Auditorium

"What happened?" A teacher inquired, having noticed his situation.

"My sister said she had some important work to do today. I think she has yet to return home. Can I make a call tomorrow?" Jyorta put on a troubled expression, his gaze showing traces of worry.

"What about your father or mother?" The teacher inquired, pulling out a register, flipping through the pages to pull out his information. Seeing the words 'Deceased' affixed next to his parents, the teacher let out a grunt, showing his sympathy.

"There won't be any issues. You can contact your sister tomorrow," The teacher replied, walking towards another booth, talking with a student who had a similar issue.

"Thank you, sir," Jyorta bowed, exiting the area. He then walked onto the ground, feeling the sensation of the soft grass. Through some magical means, the staff had recovered the damaged ground from the afternoon to its pristine state.

Finding an open spot, Jyorta laid down, the sensation of the grass feeling many times better than the bed in his dorm. He then gazed at the sky, getting a clear view of it, his expression one of genuine worry. As someone who hadn't delved into astronomy and didn't have much interest in the field, he couldn't recognise any constellations, the sky looking like a black paper sprinkled with shining dust to him.

'I hope sister is safe. Even though she has the ability to teleport, it drains large quantities of energy per each use, even for short distances. Moreover, judging by her reaction in the morning, the mission this time seemed to be a dangerous one.' The more he thought, the greater his worry became.

Heima was the only person he cared for as his family, his emotional anchor in this world. He dared not imagine what he would become should something happen to her.

'No use in worrying. I should strive to raise my strength. If I want to be safe in this world, I should become a Ground Controller at the very least.' Jyorta stood up, dusting his clothes, heading towards his room.

8:30 PM, opening a mathematics book, he began to go through it, refreshing his knowledge. "Everything here is the same as my memories. Even the Euler's formula is listed here, no different from what I have learnt and used. Euler, Jacobian, familiar names are appearing one after the other. Is this really Earth? Or a parallel universe that is strikingly similar to Earth?"

Setting his confusion aside, he began to skim through the contents, quickly going through the basics and attempting the advanced stuff. After all, as an ex-engineer, he was well versed in the subjects of Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. Also, as someone who had prepared for the IITs [1], the problems listed out in the textbook were mere child's play.

Jyorta took out a notebook from the pile he had issued earlier, solving one problem after another. He busied himself, ensuring to take the long-winded approach for each problem, solving it step by step. Once he practiced his habit through the longwinded approach, he began to solve them in full earnest, using shortcuts.

The answers to the mathematical problems, the ones listed out in the textbook, almost a page long were solved by him within 5-6 steps, saving a lot of time. His expression looked similar to a zealous student, like someone who had devoted himself to the pursuit of knowledge, having fun through studying.

11:30 PM, putting down his pen, Jyorta looked at the number of pages he had filled, gazing at the topics he had covered. He then closed his notebook, got up from the chair, and stretched his limbs.

"I have briefed through 7 chapters and have recalled all the related knowledge. I'll go through the rest and finish them by the end of this week, proceeding to the other subjects. My advantages are the academic subjects I'm well versed in. I have to use them to gain as many credits as possible."

Feeling a light throbbing in his head, Jyorta sighed, "I will appear for the exams starting from the third week and gain an advantage on the rankings. Also, my Brain Crystal is starting to develop. After a week or so, I would be able to use my psychic energy in earnest."

Jyorta closed his eyes, using his blue soul to chant the verse of the creepy-haired man, shedding away the murky substances that had formed in his soul. Even though his soul had become something that couldn't be corrupted, his current soul was an amalgamation between the original blue soul, Jyorta's soul, and the subsoul from the Wisdom Parasite of the late language teacher.

He had to constantly shed off the corruption that stemmed from them and the subsoul of his Wisdom Parasite. Done with the task, Jyorta closed his eyes, using the blue soul to sever some connections, making his body enter a state of rest.

Normally, it would take him a long time to sleep, even if he were tired. Only when he was dead tired would he fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes. Now, using his advantages, he could directly enforce his body to enter a state of sleep. It was just a minor added advantage.

7:15 AM, waking up from the sound of the alarm, Jyorta tossed and turned, covering his ears with the blanket. The sounds of the alarm soon stopped; his eyebrows eased in peace as a mild smile crept on his face, entrenched with the morning bliss.

