Chapter 5: Broken
'Unknown: 6 elements'
"This doesn't make any sense at all! She can only do shape-shifting, so what is this thing about six elements?", thought Greg with a confused expression as he looked at the words before him.
After a few seconds, the teacher cleared his throat and said, "Khm... It seems Greg's Guardian has the ability to use all six elements. For those who are doubtful, I can say that this object is an artifact, specially made by the Soul Association, so it cannot measure things wrong."
Hearing this, everybody's shock got a level bigger.
"Holy cow... A black Soul Guardian with the power to control 6 elements. If it's not a cheat code, then I don't know what is."
"Six elements?? Come on... That can't be true..."
"This is some kind of joke right? Not even red Soul Guardian's have such power!"
Hearing the shocked voices, Greg took back his Soul Stone and walked back hurriedly to Joe.
Looking at Joe's questioning face, Greg raised his hands and said instantly, "Don't look at me like that. Even I don't know what is happening."
"Even you don't know? Then who will? Didn't you look at your Guardian yesterday?"
"Yes, I did of course!"
"Then how can you say that even you don't know what is happening?" asked him, Joe, with doubtful eyes.
Greg looked around and seeing that almost everyone was watching him, he leaned closer to Joe and said, "My Guardian can do shape-shifting and not controlling the 6 elements. This is why I said, even I don't know what is happening."
Hearing Greg's unexpected answer, Joe looked like he just heard some kind of bad joke.
"What? That can't be true. Even the object from the Soul Association stated that your Guardian can use 6 elements, then how could it be true? "
"It is true!"
Seeing that Greg wasn't lying, Joe put his fingers on his chin and looked a bit confused.
As time went by, everyone finished their first test and the second one came.
"Okay kids, the next one is the ranking test. As you know, every Guardian starts from the first rank, but there are some cases when someone's Guardian is a level or higher. So what you need to do is simple. Come up and stand on this platform and your rank will be measured.", said the teacher pointing at a flat and circular platform.
"But sir! Why don't we summon our Guardians and make them stand there? Wouldn't the test be much more accurate and also interesting?", asked a boy with a shaggy hairstyle.
"As you may know, Guardians share their powers, ranks, and life with their owner. If they go up a rank, you follow. If they get stronger, you will also be stronger and if you die, the Guardian will die too. These things like your body influence the test or like the Guardian is stronger while being summoned, you don't need to worry about these things."
Hearing the teacher's words, everyone nodded in agreement, and also, there were some people, who didn't want to show their Guardian's in front of everyone.
"Well, let's start it then."
People went up one by one and stood atop the platform. After a white light scanned their body their rank appeared above on the hologram next to their name.
Greg's and everyone's rank was the same Awakened Rank. However, when it was Joe's turn, as everyone expected, he had the Manifester Rank next to his name.
"Okay, let's start the last test everyone. Here, next to me, you can see an orb. The only thing you need to do is use your power on it. And also don't be afraid that it will break. It is made from dimension core fragments, so it's almost indestructible."
The first one who went up was the guy with the shaggy hairstyle. He had a blue Soul Stone and his Guardian's ability was invisibility.
After he put his hand on the orb, it slowly turned transparent, while the air around it started to vibrate. A while later a number 2 appeared on the orb, showing that his power will double after he successfully ranks up.
"Nice! Double isn't a bad thing at all.", said the guy with a clenched fist.
After him, people went up one by one. There was a guy who got a number 5 with his sealing ability, however, that was the only biggest number so far and the others only got 2 or 3.
The next one who went up was William. He looked at the orb and a while later, he raised both of his arms above his hand, while he locked his fingers together.
In an instant, his already huge body grew over three meters and his muscles started to bulge with power.
"O-Oh my Lord!"
As everybody was looking at William's mountain-like figure with fear and shock, he hit the orb with full force from above.
*BOOOM!*
In an instant, as his fist hit the orb, a huge shockwave broke out pushing everyone back a few steps.
Joe looked surprised, but he wasn't looking at William. He was looking at Greg who stood in one place like nothing even happened.
While Joe was looking at Greg, the shockwaves disappeared and a number appeared above next to William's name.
'50'
"F-Fifty???!!!"
"That hit just now will be 50 times stronger after going up just one rank? You are kidding me right?"
Turning around, William smiled at Joe, but seeing that he wasn't looking his way, he clicked his tongue and walked down.
"Just you wait. After I beat the crap out of you, you won't ignore me like that."
After William the next one who went up was Joe.
Seeing that he was looking at the orb-like he had something in his mind, the teacher walked closer and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Ah? No... Not at all."
