Chapter 210: Chapter 190 : Life Race (Part 2)

“We could be here for a while, so let’s pass the time with some stories. It’s a bit too early for ghost stories, so instead, let’s share some of our recent dreams,” Ralf broke the silence with his proposal. “With all the games you’ve been playing, I’m sure you all must have had some wacky dreams over the last few days."

“More like nightmarish,” Skye spoke up, his face growing tense as the dreaded memory resurfaced. “I didn’t listen to your advice and went ahead and played Shadows Die. It was just as horrible as you said. I can’t even get past that damn chained Ogre. I’ve been dying over and over, even in my dreams. I try to run, I use my flames...but nothing works. That damn grab, I can never escape it. And over and over, I find myself flying off the cliff or smashed into the ground. Ah, it’s starting to replay ah ah ah…”

Following Skye’s horror story, the rest found their voice, telling of their tribulations during their sleep, one after the other.

Jesse was very confused listening to the group's conversation, unable to make sense of nearly everything they were saying. How could a mere ogre, let alone a chained one, trouble a Mimic of Skye's calibre? That was nonsensical. Still, amidst confusion, she found her chest warm up at the sight of the teenagers. Lost in their heated discussion, the group had long forgotten the cold.

She looked to Ralf, the one who had set things in motion, and her eyes couldn't help but welcome the light of admiration...and then as she captured his exposed and glistening abs, a different light slithered into her gaze. The spark of lust was short-lived though, memories of her wonderful lover breaking her out of her fantasies.

Regaining clarity, she dragged her gaze off him and to the others. To her amusement, she found that she wasn’t the only female present whose eyes had locked onto the Transgmirator's chiselled form. She smiled to herself after stifling a chuckle. ‘The interest is clearly there, it's just a matter of time. Wonder who will fall first...and last?'

While Ralf and the others were chilling, the rest of the students were chilling as well…to the bone, that is. Without any shelter or special tools, they could do nothing but vibrate in place, cursing at the Academy and Cole for the cruel Event. Cole didn’t let them suffer forever, just fourteen minutes, though, to them, it felt no different.

The students’ minds were reached out to and soon everyone was telepathically connected. The first images to be projected into their minds were that of Cole, coated in a Psi barrier, seated on a Psi chair, nonchalantly sipping on a steamy cup of hot chocolate.

[Good day, young ones. I’m sure you must hate my guts by now…well, I can’t exactly blame you, what weather to be in, sheesh. I've kept you waiting long enough, so I'll run through the Event's rules and conditions. Life Race is pretty straightforward; all you need to do is make your way here, to where I am.]

Following the Event Coordinator's words, the Clairvoyant’s Second Sight capturing him drew back into a long shot.

[Dreadfall Mountain, the tallest landform in the Dreadfall Forest. Standing at 250 metres high, it’s closer to a hill than a mountain really. This flat-topped section, more specifically the giant circle I’m in, is your destination. The twenty groups collectively form a circle around this place, each roughly eight kilometres from here. The group that gets all its members into this circle first, wins. You, of course, can only use your physical body to get here, no Psi. Only after you make it to the red circle can you use your Psi again. Breaking the rules or cheating will result in disqualification as well as a hefty credit fine.]

Cole let the students digest his explanation for a few seconds before adding.

[That’s the basic premise, now for the particulars. No group is to interfere with any other group on their way to the circle, not directly or indirectly. Don’t try to be sneaky; we’ll be watching very closely throughout. Another thing we’ll be doing is impeding your advances. Eight kilometres in this downpour, darkness and treacherous terrain just didn't seem arduous enough...so I decided on another addition,] he said, his words fueling the animosity in the students’ hearts.

Cole didn’t mind, rather a smile arose on his face as he captured the various sour expressions he invoked.

[Every few hundred metres of your journey or so, you’ll have to face a Psi avatar or multiple Psi avatars, assuming the shape of common beasts or monsters. They'll start off easy and progressively get harder, so you'll likely have to work together to defeat them.]

Several examples of the Psi avatars in question sprang up next to Cole courtesy of the surrounding Assistants.

