Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12 : Registration
“I’ll be honest.”
Divinity’s voice was heavy as she looked at Sal and said.
“I’m so glad you’re as exhausted as I am.”
She started walking backward in front of Sal, placing a hand on her chest and adding.
“The fact that both the 1st and 2nd rankers of the Silver Cohort are destined to collapse on the mat during combat training… strangely warms my heart.”
Sal gave a bitter smile and raised the corners of his mouth, while Divinity raised both arms and cheered.
“Did it! Our grumpy prince finally smiled!”
Her blue eyes sparkled, and she spun around dancing.
Sal waved his hand pretending to stop her, but couldn't hide his laughter.
He was genuinely grateful for the fact that Divinity was by his side.
After confessing everything that happened with Upgrade, Sal intended to quietly ruminate and endlessly reflect and sink into himself, but Divinity absolutely did not allow that crap.
She tried hard to refresh the atmosphere and make Sal laugh again.
Before long, the two arrived at the skill registration zone.
Although these towers were really high, they weren't that wide, so they had to move across several floors.
None of the students could figure out the logic behind this route, only feeling like they were passing through places they had already passed.
Divinity suspected if this was some kind of cardio training, but the probability seemed low.
After a few hours like that, they reached the registration zone located near the top floor of the tower.
The view outside the window was marvelous.
Sal could faintly see the distant harbor, and the grid patterns drawn with light indicated the safe zones reclaimed from monsters so far.
The guild towers soaring high into the sky gave people a solid sense of relief from various parts of the city.
The interior was also impressive.
Curious mechanical devices placed here and there made the zone look more like a precision production facility than the workshop earlier.
“Wow, look at that.”
Divinity said, pointing to a giant tube filled with transparent liquid.
Sal’s eyes told him it was a type of liquefied essence.
He had never seen such a thing before, and wondered why something like this was in the skill registration zone.
He turned his head and pointed to another piece of equipment.
“What is that?”
Divinity also looked that way and her eyes widened.
“Isn’t that… an electric chair?”
“Welcome again. You might be getting sick of my voice by now, but please focus and listen until the end as this content is a truly important procedure in the orientation.
While we learn, grow, and develop, it is very important to reflect on where we came from. Displayed in the space surrounding you now is the skill refinement technology of the previous generation.
And as you get closer to the assessment zone, you will directly witness the evolution process of that technology.
When the war first began and the appearance of monsters continued, our nation poured all resources into offense and combat.
Anyone who could knock down monsters received support, and we did our best to carry out that task.
But monsters continued to appear, more portals opened, towers rose, and even dungeons appeared.
We couldn't solve all this with just the method of knocking them down hard.”
This time, Quest’s voice was played from surrounding speakers as automated audio.
Like a kind of guided tour, different voices were playing in each zone.
Sal remembered learning most of the history related to the war from his parents, but even his parents' generation hadn't experienced the most terrible times.
He grew up protected from many realities that others had to endure.
Since his parents were beings with abilities, they were under the nation's protection.
But people without abilities had neither the resources to seek protection nor the ability to afford the exorbitant costs of the safe zone.
Their role in society was just to wait until heroes reclaimed enough territory to help them return home.
“Essence containing mana was already leaking into the atmosphere, and we knew it would eventually change us. However, that change came too late for humanity to survive as a species.
When ‘knock down hard’ tactics were no longer effective, we began to switch strategies. It was research and development. Historically the field humanity excelled at the most. Like in the past when we utilized ancestors' knowledge and heritage to open breakthroughs for new technologies.
But this time, we had to start completely from scratch in a way never attempted before. A situation with no right or wrong answers. All knowledge we gained was the result of trial and error.
Even now, people with completely different perspectives exist in safe zones around the world. They deny acquiring skills itself to fight monsters. Rather, they believe skills themselves are a ‘curse’, and all this situation is divine judgment, a divine punishment.”
Divinity’s eyes grew large.
Numerous artifacts were displayed where they arrived.
Crudely carved structures and objects inscribed with unclear patterns were kept inside transparent protective cases.
