24 days left for Boiboi's Graduation!
It was nighttime, as the students had returned to their Dorm rooms, exhausted by the Troitail attacks that had happened during the day. Having safely arrived at his room and seated on his bed was Torq.
He had his ears plastered with a thick layer of fabric, meant to block out most sounds. He had even stuffed multiple fabric layers on the door, which was constantly getting banged from time to time.
Despite the Principal's warnings, there were still students intent to disrupt his focus. There were approximately ten more people aged fourteen whose time to graduate was coming close, and their Prana capacity wasn't anywhere near the peak of the Spirit Stage.
There were more than twenty students aged thirteen, with a Prana capacity under thirty units. They didn't have hope to graduate either. They formed the majority of those aiming for Boiboi's life at the moment.
Bang! Bang!
Muffled sounds resounded in the room, disturbing yes, but weren't on the level where Torq would suffer from a Spirit Container shattering. This meant he could concentrate on himself, where he constantly consumed the gathered medicine and charged up his Empyrean Snapper Pet.
Time passed in such a fashion. No matter what happened, Torq never left his room, knowing it would only distract him. His deadline was approaching, and he had to achieve his objectives before that.
Thankfully, neither a battleship nor an Empyrean Snapper moved anywhere close to the Academy of Accumulation. Hence, he had no desire to leave his room for the time being.
One after another, the days spanned past. And soon, it was time.
20 days for Boiboi's Graduation!
It was evening, as sweat dribbled down his cheeks. His stomach had bulged like he was six months pregnant. He felt an intense urge to take a dump, as the ejectable substances in his body had surpassed the storage capacity.
But he endured the pain for one reason–Raurau might be arriving soon.
The vat made of stone was almost empty. Using Mystic Mist Art, Torq scooped out the remaining medicine within it and gulped it in one swing. His throat hurt while his stomach groaned from the strain.
His limbs trembled faintly as the urge to poop intensified. As he operated Mystic Mist Art, the final batch of medicine was digested and converted into Prana that funnelled into his Spirit Container, from where he supplied to the Empyrean Snapper Pet.
Swoosh!
Expert Gold Grade Pranic Beast–Empyrean Snapper!
Bearing the striking image of Runthral, the Empyrean Snapper Pet stood before Torq, much to the latter's joy, 'It's done!'
Promptly after, he stored it in Boiboi's Secondary Nature slot. The Primary Nature slot was currently empty, where he planned to store another Boiboi Pet in the future as a disposable tool.
Armed with the Empyrean Snapper Pet, Torq was now confident in successfully being able to graduate without issues. And best of all, he could rely on this instead of his trump card.
"Time's up." Right as Torq was about to head to the restroom to relieve himself, a voice resounded behind him suddenly. There was barely a faint stream of mist in the room and standing amidst it was Raurau.
Torq took a second to observe the skin on his hands, 'There wasn't a prickling sensation.'
Only after Raurau had revealed himself that Torq's Prana detection means registered the other party's existence. 'His skill level far outclasses whatever I could unleash at this moment.'
Slowly, he turned around and smiled, "Of course, father."
"I'll have you acknowledge me now." Saying as such, he activated his Empyrean Snapper Pet. but instead of manifesting it as a Pet traditionally, he instead wrapped it around him.
Primary Nature–Daily Pet!
It had two modes of function. First was to condense externally, within the Spirit Weapon range, as a Pet. This mode consumed Torq's Prana as fuel to move around while being able to wield all the abilities the Pet's original was capable of.
The second mode was to layer the Pet upon Torq himself, turning his form into the Pet. In this mode, Torq consumed the Prana of the original that the Pet was created from.
His regression mechanic worked as a result of this mode. Since the respective Pet was created using the Celestial, every time he regressed, the power necessary to fuel it was sourced from the Celestial itself.
This mode had one drawback though, in that once destroyed, the Pet wouldn't revive after the next day starts. Moreover, the Pet in this mode works by drawing power from the source. Which means, when the original dies, so does the Pet too.
But despite the drawbacks, it allowed Torq to borrow the power of other existences, allowing him to conserve his own reserves.
Daily Pet–Empyrean Snapper!
Torq transformed into Runthral, the action of which stunned Raurau. "This…T-This is…"
"I've borrowed his appearance." Torq smiled upon seeing the other party's shock. He then touched the stone vat nearby and every so slightly, morphed its shape, "And you know exactly what this is, father."
"Yeah," Raurau's expression was a mix of concern and excitement. His acceptance wasn't just about the ability being displayed, but also acknowledging Boiboi as his son.
Primary Nature–Subtle Terrain Domination!
For an instant, Runthral felt laboured while pacing about in his room. He hurriedly inspected himself, "What was that?"
Sweat dripped down his forehead as even though there were no changes to his being, he wasn't feeling assured anymore. It was as if something that formed the core of his being was no longer his private possession, but rather, the public's.
While Runthral turned anxious at the momentary changes his body experienced, Torq was beaming with a wide smile as he eyed Raurau, "I only borrowed a portion since I didn't want to terrify him."
"How much can you borrow?" Now on board, having verified Torq's claims, Raurau intended to see things through to the end.
"Not much," Torq reverted to his original appearance, having deactivated his Empyrean Snapper Pet as he pointed at the faint scratches that formed on his body, one after another, until they numbered in the dozens, "There are consequences to follow whenever I steal his power."
This wasn't a lie. There were indeed consequences when Torq transforms into his Pet. But it was well within his means of endurance, as long as he only unleashed it in small durations.
The scratches vanished a couple of seconds later. Torq then expressed his intent, "Once I enter the Body Stage, I'll be able to endure his power better."
"I see," Raurau turned silent in response, speaking after a whole minute had passed, "Even if you were to reach graduation, you will never be granted a decent Spirit Pool, much less the one you desire."
When a student enters the Body Stage, the Cooter Clan would allot him a suitable Spirit Pool based on his evaluation at the academy. The grade of the Spirit Pool determined if the student would have Iron or Silver Grade strength at the Body Stage.
This event pretty much cemented their status for the rest of their lives.
"Even while ignoring your identity, you've committed so many destructive acts that you'll be given the least possible evaluation by the Clan." Raurau expressed curtly and asked, intending to check if Boiboi had truly thought things through, "Even I can't change their decision. So,"
"What do you intend to do next?"
"I can now borrow Runthral's power." Torq grinned, "The Spirit Pool I'm allotted doesn't matter."
"I can create any Spirit Pool I desire."