Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Obtaining new skills [2]
My head hung high as I shuffled towards Professor Steele.
He held out a marker, its tip glinting accusingly. I took it, my gaze landing on the board. A sea of unfamiliar symbols swam before me.
▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣
▣ = u² + 2▣▣
▣▣▣ ▣▣▣
▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣
"....."
'Wait! What? these... they look like equations.'
"Well, Aren? Don't keep us waiting all day,"
Professor Steele boomed, his voice devoid of warmth.
Ignoring him, I squinted at the symbols. They held a faint resemblance to something I knew, something from my past life.
But the language barrier, this accursed Glyndor, kept me from grasping them fully.
"Giving up already?" Professor Steele taunted, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.
I met his gaze, a smirk twisting my lips.
"Let's just say I'm curious about your wager, Professor. What exactly did you say I could do if I solved this... problem?"
He didn't answer immediately. We locked eyes, a silent battle of wills.
Finally, he sighed, "For the next week," he said, his voice clipped, "you have free reign in my classes. Even mana class."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Whispers erupted like a swarm of angry bees.
["Anything he wants?"]
["That's insane!"]
Ignoring the murmurings of the NPCs, I returned my attention to the board. With a shrug, I began translating the symbols.
It was guesswork at best, an attempt to bridge the language gap.
["He's just scribbling nonsense!"] someone scoffed.
It was true that I wasn't paying attention to class, but after glancing at the contents in the books of the students, I some what had an idea of the problem being presented to me.
'Equations? In a trap-setting class?'
Since, I don't fully understand Glyndor, a foreign language to me, which I worked very diligently everyday since the day I was bought into this world to understand it.
I had to use 'guess work' to solve this whole problem. Although different and foreign symbols they appeared similar, I could tell or rather guess ▣ = u² + 2▣▣, is V = u² + 2aS.
I than began to solve the problem, the class was oddly very quite. But I cold feel the stares of countless pair of eyes in my direction.
I didn't mind and continued, stopping occasionally as I took in what I was writing.
Little by little it started to make sense to me, as I sped up understanding the problem as I recalled formulas from my world.
'Are there same scientists in this world as mine?'
I began to think about the people of this world, I almost don't know anyone here, apart from my family and...
'Arthur.'
He was no longer alive in that world, but in this world he's still here.
Was I sent here to save him? Or to do what I did in the original world?
'I don't know. But what I do know is that I should definitely stay away from him.'
My hands were no longer moving as I stared blankly at the white board, that was it.
There's nothing for me to solve anymore, I traced my equations and formulas from the beginning to the end and.. yes. I have solved it.
It was a problem on how to set a 'Pressure Plate Poison Dart Trap.'
This trap consists of a pressure plate concealed beneath a layer of loose dirt or debris. When activated by the weight of a creature stepping on it, the pressure plate triggers a mechanism that releases a barrage of poisoned darts from hidden openings in the walls or ceiling. The poison quickly incapacitates the prey, making it easier to capture or kill.
Although it was simple enough to understand, to explain how the mechanisms worked using equations wasn't easy at all.
But I guess it made sense, after all this was the hardest institute on the continent to get into.
When I turned back to the professor, he was going over my answer, repeatedly casting glances in my direction.
From that alone, I could tell he was surprised, and my answer, even if not 100% correct, was on the right track.
["What? Don't tell me he solved it?"]
["No, he didn't, he just scribbled some symbols on the board."]
["If he solved this, I'll quit this class."]
["Ye-Yeah, there's no way a 2688 rank like him could solve this."]
—Tap, Tap, Tap
Professor Steele, tapped on his table as he was done going through my answer.
He than turned and looked at me, "Aren, Aren Blackstar right?"
"Yeah?" I replied, for some reason I had a bad feeling about this.
Than a smile bloomed in his face as he continued, "Rank 2688, Aren Blackstar, you may return to your seat."
His smile... 'Maybe I shouldn't have solved this?'
* * *
When Aren was called upon to solve the problem, Sylvia couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement.
After all, she knew him better than anyone else in the class. As his ex-fiancée, she had witnessed firsthand his lack of academic capabilities.
Not only did he not train, but he was lacking quite a bit when it came to academics in general. It was shocking to say the least that he had somehow managed to get into this institute.
Sylvia leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she watched him approach the whiteboard. She was certain there was no way he could solve those problems.
It was almost comical to think that someone like him could even attempt it.
Especially when she, with her good academic track record, couldn't understand the problem on the whiteboard.
But as Aren began to work through the problem, Sylvia's confidence wavered.
She furrowed her brow, her mind clouded with confusion.
'Um, excuse me, what the actual fuck?'
she thought to herself.
["He's just scribbling nonsense!"] someone scoffed.