With that said, Joe raised his arm and suddenly a black cloud appeared above him with small flashes of lightning appearing in it from time to time.
"Hit it."
Like a soldier following his commander's order, the lightning hit the orb with insane power.
*KA-BOOOM!!*
A much bigger and stronger shockwave broke out, making the weaker students flying away like leaves in a cold wind.
Even William needed to put his hands before him to defend against the lightning's shockwave.
As people were flying away, Joe looked in Greg's direction, and in an instant, his eyes contracted.
Greg's hands were before him, defending against the shockwave, but that was all. He didn't look like he was struggling at all.
William saw Joe's shocked face and followed his gaze and after seeing the same scene as Joe, his mouth opened slightly.
"He has a black Soul Stone no? Others much stronger than him theoretically, were flown away like nothing, yet he is standing there like it's nothing. He is using a trick."
Again, when everything turned back to normal, people stood up vertiginously, just to notice that Joe and William were looking in the same direction, looking confused.
Even the teacher was somewhat dumbfounded, because of Joe's tremendous power.
As they followed their gaze, they saw Greg's standing figure. But before they could react, someone started to shout.
"O-One hundred???!!"
Hearing this, everyone looked up and saw the three digits next to Joe's name.
"First 50, now 100. I think I will just go home and cry all day."
"W-well he was chosen by a white Soul Stone, so it's not so surprising at all."
"Why didn't a same Guardian chose me too? Life is not fair at all!"
While everyone talked with shock, amazement, and jealousy, Joe walked back next to Greg, not taking away his eyes from him.
"W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?", asked Greg embarrassingly.
But before Joe could answer, William walked before him, grabbed his collar, and asked angrily, "How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"First, your Guardian has an ability, which even stronger Soul Guardian's don't have and now you defended against Joe's shockwave like it's nothing, from which that even I had a problem to defend against. So tell me and don't even think to lie! How did you do that?"
Hearing what William said, everybody got confused.
"Defended against that horrible shockwave? That can't be true."
"Now that you say it, didn't he defended against William's attack also like it was nothing?"
"Yeah, I saw him too!"
Watching as everyone was looking at him with doubtful eyes, Greg raised his hands and said, "I really don't know what you are talking about. I just put my hands up because of some small wind, that's all."
Hearing this, everybody got dumbstruck.
"S-small wind??! Are you f**king kidding me?"
"Hey, trash! Do you think you are some kind of god or what? Small wind?? Say that again, if you dare!"
Hearing this, William raised his hand and wanted to hit Greg's face, but just as he was about to start his attack, the teacher appeared behind him and stopped his fist.
"William, you know the rules. Until the start of the point gathering fights, no combat is allowed."
Listening to the teacher's warning, William put down his hand with a cold look.
Seeing that everything turned back to normal the teacher sighed and looked at Greg, while saying, "Only you remain. Let's go."
Greg just nodded at the teacher's order and started to walk toward the orb, while thinking, "The teacher is amazing! He instantly stopped Williams's attack. He must be at least in the Creator Rank."
Arriving before the orb, Greg put his hands on it, but waiting a few seconds and nothing happened.
Greg took away his hand and put his hand on top of the orb again, but again, nothing happened.
"Hey, white rat! Do something will you?", shouted William from the back.
"Maybe he can't use his Guardian's power?", asked a guy next to him.
"Haha! It seems you are right. I thought because of the things from before, he maybe had a really amazing Guardian, but it seems he is just a trash and who knows? Maybe he used some kind of trick before. Just like a loser!", laughed William.
Hearing this, Greg started to sweat and thought, "Come on... Alice? It seems you can't just shapeshift, but use the 6 elements, so can you help me? Please? If you don't help me I will get in trouble."
Greg felt that Alice responded and a while later a colorful light broke out from between his palm and the orb.
Seeing the light, almost everyone covered their eyes, except the teacher, Joe, and William.
They were looking at the orb and saw something that shouldn't even happen. The orb started to crack.
Like on thin glass, cracks appeared one after the other.
As the cracks started to spread faster and faster, the teacher wanted to stop Greg, but before he could do anything the light disappeared suddenly.
In an instant, as the light dissipated, everyone opened their eyes and looked up at the hologram, only seeing something unexpected.
"Unmeasurable? What does that even me-", but before the guy, who talked up, could finish what he wanted to say, there was a sound like something had been broken.
Everybody looked toward Greg, only to see broken pieces before him.
Greg saw that the orb before him was broken into small pieces and he could only say one thing.
"Damn... Now I'm in trouble..."