Warm rays of sunlight entered the room, giving the feeling of warmth, making his body float in the dreamland of slumber. Suddenly, an ear-piercing noise shattered the peace, its sounds irritating to the ears. The sounds were so high pitched that he could feel the soundwaves striking against his skin, its echo an annoyance, rivalling the mosquitoes from his memories.

7:30 AM, as the alarm continued with its high pitched shriek, loud knocking sounds echoed from his door. Someone seemed to knock on the door, their knocking sounds soon becoming loud thumps, rattling the door.

Irritated by the thumping noise, Jyorta woke up in a flurry, his gait matching his temper. He unlocked the door and pulled it aside, his actions rough.

"What?" He shouted, expressing his irritation.

"Switch off the damn alarm!" A voice trailed back, sounding even more irritated than him. "My sleep has been disturbed because of it."

"Good for you," Jyorta slammed the door shut, "Take a jog while you're at it."

"Arrogant bastard," The person who had knocked the door cursed aloud, walking away with loud steps. Jyorta slept on the bed, covering his face with the bedsheet, his irritated expression soon becoming one of peace.

7:45 AM, the alarm rang once again, echoing two different tunes. He had set the first alarm to ring from 7:15 AM, ringing once every 15 minutes. The second alarm would start to sound from 7:45 AM, signalling that he was running late.

The two sounds intermixed to produce a cacophony of noises, irritating him to the utmost limit. Jyorta threw the bedsheet in anger, watching it collide into the wall. Just when he was about to punch the alarm clock, he paused in place, realising that he had bought them with money.

"There's only 45 minutes before class starts," Jyorta murmured, picking a basket and placing his uniform, underwear, and toiletries in it. He then carried it with him, exiting the room, ensuring to lock it, placing the key in his basket.

He turned left, proceeding towards the end of the hallway. On the way, he noticed Haesha, already dressed in her uniform.

"Morning!" Jyorta greeted, waving his hands.

"There's not much time. The White Building is quite far from here," Haesha replied, waving back.

"Don't worry; I'll be there on time." Jyorta smiled, "Just reserve a seat for me."

"Okay, I will."

8:20 AM, Jyorta held an empty notebook, slipping a pen in his pocket, dashing along the hallway. He then haphazardly descended the stairs, almost slipping a couple of times. Exiting the Indigo Building—his dorm—he dashed towards the Blue Building, situated right next to it.

He peered through the open section, noticing a long queue that had formed, grunting in distaste. He observed every seated student, hoping to find a familiar face.

"Dammit, no luck today," Jyorta cursed, dashing towards the White Building, traversing the long distance. On the run, he fished out a folded poster from his pocket, looking at the timetable, making note of the room he had to rush towards.

"Auditorium 8…in the 7th floor?" Jyorta groaned, increasing his speed, swerving through the gaps between groups of students who were walking. Most of them seemed to have classes in the nearby buildings, evident by their pace.

"Sorry," Jyorta apologised, his tone lacking the necessary feelings. He didn't even bother to observe the faces of the people he had bumped into, wiping the sweat that started to form on his face.

8:29 AM, arriving on the 7th floor, Jyorta figured out the location of auditorium 8, pausing when he crossed a restroom. He hurriedly entered it and splashed some water on his face, exiting immediately.

He then took out another kerchief, wiping his face as he entered the auditorium, feeling the doors close behind him.

'Safe!' He mentally exclaimed, looking at the seated students gazing at him, as if wondering why he was late on the very first day. Ignoring their gazes, Jyorta scanned past their faces, pausing at the one that registered as 'beautiful' in his eyes.

Noticing the vacant seat beside her, a smile beamed on his face as Jyorta briskly walked towards the spot, tidying his appearance in an instant, pocketing his kerchief.

8:30 AM, a middle-aged lady standing on the dais spoke, "First rule of the military academy: punctuality is the most important trait for a Cadet."

Jyorta hurriedly seated himself, flashing a smile at the girl beside him, looking ready to begin the day's lessons.

[1]: Indian Institute of Technology, said to have one of the harshest entrance exams for the undergraduate level.