After some technical Q&A he didn't understand, the mental link was cut off.
Varian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
Even thought it was miniscule, he could feel that he had a slight resistance to the voice appearing in his head.
He could affect it and if his level was high enough, shield himself from it.
In fact, during the whole meeting, he was trying to find out how the other party build a mental link to him.
Thanks to that, he got an unexpected benefit.
His Mind Path which was stuck at the peak of Level 1 advanced!
[Advancing to Level 2]
Varian felt a click in his mind and the next moment, his mental strength rose.
Thankfully, the System took aura from his space ring and no one found was able to detect the anomaly.
Varian immediately noticed a few changes.
His control over his body increased to greater heights.
For instance, he could control how much 'pain' he could feel. He could increase the release of 'adrenaline' and so on.
Indirectly, he could exert super human strength.
The second change was an ability to hypnotize or at least mentally interfere. At his level, he could only affect Level 2s and Level 1s, but as his level rose, so would his ability.
Individually, these two were incapable of supporting an awakener in combat.
But once used together, they were a deadly combination.
Consider a Level 2 Mind Awakener facing a Level 2 Body Awakener.
The first problem for Mind Awakeners was their low speed.
With increased control over their body, even though they were not as strong as Body Awakeners, Mind Awakeners could exert great strength.
Besides, their keen control allowed them to use the five senses to capture the movements of the Body Awakeners with great precision.
Once a Body Awakener lunges at them to attack, they could use their ability to 'interfere' with the other party's thinking.
It would disrupt their flow and create an opening.
This was the key to their victory in level 2.
Of course, nothing was set in stone.
Divine Paths were balanced.
Body Awakeners could not get rid of the interference, but they could train themselves to work despite it.
That way, they could win any Mind Awakener.
Besides, the higher the level of a Body Awakener, the better their body, including their brain.
Their resistance to external mental invasion increases.
The same could be said for Mental Awakeners at higher levels. With the nourishment of mental power, their physical strength also takes a leap.
'Too bad a Dual Awakener cannot awaken in two paths of the same avenue.' Varian sighed.
'A Body and Mind Awakener would be a deadly combinati—' He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up.
'Am I not one? More like the only one?!' As Varian was about to revel in the realization, a voice interrupted his dreams.
"Varian, hey, is your brain ok?"
Varian snapped out his thinking and glanced at the brown haired young man that was almost screaming at him.
"William, don't disturb him." Sarah said with a serious face, while she silently slipped her hand out of Varian's.
'You know I can feel your hand the whole time, right?' Varian rolled his eyes at her actions, but didn't comment on it.
William shook his head at Sarah's words and said. "Don't you think he is affected by the mental link with our Vice Dean? I just want to see if he's okay."
Varian opened his eyes and groaned in frustration. "I'm fine, Senior. I'd appreciate if you're less concerned about me."
William was taken aback for a moment before he grabbed a chair and sat beside him.
He glanced up and down at Varian for a moment before he clicked his tongue. "You are the vice head of Military Faction in your first year. Junior, you are awesome."
William gave him a thumbs up and said. "Junior, you are good. I like you."
"Senior, I know my charm is high. But I didn't know even men would be affected my it." Varian shook his head.
William opened his mouth to refute, but Varian didn't give him the chance.
"Your affection will remain unrequited. I am not into men." Varian declared with a serious expression.
His voice was low, but to the awakeners in the room, it was loud enough.
The exciting discussions in the meeting room died down.
All the eyes turned to Varian and William.
William's palms sweated as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He looked around and saw his fangirls looking at him a complicated expression.
"So this is why you reject even the best girl's advance."
"No wonder. I thought we weren't beautiful enough."
"B-But, whatever your taste, I support you, Senior William!"
"Yes! We all love you!"
The fangirls cheered and in seconds, they launched a social media campaign.
#Support Senior William's true love!
In minutes, the likes went from dozens to hundreds.
William slumped on his chair and blankly gazed at the ceiling.
With a despairing voice, he muttered. "It's over."
