New Potential

Erik woke up early for school. He needed to explain why he missed class the previous day, but nothing was going to affect his mood that day. 

While making breakfast and completing his first quest, Erik turned the TV on.

"AUTHORITIES REPORT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF THAIDS ATTACKS ON THE CAPITAL, NEW ALEXANDRIA."

According to the news, more and more incidents regarding the thaids were being reported each month. First, it started with just some random attacks here and there, but now they seemed to have grown exponentially.

That worried Erik. It wasn't like he cared about the military or if some prick New Alexandria's citizen died. He hated them. The problem was that he could end up in danger.

<Something is going on outside the walls…>

After having taken the train, he arrived at school. There, he decided to take the back entrance instead of going in from the main one. He wanted nothing to affect his mood. Erik decided to take the path behind the building instead of walking down the main entrance to avoid Logan and his friends.

Erik walked down the corridor to his class. Other students stared at him as if he were a circus freak.

<Nothing can affect my mood today.>

He didn't care.

A few people bumped into him by accident. Instead of apologizing, they cursed at him and kept walking.

<It's nothing…>

Reaching his classroom, he sat next to the window and waited until the bell rang.

Professor McAllister entered the classroom soon after. His job was to teach students how to use their brain crystal powers correctly.

That's why he always took the students to the gym. There, they could practice using their powers while being closely watched.

Professor McAllister was a short, bald man. He had blue eyes that looked cold. He never smiled during class. Erik often wondered why such a harsh person chose to teach as his profession.

<Some things better stay unknown…>

Maybe it was something perverted.

"C'mon guys, your training won't start if you don't move your asses from those chairs!" The man said.

The entire class left and headed to the gym.

"Today, we're going to do a little bit more exercise. There is not much I can teach you, since the safety measures have been taught already, and you are more or less capable of not killing yourselves."

When everyone got to the gym, Erik didn't join the others. Instead, he stood by the wall near a glass door, looking outside. While his classmates prepared to use their powers, Erik remained standing where he was.

"You need to get moving; otherwise, I'll leave you behind!" the teacher said, looking at Erik.

The prick always forced him to go, which always resulted in him doing nothing but being humiliated.

<This prick.>

But today, it was going to be different.

Erik moved, this time without reluctance. Logan bumped into Erik and started mocking him.

<Nothing can affect me today! I swear…>

Erik joined the other students on the field. He stood at the end of the line, waiting for his turn. Many of his classmates had amazing abilities. Some could create powerful mental energy blasts, or whatever they were.

Brain crystal powers were varied. There were many kinds of 'Energy sources'. Some others could create water from nowhere, and others could create physical restraints to restrict or imprison others.

Still, the most impressive one among the students was Nathaniel McConnell. 

He was a brown-haired, handsome kid with a brain crystal power that allowed him to use concussive energy he called 'Force'. He could use it to increase his speed, increase his destructiveness, and deploy a shield.

His power was rated Bρ3B, which was very impressive already since it meant he had 9 neural links. The B rating on the Ferebitz scale was already significant. Even more remarkable was his B rating on the Jorm scale, which showed how good his power was. These high ratings meant his ability was both strong and useful.

Nathaniel's future was probably bound to be good, as the army was interested in such a promising young man. Not so much as to be recruited by the blackguards.

Though, if things didn't go well within the military, Nathaniel still had the chance to work with his father. No one knew what the man's job was, but he had a lot of money.

However, dark rumors spread a long time ago about the source of this money. According to many, Nathaniel's father was some sort of gang leader, but there was no proof. These were just rumors that no one could confirm.

Nathaniel targeted some Mannequins. Everyone looked at him with envy once they saw him move.

He threw a powered punch at the mannequin. All of them would have broken human bones, but the mannequin was resistant. Up to a certain point. Nathaniel increased the mana he pumped until his punches really became lethal. He ended up destroying part of the mannequin.

<Damn, that was made from Steel.>

Nathaniel then used a chokehold, and pumping force into his hands, he ended up completely destroying the mannequin.

Everyone was amazed by Nathaniel's performance. Even Erik, who usually didn't care much for others, was impressed. But as they all watched Nathaniel train, they shared a common thought: he was brutal.

As the training went on, Erik kept staring at the ground, lost in thought.

He wished he, too, could develop his power in a battle-oriented sense, but he had no idea how.

For starters, he never had the chance to use his powers for extensive periods, as he didn't have enough mana.

In truth, Erik forgot to do something the previous day because of the excitement of having finally fixed his deformity. There was a new system's power he had to check. Once he did, Erik would know what to do. That if he had the galls.

<Well… I guess there should be nothing bad for me to see what can do now…>

He started channeling mana through his only neural link. This time, though, he didn't feel hindered as usual. It was like an obstruction had been removed.

<The amount of mana I can use and control improved a lot.>

A smirk blossomed on his face like a crescent moon.

Erik went to the flower beds on the side of the field. 

Erik pushed his mana toward the flower bed, releasing the energy from his hands.

The smell of freshly grown vegetation filled everyone's nose. The plants sprouted new leaves in seconds and started proliferating.

Erik was amazed. He could now use his power much more easily than before, but it also looked much better than before. He only needed to let his mana flow freely and use a bit more of it.

<Damn… It feels good.> 

The plants grew quicker than they ever did. In the past, it would have taken him several days to achieve the same result.

The students looked at Erik's power with scorn, unaware of the differences between then and now, mainly because Erik never used it in front of the others. 

Erik didn't care, but his stunt attracted Professor McAllister's attention. He knew the difference between then and now. 

Professor McAllister's expression flickered with surprise when he saw Erik's display. However, he quickly composed himself, his face returning to its usual expression.

<I don't even feel like losing consciousness, but I guess that's because didn't use all my mana.>

Mana exhaustion had been an immense problem for him until that point.

After an hour of practice, Erik spent most of his time resting because he still had few energy points and mana. Then, all the students went back to their classroom. 

When it was time for lunch, many students hurried to get food. Some stayed on the training grounds to practice more or chat with friends.

Nathaniel was among those who wanted to practice his skills. Erik went to a vending machine to eat what he could and then left the school to go to the farm.