novelraw Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3 : First Assignment
Sal’s hands were trembling throughout the presentation.
He was literally captivated, focusing on the Headmaster's words.
The presentation had ended before he knew it, and Sal stood up with his parents, applauding and cheering with his whole body as if his life depended on it.
Though he couldn't put it into words, just looking at his parents' faces told him they were feeling the exact same emotions as him.
As the thunderous applause subsided, Sal asked his parents, unable to hide his excitement.
“Did you see that symbol? The one shown on the screen when the Grade 6 monster appeared! That is… exactly the same as what I see when I look at people! Could it be that he and I have the same ability?”
Sal poured out questions without a moment to catch his breath, but his parents couldn't give a clear answer to any of them.
Sofia shook her head as if surprised, but a smile lingered on her lips the whole time.
“It might really be possible to change the tide of the war.”
Sofia muttered, meeting Pietro’s eyes.
Pietro burst into laughter.
“But why give it only to students? Isn't it much more efficient to give it to heroes already running in actual combat?”
Sofia snorted, and Pietro looked at her in confusion.
Sofia waved her hand and hurriedly explained.
“No, sorry. I just suddenly imagined you receiving an ability to go to the front lines and jumping into the battlefield.”
Pietro put on a hurt expression on purpose, but soon burst into laughter and stopped acting.
Their joy was not just limited to the family.
Other families around them were also talking excitedly about Headmaster Quest’s announcement.
But even in such an atmosphere, a few students were looking up at the empty ranking board with anxious expressions.
Sal recognized them and felt mixed emotions.
‘They say status or money is meaningless… but does it really have absolutely no influence?’
“Announcement to all guardians and parents. Please attend the Quest Academy welcome event held at the Sky Lounge shortly. Please move following the guidance of our faculty members wearing white uniforms.”
“Prospective students, please move to the dormitories immediately. Grey uniforms are prepared in each room, indicating that you are currently unaffiliated first-year students.”
“After putting on the uniform, please report to the nearest staff member wearing a white uniform. Additional instructions will be delivered.”
“Official orientation begins tomorrow, but your actions are subject to evaluation from this very moment. Good luck.”
Sofia opened her eyes wide looking at Pietro with her mouth open.
Sal turned his head toward his father, confused if he heard it wrong.
But Pietro laughed refreshingly and assured him that it was all real.
“Before you go, hug me.”
Sofia’s words sounded like a request, but were practically an order.
Sal bent down slightly to hug his mother who was shorter than him, but his gaze was chasing where other students were heading.
But he had no idea where that location was.
“Are you listening to me?”
Sofia’s voice pulled him out of his brief panic.
“Yeah, what did you say?”
Sal fumbled as if nothing was wrong and broke away from the hug.
Sofia held out a black card.
“You can’t go anywhere without this.”
She put the card in Sal’s jacket pocket somewhat fussily.
“Go quickly and see if we can see you one more time before we leave. I really want to see you in uniform.”
Sal spotted a group of students gathered on one side, but they were all looking around with bewildered faces.
Anxiety surged that he might not be able to find the dormitory properly.
He stopped abruptly.
Could this be a kind of test too? Seeing if we can find the dorms properly?
‘Is this what they meant by monitoring students?’
At that moment, a staff member in a white uniform approached and tapped his shoulder.
“Student, please move to the dormitory.”
He pointed to one of the towers in the distance.
“It is over there.”
Sal felt slightly deflated inside.
“Thank you….”
He greeted quietly, inwardly cursing himself for overthinking.
It was when he had taken less than a few steps.
A black-haired girl with green eyes biting her lip while looking around the crowd caught his eye.
Sal decided to help her.
“It’s not a test. They said the dormitory is right over there.”
After pointing the direction with his finger, Sal passed her and walked ahead.
It seemed he heard her cursing quietly.
Walking a few steps ahead, Sal suddenly felt something was strange and slowed down.
She caught up to Sal and glanced at him with eyes full of suspicion.
The two didn’t say anything for a while.
Then she shouted someone’s name and smiled with relief.
Before Sal could react, the black-haired girl muttered.
“Thanks.”
Then she ran quickly toward her friend.
Sal suspected that the sunglasses made him look like a weird person.
He took off the sunglasses and put them in his pocket.
Walking for a few more minutes, Sal realized the platform was much larger than he thought.
Although the towering skyscraper was visible in front, a considerable distance remained to the entrance.
“It’s too far…?”
Others seemed to have the same thought and started running one by one.
Sal also started running after them.
The competition had begun.
Sal realized how out of shape he was compared to the surrounding students.
Especially compared to students with physical-based abilities.
“Move, move!”
“I’m going first!”
