Besides Keesha and Evelyn, no one else spoke as they walked out of Room 1-C, and it wasn't just because they were unfamiliar with each other, but also because of the hour-and-a-half beating everyone had just received. Did they make rapid progress with such intense training? Yes. But the price for such improvement was the pain of being kicked, punched, and stabbed by an orc composed of condensed light.
"I think I may need to change my schedule," Zane thought as he felt the lingering pain all over his body. Today alone, he trained five times. First, his morning run, then the first practical class, the afternoon class, his second training session, and finally the Elite Class Training.
"My body won't be able to handle it, so on the days I have practical class, let's replace the morning run with more reading time," he planned. Training four times a day should be more than sufficient.
"Hey, Zane, right? Can I talk to you for a second?"
Zane woke up from his pondering and turned to the voice: Keesha. He was immediately intrigued by why she stopped him, so he asked, "Can I help you with something?"
"I'm interested in mental channeling, so I checked out some books in the library. Any chances you could teach me?"
Zane paused, not expecting this. For a moment, he considered it, even thought of asking for a trade: he'd help her, and in exchange, she should reveal whether she has a title that enhances her reflexes and how to acquire it. However, after mulling it over more, he shook his head, "I'm sorry."
"If this is about fair exchange, we are willing to pay," Evelyn, standing next to Keesha with arms linked, added.
"It's not about that. I barely know enough for myself, let alone to teach someone else. And you saw what happened to me after the final. The last thing I want to deal with is causing other people brain injury. If you want to learn, you should ask the instructor or your teacher."
"I emailed him after the tournament, and he told me the basics of mental channeling will only be taught near the middle-to-end of the course," Keesha sighed.
"In that case, there is nothing I can do," Zane shook his head. He would not endanger someone's life just for the sake of money. More importantly, he suspected that the tower was testing not only the recruit's magical skills but also other qualities, such as charisma, leadership, and strategy. How would the tower judge him if he did something so reckless for the sake of money? Zane did not want any red mark on his ledger.
"That's understandable," Keesha nodded. "How about we exchange soul crests? Just in case you change your mind."
"That's fine," he nodded. These two seemed quite powerful and talented; it wouldn't be a bad thing to get acquainted with them. After the exchange, Zane glanced at the sergeant, who was looking at them from a distance; he frowned before walking away. Meanwhile, Keesha and Evelyn paused, glancing at his back.
"Don't tell me you like him," Evelyn smirked.
"He's cute, but not my type."
"Then, why are you staring?"
"I was just thinking about something the instructor said this afternoon," Keesha responded. She has been curious about what the instructor meant when he said that Zane has suffered tremendously over the past five years, which has led to his current amazing luck.
"Is that so?" Keesha uttered, looking intently at Zane's back.
"How about it? Are you interested?"
"In him? Well, he's handsome, good figure, not too tall and not too short, and not to mention those beautiful hazel eyes — he's indeed my type. It's a shame my parents would never agree."
"Why do you care about what they think?" Keesha asked.
"If I want to inherit all that money, I still have to listen to them."
"That's smart."
"I'm hungry. How about we head to the cafeteria for a bite?"
"Alright."
On his way to his dorm, Zane couldn't help thinking about the tower's hidden tests. Did he make the right choice about Keesha? Maybe it would have been better to have successfully helped her learn mental channeling, thus displaying his leadership skills?
"If only I had someone inside feeding me information," Zane thought. He suddenly stopped: this wasn't a bad idea. At this stage of development, any news or information about or from the tower would be invaluable. And it doesn't have to be high-level secrets; even small pieces of news could be invaluable to him. Without wasting another second, he decided to contact Xi'Ke — his orientation guide. The latter had already shown willingness to form a connection, so Zane first thought of him. He only sent a greeting to start a conversation, and to his surprise, Xi'Ke responded a few minutes later. They had a brief conversation and ended things with a promise to keep in touch.
As soon as Zane opened the door, the animated voices hit his eardrums. Even the usually quiet Devonte seemed heavily involved in this debate. "What's going on? You guys are almost yelling."
"Good, you're here. I think you'll be able to explain to these two in a better way than I can," Ahmed said, pointing at Evans and Tom Nguyen. Zane glanced at them, not hiding the puzzlement on his face; he was still clueless about what was happening.
"Check the student board; there is a new viral post," Evans explained.
Zane placed his bag on the floor, sat, and opened his hologram. The top post on the student board had a title that no one could miss: [My Ancestors Were Whipped, but I Refused to.] The article was less than a thousand words and was about a black student who was whipped by a professor during today's practical class, just like what happened in their course. The student didn't like that, so he confronted the professor, and things eventually escalated until the student reported things to the tower.
"I've been telling them that the student has every right to feel the way he does, but these two argued that it's not a big deal," Ahmed explained.
"They don' get it." Devonte nodded.
"That's not what we said," Evans countered. "All I said is many people were whipped, including in our class, and they were of all races and skin colors. This should not be a big issue."
"The concept of racism based on skin color was invented in this dimension. It has nothing to do with the tower," Tom Nguyen added. "The student is just making a big deal out of nothing."
Zane shook his head, "The student was indeed wrong."
