Ability Showcase

Once the school day finally came to an end, Lachlan hurried to the training rooms, where he quickly completed his daily exercise quest, bringing his total EXP to 10/50.

Fortunately, there was no conflict on the way there and back, even though his status as a cripple had spread like wildfire in between the 1st years after the incident with Brice in the hallway.

The reason for that, as speculated by Lachlan, was because the 2nd years didn't share the same time in the cafeteria, and neither was there some kind of interconnected network for both years to talk through, apart from the VR capsules, which were mainly only used for ability-training between all schools.

And as for the ones that mostly were seen going to the training rooms by Lachlan, seldom would there be any 1st years, as they were still in their introductory period of military school, not needing to strain themselves for grades.

This worked out in favor of Lachlan, but he knew it wasn't going to last long, as more and more 1st years were undoubtedly going to show up in the training grounds as time passed.

Luckily for him, he wasn't planning to stay there long-term, only till he got an ability.

As for if he would go public with it or not once he got one, Lachlan hadn't decided yet. It depended on the time and whether or not suspicion would arise from the Instructors and students when it happened, which could put him in potential danger

Though all of that would wait, as Lachlan had finally gotten back to his dorm room, where he tinkered with his plan he had conceived during lunch and created possible contingencies if necessary.

As he finished, and laid in his bed, and felt that his plan was near-completion, he couldn't help but become overly satisfied and whisper under his breath, "You're abilities will all be mine." With a toothy grin that spanned over his face.

—-—

The following 2 days were relatively uneventful, or so Lachlan thought by the way he was treated.

No one had tried to provoke him, nor did they do anything to mock him when he was near. Even in the classrooms, when the teacher hadn't arrived yet, no one walked up to him or tried to cause any trouble. It was very unnatural, but Lachlan had an inkling of why it was like this.

He guessed it had something to do with him sitting with Oliver the other day in the cafeteria.

Before, they looked like animals ready to rip his flesh out the moment they got the chance, but now, they looked more passive, like they weren't sure to approach.

Though, It didn't stop their unyielding glares that contained a gleam of fierceness in when they stared him down; it was just turned down a notch.

"Hah, not bad," thought Lachlan.

The students' were an obstacle, and it seemed that Oliver's presence, the key figure in his upcoming plan, had solved more than one problem for him.

"Thanks, Oliver," said Lachlan to himself as he grinned.

He was currently sitting in the classroom, and not before long, the middle-aged Instructor known as Gamal Eaton walked through the door and trekked towards the elevated podium in the front of the class.

Once he stood atop the podium sternly, waiting for the classroom to quiet down, he asserted in a clear voice that reached everyone's ears. "Today, we will be having the first day of practical ability training."

The previous two days were only in preparation for the training, but now, when it was finally starting, the usual reactions from the back and front of the class ensued, though this time more potent noticeable.

Soon after, Instructor Gamal ordered, "Follow me."

At his command, the students sprung up from their desks and began following Instructor Gamal, who had already started walking without glancing back.

After a meager time of walking through the hallways and paths that laid instilled throughout the academies gardens', they were by a large building, though this one was remarkably different.

It was an enormous, grandiose edifice, but it wasn't white like the other buildings and facilities on campus. It had an unnaturally glassy sheen to it, and it was jet-black in color, like obsidian, albeit a little bit different. Its outer layer looked uneven, bumpy, and sharp, like just running your hand across it would be very uncomfortable.

Just looking at the building instilled fear and might in the students' hearts, and Lachlan looked a bit surprised himself.

When Instructor Gamal saw the faces' of the students, his face, which rarely showed an expression, had a slight-grin to it as he said, "I didn't show this during the tour, because I wanted you all to see this today, do any of you perhaps know what it's made of?"

The students' gawks turned from the edifice to Gamal and looked very confused.

"So none of you know?" he asked, his smile faltering.

Lachlan, who was at the back, was reluctant but had an inkling of an idea, and felt like answering.

"Is it Lapenium Glass?"

"Hah, that's correct!" beamed Instructor Gamal. "Who said that?"

The students' rotated their heads until it fell on the boy in the back who had uttered the answer.

Gamal's eyebrows raised, and he looked impressed at who voiced the answer.

It wasn't common knowledge, and not many students' decided that it was worth studying such broad knowledge. Especially that it came from a cripple, it made Gamal question whether or not there was perhaps something more to this boy than meets the eye.

Instructor Gamal noticed he was getting caught up in his thoughts, so he lightly cleared his throat and explained. "This whole building is made from Lapenium Glass, or more commonly known as the sea dragon's scales. The sea dragon is a magical beast that inhabits the planet known as Admordia, a planet primarily covered in water.

This massive beast that lives and lurks in the water, seldom shows itself on land and has impenetrable skin, Is something only the strongest of ability-wielders could ever hope of challenging"

He further informed, "Due to its low-offense, and high defense, It's material is mostly used for shields, which is why it's covering this building. If a Vulkor was to attack, this is where you want to hide. It's not only an ability-training room to protect its inner-structure from the brunt of abilities, but also a bunker to shield from external attacks."

At the mention of Vulkors, the students' faces which were just colored in surprise, turned grim, and soon after, noticing the gloomy atmosphere, Gamal decided to usher he students' to the entrance of edifice.

It turned out to be a massive gate, similar in material to the rest of the edifice, albeit a little bit thicker, and its surface more refined and evened out.

Once Instructor Gamal inserted his military ID, the gate, which had been unmoving, slowly creaked open, ringing in the students' ears till it finally stopped.

