YM778.TV Chapter 82: Inside Thoughts
[12:55 PM]
"haah... I can\'t believe it." Alice\'s sigh hung in the empty air. Footsteps echoed in the tunnel. "I lost..."
The screams of the crowd disappeared through the thick walls of the tunnel. Alice tried replaying the battle inside her mind.
Though it was her first time facing Jan, she realised how scary he was when it came to him almost adapting to her fighting techniques and abilities. It was amazing to think that he closed the gap in his understanding of her ability within minutes of being in her domain.
And Alice knew if it wasn\'t for the fog she probably would have lost even sooner than she did.
Of course, this was the first time she\'d truly unleashed her terraforming ability in an official match.
She was confident in that ability being the winning factor, if anyone, in Pinnacle, could have ever countered it... it had to be Jan. His blows had held a power she\'d never encountered before as an academy student.
Heck, his strength is comparable to a Grade 3 hero? Perhaps even a Grade 2?
The thought was as harsh as it was impossible. Such levels of power required many years of combat experience and when she fought Jan it was like she was versing someone with 20+ years of experience. everything he did was so much better than any hero she had ever seen.
Alice even thought Jan might\'ve reincarnated into this world but a jolt of skepticism cut through her analysis. Was reincarnation even a real thing? The fantasy novels she occasionally reads showed drawings of reincarnated heroes, but such stories were mere entertainment... weren\'t they?
Despite all of her thoughts, she believed that everyone goes to heaven after one life, she disregarded the possibility of reincarnation.
As she reached the end of the tunnel. she saw a familiar figure heading to the main stage, her dark purple hair was the biggest giveaway and she knew it was Jae Yoona, her usual expression was blank but changed after the two saw each other.
"You fought well," Jae offered, her voice gentle. "Guess Jan\'s in a league of his own, even among the monsters here."
Alice couldn\'t help but agree, a bitter taste remaining on her tongue. "Apparently so," she mumbled. Curiosity edged out her disappointment. "Your next fight...?"
Jae let out a soft sigh, her grip tightening on the bow. "It\'s our revered Academy Queen herself... Valencia Freya."
"Yikes," Alice whistled. "Well, if anyone can unleash enough heat to melt her, it\'s you." Alice knew the extent of Valencia\'s abilities. She was a saint in the making, an ideal person of both power and composure.
"Best of luck, then, Jae," she said with genuine sincerity.
Jae gave her a soft smile. "Thanks... gonna need it for this one. Can\'t get steamrolled without a fight, right?"
"Absolutely," Alice agreed, squeezing Jae\'s arm. "Now go out there and win!"
***
{Rel\'s POV}
[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Student Lobby]
SNOREEEEEEE...
SNO- THUD!
I jerked awake, my eyes a blur as I tumbled from the couch. Disoriented, I fumbled for my watch to see the time, fighting to make sense of the numbers.
[Time: 1:44 PM]
"...!" "No... This can\'t be."
A wave of nausea crashed over me as I realized the time was far later than I\'d planned. Jan\'s battle with Alice... Jae Yoona against Valencia... I\'d missed them both F*CK!
I kicked myself mentally, the frustration sharper than any remaining drowsiness. How could I? No alarm, but damn, the Hyperstasis wore me down too easily. Worse, the thought of the fights I\'d missed made my head throb.
BZZZZT!, BZZZZT!
The buzz of my watch cut through the cycle of self-blame.
[Congratulations Axel Saint Rel Laurence, on reaching the Scouting Invitational Semi-Finals! Please report to the Presentation Hall at 2:00 PM for the Semi-Final draws.]
I found it quite interesting that they used my full-full name for an occasion like this.
haaah...
I sighed, the short excitement faded. I guess there was no use dwelling on my mistake. With a few taps on my watch, I checked the results of the earlier matches.
[Match Schedule - Quarter-Finals, Match 24#]
[Jan Ates (1) Vs Alice Elizabeth (4)] - [Winner: Jan Ates (1)]
[Valencia Freya (3) Vs Jae Yoona (5)] - [Winner: Valencia Freya (3)]
Of course. Jan keeps winning, Valencia crushes her opponent... the world doesn\'t stop for my screw-ups. Damn, I wish I\'d seen those matches, especially Jae against Valencia. Probably a one-sided win for Valencia, but Jae was the underdog, I wouldn\'t have minded seeing her pull an upset.
Exiting the lounge, I smacked straight into a familiar figure. A sigh escaped me. Jan, of course. It\'s like the universe has us on a collision course. The same person who had the magnetic pull of a thousand suns, It seemed like we were destined to physically bump into each other at any given time. Was it tradition or fate?
Jan\'s smile was wide open, radiating an almost blinding cheerfulness.
"Hey Rel! Long time no see."
I scratched my head, returning a less-than-enthusiastic "Hello."
As Jan stopped to look at me for some time, He tilted his head. "Woah, did you just wake up from a nap? Your hair\'s a mess!"
"My hair?" My hand flew to my head as if it needed immediate fixing. I shot a quick glance at a nearby window, furiously smoothing back any stray strands. "No, definitely didn\'t nap."
Jan\'s grin widened a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Sure, whatever you say."
I fixed the last strand of hair and asked. "So... how was the fight?"
"Amazing!" That blinding smile again. Ugh. "Alice was incredible."
"That\'s good," I mumbled.
"So, are you heading to the Presentation Room? For the draw, I mean." His voice took on a teasing edge.
"After all, the person you want to see so badly will be there." He winked, then delivered a playful nudge to my ribs.
[- 5 HP!]
The nudge was surprisingly strong, and I ended up flinching, rubbing the sore spot.
"Whatever," I grumbled. "Yeah, let\'s just head over."
______________
Authors Note:
- There are gradings for a hero. Grade 10 (The Lowest Grade) - Grade 1 (The Highest Grade) There are a lot of requirements for a hero to be qualified as a \'grade 1\' such as achievements, dungeon participation, and monster raids.