Chapter 161: System Check [Bonus - ]
The carriage moved at a steady pace through the outer streets that led toward the gathering grounds.
Inside the carriage the space was quiet except for the low sound of the wheels on stone and the occasional shift of the reinforced suspension.
Alex sat with his back straight against the cushioned seat and the black CBI assigned Proving suit already on.
{ A/N: CBI = Curse Bloom Institution, hosting (The Proving) for Academy Selection, CBI’s recommended age of entrance: above 18 years, anyone entering before that faces harsh conditions. }
The fabric was practical and reinforced at the seams and it was cut to allow full movement without the weight or restriction of formal court attire.
’It fits me quite well.’
Zara sat across from him in her own dark combat gear with one hand resting lightly near the hilt of the blade at her side.
Through the open bond he could feel the familiar steady presence of her attention, she was already scanning for anything unusual outside the carriage walls the way she always did when they moved through crowded parts of the capital.
Alex focused for a moment and opened the System Interface.
The familiar translucent panel resolved in front of his vision, showing him his current progress at 12 years of age.
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[ System Interface ]
[ Name : Alexander Abyss ]
[ Race : Human ]
[ Bloodline : Evolvari ]
[ Aspect : Adaptation ]
[ Aspect Rank : 1 (Awaken) ]
[ Level : 0 ]
[ Experience Points : 0/10 ]
[ Attributes ]
[ Strength : 30 ]
[ Agility : 30 ]
[ Vitality : 30 ]
[ Magic : 50 ]
[ Will : 110 ]
[ Attribute Points : 0 ]
[ Special Points Pool : (Empty) ]
[ Skills : Mana Absorption, Shadow Vision, Shadow Mantle ]
[ Adaptation : Shadow Element ]
[ Shadow Bond : Zara ]
✧ ✦ ✧
He studied the numbers with a bit of interest.
’My level still locked at zero, but that will change soon.’
The experience bar sat empty at the bottom of its range.
Strength, Agility, and Vitality remained at the same thirty points they had held through the long stretch of foundation work.
His Magic sat higher at fifty, a reflection of the constant ambient absorption and the living processor that was the Mana Heart.
His Will stood at one hundred and ten, the clearest single mark of how far repeated pressure, Adaptation cycles, and the accumulated hardships of his previous life had pushed him.
The Special Points Pool was still empty and he really wanted to find out what they did.
The three skills were listed cleanly now that both Shadow Vision and Shadow Mantle had locked into permanent entries.
’Still Level 0, so the bar has not moved but everything else is ready enough for what comes next.’
’The rest will have to wait until something inside The Proving actually forces the experience to climb.’
He let the interface remain open a few seconds longer, checking each line one final time, then closed it.
The panel faded.
Zara’s quite and practical voice came through the bond.
’Alex, we might not be placed in the same area once they send us inside, if I have heard the rumours, The Proving does not keep friends and bonded pairs together on purpose.’
’If the separation happens between us, I will still try to reach you through the bond as soon as the conditions allow it, but do not assume I will be close enough to intervene in the first hours.’
Alex answered Zara calmly through the bond.
’As long as I do not have the bad luck of running into literal Peak Awaken rank candidates in the opening stretch, I should be able to work things out reasonably well, you know that my foundation is quite solid and my Adaptation will be active.’
Zara’s presence in the bond sharpened slightly.
A thin edge of warning moved across the connection.
’Hey! Do not jinx it! The moment you say something like that, even in thought, the universe usually decides to make it happen just to prove a point, and stay alert from the first second.’
’I will stay alert, and Zara, you know I have two new skills and Shadow Element and the pathways are stable, so I think that is enough to start with during this competition, after that it becomes a question of reading the terrain and not giving them free openings.’ Alex said to her.
’Alex, the Curse Bloom Institution is not going to treat an early registration like you who is just 12 years old as a normal entry who are always above 18 years old, they will definitely arrange something because you are not following the norm, because they always do when someone ignores their recommended age of entrance, so your starting conditions will be worse on purpose.’
Alex turned his eyes and looked at her across the small space of the carriage.
"I know Zara," he said aloud this time and his voice was calm.
"I am not walking in expecting them to be fair, I am walking in expecting them to make it as difficult as they can to make an example out of me, that is what they will try to do and I have prepared myself mentally, you know I already accepted this when I put my hand on the orb to accept the conditions for entering this competition."
Zara held his gaze for a moment longer.
The bond carried the quiet confirmation that she had heard both the words and the decision underneath them.
Then she gave him a short nod.
"Good to hear that you are still self aware, so you better keep all of that in your mind the entire time you are in there and I will do the same on my side."
"And Alex, if you can reach for the bond, then make sure to use it, and if you cannot, then survive long enough for the next window when you can or until I reach you."
"I will, Zara."
The carriage continued forward.
Outside the windows the streets grew busier with every stretch of road.
More people were moving in the same direction, some on foot, some in smaller carriages of their own, some simply standing at the edges to watch the flow of participants and household escorts.
The gathering place was already pulling the attention of the capital toward it the way a heavy weight pulls water.
Alex let his attention settle back into the quiet readiness that had become familiar over the long months of training.
The System numbers were what they were.
Level zero did not change the fact that the Mana Heart sat stable in his chest, that the Shadow Element answered to him cleanly now, and that both formal shadow skills were ready to use at any time.
His Adaptation Aspect might become the biggest game changer if he used it correctly.
The carriage turned onto the final approach road.
The sound of a large crowd began to reach them through the walls, there was a low and continuous pressure of many voices that grew clearer with every length of stone they covered.
The air itself felt denser, the way it always did when too many active mana signatures gathered in one place.
Zara’s presence in the bond remained steady, it was the only constant point of reference against the rising noise outside.
Alex watched the road ahead through the narrow window and waited for the moment the carriage would stop.
The gathering was close now.
Everything after this would be inside the rules the CBI had written.
He was ready for The Proving.
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End of Chapter 161: System Check
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