The Ascension Age

However, Zule seemed to be feeling down as he said, "Even though I came here to tell you this...you treated me like that. Sigh, forget it. I better go back."

Altina immediately jumped forward and began to massage Zule's shoulders as she said, "Come on, big brother. You know that your little sister here was joking."

Aire was left at a loss for words. As far as he knew, Altina wasn't that shameless...or perhaps she was? Aire couldn't help but whisper at Sera, asking, "Are they siblings?"

Sadly, before Aire could get an answer, Sera and Kymei also jumped to make Zule feel good, saying, "Big Brother Zule, you're our idol! You definitely wouldn't mind telling us this small tidbit, right?"

Aire didn't know what to say anymore. However, he soon noticed Sera, Altina, and Kymei looking in his direction, their meaning obvious.

'Why aren't you helping?'

He couldn't help but wonder if knowing about it just a few moments before the announcement was so important that they gave up all their dignity. Worst of all, Zule was also looking in his direction, obviously unwilling to talk if he didn't start to compliment him either.

'Fine! I'm already in this shit anyway. Some extra embarrassment won't make much of a difference anymore.'

With that, Zule seemed satisfied with their treatment and began to talk. He also made sure to keep his voice down so that no one else other than Aire's group could hear. "Well, first, let me congratulate you all on your new team."

In an instant, everyone was confused as one of them asked, "Team? What team?"

Zule smiled as he lifted one finger, explaining the rules, "Rule number one, your roommates are your team members. Unlike the previous Resource Wars, this one will be disputed in teams instead of individually."

Except for Aire, the other three were shocked by that news. Soon, one of them asked, "Groups? How? What if one team member drags the others down?"

"In that case, make sure to carry them," said Zule as he shrugged his shoulders. "You know how the rules are. Once decided, there's no changing it. I might as well tell you this, but quite a few students received this news and used their backgrounds to change into rooms with other strong members. As you know, something like changing one's room isn't anything heaven-defying, so money can still buy it."

Aire narrowed his eyes as he asked, "But what about the so-called private rooms? Isn't it useless to have them now?"

"That's not the problem." Zule shook his head as he replied, "The point is in which room you're registered when the ceremony starts. Your team members can pay for a private room, but no one else can come in and take their place."

"Well, this is also one of the reasons I decided to put Aire in your team. After all, I don't think anyone else with enough talent would want to enter the same room as you guys."

Aire's mouth twitched as he thought to himself, 'And did you ever think I wanted it?'

Zule completely ignored Aire's expression and continued, "Well, in the end, Aire was sent to your room before I needed to make the change myself, so it's fine."

Sera couldn't help but comment as she said, "But you know very well that we aren't that talented. Truth be told, our Stellar Energy Absorption rate is almost the same as any other common riser student."

Altina and Kymei nodded after hearing Sera's words. Aire also remembered that Altina commented something like that before. It's wasn't because of her Aptitude for Stellar Energy but her fighting skills that brought her up to this point. From the looks of it, Kymei and Sera weren't much different, so Aire wondered what kind of skill they had to be put together with Altina.

Zule nodded, not minding it at all as he replied, "It's fine, it's fine. You three exceed in your own fields even though your aptitude isn't that great. I truly believe you can make a good team. You were able to get your resources last year thanks to that, so why wouldn't you be able to do it again? It's just that you need to help each other instead of only yourself."

Sera didn't dwell on that topic for long. Since that rule had already been decided, whatever they said would make no difference. Instead, she asked something else. "So, we can now expect many more missions in groups than we usually did, right?"

"Yep," Zule confirmed. "We always had many tasks where teams were necessary. Nevertheless, the distribution of points was made depending on each person's contribution to those missions. However, this time, it'll be distributed according to each group's overall performance compared to others, not individually. Naturally, more of these group missions will be given."

Kymei had another worry as he asked, "How will the initial standing be decided?"

Aire asked something else first. "What do you mean by initial standing?"

Altina answered that for him, saying, "Think of it as a race. First, you need to decide on who will get the best positions before the race starts, right?"

Aire nodded and waited for her to continue. "It's basically the same thing. The initial standings give you the right to select many things ahead of others. That's why many risers go all out during this period. Of course, you can fight for better standings as the year goes by, and the school strongly approves it. Nevertheless, it's always easier said than done."

"Hahaha!" Out of nowhere, Zule laughed in response. "You had to see Altina last year. She truly pierced through all obstacles with brute force. Oh man, that really was a sight to behold."

Altina looked away, pretending she didn't hear anything.

Zule smiled at Kymei, who made the question in the first place. "Smart boy. Usually, the initial standing of each Stellar Riser is decided through a few tests. However, the school seems to be putting a lot of effort into the group's overall strength."

Zule then sighed as he continued, "You won't like this, but the initial standings will be decided through...the group's overall Stellar Energy Aptitude Measurement!"

In an instant, Kymei, Altina, and Sera's expressions went dark as they all said, "That's not fair!"

"I know," Zule agreed. "But the school seems to not want to waste too much time with low-level talents. After all, people like Altina, Kymei, and Sera, who can overcome the lack of Stellar Energy Aptitude through other fields, are just too rare. In the end, the talented ones are those who usually end at the top. If you want to get into a better position, you will all have to work hard for it."

Aire couldn't help but sigh while thinking, 'Work hard, the two words I hate the most in this world.'