Zachary reached the back row, taking up the closest seat next to Andrew.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts, not paying attention to any of the reactions that were still ongoing around him.
Unbeknownst to everyone, including Andrew, he was having a private discussion with his.
"Good job kid, this went even smoother than I expected, you'll definitely reach high priority for resource allocation in this place…"
"All thanks to you, Master. If you didnt bless me with a heaven defying physique, I wouldve been stuck as a loser for the rest of my life."
"Hehe, all I did was awaken the latent potential within you, remember this is just the beginning. In due time you will shine brighter than any 'star' in this small dimension."
"Of course, I will never become complacent…"
….
Andrew noticed him zoned out, so he quickly made the first move without wasting any time.
"Hey whats good Zachary, I dont think ive ever seen you before at this school. Are you perhaps a transfer student?" he said, a light smile and sense of curiosity on his face.
Zachary looked over, he didnt expect someone to talk to him.
But once he saw his face, there was an immediate sense of familiarity.
Over the past year, he had been hearing of his name sporadically.
He went from being a completely average and ordinary student into becoming one of the top students in class.
He saw how he failed to awaken, and guessed maybe he was just trying to get close because he what happened.
But Zachary decided not to be an asshole, he gave a light awkward smile back, speaking hesitantly.
"Hello, Andrew… ive actually always been in this school believe it or not. Always bottom of the class in every single subject."
Andrew reached out a hand, "Well regardless, its nice to actually meet you then, feel free to let me know if you need any help in basic body work."
Zachary smiled back, but he knew this was gonna be unnecessary.
His master could help him reach the top faster than anyone else could.
"Okay, well Ill say thanks in advance then!"
Zachary shook the hand of Andrew firmly.
In this instant, as soon as their hands made contact, Andrew thought, "Copy!"
[Hold contact for 5 seconds, copying in progress]
"…are you fucking serious right now?" Andrew thought as he paused.
One second passed, and then two seconds.
Zachary felt a slight strangeness in Andrew's actions.
Not that it was odd to give a handshake to a fellow classmate, but he started to get the subtle feeling that this was starting to get a little awkward.
Andrew didnt say anything, he just looked with a bright expression, but in his head he was counting down the seconds.
"Um my hand?" Zachary finally began to say.
"Oh yes, my apologies, kinda spaced out for a second."
Andrew slowly spoke, letting the handshake exist for a couple beats longer as he finished his sentence.
Just as he loosened his grip, a ding went off in his head.
"Perfect, that was starting to get weird…"
He thought, quickly scanning the notification that appeared in front of his eyes.
[Congratulations! Host has successfully copied his first talent! It will be stored as 'not fused' in the talent column.]
Andrew quickly looked at his status page, however he froze seeing it, noticing something was missing.
[Status: Andrew Clancy
Strength : 15 (Average = 5)
Intelligence : — (Average = 10)
Endurance : 15 (Average = 5)
Agility : 15 (Average = 5)
(Locked)
(Locked)…
Talents: Talent : Low Grade - Level 1 Space-Void Body - (2X ALL Stats, Low Affinity to the Space-Void dimension)(not fused)
Skills: Full Body Manipulation (High), Meditation (High), Pain Tolerance (Medium)
]
…
"…Ayo system… where the hell is the 'growth' tag??"
[…Host can not yet copy talents that exceed their fixed level as of now, please continue to work hard to upgrade the system in order to do so!]
"Fuck!"
Andrew internally sighed, feeling he just got scammed.
"Whatever, this is still good for now. I can tell the effects of this might be far greater than other talents even at the mid grade at the first level anyway…"
Andrew was trying to look at the bright side of things instead of at the inconveniences.
He knew that there would be many opportunities as long as he could keep up with this protagonist.
"Ill fuse with this once i get back home as to not cause a scene…" Andrew decided.
…
5 minutes passed after the last awakening.
Conversations still rang about but slowly began to die out.
Just then, the principal appeared on the stage, looking quite pleased.
He cast a quick glance at the three trust fund kids, before looking at Zachary for half a beat longer.
"Ahem… im very proud to say this has been one of the most successful years of awakening in the past 50 years!"
"I wish all of you great luck on your upcoming journeys to becoming outstanding individuals! I have faith in every single one of you."
"For now, everyone is released for the day. Go tell your parents the good news in your awakening. There will be a class placement test tomorrow to determine where you will start out."
"If your stats meet the requirements, you shall be given the opportunity to learn martial arts in the school. If not, then you will have to go through academic learning."
"Well then, I look forward to seeing you all very soon!"
The principal finished, dissapearing just as quickly as he appeared.
Everyone was very excited, some more than others.
Even those with lower level talents knew there were still potential opportunities that awaited them.
The auditorium quickly cleared out.
…
Walking out of the school, Dylan and Andrew conversed with each other.
"Haha, looks like im gonna be the one taking care of you afterall!" Dylan bragged, with a sly, giddy expression.
"Well… we shall see what happens." Andrew responded with a slightly mysterious look on his face.
"Thats the spirit! Dont be too heartbroken Andrew, your one of the most impressive people i know. I believe there will be plenty of room for you to succeed at whatever you choose to do!"
"I appreciate it Dylan, let me know what the move is and if you want to train together at some point. Who knows, maybe i have a latent talent that just couldnt be awoken through the orb."
"Well see haha, dont fall into delusion though!" Dylan laughed, departing from Andrew as they reached the street he lived on.
Andrew's gaze subtly flipped, going from lighthearted to serious.
The smile on his face began to grow.
"Now its time for me to see what this talent's all about for myself, Zachary…"
_____