Chapter 54: The Next Step

"You’re saying he said that if you don’t get an implant, he won’t allow you to learn from him?"

Rexi said, sounding somewhat confused.

Arthur sighed as he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Apparently so."

Rexi sat on the edge of his own bed, staring at Arthur.

"Well, then go ahead and get one."

Arthur slowly turned his head toward him.

"I don’t get what the big deal is."

Rexi shrugged.

"Unless you’re an Iron Angel, it’s practically impossible to keep your entire body intact in our line of work."

He gestured toward Arthur.

"So it’s better to get an implant or two to improve your performance from the get-go."

Arthur remained silent.

His eyes returned to the ceiling.

"...I know."

Rexi raised an eyebrow.

"Then what’s the problem?"

Arthur didn’t answer immediately. He took a moment to think to himself.

The only reason he wasn’t getting an implant was because he still wasn’t sure how much of a strain it would be on his body and mind.

Considering he already had Genesis, and the aftereffects of basic foresight already felt like a pretty bad hangover, wouldn’t getting an actual implant make things even worse?

But still, perhaps he was overthinking it.

He could simply take the step forward and see how things went before coming to any conclusions.

Although he had his fears, there was one upside to getting an implant.

His Enhancement Points.

While he could constantly max out his Constitution every time he went up a realm in his cultivation, that was about it.

Enhancement Points couldn’t affect his stats in any other way.

But as long as he obtained an implant or two, he could probably max it out with his Enhancement Points and become an absolute beast.

Besides, this could be his only way to obtain another EX-Rank skill that would have far less suspicious activation effects than the ones Genesis and Eclipsion offered him.

Arthur stared at the ceiling.

...Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea after all.

Arthur took a breath.

...Open Status Window.

The green holographic interface appeared before his eyes.

〘STATUS WINDOW〙

Name: Arthur Von Ashbourne

Title: Young Master of House Ashbourne

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Affinity: Insight

Strength: Rare-Grade

Agility: Rare-Grade

Vitality: Rare-Grade

Constitution: Heroic-Grade 〘Highest possible for a mortal body〙

Endurance: Rare-Grade

Intelligence: Epic-Grade

Perception: Legendary-Grade

Willpower: Epic-Grade

Charm: Epic-Grade

Cultivation Stage: Null

Riki Core: Awakened

Potential: Transcendent

〘SKILLS〙

Active:

EX-Rank: Genesis: Deductive Probing

EX-Rank: Eclipsion: Star Fall Beam

Passive:

EX-Rank: Genesis: Battle Foresight

EX-Rank: Eclipsion: Vanishing Act

A-Rank: Heightened Vitality

〘EQUIPMENT〙

Weapon: None

Armor: Type-Vanguard AGIS 〘Mecha〙

Accessory I: Heart of the Verdant Sovereign 〘Artifact Grade〙

Accessory II: Empty

Accessory III: Empty

Companion: None

Mount: Bai Ling

Arthur stared at his status window for a moment longer.

He had come a long way since arriving in this world.

He had gained Genesis.

He had gained Eclipsion.

He had navigated his way through cutthroat politics.

He had survived the Imperial Academy’s entrance assessments.

He had defeated six death-row inmates equipped with Generation Four implants using nothing but his own body and a standard-issue weapon.

And yet, here he was, still hesitating over whether he should take the next step.

...What was the point?

If he kept holding himself back out of fear, then when exactly was he supposed to start moving forward?

Arthur slowly clenched his fist.

He had already come this far.

There was no reason to keep standing still.

"You’re right, Rexi."

Rexi raised an eyebrow.

Arthur sat up from his bed.

"I’ll get one."

Rexi blinked.

"...You decided that quickly?"

Arthur smiled faintly.

"I’ve already come this far. What’s the point of holding myself back now?"

He glanced toward his status window again, then closed it.

If he wanted to become stronger, he needed to make use of every advantage available to him.

And if getting an implant allowed him to utilize his Enhancement Points more effectively...

Then perhaps it was time to stop being so cautious.

Arthur looked back at Rexi.

"Thanks for the advice."

Rexi shrugged.

"No biggie."

He lifted one finger and casually rubbed underneath his nose.

"We all need a little push from each other every once in a while."

Arthur chuckled.