[Now for the rewards. To the group that makes it here first, 1000 credits to each member. Everyone else gets nothing…except if a certain condition is met. There is a bonus reward. If every group manages to reach the circle within a certain unspecified time frame, everyone is rewarded with 500 credits; winners and losers. That’s all there is to this Event. We’ll start in three minutes. If you need anything repeated to you or clarified, ask your assigned Assistant. I hope to see you all soon... though not too soon.]

Saying this, Cole flashed a toothy smile to showcase his signature gap while waving towards the 'camera'. This image lingered for a few seconds before the footage cut out.

“That Cole really is a sadist," Charlotte spoke up. "I wouldn't be surprised if Life Race is his brainchild. He'll no doubt watch the Event's footage over and over, and probably get off on it too."

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Yuki agreed.

“If this is the start, who knows what he has in store next, ah,” Skye said, shivering at the dreadful possibilities.

“Back into the rain, we go,” Violet sighed.

“There's still a few minutes to go. I’m going to soak up as much heat before then,” the air Mimic inched closer to the fire, the others quickly following his example.

'Hmm...'

While his friends were focused on absorbing as much heat as possible, Ralf's thoughts spun, his mind focusing on Cole’s exact wording and the nature of the Event. ‘...I see so that’s why it’s called Life Race.’ Connecting the dots, he turned to Jesse and moved to confirm his thoughts.

“Hey, miss Assistant, I have a question.”

“Go ahead,” Jesse replied, interested, as were the others.

“Mister Brown said that we can use our Psi again once we reach the circle, right? My question is this, after stepping into the circle, can we then exit it to help our fellow students with our regained Psi?”

Jesse’s face froze for a second before unthawing into an approving smile. “Yes, yes you can.”

At the words, Ralf and the others’ eyes flashed with equal parts understanding and delight.

“I see, so that’s how it is, now it makes sense,” Charlotte said, catching on.

Skye nodded. “Yeah, now the bonus reward makes perfect sense. After securing the first level of victory, the first team heads out and scoops up their leftover classmates, which then snowballs until everyone makes it in the circle, to gain the second level of victory.”

“Now that you mention it, Cole did say that you can’t interfere with other groups before making it to the circle, not after. I see I see, it all makes sense,” Yuki said, slamming her fist into her palm.

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“You caught on pretty quick, brother. I’d praise you, but I expect no less from you at this point.”

Ralf rolled his shoulders. “It was simple to figure out, still, it’s not bad, especially the metaphor behind it.”

“Metaphor?” Lane asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, that’s why it’s called Life Race. The life in question is probably that of a Hunter. Life is harsh and one has limited power starting out. The best they can do is defend themselves and those they are closest to, in other words, the groups they’re assigned to. Along the way, the way to the peak, they’ll encounter many obstacles, each growing stronger and stronger, which are represented by the Psi avatars. Eventually, they reach the top and obtain great power. Reaching and staying at the top is rewarding itself, but there’s a greater reward.”

“The bonus condition,” Skye voiced.

“Yep, the bonus condition. With great power, one can do more than just protect one’s surroundings. One can help even distant others, most importantly, those in dire straits. That’s the lesson they’re trying to impart here. By stepping down and helping those weaker less fortunate souls reach the mountaintop, you’ll be rewarded in the long run. From the setup, that was my guest,” finishing up, he turned to Jesse. “Well, how close was I?” Ralf asked, but from her expression, he already had his answer.

“Nailed it,” the female Assistant said with a smile; Ralf’s words were nearly identical to Cole’s during the briefing.

“Excellent, brilliant minds think alike, I suppose. Perhaps I should have some tea with mister Brown sooner rather than later,” Ralf mused out loud, before turning to his group, who were directing impressive looks his way.

Ralf basked in it with a smile before raising two fingers. “Now, about where we go from here. There are two options. The first is the fastest method and also keeps you from getting wet, and the second is much slower and gets you drenched. Which one do you pick…exactly, the former,” Ralf said, answering for them. “Honestly, I wouldn't mind doing the latter for the experience, but I have an appointment with my mom in an hour and won't miss it for the world, so we’ll be going with the fastest method.”

“As long as I don’t get any wetter, I’m happy,” Yuki said, the others agreeing. “So, what’s the fastest method?”

