"I heard he got whipped pretty severely this time." Commented a student as he slickly wiped the sweat on his bald head.
"Serves that bastard right!" Clapped another student.
"I wonder," pondered the girl who spent most of her free time watching Boiboi getting whipped, "How much Prana did he lose this time?"
"I hope he falls to the single digits," Chuckled a boy who had only recently entered the Academy, "Then, we can witness his execution in a month."
The group of students came to know about Boiboi's punishment once their classes ended. And since an injured Boiboi needed Prana, which can only be obtained by digesting food, they decided to block the Academy Canteen's entrance.
None of them wanted to give Boiboi even a fighting chance, despite the fact that reaching the peak of the Spirit Stage with a Prana capacity of 18 was deemed nigh impossible in a month.
"Look, he's coming." One of the students commented upon eyeing the wounded figure of Torq approaching the canteen, "Act casual as we starve him for as long as possible."
The decision was unanimously accepted by the student group. Casual in their approach, they huddled before the entrance, packing the space as tightly as possible to ensure even by mistake, they wouldn't make enough space for Torq to enter the Canteen.
After analysing the situation, Torq simply raised his hands and announced gleefully, "I think I'm getting another urge to peel…"
He charged at the students, stunning the group momentarily. "Smooth, glistening, whose face is the prettiest of them all?"
With a slightly crazed expression, Torq rushed towards the closest student, hands poised towards the other party's face.
"I'm…" The student didn't hesitate in the slightest as he roared and rolled away, "I'm UGLY!"
Harming fellow students was a punishable offence. So, none wanted to use force to defend themselves. Instead, they prioritised evasion for two reasons: Getting their faces peeled would be traumatising. Even if they end up fighting, they'll be punished by the Clan, which was just another Tuesday for Boiboi.
'I don't want to risk it!' A student thought and slipped to the side after covering himself with a protective layer of mist. If by mistake, his face were to be peeled, the sheer trauma generated by the experience might make him lose at least a few units of Prana capacity.
That was months worth of nonstop training being sent down the drain. This was primarily the reason none of the students were openly confrontational. And hence, like a pack of sheep that had encountered a wolf, the students dispersed to the side.
'It's easy. That's why adults must never take part in kids' games.' Having not stopped for even a moment, Torq rushed straight into the Canteen, unwilling to wait for the students to formulate another plan to delay his recovery.
Once he was inside, he slowly brought his hands to his face and pulled off a dried piece of booger from his nostrils, "I wanted to peel this off. It's irritating once it dries out, you know?"
"This bastard…" A student glared in anger, just realising he got played by Torq. But since he failed to stop Torq, he didn't have anything else to do at the canteen. With that, the crowd dispersed.
It was called the Canteen, but in reality was built like an open theatre. The Cooter Clan loved to keep things out in the open, barely having any ceilings, if at all. Things like wind and rain were never an issue, but were rather welcomed by the Clansmen.
The signature cultivation technique of the Cooter Clan–Mystic Mist Art–allowed them to manipulate all fluids through psychokinesis. This meant regions abundant with wind and air became homegrounds where a Cooter Clansman could wield absolute advantage over others.
There was a large stage at one corner of the open theatre, wherein placed in large vats of stone were ingredients. Each vat resembled a small swimming pool, filled with water. Immersed in each vat was an ingredient.
There was no prepared food at the place. Culinary was an art taught at the Academy of Accumulation, and was treated with importance. Hence, students were encouraged to cook their own meals.
Torq approached a random vat and eyed the vegetable within. He casually yanked out one and munched on it after jumping down from the stage. 'Mystic Mist Art works the best with fluids. So, things like soups are more nourishing than solids.'
He was consuming a solid at present, only because his Prana reserve was at zero. Once he accumulates even a single unit, he'd be able to use Mystic Mist Art to properly make foods of fluids and capitalise his gains.
The vegetable resembled a radish, with grassy patterns of brown at the tip. It had a sour, grimy taste, not in the slightest palatable when eaten raw. However, it was the most nutrient-dense ingredient in the Canteen that could be consumed raw.
As he munched on it, Torq walked across the open theatre, feeling the gentle, cold wind that brushed him often. His clothes were mostly tatters now, thanks to the whippings from before. All he did was tie knots across the torn sections, enough to cover his body.
Once he had his fill of the vegetable, he arrived at a corner and slumped on the wall, letting out a soft yawn. It would take a while for his digestion to finish and generate a unit of Prana. That was the most he would be getting from the vegetable.
So, until then, Torq intended to rest, for he didn't have anything else to do at the moment. Cooter Clansmen roamed through the Canteen here and there, but mostly avoided him, since all he did was remain still like a statue.
This semblance of peace did give Torq the opportunity to inspect himself, 'I nailed the timing of regression. And now that I think about Boiboi, he indeed is suitable for my cause. And most of all,'
'It's my influence.' Torq cringed for a moment, 'It's my power that has influenced Boiboi into peeling off facial skins.'
This wasn't Torq's first time reincarnating on Sumatra. Every time he intended to reincarnate, Sumatra Continent itself prepared a suitable vessel. And this vessel was fully influenced by Torq's power, and hence, it behaved no different from Torq until he reincarnated into it.
Even Boiboi had been behaving no differently from Torq all along. That was why no one felt anything was suspicious after Torq succeeded in his reincarnation. To the eyes of the others, Boiboi's behavior hadn't changed in the slightest.
As for the face peelings? It wasn't a thing in the vessels of his past reincarnations. The difference with the present was simple. He had grown explosively stronger when compared to his previous reincarnations, so much so the sheer influence he generated on his vessel caused Boiboi to be born with some…potent tendencies.
'This tendency isn't an issue, since I'll be peeling off many facial skins in the future to activate my ability anyway.' Torq relaxed further, 'Once I recover some Prana, I do need to use my ability to spy on my unfortunate brother.'
'He did witness my trump card, even if only a portion. I need to ensure he doesn't reveal it to others.' Torq shrugged, "Well, there's no rush, since I came prepared."
'This is what it means to achieve a perfect reincarnation.' Torq grinned and fell asleep.