Four Great Academies
Cane sat in a meditative pose and focused his entire being on perceiving everything in his right eye. He urged the power in the eye and it glowed with a faint white light in a fraction of a second. Since he already knew that it channels the time element, he tossed a crumpled piece of paper in front of him and stared intensely at it.
His right eye suddenly hurt and blood streamed down from it. He hastily stopped channeling the power and closed his eyes. He got alarmed. He never thought that something like that would happen.
'Doc, you succeeded on your first try. You must be what they call a godly talent. Based on the statistics from 270 years ago and today's elemental awakening of superhumans, your first attempt is a testament to your talent. It is unfortunate that I don't have access to the information about the superhumans your age from the Four Great Academies or other organizations; I might have provided you with more in-depth comparison and data.'
'What do you mean I succeeded? Did you not see that my eye bled? What? It's gone now. Just what the hell happened?', Cane asked when the pain suddenly subsided.
'They call it backlash. Elemental powers need to be practiced with time. It is reported that excessive usage of physical powers for the pure physical superhumans and elemental powers for the elemental superhumans will cause the undying virus inside their bodies to be stimulated abnormally and might cause the person to turn into a Failure. A backlash could be taken as a warning.'
'I see. Thank you, Liz. Let me see just how I succeeded.', he immediately had Liz playback the scene on the monitor.
'Weird. You said I succeeded, but I don't see anything peculiar on the monitor.', Cane was confused.
'It is because your time power is incredible. You actually influenced a wide area, which included the camera in the Blitz Cube. Let me play the footage that I saw instead.'
Cane focused on the different recordings that Liz played on the monitor and saw that the ball of paper was up when he initially tossed it. His right eye glowed, and the falling paper suddenly fell down slowly, then his eye bled. Cane sucked a mouthful of air. Even though it was a brief instance, it was noticeable. Time truly slows down!
'Liz. How many seconds did I maintain that state? I think that the rate of time slowing depends on my intent. Since I subconsciously exerted all my focus to make the most of my powers, my current maximum that I can slow down time is about ten hours in a second. Can you do the rest of the math?'
'You are right, Doc. Based on my observation, you can slow down time in the area within the scope of your vision, and you slowed it down at the rate of ten hours in a second. Time and space elements are believed to be the most difficult elements to control. You have already made great progress, if you ask me. But we can't make a conclusion as to how you compare with others, not until we have access to a wider network of information.'
'I get that. But you know, Liz, you are beginning to feel like a human. You are currently exhibiting curiosity—a strong desire to know or learn something. Don't worry, we will explore the New Earth to our hearts' content, though you don't have a heart. (Chuckles).'
'Ha... ha... ha... ha...', Liz weirdly laughed with a pretty face on the monitor, and he suddenly remembered the golden-haired woman with his son. Cane was disappointed that he never had the chance to see her smile at him. Liz was currently in the form of that golden-haired woman, but he knew that no matter how beautiful the image that Liz depicted, he still felt that no one could top the true beauty of the real one.
'I wish I knew her name at least. But as long as they are fine, I will surely find a way to be with them in the future.', Cane swore.
He clenched his fists as he remembered the golden-haired beauty and her son's faces. That moment further fueled his desire to grasp complete control over his powers at the soonest time.
He resumed his exploration of his time powers. He initially thought that two months would be sufficient to learn his elements and level 1 evolution skills, but he did not even accomplish a quarter of his ideal results.
'Time power is already powerful. I should be able to defend myself from Failures once I head out.'
Cane was in the last week before going outside the bunker. He spent most of his time comprehending the abilities of his right eye. The faint light that was glowing every time he used it slowly turned invisible. He also realized that no matter how brilliant his mind was, he would have to rely on external help if he wanted to be quickly adept at his powers. As the saying goes, a teacher has already walked a path a student is just starting to tread. But he was not to be taken lightly either. He might not realize it himself, but his proficiency with his swordsmanship and time powers was already high.
On the last day of his training, Liz recorded how he closed his left eye and made the standard movements of the Void Swordsmanship using the sword he named Eartheum. The surprising thing was that he had already integrated his time powers into either slowing down his own attack or the object he was attacking.
He knelt on the floor and placed his sword beside him as he was sweating profusely. He was certainly diligent in his practice. When he researched Failures and common dangers to expect when he went out, he realized he needed to be prepared for the worst. Half-assed efforts would just get him killed. This planet became a world for the strong when the undying virus infested it. Missiles and bullets were replaced with the power of viral genes.
'Liz. Once we head out, where would the exit lead to? In addition, please gather all the information that you can about the Four Great Academies.'
After 2 minutes, Liz displayed all the information she collected. The bunker's exit was actually in a city in the country of Bulgaria. The monitor also showed the data available to the public about the Four Great Academies.
Four Great Academies-Blue Astral Academy, Dragon Rising Hall, God Hands School, Battle Maidens Sect.
The locations of these academies were hidden from the public. Some believed that they were located in the inhabited regions of the globe, like the deep seas and the north and south poles. Still, these academies reveal their presence every year to compete with each other in recruiting the best student superhumans to add to their ranks.
The four academies themselves can't surely measure their might against each other when considering the overall prowess that they possess. They were founded to nurture superhumans and deploy them to maintain peace and balance on the New Earth, so they were not hostile to each other. To determine their ranking and help promising superhumans choose which academy to join, they based their rankings on an annual inter-academy superhuman meet.
The Dragon Rising Hall was the most powerful at the time. They have been ranked number one for three consecutive years now. The second place was the Battle Maidens Sect. This sect was a very unique academy because they only accepted female members. Even if they only had female students, they were not to be underestimated as they held the number one spot for ten years before being defeated by the Dragon Rising Hall.
Ranked third was the Blue Astral Academy. This was a powerful academy, but its new recruits in recent years were somehow weaker than the first and second-ranked academies. The last place was the God Hands School. It was actually a school with the most mysterious vibe. All of their members only use fist play when fighting. But they were not to be taken too lightly. Due to their unique techniques and temperament, their battles with other academies usually resulted in a tie.
Cane felt a sense of competitiveness rage inside him when he saw the information about the academies. He will turn 21 when the four academies begin their yearly recruitment, and he was 20 at the time. If he wanted to get into any of the academies, then it would be his only opportunity because the age limit to take their entrance test was 21 years old.