Third Year (2)

He looked around the room. The room layout of this building was similar to the second year dorms. However, this place was much more spacious, and each dorm room had a personal bathroom. They even included a space where one could store any personal items in the far corner.

"So this will be my room."

Han had never been able to use such a huge room all by himself. He could move his body in all directions without bumping into something.

"There should be about fifty reserves. The last time he visited, he noticed there had been about ten to twenty residential buildings. If each building had about two or three third year students, then there should be about fifty reserve soldiers in total.

"Only fifty?"

Project Ark had been founded for over six years now. The total amount of psykers that they managed to train was only about fifty.

I originally thought that there were only a small number of third years present the last time I visited, but I never knew that the actual number would be so little.

"And amongst the few chosen, I was selected."

Han realized that the higher ups transferred him with all seriousness. Han understood his own strength the best.

'They've transferred me up although my psychic skills were lacking, this means they are betting on the potential of all my other strengths.'

Han understood what he needed to do now was produce results for Ark. He had been collecting small clues since the beginning to try and understand this place better.

His observation skills didn't miss the smallest details and processed them to focus on the most important aspects. There were many different types of geniuses, and Han was considered one of them.

He had no unique skills, and was a mere C+ Rank. If he was lucky, they would have given him a B- Rank. There had never been a youth of Ark that was transferred up into third year with such low psychic ranking. Han was the first.

'I must prove myself here, once again.'

He had a flexible, unique way of thinking. It was important to gather as much data and information in new and unfamiliar places. If he didn't do so, he wouldn't have been able to survive all this time.

Ttssssk.

The automatic door to Han's dorm room opened. A familiar skull masked fellow stood at the door. Silence stood while dressed in a completely black casual training uniform. He took out an electronic note from his back pocket.

-Hello, rookie.

Han laughed for the first time since he transferred up into third year. He looked toward Silence.

"Long time no see, Silence."

-Follow me, breakfast.

Silence communicated with short phrases.

The morning alarm rang all over Ark. People exited their dorm rooms one by one. The residents of this place didn't bother assembling or lining up, but instead walked around casually. Second years always moved as one, in squads. It was rare that anyone would move around by themselves.

"Hey Silence! Good morning."

"Is that the new transfer?"

"I bet you didn't know because you've been dispatched all this time, huh? That asian boy is the new super rookie."

"That so?"

The third years who discovered Silence and Han, said. Silence only returned short responses.

It was not possible for Silence to answer each and every one of their greetings with his electronic notebook.

The new transfer student was the object of focus wherever they went. Everyone they passed said a thing or two.

– Just take as you please for breakfast.

Han was surprised at the splendor of the breakfast buffet. The table was ten meters long with all sorts of dishes.

There were many dishes that he never saw in his life. The menu here was vastly different compared to the second years who were kept on a very strict diet.

-Ark has a global population. The menu was created with everyone's personal taste in mind. Are you Chinese? We have Chinese food as well.

"No, I'm Korean."

-I see, I thought you were Chinese or Japanese. I'm not too good at differentiating orientals. I'm not sure if we have Korean food. Don't you all eat rice anyway?

Silence ate with one hand and wrote with the other.

Different to his image, he plated only sweets for breakfast. He spread honey butter onto a freshly toasted slice of bread.

He enjoyed a highly concentrated cocoa drink with a slice of cake for breakfast.

"I don't particularly miss Korean food. I rarely had a chance to enjoy the food at all. Aren't you eating too many sweets?"

Upon Han's words, Silence flinched and quickly moved his hands to fill his plate.

-Psykers need to maintain high levels of blood sugar since we easily overuse our brain power! We require more energy.

"… Does that have any sort of actual numerical proof?"

This was the first time Han had heard of such a thing. If this was true, there was no way the drill instructors would be so stringent on the consumption of sugary snacks.

-Probably….

Silence wrote without confidence.

"…Yeah."

Han didn't continue to pester him and stood up. He chose some food from the buffet table. There was rice and various other side dishes. After eating flour-based foods for so long, eating rice felt like a breath of fresh air. He got himself a pair of chopsticks from the corner and prepared himself an east asian breakfast.

-You know how to use chopsticks.

"Huh? Well, yeah."

-Chopsticks are mysteries of the east. I heard they could even catch a fly with it.

"What?"

