Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Supers Crash Course

Riding out of the underground parking lot of his building equipped for a long ride on his bike, Aven had put on music on his headphones and was ready to navigate the street of Serenis until he arrived at his destination.

‘I’ll stop by Sam’s Bakery and buy some pains au chocolat, maybe I’ll offer some to the teacher to prevent a bad mood? Sounds amazing! No way a super can be allergic to something as amazing as a pain au chocolat, right?’

Pushing on the right pedal, his body had perfectly mastered the art of maintaining his balance on a bike and he quickly accelerated and changed gears until he reached the last one, adopting a comfortable cruise speed.

As he had planned, he stopped at the best bakery he had discovered over his numerous bike trips in Serenis and bought 7 copies of the best chocolate pastry in existence.

They were fresh out of the oven it seemed, an added quality bonus in his book, so he took his time to properly cushion them inside his backpack before departing again.

Arriving at the city center, he used the sidewalk to taunt the car drivers as he flew by, skipping through stops and red fire at a high speed, going above the limits and endurance he remembered to have.

‘Is my increased stamina related to me becoming a grade 0? Yeah, no kidding. What a genius I am!’

Pushing himself a bit more, he arrived at his destination a quarter of an hour early, a respectable time if where he needed to be hadn’t been a supers crash course.

Parking his bike in a conveniently placed bike park, he locked it securely and casually headed in the direction of the not-staff entrance.

Entering the same gigantic glass tower proudly displaying Eland’s national symbol as yesterday, no one obstructed him, and he easily found signs pointing towards a “Supers Crash Course” once he looked for them.

Following them, he ended up inside a moderately large amphitheater that could at least hold a hundred people… Currently holding 2 people, him and someone else.

“So supers are rare, huh…” He mumbled, internally wholeheartedly agreeing with that statement he had seen all over the internet.

The whole amphitheater was empty save from a single person at the main desk, a tall, muscled, tanned, and bearded person looking at him with an intense burning glare.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he headed towards him and put down his backpack on a table in the first row before taking his pastry bag and approaching the not-that-scary-up-close guy after he appraised him.

 

Sigurd Eskildsen

Faction: Serenis City Supers Agency

 

“Hello! I’m here to attend the supers crash course. I didn’t come to the wrong place I think so here’s my all-time favorite pastry,” handing a single pain au chocolat, he took one himself and started eating it after the guy took what he had offered.

“Thank you,” he thanked him with a deep voice that fit his unstigmatized looks before relapsing into silence.

Going back to the first row, he settled himself down there until 10 minutes later, with 5 minutes remaining before the official start of the crash course, someone else entered.

Turning his head to look at the newcomer, Aven only saw a middle-aged man in a faux leather jacket, complete with spikes on it to create a perfect biker impression.

The middle-aged man approached the first row a bit hurriedly and settled not far from Aven, showing he neither was shy nor had weird thoughts.

‘Should I offer one of my precious? I’ll do that when there are only a few minutes remaining on the clock... Yes, I’ll do that…’

When the clock dangerously approached the official starting time of the crash course, he took his pastry bag and generously opened it to the middle-aged biker man with a smile, to which he answered by taking one and nodding expressionlessly in appreciation.

Following that, Aven happily skipped back to his seat as the muscular and bearded man started doing something on his side.

Ultimately, it was 6 pm, and with a total number of 2, the supers crash course started.

“Hello to you two, I’m Sigurd Eskildsen, a grade 3 martial super, and while I doubt you really understand what it means, I’ll make sure you do by the time you leave,” Sigurd started by introducing himself.

And already, that had an effect.

‘Grade 3… That’s a pretty amazing grade, isn’t it? It should be…’

Not letting them dwell on his introduction, he continued, “This crash course will cover the basic knowledge you should have about your innate ability, your energy cultivation, and everything you need to take your first steps as a super in our world.”

Using a remote, he changed the screen behind him and directly dived right into the core of the crash course, “The most fundamental thing you need to know and constantly remind yourself of about energy cultivation is that it's not something mystical that cannot be calculated or understood.”

The screen behind him displayed a single white dot in the middle of an endless blackness.

“Energy cultivation is all about developing the energy flow already present inside you, the one you acquired after your awakening. As for the cultivation principle behind increasing your energy… It’s utterly simple, so simple in fact that it's ridiculous.”

Saying that, he took 2 flimsy books out of his large desk and… Telekinetically handed them over to the 2 by making them float.

“Hoh~” Intense interest instantly manifested in Aven’s eyes on seeing this display and he made it known vocally.

