Dreambreaker

Chapter 11: What the hell is Nano?

Instructor let out a sigh and peered at the crystal ball.

He confirmed it was in working order.

I tried again, but still, nothing happened.

-"Looks like we've got a dud in the class," someone complimented.

Another voice chimed in,"That's strange... "

The taunts began.

- "Wow, I've never seen someone fail to activate a mana crystal before. Is his mana that weak?"

In the background, I could discern the sounds of some female students giggling like hyenas who found their prey.

I looked back to see Freya among the group of students.

It was clear that they weren't going to leave this chance to mock me.

'Tsk...fucking bitches.'

- "That's strange, it worked for me just fine."

-"Ugh! Why is he even here if he don't even have an affinity?" a girl's voice interjected. Freya.

- "This is a waste of time."

- "I can't believe we have to put up with this incompetence."

I refused to falter or show any signs of being affected by what they said.

Without wasting any more time there, I left the room with a frown etched on my face.

-"Can't believe we have such lossers in our class!" The voices of taunts trailed off as I walked away.

My frown wasn't because of what they said, but because of what had happened. It only meant one thing.

"I have no mana core. That also explains why my mana capacity is 0."

.

.

.

In this world filled with monsters and magic it's impossible to survive without a mana core.

If it was somebody else in my place they would have certainly been depressed.

After pondering for sometime I came up with two solutions.

Solution no.1→ Acquire a mana circuit tattoo. The challenge lay in the nonexistence of the mana circuit tatto.

'It was only introduced in the later half of the novel. This circuit functions as a converter that absorbs and augments atmospheric mana.'

Waiting for its development is not an option as time is of the essence.

Therefore, I must take the initiative to create it myself.

Solution no.2→I need to learn Aura and get my hands on more mysteries.

As I was formulating the plan of action I should be taking...

—????????! I bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're going."

Turning my head, I saw two boys.

One with orange hair and blue eyes, and the other with black hair and violet eyes.

I immediately recognized Luke Armstone, one of Takahasi's layckeys, who was likely ranked F.

I was easily able to memorize his character due to his orange hair.

The other boy was unknown to me.

"Isn't he that weakling from the affinity test?" Luke asked, pointing at me. "And now he's walking around like he owns the place."

"I think we need to teach him a lesson and put him back in his place." The other boy suggested.

Before I could react, Luke kicked me in the groin, causing me to sink to the ground in pain.

'Fuck this!' The pain began in my kidneys as I sank to my knees.

Luke raised his fist, and I could feel mana radiating from it, glowing with a slight blue hue.

I tried to dodge, but my body gave out on me.

While a normal human might have survived the blow, I knew I couldn't. I didn't even had a mana core.

[Sensing danger from hostile entity.]

[Initiating healing process. Numbing sensory nerves for instant pain relief.]

[Activating augmented reality on user's field of vision to deal with the threat.]

[Activate battle mode? To enter battle mode, initiate command "Let's go."]

Without thinking too much I replied with, "Let's go."

As the fist came at me, my body reacted on its own.

My knees bent as if they had their own brain, and moved out of the way, avoiding the punch while my arms covered my face in a boxing stance.

It was a downward movement—a duck. It was quick and swift. Luke completely missed his punch.

A smile prostrated to my lips. A reaction of amazement.

Seeing me smile seemed to infuriate him, and he followed up with another punch.

As the fist flew at me, my body seemed to move of its own, like an instinct. No...not an instinct, but more like an ultra instinct.

My body dodged the punch, in a rotating motion.

My right fist clenched with a surge of energy and flew at him.

My left foot turned, my wrist twisted with the punch, delivering a sharp impact to the center of his sternum—????????????????????!

The satisfying thud reverberated through me. The attack was followed up with three more punches, each landing with precision in that very second. ??????! ??????! ??????!

The movement was fluid, each limb working in perfect harmony as I executed the combination flawlesly.

My fist swiftly pulled back from the punch, deftly catching Luke's collar in a fluid motion.

Drawing him closer, the coordinated movement of my left fist followed, connecting solidly with the bridge of his nose. Luke passed out.

"You freak!" exclaimed the other one with black hair and violet eyes. He lifted his foot, aiming to kick me.

Without hesitation, my leg moved and stepped on his leg before it could raise to a kick.

I jumped using his leg as footing to wrap both my legs around his neck in a triangle shape. At the same time, my hands pressed onto his head.

[Releasing Adrenaline...]

The stength in my hands increased with a sudden surge of energy and my heart rate quickend—????????!????????!????????!

??????!—I could hear a sound coming from his neck.

"Stop! Nano stop!"

[Ending Battle sequence.]

My pupils were shaking probably from excitement.

???????????? ????????????!— My heart was beating like a smith's hammer.

Before my eyes, Luke was passed out on the ground with blood dripping out of his nose and the other one went to sleep.