Once everybody entered, they were further guided to a separate area within the edifice, and when they got there, they were surprised by how massive it was.

The inside resembled the interior of a cavern, albeit very well-lit, and the ground being completely flat and white, resulting in the light from the top to be reflected. There were also square-like grids plastered on the floor, looking like miniature arenas.

"Line up," bellowed Instructor Gamal, which induced the students to get in line, shoulder to shoulder swiftly.

"As this is our first ability-training together, I need to get the gist of how powerful each and everyone of you is. To do so, each of you will fill one of these grids on the floor to showcase your ability. I don't care what kind of ability it is; you'll use it to its maximum capacity till you run out of gas."

He added, "Even if you have a passive ability or one that isn't a physical manifestation, you'll still have to use it!"

He finished, and then after a second, glanced at Lachlan awkwardly, "and, well— even if you don't have a single one at all," which induced a couple of snickers and laughs from the students' in line.

Lachlan didn't know what the Instructor meant, he had no ability, what was he supposed to do?

He wanted to ask, but felt like it would be futile, so decided that he would just do exercise once he entered his grid.

Eventually, Instructor Gamal began reading out names, from which the students' with the corresponding names stepped out of line and walked over to the vacant grids.

When each grid was filled, Gamal, who stood abut to the arenas', called out in a loud voice, "You may begin!"

In the next moment, all that could be heard from the adjoining grids was the sound of abilities charging and clamoring for supremacy.

The cacophony of abilities rung in Lachlan's ear and as he leered towards his peers, he saw a wide variety of abilities.

Some were generic, like the one to the right of Lachlan who slightly-levitated, but others not as much.

One whose was extraordinary that attracted a lot of stares was Leila's

She flew around the grid like a bolt of lightning, and when she stopped, one could see how the tendrils of lightning coiled around her body, occasionally branching out and charring the ground it came into contact with.

Almost everyone's eyes were on Leila, and before long, almost all the students' eyes were one her as countless gasps could be heard.

In time, she eventually began to sweat, and when her stamina was close to running out, she used a last move which caused a tendril of lightning to disperse from her palm, hitting the grid with a loud bang that shook the floor the students' stood on.

Lachlan looked towards where the lightning had struck and was shocked by the destruction it had caused. There was a massive hole in the floor which had scorch marks all around it. One could even see the debris from the spot sizzling on the ground like it had been scorched by the sun.

"Wow," muttered Lachlan. "So that's how powerful a level 5 and up is…."

Instructor Gamal that had noticed the students stopping in their tracks to look at Leila, shouted, "Anyone who doesn't get moving will fail this class right now!"

At his bark, the students' picked up their vigor once again and began emulating their abilities like before. And Lachlan continued doing his exercise, which lasted for a couple of minutes till' he was out of steam, gasping for air on the ground.

Instructor Gamal, who stood nearby to Lachlan's grid, couldn't help but frown and look listless at Lachlan's result. Even though the boy was a cripple, he believed that if he knew that kind of uncommon knowledge about the edifice's material, that he would be a hard-worker, even if he didn't have an ability.

But sadly, It didn't look or seem to be that way.

The cripple could barely hold on exercising for 5 minutes till he slumped to the ground and looked half-dead. It was a shameful result, that even a child could beat.

Gamal had been apart of the militaries faculty for over 10 years, and in his 10 years of service as a teacher, he had seen his fair share of cripples. Some were beaten to death, others made into mindless slaves, and the smart ones decidedly taking suicide.

He had always wanted to see one break the norm, to see one try, or to see at least one be able to hold his own, but It never happened, and never seemed like it was going to either.

His sliver of hope for the boy vanished in that second, and he eventually plucked his eyes from Lachlan and wrote him off as just another useless cripple who was going to end up like the other cripples' he had seen during his years of teaching.

Eventually, after about 10 minutes, when the cacophony of abilities had all but died down, Gamal asserted, "That'll be all for today's class, tomorrow, we will begin with sparring."

Lachlan gulped loudly and felt the stares at the back of his neck from the students' after Gamal's assertation, but didn't experience it long as he decidedly rushed out of the edifice and headed towards the cafeteria in strides.

Eventually, after eating with Oliver and finishing all of his cultural classes at the end of the school day, It was time for his meetup with Brice.

After all, today wasn't an ordinary day, today was the day his plan was to commence.

Everything had to be in order, and Lachlan's mind was clogged with preparation.

He was supposed to bring Leila to the forest, though, of course, he wouldn't do that.

It's not that his morals were in the way of letting them have their way with her, but more so of the benefit of doing so. After all, If all he did was to deliver her to them, he would simply be an errand boy that wouldn't be a step closer to getting an ability, but instead used as a regular slave for their gang, even if they vowed to never do so before.

That was unfavorable for Lachlan, and instead, he wanted to progress his plundering of an ability, and Leila wasn't a component he needed for his upcoming ploy.

He had bet everything on this plan, and if it failed, it could prove fatal, but that wasn't going to stop him from giving it a go.

As Lachlan was a street away from reaching the dormitory, he stopped in his tracks. He went into an adjacent alley littered with trash and began the first portion of his plan, thrashing himself up.

He started by ripping his clothes off in a few spots and then used a metal rod that he had broken off from one of the trashcans to beat himself up with.

When he was finished, there was discoloring around his eye, gashes on his torso, and torn pieces of fabric hanging from his tunic.

He successfully made it look like he had been beaten to a pulp.

"That should be good enough," said Lachlan to himself as he began heading back to the dorms.