Chapter 5: Rend

With the issue of activating his very first powers settled, Karl could finally rest easy for a few seconds. That was all it took for him to see the homework assignment on the table and realize that there was still a lot for him to do before they reached the Academy. 'Alright, let's get this done in advance, and then I can relax.' His silent motivational speech had very little effect, but Karl sat down with a pen and the homework assignment in front of him. Name, Karl. Age, Fourteen. Skill Name: It only had one spot for a skill name, and that made him assume that it was normal for a newly awakened student to only have one skill. But which should he put in there? Beast Taming, Super Vision or Rend? This homework would be posted for the class, he was certain, so he didn't want to give away the extent of his abilities to the other students and become the target of other students' envy before he could defend himself. Plus, the contracted pet might be a magical beast, the Windspeed Hawk, but it was still a gosling, and wouldn't grow into its full power for months or even years. Wouldn't he just become a new target of bullying if he showed everyone a baby bird as his power? Super Vision seemed like it was much cooler and more useful, but it wasn't a combat skill, and for the elite, combat strength was King. So, he went back to the bed and picked up the short sword again, determined to make [Rend] work. Activating the skill was incredibly easy, a single thought lit up the blade with a dull red light, and when he swung it toward the portion of the wall that was marked [Testing Area], a crescent arc of destructive power was thrown out and absorbed by the high-tech alloy. Drawing the blade through the air when using Rend was like mixing thick dough, he could barely move his arm, and the blade speed was slow, but the skill formed as the blade moved, so with a bit more training, it should be faster to activate. Rend would definitely make him friends in class. With a bit more effort, it could slice a wide swathe through enemies, and allow him to target an entire group. Karl hurried back over to the sheet and filled out the questions about his skill, including the restriction on movement speed when using the attack, which limited how fast it could be activated. If he thought about it, there might be a way around that if he was already moving when he activated the skill. Wasn't that how Hawks hunted? They didn't rely on strength, they came in at high speed and took out their prey in a single strike. If he could determine how that skill was supposed to be used, his combat power would increase drastically. But other than the skill, the questionnaire also asked about the user. Any headaches, feelings that you had forgotten something important, physical increases or decreases? Karl tested himself, and other than the Super Vision, he had definitely also become a bit more flexible. Not by a lot, but it was clearly noticeable. In the end, he decided to leave that portion of the questionnaire marked with 'none'. If the agility increase improved in the future, he could blame it on something else from his training. After all, some of the elite were said to be true superhuman monsters, and some were just as frail and human as always, but with mind-boggling supernatural powers. One of the idols had even sprained an ankle after stumbling to go on stage for a meet and greet event. That seemed like pretty conclusive proof that the injection's skill distribution system did not distribute physical enhancements in a fair and equal manner. Once he was satisfied that the answers would be enough for the Academy to rate him fairly highly among his classmates, Karl carefully slid the paper into the envelope provided and placed it in the tray by the door. That was everything that he was expected to do until they arrived at the Academy, but he couldn't help wanting to try out more and better ways to use the [Rend] skill. What if he tried to be more like the Hawk? There should have been a clawed gauntlet among the equipment there, as well as a trident. Both would replicate the three claws of the mark on his arm, but the trident was a stabbing weapon, which didn't seem well suited to how the skill worked. He opened the drawer again and put back the sword before taking out a pair of gauntlets with clawed tips on the fingers. As a weapon, they weren't too impressive, but they looked like they would work with the skill that he had. They were a bit big on his hand, as Karl was slightly smaller than average, but after a few buckle adjustments, they fit well enough, and he tried the skill again. With his hand extended out in front of him, the way a Hawk would when swooping down on prey, he flexed his fingers, and four small streaks of red light tore through the air in front of him to hit the wall. Each of them was much less impressive than the one created by the sword, but the speed was incredibly fast, and they would hit multiple areas on the target. Against lightly armoured targets, that seemed like the better path. The more attack blades they had to dodge or block, the better. Each time he used the skill, it seemed to drain some of his energy, and after only a few more swings, Karl could feel his arms getting weaker, and he had to sit down and catch his breath. This was going to become an issue very quickly while doing combat training. He had spent plenty of time in the gym, but he was trying to improve his physique, not build his stamina and endurance. But that was what the school was for, all he had to do was focus on his training, and it would definitely work out in the end. As Karl massaged his sore arms, the first of the other students were only just beginning to wake up and begin reading the guidebook. It wasn't much of a head start, but the first awakened elite of the batch was already determined.