Han was taken aback more than a few times by Silence.

-There was a scene in the movie, Yongmoon, where they would catch a fly with their chopsticks. I saw the movie more than ten times.

'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

Han felt like there was something amiss with Silence's common sense. Han had only watched a handful of weekend movies on TV from his time at the orphanage. However, he had enough sense to realize that movies and actual life were vastly different.

'It could be… that Silence goes around with a mask just for looks.'

Upon the thought, he felt a sudden chill. The food he swallowed got stuck in his throat and almost choked him. If there wasn't any actual deep reasoning for his mask and everything was simply aesthetics then… he suddenly remembered Sergeant Red's words.

'Fake Ninja.'

Han couldn't work up the courage to ask. Silence observed Han's chopstick skill with awe.

Silence decided to try and use chopsticks as well, but he kept dropping his food.

-Maybe you need asian genes to be able to use chopsticks.

"That's impossible."

Han suddenly became angry and adamantly replied.

Han let Silence guide him around the training halls. It seems if one doesn't make a reservation, it would be impossible to use the most up-to-date training halls with the latest technology.

The training schedule was relatively simple compared to his days in second year. Third years could freely schedule their training schedules as long as the daily stamina and the necessary required curriculums were completed.

Normal youths their age would prefer to spend their break playing or resting, but the third years of Ark were different. If they didn't have the self drive for continuous self growth, it would not be possible to graduate into the third year.

-You're lucky to be able to transfer up into third year with such meager psychic skills.

Silence held up his electronic note. Han shrugged his shoulders and trained his telekinesis in the training hall.

Wwuung!

Han retrieved the training dagger with his telekinesis. The two daggers moved in rotation.

'As if my telekinesis is an extension of my hand, drag it back and throw.'

Tah!

Han could maintain incredibly focused telekinetic powers. He wasn't simply moving around the objects with his telekinesis, he used inertia to boost the overall damage as he threw the dagger.

With this, it would be possible to throw just as far while using minimal psychic power. This was one of the few unique skills he created.

PaPah!

The daggers struck the wall. Han retrieved the daggers stuck on the wall by hand.

-Your control is as amazing as always.

If he had a lot of psychic power like Kuro, he would not need to use inertia to throw his daggers. He would just need to manifest more psychic powers to throw harder.

"There is a proverb that says to chew with your gums if you don't have teeth. This is the perfect proverb for me."

Silence guided him through the rest of the training halls in an orderly fashion. He looked down onto his watch and quickened his pace.

"What's wrong?"

-Just follow.

Silence led him into the psychoframe training hall. This place was as big as the gymnasium.

One corner had all the gear. There was a hangar just next to it. Han looked all around the space.

– Team 3, chief engineer, Siegfried Schumacher, dubbed 'Octo' for octopus.

Silence pointed to the man standing at the equipment storage center. The man had a pot belly and drenched in sweat.

He looked to be in his mid thirties, and was a bald fellow. His sweaty bald head seemed glaring, even from far away. The glare from his head made one's eyes hurt.

"Is that why his nickname is Octo?"

– He claims it's because he can get work done so fast it's like he has eight hands.

Octo discovered Han and Silence. He strutted towards the two and used his greasy, dirty hand to shake hands with Han.

"Yaaa, so you're that new transfer. The super rookie that has been the hot topic amongst everyone here. I'm Siegfried Schumacher, chief engineer. Everyone calls me Octo."

"I'm Han Lee."

"I already got your physical measurement data file. I've been setting everything up since yesterday. You're already aware of the psychoframes, right?"

"I heard this was our decisive weapon against the dragons. I've only seen it in person one time."

"I see, I see. Follow me."

Octo snapped his overalls and strutted past. He had all sorts of tools and cheap snacks hanging on his belt.

If you observed him for awhile, you'd see that he was always eating something. He continued to stuff chocolates or potato chips into his mouth while walking.

-His skills are the real thing.

Silence wrote the message trying to help reduce Han's worry. Octo walked over to the hangar and shouted proudly.

"Watch closely, rookie. This is the warrior that turned everything around for humanity in our past battles."

Gggeeeeeee!

Octo opened the hangar. Light flickered on inside the dark hangar. He revealed a skeleton of a psychoframe which was covered with a light exterior framing. The aged psychoframe was covered in wear and tear all over.