Some student leaped 10 meters forward in a single bound from behind, and another student passed Sal at super speed.
Students without movement-related abilities lamented or gave up.
“Argh, I wish I was a movement type too…!”
“It’s a test for kids like Jumpers and Speedsters.”
“An aspiring Supporter like me can’t keep up even if I try. I’d be grateful just to get into the top 500.”
At that moment, Sal tried to run too, but the result was miserable.
Although he looked quite healthy on the outside, Sal was actually the opposite.
Life just wandering around the auction house hadn’t built up his stamina at all.
By the time he barely arrived at the entrance, a line was forming as students checked the single map.
Sal saw that Speedster student and a few Jumper students standing in front, and was secretly satisfied that he wasn't that far behind.
Already, a few students wearing grey uniforms ran out of the lobby as if bursting out and headed toward another tower.
A while later, another student in a grey uniform ran across the hallway and out of the building.
Sal cursed himself for being complacent.
A ‘test’ element definitely existed here, but it wasn't finding the dormitory, it was arriving somewhere.
Turning his head back to the map, Sal saw the black-haired female student making eye contact with him with an expression that said she had reached the same conclusion.
She hesitated for a single moment, then spoke in a quiet but firm voice.
“What’s your name?”
“Salvatore Argento. What’s your na….”
Before Sal could ask her name, she disappeared from view.
Some people standing in line screamed in surprise as they were pushed back by an invisible force.
Sal suppressed the instinct to activate his eye ability.
Because he judged it was better to avoid useless actions in a situation where he might have to run soon.
He gritted his teeth and looked forward.
At least 200 people were packed tightly in the narrow space.
Considering all other elements were orderly, this was clearly a deliberately created obstacle.
Just as he was wondering whether to push forward, a transparent hand appeared on Sal's arm.
And a moment later, the green-eyed black-haired girl reappeared next to him with a slight frown and grinned.
“Salvatore Argento. 51st floor, Room 6. Debt paid, okay?”
With those words, she turned and ran toward the stairs.
Sal followed without hesitation.
It was to check which stairs or elevator to take.
However, less than 20 seconds later, he realized he was completely screwed.
The elevator line was insanely long, and his room was 30 floors down.
He had to go down from the 80th floor where he currently was, and considering the distance to come back up to this platform, he had to go up and down a total of 60 floors.
Plus finding the room and changing clothes.
And in a competitive situation where he didn't even know the reason.
Sal gritted his teeth and thought.
‘Can I go slowly?’
Sal remembered Pietro telling him not to worry about anything, and Sofia looking at him with proud yet worried eyes.
Those eyes worrying about him, who was always cautious and reluctant to compete with others.
‘I hate being last. Especially if it's a test.’
He raised his head and looked at the Speedster.
Activating his ability, the pattern of shining threads gathering in the center of the Speedster's chest came into view.
Sal had copied his parents' abilities many times, but he had never copied an ability that directly affected the body.
‘The structure is simple. Copying itself is easy. If I don't follow it exactly and tie a few knots to adjust the output….’
He thought of a method but couldn't put it into action.
Memories of suffering pain after using abilities surfaced.
Copying someone's ability was a curse, not a blessing.
One wrong move and he could die without knowing why.
Sal’s brain was strongly warning that his body was not yet used to such an ability.
Just as he was about to give up, a student burst out from the stairs and brushed past Sal.
At that moment, Sal remembered what Sofia had said in passing.
‘I really want to see you in uniform.’
Sal thought. Wouldn’t I be hard to see if I’m too far behind.
“Damn it, I don’t know.”
Sal activated his ability.
His silver eyes shone, and countless threads condensed with light unfolded among the students flocking toward the map.
Sal picked out what he was looking for from those threads.
The Speedster’s thread bundle had a simple-looking structure.
A few threads were tangled with knots that didn't match the ability.
Sal wanted to untangle the tangled parts while copying, but he didn't want to increase the risk any further.
He held back and copied the threads as they were.
After accurately imprinting that form in his mind, Sal began weaving the exact same bundle of threads with his fingertips.
Even down to a single knot.
As if assembling a precise circuit.
And he let his own power flow into that circuit.
Thump.
Everything stopped.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded crazily, but Sal tried to maintain calm as much as possible.
His body was completely unprepared for this ability.
No training, no adaptation, no resistance.
Literally, it was stealing and using someone else’s ability by force.
It wouldn't be strange if something happened at any moment.
But Sal didn't have time to worry about that now.
He had to find his room.
He lightly increased his speed and started running down the stairs.
One floor, and another floor.
Running down the stairs while exhaling, Sal realized this ability was a bit different from his expectations.
A sensation as if the surrounding time had slowed down, while feeling like he was moving at normal speed.