Varian clicked his tongue and gave him a thumbs up. "You'll soon have fanboys following you, Senior. I wish you happiness."
Sarah walked in front of William and patted his shoulder. "I knew it. But don't worry, we're still friends. But you can't go for my dad."
William almost collapsed on the spot. "S-Sarah, y-you!"
Sarah glanced at Varian who burst out laughing and smirked. "I wish you and Varian happiness."
"No way!" Varian jumped in shock and looked at her. "If I really pick someone from here, I'd pick you."
Silence.
It was another pin drop silence as almost everyone watched the scene with great interest.
Varian snickered inside. 'I payback grudges twofold and grudges tenfold. Sarah, enjoy my counter.'
"Y-You!" Sarah's face flushed and she raised her small fist. "Wanna be beaten up?"
Varian nodded. "You can beat me, but you can't question my taste."
William glanced between them with sad eyes. "Can you not ignore me so directly?"
Sarah and Varian were taken aback for a moment before they both nodded seriously.
"Hi, William. I think Varian needs to be punished for trying to flirt with me. So we'll talk later." Sarah turned her attention back to Varian.
"...Hi, Senior." Varian smiled at him before putting on a brave expression, like a soldier going to sacrifice. "If it's right, even if it costs his life, a man has got to do what he got to do."
"Varian, don't say it like you're going to die!" William facepalmed.
The cheers erupted from the sidelines as the cadets formed various theories.
'I guess another headlines.' Varian sighed. But he paid back the grudge. Tsk.
"Well, Sarah, I'm sure you're in a good mood. So, can we talk about the plans?" Dhruv appeared behind them at some point, bringing Mia with him.
Mia's gaze alternated between the strange side of Sarah she never saw and this preposterous junior who dared to flirt with Sarah.
'Great. Discuss the plans and I'll slip out before she beats me up.'
"We must plan before every mission." Varian nodded at them.
Dhruv gave him a smile of approval while Mia looked at him warily.
Sarah raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "I don't wanna."
Suddenly, she grabbed Varian who was about to escape and smiled. "Junior Varian, Senior Sister will train you in combat."
"Wait! Sarah, we can end the meeting in just two hours!" Mia yelled.
Sarah's expression changed and she whispered to Varian. "Act along. I'll beat you less."
Varian's expression changed from confusion to one of resignation. "I-I can't resist her. For the sake of humanity, I'm going to sacrifice myself."
Sarah held Varian and was about to leave.
At that moment, Varian caught the sight of Charles and patted Sarah's back. "One sec, Sarah."
"Hm?" Sarah noticed the change in his tone and let him go.
Why did he sound so serious? Did she…anger him?
Sarah realized her thoughts were unnecessary as she saw Varian's target—Charles Xander staring at them with cold eyes.
Varian calmly walked to Charles and extended his hand. "Nice meeting you once again, First born of the Xanders."
Charles glanced at him coldly. Despite not wanting to, his upbringing and etiquette meant he had to return the greeting.
So he raised his hand for the handshake.
"Oops." Varian withdrew his hand with an embarrassed expression on his face.
"I'm not from any major powers. So how dare I shake my hand with a major member of a Prime family." Varian shivered with an exaggerated frightened expression.
Veins popped up on Charles's forehead, but the loss of cumulative experience was still fresh in his mind. So he controlled himself.
"Young Master Charles Xander," Varian smiled derisively as he uttered the word Young Master with contempt, "You asked me that day, I refused. Now, should I kneel and apologize?"
The cadets once again fell silent.
But the mood was entirely different this time.
The air was turning heavy.
A rising first year challenged the first ranker of the academy!
Charles' figure trembled and he glared at Varian. "Time is on your side now. But not for long. I won't forget today."
Varian leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "You forgot something already. I said to you the first time we met, didn't I?"
Charles eyes widened as Varian uttered word by word. "I will take your throne."
Varian appeared beside Sarah and waved at William. "Take care, Senior."
Then he turned to Charles and flashed a smile. "I know you want to try something funny. Go ahead and give it a try."
Charles' expression turned hideous as he roared.
"VARIAN!"