Tom Nguyen and Evans' eyes lit up, while Ahmed immediately frowned, "So you also think this isn't a big deal?"
"I'm not talking about that; his feelings are valid about not wanting to be whipped," Zane explained. "Where he went wrong was escalating the situation. Many people seemed to fail to recognize the power dynamic between the tower and Earth. They have power over us and can dictate our life and death."
Ahmed's frown deepened, "Even if that's true, it doesn't mean we shouldn't do anything. By your logic, no one should challenge authority as long as they are on the weaker side."
"Not when there is such a disparity in strength," Zane shook his head.
"How many successful revolts that have changed nations, altered history, and created the world we have today were done by people fighting against insurmountable odds?" Ahmed countered.
"It is not the same."
"It is. The ideology —"
"Now is not the time to be arguing about our views on authority," Zane raised his hand. He continued with his previous statement. "This post is not necessarily a bad thing. Based on how the tower responds, we'll be able to deduce many things about how they truly view Earthlings and our societal rules."
"You don't think the outcome will be positive?" Ahmed asked.
"I don't know, but the worst-case scenario is no answer at all; that would mean complete disdain for this dimension's authority and way of life."
"Is it really as big a deal as the author stated?" Tom Nguyen suddenly asked.
"You're an Asian man living in America — hasn't the concept of your appearance affected how you experience life settled in already? Don't tell me someone never thought you were smart because you're Asian, that you were a terrible driver, or that you were less masculine."
Tom Nguyen's body suddenly stiffened, and his eyes dimmed a little. Zane noticed this reaction, but did not pry. Instead, he continued with his point: "For some black students, being whipped by a white man might not be a big deal, but for others, it is a big deal. And no matter which side, their opinions are both valid."
Besides Evans, everyone present understood the concept of living life through the lens of a minority. Devonte and Zane have been profiled a few times, the former too many times to count. Ahmed has been called a terrorist one too many times in his life. So, these three understood clearly.
Evans suddenly coughed. "How about we move away from such a heavy topic? Zane, how was the elite class training?"
"Horrible," Zane sighed, suddenly feeling phantom pain in his chest. He did not hide the truth and explained everything they had experienced.
"You're only now fighting Orc #2?" Ahmed interjected. "We've been doing it since day 1, and this morning, Devonte became the first person in our class to defeat him."
"You did?" Zane looked at him. "That's impressive, man."
"It was a'ight."
"Alright?" Zane smiled wryly. "Sometimes, being humble is more hurtful than being cocky."
"I've said the same thing to him," Ahmed sighed. How many talented knights couldn't even survive 30 seconds under that orc's wrath? But even after defeating it, Devonte showed no pride or arrogance.
"I-I didn't mean nothing by it," Devonte explained.
"We know, and that makes it worse," Ahmed sighed again.
"I'm suddenly interested in your physical data. What kind of stats does a knight of your caliber have?" Zane said, looking interestingly at Devonte.
"I can show you."
Zane immediately waved his hand, "No, no, such a thing should remain private." Although he was curious, he knew what line not to cross.
"I don' mind," Devonte said, opening his profile and showing it to him.
"Are you sure?" Zane asked again, and only after Devonte nodded did he take a peek.
[Life Energy: 0.54]
[Mana: 0.15]
[Mental Energy: 0.09]
"Such a high life energy?" Zane exclaimed. His current life energy has not even reached 0.1, which symbolizes 10% of the minimum requirement of a 1-star Knight.
"Let me see," Tom Nguyen suddenly asked, as he was also curious. Zane glanced at Devonte, and only after the latter nodded did he pass over the holographic screen.
"It's indeed terrifying," Tom Nguyen commented. Compared to his weak body, Devonte might as well be a seven-hundred-pound tiger. "But, why is your mental energy so low?"
"Is it?" Devont responded.
"That can't be. The instructor said he had the fastest-growing mental energy in the class. Let me see." Ahmed asked. After reading the data, he frowned. "You consider that low? How high is your mental energy?"
"Well, mine is already 0.28."
"You?"
"0.34," Zane lied.
"Evans?"
"0.31"
"I wonder if that's true," Zane thought. There are means to rapidly increase mental energy (such as potions), just like with mana. However, using them carries greater risks. And as far as Zane knows, without talent, even the best potion will require countless times more doses to have an effect, and sometimes, it may not even work.
Ahmed sighed, "To say I'm jealous is an understatement. Mental Energy is the hardest attribute to improve."
"By the way, I've been curious. What are the data requirements for you guys to condense your Battle Core?" Zane asked.
"0.9 Life Energy, 0.5 Mana, and 0.3 mental energy. What about you guys?"
"0.9 Mana and 0.7 Mental Energy," Tom Nguyen explained.
"0.7 Mental Energy? Good luck," Ahmed shook his head.
"Is it the same for Warriors?" Zane continued.
"The life energy requirement is the same, but they only need 0.3 Mana and 0.15 Mental Energy. They also need the help of a Runescribe for their ascension."
"I see," Zane nodded.
The conversation about the different transcendent paths continued for a few more minutes before everybody dispersed. Zane was tired, so he did not stay long. Today, he had decided to sleep seven hours instead of three, so after a shower and light reading, he dozed off to bed.