Chapter 70: Ranked Up Again!
Ethan groaned the moment Runt mentioned that the Principal had been looking for him, already feeling the familiar irritation settling over him.
Of course.
He had barely managed to wake up, survive another Rift mission, collapse in front of everyone, wake up in the infirmary again, and discover that something very strange was happening to his senses, and now Principal Ronan wanted him.
Couldn’t they give him one damn day to breathe?
For a moment, Ethan seriously considered ignoring the summons altogether. He had spent enough time bending over to their scumbags and dealing with one troublesome situation after another, and he was exhausted enough that the thought of walking all the way to the Principal’s office made his body ache in protest.
But ultimately, he knew he could not keep avoiding the man forever.
Still, he had no intention of going there looking like he had just crawled out of a battlefield.
"Tell him I’ll come later," Ethan finally muttered, deciding that if Principal Ronan wanted him so badly, then he could wait a little longer.
He needed to refresh first.
And properly this time.
After thanking Runt and the others once again, Ethan entered his room and immediately headed for the bathroom. He took his time cleaning himself up, washing away the sweat, dust, and lingering traces of the Rift until he finally felt somewhat human again. Once he was done, he changed into fresh clothes, fixed his hair, and stared at his reflection for a moment.
He still looked tired.
There was no hiding that.
But at least he no longer looked like someone who had been thrown around by a monster and then promptly collapsed afterward.
"That’s better," he muttered before finally leaving the room.
He made his way through the academy corridors toward the Principal’s office, wondering the entire time what Ronan could possibly want from him now.
Considering everything that had happened, Ethan was not exactly expecting a warm welcome.
When he finally arrived and entered the office, Principal Ronan was already waiting for him.
"Ethan."
Ethan gave him a cautious look. "You wanted to see me?"
Ronan nodded before gesturing for him to sit.
"I called you here because there have been several changes concerning your status within the academy."
Several changes?
Ethan immediately became wary.
Ronan continued, "You can resume your classes."
Ethan blinked.
That was... unexpected.
"The investigation concerning you has also been officially closed," Ronan added. "There is no longer any restriction preventing you from attending lectures or participating in normal academy activities."
Ethan stared at him.
Just like that?
The same Principal who had practically been breathing down his neck ever since the investigation began was now casually telling him that everything was over?
He narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Ronan’s expression for any sign that this was some kind of trap.
"And there’s something else," Ronan said.
Of course there was.
"You have been transferred to Class 5D."
Ethan’s eyebrows rose.
"5D?"
"Yes. Your performance during the recent incidents, particularly your contribution during the Rift mission, has been taken into consideration. Your accomplishments have made it clear that your previous classification no longer reflects your current capabilities, so the academy has approved your transfer."
Ethan remained silent.
He should have been happy.
Actually, he was happy.
After everything he had gone through, finally being allowed to attend classes normally and having the investigation hanging over his head officially closed was a huge relief.
But something about the entire thing still felt strange.
Too easy.
Had Principal Ronan finally turned over a new leaf?
Or was there something else going on behind the scenes that Ethan did not know about?
He could not tell.
For now, however, he decided not to overthink it.
He would find out soon enough.
"So I start tomorrow?" Ethan asked.
"Tomorrow."
Ethan nodded slowly before getting to his feet.
"Alright."
As he left the office, he could not help glancing back once.
5D.
No investigation.
No more restrictions.
He was finally allowed to attend lectures again.
Maybe things really were changing.
Or perhaps he was simply being given a false sense of security before the academy found another way to make his life miserable.
With his luck, the second option seemed far more believable.
By the time Ethan returned to his dorm, he was already feeling a little more relaxed.
He pushed the door open and stepped farther inside, only to find Adrien standing near the room, busy packing some of Zane’s belongings.
Ethan immediately stopped.
"What are you doing?"
Adrien looked up.
"Oh, you’re back."
Ethan’s gaze moved from Adrien to the belongings being packed, and his suspicion immediately returned.
"Where’s Zane?"
Adrien paused briefly before answering casually.
"Zane is going to be gone for a short while."
Ethan stared at him.
"Gone?"
Adrien’s words immediately caught Ethan’s attention.
"Gone? Where is Zane going?"
Adrien glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the things he was packing, his expression giving Ethan absolutely nothing to work with.
