Ascenders Rift

The scene between Evan and Rick was a frightful one to behold, the darkness that shrouded the world now enveloped by vague emissions of lights as Rick's body had a slight amount of white energies around his figure. In contrast, Evan's body glowed with roughly the same amounts of crimson lights, before it faded from his body.

Evan smiled as he condensed a small amount of his Battle Energy, he then spoke, "Remember we're still on campus, and we don't know how skillful those guys from RADA are, now do we? Let's make this game a bit more challenging and quicker; I'll use only a part of my strength, if you can force me to drop this coin from my finger then I will concede..."

As Evan said this, he raised one of his fingers and placed a random coin on it. Rick looked at Evan with an even colder look as he cursed, "Evan, don't think you can underestimate me."

Moments after Rick said this, the energy around his body began to fade as it was no longer visible. The lights that lit up their surroundings soon faded as it returned to the previous darkness.

Evan was a bit astonished as he thought, "This fellow is truly talented. To think he was already capable of controlling his battle energy to such an extent, he doesn't even seem to have been awakened for long. It's no wonder I got my ass kicked that time, let's see what his current stats are like..."

As Evan spoke, his eyes had already used the inspect technique causing Rick's stats to appear to his eyes. Yet, at this time, the voice of the system sounded in his mind.

[Subject stats limited due to unknown object.]

Evan looked at this with a hint of embarrassment, feeling a bit foolish; he had forgotten that he had given him the black crystal pendant. Yet, as Evan was about to ready himself to receive Rick's attack, something happened.

[Special Status invoked; all true stats are visible.]

Evan became shocked, as he thought, "What kind of status could cause this effect? I truly must focus on unlocking more of this pendant's secrets; it's truly something that's beyond my understanding."

While Evan thought to himself, all of Rick's stats where then displayed before Evan's eyes.

[Rick Rayfield - True Name - ????????]

[Race - Human | State - Stage 1 Ascended Being]

[Class - Holy Spearman | Superior Tier Class - 1st Blessing (+1 stats per level)]

[Total Stat increase +4 stats per level (Blessings + Average Stat Increase)]

[Level - 2]

[Next Level - 3000 EXP]

[Total EXP - 25]

[Health - 250]

[Battle Energy - 10]

[Strength - 23(13+6+3+1)]

[Vitality - 18 (14+2+2)]

[Agility - 31 (24+3+4)]

[Defense - 20 | (10+3+2+2+2+1)]

[Talent - Divine Speed (+4 Agility per level)]

[Skills:]

[Holy Spear Light – An attack of pure holy power wieldable by only the noblest of souls, a single thrust can pierce through the evil of all things.]

[Holy????? ◆: Sealed]

[Weapons:]

[Brilliant Spear - Rank 1: Middle Grade]

[Damage - 6]

[Durability - 4]

[Brilliant Cloak - Rank 1: Low Grade]

[Vitality - 2]

[Agility - 3]

[Durability - 2]

[Brilliant Light Armor- Rank 1: Low Grade]

[Vitality - 2]

[Defense - 3]

[Durability - 2]

[Brilliant Arm Bracers - Rank 1: Low Grade]

[Defense - 2]

[Damage - 3]

[Durability - 2]

[Brilliant Gauntlets - Rank 1: Low Grade]

[Defense - 2]

[Damage - 1]

[Durability - 4]

[Brilliant Leg Armor - Rank 1: Low Grade]

[Defense - 2]

[Durability - 2]

[Brilliant Boots - Rank 1: Low Grade]x

[Defense - 1]

[Agility - 4]

[Durability - 4]

Evan seeing these stats was a bit surprised as he thought, "Such an incredible stat boost, the maximum stat boost is typically around +3 for the best of prodigies. I'd have never thought that Rick was similar to Fatty and Layla in that he possessed such an Abnormal Stat Booster Talent. Then again, this must have been the reason why he was so elusive and cold in my previous life, with RADA mostly likely tracking him down, there was no way he could have stayed out in the open during the 1st Calamity."

As Evan thought to here, he then saw the details about Rick's True Name; he couldn't help but knit his brows as he thought, "What's this? So, Rick, isn't his true name? Then if that's so, I wonder what it is?"

Evan wanted to ponder more, but it was at this time that Rick had attacked rapidly, causing his figure to blur and vanished. As Evan saw this, he smirked as his feet kicked the grassy floor, causing his body to slid backward as if the field was slippery. Soon, he had vanished into the darker parts of this region in the campus woods.

Now, only the noises of footsteps shuffling sounded as both Evan's and Rick's figures had vanished from all line of sight. Rick blurred as he jumped and reached his hands out leaving a myriad of remnant shades while he reached for the coin on Evan's finger.

