How Does It Work?

As we left the store Brand had a slightly sad look on his face.

—Are you all right, Brand? You look a little down.

—Don't worry Arlen, it's just that I have to get back to work, there are still a lot of kids who have to take the entrance exams.

Brand had lied to Arlen, he couldn't tell him that the skill he had bought for him had cost him half of his retirement savings, and he didn't have little saved.

—And how do I learn this skill?

—Near the room building there should be a building with large rooms to practice in, go there and try to assimilate with the orb.

Brand's watch began to vibrate.

—Oh, the bank is calling me, I guess this is where we say goodbye.

—The bank?

—Yeah, yeah, don't worry, assimilate, I'll see you in class tomorrow.

Brand started walking in the opposite direction from Arlen.

'Odd that he should call you the bank isn't it?'

"Well, I'm sure he's made a big outlay for that orb you've got stashed away.'"

'Does it cost that much for the bank to call you?'

"Looks like it. Besides, just look at the store. I'm sure it's cost him a good portion of his savings."

Arlen was shocked to hear what a valuable item he kept in his pocket. It was still early and he doubted anyone was going to steal anything from him at the academy, but he moved quickly to the building Brand told him to avoid trouble.

When he arrived the guard checked who he was and gave him a room on the second floor. The room itself didn't have much to it. They let you in with whatever you wanted or you could ask for something special.

Arlen took advantage and asked that his room had different sized things like bars, or bricks and also that it had a punching bag. He wanted to try a lot of things if he could so it was great for him. Besides, it was away from prying eyes, so he shouldn't have much trouble.

When he was alone in the room Arlen pulled the orb out of his pocket and placed it in front of him when a system panel popped up.

[Assimilate Elite Quality Telekinesis Orb?

Estimated time 80 minutes.

Rewards:

Telekinesis Skill (Elite).

3 experience points]

—Edgar, explains.

"Well, what it says. Same as when I synced with you. You'll be 80 minutes unconscious to assimilate the skill, below are the rewards you get."

—This is the first time I've had two rewards, will there also be an additional reward?

"No. I can keep telling you, you're just going to get what it says there. So tell me, are you going to do it?"

—Of course.

"Okay, lean your back against the wall and cross your legs in front of you. Hold with both hands the orb also in front of you and close your eyes."

Arlen followed Edgar's orders to the letter.

"Beginning assimilation in 3... 2... 1... Now."

That was the last thing Arlen heard before he fell asleep.

When he woke up he had to look at the watch on his bracelet to be sure what time it was and it really had been 80 minutes.

Arlen felt as if there was something new, as if he had a new muscle in his mind. It felt strange, but he was convinced that this was telekinesis. Testing this new sensation he tried to pull a rod towards him and to his surprise he succeeded in pulling it for himself. But he felt weak, as if he had tried too hard to do just that.

—With that it really works.

"Surprisingly you moved it slightly on the first try."

—Thanks for your help Edgar.

"Look at this."

[Name: Arlen Ober]

[Level: 0 (8/10)]

[Ability: Telekinesis 1%]

[Awaken state: Not awaken]

[Bloodline power: 0]

[HP: 13/13]

[Strong: 12]

[Agility: 11]

[Stamina: 12]

[Points: 0]

[>Skills]

[>Quests]

[>Inventory]

"You have a new section called Ability where it tells you how strong it is. Since it's an elite orb the growth capacity it has is quite large so don't worry about not getting to 100% fast."

—And how do I improve that percentage?

"By practicing, like everything else in life."

Arlen sighed and started practicing. He knew he still had plenty of time before lunch so he could use this time to practice.

When his hunger guts finally rumbled he had reached 5%, he was able to draw light things in, hold them for a minimal amount of time in the air and throw them a very short distance. It felt like an arm with no fixed motion and that he could move as he wished, but quite weak.

But Arlen was proud of what he had accomplished and went to the dining room with a smile. When he was greeted by the smell of food he couldn't resist any longer. He sat alone, away from the crowd so as not to attract attention and was enjoying himself when someone sat down in front of him.

—You're up early this morning eh, no blood.

—Did I disturb you?

—No way. It's just that when I got up you were gone. What happened?

Arlen couldn't help but smile at Kevin.

—One of my two objectives I have already accomplished, I have gained a skill. —As a demonstration, he lifted a spoon and brought it to his hand with telekinesis. —I still have a lot of room for improvement, but it's the beginning.

In front of Arlen, Kevin was really impressed by what he had just seen. It was the first time he had ever seen someone lift something without touching it, and he had just gotten the ability. His respect for Arlen had grown.

—That's quite a skill you have.

—Well, your ability to control and create water isn't bad either.

—There's something wrong with that sentence.

—Wrong? —Now it was Arlen who was surprised.

—Yes, I don't create water, I can move water in the air, but I don't create water.

—But yesterday you created water, didn't you?

Kevin shook his head.

—The human being has in his body about 70 or 80% water diluted by the blood. I can move that water out of my body by the palm of my hands. That's why it's very important for me to always be hydrated.

—But isn't that something you shouldn't tell me?

—Take it as a vote of confidence from me to you.

—Heh, thanks Kevin.

—By the way Arlen, Caleb and I were talking this morning, do you know how the combat department works?

—No, I assumed it worked like a regular school.

Kevin shook his head at him.

—I didn't know either, but it's pretty interesting. Apparently tomorrow after the results we'll be sorted into the first year 300 in order from 1 to 300, sort of like a leaderboard. By the way, we are 100% sure that you will be the last one.

—Yes, —I smiled—, I guess so, but is there any way to change that order?

—That's the next thing. You can challenge someone outside of class and it will be an official match where killing is forbidden and there always has to be a teacher in front of you. IOH is supposed to do this so that we can be more competitive and help each other improve. There will also be official matches in classes and stuff like that.

—But is there any point in looking at those rankings? I mean, do you get any rewards for being higher in the rankings and stuff like that?

—It's supposed to be for creating exploration captains when we go to planets to do practical exercises. I don't know if there will be anything else.

—I got excited and I'm starting from the last position.

"But you'll finish first, or almost."

'That almost doesn't give me much confidence, you know?'

"Just kidding, just kidding..."

As Kevin and Arlen were enjoying themselves they were joined by someone annoyed.

—Hey, shit, come outside.