Pagi berikutnya datang dengan cepat, sinar matahari menyusup ke kamar Asher saat ia tertidur di ranjangnya tanpa beban. Biasanya, Asher seharusnya sudah bangun sebelum jam ini, entah sedang berlatih atau bersiap menuju Gedung Fasilitas Latihan, tetapi kali ini tidak ada satu pun yang ia lakukan. Untuk sekali ini, tubuhnya tetap diam di bawah selimut, rileks dan tanpa kewaspadaan, seolah sang pejuang tanpa henti di dalam dirinya akhirnya mengizinkan dirinya menikmati momen istirahat yang langka.
Selama sebulan terakhir, kemampuannya di semua bidang melesat naik ke tingkat yang gila-gilaan berkat dedikasi tanpa henti dan bakatnya yang monstrous. Walaupun ia belum menggunakan satupun dalam pertempuran sungguhan, itu tidak mengubah fakta bahwa kemajuannya keterlaluan di segala aspek. Kontrolnya lebih tajam, eksekusinya lebih bersih, dan bahkan pada gerakan energi Astra, gravitasi, atau ruang sekecil apapun, semuanya patuh padanya dengan kepatuhan yang hampir seperti insting. Singkatnya, ia telah tumbuh sangat efisien, efisiensi yang hanya lahir dari pengulangan tak terhitung dan obsesi yang tenang.
Dengan gerakan tubuh yang tiba-tiba, ia menguap sambil meregangkan badan, matanya terbuka perlahan menyambut dunia sekitarnya. Ia mengayunkan kakinya ke sisi ranjang lalu bangkit untuk bersiap menjalani hari. Setelah mandi cepat dan makan, keduanya dilakukan dengan kelancaran mekanis, Asher memutuskan untuk memulai harinya. Tidak ada kemalasan dalam gerakannya, hanya ketenangan, seolah setiap tindakan sudah diperhitungkan dan diterima.
Hari ini, ia memutuskan untuk masuk kelas. Karena sebulan terakhir ia tidak masuk dan kini akhirnya bebas dari pengasingan diri di fasilitas latihan, ia akan mengikuti kelas wajib. Setelah itu, ia akan memulai misi solo untuk mengumpulkan poin. Rencananya sederhana, lugas dan praktis, persis seperti yang ia sukai. Kumpulkan poin, tumbuh lebih kuat, ulangi.
Asher melangkah keluar dari kamarnya dengan tenang, pintu menutup lembut di belakangnya. Wajahnya tampak semakin tampan, seolah kemajuannya menuju Peringkat Kehidupan Swiftstar semakin menyempurnakan fitur-fiturnya. Garis rahangnya terlihat lebih tegas, postur tubuhnya lebih tegak, dan kepercayaan diri yang tenang di sekitarnya semakin tebal. Bukan kesombongan, hanya pengamatan sederhana; kekuatan sering kali membentuk tubuh sama seperti usaha.
'Karena hari ini Jumat, aku harus menerima poin mingguan yang diberikan Akademi Bintang, dan hari ini juga kelas pertarungan jarak dekat,' pikir Asher. Ia tidak repot-repot memeriksa, karena ia sudah tahu Akademi Bintang akan mentransfer seribu lima ratus poin untuknya. Sistem mereka presisi, dan mereka tidak pernah salah soal hadiah dan hukuman.
Sebelum ia sempat bertanya pada Sistem tentang waktu, Sistem langsung berbunyi, seolah telah beradaptasi sempurna sebagai jam dan tahu ia tidak bisa menahan diri untuk menjalankan tugas sebelum diminta.
[10:45 pagi, Tuan Rumah]
Asher terdiam sejenak, lalu tersenyum tipis dan menggelengkan kepala melihat antusiasme Sistem. Akhir-akhir ini ia responsif sekali, hampir seperti telah mengembangkan kepribadiannya sendiri.
'Lima belas menit lagi kelas mulai,' pikir Asher. Karena masih ada cukup waktu, ia berjalan santai, tidak ada alasan untuk tergesa-gesa. Bergerak cepat tanpa alasan terasa sia-sia baginya.
Di perjalanan, ia bertemu beberapa teman sekelas yang juga menuju tempat kelas. Tidak ada yang menyapanya, dan ia pun tidak menyapa siapapun. Keheningan di antara mereka saling dipahami. Sebagian menghindarinya karena takut, sebagian karena menghormati, dan beberapa hanya tidak tahu bagaimana mendekati seseorang yang pernah mengalahkan Pangeran sendiri.
Dalam beberapa menit, ia sudah tiba di tempat kelas akan diadakan, dan karena kelas pertarungan jarak dekat lebih berupa sesi praktik, kelas ini digelar di area terbuka, bukan di ruang kelas.
