Forest of Obscurity
Namer University
Academia City, Namer Island
8th September 2285 A.G.M
1:37 PM
Eighteen years after the Hailey Incident
Eren watched as the bus which had picked them up from the train station entered a forest, instead of taking them directly to the school. There were trails of whisper going around the bus from the students as they arrived where a platform was set up in a clearing within the forest. The whispers going around increased as they saw that there were also other students waiting out there. As the noise increased, the Aide who had picked them up from the train station, clapped his hand bringing the bus into silence.
"Alright everyone, we'll be getting off here," The Aide- a short, bulky Dwarf in a black tunic with the University symbol-spoke up. Eren and Ash got off the bus with the other students, walking to the spot where the remaining first years of Namer University awaited. Eren noticed some glances from some of the snobbish appearance among the first years, marking them as Nobleborns. Standing atop the platform was a yellow-skinned Light folk with amber eyes wearing a black tunic and pants with a black cloak. He appeared in his mid-thirties but was around two hundred years old. His cultivation rank was high due to the student's inability to detect it. The Instructor, Professor Wingram, observed the students, taking notes of the various cultivation auras that surrounded them. He had already noted the obvious talented ones, taking note of how they had fared in their practical exams. When the students from the bus joined the fray of students waiting by the platform, Wingram's eyes landed on Ash, observing how the World energy around him flowed. Though his Cultivation was of the lower rank, his spiritual power was well above the average of those of the same rank as him. There were others just like Ash among the students, mostly those who belonged to the Aristocracy. When all the students had gathered together, Instructor Wingram cleared his throat making the students fall silent.
"Good Afternoon students," Professor Wingram said. "It would be my honor to welcome you lucky few to the prestigious Academy of Namer University." The hundred first-year students smiled upon being welcomed, though some of them were wondering why they were here in the forest instead of the university's grounds. "Now you're probably wondering why we have brought you here, to the Forest of Obscurity, a place known for its enigma and mystery..."
Eren definitely wanted to know why they had been bought here. He could feel that something was up and that it probably wasn't a good thing.
"....We've brought you here to establish the evaluation of the Student Ranking for the first years," Student Rankings. How in Tartarus are they going to evaluate them? Damn it, I'm tired of these tests. Eren's mood was getting bad. He felt cranky from hunger and exhausted from the bus and train ride. He felt his stomach rumble from starvation and he couldn't stop cussing the Instructor in his head.
"....To establish the First year's ranking, we will first test your cultivation strength, including the Cultivation path and the Ability Factor you have awakened. We will also test for your Affinity towards the Elements," Professor Wingram said. He snapped his hands, and appearing in front of him was a white crystal orb, swirling within it was an orangish mist of Mana. " This is a soul scanner, an Enchanted item that can analyze the soul data of one's soul. With this, we will pick out the best from the best, those who have what it takes to reach the pinnacle of cultivation." Professor Wingram's eyes scanned the crowds already taking notes of who he suspected would meet his expectations. Of course, his eyes only landed on the aristocrats as he knew that they were the ones most likely to be the strongest among the first years. The Nobleborns were born with greater talents and given great resources from the time they could walk. Especially those from the Great cultivation families. They were leagues above those of Nobility and Common blood.
"I'll call out names starting alphabetically, and you will come on this podium, and put your hands on the Orb," Professor Wingram said. "And the Orb will do the rest. So are you ready..." He paused and glanced around at the fresh faces they had gotten for this year. "....Very well, then first on the list is Asher Asterion. Please come forward." All the students began to mutter, unable to believe that an Asterion was in their presence. Even the Nobleborns couldn't help their curiosity as they too had heard tales about the infamy that surrounded that clan's name. Ash walked forward ignoring the looks and stares that he got. As he went towards the podium, his path was blocked by a bulky First year with shaggy orange hair, a tall and muscular body with yellow-green eyes that resembled a cat. He looked at Ash with a fierce look that Eren felt like the boy was staring at his meal. Ash returned the gaze, not bothering to take one step backward, and then the boy grunted and moved aside for Ash to continue towards the platform.
"What's with that brat," Eren muttered.
