Chapter 174: Survival Enactment of the Wilds

The rays of the morning sun shone on the landscape, heating up the atmosphere. The incident light fell on the yellow wall and was reflected due to its shiny surface. The angle of incidence resulted in the reflected rays falling on all the windows of the Indigo Building.

The curtain hadn't been drawn close, allowing the sunlight to seep in. The rays of sunshine turned the room warmer, painting a perfect atmosphere for a comfortable sleep. The bed though, was vacant.

Standing beside the bed was Jyorta, having already refreshed and changed into a set of jogging wear. He stretched his limbs a little, performing light warm-ups.

6:45 AM, locking the door and pocketing his key, Jyorta skipped along the corridor, sporting a sneer all the while, feeling a sense of superiority after seeing the inactivity in the rest of the rooms.

"Still sleeping…" He commented and arrived at the flight of stairs, quickly making his way down. After exiting the Indigo Building, he jogged alongside the yellow wall, touching it occasionally.

He unleashed his psychic arm and slammed it on the yellow wall just to get a feel for its sturdiness, which was beyond his understanding. The sensation felt similar to when he passed his psychic arm through Gulvana. His psychic arm couldn't pass through the wall, getting stopped at the surface.

He trained his senses, noticing his psychic arm actually not making contact with the yellow, stopping at a distance less than a millimetre from the surface. His legs continued to run at a consistent pace while he took in deep breaths, filling his lungs will the necessary air.

"Morning!" Jyorta raised his right hand, greeting a fellow student he passed by.

"Morning!" The student greeted back as he jogged forth. Since they were both running in opposite directions, the conversation was brief.

Jyorta greeted every student he came across, feeling his mood turn bright. Having stayed indoors for quite a while, the morning jog proved to be beneficial for both his body and mind. He noticed most of the students running were Warriors, with rare few exceptions being Espers.

The jogging pace of the Warriors was equivalent to his full speed sprint. Jyorta had his psychic arm hovering beside his body, trying to get a feel from the feedback. It was impossible to make sense of the feedback from the psychic arm of Line Controllers.

The situation was relatively better for Area Controllers but it was still impossible for them to make sense of the feedback they received. Also, as an Esper who had yet to master the basics, there wasn't much he could achieve.

But, there was a reason he hovered his psychic arm around him. It was to sense the aura emissions of the Warriors who ran past him. Considering the speeds they ran around in, they were either bound to be at the peak of Tier 1 or had broken through to Tier 2.

If they were at Tier 2, then they were bound to possess auras. Even if they had retracted their auras inside their bodies like Jyorta, just by brushing his psychic arm against their skin as they ran past, he would be able to sense their presence.

There wasn't much of a reason behind his action, apart from meddling curiosity. He probed around, feeling surprised at his findings, soon puzzled.

'Most of them are at Tier 2. How come there are so many experts around?' Jyorta felt confused. After all, only the top of the Batch chose to breakthrough to Tier 2 while in the academy. Most students graduated as Tier 1.

As he wondered, Jyorta soon spotted the visage of Rakh Veera, greeting the other fellow. "How's your preparation coming along for the Graduation Ceremony?"

"I have already achieved all the goals I sought out for here," Rakh Veera smiled, slowing down his pace to match up with Jyorta's. "You don't know what actually happens in the Graduation Ceremony right?"

Seeing Jyorta shake his head, Rakh Veera smiled, "It is a survival enactment. The so-called Battlefield is modified to resemble the Wilds as much as possible."

"It is modified to resemble the Wilds but not the Wild Zones?" Jyorta shot a look of confusion, noticing the other party's nonchalant gaze.

"Well, both are the same in this case. The highest Tier of Frenzy Beast present will be just Tier 2. Even in the Wild Zones, you can encounter Tier 4 Frenzy Beasts. As for the Wilds, even a Tier 5 Frenzy Beast can spring upon you at any time." Rakh Veera smiled, "In the end, this only resembles them. I wouldn't be this composed if this were the real deal."

"I see." Jyorta nodded, glancing at the yellow wall, wondering what lay within it.

7:50 AM, Jyorta returned to his room, picked up his basket, and arranged the day's uniform and toiletries in it. He then locked the door and proceeded towards the restroom.

8:10 AM, Jyorta returned to his room, dressed in his uniform. He glanced at the bulletin board affixed on the wall next to the door, looking at the timetable to take note of the day's classes.

