Chapter 74: Reach for the Heavens

  “What a weirdo,” Scarlette tutted as we watched Asher leave.

  I tried not to take her comment to heart. Asher was, in a way, rather similar to me, so if he thought he was weird, then she might’ve subconsciously thought the same about me too.

  At the same time, everyone around us went back to minding their own business. I couldn’t blame them for being curious as to what the top three strongest espers in our grade level were discussing about. At the very least, they could probably sense some tension emanating between us.

  Also, while I did say top three, I was still of the opinion that Zara was more powerful than Scarlette, and possibly Asher. The three of them were pretty even in terms of strength, and it would’ve been a treat to watch them duel each other. But then again, Scarlette did lose to the two of them…

  “Cadel, you’re staring off into space again,” Kaede waved her hand in front of my face.

  “Oops, sorry,” I replied, turning back to my food. I had ordered a delicious sandwich, and I wanted to savour it while it was still warm.

  “Thinking about something?” Scarlette asked. “Probably something to do with combat, I bet.”

  “Nah, it’s nothing.”

  At that moment, I considered letting Scarlette know that Zara was open for a friendly duel with her. The air esper had confessed to me that the only reason she had backed down from a third-place playoff was because she was afraid of how Scarlette would handle another potential loss. We had ultimately agreed that a friendly duel after the tournament would probably still work out between them. Still, I felt it was too soon to inform Scarlette of Zara’s invite, especially since the tournament had just ended. She deserved some peace of mind.

  “Then what were you thinking of?” Scarlette pushed. “Your reassessment tomorrow? Speaking of which, how are you gonna get there? It’s pretty far away from the school.”

  “Dr Connor said he would drive me there. For that matter, Dr Smith had also said he would be accompanying us.”

  Dr Smith, the overall in charge of the tournament, had also expressed interest in my abilities.

  “Oh, and Ms Reina as well,” I added.

  “Sheesh! You’ve got like a whole entourage of professors following you!” Jonah exclaimed.

  “I mean, this isn’t an ordinary reassessment,” Kaede voiced. “We’re talking about a potential 6-Star here.”

  “If so, you’ll be the first official 6-Star in our school,” Scarlette finished.

  “Even if I did get a 6-Star classification, I highly doubt the school will publicly announce it. To the general public, no one knows that 6-Stars exist,” I said, scanning our surroundings to make sure no one was listening in. “They’ll probably just give me a 5-Star rating.”

  “I wonder how many 6-Stars are there…” Jonah mused. “There are probably a few out there keeping their Ranks a secret.”

  “So far, only you-know-who is confirmed to be a 6-Star, right?” Scarlette asked.

  I nodded. She was referring to Kazen’s brother, Soren Rain. He had some sort of energy-drain, ice-related power, which wasn’t exactly the ideal match-up for me. Currently, he was location was unknown, but Dr Connor had said that they had located Umbra’s hideout. Sooner or later, he would be letting me know when they were ready to strike.

  I decided to shift the conversation to a different subject, something more light-hearted. “Any games you guys wanna try out at the arcade later?”

  “Ooh, I think I saw clips of some gun game on social media. I’d be down to try it out,” Scarlette replied enthusiastically.

  After we polished off the rest of our meals, we headed straight for the arcade. As expected, it was the most crowded part of the mall. We then spent the next few hours vying with the crowd in trying out the various games the arcade offered. And while I found those to be rather enjoyable, what I was really looking forward to was the official launch of the DreamPods.

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  Interestingly enough, a dozen or so students had even approached me, requesting for me to duel them once the DreamPods were open. I wasn’t sure what was so appealing about going against someone that they couldn’t beat, but I wasn’t one to turn down an offer for a duel. That said, it wasn’t exactly realistic nor practical to remember the names of everyone who asked, so I simply told them to find me again when the DreamPods were available if they still wanted to challenge me.

  And while I did find my newfound popularity flattering, it was frankly a little on the exhausting side. It was what I had been concerned about—not being able to blend in with the crowd and live a normal school life anymore. It was a lifestyle that people like Scarlette adored, but I was someone who valued my privacy.