Sylvia would have believed them if not for what she was seeing with her own eyes.
He delicately broke down the problem into different parts, made expressions using the equations, and began to diligently solve them like a master of some sort.
The way he was breaking down the complex problem bit by bit, to the point where even she understood everything, was astounding.
How was it possible that he seemed to understand the complex symbols and equations? She had seen him struggle with basic math before, and now he was deciphering something that even some of the top students were struggling with.
"Since when?" she couldn't help but ask herself as she stared at Aren's back as he fluidly solved the problem.
"Wow, he's quite good," Arthur remarked, sitting behind Sylvia's bench.
Sylvia was confused, very confused. There was no way he could solve them, let alone flawlessly.
Just when did he get so good in such a short amount of time?
"He's cheating, right?" she accused, turning to Arthur for confirmation.
"Cheating? I don't think so," Arthur replied.
"That... there's no way he could solve these problems. I saw him struggling firsthand!"
Sylvia insisted.
Arthur remained quiet, unsure of how to respond.
"Tch, whatever. I don't care what he's up to," Sylvia huffed, burying her head in her own work.
* * *
After classes were over, I headed out of the institute.
I had to go back to the dojo and learn new skills, they were surprisingly not that hard to obtain and if possible, fix my mana bottleneck.
There is a small period of time where you are still allowed to go in and out of the institute, until you are fully settled in the dorms and are no longer allowed to leave.
'I have to make use of this time as much as possible and get stronger fast.'
There was a problem though,
right now, I was basically starting out as a newbie, with the almost nothing to zero advantage.
The game I played wasn't the future in this world, and there won't be the same 'events', 'acts' and 'arcs' taking place here.
If there are than I was sure they will not be the same as the game portrayed.
Well, not entirely sure, first 'Aren Blackstar' was supposed to be defeated and disowned in 2nd year.
And the moment I was sent here, I was already 'screwed over' by the original Aren.
But despite those differences, there are a lot of similarities. portrayed in the game.
Like the benches and rows of the main characters, were as same as in the game. I was sure of this as Arthur was sitting behind Sylvia.
Not only that, but the way the characters behaved, their personality and mannerism were the same as in the game.
Ayla a student from a humble family, despised certain subjects which was obvious as I could tell from her uncomfortable shifting in her chair as she couldn't keep up with the rest of the class.
What was shown about her in the game was that she exceled in 'mana science' so much so, that she was offered to be a disciple of some big shot.
I was yet to confirm that as it was still too early.
Soon, I was within a walking distance of the broken down dojo. I quickly changed my clothes and wore a mask before walking towards the dojo.
In the game, Arthur was over powered, I don't exactly remember his stats down to the bone, but I was sure he was on the verge of breaking into 'D-'
The gap between a rank, let's say from F to E, was anywhere 5 to 10 times in terms of pure stat and attributes.
A rank E could take on several F ranks and come out in top.
But that's assuming if everything was in a controlled environment.
Though very very difficult, it wasn't impossible for an experienced F rank with several traps and tricks up his sleeve to take down an inexperienced and somewhat experienced E rank.
It's also possible to take down higher ranks if they are completely inexperienced.
An example of this could be a D ranked individual who was naturally gifted but never got into a fight could fall to an experienced F rank opponent.
It still won't be easy for the said F rank as he had to use traps and multiple other things assisting him to catch the D rank off guard.
The problem with me, is that I don't have 'trap magic' or the 'experience' to face anyone within the institute.
Not only that but I was never in equal terms with them.
I was sure everyone there already had somewhat experience in combat and they are a whole rank higher than me.
It would take a minimum of 'five me' to take one of them down in a fair fight.
The only reason I was able to take down Ethan was by first putting him in an abnormal state of mind.
Basically taking him out of his comfort zone by force and flung him far way from it.
I kept track of everyone within my class, I wasn't sitting there bored not understanding the contents of what was being taught.
But I was infact paying close attention to everyone, after all anyone of them could of been my opponent on the first day.
Ethan, I quickly realized was your typical shy or introverted person. He was sitting alone in a bench when his attendance was taken.
He did not make an effort to make small talk with the other cadets,
he averted his gaze as soon as our eyes met,
he was lost in his own world, a well behaved student who doesn't like trouble or attention.
After I realized that, I kept upping the pressure on him, each time, he got more and more nervous and cautious.
One might think it's good being cautious but he was overly cautious, one unexpected move from me and he completely lost it.
It was still surprising that he held on for 17 minutes, though, I couldn't have done anything more but to rely on the little '3 minute time-trap' I created in his mind.
I was inexperienced and weaker overall and should have probably lost that match.
It was unlikely that I'll reach E rank before my next match up, so I'll have to do whatever I can to win again, even if I had to rely on tricks so be it.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone