"Well, seeing how that entire demonstration has played out, I want you all to note this down." Asher said as he walked around the class. Lucas envied the way he carried himself but it was to be expected from someone of a noble com, and not just any noble clan, the greatest one.
"Your Faculties won't work without Ruin. Everything needs Ruin to function, that's why every living thing on this planet has Ruin." Asher continued. "So controlling the amount of Ruin you use or fire naturally is very vital as running out of Ruin means two things."
He stopped short and looked around the class, they were all attentive, their concentration had reached its peak. Asher smiled and then continued:
"Either you don't have enough Ruin to keep on using your Faculty and lose the ability to fight or you instantly die."
Lucas shuddered. Death from Ruin depletion? He hadn't heard of something like that before. Why would someone die when the amount of Ruin they had was extinguished?
"Ruin is basically your life force, that's why using it is using part of yourself and that is why you guys are being taught to use an infinitesimal amount of it in order not to die." Asher explained.
"But…" he stopped short and observed the class, "there are ways to get around this. As we've said, Ruin is formed from negative emotions so continuously having negative emotions creates more Ruin but not at a steady rate as emotions can fluctuate during certain situations."
Asher looked at the rubble on the ground and then sighed, he extended his hand and then closed it into a fist. The rubble shrunk until it disappeared entirely.
Lucas stared at Asher with keen interest, he was someone incredibly interesting and someone incredibly powerful. Lucas wondered who was stronger, Clara Lindenheart, Asher Lindenheart or Marshall Pendragon.
"Well, although I do know that all of you can use Ruin which is basically what happens upon becoming a Ranker. You are subconsciously fed information on how to use it but you don't know how to use it." Asher explained.
'So that's why!' Lucas exclaimed inwardly, he has been able to infuse his body, his punches and even other objects with Ruin without having prior knowledge on how but this was the perfect explanation on why he was able to do so.
"Also, using Ruin to attack others basically depletes their Ruin reserves as well. So once a Faculty is used on someone else then their Ruin is being depleted." Asher stated. Karl bowed his head a little, these words were almost like a gunshot to his head. David getting burned by his flames during the Imposition meant he was basically depriving him of Ruin.
"Augmenting your body with Ruin also amplifies your body's movements and physical ability but you'll learn more about that during your combat classes." Asher explained. He looked at the watch on his wrist and then sighed.
"Well ladies and gentlemen, it's been nice seeing you guys for the first time before the Tournament and I hope some of you are able to make it to Tokyo and survive." Asher said with a serious expression, he took in a few breaths before continuing.
"You guys all lost someone during the Imposition, maybe even parts of yourselves. I have a niece who won't stop crying anytime she remembers what happens during hers."
Karl's hand twitched, his body almost moving involuntarily to Asher but Lucas held him in place.
Sonya raised her hand and then stood up:
"Well sir, won't you be accompanying us to Tokyo?"
Asher smiled for a bit before he became serious once again.
"Well I am, but if I keep on protecting you all then there won't be any room for you to grow. Besides, the top ten would be chosen and if they can't defend themselves then they should be sorry." Asher waved at her to sit down after answering her question.
"So, be prepared for your combat classes. Your combat instructor will be much more ruthless than I am." Asher waved at them and then turned to leave but then stopped. He turned back to the students with a smile on his face.
"Now remember this, I did say I would teach you how to use an infinitesimal amount of Ruin in your attacks but the Tournament comes up in a few days and I'm not sure you'll be able to grasp it quickly enough so I'll just tell you this. Think of your body as bread and the crumbs that make up that bread is your Ruin, so when you want to use Ruin for anything, just think about taking a single breadcrumb from the pile." Asher explained before leaving them, closing the doors behind him as he left.
The room instantly became rowdy, almost everyone had formed a group talking to one another. Some of them talking about their experiences in the Imposition. A few girls came to Karl to ask for his number which he gave with a smile.
'Curse your handsomeness.' Lucas glared at him and then he looked around, his eyes opened wide in shock and his mouth wide open as well. He saw a crowd of girls crowding around Zed, they were all squealing and almost attacking each other to get his attention. But Zed remained Zed, he took out his headphones and covered his ears and closed his eyes.
'Another handsome bastard.' Lucas cursed under his breath, he turned his head once again and saw Sonya sitting alone, she was reading something akin to a dictionary but Lucas had a feeling it was something else.
"Should we have asked him how Deborah was?" Karl asked, snapping Lucas out of his thoughts.
"Maybe, but it wouldn't have been nice to do it here seeing as there's a lot of people around. It would be better to do it when he's alone so we'll go to his office when we're done with combat classes." Lucas replied, his head turned up as he stared at the ceiling.
The noise continued, everyone shouting at the top of their voices to get their points across before the other person could.
A loud explosion was heard and the doors to the classroom were blown apart. Lucas and Karl nearly jumped out of their seats, Elvis smiled anxiously, Sonya and Zed had serious expressions on their faces.
Clouds of dust gathered at the door and they heard someone coughing.
"Damn, I might have overdid it a little." She coughed again.
'A lady?' Lucas was surprised, he believed that this kind of class would be taught by a guy but upon hearing the voice of the food's assailant he now thought otherwise.
"Hello virgins!" The instructor said as she walked through the cloud of dust and stood atop the podium in front of the class. She wore a fitted tracksuit that highlighted her curves for all to see, her serious face scaring some boys in the class but also captivating their hearts.
"My name is Natasha Solaris, and I'm your combat instructor."