Chapter 18...Talents

'' Perfect, white sneakers, black jeans, and a white windbreaker...and let's adjust the insignia of the academy ..there, done...My hair is a little bit...(manages to properly adjust his hair) ...A good thing the clothes already provided in this apartment for the resident is body size customizable. Otherwise I would have had to trouble my AI to waste credits on some clothes... Time to head to class ...to think it's Monday already and I could not get enough sleep... (sighs) ''

''Have a nice day sir!'' Anna the AI played the role of a butler and bid her master a polite farewell for the day, albeit without any tinge of human expression on her face.

Lucas nodded slightly, shot an emotional glance at the familiar picture of his ten year old self and his deceased parents, then with an emotional smile, thought to himself '' How nostalgic, to think there would have a come time where I would also walk the path of an awakened... If only mum and dad were here to see this... Ah, not another monologue Lucas, let's head to class,''. With the monologue done in halfway, he strolled out of his apartment, walked past a few other students who lived in the building, with only one thought in mind, It was time for the first day of his class an awakened ....The time was nine AM, and it was Monday... the day every student hated the most, and he was probably late for class..

Not in the least bit appreciating the cool autumn winds and the refreshing atmosphere of the morning, Lucas was one amongst many students strolling through the crowds to their classrooms.

A few minutes later after following the directions of the map of the large school, he finally spotted his classroom in one of the large complexes of the school.

The doorway of the lecture hall opened gently from the front. A tall, young man with pale complexion , dark eyes and black messy hair was revealed to be the one responsible for the interruption in the class.

With all eyes launched towards the newcomer, Lucas sighed inwardly '' As I thought, I overslept''. He did not even manage to take three steps forward when a cold ,feminine voice thundered in his ear ... '' Why are you late young man?''. The pretty female instructor in blue jeans and a black windbreaker asked.

Lucas shamelessly replied '' I overslept, Instructor'' as he thought inwardly 'It's not like she can kill me'. As though a laughter spell had been cast on them, the whole class bust into simultaneous laughter, with some scornful remarks being launched at the new comer. Lucas however seemed unfazed and nonchalant about their reactions, he was used to this kind of ridiculing treatment. Scratching the back of his head, he awaited the instructor's response. 

The female instructor, surprisingly rather composed, and not getting angry at the student's sarcastic and shameless response hushed the chaotic class and motioned the student to take his seat somewhere at the back.

Lucas passed through the crowd under the watchful gazes of his new classmates, his destination, a seat in the far corner of the class. ''Is that the so called protagonist seat I have read of in novels and seen in animations?. That seat is always a calamity magnet... Well this is real life so I hope that falderal in animes and novels would not apply here''

Finally arriving at his destination, the young man assumed a quiet demeanor and sat down.

''To think headmaster Rick who I do not even know personally sent a message to my mail that I should have a talent assessment test solely for him when I come to class. I know this young man is quite special, being the first to awaken at the age of fifteen, and as E rank hunter at that, standing toe to toe with the geniuses of the third years. Not only that, there are rumors that he could be a dual awakened...Let's not postpone further then'' The female instructor with black hair mused, a transparent looking orb most definitely appearing from a dimensional bracelet landing in her right hand.

''Alright, the class continues, enough chit chat ... As you all know, each one of you already had your talent assessment tests the moment you were enrolled into the awakened class as first years. This test is very important as it determines whether or not you have the potential to mostly remain at the same rank forever, advance slowly to higher ranks or quickly advance to a higher rank... Lucas Grimstone, I suppose you can tell us why a talent assessment test is necessary?'' The instructor looked towards Lucas' direction.

Lucas sighed inwardly ''Just when I sat down, a question... I suppose I have no choice but to say what I know''.

He replied in a tone that was amplified by probably some sort of voice amplifying technology to make communication clearer in the lecture hall 'Yes instructor, talents are graded from the lowest to the highest as F,E,D,C,B,A and S. Talents are simply a measure of an awakened individual's cells to quickly absorb ether, the energy awakened utilize to increase in ranks. For the awakened, ether is naturally absorbed by the cells of their body and used by the selfsame cells of their body to improve and alter their genetic constitutions further, thus making them stronger. The more and the faster ether is absorbed by the awakened, the more quickly they break the barriers of their previous limitations of power and assume a higher level of power, increasing their rank as an awakened. The rate at which an awakened individual can naturally and quickly absorb ether from the environment to break the previous limitations of their power and increase in ranks is what we refer to as talent. For someone to have an E grade talent, it means that the rate at which they absorb ether is so slow that in their lifetime, the cells of their body can evolve to only as far as the level of an E rank hunter. The same principle applies for all other talents. Thus, one can work as hard as everyone else, and have a very powerful awakened affinity, but if one has a weak talent, one can never measure up to someone with a higher talent. In a way, talent determines one's potential''

The instructor nodded ''I see that you are well informed. A brilliant exposition. The fact that it is rumored that you are currently the best student among the third years in the core subjects department and that you were also the best student in your former engineering class before you awakened is most definitely true. Very well, Lucas Grimstone, this is a world where strength rules... Step forward and let's conduct a small test on your talent with this talent assessment orb I'm holding in my right hand''