Victor calmed down and shook his head. There was no point in thinking about his mentor anymore. Instead, he decided to read the description of the [Global] game he just accepted.
[89th Graduating Class - World]
[Game Description: Every year, each graduation class undergoes a trial to determine the greatest talents of their year. The trial this year will consist of four phases, each lasting three months. Rules, objectives, and rewards of each phase will be revealed after the previous one is complete.]
Game Timer: One Year]
[89th Graduating Class - Phase 1 ]
[Game Description: The first phase consists of multiple schoolwide competitions focusing on individual talent. Participants will have three months to collect as many achievement points as possible by coming first on active leaderboards, challenging fellow participants, winning organized games, or breaking records set by previous students. Those who earn achievement point's will have access to an exclusive trading platform to redeem special rewards.]
Game Timer: Three Months]
Victor read through the description carefully before opening the leaderboard tab and, unsurprisingly, found it empty. 'It's probably a good idea to take a look at all the other tabs just in case.'
Victor searched through the different tabs, trying to get a feeling for all the different types of games that existed. There were [Active] and [Inactive] tabs. The latter was empty for now, but he found the active tab surprisingly full, considering everything started just today. When he tried to look at the titles or descriptions, he found all of them blurry and unreadable, as if he was unqualified to read them yet. There were other tabs and filters, but no matter what he did, most of the titles and games underneath were just as unintelligible, causing Victor to give up shortly without much new information
Victor looked up and checked the time, learning he still had more than an hour left before class started. He was curious about his new ability, so he decided to head over to one of the training rooms across campus to test it out. Before he left, he opened the group chat with his friends and texted them before taking some time in the bathroom to get ready.
Victor turned on the faucet, and as he washed his hands, he got the sense there was something extra, an unfamiliar sensation he couldn't quite place. He looked in the mirror, examining his face. His face, with its bronzed skin, dark eyes, and a sly smile, remained as handsome as he remembered. Victor smiled with approval. The only difference he could pinpoint was that he looked generally healthier than the day before, but he wasn't sure if that was due to the previous night's events.
Victor shrugged and quickly left his dorm and stepped out into the afternoon sun. He quickly found himself squinting from the sun as that unfamiliar sensation came back to him. He couldn't tell when he was inside, but the sun looked brighter, the grass looked greener, and everything looked more... alive?
Remembering his prior arrangements, Victor quickly shifted into a jog all while taking in scenery he knew all too well with a new perspective.
Still marveling at his surroundings, Victor soon stood in front of a large structure aptly named the Training Building at the edge of campus, leading toward the town. A steady stream of students was heading towards the building with excited looks on their faces. It seemed that many others shared the same idea as Victor. Though locations across campus offered training rooms, none could match the advanced capabilities found in here.
Watching his fellow students pass by, Victor experienced a new and strong compulsion. The strange feeling intensified, causing him to stare at them up and down. Victor then caught sight of Rosa and Darius walking down the path together. In that moment he seemed to have seen them both for the first time. It felt as though his mind had never truly processed what his friends had looked like until today.
Victor looked back towards other passing students, quickly realizing he got the same feeling with anyone he looked at. What was more was that everyone looked...
"Hey, Victor! You think so too, right?" Darius began, before leaning in so surrounding students couldn't hear, "Everyone is looking... better today, aren't they?"
Naturally, when it came to reading Victor's thoughts, Darius was the foremost authority. Victor nodded before looking at Darius and Rosa properly, taking in all the extra details. Darius, who was the shorter of the two, always wore his clothes in an unkempt manner, as if he could never be bothered with how he looked. Darius had straight blonde hair, and despite his stature, not many would mess with him for two reasons, one of which was because he was quite muscular in stature. The second reason was his incredibly vibrant blue eyes, dazzling smile, and boundless energy, which seemed to draw in many people. The few people who thought they could mess with him because of his size were in for a rude awakening, because he was never above fighting.
In contrast, standing almost half a head taller than Darius, Rosa appeared incredibly calm and composed, frequently wearing a modest expression that led people to perceive her as quite cold and aloof. Her dark brown skin seemingly glowed in the sun as she wore medium-length black hair in a simple ponytail and a wrinkle-free uniform completely lacking in accessories. Any time she walked alongside Darius, their contrasting appearances created a strange dissonance that led many people to wonder how they were even friends. Her steps carried the same effortless elegance that seemed to have been a constant throughout her life as she approached. In truth, many girls in the school looked up to Rosa not only for her incredible talent and skill but also for the elegance she carried while doing so. Yet try as they might, none of them were able to copy her despite her simple wardrobe.
At the same time, both of his friends seemed to be sizing him up as well.
"It's strange, almost as if I never saw you before today." Rosa spoke, echoing some of his thoughts.
"Oh look, Jax and Elaine are coming." Darius interrupted, prompting everyone to turn and look in the direction of his outstretched finger.
The pair walked side by side, Elaine looking up at the giant beside her with a strange look he hadn't seen before. Victor followed her gaze and examined Jax with his new vision. Everyone knew Jax was incredibly tall, yet somehow today, his presence seemed larger than before. Even while wearing his uniform, most people could tell that Jax was practically a wall of muscle. At one point, he began giving himself a buzzcut every month because he apparently liked the spiky feeling when he touched his head. While growing up, Jax's friends often heard the adults in their lives say he looked incredibly manly, yet it was only today that they began to understand what that meant. Yet while most people saw the giant of Jax, they often overlooked the intelligence shining in his dark eyes.
Victor finally turned his gaze to Elaine, who wore her uniform in a way that was different from how most students wore theirs. At some point she had customized it in ways Victor didn't really understand, nor did he care to. Elaine had often referred to her modifications as "fashion choices" that were supposed to fit a certain aesthetic. He often considered her efforts a strange waste of time that he didn't see the purpose of, yet today that uniform that he often considered strange looked... good? He didn't know why, but all of a sudden her efforts seemed harmonious in a way he couldn't see before, especially while she was wearing it. Her brown, wavy hair. Her light green eyes. Her radiant, smooth skin. He noticed it all, and for some reason he suddenly felt uncomfortable, turning his head to the side in embarrassment. It was then he caught Darius staring with an almost awestruck expression.
Noticing Victor's gaze, Darius' face flushed red before he looked away awkwardly. Victor looked back at Elaine, and this time, reading the expression on her face, he realized the way she was looking at Jax was very similar to the way Darius looked at Elaine. Although he had no idea what those looks meant, he felt strangely awkward upon noticing them.
As Victor was pondering this situation, the pair of friends finally joined the rest of the group. After a small pause full of greetings and silently sizing each other up, the group eventually made their way inside the training room they had booked.
The inside of the room was devoid of decoration. The first three meters near the door of the room served as a space for resting, stretching, and storing equipment. A table with a panel allowed users to review their training or adjust the other section's settings. Between both sections, there was a transparent barrier leading to a nearly empty gray space. That was the training area. Using the panel, one could specify the training they wanted to receive, and the room would morph to fit the needs of the trainee.
The group stored their bags away before they sat down at the table, where Victor looked at his friends and spoke.
"Did anyone else see that silver liquid in their sim-pod yesterday?"