'The classes today are Esper exclusive.' Jyorta pocketed a pen and picked up his notebook, locking the door after exiting it. He walked along the corridor, glancing at the time on his watch as he arrived before Haesha's room, intending to knock it.

The door opened before he could knock as Haesha walked out, mimicking his actions as she laughed. "Morning, Jyorta."

"Morning!" Jyorta smiled and accompanied her to the cafeteria, planning to eat breakfast before rushing towards their class. Even though their classes were scheduled in the White Building today, they had enough time to safely make it.

…

5:55 PM, Jyorta arrived before the Principal's Office, feeling his heart race uncontrollably. He resisted the urge to use his false persona. After all, the other party was a Sky Controller, capable of detecting even the minute changes in his emotional state and a lot more.

Jyorta glanced at the door guard, standing straight, "I am Jyorta Bone, Esper from the October Batch. Madam Principal summoned me."

"Wait a moment," The door guard replied in his gruff voice, seeping a psychic arm through the differently coloured spot in the door. A second later, he craned the door open, motioning for him to enter.

Jyorta entered the room, feeling his heart shudder upon sensing the door close behind him. He tried to placate himself, noticing the room slightly different from before. For some reason, the room seemed a bit wider than yesterday.

"Good, you are three minutes early." Madam Mary lifted her head and made eye contact. She beckoned for him to come closer through the movement of her head, designating him a spot through her line of sight.

Jyorta stood a metre from the table, watching Madam Mary lift a glass jar from one of the racks. The glass jar had a wide bottom and a cylindrical body, curving towards the centre at the top, enclosed by a hemispherical lid.

A viscous solution filled it, emitting a gentle blue hue. Hovering in its centre was a shelled walnut, or something that looked similar to it. Since the Traits were addressed as Trait Fruits, Jyorta was unsure.

"Summon your Caterpillar," Madam Mary said without a change in expression, placing her pen down to gaze at him.

Jyorta closed his eyes and willed to pull out the existence in him. Tendrils of blood seeped through the pores on his skin, numbering almost a hundred. They coagulated into a sphere before his face, hovering in the air without support as it condensed.

A groove appeared along its centre, spanning its circumference, splitting it into two. The two hemispheres rotated in opposite directions, soon unravelling a cylindrical body.

Grooves in the shape of rings formed along its body, numbering five, segmenting the body into six. Two stumps grew out of the second segment, morphing into a pair of arms, one holding a wine glass and the other holding a cigar.

Hair grew at the top of the first segment while facial features formed below—humanoid. The formed face sported a scowl; the eyes entrenched with arrogance, looking at everything with disdain. Its face perfectly resembled the characteristic traits of a third-rate villain from movies. It was his Caterpillar.

Jyorta stretched his arm, showcasing his palm. The Caterpillar landed on it, taking a position of comfort. It wriggled its tail end a little, using its arms to pull forth Jyorta's little finger, taking support by leaning its back on it. It then heaved a breath of relief, immersed in its bliss.

Madam Mary unleashed a psychic arm, opening the lid. Under the influence of her psychic arm, a stream of the viscous fluid flew out, forming a trail across the air as it approached the Caterpillar. The Caterpillar sniffed once, becoming tranced, enamoured by the incoming viscous solution.

It readily opened its mouth and began to drink the viscous fluid, losing lucidity with each passing second. A minute later, it looked as if it was completely drunk, its body wriggling in an unbalanced state.

Seeing that it was time, Madam Mary controlled her psychic arm to lift the walnut-shaped fruit, rowing it along the trail of the viscous solution. There was a tinge of resistance offered by the Caterpillar when it spotted the walnut-shaped fruit, but the resistance offered wasn't to the extent it could refuse it.

The Caterpillar grabbed hold of the walnut-shaped fruit with its pair of arms, opening its mouth wider than the girth of its body. It swallowed the walnut-shaped fruit in one go, enacting a mystical change within itself.

The bulge on its body decreased in a second as a stream of energy entered Jyorta through the blood tendrils. Once the rush in energy abated, Madam Mary retracted the viscous solution, allowing the remainder to settle within the glass jar.

She enclosed it with the lid, motioning at the door with her eyes, "We are done here. It will take a day or two for the Trait to finish forming in your body. I advise you to avoid using your psychic energy until then. You will know the moment it finishes forming in your body. You can leave now."

"Thank you, ma'am." Jyorta bowed and exited the room, nodding once at the door guard before proceeding towards the flight of stairs, feeling relieved.