Shane wanted to learn more techniques, but he ended up learning nothing. He only managed to use his dark energy balls effortlessly without having to imagine anything about them. Since Ed wasn't around anymore, Shane was saved from being scolded ruthlessly.
At this time, he had already returned to his room after a round of practice. His entire body reeked of blood and sweat as he took a quick bath and lay on the bed with his arms spread around on the mattress. He stared at the ceiling for a long time.
He had managed to gain a little more experience this time, but his stats still didn't manage to grow as much as he had expected. It might take him a thousand level zero monsters to rise a level. Only he knew how much effort it took for him to gain six exp points. Four more points, and then, he would be able to rise to level one!
A trace of excitement flooded his heart as he grinned. Just then, someone knocked on his door. The smile from his face vanished without a trace. He rubbed his face as he pushed himself up on his feet, heading toward the door. He knew absolutely who was behind the doors.
They were probably Tess and Frank. He had been ignoring these two for a few days, and he knew they were probably dissatisfied with him. His sister might have smelled something, but being considerate, she hadn't asked anything just yet.
It was just that Shane knew that Tess might want to confront him about it sooner or later. He opened the door to reveal a frowning Tess as the girl crossed her arms on her chest and glared at his face. Then, she pushed him aside and entered, "Close the door."
Shane said nothing and did what she told him to. He was vaguely aware of this girl's unstable mood as she sat on the bed. Her right feet kept on tapping the ground, making him realize that she might be nervous at this time. After a while, she got up and looked at him, "Bro, what's up with you these days? You haven't been spending time with me at all!"
Shane had just opened his mouth, but his voice was cut off by his sister's angry tone, "You are my only family, but since you've started to act all cold and rude with me, fine. I'll also not talk to you ever! Just tell me, why are you doing this? You have been alienating me ever since we left that dungeon. There was something wrong with that place, wasn't there?"
"It's not like that!" Shane didn't want the person behind that past sealing thing to know about what he was thinking. He immediately refused to reply properly to Tess, but he still had to calm her as he sighed and said, "It's just that Master has been giving me a bad time these days. Just look at how stiff my hands have become. My muscles are so sore."
He stretched stiffly as he used all of his acting skills to make sure that Tess believed him.
Sure enough, the girl looked at her brother's body with a frown on her face and said, "Shane, you should have said so! I can give you a massage!"
Shane imagined his sister wearing that kind of dress giving him a massage. Even though he was the girl's brother, she was an adult! She shouldn't keep giving her 'services' to everyone and anyone! He crossed his arms on his chest as his expressions turned serious, "Are you giving your messages to anyone whose muscles are sore like this?"
Tess shook her head as she scratched her cheeks, "Only Frank."
Shane's eyes widened. He didn't know that during the time he refused to focus on his sister, she would take this chance to get even closer to Frank! His glare intensified as the corners of his lips twitched, "I admit that Frank is a good guy, it doesn't mean you can become his girlfriend!"
"We are not in a relationship…." Tess immediately refuted as if she wanted to come clean in front of her brother, but then her neck shrank when she saw the man's expression as she muttered under her breath, "At least, not yet."
"Eh? What did you just say?"
"Nothing!" Tess continuously shook her head and opened the door behind Shane and said before going off, "I have something to do. You can rest and relax your sore muscles."
Shane's eyes narrowed at her retreating figure before the door was shut with a thud. This girl was becoming bolder these days! He should have put her under his control right from the start!
He took a deep breath and decided not to think much about it. At least, Tess was an adult. She should have a chance to make her decisions properly, but when Shane thought about how an enemy had been playing with him like this, his entire body turned cold.
To protect his sister, he would have to find that enemy soon! His fingers curled up into a fist as his firm eyes stared at the closed door.
A few days later, the students got out of their rooms early in the morning. Shane had already finished his first training, but he still hadn't managed to imagine more powerful weapons. It wasn't that he didn't have ideas, but whenever he tried, he failed to form his imagination into reality. To create weapons and spells, he had to focus on several things at the same time.
For instance, his focus should first shift to circulating energy in his veins at all times. Then, he would have to spare half of that focus into imagining things he wanted to with his heart and soul. At the same time, half of that half attention would be shifted to reducing his mental thoughts into nothingness so that he could only think of his goal.
While doing this, he had to make sure that he couldn't use too much energy. So, a little focus should be shifted toward his entire body and blocking off the leaking energy from spreading everywhere.
Doing everything was hectic for Shane in the middle of a battle against so many monsters. Shane wasn't as experienced in the battlefield in the first place. How could he spare so much of his attention on multitasking? He was bad at those ever since he knew how to make his decisions!
Shane sighed as he walked to the open ground inside the gates of the institute. He might as well perfect his energy balls and keep it aside for severe cases.
As soon as they entered the open ground, Shane realized that the number of students had increased. Several were middle-aged and old people who had joined to give exams. They were standing in a different line as if they had just gotten a scholarship to join the others here.
They must be the old students of the institute trying their luck again this year to pass and gain enough experience to pass through Orient and to have a better life. Shane retracted his glance and looked around. There were only students here, no invigilators or lecturers.
He wondered where Ed had run off to after that day. He hadn't seen the bald man for a few days in a row, making him feel as if something bad was going to happen.
Sure enough, his thinking was right. A familiar silver-haired girl walked out of the teacher's dorm building as she stood there facing the crowd with a cold face. After seeing her, everyone's mouths shut up as the murmurs ended. A while later, a few students started chatting in a low voice, more like a whisper.
Shane secretly used his powers to hear the conversation since he might get more information about the girl from them.
"What is she doing here?" One of the students spoke in an anxious tone, "She has failed students one after another! Why is she here? We are doomed!"
"I can't believe the System God would take such a heartless and ruthless woman under his wing," another student made a disgusted expression on his face, "I have tried my luck for two years now, and this is my third time applying for the yearly exams. It had to be my bad luck to have her personally invigilate the exam this time."
"Echo had last entered the institute several years ago, and that year, many students failed and had to stay back in Orient," another one whispered, "I wonder what she's doing here when she clearly said that teaching and invigilating the students during exams was a boring task, and she would rather kill monsters."
"She's such a hypocritical girl," a guy shook his head as he looked a little strange, "She has always used a certain charm spell that can attract others to her face at all times! Like if you stare in those blue eyes of hers for a long time, you might end up falling in love with her and becoming her slave!"
"That's true. I have lost many of my friends like that, who have wasted their lives after becoming infatuated with her."
"Ah, I don't want to take this exam anymore. Something tells me that Echo will be even stricter this time."
Shane retracted his powers when he noticed the silver-haired woman glancing in his direction. She continued to look at him for a while until it gave him creeps. Shivers spread up and down his spine as he tried not to look in her eyes.
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