--
The process of the initiation ceremony was a relatively simple affair.
When called, the individual must stand in the middle of the ritual circle. The operator will then push some buttons from their machine, and the platform then lights up and begins stimulating the subject's physique.
Shortly later, a reaction will appear, and this will indicate what martial physique grade the subject has awakened to.
Upon being called, Ren and four other students stepped into their respective ritual circles.
The operators didn't even give them any comforting words to calm them down or prepare them before they activated the machines. As soon as they stepped in the middle of the circle, they pushed the buttons and waited for the reaction.
Ren watched as the ritual circle released a soft and gentle radiance below his feet. A clear tube then rose and enclosed him, sealing him within the circle.
After that, specks of light blossomed from below and began sinking into his skin.
The first time one did, Ren felt a strange sensation that made him involuntarily close his eyes.
He felt something within him begin itching; it's located somewhere that's impossible for him to reach. It's not so itchy that it will drive him insane; it's mostly just irritating and annoying.
This sensation continued for a bit before stopping. The next thing he knew, he heard a crack that originated somewhere deep within him; the sound was so loud that it echoed to the depths of his consciousness and startled him awake.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself still sealed inside; then, he noticed that his whole body was glowing with that same soft and gentle radiance, only much brighter compared to the rest.
"Common Grade 1," the operator declared; a tinge of surprise was obvious in his voice.
The announcement echoed through the courtyard, and in that instant, Ren suddenly felt a lot of eyes around him.
They landed on his face first, then paused on his exposed arms with dense ritual tattoos, before peeling away.
Ren would sneer if he weren't on public, but he was, so he controlled his expression before stepping out of the circle and asking for his certificate.
This certificate not only contains the official report about his initiation ceremony results, but it also serves as his diploma.
Yes, the Initiation Ceremony was also the graduation ceremony. There's no after-party. Upon receiving this certificate, they are to go home and talk to their parents, guardians, or trusted adults about their next plans.
The majority of the students who walked out of the school gates with this certificate will probably never return here.
Ren didn't talk to anybody on his way out. He didn't wait for friends since he doesn't have any. Nobody invited him to any parties or final gatherings to celebrate their graduation since he wasn't really that popular.
He never really had that much presence in this school. To others, he's just one of the many students who studied here.
If it weren't for the dense sleeve tattoo on his arms, which is visible even with his long-sleeved uniform, Ren would be completely unremarkable. He was not handsome, not charming, not popular, and not worth the attention or hype anybody would throw his way.
Ren performed just enough to stay afloat. He never rose too high and never stepped on anybody's foot either.
His 'unremarkableness' might also be because of his unique situation.
Ren, before his memories of his previous life awakened, was never a boisterous child. He was quiet and polite and blended so well in the background that it makes it easy to ignore him.
He wasn't some hidden genius bidding his time or manipulating things from the dark. He's just...weird, and that might be because his previous life's memories haven't been awakened yet.
That said, even though it has now, Ren had no plans on doing anything drastic or changing the way how others viewed him. This was the perfect cover while he adjusted to his new reality because frankly? It's still a little difficult for him to accept that this is life now.
Yes, he had made peace with it earlier, but he won't adjust that quickly. This world and the one he intimately knew from his previous life were just too different in the end. Everything's overwhelming.
And so, Ren's graduation passed as such. He came to and left the preparatory school without leaving any deep impressions on anybody.
He made his way back home, which was walking distance from the school.
Just outside of the school gates, a dense crowd of excited and nervous parents waited for their children. Some were craning their necks to look at everybody who's walking out, some were holding signboards, some were feeling impatient, etc.
Ren took one glance at them and continued on his way; he didn't even stop to take a good look really since they had nothing to do with him.
He was thinking about a lot of things as he made his way back. His movement was subconscious. His feet knew which way to go, and they carried him home even though he wasn't paying close attention.
Shortly later, he arrived.
He arrived at a large manor built in a relatively large plot of land. The guards recognized him and let him in without any greetings.
The moment he stepped inside, he sensed something in the shift. There's this 'energy' in here that is charged; it made his skin tingle a bit. Even before awakening the memories of his past life, he never noticed it before, nor that film that's placed on the gates, which should be preventing this 'energy' from leaking out.
Ren slowed down his pace to re-familiarize himself with this place.
With his martial physique having been awakened, it's as if he's seeing this place for the first time again. And that statement wasn't really wrong. He could barely count the times he had seen this place before he awakened his memories. Not even during the previous night.
Bam! Bam! BAM!
On his way to the hall, he saw several adults out on the training field. All of them were wearing a martial gi, sweating buckets under the harsh glare of the sun, their expressions twisted as if they were in severe pain as their bare hands and feet struck at the stationary dummies before them.
Something weird happened to Ren just then...
His vision suddenly shifted, his thoughts came to a halt, and the world seemingly slowed down before him. He felt his mind firing on all cylinders as he stared at one of the people who were striking the dummies.
Ren saw everything...
The way that person's muscles twitched, how his stomach expanded and collapsed as he breathed, how his pupils dilated as his body reacted to sensations brought to him by his breathing method...
It didn't stop there. Without his input, Ren's brain already gave him sufficient information that he would've never noticed otherwise.
He knew the source of that man's pain. He knew exactly what kind of martial arts he was practicing. Hell, Ren could even tell which parts of that man's body were hurting and how much pain he was in.
Ren saw the flaws in his movements, which his mind immediately corrected for him. It even fed him remarks about how 'inefficient' and 'horrible' the man's skill was. He could even tell the side effects that that kind of practice will leave behind.
All of this happened in an instant. Only a second passed, but Ren felt like it went on forever.
He gasped and forcibly turned his head away. He then quickened his steps towards his house, his mind whirring with many thoughts, and was ultimately confused about what happened.
It didn't take long before he arrived at the sanctuary of his own house. He closed the door behind him and rested his back against it. Cold sweat accumulated on his forehead, and his eyes shone with confusion.
He controlled his breathing for a bit before shakily making his way to his room.
This whole house was his and his alone. Nobody was waiting for him to come home. Ren was an orphan, and he had been living alone here since he was ten years old.
Even before the memories of his past life awakened, his young mind was already influenced by his mature soul, making him able to live on his own. Semi-independently, as Ren wasn't allowed to work. But he does help with chores around the clan and receives home supplies and allowance.
He walked towards the fridge and had a glass of cold water to douse whatever it was that happened just now.
'What was that all about? '
'What in the world just happened? '
'How come...no, did that just really happen? Did I honestly learn the martial arts of that person in just a single glance? '
Ren's thoughts slowed down, but the memories of what happened stayed clear to him. He could recall it with piercing clarity that makes him incredibly suspicious.
As tempted as he was, Ren didn't begin replicating what he had just seen. He knew better than to begin practicing martial arts in secret, as that would easily lead to suspicions and trouble from his elders.
Unsupervised training, especially for non-initiated or freshly initiated martial artists, was a big no-no in this world.
'Could it be that...I have a cheat? '