CHAPTER 40
The next day finally arrived and, as usual, Ray went straight to completing his daily quest.
This time, he woke up earlier than the day before so he wouldn't have to rush to the training field, and within an hour and thirty minutes, he was done with his quests as he could be seen panting and gasping for air.
His body was hunched forward, hands resting on his knees.
Sweat glistened across his skin, dripping steadily under the slightly dark skies as the time was still 5:30 am.
The sun wasn't out yet and wouldn't be for at least two hours or so.
He had just finished his 10km run.
[Daily Quest Completed]
[+10 EXP]
This brought his total EXP to about seventy.
Just thirty more to the next level.
'Three more days.'
His grin knew no bounds as he continued sucking in air into his lungs, his chest rising and falling heavily.
Straightening up, he grabbed his shirt and slung it over his shoulder before hurrying back to his dorms to freshen up for the day's training.
The day's training began with the usual lap around the school four times, and Ray completed it without much issue, though his body ached badly.
After all, just a few hours ago, he had undergone a serious exercise routine, so he was still sore from earlier, making his performance poorer than the day before.
Kai and Trisha, along with another guy, were as usual at the forefront, with Kai sprinting coolly without any care in the world, a grin resting lazily on his face.
Trisha, on the other hand, kept frowning as she aimed to surpass the tall boy who didn't even give a damn about her presence.
After running for about an hour and a half, the remaining thirty minutes were spent with the instructor asking them to spar against one another lightly.
Finally, the two hours were completed, and the Aspirants could be seen dragging their feet toward the cafeteria for breakfast.
"Ugh… my body throbs. I feel like it'll come apart at any moment." Van groaned loudly as both Kai and Ray were already getting their food.
They settled at a table under the keen gazes of other Aspirants, some scowling while others frowned at the fact that a high grader was seated with low graders.
But Kai ignored them completely.
"I still wonder what that exercise is for exactly." Kai uttered as he dug his spoon in and began chewing.
"Are you actually complaining?" Ray asked with a raised brow. "You're one of the people always at the forefront, finding it easier to dodge those holographic spikes. And you're complaining?"
Kai just shrugged nonchalantly, and without another word, they continued eating in silence.
After they were done, they moved toward their homeroom class.
Settling into their usual seats and formation, a few minutes later, the class began.
And as usual, Ray spaced out as he gazed out the window, his finger twirling lazily on the desk in front of him.
The class went on with Instructor Sony explaining different concepts to them, most of which didn't seem useful to Ray, until—
"... Sir." An Aspirant raised their hand, drawing Sony's attention. He gave a nod, urging them to go ahead.
"I was wondering. Where do Abberants actually come from?"
Sony tilted his head, staring at the Aspirant for a moment before exhaling slowly.
"Good question. Unfortunately, we have no idea where they come from. They are more like an alien race to us, one that appeared out of nowhere and began to wreak havoc upon our world."
Another Aspirant raised their hand and received a go-ahead.
"The major Legacy family, the big four—who are they? What are actually their abilities and how powerful are they?"
Sony frowned at the question as he pierced a glare at the Aspirant.
"We don't speak about them. You want to know how strong they are? Step on their tails and find out."
'Huh? I've been hearing about these big four guys. I know about the Blade family, as they're much more popular amongst the other four since they are the leaders of the Vanguard Order and Iron Corps.
Even this Aspirant Corps is under them—almost like a military of some kind. Their influence runs and spreads far and wide, so it's obvious they would be known.'
Ray paused as he thought harder.
'... But what about the other three? I know about one of the big four who actually created advanced tech for us based on the Abberants' own technologies. So who are the remaining two? How powerful are they actually? And what are their abilities?'
"Just know that," Sony continued, drawing Ray out of his thoughts.
"The big four Legacies are our saviours, especially the Blade family. It's due to the first Legacy from that family that we have these giant walls surrounding and protecting humanity from the Abberants.
Without the walls, we would have been crushed a long time ago by those creatures when humanity was divided into countless countries."
'Tch! Yet Wall Rose fell.' Ray scoffed inwardly as he unconsciously clenched his palms into fists.
"One more question and we'll wrap up. Who wants to ask?" Sony asked as he gazed across the students.
Nobody was willing to raise their hands as they had no questions to ask, until—
"How exactly do we truly kill the Abberants if their hearts are in random locations?" Ray's hand shot up as he spoke through clenched teeth.
Sony nodded at him with a small smile.
"That… To kill an Abberant, you either have to be around grade 5 or above to be able to use your ability to rip their heads clean off their necks—that is, if your ability is useful."
Sony paused for a moment, giving his next reply brief thought.
"And about their hearts, we still haven't figured out a reliable way to locate the organ yet. Those who do, do so based on luck. We're still working on a technology to help with that."
Ring, Ring—!
The sound echoed across the room, causing Sony to close his books with a loud thud.
"Class is dismissed. We'll continue tomorrow. You can now attend your registered aspect classes."
With that, he exited the room, leaving the Aspirants buzzing with chatter.
Van quickly leaned forward, nudging Ray with a smile.
"Hey Ray, have you finalised your aspect class yet?"
Ray, hearing the question, nodded and replied with a small smile.
"After yesterday's incident, I realised I need to learn how to fight. So I'll be attending a combat class."