[Superhuman Level 7: 2k/10k (+600 XP)
Space Level 7: 1k/10k
Lightning Level 7: 1.5k/10k (+600 XP)
Plantae Level 7: 2k/10k (+600 XP)
Psychic Level 7: 2k/10k (+500 XP)
Macrokinetic Level 7: 1.5k/10k
Water level 7: 1k/10k]
Even though he was expecting it, Varian was a bit surprised. The progress these days wasn't enough for him, but his standards were a bit too high.
'I am still approaching mid level 7 in superhuman and plantae paths.'
He was still at a distance though.
Extrapolating the previous levels, the division of sub-levels was roughly this:
Low Level 7: 0-3300
Mid Level 7: 3301-6600
High Level 7: 6601-9900
Peak Level 7: >9900
Of course, in higher levels, peak level 7s would've varying strengths depending on how far they've gone in solving the level 8 bottleneck. But that was another issue altogether.
'But they can't come here.' Varian sighed in relief.
It was the consequence of a bizarre condition.
The ones who set a foot in breaking a bottleneck would be considered as the next level by the Ruler's Abode.
So, a peak level 7 who succeeded in moving their bottleneck a bit would be considered a level 8.
That meant, they had to travel through the valley specified for level 8s.
'It's too dangerous.' Varian took a breath to calm the heavy feeling on his chest.
Even though he downplayed it, the pressure aura exerted on him from the moment he entered the valley was by no means insignificant.
If a level 8 faced such pressure, they wouldn't even be able to make it through the valley.
"Stupid restriction." While he benefitted from it, Varian thought it made no sense.
Unexpectedly, someone defended Devas' actions.
[To Devas, once you hit the bottleneck in these levels, you'd be immediately sent to advance.
Unlike humans, devas had excellent resources and reach the next level quickly. To put it into perspective, even if a peak level 8 deva entered the level 9 valley, by the time they came out of that valley, they'd have reached level 9.]
"What the…" Varian was speechless.
These guys were really ridiculous. Was this what a higher civilization was like? Or was it devas?
'Abyssals used to be in the same range of devas.' The thought sent chills down his spine.
Evidently, devas were far more advanced than abyssals. But the two civilizations seemed comparable.
But humanity…it was still taking baby steps.
If he had to compare, the abyssal race was like a young boy and the deva race was like a powerful adult.
The human race was... still a baby.
'To screw them over, who or what are you, dear system?' Varian asked without any expectations.
[…]
The stoic system remained silent and when Varian thought it was going to stay muted, it replied.
[Host, even though the system ended the devas, the major reason isn't the system. If they were the same as they were in the past, even the system would've been helpless.]
For the first time, Varian heard such a low tone of the system. It reminded him of his own voice when he despaired for his future.
Varian's eyes shook violently, but he didn't ask anymore.
If they remained the same as in the past, even the seemingly omnipotent system would've been helpless.
This gave him two shocks.
First, the devas before that something happened were strong enough to deal with the system.
Two, the devas who could deal with such a system declined because of someone or something.
Either of these revelations was beyond his ability to comprehend, much less deal with.
'Now that I look at it, abyssals are kinda cute.' Varian coughed lightly.
As the day was about to end, Varian jumped inside a lake and sat cross-legged at the bottom.
Closing his eyes, his mental power reached the white fog of his memory palace. Today was the last session of fog removal.
Once he was done, the status bar changed.
[Memory Fog: 48% remaining]
The memories started to flash in Varian's mind.
He had already gotten all the memories 1 week before his birthday. So, his urge to see Sia grew even further.
Still, the memory fog was bizarre.
A disproportionate amount of memory fog was covering a few days of his memory. Why so?
Under his sigh, the world flashed white.
*** *** ***
"And the victor of the match is—!"
Varian ignored the announcements and rushed to the infirmary in the stadium. As he flashed the temporary ID which showed he was Sia's family, the glass door slid open and he was entered inside.
Running across the long corridor, he glanced at the names lit up at the top of the rooms on either side before stopping on the sixth room to the right.
He barged in and saw the unconscious girl on the bed.
"Haa~"
The weight on his chest disappeared and he dragged a chair and sat beside the bed.
Her pale face was a striking contrast to how she appeared at the end of the match—bathed in blood.
In the grand high school competition that spanned the entire federation, Sia won in her city and reached the cluster level—the grouping of 10,000 cities.
If she won here, she'd have reached the planetary level and fought to win a spot in the top earth geniuses.
But.
'It's alright.'
Varian softly brushed her hair behind her ear and sighed.
She lost.
Sia was still a second-year high school student, compared to the third year. Despite that, she fought hard.
If it wasn't for her bad luck in encountering a peak level 2 genius, she would've had a chance of victory.
When Sia's match ended, Varian nearly froze in shock. Sia was riddled with injuries. Her white combat dress was dyed red as blood-drenched her. In the end, she fainted.
Even though Varian had seen himself like that too many times, it was his first time seeing her like that.
His heart ached and he panicked like a headless chicken.
Only when he saw Sia safely sleeping did he sigh in relief.
Now that he observed her, why were her brows furrowed and why did she have that…scared expression on her face?
Varian fell into contemplation.
"Idiot."
"Huh?" Varian saw Sia, still pale, staring at him. Her golden eyes were filled with pride as she repeated. "Idiot."
"…What the?" Varian was dumbfounded by her reaction.
He was thinking about how to console her since she lost. But why's she smirking? Wait, that smug smile too?
Varian flicked her forehead and said. "I'm not the idiot who fights until I faint."
Sia flinched at his touch before rolling her eyes with an adorable pout. "You of all people is saying that? Really?"
"Cough. Cough." Varian coughed heavily and acted like he didn't hear anything.
He had far worse injuries during his training. But since Sia was now stronger compared to a year ago, she was able to act as a safety net for his training.
So, he was even more unbridled.
"Anyway, don't get injured like this." Varian looked at her with a serious gaze. "You know how worried I was?"
He literally ran a mile and must've broken a couple of records to reach the infirmary. The fucking stadium was just too darn big.
"I can see." Sia's lips curled up and her gaze scanned his body.
"Huh?" Varian looked down and realized his shirt was soaked in sweat.
He was a bit embarrassed at first but quickly waved his hand. "Since you can see, don't get injured like that, alright? It's just…unbearable to watch."
Unlike his previous voice which was serious, his current voice was filled with sadness.
"…I see you like that all the time tho." She muttered under her breath.
"What?" Varian didn't hear it properly.
Sia shook her head and said. "I'm too tired. I want to sleep."
"Good." Varian stood up and turned around. He was about to leave when her soft voice called out.
"Idiot."
"Seriously now, don't question my intellect…" He stopped midway as he saw her stretch her hand towards him.
Varian sighed and sat down again. He gently held her hand and his fingers interlocked with hers.
"Nightmares again?" He asked softly.
"Hm." Sia nodded meekly. Her eyebrows were furrowed as if she was still recalling the scary dream.
She had these nightmares every now and then. Especially after she awakened her gravity path.
When the nightmares began, she couldn't sleep at all. Slowly, she found a workaround.
"Don't leave…" She gripped his hand tighter and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows relaxed and a peaceful expression appeared on her face.
Varian patted her hand gently and muttered under his breath.
"I won't."