Chapter 116: The Academy
While feeling like cursing upon hearing the phrase "changes in the world" from Iris, Christian eventually continued listening.
[The changes, naturally, were not recent ones,but have been occurring for years. It's just that they have become more apparent now.]
[It was also actually prophesied that these changes would come sooner or later, by some prominent ancient families.]
[While the exact content of the prophecy is not stated anywhere in the information we got, there are still signs that were told,]
[And they are actually four things, first is the volatile change in weather, second is about people losing control of themselves as they undergo some abnormal transformation, third, it will become easier to practice extraordinary powers, and the level of strength one would be able to exert will become much more enormous than before.]
[Then finally, the fourth is the coming of people from outside our world, and how their numbers will continue to increase over time.]
[While exactly when these changes in the world would end was not mentioned, still, inferring from these files and texts, it seems nowhere near the end.]
[Anyway, returning to the people coming from the other world, as I mentioned before, there actually aren't many things mentioned about them.]
[However, I still managed to determine that they are a group of people, not just an individual, and there appears to be some form of cooperation between them and the government.]
[One aspect of this cooperation involves providing the government with the practicing technique I just displayed on the screen, in exchange for permission to establish an academy exclusively under their control.]
[They will have full autonomy over this academy, with no interference permitted from anyone, managing it entirely on their own, and it is stated that it will be opened within two weeks.]
[Aside from these things, there's nothing else.]
'Now, after the fucking other world and the people from there, there's actually a prophecy too?'
The first thing Christian couldn't help but question internally, after listening to Iris's summary, was the prophecy.
He felt like the only thing left to hear was that there was an apocalypse coming and the world was ending.
Still, putting aside his nonsense and biased thoughts, he revisited what he had heard about the changes in the world and the prophecy. It all still felt somewhat vague, after all, as while the signs were mentioned, the more critical question, "why" the changes were occurring, in the first place, remained unanswered, and more than that, these changes were said to take time, but how much time exactly? Was it a matter of months? Years? Or perhaps even longer?
In the end, Christian stopped dwelling on the subject. He felt like he could take his time thinking up various theories later. For now, he redirected his attention back to the people from outside, as he felt they were far more important.
So, thinking about them and their demands, Christian decided to ask Iris, hoping she could clarify some of his doubts.
"What other information is currently known about the academy?"
"Actually, why an academy in the first place?"
"What would they gain from it, after all?"
[Their purpose, like the reason for opening the academy, is not mentioned at all.]
[As for the information about the academy, there is a document containing a statement and the requirements for admitting the current batch of students. However, it doesn't specify who was responsible for writing it, whether it was the government's side or the other party.]
[And if I were to summarize it, the academy focuses on teaching about extraordinary power and various subjects related to it.]
[As for the requirements for the first batch, only the most exceptional young individuals from ancient families or the sons and daughters of highly influential people in the country will be admitted.]
[The next batch will have its requirements significantly less demanding, but it's still far from being accessible to common people.]
"Hmm."
Christian couldn't help but feel a bit tempted after hearing what Iris said.
After all, if even the ancient families, who naturally possess extraordinary power techniques, are still sending their most praised sons and daughters, it meant the knowledge provided to the students must be far more precious than he could have assumed, likely even coveted by those ancient families.
Christian also couldn't help but wonder how they weren't worried about their techniques being leaked this way.
But in the end, he figured they must at least have some kind of safety measures in place against these kinds of risks, especially since they were people able to come from an other world. So, they should have some abilities.
'Actually, now that I think about it.'
"Iris, is there any mention of the strength of the people from outside?"
[Unfortunately, no.]
Getting the answer he expected left Christian slightly disappointed, but at the same time, it confirmed his thoughts that currently they are likely the most dangerous element around him.
After all, would the government have reached an agreement, like cooperating with them, if they weren't strong? It was unlikely. Such deals needed to be held between equal parties, which meant that this group alone must have the power to threaten the entire country, or at least that was his assumption. Discover exclusive content at M V L
Anyway, while their presence could be seen as dangerous or even a crisis, it was also an opportunity, as the academy itself was such a precious chance, after all.
Still, was it worth it, going out of his way, through all kinds of troubles, just to be admitted to it?
Christian naturally thought that if he were to give his all, he could have a chance to secure a seat in the next batch, even without knowing everything.
Through blackmail, fabrication, and hacking, he felt that nothing was impossible after all.
But again, he found himself asking if it was worth it.
For Christian, even before he got his Idle System, the academy arc in novels had always been the most hated part, after all.
In the first place, even if he were able to attend, would he have exceptional talent like the others?
In real life, he could just cheat his way with his Idle System, which he felt that with it, nothing was impossible.
But could he do the same there?
If he were to actually have mediocre talent, and needed to bear the harassment and bullying from other students because he had nothing but his handsome appearance, only to later face-slap them with the help of his Idle System.
Was something like this really worth it?
As Christian continued to imagine all kinds of scenarios, drawing from his experience of reading many novels, he realized that he was actually getting ahead of himself.
In the first place, it could turn out that, even with his abilities, it was actually impossible for him to get admitted to the first batch.
Most importantly, he no longer needed to worry about the lack of a technique to practice with, and it would still take a long time to master the one he had. By then, he might even have obtained another.
So, he was still far from reaching his limit or hitting any kind of barrier, and when that time come, he could naturally consider his options, so there was really no need to rush things for now.
Shaking his head in the end, Christian decided to change the gear of his thoughts, and asked.
"Then, Iris, is there anything else mentioned about the changes in the world?"
[Nothing aside from what I had already mentioned.]
Christian just nodded, as hearing the answer this time, he wasn't too bothered by it; it was just that after everything he had gone through to access this information, he felt he at least needed to confirm things.
As while he couldn't be bothered thinking about all kinds of scenarios regarding this subject, it didn't mean he wouldn't try to look further into the matter if the chance allowed it, after all.
Christian took a moment to gather his thoughts, and having arrived at this point, he finally remembered the initial purpose of this hacking attempt and couldn't help but ask Iris.
"Iris, is there anything else about extraordinary power or the ancient families that's worth knowing? Something very confidential?"
He had been sidetracked by things he discovered along the way, wasting some time. Still, he needed to find a solution to his problem, as merely acquiring extraordinary power wouldn't be enough.
[There is actually one thing, which among all the information we collected this time, has the highest level of confidentiality.]
"Oh, really?"
Christian, hearing the answer, felt his spirits lift a bit, as he hoped that it would be exactly what he needed.
[Yes, it's actually about special abilities, which very rarely, like in some abysmal chance, appear among common people, and with a slightly higher chance, appear among the ancient families."
"That's it!"
Christian's eyes sparkled as he heard the mention of special abilities, feeling like it was a godsend excuse he could tell his sister, and caught up in the moment, he even blurted out his thoughts.