"That's Victor Jaeger, from the Jaeger family, one of the six great Manaborn Families," Someone said beside Eren. Eren turned around in shock as he recognized the voice. It was the Adventure girl from the clinic from the Exam hospital. She had on her familiar bob hairstyle, and unlike some of the other females who wore skirts as part of their uniform, she wore pants like the males. She was the one who complained about some sort of breakup or something.
"It's you from the clinic," Eren said.
"I'm glad you remember me, Eren Walker" Annabelle Satou said. "I'm Annabelle." Eren nodded, not caring that she withdrew her family name as it was quite obvious that she was a Nobleborn.
"So that brat's one of them," Eren said. He couldn't help but think of a certain silver-haired girl with red striking eyes that drove him crazy.
"I suppose you're familiar with the Great Families," Belle said, referring to the fact that Reyna Greyron, the Princess of one of the great nations of the Global Union, had visited Eren in his hospital bed.
"Don't remind me of it," Eren said. He turned his attention to Ash who was already on the platform and was now placing his hands on the orb. As Ash's hands made contact with the orb, he felt an invasive presence enter his soul room. The soul room was a metaphysical space within one that embodies and reflects the mind and soul of an individual. This was where consciousness and unconsciousness intertwined, and where one can find their soul. The mist touched Ash's soul and began to permeate through it to reach the core. Instead of fighting it, Ash allowed the Orb to retrieve his data. Everyone watched as a white screen with black-colored runes appeared in the space above them. The runes turned into the Common language so everyone could read the information:
Name: Asher Asterion
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate ( Tenth tier)
Cultivation Type: Magic Cultivation (Mage)
Cultivation Talent: Supreme
Ability Factor Name: Boundless
Ability Factor Type: Lineage Factor
Ability Factor Rank: S rank
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Darkness, Space, and Time
Professor Wingram couldn't help but be surprised to see the stats of the Asterion boy in front of him. He knew about how powerful the Asterion clan used to be. But that was before the purple massacre that had seen their clan nearly extinct. To think that a young brat who managed to survive the massacre could be so talented. The whispers within the students picked up the pace, drawing Eren's attention to his surroundings. Even Belle couldn't help whistling, her reaction to Ash's stat.
"What's with everybody," Eren said.
"That Asterion boy is very talented. I bet he might be the most talented out of everyone here," Belle said.
"Is he now," Eren said. This was nothing he hadn't heard before from way back in pre-school, so Eren couldn't help himself from not being as awed or excited as the other students to be in Ash's presence.
"You don't seem that impressed," Belle asked.
"I am," Eren said.
"Long ago, before the advent of the Great families or any Noble family, the Asterion used to rule the world," Belle said. "You've heard about the Ashtar race right,"
"The Primevals that used to live in this world before humans and the other race appeared," Eren said. He knew a little about it from the stories Mother Ruth used to tell them as a kid. He might have known more had Eren attended his classes at his former public school, but Eren didn't seem to care for things like that. Back then getting into scraps was what he was focused on.
"The Asterion's are descended from the Ashtar," Belle said. "They are the remaining fragments of the Aset dynasty that used to rule the Central continent before the first Great World War," Eren wasn't that much interested in History lessons, things that had to do with the world millions of years ago. Even his history wasn't something he focused that much on. His birthday which was a couple of weeks from now, was supposed to be the day Mother Ruth would tell Eren the truth about his parents who had abandoned him or died...whatever it was- but Eren didn't seem to care to know or remind Mother Ruth. He had long given up the desire to know anything about his past and was focused only on the present and the future. So he barely knew anything about the Asterion clan's history. All he cared about was Ash and his rivalry with him. After a while, Ash got down from the platform and went back to his position beside Eren with Belle on Eren's other side. All eyes turned to the three folks, with Eren glaring at a couple of students who looked away in fear. Wingram stepped forward clapping his hands.
"Looks like we already have our first contender for first place," Wingram said. "And straight from the beginning. I can only hope the rest of you won't disappoint," And indeed they did. The rest that were called after Ash were a couple of common-born who had pretty average stats for those of the Intermediate. While some were decent, most were within the standard you would see among the same rank. There were a couple of noble-borns who had amazing results, but compared to Ash, well it wasn't that great.