“I’ll go by myself while you all wait here. I can navigate fine in these conditions and can cover the eight kilometres in ten minutes or less, no problem. I’ll then fly back, pick up…Yuki is best for this and we’ll return to the circle. Then, we’ll fly back to the cave and pick the rest of you up. From there, we’ll head to each group, pick them up and return them to the circle, and they’ll go out to help others, and so on and so. As Skye said, it'll snowball," Ralf said, nudging at Yuki, before continuing. "All in all, we should be done in thirty minutes tops. I’m sure that is well within whatever time frame Cole was talking about.”

“I can go with you. I won’t slow you down at all,” Lane spoke up.

To his offer, Ralf shook his head. “I have no doubt about that, but I’ll still go alone. Also, it’s your turn next to share your recent dreams, don’t think you can flake out of it."

“I see, okay. Take my knife with you at least, for the monsters.”

"Sure thing, thanks, buddy."

Ralf closed in and received the knife with one hand and with the other, proceeded to ruffle the former assassin's hair. Relenting after a few seconds, he turned and headed to the cave's entrance, leaving his mismatched coat behind.

“I’m off, see you in a bit.“

Good lucks and safe wishes at his back, a topless Ralf made his exit. He and Jesse returned to the dropoff spot. There, a giant Psi arrow indicating the direction to go hovered in the air.

When the countdown hit zero, his wound-up form came undone to unleash a burst of speed. Dirt exploded in his step's wake as he took off, entering a full sprint in mere moments.

Using his vision, but mostly his Echo Scan to guide him, he ran, stumbled and slid through the Dreadfall Forest’s many slops and curves, avoiding trees, both standing and felled, as well as a few which had come crumbling down toward him.

His running form wasn’t ideal. The overbearing rain had turned his clothes to lead and the ground to mud. Still, while not ideal, he was dashing on all accounts. Those viewing his advance through the downpour were left entranced, with some even forgetting their duties.

At the hundred-metre mark, he ran into his first Psi avatar. Ralf didn’t slow at the sight. Brandishing his gifted knife and the Power of Friendship it carried within, he leapt forward and plunged the sharp end deep into the blue creature’s skull, shattering it to pieces. At rest for but a second, his White Asura body’s muscles flexed with power and he resumed his all-out sprint.

Ralf’s charge was that of a juggernaut, unstoppable. The Psi avatars collectively wasted a minute of his time. Reaching the circle with a leap, the first thing he did was clean himself off. Flashing with blue light, all dirt, grass and rain vanished from his figure, returning him to a pristine state. Clean and coated with a Psi barrier, he leapt off the mountain, summoned his Psi Plane and returned to the cave.

He summoned his Psi Bike and rolled his throttle. Yuki got on at the back, wrapping herself around him, no words need. Like this, the two set off to the circle.

In contact with her, Ralf could sense her nervousness. Her grip around him was tight and her heartbeat rang loudly in his ears. Without Psi, she was basically blind in this situation.

It was scary moving at such high speeds, having to trust another with one’s safety. One wrong move and she could even die. Yet despite this, even more than apprehension, Ralf could clearly sense the deep well of trust she had in him. It spurred the Transmigrator on, upping his concentration to its limits and then beyond. In the end, she had nothing to fear. The pair reached the circle safely.

From there, all went according to plan. Minutes later, the group secured their victory, and then went on to collect the students, who themselves went on to collect other students. At just over twenty-five minutes, all students found themselves within the circle, all relieved but not all happy; Ralf's undefeated streak rubbing some the wrong way.

While the students were divided, the staff, especially Cole was smitten with the results; the Event had turned out exactly as he hoped. He went on to congratulate everyone for their participation before giving a speech that mirrored Ralf’s about the true lesson behind the Event, only longer.

Once done, the students were finally let go. Ralf shared a few words with Cole before heading to his appointment while Lane and the others headed to their individual rooms to shower and get changed. An hour later, the group would have dinner together before heading to the hotel room and doing the now usual.

With Saturday and Sunday being free days (of classes, not personal training sessions), much of the weekend was spent together, playing games and watching anime and series. The duo continued filling Babel's library with books, watched more old videos, and even had a mass video transfer done.

The torrential rain cleared over the weekend, and by Monday, a cloudless blue sky and a golden sun would greet any who looked up. The second week of Academy life had begun, and with it, new possibilities.

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