Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1718

Though there were countless aspects and theories related to Shinsu and its usage, Administrator Yuga spent the first half of the day covering the very basics. This included a thorough analysis and demonstration of the three values most-commonly associated with the mysterious energy: Baang, Myun, and Soo.

The Baang was the unit that represented the number of simultaneous manifestations of Shinsu a person could perform. It was often used to represent a person’s control, and, as a Regular who had just started out, it was rare to even form a single stable Baang, much less multiple. Those who could control more prior to becoming an E-Rank Regular were considered prodigies, and, though he was most likely lying, Administrator Yuga confessed to needing more than a decade just to produce two stable Baangs.

Though Baangs accounted for the total number of Shinsu manifestations a person could manage, it could be argued that Myun and Soo were more important. The former referred to the size, or, more specifically, the surface area of the basic spherical Baang. Thus, a Baang with a diameter of 1m was represented by a Myun value of 314, quite literally translating into a surface area of 3.14m². As for the unit of Soo, it was used to represent the volume, density, and, most notably, the concentration of Shinsu making up the core of a Baang.

Generally speaking, the higher the concentration of Soo within a Baang, the more destructive force it was able to carry. A person was considered a Master at Shinsu manipulation if they were able to completely fill a Baang with Soo, effectively matching the two values. Thus, by having a Myun and Soo of 314 upon entering the Record, there was a case to make for Vahn already being a Master in the realm of Shinsu control. Additionally, he had Ranker levels of mastery in Flow Control, Reverse Flow Control, and Cutting, the three most common ways to manipulate Shinsu.

As the name implied, Flow Control was being able to read the flow of Shinsu and being able to manipulate it according to that flow. It was the ability to read the natural currents of Shinsu and alter its direction, effectively ’rerouting’ it like a river to crash into your enemies. This was the way of manipulating external Shinsu, and, while a skilled opponent could read this flow to evade or even manipulate your attacks, it was the most common form of Shinsu control due to the availability of Shinsu within the environment.

Reverse Flow Control was fundamentally identical to Flow Control, but, as the name implied, it was, very specifically, the ability to reverse the direction of Shinsu. This was considered far more difficult to achieve, as, using a real-world comparison, it was the equivalent of stopping and subsequently reversing the flow of a river. As a result, it had incredible destructive potential, and, though it wasn’t practical to reverse the flow of someone manipulating external Shinsu, Reverse Flow Control could be considered the ’ultimate’ ability when directly applied to a person’s body.

Though the most basic application of Reverse Flow Control was briefly stopping an opponent, quite literally freezing them in place, those with advanced mastery were able to reverse the flow of Shinsu within their opponent’s body. Depending on their degree of Shinsu Resistance, this was effectively a one-hit kill as the body simply wasn’t designed to allow Shinsu to flow in reverse. The best outcome they could hope for was becoming a cripple, but, more often than not, reversing the flow of Shinsu within a person’s body led to their heart, quite literally, exploding...

After spending the entire morning learning the basics, the Wave Controller class was given an hour for lunch before regrouping at one of the many training facilities within the Evankhell’s Resort. This particular facility was equipped with a machine that produced durable balloons capable of staying suspended in a single location, much like a Lighthouse. There were also several ’tracks’ formed by invisible flows of Shinsu, each capable of carrying reinforced discs that allowed the candidates to practice hitting moving targets.

With all eyes focused on him, Administrator Yuga waddled to the center of the training field before stopping rather comically using one foot as a pivot. Then, once he was facing the class, he shouted in a cheerful yet slightly creepy tone, "Okay, Regulars, watch carefully! I will now give a very simple demonstration of what Rankers are capable of. Though my power is severely restricted on the 2nd Floor, let this serve as an example to motivate you during your ascent up the Tower~!"

Despite the joviality of Administrator Yuga’s words, the atmosphere became increasingly intense as he continued speaking. By the end of his speech, the Shinsu around him had become so dense that his aura created a deep depression within the ground; space itself distorting around him. Then, in a flash, seventeen vibrant blue Baangs of Shinsu were produced, each spiraling away from his body at relativistic speeds to shred apart the hundreds of balloons that had been suspended in the air prior to the groups’ arrival.

Satisfied with his display, the sewn-upon smile adorning the front of Yuga’s costume became more prominent, almost as though it was his actual face. He always enjoyed terrifying other people, and, though he held back due to the restrictions of the 2nd Floor, he was hoping at least one or two of the Regulars would pass out from the demonstration. It would be even better if one of them soiled themselves, especially if it was the young-looking girl with a sullen expression...

Unfortunately, while most of the Regulars were surprised, none of them had an adverse reaction to the sudden eruption of Shinsu. This was rather disappointing, but, with his costume hiding his true face, none of the Regulars were able to see him frown before clicking his tongue. Immediately after that, however, his voice defaulted to a very chipper and cheerful tone as he exclaimed, "I hope this demonstration will be beneficial to you as you climb the Tower! Now, let’s move on to the practical part of today’s lesson! Each of you will attempt to form a Baang with enough Soo to destroy one of these balloons. Even if you are unable to achieve this, don’t let it get you down. It generally takes a few days for even talented Wave Controller candidates to pop one of the balloons. For this reason, the Special Test only requires that you destroy five balloons simultaneously~!"

