Transcendent Gene
Chapter 205: Entering The Academy [1]

Chapter 205: Entering The Academy [1]

Gio slept.

"Refreshed" was an understatement for how he felt when he opened his eyes. Even saying he "slept" could be considered understating the situation.

When Gio’s consciousness returned, he felt like he had been reborn. He felt like he crawled out of the depths of Hell and returned to the world of the living, breathing in its air for the first time in an eternity.

The morning dew was sweet on his lips as it dripped through the sticks shielding him from the world.

His eyes fluttered open to the world’s natural beauty. Rays of sunshine illuminated the burrow through the cracks in the walls and the entrance. The sounds of beasts existing in their natural ecosystem filled his ears.

"Mmgh..."

Gio raised his body off of the ground and glanced over to the side. Norah was sleeping a bit further away and didn’t seem like she’d wake up any time soon.

Leaving her alone, he crawled out of the burrow and finally stretched his body.

His mind was unbelievably clear. The sun was barely over the horizon, so he knew he hadn’t slept for too long, but he was convinced it had somehow been sixteen hours.

All of the soreness that had been plaguing him was gone. A weight was taken off of his shoulders, and in its place, he was granted wings.

Gio looked down at his arms and clenched his fists.

’This is an interesting feeling.’

It was so similar to the feeling of ranking up that it confused him.

’My Bloodline Evolution is still at zero percent. I can feel that I haven’t taken any of the steps needed for it.’

Yet...

’There’s no mistake.’

Gio pulled his fist back and twisted his hips, throwing a rapid jab forward.

Crack!

The air cracked against the force of his fist.

He punched out again before moving his body along a pattern that showcased several different martial techniques together.

He moved through different styles of attack, using his entire body as a weapon against the air.

His movements were enhanced by Aether, but that was par for course.

’The improvement of my physical body is minimal. That energy went into my flesh and bones to forcefully improve them so they wouldn’t collapse.’

His physical body was only strong enough to support him. It wasn’t the main character.

Aether, on the other hand, was a very strong contender for that role.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

His every strike caused the air to whip into a frenzy and crack under pressure. His movements were charged with a kind of power he didn’t know he had.

Boom!

He slammed his fist into the trunk of a nearby tree, instantly carving a hole halfway through its form.

As he moved to the side, the tree fell next to him, unable to support its own weight any longer.

’I don’t need to actively remember how many trees we knocked down during our last fight to know I couldn’t do that.’

Aether was a force that qualitatively increased his strength already. That force received an enhancement of its own, so what did that mean for him?

In any way he could use Aether, he could now use it better. He could be faster, stronger, more perceptive, and more flexible.

’And that’s not it.’

He couldn’t figure out what changed about [Memory Book]. In fact, even in the tower, [Memory Book] never showed signs of visible improvement despite how strong he became.

Hekat showed off its changes immediately. Gio had to stop the snake from showing itself and scaring Neriah before they escaped the legacy. Now that they were safe, the serpent once again wanted to bring its new form into the world.

Gio smiled wryly as he heard its voice in his head.

’I know what you want, but wait until we’re somewhere safer. You know this isn’t a good time.’

He placated it by letting it know that it would get its chance. He never planned to abandon the Rune because he got a new Sequence.

With Hekat out of the way, there was only one final thing to test.

Bzzt!

He called upon his sparkling blue energy, raising it around his body.

’I already felt it once. Even that single spark felt like a bullet. If I really try to put my power to use...’

Virtual blue light formulated into an arsenal of weapons attached to his arms, torso, back, and sides. A high-pitched whirring filled the air as he sent more and more energy into every single weapon he summoned.

[Siege Armament]

A grin formed on his face.

[Burs–

"–Can you not?"

Before he could call out the move in his head, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"..."

He froze for a second.

All of his energy disappeared in a flash as if it never existed in the first place.

See, he’d forgotten something.

There was indeed someone sleeping very close by, wasn’t there?

Technically, it was impossible for him to forget about it, but, well...

"You’re up?"

Gio turned around with a sheepish grin.

"If I could stay asleep with all that noise going on, then I’d have already found a way to make money off of it."

Neriah shook her head with a sigh. Her speech had become more comfortable in recent times, but her bluntness never changed.

"It’s fine, since we had to wake up soon regardless."

She fell asleep not long after Gio did. She only needed to confirm that their position was secure before succumbing to fatigue.

"It looks like you’ve been having fun."

"Something like that. I got a pretty big gift at the end of that."

"Yeah, me too. VNIR seems to be an interesting group."

"That might be the understatement of the year."

Gio shook his head wryly.

"I don’t want to rush you since I did technically just force you awake, but if we want to make it back in time, we should leave soon."

"In time, you say..." Neriah replied.

"You’ve been saying that, but what deadline are you trying to hit?"

Gio shrugged and answered her, telling her about the week-long entrance ceremony that he had practically confirmed through his father.

"Today is the last day if my guess is right. I want to make it back before things blow up."

It was a fair enough reason.

’The First Institute’s entrance ceremony is a highly televised event.’

Not the ceremony they were partaking in, but the one portrayed to the outside world.

The First Institute was always being watched when new students were set to arrive, and if someone spotted the disappearance of two of those students...

"Give me a few minutes," Neriah finally said.

She only needed some time to get herself together. Her vision hadn’t even properly adapted to the light of the sun before their conversation started and ended.

But, just like him, after being refreshed by a night’s rest, she was able to refocus on her original goal.

She didn’t just have ambitions about strength, after all.

The futures in store for them both were awaiting them at the First Institute.

So, without a moment of wasted time, they were on the way back to that place once Neriah was ready.

They could only imagine the kind of circus they’d return to.