" And next we have Nox Havoc," Wingram was excited for this one as a yellow-skinned boy with pointed ears moved towards the podium. Like Wingram, Nox Havoc was a Light folk, a race of beings once known as children of the light. The Havoc family was also another Great family that belonged to the Light folk race as the Greyron family belonged to the human folks. Nox stepped onto the podium and placed his hands on the orb. And his stats appeared in front of everyone.
Name: Nox Havoc
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate (Ninth tier)
Cultivation Type: Body Cultivation (Mana warrior)
Cultivation Talent: Mythical
Ability Factor Name: Hyperion
Ability Factor Type: Lineage Factor
Ability Factor Rank: S Rank
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Light, Space, and Star
The students' whispering increased as they began to clap in applause for Nox, their excitement at seeing the geniuses of the Great family at work. Eren stared around not understanding what was so great about the display. Ash who knew Eren like the back of his hand, knew that it was more due to Eren's ignorance that he wasn't as impressed as the rest. Even Ash couldn't help to see the Havoc boy as a threat since he was part of the Great family.
"What does Cultivation talent have to do with anything," Eren whispered to Ash. Belle who was beside Eren, with her sharp hearing from her Mixed heritage, was able to catch Eren's question. Instead of being surprised or sneering at Eren for not knowing something so simple, she cleared her throat drawing both the boys's attentions towards her.
"Cultivation talent has to do with the quality of the physique of a cultivator and how gifted and talented he is when it comes to cultivating," Belle said. "The physique which consists of the body's constitution, genetic data, and potential capability, plays a great role in determining the rank and type of Ability factor one gains and also how far one can cultivate. The higher one's talent grade, the more powerful one's physique is. Nine grades determine the hierarchy of one's talent. They are Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Sacred, Legendary, Mythical, Supreme, and Divine,"
"So Ash's talent and physique is higher than his," Eren said with a smug smile. He couldn't help feeling good that Ash was better than even the Nobleborns.
"Yes, but don't focus on just that only," Ash said. "Great families are known not only for their talents but also for the resources they put into growing their geniuses,"
"He's right," Belle said. "I wouldn't underestimate Nox Havoc if I were you. He is a genius who the Havoc family have invested a lot of resources into." After Nox, a couple of Nobleborns were called upon, with their Cultivation Rank around the middle tiers. Unlike the Commonborns who were always at the lower tiers of the Intermediate rank.
"Next up is Victor Jaeger," Walking up the podium's stairs was the Orange, shaggy muscular boy who had stood in his way. Victor Jaeger threw a look at Nox's way, annoyed at the fact that Nox had gotten one on him. As a member of the Great Family, it was upon Victor to make sure that he did not besmirch his Family name and honor, and yet, there were two people already higher than him in the student rankings. He placed his fist on the Orb which then scanned him and put forth his stats.
Name: Victor Jaeger
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate ( Eighth tier)
Cultivation Type: Body cultivation (Mana warrior)
Cultivation Talent: Mythical
Ability Factor Name: Beast Transformation
Ability Factor Type: Lineage Factor
Ability Factor Rank: S rank
Elemental Affinity: Wind, Earth, Thunder, and Life
This time Eren couldn't help look at the orange Nobleborn in a different light as he considered what his own stats could read. Eren had figured that there would stronger rivals among his fellow classmates, but to see how far he was from them, made him feel a certain kind of way. After Victor Jaeger, more students went up. Like before they didn't come close to reaching Victor's stats until the next common born went up. Eren couldn't help noticing her. The girl who walked up the podium looked so calm and collected. She seemed to ignore all the sneers and snickers from the aristocrat, her long auburn hair styled in the Southern continent braid style. Like Belle, she wore a black pants along with the uniform jacket. She was tall, with honey brown skin that looked so smooth. Eren could tell just from the way she moved how skilled of a warrior she was. When she placed her hands on the Orb, Eren was prepared to not be surprise.
Name: Rhea Mogarin
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate (Eighth tier)
Cultivation Type: Body Cultivation (Mana Warrior)
Cultivation Talent: Epic
Ability Factor Name: Ring bomb
Ability Factor Type: Unique Factor
Ability Factor Rank: B Rank
Elemental Affinity: Fire
"That's an impressive stat for a Commonborn," Belle said as Rhea went back to the crowds, some of the students giving her a dirty look that Eren didn't like. When Rhea stopped at the side of a group of students, Eren's eyes landed on the one in the middle. He seemed to be in charge of the group of the three students which Rhea joined up. Eren couldn't help noticing that the other kids were Commonborns with well above average stats. He couldn't remember their names but he remembered that their cultivation rivaled that of some Nobleborns. The one in the middle hadn't been called out yet, but Eren didn't need him to scan his soul to know how powerful the boy in the middle was.
