Vector Manipulation," Xavier replied quickly. Since Morgan was willing to share, he will gladly do the same.
At his words, the entire room froze in silence. All eyes locked onto him, as if they were predators marking their prey.
"X-tier skill," they all gasped.
Xavier nodded.
They did not need anyone to tell them; the theme of X-tier skills was manipulation. That was the reason for the name X. They were variables that went beyond normal.
An X-tier skill called flame manipulation could do anything they wanted with fire, as long as they had enough energy and stamina. But lower tiers were limited to a certain use. Like a fireball skill.
And within that same X-tier, some skills far outmatch others. Something as basic as flame manipulation was nothing compared to space manipulation.
The only exception were some special skills below X-tier that had properties that could not be directly replicated by their base element manipulation.
Like Jordan's teleportation, which allowed him to travel anywhere he had been before instantly. If a space manipulation skill wanted to do the same, they would have to create a portal, which would take longer.
"Aiden, guess your captain title is going to Xavier," Morgan joked.
"Not like I wanted it, you were the one who forced it on me," Aiden replied.
"Time is running out, let's go," Jordan broke the discussion as the clock struck 5:59.
They quickly grabbed their kinetic suits, Xavier following behind them. In mere moments, their suits were already layered on their bodies like another skin.
Contrary to their own speed, Xavier was still struggling with unzipping it. He looked up to see their stares.
"What? You guys are veterans, this is my first time wearing my suit," he furrowed his brows.
His expression made them burst into laughter. "Come closer, let's help," Aiden offered.
"Thank you," Xavier said, dragging his body closer. Aiden helped him adjust the sleeves and pants.
The suit shifted automatically, fitting his body perfectly. Golden light passed through it, showing its activation.
Everything made Xavier marvel. The thought of
"Here," Aiden handed him a comb as he finished wearing the suit. "Be quick, I can't have you follow us like this."
Xavier collected it with a low bow.
Xavier's hair was green, complementing his eyes perfectly.
"I guess we are all ready now," Jordan said as Xavier threw the comb. It was a rhetorical question, not something he needed an answer for. Immediately he spoke, space twisted, and they disappeared. All, except Morgan.
His eyes were shut, so he did not know. As he opened his eyes, realization dawned on him. He had been left behind by his friends.
"Where is Morgan?" Xavier asked as they appeared in a huge classroom, with several students standing in front of simulation capsules.
"You wanted to know the punishment for being late, right? Just wait a while, you will know soon enough," Jordan smirked.
"Don't tell me you left him," Aiden's loud voice boomed. "Jordan, since I met you, that is the best thing you've ever done," Aiden laughter echoed through the classroom, drawing the stares of everyone, but he did not care.
"Don't you think that is too cruel for your friend?" Xavier asked in a low voice.
"Nah, he called me his chauffeur, what is worse?"
A smile formed on Xavier's lips. "Let's just wait for him," Xavier said.
The instructor began calling students in groups of 4.
"How do you guys do simulations when I wasn't around?" Xavier could not help but ask as he noticed everyone was going in groups of 4.
"The difficulty is set for a 3-person team," Jordan replied, not even letting the question get complete.
"Hmm."
All the students had been called in, and it was time for the last dorm.
"You guys have a new teammate, but I only see three here," the instructor said, his expression stoic.
"Morgan wa..."
Before Jordan could even complete the statement, a presence burst through the door.
Aiden and Jordan turned their heads in an instant, a wide smile playing on their lips, before it erupted into full-out laughter.
Xavier just sighed at how petty they were.
"You think you won," Morgan said with a smirk. "Let the war begin."
"Does anyone care to explain anything to me?" The instructor interrupted.
Morgan raised his hand, signifying he wanted to answer.
The teacher gave a slight nod.
Morgan cleared his throat as he got ready to do what he knew best.
"Since we began this session, the three of us have been coming to class together, with Jordan's teleportation skill. Normally, we only come to class about a minute before the start since we can get here instantly. But today, Jordan left me behind," Morgan spat everything out in a breath.
Silence reigned in the class for a brief moment.
Finally, the instructor spoke. "Why did you leave him behind?"
"To tease him," Jordan replied
"Do you know that some punishments are served by all teammates regardless of the offender?" He asked.
At his words, everyone's face turned grim. The instructor did not need to say more; they already understood his words.
"Since it is the first time, your punishment will be light. The construction of the new association branch is going on; you all are to assist them for 3 hours every day for 2 months," he said.
'What does the scope of a light punishment cover?' Xavier wondered.
How in the world was something like that considered light?
Before they could even complain, the instructor's voice rang again. "Get into the capsules, you have wanted 7 minutes already."
Their eyes widened. They had been so engrossed in the discussion that they forgot about the simulation.
Instantly, they dove into their pods. As expected, Xavier was the slowest.
The instructor pressed a button numbered 74 on the remote in his hand. Then he turned the difficulty to 4.
A soft chime came from the pods, then white mist poured out from their engines.
[Goal: Stop the destruction of the city by the villain]
[Save as many civilians as possible; the result is calculated by how many civilians are saved.]
[Current city destruction: 0/100]
The words appeared on a blue, transparent screen before each of them.