Seeing the scene infront of me only one thought crossed my mind, 'What the hell is Nano?'

Was Nano really just built to save me or was there something else that grandpa didn't tell me?

***

?????????? ????????'?? ??????(?????????? ???? ????????):

The cascading droplets kissed down my flesh.

With a soft touch, I silenced the shower and wrapped myself in a plush towel, stepping out.

Through the hazy veil of steam, I caught a glimpse of myself in the wall-to-wall mirror.

As the steam parted before my gaze, I couldn't help but admire the way my curves looked.

Tilting to the side, I caught a glimpse of a tantalizing curve, tracing the arch of my lower back until my smile grew into something sultry and seductive.

Truly, there were few who could deny my allure.

Currently I was in A-1, Hostel Building.

—??????????-??????????!

"Excuse me, m'lady, but sir Reed is on the line," informed the maid.

My countenance seized up, but I took a deep breath and loosened my tension.

With a measured tone, I replied, "I shall be with him shortly. Kindly instruct Father to hold off for a moment."

Stepping out of the bathroom, I prepared myself for what awaited.

—??????????!

With a clicking sound I brought the smart phone near my ear.

"Good day, dear father. May I inquire as to what great fortune has bestowed upon me the pleasure of your call today?"

"I am your father, Emily. It's only natural for me to keep in touch with you."

I could feel the seriousness in his voice.

I quickly fixed my elocution and answered in a more earnest tone,"Oh, of course. Sorry if my words sounded ungrateful, that wasn't my intentio-."

"No worries. Now, tell me about your affinity."

"Tsk!" I clicked my tounge. He wasn't even playful like before.

????????~

"During the ritual, the crystal emitted a bright green glow."

In a serene tone I continued "Teacher commented that my mana core has the wind affinity."

"Really?" father asked. I detected a shift in his tone.

Perhaps he held some pride for me.

Unintentionally, a sad smile gradually appeared on my face.

"I'm aware it's—????????! ??????, ????????'???? ????????????????????. My apologies, Emily, I need to leave." ??????????!

Before I could even reply, he terminated the call.

I stared at the phone silently for a few seconds.

He was a busy man, and with emergencies growing more prevalent these days, he had become busier than ever before.

But, it hurt to see that as time passed, father and I were growing farther apart.

I clenched my fist.

'That's why I must become stronger, so that I can soon assist him.'

***

?????????? ????????????'?? ??????(?????????? ???? ?????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????):

A pale boy was currently doing push ups on the floor.

His dark hair and eyes gave him a mysterious look. No, his eyes were not your regular dark-brown. They dark, like a black hole.

A shinning red bracelete, which appeared to be made of stone could be seen in his left arm.

He slowly sat up as he, panted heavily.

***

????????'?? ??????(???????? ???????? ???? ?????????)::

"Status!"

──────────────────────

┌─────────────────┐

│ S t a t u s W i n d o w ?

└─────────────────┘

Name: Noah Grey

Age: 16 (+23?)(=39?)

Class: None

Rank: (G-)

PRIMARY STATS →

╭─────────────────────╮

│ Health: G- │ 100/ 100

│ Mana: G- │ 100/ 100

│ Strength: G- │ 110/ 110

│ Dexterity: F+

│ Intelligence: ???

│ Mana Capacity: │ 0

╰─────────────────────╯

SECONDARY STATS→

╭───────────────╮

│Armor: G- │ 1

│Resistance: G- │ 1.2

│Stamina: G-

│Charm: E-

│Durability: G- │ 1

│Flexibility: B

╰───────────────╯

SKILLS:

- None

RELICS:

-None

ART:

-None

Propensity: None

Mysteries:

[Mystery of Teleportation]

Achivments:

[Legendary Achievment! Acquired the mystery of Teleportation!]

──────────────────────

"It should be about time, I should get going."

I took a glance at the room's simple decor, and its practicality made sense for a single occupant.

The comfortable twin sized bed was made up with fresh white sheets, and the standard-sized desk with a lamp and a comfortable chair made a cosy working area.

The walls were plain, and the wooden floor-boards were scuffed and well-worn.

A small closet, complete with hangers and shelves on one side, was tucked away next to the entrance.

I knew that other students from the academy were also staying at this same hostel, but everyone was given their own private room.

It wasn't quite as glamorous as the living spaces for students who ranked higher up, but I was grateful to have my own space to focus.

I was in A3 hostel of Arcanum Academy.

Ofcourse this place was for the bugs of 1st year. Bugs which included me.

Your average Joe is sent to A2 hostel with much better facility.

And those who are ranked 100 and above are sent to A1 hostel.

Of course, I don't need to mention but A1 hostel is a luxury resort with state of the art tech instilled in it compared to A3 hostel.

"It's about time I get going," I said to no one in particular while taking one last look at the room.

"I hope they are not dead yet."