Stone tablets written in foreign languages, totems decorated with feathers and colors, and strangely shaped tools.
All were objects from the world beyond the portal.
Sal only glanced at them, turning his head fearing his mental strength would run out if he looked further.
But he thought those unfamiliar and bizarre artifacts were interesting.
“Speaking of gods… monsters also possess faith. What all these artifacts imply is something greater existing beyond the portal.
We have made great progress in analyzing and deciphering their language, but there is still a long way to go until achieving perfect translation.
Who knows. Perhaps someone’s skill among you is the key to reveal the secret of this war. Someone’s ability might be used to grow crops, or help treat wounds. Or, that skill might be powerful enough to become a force sending monsters back to their original world. Maybe, reclaiming lost territory might be you. …Who knows.”
Sal had to admire Quest’s eloquence.
His words had appeal and a great cause.
The public had no choice but to fall for it.
Most students were smiling, imagining a future using their abilities for good purposes.
Most seemed to empathize with the remark about gaining power strong enough to deal with monsters, but low-ranking students of the Supporter class also had expressions showing they were equally moved.
“This is exactly why we need to register your skills.
Regarding problems that do not exist yet, someone among you might hold the answer.
There are also those who already possess amazing abilities. That power is stronger than any generation that has appeared so far. You grew up in an environment where essence is incredibly dense, and truly amazing talents have opened due to that.
There will be abilities you are familiar with, and potential abilities you don't know yet. Our skill registration procedure might open that hidden door.
Good luck.”
The tour zone ended at that point, and turning his head, Sal saw students of the same Silver Cohort at different points of the tour.
Some seemed to have just started the tour.
At that moment, Divinity winked at Sal and pulled him to the front of the line.
Sal didn't question her decision anymore.
There was no reason to argue with a friend who had perfectly predicted everything so far with the ability to see the future.
The door in front opened, and the space unfolding before them was truly spectacular.
A golden staircase as wide as a highway unfolded spirally along a large open hall.
As sunlight pouring through the front glass window shone on the stairs, the stairs sparkled emitting a dazzling golden light.
Exclamations burst out among the students.
Sal was also captivated by all this.
At the bottom of the stairs, staff members in uniforms were greeting them with smiles.
“The Gold Cohort has finished skill registration and is enjoying refreshments at the Sky Lounge. Please move to the top of the tower as soon as your registration is finished and check your designated seats.”
An employee pointed upwards, and Sal looked up with his mouth open.
The stairs wrapped around the tower like a giant spiral spring lined along the glass wall.
At the top was a platform with a completely transparent floor, and in the center, several transparent tubes wide enough for a car to fit were situated.
Before Sal could understand what those tubes were, a giant capsule shot up from the invisible lower floor and soared straight up the tube to the top of the tower.
The employee turned again and pointed to those tubes.
“Don't worry about going back down the stairs. We use rapid transit tubes. Similar to elevators, but operated based on essence instead of cables.”
Divinity pulled Sal’s sleeve slightly, and only then did Sal realize he was staring too blankly at the tubes.
Shaking his head to compose himself, he started climbing the stairs following Divinity.
They were located at the very front row of the crowd.
After climbing about thirty steps, the stairs led to a wide flat area, and continued ascending again beyond that.
On the temporary floor created like that, rest areas and small rooms were lined up facing the glass wall of the tower.
Divinity kept walking without stopping, but Sal wondered what the purpose of this space was.
“Probably study areas. Looks like a premium zone?”
Divinity said pointing to a small terminal set up next to a partition.
Sal guessed it was a payment terminal, thinking about how much Q-Credit it would cost to study here.
When they arrived at the next stair section, Sal suddenly felt overwhelmed.
Of course he didn't mean it, but he felt a strong impulse to complain about everything.
Both his body and mind were extremely exhausted.
Internal essence was also nearly depleted, and worry began to arise that he might ruin the skill registration.
Above all, he kept ruminating on his behavior at the workshop, thinking it was a useless act.
‘Too childish.’
The act of activating a skill with full force in a way to embarrass someone was the peak of childishness, and his parents would have certainly been disappointed if they knew.