Honestly speaking, it wasn't that great.
Still, it was a distance that would have normally taken 20 minutes, but now it seemed to take less than a minute.
He walked a few times in the middle because his heart beat excessively, but he didn't stop the ability.
Since it was a physical-based ability, his whole body would scream tomorrow morning, but there was no worry about essence depletion.
The speed ability he was using now was barely touching his internal essence.
Sal, having a lot of time to think while moving, suddenly wondered if a day would come when he could handle abilities freely like the green-eyed female student.
How comfortable would it have been if he could arrive at the room floating like a ghost.
But in his current state, that possibility seemed non-existent.
There was a fatal limit to his ability.
If he didn't accurately understand how any ability worked, he could be swept away by that power and die.
Super speed ability was dangerous too, but since the concept of running was intuitive, it was somewhat better.
Finally he found his room number, took out the key, and touched it to the reader.
Because it took quite a while to recognize, he had to hold it there for a long time.
Sal opened the door at ridiculous speed, almost breaking all the hinges, but Sal didn't care after seeing the grey uniform lying on the bed.
Sal, fearing the uniform would tear, immediately deactivated the ability and looked around the room while quickly taking off his clothes.
The room was much larger and more pleasant than he expected.
One entire wall was made of glass, giving a view of the entire city at a glance, and in a separate room, there was a work desk and a space that looked like a professional training facility.
The bed was generously large, and a luxurious shower was installed in the bathroom.
A message was floating on a screen attached to one wall.
-Welcome to Quest Academy. Your first assignment is already in progress. Your preliminary ranking depends on the order of your arrival.
-Since we have to evaluate a thousand students simultaneously, our faculty must choose who to observe closely.
-Professors are always watching for outstanding talent to join Master Classes, so please show your distinctiveness clearly from the start.
-It is much easier to stay on top than to climb up from the bottom. Good luck.
Under the message, a mark indicating the welcome party location was floating on the map.
After putting on all the uniform, Sal debated whether to stop using the Speedster’s ability.
His body was already starting to ache here and there, and he was soaked in sweat.
Even without using the ability, his arrival rank would probably be above average, but there was a thought that kept nagging at the corner of his mind.
That his parents would be coming to that welcome party.
And surrounded by colleagues and clients at that.
Sal would have been sufficient staying in the middle, and his parents would also want him not to overexert himself.
But if he showed something exceeding expectations, it wouldn't be bad.
He gritted his teeth, ignored the pain spreading in his legs, closed the door, and started running again.
He activated the ability again and told himself.
‘It’ll be over soon. Just a little more.’
The fight to climb the stairs again was much harder than expected.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The pounding of his heart grew louder, but Sal had hardened his resolve.
Thoughts of giving up crossed his mind countless times on the way, but he steadied himself by imagining his parents' surprised faces when he made it into the top two or three hundred.
Just imagining that allowed Sal to speed up more.
Running up several stairs at once, he realized he was floating slightly in the air every time he jumped.
For the next few sets of stairs, Sal moved by bouncing off the floor once and then rising as if floating, then turning direction on the next step to adjust acceleration again and fly.
This significantly reduced his physical fatigue, and he still had energy left when he arrived back at the lobby.
He ran gaining speed as he was, and using the newly learned acceleration, he shot out of the lobby and threw his body toward the welcome venue.
Some people overtaken by Sal exclaimed.
“What was that just now!”
“Is there another Speedster?”
Every time Sal strode forward, his heartbeat slowed down, and his steps became more natural.
He rested naturally in the short moments of gliding through the air.
Whether this was his body adapting to the ability, or simply his mind going hazy from exhaustion, Sal couldn't be sure.
Without a moment to think further, Sal arrived at the destination.
Cheers from parents and guardians supporting their children rushed in.
Sal deactivated the ability, but couldn't reduce the entry acceleration at all.
‘Aaaagh…!’
Eventually dragging his feet and sliding across the floor, he slowly stopped in the center of the event hall.
Sal was tormented by shame, but pretending to be calm somehow, he looked around to find his parents.
He desperately hoped he wasn't too late.
“-vatore Argento!”
The Headmaster spoke with a voice ringing through the venue and pointed to the ranking board on the stage.
Sal’s name was displayed there.
His parents weren't visible, but a group of upperclassmen in black uniforms with colorful color patterns on each shoulder sent thunderous applause toward Sal.
They were 2nd and 3rd year students, and the sound of their applause overwhelmed the cheers of the adults.
Unable to even move his body, Sal just sat there until sensation returned to his legs.
He lifted his head and looked at the ranking board.
And for the second time that day, he felt like time had stopped.
Rank 42: Salvatore Argento