Mata Asher menyapu para siswa yang hadir, ia juga mencari William dan Finch, tetapi mereka tidak ada. 'Sepertinya mereka sedang berlatih atau menjalankan misi,' pikir Asher, lalu menggelengkan kepala pelan. Ia juga memperhatikan kehadiran Ryaen Silvershade, tetapi mereka hanya saling mengangguk tanpa sepatah kata, pengakuan tenang yang tidak memerlukan percakapan.
Asher tidak terkejut dengan kehadirannya. Ia spesialis pertarungan jarak dekat, jadi wajar bila ia melewatkan kelas lain tapi tidak yang ini. Darissa Camber dan Si Kembar Kerajaan juga hadir. Asher hanya melirik mereka sekilas, tatapannya acuh, lalu mengalihkan perhatian. Ia tidak tertarik pada obrolan ringan atau interaksi yang tidak perlu.
Karena tempatnya terbuka, tidak ada tempat duduk, tidak ada dinding atau pohon untuk bersandar, jadi Asher melayang dan berbaring telentang di atas ruang hampa dan udara tipis, seolah itu posisi paling alami di dunia. Bagi orang lain, itu tampak absurd, hampir surealis, tapi baginya itu hanya penerapan santai dari kemampuannya.
Asher bisa merasakan tatapan para siswa lain padanya, tajam dan penasaran, sebagian kagum sementara yang lain gelisah, tapi ia tidak bereaksi. Ia hanya diam seolah tidak merasakannya sama sekali. Waktu mengabur saat detik berubah menjadi menit, udara semakin berat oleh penantian, dan tak lama kemudian sang Instruktur tiba, dan seperti biasa, ia membuat penampilan yang mencolok.
Semua orang mendengar ledakan sonik itu. Kepala mereka tersentak ke atas secara refleks. Detik berikutnya, sebuah kabur menyambar ke bawah dan mendarat di tengah area terbuka dengan dampak yang mengoyak jurang dangkal di tanah. Debu dan puing meledak ke luar. Melalui asap yang berputar, Instruktur kelas pertarungan jarak dekat melangkah keluar dengan seringai lebar di wajahnya, terlihat lebih seperti maniak pertempuran daripada seorang guru.
Tidak ada yang terkejut dengan kemunculan mendadak itu, karena mereka semua tahu pria itu memang selalu begitu. Sementara instruktur lain hanya masuk kelas seperti orang normal, ia selalu membuat pintu masuk yang dramatis, seolah kehalusan adalah konsep yang tidak pernah ia pelajari.
The next morning arrived just as swiftly, sun rays poured into Asher’s room as he slept on his bed without a care in the world. Normally, Asher was already supposed to be awake before this time, already training or getting ready to head to the Training Facility Building, but he had done none of that. For once, his body remained still beneath the sheets, relaxed and unguarded, as though the relentless warrior within him had finally allowed himself a rare moment of genuine rest.
During the past month, his proficiency in all his abilities had skyrocketed to an insane degree due to his continuous dedication and monstrous talent. Although he had not used any of them in an actual battle yet, it did not change the fact that his progress was ridiculous in every conceivable aspect. His control was sharper, his execution cleaner, and even with the smallest movements of Astra energy, gravity, or space obeyed him with an obedience that bordered on instinct. Simply put, he had grown frighteningly efficient, the kind of efficiency that only came from countless repetitions and quiet obsession.
With a sudden shift of his body, he yawned as he stretched, his eyes fluttering open to the world around him. He swung his legs to the side of the bed as he rose to prepare for the day. After a quick bath and meal, both done with mechanical smoothness, Asher decided to begin his day. There was no laziness in his movements, only calm composure, as though every action had already been calculated and accepted.
Today, he decided to attend classes. Since he had not attended for the past month and was finally free from his self-imposed isolation within the training facility, he would attend the compulsory classes. After that, he would begin his solo missions for points. It was a simple plan, straightforward and practical, exactly the way he preferred things to be. Earn points, grow stronger, repeat.
Asher stepped out of his room with calm ease, the door closing softly behind him. His face seemed to have grown even more handsome, as though his progress toward the Swiftstar Life Rank had refined his features further. His jawline appeared sharper, his posture straighter, and the quiet confidence around him thicker. It was not vanity but simple observation; strength often shaped the body just as much as effort did.
’Since today is Friday, I should be getting the weekly points that are given to me by the Star Academy, and today is also the hand-to-hand combat class,’ Asher thought to himself. He did not bother to check, as he already knew the Star Academy would have credited him with one thousand five hundred points. Their system was precise, and they never made mistakes when it came to rewards and punishments.