"Ah! So you finally noticed him," Belle said. "That's the other Genius of this years crop of students,"
"You know him," Eren asked. Ash slanted his eyes as he saw the one who Eren and Belle were talking about. He couldn't help but feel a slight hit of surprise. Ash could tell just from a glance that the blood of the Ashtar flowed in the boy. He was probably mixed race like so many Ashtar descendants. Though the boy was not of the same clan as Ash, Ash couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with him. After Rhea, more students went up till it was the next one.
"Reo Rykkel," Wingram called out the next name. He couldn't help but admit that most of the students had been pretty decent so far. The Asterion boy was still the top one, but as Reo climbed up the podium, Wingram already knew who the number one was. To think that there were two Heavenly blessed ones among the first years. This year might be quite interesting. Reo who stood in the middle of his group, took one step and then disappeared from everyone's view. He appeared so swiftly on the podium in front of the orb. Most of the students gasped, surprised at how he had vanished from their sight. Even Eren couldn't help but feel some kind of way at Reo's movement. Eren had barely caught on how he had appeared on the Podium. He was aware of movement techniques that allowed Mana warriors or Mages to move faster than normal, but Eren could always keep up with their movement thanks to his sharp reactive senses. But this time, Eren had barely kept up with him.
That was not a spell or a movement technique. Wingram noted. The boy just moved so fast that it appeared like he teleported. Reo placed his hands on the orb and allowed the orb to print out his stats.
Name: Reo Rykkel (Hero candidate)
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate ( Thirteenth tier)
Cultivation Type: Magic Cultivation (Mage)
Cultivation Talent: Divine
Ability Factor Name: Snatcher
Ability Factor Type: Unique Factor
Ability Factor Rank: ???
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, Darkness, Life, Blood, Soul, and Gravity
"Incredible," Wingram muttered. "So he is one of the Hero candidates that the World's will has chosen." And the fact that the orb couldn't determine a rank for his Ability said a lot about his Physique. To think that one of them would show up in this school. The students were all astonished as another Commonborn beat out the Great families to take the top spot again. Reo's cultivation was at the peak of Intermediate, surpassing even Ash's rank. There was no doubt that he was the strongest among the first years. In the crowds of students, Victor Jaeger couldn't help but bristle with so much anger at the idea that neither he nor Nox were at the top. The idea of being below that of a commoner made him feel so dirty. If it wasn't for the temperance that had been beaten into Victor by his big brother ages ago, he would have gone into a frenzy in his desperation to fight Reo. Meanwhile, on the other side of the crowd, Eren's mood kept taking plunge after plunge in the discovery of how behind he was.
"Next up is Annabelle Satou" Wingram called out.
"Well, that's me guys," Belle said. Eren couldn't help as his mouth fell open in finding out that the girl he had been speaking to was none other than a Satou, the daughter of Ishida Satou, the man known for finding the Satou industry. The industry was responsible for the modern development of Magitech. Magitech was the modern version of Enchanted items. A more efficient tool that aided in one's everyday life. As Belle passed Reo who was already back with his group, the two nodded at each other, acknowledging their meeting from the last time they were together back in the Dungeon. Belle sighed as she placed her hands on the orb. This evaluation was taking too long as Belle already knew the stats of all the students. From the start, Makina, her grimoire had already scanned everyone and gotten their data in Belle's collection so all this had been a waste of time for her. She could be back in her lab, working on many projects.
Name: Annabelle Yuri Satou
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate (Third tier)
Cultivation Type: Magic Cultivation (Mage)
Cultivation Talent: Supreme
Ability Factor Name: Technomorph
Ability Factor Type: Unique Factor
Ability Factor Rank: S Rank
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Lightning, Light
Belle yawned as she withdrew her arms away and left the podium, feeling quite bored as she ignored the others and went to her spot right next to Eren. Eren on the other hand, gave Belle one glance before he turned his attention back to the podium waiting for his turn. Soon enough his turn came, his name called out by Professor Wingram.