"It’s confidential."
Ethan’s eyebrows pulled together. "Confidential?"
"Yes, so don’t worry about it. He won’t be gone for long."
That answer only made Ethan more suspicious, but before he could ask anything else, Adrien had already finished packing what he needed and turned toward the door.
"Just relax for now, Ethan. You’ll see him when he gets back."
With that, Adrien left, leaving Ethan standing in the middle of the room and staring after him.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Ethan frowned for a moment, but he did not have enough information to figure anything out, and he was not about to waste the rest of his day trying to guess where Zane had gone when there was something far more important he needed to investigate.
His rank.
He had been so caught up in the Rift mission, waking up in the infirmary, the strange changes happening to his body, and then dealing with Principal Ronan that he had almost forgotten about it.
Almost.
Ethan was certain he had ranked up.
There was no way everything he had experienced was normal, especially considering the enormous amount of spiritual energy that had entered his Mental Sea during the Rift mission, but he still had no idea exactly what rank he had reached.
And if he had truly ranked up, he needed to know what else had changed.
Ethan quickly retrieved Aster’s book before settling onto his bed, placing the thick book across his lap as he began flipping through the pages.
He skimmed through several sections until his eyes finally landed on the information he wanted.
Guide Ranks and Manifested Abilities.
Ethan immediately leaned closer.
According to the book, Guides did not simply become stronger whenever they ranked up. Each stage brought noticeable changes to their bodies and spiritual abilities, with certain characteristics becoming easier to recognize as their rank increased.
His eyes moved down the page.
F-Class: Basic spiritual sensitivity.
E-Class: Improved spiritual perception and a stronger connection to spiritual energy.
D-Class: Increased spiritual capacity, improved Guiding efficiency, and the ability to withstand greater spiritual pressure.
Ethan paused.
That was already enough to convince him that something had changed.
His spiritual capacity had definitely increased.
But he continued reading.
Then he reached the next section.
C-Class: Heightened senses.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
The book explained that once a Guide reached C-Class, their physical senses would become significantly sharper, particularly their hearing and eyesight, because their bodies were beginning to adapt to the increased spiritual energy flowing through them.
Ethan immediately remembered the infirmary.
Stella had been speaking to him, and her voice had sounded unnaturally loud, almost as though she had been standing directly beside his ear despite being several steps away.
He had heard things he had never noticed before, and the strange ringing inside his head had been so intense that he had initially thought something was wrong with him.
His eyes slowly widened.
"Heightened hearing..."
He looked down at the book again before murmuring, "Then that means..."
He had at least reached C-Class.
Ethan’s lips curled into a small smile.
Finally.
After all that suffering, all those ridiculous situations, and nearly getting himself killed inside a Rift, he had finally managed to rank up.
But then his eyes continued down the page.
His smile slowly faded.
B-Class to A-Class: Spiritual Companion Manifestation.
Ethan blinked.
He read the section again.
According to the book, Guides who reached the higher ranks would eventually be capable of manifesting a spiritual companion, a creature formed from their own spiritual energy and bonded to their consciousness. The companion could reflect the Guide’s spiritual nature and would develop alongside them as their power increased.
Ethan stared at the words for a long moment.
A spiritual companion?
He glanced down at himself.
There was absolutely no way.
If that was an ability belonging to B-Class and A-Class Guides, then he had probably only reached C-Class.
That made the most sense.
He had experienced the heightened senses, after all.
Nothing else seemed particularly different.
"Yeah, I probably just ranked up to C-Class."
Ethan nodded to himself, satisfied with that conclusion.
There was no reason to expect anything more.
He closed the book halfway and leaned back against the headboard, finally allowing himself to relax.
Then his nose suddenly twitched.
"Huh?"
He barely had enough time to react before his face scrunched up.
"Achoo!"
Except...
That was not quite what came out.
Ethan froze.
Something small and round shot out of his mouth in a tiny burst of spiritual energy.
It floated directly in front of his face.
"What..."
His eyes widened.
The little ball of energy trembled in the air before suddenly expanding.
Spiritual light gathered around it, twisting and condensing as something began taking shape within the glowing mass.
Ethan slowly sat upright.
The light faded.
And hovering right in front of him was a tiny creature that appeared out of no where.