Unbothered by the looks he was receiving, Sigurd continued, “Energy is not present anywhere naturally, not in the air, not in the ground, it's only present in awakened life that awoke for not yet completely understood reasons, and as long as you cycle it as intensely as you can, it’ll grow. It’s that simple. Try it now.”

Remaining behind his desk, he looked at them impassively and suggested they do something that sounded utterly unbelievable for their common sense.

However, neither of the 2 became outraged as they already got the proof that the man before them wasn't an unawakened, so they did the reverse of becoming outraged and they instantly focused on cycling their energy faster.

“For you who have not yet developed your energy sense, it cannot be forced after all, the signs you want to feel to be proven you’re doing it right is something along the line of your energy cycle becoming less dense, less hot, less lively, and faster,” he helped them by providing guidance they couldn’t exactly relate to immediately but was somehow comprehensible.

‘Cycle… Cycle… Cycle…’

Inside his body, the moment he thought about it, Aven felt his energy flow accelerate for seemingly no other reason than him wanting to, and it continued to accelerate until…

‘It feels weird, and… It decreased?’

His energy flow had already started to decrease, and it was translated to his senses as it becoming colder and… Well… Less intense? Less lively? It was confusing to explain it with words, even to himself in his mind.

Now convinced that cultivating his energy was really that simple, he opened his eyes again, only to see Sigurd with a new pain au chocolat in one of his hands, seemingly having not moved from behind his desk.

“Hehe~ Good trick that,” finding his pastry bag, he followed suit while commenting and also picked one, biting a good sixth of it directly. As there were only 2 remaining, he stood up and dropped one before the biker.

A few minutes later, the biker opened his eyes, saw the pastry, and started eating it as Sigurd resumed talking again after finishing his own, “Now that you know everything there is to know about practical energy cultivation, yes that’s all, just know that you can test your cultivation level at the first floor of this building.”

He switched to the next slide, this time it was one that started with 10, then went on to 100, then to 1 000, then to 10 000, so on and so on.

“Grade 0, also called the energy vessel stage, is the stage you’re currently in. Once your energy cultivation reaches 10 grade 0 energy points, you’ll push through your first barrier and become a grade 1, also called the energy cloud stage. Guess when you’ll reach grade 2?” He asked the most simple question ever if someone could see the slide just behind him.

“100,” Aven knew no shame and directly gave the answer. He had no reason to hesitate so he didn’t hesitate.

“Exactly,” Sigurd nodded, “You become grade 2 when your energy cultivation reaches 100. When it reaches 1 000, you become grade 3. And when it reaches 10 000, you become grade 4. Each grade makes your energy cultivation slower though, as your energy becomes denser with each stage.”

“Now, each grade has its own specificity,” he switched to the next slide, and a chart appeared, one detailing from grade 0 to grade 4, “That’s a bit heavy so I summarized it.”

“Grade 0, the energy vessel stage. It means nothing. Your body is just slightly reinforced, but you can do nothing with your energy. That’s it,” he dashed their hope just like that.

“Grade 1, the energy cloud stage. It allows you to finally do something, but this something will only be significant if it’s an energy application corresponding to your affinity or if it's utterly basic. I won’t detail the affinity subject here.”

“Grade 2, the energy spark stage. It’s the stage where you’ll try everything. Having an affinity for an energy system isn’t a necessity anymore for trying it out and having good results with it. You’ll become able to launch fireballs, lift a ton easily, or enhance your computer to play the latest games easily.”

“Grade 3, the energy core stage. That’s where I’m at currently. At that grade, you can say goodbye to being able to use every energy system unless you use the pure one.”

“Grade 3 transforms your energy affinity into an energy identity, locking it in a certain system while giving you your first energy specialization. I’ll not detail that subject here, it’s too far and complex.”

“Grade 4 is the energy aura stage, it gives you a second energy specialization and allows you to demolish tens of grade 3 easily if you’re equipped and prepared.”

"Energy aura refers to your energy finally becoming visible when in a mobilized state, but same as for energy specializations, it’s too far for you so I’ll stop here altogether. The end for the energy cultivation grades.”

Everything he had said was written on the slide behind him in more complex and flowery words, and as grade 5 and beyond were absent, he really didn’t intend to give them even a hint concerning them as he directly switched to the next slide once he was finished.

You are reading story The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG] at novel35.com

The internet was there anyway, and Aven supposedly knew about the 2 stages that came after as it was known to all.

The current human era apex: Grade 5 energy domain stage.