  Oh well, what’s done is done. This was a life that I would have to start getting used to, and one that I might as well learn to embrace. All that was left was to make my 5-Star Rank official with the reassessment tomorrow.

  The next day arrived. As instructed, I made my way to the foyer ahead of schedule, only to find that the three adults accompanying me were already there. Huh, they must be really excited about this.

  Ms Reina was the first to greet me. “Good morning, Cadel. I haven’t had the opportunity to congratulate you in person since your victory at the Intra-District Games, so allow me to do so now. You’ve performed exceptionally well," she smiled warmly.

  Our teacher was oblivious to the fact that I had agreed to help the two professors with detaining Soren. I wonder what she would’ve said otherwise.

  Meanwhile, the professors acknowledged my presence with a simple nod.

  “Let’s get going then, shall we? My car’s parked not too far from here,” Dr Connor began walking.

  He must’ve been a well-paid man, for his car was certainly not of the common variety. I took my place in the spacious back seat with Ms Reina, and we wasted no time in setting off.

  The reassessment centre we were heading to today was a different one than the one I had last visited during my Pre-Enlistment Examination. This one was located on the island itself, in the city located at its centre. This area housed multiple businesses and organisations which kept the Island running, as well as residential estates, recreational facilities and shopping malls.

  Students were rarely seen in that area under normal circumstances, but since it was a public space and term break had begun, I expected to see a few hanging around.

  I leaned my head against the plush headrest of the car, briefly considering putting on my earphones and listening to some music. Ultimately, I decided against it. While I didn’t like the two professors, I still didn’t want to come off as intentionally disrespectful. Though I could easily imagine someone like Kazen doing something like that.

  Unfortunately, this did leave the door open for conversation.

  “So, Cadel. What Rank are you aiming for this time?” Dr Smith asked. “Just the bare minimum for a 5-Star? Or are you aiming for something higher?”

  It was a question that I had pondered myself, but I had finalised my decision.

  “I’ll try my best,” I said.

  I wasn’t kidding. The main reason I decided to actually push for it was out of curiosity about how the Administration would assess the full extent of my ability. Moreover, I was also curious as to how I would match up against the other 6-Stars in their database.

  “Excellent. Rest assured, if you do happen to exceed the standards for a 5-Star classification, we will not publicise it,” the professor said.

  The car soon made a turn and we passed by the bridge connecting the Island to the mainland. It had been a while since I had last traversed that bridge, and many things had happened since then. As I gazed at the water’s surface, sparkling brightly in the morning sunshine, my thoughts drifted to how Soren had crossed this very body of water during our school camp.

  Of course, it was a piece of cake for someone of our calibre, but it was still an absolutely unhinged and reckless act to intrude and attack my friends, purely because he was “curious about how strong the student who severely injured his younger brother was.” With him, logic went out the window.

  We travelled along the coastline until Dr Connor turned into a road which looked like it headed directly for the city. It wasn’t anywhere similar in size as the major cities found on the mainland, but it was still of decent size, and notably more futuristic.

  Soon, we entered the outskirts of the city, which mostly consisted of residential areas. However, our destination was situated in the business district. The Administration Tower stood out, looming over all the other buildings. According to Dr Connor, our destination was right next to it.

  A few minutes later, we pulled up by a large white building, right where he mentioned it was.

  Dr Smith took over, leading the way inside. The lobby was surprisingly spacious. It was also remarkably white, polished with a minimalistic design. The words “Nebula Island Research and Assessment Centre” were emblazoned along the wall.

  We crowded into a lift which took us somewhere underground. As we continued along our way, a bunch of people dressed in lab suits walked by us. This place certainly gave off the vibes of a research laboratory.

  Dr Smith stopped by a large door, aptly named Assessment Chamber 3. “You’ve already done this once, so I take it that you’re familiar with the procedures. Once you’re inside, please wait for further instructions from the lab assistants. We’ll be watching from the viewing galley.”

  “Alright,” I said, opening the door as the adults headed off. Time to find out my true Rank, I guess.