"Fair enough."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. His uniform was on a nearby table. He reached out for it and began putting it on.

Once he was done, he turned to look at them.

"Alright. I’ll get going."

Rexi’s expression changed.

"Wait."

Arthur paused.

Rexi stared at him.

"You’re going to get one now?"

"Yeah."

Arthur tilted his head.

"Why wait?"

Rexi opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Alexis spoke from the other side of the room.

"You probably shouldn’t rush into it."

Arthur turned toward him.

Alexis had been quietly listening to their conversation the entire time.

He looked slightly concerned.

"You should get implants when you’re more certain about what you actually want."

His gentle voice was hard to argue with.

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Alexis continued.

"There’s no point wasting your Cadet Points on implants that don’t actually improve your overall combat power."

Arthur’s expression became slightly more serious.

"Cadet Points?"

Alexis nodded.

"The Academy gives us access to a lot of things, but we’re still limited by our available points."

He gestured toward Arthur.

"If you spend a large portion of those points on an implant just because you want one quickly, you might regret it later."

Rexi nodded.

"He’s right."

Alexis folded his arms.

"Think about what role you want to specialize in first. Strength? Speed? Defense? Perception? Neural enhancement?"

He paused.

"Once you know what kind of fighter you want to become, then choose an implant that actually complements it."

Arthur remained silent.

That was...

Actually pretty good advice.

Especially considering his situation.

He wasn’t simply trying to become stronger.

He already had Genesis.

He already had Eclipsion.

And now that he had access to his Enhancement Points, the implant he chose could potentially change the way he developed his entire body.

Arthur slowly looked down at his hands.

...I shouldn’t just get an implant.

I should get the right implant.

Alexis noticed his expression.

"Take your time."

Arthur nodded.

"Yeah."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I suppose I can afford to think about it for a few minutes."

Rexi laughed.

"That’s more like it."

Arthur turned toward the door.

"But I’m still going today."

Rexi sighed.

"...You really don’t like taking things slowly, do you?"

Arthur smiled.

"Not particularly."

With that, he walked toward the door.

Now he just needed to figure out what kind of implant was worth getting.

Arthur stepped out of the medical room and into the hallway.

The moment the doors slid shut behind him, he was greeted by the familiar metallic corridors of the Imperial Academy’s medical facility.

Personnel moved through the halls in every direction.

Medical officers hurried between rooms.

Technicians pushed hovering equipment carts toward different wards.

A few Imperial soldiers stood near the entrances, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.

Arthur casually walked through the middle of it all.

As he passed by, several female cadets glanced in his direction.

A few tried to hide their looks.

Others didn’t bother.

One of them eventually gathered enough courage to call out.

"Hey!"

Arthur stopped and turned his head.

A female cadet smiled brightly at him.

"Are you free later? We’re having a little gathering after dinner. You should come!"

Another girl beside her immediately laughed.

"Yeah, come join us!"

Arthur blinked.

For a moment, he had almost forgotten.

...Right.

This is a women-dominant universe.

He hadn’t really paid much attention to it since arriving at the Academy.

Most of his time had been spent worrying about assessments, Genesis, Eclipsion, training, and simply trying to avoid getting himself killed.

Arthur smiled softly and gave them a small wave.

"Sorry. I’ve got something I need to take care of later."

The girl’s expression immediately fell.

"Aww..."

She looked genuinely disappointed.

"What about next time?"

Arthur paused for a moment.

"Probably."

The girl’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Really?"

Her friend beside her stared at her.

"You’re dreaming if you think you can bag a guy like him."

The first girl puffed out her cheeks.

"You don’t know that!"

Arthur couldn’t help but smile as he continued walking.

Their voices gradually faded behind him.

...I suppose I really have gotten used to this place.

He continued down the corridor, his hands resting casually in his pockets.

As he walked, another thought entered his mind.

Exactly how had his mother originally intended for him to find someone to marry?

Arthur frowned slightly.

He hadn’t been placed in any mixed classes yet.

He hadn’t participated in any mixed training sessions either.

Then again, he had only just started his term.

Perhaps he shouldn’t rush things.

Although...

A familiar face suddenly flashed through his mind.

Green hair.

A cheerful smile.

Those bright eyes.

Arthur’s lips curved upward.

...I don’t think I’ll be needing to perform any search.

He shook his head and continued walking.