Though destroying five balloons didn’t sound that difficult, the fact they were spaced out meant you would need to create a Baang with sufficient Myun and Soo to destroy all five. You could also produce five Baangs to destroy them simultaneously, but, considering it was rare for even D-Rank Regulars to control five Baangs at once, it wasn’t uncommon for years to pass between candidates passing the Wave Controller Special Exam.

To prove just how difficult it was, Laure was one of the first people to attempt the Test, not because he wanted to show off, but because he wanted to return to his nap. He managed to create a Baang of Shinsu that was nearly as large as his torso, but, even after spending several additional seconds to increase its Soo, he was still only able to destroy the center three balloons. The ’wave’ he had produced was more than large enough to hit all five targets, but, as the density of Shinsu along the periphery was much weaker than the flow in the direct center, his massive area-of-effect attack was more flashy than efficient.

Despite his failure, Laure just issued a light hum in response to Administrator Yuga’s praise. Then, after retreating behind the rest of the group, he curled up on the ground and promptly went back to sleep. This earned a light chuckle from Yuga, but, rather than admonish the man for his behavior, he just moved on to the next candidate. The quirks of those descended from the Eurasia Family and its associated Branches were well-known within the Tower, thus, even if he wanted to, there was no real argument to make against Laure sleeping in class. After all, due to his unique constitution as a member of the Phonsekal Family, he was able to read the flow of Shinsu and drastically increase his recovery rate whilst asleep...

Resisting the urge to release an audible sigh, Administrator Yuga turned toward the man that had just stepped onto the field. This was one of the people he had been tasked to both investigate and observe, so, for a brief moment, the mouth on the front of his costume opened to reveal two eerie blue eyes as he observed Vahn’s masterful control of Shinsu. It was like the Shinsu didn’t even try to resist him, the myriad currents in the atmosphere coming together to naturally form five energetic blue Baangs...

After hearing about what happened during the Special Test for Fishermen, Phae was seated at the side of a certain green-skinned Princess with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. This caused Anak to visibly pale, unable to meet the usually kind woman’s eyes as she hung her head and muttered, "I’m sorry...I just get so angry...I..."

Shaking her head, Phae’s released a slightly exasperated sigh before adopting a gentler expression and saying, "I understand, Anak. However, if you’re truly sorry, you will demonstrate it through your actions, not your words. Though Endorsi has her...quirks...she isn’t a bad girl. At the very least, I can see she has no actual animosity towards you. I won’t tell you to get along with her, but unilaterally applying your revenge onto an entire group of people is wrong...even in the Jahad Empire, there are plenty of good people. You should know at least one particularly well..."

Though there wasn’t too much information, Phae had been able to conduct a basic search on Anak Jahad during the first day of class. From the information she had gathered, it wasn’t difficult to put all the pieces together to form a unified whole. After all, there were only so many ways things could have played out, most of which could be eliminated by the simple fact that Anak was both alive and in possession of the Green April...

Hearing Phae’s words, Anak released a sigh of her own as she hung her head even lower. Her fight and subsequent discussion with Endorsi had allowed her to reach a similar conclusion, so, hearing Phae reiterate what she already knew, Anak felt a mixture of complex emotions. Part of her wanted to lash out at the woman, but, the moment such an urge swelled within her, another, much stronger part of her subconscious, quickly suppressed the urge. She didn’t know why, but she felt she could trust Phae, and, albeit to a much lesser extent, Gandr and Vahn...

Seeing the girl lost in reflection, Phae offered a gentle smile before producing an apple from her Inventory and deftly peeling and slicing it. She knew Anak was rather fond of the fruit, so, with the latter showing positive signs of improvement, Phae was compelled to give her some kind of reward. She was also intending to treat the girl’s injuries, but, as pain generally helped people to put things in perspective, she would only do so after the two Princesses apologized to each other.

Noticing what Phae was doing, Anak felt a tingling in her nose that gave her a strong urge to lay down and face away from the gently smiling woman. Unfortunately, five of her ribs were broken on the right side, so, even if she wanted to, it wasn’t really an option. If not for her high pain tolerance, she wouldn’t even be able to remain sitting due to the numerous fractures within her tail. Her only solace was knowing that Endorsi was in even worse condition due to having landed awkwardly on her right leg, shattering her femur and spraining her wrist. If not for the monstrous recovery of a Princess of Jahad, it would be impossible for her to recover before the Final Exam was scheduled to take place.

Remembering her ’aunt’ writhing about in pain, a vindictive smirk spread across Anak’s face before subsequently fading the moment she felt a chill run through her body. She turned her head to find Phae smiling back at her, a dangerous glimmer in the woman’s sapphire blue eyes as she used the glistening knife in her hand to continue peeling an apple...

Feeling parched all of a sudden, Anak swallowed hard before averted her eyes and doing her best to pretend the scary woman didn’t exist...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’This chapter was a real Baanger~!’,’Vahn over here casually flexing in front of his enemies...’,’Ara? Is something the matter, Anak-chan~? You seem ill, ufufufufu~’)

(A/N: Bonus chapter since I was in a good mood (O w O)~!)