The long gone fairy era and disaster era apex: Grade 6 energy nebula stage.

On the next slide, completely changing the subject, a cross was drawn and 5 words dominated the whole screen: One in the center, and one at each of the four extremities of the cross.

“Here’s a relatively contested diagram of what the energy system is as a whole. It’s scientifically unproven, but it’s a marvel to teach new supers like you,” he derided the diagram and their intelligence without blinking an eye.

“At the center is the pure energy system. It’s not remarkable in terms of anything except utilities when taken alone, but it shines the brightest when its ability to access and use any and all energy applications of every other energy system at reduced intensity and efficiency once chosen as an identity is taken into account.”

“Yes, it sounds strong. Yes, it is. No, it’s not above the others. Moving on,” as if reading their mind, Sigurd answered their questions before they even formed.

“At one of the extremities is the psy energy system, an energy system allowing you to use your energy to interfere with the spiritual realm and the spirits of others.”

“I can’t explain to you what interfering with the spiritual realm really means, but as for interfering with the spirits of others, it means as long as the spiritual defense of someone is inferior to your spiritual offense, you can subjugate anyone easily, me included.”

He concluded that part without flinching, showcasing that while the theory behind the psy energy system sounded supreme, the world wasn’t dominated by psy supers for a reason.

“Opposed to the psy system is the elemental energy system. With this system, you’ll become able to transform your energy into pretty much any natural phenomena you can ever imagine, giving it new properties you’ll need to explore and understand to truly shine with your chosen element.”

“The number of applications is staggering, and I’ve seen and suffered some crazy things done with it,” he finished with a slight praise, not exactly keeping his neutrality.

“On another extremity is the tech energy system. Using this energy system, your energy can reinforce anything that is not alive and enhance what it does. A steel plate will become more resistant to anything, a computer will work faster, a gun will work better, a bullet will be faster and stronger… You get it.”

“It’s the system that has seen the biggest explosion in individual power since the end of the disaster era as it was globally decided that an entire energy system couldn’t remain on the sideline anymore and they needed all its users to step up their game, leading to the technological revolution that changed its name to what it is today.”

Finishing his explanation of the tech system with more background than true explanation of its capabilities, Aven didn’t get anything he didn’t already know and could only resign himself to do more online research.

“And finally, opposed to it is the martial energy system, the system I use. It’s my energy identity, and being able to change your energy identity is unheard of, so it means I’ll live with it until I die. It’s really opposed to the tech system in that I can use my energy to reinforce anything alive.”

“From my muscles to my skin, my energy can be infused everywhere in my body to accomplish whatever I want it to, from pure enhancement to regeneration, and I can also use it to grow plants and trees, heal other people of physical ailment, enhance my reaction speed and accomplish…”

For the next few minutes, Sigurd expounded on the marvel of the martial energy system seen from the eye of one of its practitioners, displaying his favoritism for it without any shame and only stopping once he had emptied his repertory of good things to say about it.

Finishing the basic description of the 5 energy systems, he prepared to switch to the next slide but stopped himself as he remembered something.

“Oh, and also. The name of the 5 systems comes from the fairy era, so while the name summarizes them pretty well, they’re not perfect at all. Like the tech system that was previously named craft energy system.”

Having said that, he switched to the next slide…

A big “Innate Ability” text was at the top of this one, followed below by the most honest and truthful mathematical equation Aven had ever seen in his life: “grade 0 = grade 0”, and below it, “grade 1 = grade 1”, and so on.

“Innate abilities aren’t fixed, and they evolve at the same time as your energy grade,” he explained, “As of now, your innate ability is grade 0. Only when you reach grade 1 will it gain something more or become better at what it already does.”

He switched to the next slide after this very basic explanation no one could ever contest due to how simplistic it was, one with a big “The End” written on it.

“Any questions?” Sigurd asked after he arrived at this slide.

Instantly, faster than his shadow, Aven lifted one of his arms and started speaking without waiting, “Are innate abilities all equal? Is there no copy? At least similar ones? Are they categorized? Where can I check to see if mine is amazing or not?”

“Innate abilities, even extraordinary ones, only amount to as much as their owners are worth. Similar ones of course exist. Some people have tried to categorize them all, but innate abilities are a super’s greatest secret, so the resulting endeavor is only useful as a reference,” he answered concisely without thinking about it.

But it wasn’t the end of Aven’s curiosity streak as he continued once he got his answers, “Is my affinity important? Can it be changed?”