His father might have acknowledged it if he knew the whole situation, but that wasn't the point.
“Done with self-pity now?”
Divinity laughed and said to him.
Before they knew it, they had climbed to the next floor.
“Because… we’ve arrived.”
She rolled up her right sleeve and approached the information staff.
About ten registration machines were lined up, and outwardly they all seemed to have similar appearances and crafted with craftsmanship.
Curiosity triggered, Sal ignored his fatigue and activated his eyes, starting to evaluate each machine with essence-based ability.
Although he couldn't perfectly understand all the information, Sal could compare the machines and classify them by grade.
“Divinity!”
Sal shouted urgently just before she touched the wrong machine.
When Divinity looked back with a puzzled expression, Sal pointed to a machine at the end of the line.
“Use that one. I’ll wait until you’re done.”
Divinity hesitated for a moment, then eventually turned away from the machine she first chose.
The information staff raised an eyebrow.
“You have a smart friend.”
Divinity looked at Sal with curious eyes hearing those words, but Sal shook his head side to side and pointed to the same machine.
“I’ll explain later. Use that one first.”
Sal gave up lining up for other machines and decided to wait standing right behind the machine Divinity was using.
The information staff showed curiosity seeing her sleeve already rolled up, but didn't voice whatever thought he had.
Sal’s gaze was fixed on the machine.
Architecturally it looked slightly better than other machines outwardly, but the biggest difference was the power source.
The core key to operating that machine seemed freshly replaced, and the amount of essence was much fuller than other machines.
Other machines looked like half-drained batteries.
Unlike the crude and rough old equipment they saw during the tour, the equipment here boasted a very modern and sophisticated appearance.
Just seeing the staff smoothly adjusting the arm insert to fit Divinity’s height, one could guess how high the precision and completeness of the machine were.
Seeing it designed considering comfort meant the creators had considerable confidence in the equipment's performance.
Divinity put her right arm into the insert.
She smiled listening to the faculty member’s explanation, and nodded after a moment.
Shortly, her eyes clouded white as her ability activated.
Sal quickly turned his gaze back to the core.
A massive wave of essence flowed through the machine there, and that power began to fuse with Divinity’s essence.
It seemed like two forces collided for a moment, but soon stabilized and melted into a single flow.
Divinity’s eyes grew large.
She also seemed not to have expected this result.
As the staff helped take out her arm, the flow of essence separated from inside the machine divided into a few pieces, but hovered over a small plate located near the machine surface and soon stabilized.
After the staff confirmed a few input items, that flow was fixed in a completely stopped form, and the plate popped out with a thud.
The staff handed the plate to Divinity.
‘This is simple?’
Divinity passed by Sal with a face of extreme fatigue, but with a ridiculously happy expression.
A bright smile that didn't care about fatigue was on her lips.
“You definitely have an eye for machines!”
A faculty member guided Divinity to the lounge area, where she could rest for a while.
Sal waited quietly while the machine initialized.
After a few minutes passed, the staff in charge of the machine looked back over his shoulder and suggested Sal try using another machine.
But Sal shook his head.
“It’s fine. I want to use this machine.”
While he waited, other students stood in their respective lines and began registering on other machines.
There were about one or two people standing behind Sal, and he felt anxiety creeping up without realizing it.
To calm his mind, Sal organized the pattern of the Upgrade ability once again.
He held onto that power tightly until he became completely proficient to use it like an original skill, preparing to activate without delay at the necessary moment.
The information staff stepped aside and gestured.
“You can come now.”
Sal inhaled quickly to steady his mind, nodded, extended his arm, and stepped forward.
“Relax. It doesn't hurt.”
The information staff asked with a professional smile.
“What is your name?”
Sal answered as if slightly relieved.
“Salvatore Argento.”
The staff pointed to the new plate just inserted.
“Now, do you see that plate? Please manifest the ability you possess to the maximum. You don't need to worry about essence consumption. There is a core acting as a battery inside the machine that will supply essence instead. So please use it with all your might. The most powerful version of your ability will be recorded. Got it?”
Sal looked at the staff in shock.
“…With all my might?”