Before he could even ask the system for the time, the system immediately chimed, as though it had perfectly adapted to being a clock and knew it could not resist fulfilling the task before he even asked.
[10:45 a.m., Host]
Asher stayed silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and shook his head at the eagerness of the system. It was oddly responsive lately, almost as though it had developed a personality of its own.
’Fifteen minutes until class begins,’ Asher thought to himself. Since he still had enough time, he simply walked with a calm stride, as there was no reason to rush. Moving hurriedly for no reason felt pointless to him.
On the way, he met a few of his classmates who were also heading toward the class venue. None of them greeted him, and neither did he greet any of them. The silence between them was mutual and understood. Some avoided him out of fear, others out of respect, and a few simply did not know how to approach someone who had defeated the Prince himself.
Within a few minutes, he was already at the venue where the class was set to be held, and since the hand-to-hand combat class was more of a practical session, it was conducted in an open area rather than a classroom.
Asher’s eyes shifted between the students present as he searched for William and Finch too, but they were not there. ’It seems they are either training or on a mission,’ Asher thought to himself, then shook his head lightly. He also noticed Ryaen Silvershade’s presence, but they simply nodded at one another without a word, a quiet acknowledgment that required no conversation.
Asher was not surprised by her presence. She was a hand-to-hand specialist, so it was normal that she might miss any other class but this one. Darissa Camber and the Royal Twins were also present. Asher simply glanced at them briefly, his gaze indifferent, before turning his attention away. He had no particular interest in small talk or unnecessary interactions.
Since it was an open space, there was nowhere to sit, no wall or tree to rest against, so Asher simply floated and lay down flatly on nothing but thin air and space itself, as though it were the most natural position in the world. To others, it looked absurd, almost surreal, but to him, it was just another casual application of his abilities.
Asher could feel the gazes of other students on him, sharp and curious, some filled with awe while others carried unease, but he did not react. He simply remained silent as though he did not sense them at all. Time blurred as seconds turned into minutes, the air growing heavier with wait, and before long, the Instructor arrived, and as usual, he made his flashy appearance.
Everyone heard the sonic boom. Their heads snapped upward instinctively. The next moment, a blur tore downward and landed in the middle of the open space with an impact that tore a shallow ravine open across the ground. Dust and debris exploded outward. Through the churning smoke, the Instructor for the hand-to-hand combat class stepped out with a wide grin on his face, looking more like a battle maniac than a teacher.
No one was surprised by the sudden entrance, as they all knew the man had always been this way. While other instructors simply walked into their classes like normal people, he always made an entrance, as though subtlety was a concept he had never learned.
"How are you, green horns, feeling this morning?" his voice boomed across the open space, his smile ever present. None of the students replied, as this was always the Instructor’s first line whenever he arrived, more of a declaration than a question.
The Instructor for the hand-to-hand combat class was named Jude, one of the strongest beings within the Star Academy, alongside Instructor Jane. His reputation alone was enough to silence even the most arrogant students.
Suddenly, Instructor Jude’s smile widened as his eyes fell on a floating student. "Hooo!!! Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence." His blue eyes flashed with interest and amusement.
Asher’s eyelids lifted open as he changed position midair, then gently descended and landed on his feet. He was already used to Instructor Jude’s behavior. To Asher, Instructor Jude was the kind of man who was straightforward and did not bother with tricks or schemes. If there was an issue, punch it. If it still existed, punch it harder. That seemed to be the entire philosophy of the man.
Instructor Jude came to a stop before Asher. Despite Asher standing at six foot six, the man was still taller, towering at a whopping seven feet. His hair was white, his eyes bright blue, and his build monstrous as he stared down at Asher like a mountain looking at a blade of grass.
If there was one rule within the anime community, it was that any white-haired character was overpowered, and Asher was certain that Instructor Jude lived up to that statement. After all, from the way he spoke, walked, grinned, and smiled, all of it seemed to carry power on an entirely different scale, as though the very air trembled slightly around him.
Asher did not speak. His purple eyes simply met Instructor Jude’s blue ones, calm and silent, neither intimidated nor impressed, just steady, like still water facing a raging storm.
_____
AUTHOR’S NOTE: So, because of the love, support, and gifts I’ve received in the entire eight months since I started this book, I’ve decided to release three Chapters per day throughout this month. Although we didn’t get to the top 10 to warrant the reward, it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the effort and love you all have shown and showered upon him. This is my way of saying thanks, as words alone aren’t enough.
Thank you all, and yes, as a shameless and greedy author, it’s my trademark and signature move to ask for super gifts, best if it’s for free as super gifts normally warrant bonus Chapters as everyone knows.
Love y’all, and if I could, I would marry y’all, but y’all are so far away... sigh.
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