198 Dust of Past - I
The room was filled with mana as Asher kept trying to force his Mana Core to consume more pure mana from the crystal.
[ Host’s Mana Heart is strengthening….. ]
He had received several such notifications till now. It was already the second day, and Asher could feel that he was nearing the completion of his mana core.
His whole body was feeling the burden from his mana core and the amount of mana all around him.
[ Host has increased his Mana Core from D+ → C- Rank ]
[ Rune of Eirdin is activating ]
[ Host’s intelligence is negating the side effects!! ]
[ Side effects partially negated ]
It was a similar but denser feeling than last time. Lost in his concentration, Asher felt multiple memories flash towards him.
But due to his high intelligence stat, the effect of Rune of Eirdin was partially negated.
However, Asher was still experiencing parts of his life as memories kept flooding in.
***
“Rank 1 goes to Kevin Whiteheart!” Xander announced as a handsome, white-haired boy walked up to the stage.
The top ten were:
1. Kevin Whiteheart
2. Matthew
3. Lishia Halcyon
4. Elena Rothschild
5. Sam Allister
6. Amelia Greville
7. Eva Williams
8. Damian Seymour
9. Alan Astaria
10. Venessa Baker
Many of the students present cheered for him. Kevin was well-known for his good personality among the first-year students.
“So, these are the First Year Rankers,” Xander announced as he briefly looked towards a boy sitting in the front rows.
With black hair and crimson red eyes, it was easy to distinguish Asher from other students.
Asher noticed Xander’s gaze but he ignored it.
He looked at the stage where the Rankers were standing, and among them were Amelia and Damian.
‘It’s boring,’ Asher thought as he stood up.
“Is he mad?” Some of the students started talking among themselves.
“I mean, even his younger sister is a Ranker…” Talks like these were happening, but Asher ignored them.
“But he still managed to claim a spot in the Top 15!” One of them said.
For someone who had recently awakened, it was impressive for him to secure a spot in the Top 15.
“Where is he going?” Damian muttered as Amelia’s attention shifted towards Asher who was walking out of the hall.
She was going to congratulate Kevin, Elena, and Eva but stopped as she looked at Asher.
She felt a bit awkward seeing Asher leave the room, and like others, she also thought that Asher was not feeling comfortable seeing her and Damian on the stage, unlike him.
She was about to speak with Damian about this but Elena’s voice stopped her.
“Amelia, congratulations!!” She held Amelia’s hand as Eva and Kevin also approached her.
“Yeah, you too,” Amelia replied with a courtesy smile.
“We were going towards the Ranker’s Dorm, do you want to come with us?” Kevin asked Amelia with a smile on his face.
“Ah, but,” She turned and looked at Damian.
“I am going outside for a bit, but if you want to go with them, then it’s fine,” Damian replied as he went after Asher.
“Come on, come with us,” Elena saw the opportunity and grabbed Amelia’s attention before she could talk with Damian any further.
Outside, the Hall Damian was going after Asher when he saw Asher standing in front of a pink-haired girl who was in her wheelchair.
Seconds ago,
Asher was leaving the Hall when he saw Alyssa who was going back to her Dorm after seeing the Ranking List. She was in the Top 20 so it was a good thing, but her goal was to become a Ranker.
But seeing herself fail, broke her a bit.
She had failed to win in the Representative Tournament and now she didn’t make it in the Top 10.
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These days had been tough for her, constantly being belittled by Alan and other students, and sometimes even the Professor would treat her like the rest of the students.
Anger and frustration were building inside her, but she couldn’t do anything at all. Voices in her head kept screaming at her. It was getting difficult for her to even sleep properly as nightmares kept haunting her.
A drop of tear fell on her knees when she noticed Asher who was standing beside her.
“W-What do you want?” Alyssa asked after clearing her throat.
Asher’s emotionless eyes kept staring at Alyssa who was confused as to why Asher Greville was staring at her. She knew about him because he was the Heir of the Greville Family and many people, even her class, talked about him.
“Nothing,” Asher said as he turned and went his way.
She looked at his back and saw a brown-haired boy coming his way.
Alyssa kept looking at his back for a few more seconds before she went her way.
“What are you thinking?” Damian, who had caught up to Asher, asked.
“That girl was weird,” Asher muttered but Damian heard it.
“Wasn’t she Alyssa Astaria?” Damian said as he looked back.
“Did she say anything to you?” Damian asked but Asher didn’t reply as he kept thinking about something.
Hours went by and Asher was in the VIP Dorms and started training.
‘Weird,’ Asher described his thoughts when he saw Alyssa.
He had only recently found a way to suppress his inner urges and it was when he went for a Dungeon Exploration Test where he had killed various monsters. His headache calmed down a lot and he felt relieved when he killed those monsters.
Not completely but it helped him greatly. Every time he would look at someone he would feel nothing about them. It was a strange feeling but that made him feel that he was different from everyone around him.
Something in his instincts told him that he was meant to be alone. His life would remain grey as it had been.
And this was the reason he had left the Hall, because he was not finding it interesting, and his inner urges and headaches would increase so he simply left as he felt that it was a better choice.
And when he saw Alyssa who was crying alone, it felt strange to him. He didn’t notice it completely but his mind became a bit clearer, and he was not getting that estranged feeling from her that he got from everyone.
‘This was the start,’ Asher’s consciousness that was seeing these memories thought.
The memory changed and it was the Classroom where Professor Dahlia came in and announced the Three Test Results.
“What, Asher Greville is Rank 1 in theory?” Many students were shocked but the one who was most shocked was Eva.
“And you all have chosen your subjects so…” Professor Dahlia started her class.
‘How?’ Eva clenched her fist as her mind got distracted from the class.
She had always thought that academics were her strongest point.
Kevin and Elena saw that Eva was a bit upset with her results.
When Professor Dahlia left, Eva stood up and went towards Asher who was about to leave.
“I will beat you next time,” She said to him and Asher looked at her.
“Can I go?” He asked as he stood up and looked down at her.
Asher had realized that he was different from other people so he avoided people as much as he could.
Taking Asher’s word as mocking, some students started giggling making Eva feel a bit embarrassed.
“Why are you being so rude to her?” Kevin asked as he went to defend Eva.
Asher’s emotionless eyes stared at Kevin for a short time.
‘Annoying…’ Asher thought.
“Don’t waste my time,” Asher went past Eva and Kevin, ignoring their questions.