However, Evan merely swayed to the side, easily avoiding all of Rick's attacks. Rick frowned as he saw this, he cursed, "How is he so fast? Darn, I can't even see his true stats because of that pendant..."

Evan looked at Rick as he murmured, "His speed is no joke, if he were at my level, I'd probably have to be a little more serious, and if he were to get decent equipment his speed would if not comparable be a bit superior to my own. Fatty didn't have this advantage, for it seems that RADA had purposely awakened him using a Lesser Tier Class..."

Rick swooshed in from an unusual angle as a spear appeared in his hand; it flashed with a hint of white light before fading as it rapidly struck towards the coin balanced on Evan's finger.

Evan seeing this incredibly fast spear, smiled as he used his free hand to parry it, the spear slid from his palms towards the side before it burrowed through the ground.

Bang! With a heavy sound, the earth broke to pieces, as bits of dust rose up in the surroundings. Evan squinted one of his eyes to avoid the soil, but it was at this moment Rick's eyes flashed.

"Now!" Rick shouted in his mind as his body erupted with his full battle energy, he flipped his body over and used the shaft of the buried spear as a foothold to push himself forward.

In an instant, he had flashed passed Evan's body arriving behind his figure with his arm clenched as if he was grasping something. If one looked closely, they see that a confident smile was on his face.

Evan, on the other hand, was facing the opposing direction. He carried a look of calmness. After a short while, Evan turned around and looked at Rick before speaking with a smile, "Not bad, Rick. But, not good enough..."

As Evan said this, he lifted his hand with his upraised finger showing the coin that was now spinning at its tip. Rick seeing this was astonished, he opened his palm only to see a piece of paper.

Rick turned and looked at Evan before gritting his teeth and saying, "You win..."

After saying this, Rick looked at the paper deeply before he vanished like a burry shade in the dark of the night.

Evan shook his head and spoke, "Ha, I finally got some face from this guy, don't blame me, it's only payback. Still, that paper should be more than enough to clear up a few things to him."

Soon after speaking, Evan narrowed his eyes and looked around the area as he murmured, "As I thought, they are rather perceptive, even though this battle was pretty quick and limited, not to mention so remote, they still managed to sense some changes. Oh well, time to go."

While Evan spoke, his figure had already blurred and vanished, leaving behind the slightly disordered area.

Moments after leaving, one figure had appeared, it was Alton that was still garbed in his scientist uniform. He fixed his glasses as the lights from the nearby lamppost refracted from its frame, shrouding his eyes that gazed upon the scene.

Soon, Alton frowned as he spoke, "Already over... it seems that this one is aware of our presence. I wonder just who he could... or rather, they be?"

Alton's eyes narrowed as he thought, but it was at this moment, his phone rang. Alton, then shifted his eyes onto his phone, seeing that it was a video.

Not wasting any time, Alton answered and spoke, "Sir. Section Head Alton at your service."

The man behind the screen was a familiar middle-aged man with long dark red hair that wore a suit; he sat around a table in a chair as he spoke, "What of the results?"

Alton, hearing this promptly replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary yet, sir. As it's the first night, many have yet to use the devices. "

"Oh, keep me posted on the details." The man said.

"Yes, sir," Alton replied humbly.

The man was about to hang up, but Alton spoke once more with a bit of hesitancy, "Sir, there is something I'd like to report."

The man's brows raised as he spoke, "Go ahead."

Alton then spoke, "I believe that there's someone keen on our group's presence here, that person is capable of hiding even from my senses, and just now, there was a bit of a scuffle on this campus. I traveled here as fast as I could, but I still couldn't trace that person. I don't know who that person was fighting, but it should be possible to assume that this individual is a similar kind of danger. What steps should I take from here?"

The man on the other side of the phone was surprised, but his eyes soon shone with a hint of excitement, he replied, "Interesting, no need to do anything out of the ordinary, let them be, for now, we'll find them eventually. I am forwarding you a list of potential suspects from the Skyrise Mountain incident. It just so happens that a few of them are attending as well as teaching at the Morning Star Academy, carefully watch these individuals and report on any suspicious activities."

"As you wish, sir," Alton replied.

The man then nodded, as Alton saw this, he hesitated before speaking once again, "Sir. Since it's like this, then what about..."

The man's eyes grew dark as he glared across the phone and spoke in a solemn tone, "She will stay out of it!"

The world seemed to quake at these words, as the entire area around Alton seemed to have turned into a dead zone carrying a hint of a reddish hue.

Alton's face grew pale; he promptly responded, "Y-Yes Sir, forgive my blunder!"

Not long after, the man snorted and ended the call, Alton who had only caught his breath, wiped the sweat from his forwards before gazing towards this distance as he muttered, "It looks like I'll need to be more careful..."