10:15 AM, Jyorta looked at his watch, only now noticing the passage of time, immediately sprinting towards his dorm. He intended to safely put his briefcase with the Relics before picking up his notebook and rushing to the class.
His next class was at 11:AM, situated in the White Building, so he didn't have much time to waste. The Head Office Building and the White Building were situated a kilometre apart, the distance requiring him at least 10 minutes to traverse unless he sprinted, which he didn't wish to do so for the time being. He didn't want to appear for class while sweating buckets, even though that was the state he usually ended up at most of the times, unless Haesha was there to remind him in early.
He had arrived at his room and just placed the briefcase on the table when a voice resounded in his ears. Jyorta's expression turned serious, his body straightening up like a soldier. A couple of seconds later, after he had listened to the information, Jyorta sighed, "There goes my plan to eat."
He exited the room, closing the door behind him, pocketing the key after locking the door. He sprinted through the corridor, timely noticing the exit of Haesha from her room, shouting in surprise, "You didn't attend the first 2 periods today?"
"I was exploring the Labyrinth," Haesha beamed in happiness, her voice cheerful, like the morning chirps of birds. "It was amazing."
"Haha," Jyorta laughed, flashing her a thumbs up, "I was just planning to inform you about it in class."
Neither did he iterate it further nor did Haesha continue, tacitly changing topics as they looked around, whispering to each other. Jyorta leaned closer, "How did it go?"
"I earned around 16 thousand Credits." Haesha smiled, showing an expression that it was a waste, "Too bad, I ran out of psychic energy and had to exit early."
Jyorta took in a sharp breath of air, "Amazing, I am kind of jealous now, haha."
"As if," Haesha lightly punched him in the shoulder as the two exited the Indigo Building, heading towards the Head Office Building. She then noticed students from the August and September Batch head in the same direction as them, "Are they going to talk about that rescue operation?"
"I told you right," Jyorta smiled, "They would reward us based on our contribution points."
He then thought about something, speaking with curiosity, "But, how did you gain that many Credits? Even drilling through the body of a Tier 1 Frenzy Beasts uses up a fair amount of psychic energy. And, to get 16,000 Credits, you have to have killed around 180-200 Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts at the very least. Where did you get the energy for that?"
Haesha looked around, lowering her voice as she covered her mouth with her hand, "I exchanged for a Tier 3 Relic."
"I see," Jyorta nodded, not asking the details of the Relic she had obtained. It wasn't courteous to inquire about the life-saving means of others, especially about sensitive topics such as Relics. But, just when he was thinking as such, Haesha continued to speak, as if not minding about it.
"Initially, I wasn't willing to spend my Credits on anything other than the most necessary. But, after talking with you," Haesha made eye contact, her expression serious, filled with gratitude, "I realised that if I build up my advantages with the rewards given, I would become stronger faster and can obtain what I seek."
She made a light bow towards him, "That's why, thank you, Jyorta. Because of your advice when I joined here, I obtained the Trait of Efficiency and became an Area Controller pretty soon. Now, exchanging for a Relic proved to be the right choice. It raised my battle strength and allowed me to better use my abilities and earn more Credits. Within an hour since obtaining it, I already accumulated as many Credits needed to exchange it."
"Don't mind, don't mind," Jyorta waved his hands in a fluster, his heart thumping faster and faster, "I didn't even do much. Friends are supposed to help and support each other."
"Right," Haesha smiled as the two increased their pace, arriving at the entrance of the Head Office Building.
She then looked at Jyorta, "Do you know about the Relics present in our academy?"
"Yeah," Jyorta nodded, "I had exchanged for them just now, 10 minutes ago."
"Then I can tell you about it," Haesha sighed in relief, controlling her voice to prevent anyone else from listening in, "I took the Relic that had the Tier 3 Skill, Energy Force."
"You shouldn't be…" Jyorta felt conflicted, not knowing what else to say. He then sighed, gazing at her eyes to realise the amount of trust she had in him, no longer hesitant, intending to reciprocate her trust. "I saw that Relic, it is quite useful. Since your control over psychic energy is exceptional, this Relic is the most suitable to you."
"Yeah," Haesha nodded, "I was thinking about the areas where my advantage lay, and this Relic happened to be the perfect one to enhance that further. The moment I used it in the Labyrinth, I was assured that my decision was right. Even though the effect I could unleash using the Relic is only at Tier 2 level, exploration of the Labyrinth has become easier."