“Yes, your affinity is important. No matter what I say or how I turn it, someone with a martial energy affinity will always perform better in the martial energy system. And no, no one has ever reported a success at changing their energy affinity. It’s inborn.”

“Is there a link between my natural energy affinity and my innate ability? That’s my final question,” Aven ended his streak with this question.

“It’s a theory I heard of before, but some people are exceptions to this rule, and they’re not that rare, so the theory is pretty much unproven and its content can only be applied through coincidences,” he didn’t say anything about it being the last question, it clearly didn’t concern him whether it was the last or not.

With the two new supers lapsing into silence, Sigurd used his remote to turn off the screen projector, “That’s all I have to say. If you want to find your affinity, just head to the first floor and ask for it, same for testing your current energy cultivation.”

‘Well, that was helpful in some ways and useless in some others.’

Getting up, he eyed his last pastry and finally resolved himself. He knew that the current occasion was maybe his sole opportunity to be able to talk with a grade 3 super in such a perfect atmosphere, so he handed it to Sigurd reluctantly.

“In truth, that was my last question related to what I learned during the crash course. If I may ask, if you were back to grade 0, what would you do?” He honestly showed his motive, having nothing to hide.

Looking at him for a few seconds silently, he eventually took the last pastry as he adopted a more thoughtful face before answering, “I would drop all my plans and focus on getting to grade 1 as quickly as possible. It’s only a few weeks even if I’m distracted all along. From there, I would start learning more about my affinity and where I can learn things relevant to my energy system.”

“Thank you for the crash course then, those pastries come from a bakery called Sam’s Bakery if you would like some others. I’ll leave first,” bowing his head ever so slightly, Aven headed towards the door with no intention of stopping.

But a voice echoed from behind, stopping him in his stride, “Only at grade 3 is it considered that one’s innate ability reaches its full potential. So I would make reaching grade 3 my first long-term objective. As for what’s after? That’s something I would decide when I get there.”

“Thank you again for your advice, Mr. Eskildsen,” turning and thanking him again politely, he restarted his stride after confirming it was really the end of the piece of advice and exited the amphitheater with a lot to think about.

‘So~ Let’s skip uni until I reach grade 1? And maybe start a physical training routine? No, not that one. Explore the 1st floor though? That one I can do now. Exploring things is my thing.’

When he reached the massive hall again, he headed towards the elevators and picked one that deserved only the floors 1 to 20.

As for why he didn’t use the stairs? He couldn’t find them. So he chose simplicity.

Arriving at the 1st floor…

‘A gym? What? Who designed such a stupid floor arrangement?’

The elevator had opened upon a large glass window that allowed one to see a massive hall filled with dozens and dozens of sweaty people, man and woman, working out, as well as lots of training devices he had never seen before. Not that he had seen many.

Then he found a direction sign by searching a bit around.

‘Cultivation and affinity tests. Easy~’

Following the direction indicated, he ended up exiting the glass corridor and stumbled on another much smaller hall, except this one was a lot less filled than the gym.

And the direction sign indicated he had come to the right place, with a certain single desk manned by a single woman in an office suit behind it being his goal.

Unhesitatingly, he approached and stated his reason for being here to the woman looking at him funny, “Hello, I’m here to test my affinity and my energy cultivation, how do I do that? I’m a newly awakened super.”

“I can see that,” she asserted, nearly blurting out her thoughts on him, “Oh, sorry if I offended you, just place one of your hands on top of the desk and you’ll have your result in a few seconds.”

Doing as she said, he put his left hand on top of the desk and quickly realized how atypical the desk was once he properly observed it.

Totally white, strange engravings, integrated with the floor… Everything combined, this desk wasn’t a desk. It was a test machine.

Following a few seconds of waiting as she said, the woman behind the test machine finally got something and told him his result, “Your affinity is the tech energy system, and your current energy cultivation is 2 out of 10, the energy cultivation every newly awakened super has.”

“Thank you, that will be all,” withdrawing his hand, Aven thanked her and left the same way he had entered.

‘Well, now I don’t have to search for other systems online to hide the fact that I already knew my affinity was the tech energy system. And I also confirmed the fact that my status window is correct. Good.’

From this train of thought, he confirmed another thing that made an unerasable smile appear on his face, almost changing his outlook of the world as a consequence.

‘And I’m really a descendant of the fairies.’

You can find story with these keywords: The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG], Read The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG], The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG] novel, The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG] book, The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG] story, The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG] full, The Faction Contributor [Sci-Fi LitRPG] Latest Chapter