
When he asked about it, the officer just scribbled something on a piece of paper and told him to read it himself.
And that was the worst part of the day; the officer's handwriting was like a cat running into ink. Nawa tried to read it for a while and then threw it away.
Upon arriving home... Nawa found that his mother and younger sibling were gone, leaving only a note saying they would be back late and that he should go to bed and not wait for them.
Although worried, Nawa couldn't do anything because his family's financial situation was so dire that he couldn't even afford basic communication devices.
"Looks like I should hurry into The Oneness," Nawa muttered to himself, glancing at his watch.
While waiting for his mother and sibling to return, Nawa decided to try out the new player equipment he had acquired.
Upon unpacking, he found a set of white clothes: a short-sleeved shirt and long pants, similar to a Brahmin monk's attire—or rather, a karate uniform. The fabric, however, was unfamiliar.
It seemed more durable than denim but also lightweight and comfortable like a regular t-shirt.
Besides the clothes, he found a small box, about the size of a phone case, containing what looked like a Bluetooth device.
This device resembled the smartheads popular nowadays, but it was made from a distinctly different material. The material was similar to the artifacts Nawa had seen in the shops at The Oneness.
The box also contained an English instruction manual with illustrations.
Unfortunately, English wasn't one of Nawa's strongest subjects; he had to take the course at least twice to pass. After studying for a while, Nawa had a basic understanding of how to use the device.
He placed the device in his ear and began stimulating his brain with a small amount of psychic energy. Almost immediately, the player began emitting sounds.
"Beep, beep." It wasn't sound waves from speakers traveling through the air and hitting his ear; it was as if the sound was being transmitted directly into his brain.
"The system is currently downloading to connect to the player. Please do not remove the device."
If it hadn't been for the warning, Nawa would have removed it from his ear. The device seemed to move as if it were alive.
After a while, he felt a sharp pain in his ear, as if it were clinging to it. Looking in the mirror, he saw that the device was pressed against his ear, and a part of it had pierced his earlobe. He tried to remove the device, but there was no way to do it without cutting his ear.
Several minutes passed until a voice sounded in Nawa's head. A holographic image, similar to a message window in a VR game, appeared in front of Nawa.
"Ding!"
(The system has now successfully connected with the player.)
(Player device user number 10,359,863)
(Player name: Nawa, Rank E)
(Nickname: The Gifted)
(Would you like to proceed with the introduction?)
(No) (OK)
Nawa was both shocked and surprised by what happened. He had never encountered such a strange event even in the Himmapan forest. But just as he was about to decide what to choose, there was a knock on the door.
"Knock, knock."
Nawa thought to himself, (No), and the holographic window disappeared. He didn't want his mother to see the status window right now, because if she did, many questions would arise, both about him borrowing money to register as a player and about him risking his life in The Oneness.
Nawa knew his mother well; no matter how difficult things were, she would never let her children put themselves in danger. Even so, Nawa didn't intend to hide anything from his mother forever, just not yet.
After packing the other items into the box, Nawa went to open the door. He found that the person knocking wasn't his mother or younger sibling, but someone else he knew, but never expected to see at his house.