The Hope to Reach The Peak

'After that entire struggle, I didn't even cross half the distance.' Jyorta thought, finding his body being lifted, and brought towards the area near the Head Office Building. A pale blue light entered his body, healing his injuries and revitalising him.

Jyorta closed his eyes, feeling down, his mood worse. The blue soul inside him overlaid a false persona over him—one of optimism, calmness, and focus. Immediately, Jyorta began to sense the workings of the pale blue light, watching it heal the injuries in his body.

Even though he didn't learn much, he still observed its actions, in response to the future when he accumulates more knowledge and experience. At that time, he could recall these incidents and infer the essence of the Unranked Skill Regen.

Moreover, he planned to exchange for the Unranked Skill before he left the military academy. Therefore, he wanted to observe the ingenuity of use incorporated by professionals that treated hundreds of injuries almost every day.

Within a minute, he was nursed to full health. His body brimmed with vigour, his strength recovered to a great extent, making him feel he had enough energy to run at least another 3 kilometres on the rugged path.

"You can assemble there," The staff dropped him on the ground and pointed towards a corner. He then picked up a student from near the White Building. Jyorta marvelled at the range that the staff could spread his psychic energy into, wondering when he would wield such amazing powers.

He obediently joined a line, looking at the face of Ashten Coorg, covered in dust, mixed with blood.

"How much did you travel?" Jyorta inquired, still retaining his false persona. He planned to do so until his depressed state calmed down.

Since his soul was currently an amalgamation of his blue soul, Jyorta's soul and the subsoul of the ex-language teacher's Wisdom Parasite—with their egos destroyed and their personalities attuned to his—he could temporarily modify their personas based on the collection of his memories, making them take over his body.

It was something he had discovered when Heima was still under the influence of Gajara Rahi and had given him quite the scare and mental pressure. He slowly developed it over the past year until eventually creating a false persona, one that wouldn't develop an ego in the short term, as long as he was in control.

He didn't experiment with the time limit to their use before they started to form an ego, as he had only used them for short intervals each time. Currently, the previous Jyorta's soul was modelled to house the false persona of one with calmness, optimism, and focus.

He had set aside the subsoul of the ex-language teacher's Wisdom Parasite, for now, planning to modify it into a different false persona based on his future need. Even if they developed an ego, as he was constantly monitoring them every day, he would be able to notice and make a prompt decision.

Moreover, he was researching the properties of his blue soul and planned to eventually extract the extra souls from his blue soul. Thinking of the creepy-haired man, he decided to modify the previous Jyorta's soul into something similar to his, in preparations for the future. After all, he had many considerations.

"I crossed 14 kilometres and had almost reached the 15 kilometres mark. Too bad, my injuries became too severe and the staff had to pull me out." Ashten Coorg sighed, thinking of his reckless behaviour.

After his talk with Jyorta and the others, and thinking of the large number of Credits required to exchange for the numerous Traits, he started craving for the Credits. Moreover, having seen the ranking board, he knew how intense the competition would turn out to be.

Therefore, he pushed his body to the limits, uncaring of the injuries sustained, aiming for the Credits. In the end, he ended up with none. He gazed at Jyorta, "How did you fare?"

"I didn't even cross the midpoint," Jyorta sighed, looking at the students that joined the group, looking tipsy, their bodies drenched in blood. None of them made much of a fuss. After undergoing the Induction Ceremony, their pain tolerance had risen up to staggering heights, beyond what children their age ought to have possessed.

Soon, everyone had joined, forming a similar formation as before the race. Though, the atmosphere was different, with many glares of hatred being exchanged between the students. Many had etched the faces of the people who had wounded them in the initial run and made them unable to finish the race.

A staff flew towards them, carrying Rishen Veera using a psychic arm, making him hover at a height 2 metres above the ground. The rest of the staff began to level the ground, creating a barrier that separated the ground from the surroundings, lest the dust cloud irritated the others.

The students could feel the tremors coursing through the ground as the staff crushed the rocks into fine dust and filled the trenches and gorges. They then slammed the ground using their psychic arms and hardened it, finally retracting their psychic arms and emitting dispersed psychic energy, slamming the dust cloud to the ground. Their work efficiency was impressive.

