Zane walked out of the shower and wiped out the mirror. Glancing at his face, he sighed: he desperately needed a haircut and a beard trim. It's been two weeks, and he has started to look shabby. He swiftly applied some lotion and finished his skincare routine before jumping into his large bed. Today was a long day, and he wanted nothing more than to have a good eight hours of sleep.
Unfortunately, Zane's mind wouldn't grant him any peace. Today's event with Judy and the conversation with Ahmed kept flashing in his mind, haunting him even worse than any ghost. He reviewed them over and over like persistent malware.
"Ahmed is right: there is no need to let the guilt eat at me. And Judy was wrong: I am not my father."
Without hesitation, Zane went online and visited the Hair Appreciation Club webpage, which he just called the Barbershop Club, to set up his appointment. However, it was not for a cut; he had decided to grow his hair. Once that was dealt with, he tried to get some sleep, but it was to no avail. As such, he opened his computer and began to code.
Zane was done with his website and a few other tasks from the dark web, which should give him a decent income after departure day. Now, he focuses on creating his audiobook program. The tower did not offer digital books, and there was no way for him to scan the documents, so his program had to use another method: a picture. His idea is to take a picture of whatever he wants, which will then convert the content into digital form that his program can read aloud.
Zane spent the entire night coding, and before he knew it, he had a basic prototype. Although it still had many problems and he was not a big fan of the audiobook's robotic voice, it was still a productive night. He finally slept at around 5 AM and woke up two hours later to start his routine.
Monday, Day 17, Elite Class:
"I heard what happened in the mixer," Keesha said.
Zane sighed; there goes his faint hope that Evelyn wouldn't say anything. "Yes, it wasn't my best look."
"I don't care about that," Keesha stated. "I've heard you've got quite the trauma. I think this is a good opportunity for you to find someone to help you navigate it all."
Zane's lips twitched: why was this woman so insistent on becoming his therapist? "Do you even have a license to take patients? Do mages even have practicing licenses?"
"They do," Keesha nodded. "Whether it's normal or psychic healers, they all require a basic license from the guilds. And there are even different levels of accreditation."
"That's reassuring," Zane uttered.
"How about it? Once I have my license, I'll be glad to be your doctor."
"I'll think about it," Zane lied. Even if he were to see a therapist, he would choose a non-magical one. He refused to allow anyone to probe his mind and memories directly.
"Worries that I'll pry into your mind?" Keesha asked. "You know we are not allowed to enter a person's mind until they give authorization."
"Just the idea that you can is unsettling," Zane replied, which made Keesha sigh. Psychic Healers are not popular for this exact reason. It's already challenging to get people to trust a regular psychiatrist, let alone the type that can enter your mind, know whether you're lying, peruse through your memory, and even manipulate all these things.
The three talked for a few minutes before class began. Not much has changed since the past, except now everybody is close to defeating the orc, and they are just competing to see who will do it first. However, no matter how close they think they are, the orc is always the winner in the end.
And for Zane, today's performance could be considered a regression. He got hit so often that Instructor Seiya stopped the training and approached him. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry, Instructor, I'm not in good shape today," Zane admitted. His concentration wasn't at its best after what happened yesterday, a fact the orc took full advantage of. Zane's body ached all over, but he did not complain since it was his fault.
A blue light flashed in Instructor Seiya's eyes as he instantly and silently cast the 0-ring Mind spell: Detect Emotion. "You reek of guilt, hesitation, frustration, and worry."
"I —"
"I don't care what happened to you. If you want to survive this program, you must learn how to compartmentalize your state of mind," Instructor Seiya said with a cold face. "When it is time for you to fight, to lead, you must be able to ignore whatever internal problem you're dealing with and focus on the task at hand — especially when dealing with the Demon Race. Otherwise, with how much emotion your body is releasing, you are nothing but a buffer for them."
The instructor turned his head to everybody else, "The same goes for all of you. Now, take a five-minute break before we continue."
Zane walked to a corner of the training room and meditated. Once his mana was replenished, he immediately focused on his mental channeling. Over the past few weeks, he has been reading a lot about neurology to better utilize his channeling, and today, he was going to put it to use. The brain is a complex system, some say as complex as the universe itself. From his reading, he knew the frontal cortex and a few other parts managed a person's focus. Using his talent to perceive every aspect of his brain, Zane began to nourish that area of his brain with his mental energy. However, this was just the beginning. Once his focus reached a level he deemed acceptable, he also worked to enhance his reflexes.
The five minutes were up, and Zane calmly opened his eyes. Anyone looking at him would have thought they were brighter than the stars in the night sky. Calmly walking over to his opponent, Zane began the battle. Everything was so simple: he was calm no matter what the orc did; he could predict the orc's actions from subtle body movements alone; his body moved as lightly as a feather; and he timed all his spells so perfectly that all of the orc's attempts to stop him were useless. In the end, by the time the battle had finished and he had defeated the creature, Zane didn't feel much; it was so surreal.
Instructor Seiya glanced at him for a few seconds, "You've entered the [Flow State], and you didn't bleed? Excellent. It seems your mastery of mental channeling has improved."
"Hmm?" Zane muttered before instinctively wiping under his nose. "It seems so. But, what's [Flow State]?"
"As long as a sentient creature has emotions and intelligence, it's impossible for them to always perform at 100% — fluctuation is expected," Instructor Seiya calmly stated. "The [Flow State] allows you to perform at 100% and even beyond. Highly skilled and trained individuals can sometimes tap into that state, but with mental channeling, you tap into it whenever you desire — well, if you master the skill, that is."
"I see."
Instructor Seiya was direct, and since Zane had no more questions, he continued with the class. He called Ms. Luna to check on him — to make sure there were no hidden problems. And after she gave the all-clear, he said, "Since you're alright, let's see if this is progress or a fluke." He conjured another orc, and Zane confronted it. Instructor Seiya's experience was truly top-notch. In this battle, Zane lost, and so did subsequent fights. In ten battles, he won only three. And no matter how he tried, he couldn't enter the so-called [Flow State] again. Luckily for him, Instructor Seiya still gave him 300 points for being the first to defeat the orc.
The class continued, and before the end, both Sergeant Rhode and Keesha — motivated by Zane's victory — defeated the orc once as well. Poor Evelyn began to stress out, vowing to succeed tomorrow. Zane and Keesha expressed their belief in her. After class, Zane walked the two to the Crimson Feather Yard. Once he was alone, he finally had the opportunity to check his new title.
[Title: Orc Challenger (White)]
[You have defeated a well-trained orc. Although it is only a training projection with no lethal means, it is still an achievement worth praising. In many dimensions, it is an honor for any knight or warrior to defeat an orc in battle. Be proud. This is a great achievement.]
[Effect: A marginal increase to your constitution.]
[Next Title: Defeat a true orc.]
"Improvement of constitution? Good," Zane thought. Constitution involves a bit of stamina and strength, but the primary effect is his healing and defensive abilities, especially his defense against physical and magical attacks. In war, there is no greater benefit than surviving severe injuries, so Zane was immensely satisfied with this title.
"Mental channeling is truly a must-have magical skill," Zane thought. The ability to essentially hack the body to do extraordinary things provided immense benefits. That's why he's determined to master all the skills involved, especially [Mechanized Mind]. He desperately wanted to know what it felt like to have his mind as fast as a supercomputer.