"Eren Walker is next," Professor Wingram said. Wingram felt like the surprises would be over now, as he was sure that all the good ones had been picked out. He did not expect another good picking so as Eren walked up the podium, Wingram barely paid attention to Eren, finally wanting to move on to the next part of the evaluation which was what he was looking forward to the most. Eren walked up to the orb and like the others before him, he placed his palm on the orb. A part of Eren was feeling a certain kind of way since there was a chance that he might expose himself as an Irregular. Mother Ruth had spoken so much about how Irregulars are seen among the Cultivation society, and how the ruling Institutions treated such beings. And after what happened with his encounter with Reyna Greyron, Eren was cautious enough to not expose himself. Eren felt it the moment, the Mana within the Orb entered his body. He felt the invasive presence scanning through his body, and Eren's first instinct was to reject the Mana. At that moment, Eren felt an instinctual awareness that he could push the Mana out of his body stopping it from scanning him and finding out the truth about him, but he had to fight his body back from doing so. This was part of the evaluation process. He couldn't afford to not show his stats when everyone had already. So the Orb's Mana was able to enter Eren's Soul room, to where his core was, and take Eren's soul data.
Name: Eren Walker
Cultivation Realm: Intermediate (Third tier)
Cultivation Type: Body Cultivation (Mana Warrior)
Cultivation Talent: ???
Ability Factor Name: Dynamic Engine
Ability Factor Type: ???
Ability Factor Rank: ???
Elemental Affinity: ???
Eren couldn't believe the information that he saw about himself. The Damn Orb had still not been able to get as much information from Eren's soul as he thought it would have after he fought his body from rejecting the orb's Mana. He could feel the stares of the other students on him, all wondering the same thing. What the hell kind of stats was that? What the hell did the question mark indicate? The first time it was shown was because of the Hero candidate, Reo Rykkel. It was easy to accept it because his Physique and his potential were too much for the Orb to analyze, but again, with so many Question marks for some unknown student. Now that was something the others couldn't get by. Ash, on the other hand, had already come up with his theory as to what had happened.
Irregulars are beings who deviate from the standard path of cultivation, Ash summarized in his head. So that means the orb couldn't read or understand Eren's soul.
"You can get off the podium now," Professor Wingram said. Even he had no idea why the orb gave question marks to Eren. There could be numerous reasons why it would, but Professor Wingram was not about to question the reason behind the situation. At the end of the day, Eren was still at the bottom of the Intermediate rank. So many of his classmates were above him in Rank, so in the end that just meant he was still the weakest in the first years. And it seemed like all the others felt the same as the professor as most of the Aristocrats began to give Eren a superior look that was familiar to Eren as his smile. Even some Commoners who had higher tiers than him gave Eren the same look, feeling satisfied that there was someone who they too could look down on. But Eren easily ignored most of them, because he knew with just his Ability Factor alone, he could take on most of them and easily wipe the floor with them. Reo who had barely shown any sign of emotions like the other students on Eren's stats, noticed the confidence as Eren walked back down. He did not seem to be bothered by the looks the other students were giving him, and the look in his eyes reflected such confidence that Reo couldn't stop himself from acknowledging his guts. But as soon as Reo felt a budding respect for Eren, an inflow of sound alerted Reo's senses.
Reo felt the world spin around him, his Internal senses that had served him well for so long flared up, and then he saw the darkness, an abyss of darkness rising from the ground around Eren, and then manifesting as some kind of Beast skull with sharp fangs that could devour anything in existence. And then the image was gone just like that. It happened in an instant that most of his comrades didn't notice Reo's change of expression when he glanced at Eren. The only one who did was Rhea, his right hand. She saw Reo's expression change and noticed that it happened when Reo laid his eyes on Eren. Did he see something with his Internal sight? As the Hero candidate, Reo had an affinity towards the soul, a form of elemental power that many in this world did not understand. Reo could see the contours of the souls of individuals, and like the orb, he could gain important information about a person. Such an ability was useful in analyzing the true strength of one's opponent, and Rhea had seen Reo use it a lot even in combat situations. Rhea couldn't help but wonder what Reo had seen about this boy, that would put a grin on the corner of his mouth.