As Rishen Veera hovered in the air, his booming voice rang out, "Cadets of the October batch; your performance has been subpar to say the very least, the worst as compared to all the batches currently here."

"But, for those who have completed this training exercise, which is technically quite difficult for Tier 1 Warriors and Espers, we have to congratulate them. There are 3 people in total; I will call upon them in order now."

'So, three people made it to the finish line.' Jyorta thought, feeling somewhat shocked. Even if he hadn't been injured in the initial stampede, he still didn't have the confidence to finish it given the time constraint. As he progressed more and more, he had come across path-wide pits and boulders at increasing frequency.

"The one to finish first is Dalna Doppler; she had completed it with more than five minutes to spare." Rishen Veera shouted as the staff beside him lifted a girl from the crowd, making her hover in the air beside them.

Her entire clothes were muddy, covered in blood, their concentration greater than the students that had been pulled out. Her hair was dishevelled, while her face was smeared with dirt and grime. But, even then, the aura of victory she released made the hearts of many boys skip a beat, including Jyorta's.

'Now I understand why Ashten and the other guys made a fuss yesterday.' Jyorta thought, wondering about the other two who had finished the race.

"Even though she had fractured a hand, she was unwilling to give up, refusing the staff from picking her up. She also insisted that her injuries weren't serious and even proved it by breaking into a sprint, despite her state." Rishen Veera didn't stint on his praise, "She has perfectly showcased the demeanour of an exemplary student. You all should take a pointer from her."

"Now, the next to finish is George Eagle; he finished with more than a minute to spare." George was lifted from the crowd, making him hover a foot behind Dalna, to her right.

George's clothes were muddy and covered in blood but, his expression was unchanged, looking as if he could run another lap of the obstacle course. His expression was neither proud nor humble, silently staring at the back of Dalna Doppler, his fighting spirit ignited.

Seeing his expression, a smile crept upon Rishen Veera's face. The staff beside him looked at the two students with a favourable light. Judging by his expression, he looked like he would keep an eye on them and provide pointers if necessary.

"Finally, the one to come in third was someone we hadn't fathomed to finish. It was done by an Esper." Rishen Veera smiled, raising bouts of shock and suspicion among the crowd. "You heard me right, it was an Esper who came in third and was the last to finish. An Esper overtook you in a race that steeply favoured the warriors."

"She finished a mere 2 seconds before the time limit; the final Cadet to finish the obstacle race, Laila." Following his shout, the staff lifted a petite girl from the crowd, making her hover 2 feet behind Dalna Doppler, to her left.

Laila sported a calm smile, looking undisturbed by the gazes. Except for the dust that covered her tracksuit, there wasn't anything else on it, not even a single drop of blood.

"We began to focus most of our attention on her the moment she reached the 4 kilometre mark. Each of her actions was lithe and filled with grace. She perfectly displayed the mind to body coordination that an Esper can possess.

"She has also grasped an ample use of her psychic powers to augment her body control when necessary. Only zealous people who focus their mind and body on their powers would be able to achieve this feat so early. You should learn from her and strive to be more like her." The students felt shocked, showing signs of admiration, and feeling the gap between them—those who stood on the ground—and the three students who hovered in the air.

Jyorta looked calm, his gaze provocative, his fighting spirit ignited. 'I have my weakness but, I also have my strengths. Now, this is more like it. Even if I'm off to a bad start, I'll overcome them all and reign at the top.'

"Dalna Doppler, 100 Credits; George Eagle, 99 Credits; Laila, 98 Credits; The rest, 0 Credits; take a bath and get some rest. You are dismissed." Rishen Veera waved his hands as the staff beside him dropped the three students, his actions gentle. Soon, everyone vacated the area, mostly dragging their feet, looking sullen.

Along the way, Laila took a glance at George, her expression feeling a mild sense of alarm for an instant before reverting to her cheerful demeanour. She then hopped and joined with her friends, accompanying them back to their dorm.

All the 10 staff members converged before Rishen Veera, their expression stoic as they gazed at Laila. One of them muttered, "She has the hope to reach the peak."

"Indeed, after all, breaking the existing norms, there has only been a single precedent."

"True, she carries herself with the demeanour and confidence of one who can reach the peak."

"That is good. Only with such a disposition will she be able to reach the summit one day."

"Yeah, watching her reminds of Rhachis Ancestor Strongest."