"Indeed," Jyorta nodded, "But you must be careful. The terrain itself works against us there. So, we can never be careless. You've seen what I had experienced there, right?"
"Yeah, I know." Haesha gazed at the flight of stairs before them, looking at the top as she scaled the first step, "I would never become careless, even if it seems easy. Moreover, even though I obtained a lot of Credits this time, it wasn't easy killing the Frenzy Beasts that were on the edge of life and were willing to drag me down with them."
Jyorta smiled, turning around to see a lot of familiar faces enter the Head Office Building, 'So, we are being rewarded for that operation.'
He then spoke after a second of thought, "Just now, I exchanged for…"
"Wait," Haesha interrupted him, excited as she jumped around a step, "Let me guess!"
"Haha, fine," Jyorta laughed, curious to hear her answer.
Haesha's smile beamed further, staring at him straight without flinching, her eyes wide, unblinking. Her stare almost made his heart skip a beat, thumping faster and faster as his face flushed red; he averted his gaze after a couple of seconds, screaming in his mind, 'Damn teenager body, I can't even maintain eye contact for more than a couple of seconds.'
"Hmm, from what I can think…" She tapped her hand with her fingers, engrossed in her thought as she continued to climb, "You would have selected…Forged Line…Energy Force…Brethren Bait."
She then murmured, "No, you won't be able to use Energy Force properly. And, you can use aura beams, so it won't be your best choice. Then…it is either Forged Line or Brethren Bait."
"Hmm, your hallucination manipulates the senses of Frenzy Beasts. You wouldn't want something that would disrupt your control over them. So, more than Brethren Bait, Forged Line would be advantageous." She clapped her hand once, finalising her thoughts, turning around to look at Jyorta, "You would have selected Forged Line."
Jyorta shook his head, chuckling, "You were really close. I chose Brethren Bait instead."
"Aw man," Haesha slapped her forehead, "I was close! I was sure you would have exchanged for Forged Line."
"Still," Jyorta looked at her in wonder, "I am surprised you could make such accurate an accurate guess."
"Hehe," Haesha laughed, looking at the ceiling with arrogance, "I am good with such deductions."
"I also exchanged for Healing Salve," Jyorta said a second later, watching Haesha look at him with an incredulous gaze, implying why he was spending his Credits without any reason.
Seeing her gaze, Jyorta chuckled, noticing that they had arrived before an auditorium, "It has its uses when used alongside Regen. That's why I picked it. Besides, it is also to earn money."
"Aren't you rich? Why do you need money?" She felt her brain cells lacking to comprehend his choice, feeling a headache, "Aren't people from the Aristocratic Families incredibly rich?"
"Only those at Tier 4 and beyond are rich. Based on the rule from Central Command, monetary benefits are only shared from parent to children, until the child grows into an adult, which is when we graduate." The two entered the auditorium, seeing almost a hundred people seated inside, with more entering in a steady stream.
They occupied the seats on the sixth row, positioned at the right extreme, seated right next to the wall. Haesha muttered, "Aristocrats have a lot of rules and restrictions to abide by huh."
"Well, there is another advantage with Healing Salve that I thought of. That was one of the reasons I obtained it." Jyorta raised his hand, motioning for Haesha to show her ear. Seeing her comply, he leaned closer and whispered, "If I find any Tier 1 Espers, I can control them through my hallucination and make them create healing salve through the Relic."
"Amazing," Haesha flashed him a thumbs up, "I never thought that far. So, you really thought it through."
"Of course," Jyorta smiled, "And since the Frenzy Beasts are currently in a wounded state, I'll use this chance to accumulate as much healing salve as I can while farming for Credits. If I get more than enough, I'll share it with you."
"You shouldn't," Haesha waved her hands, resolute with her rejection, "That is the product of your hard work. I can't infringe upon that."
"Only the extra, extra," Jyorta emphasised the word, "Besides, you can repay me later."
He smiled, his eyes serious, "Healers play a significant role. When I get injured from my missions to the Wilds, heal me then. This favour is nothing when compared to that."
His voice turned softer, his attitude stubborn, the tone suffused with resolute conviction, "Go, get that Regen!"
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