Atticus suddenly raised two fingers.
"For you to be useful as you claim, there are only two ways." One finger dropped, leaving just one.
"One, you either have to be stronger than me or close to my strength. And Aurora, I'm really not trying to brag here or belittle you in any way, but I'm incredibly strong for my age group. Unless you find some kind of divine treasure or suddenly awaken a dormant strength, forget about this path. No amount of time and training can help you narrow this gap as much as you want."
Atticus's words were brutal, so brutal that he saw how hard Aurora's fists were clenched and as her gaze started getting watery, but regardless, he didn't stop. She needed to hear this.
The second finger came up, returning to two. Atticus spoke, "Two, you find something essential that you're better at than me. It could be anything; what matters is that you're good at it."
Atticus suddenly grabbed Aurora's clenched hands, stopping her from injuring her palms. He gently opened up her fists before flashing a gentle smile.
"The second is a bit more possible than the first, and I believe that instead of you being a buzzkill and crying like a baby, you should instead focus on finding what this thing is."
Aurora's heart warmed. Just why was Atticus so good to her? She suddenly lowered her head, tears streaming down her face as she sniffed. After a few seconds, she muttered softly under her breath, "I'm not a buzzkill."
"Huh? What did you say?"
Aurora suddenly kicked Atticus's leg, causing him to let go of her hand, startled.
"I said I'm not a buzzkill!" Aurora exclaimed, but as though realizing something, she suddenly turned and faced away from Atticus, her hand moving to wipe away her tears.
Atticus smiled, shaking his head slightly.
"Thank you," Aurora muttered softly, and just as she was about to leave, Atticus suddenly spoke,
"Wait, I'm curious though. What was your initial plan when you came here?"
His words made Aurora flinch as she suddenly started twirling her hair.
"I wanted to ask you to train me," Aurora muttered.
Atticus stared at her back for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, his mirth resounding across the room.
"B-bastard!" Aurora's face instantly turned crimson with embarrassment as she immediately started running towards the exit of the training room.
The door slid open, and she ran out of it before she died of embarrassment.
Atticus chuckled, wiping off a tear at the edge of his left eye before releasing a deep breath. This little sister of his was surely a handful.
Atticus shook his head and approached the control terminal of the training room. He swiftly changed the settings of the room, and the scene suddenly shifted into an expansive and lush grassland.
The gentle sounds of birds chirping and the rustling of leaves created a serene backdrop that would instantly calm even the most chaotic minds.
Atticus chose a random spot and then simply sat down cross-legged. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it in the next instant, Atticus closed his eyes and instantly entered a deep state of focus.
Not a single inch of his body moved as he replayed everything he had experienced during the entire summit duration.
Atticus meditated for a long time, deep into the night. When he felt as though he had understood and comprehended every single thing that had happened, he stopped.
However, instead of continuing to train, Atticus decided to get some rest. His body didn't feel tired, but he felt he should rest his mind.
He had used it intensely during the battles. But instead of heading back towards the mansion, Atticus chose to sleep inside the training room.
His back descended downwards, resting on the soft grassy ground, and within seconds, he entered dreamland.
…
Morning came quickly, and Atticus was surprised to discover that he had overslept. He would usually be awake by 5-6, but Atticus's eyes widened as he heard what the current time was: 8:29 AM.
"I must have really overused my mind," he muttered to himself.
It was still early to some people, but to Atticus, it felt incredibly late. He swiftly stood up, stretching his body and freeing his tensed muscles. Despite having slept on the floor, he felt well-rested.
"Let's see what I got," he said aloud.
Just as Atticus was about to check and see what he had won from the summit, his artifact suddenly sounded, making him pause.
Atticus instantly tapped on it, and as he saw the notification he had just received, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Student Atticus, please report to the Administrator's Building for the remainder of your prize as soon as possible. The terminal will be on standby to teleport you."
Atticus stared at it for a few seconds, his mind swirling, before leaving the advanced training room.
If he had to be honest, since the incident with his exosuit, the academy had already lost his trust.
Atticus had been so enraged back then that if he had the power, he would have probably leveled the whole sector.
However, he felt there was something more to why he was being called, so he decided to check it out.
The division members he saw as he passed through the camp greeted him with fervor and enthusiasm, but Atticus simply gave them a nod as he passed them by.
He decided to inform the Ravenstein youths where he was going just in case, and after a few minutes, a golden glow enveloped Atticus, and he found himself in front of a massive and imposing building.
Atticus wasted no time and approached the door. With a scan, Atticus walked through the open door and was instantly met with a large hall filled with different staff members of the academy walking about.
As soon as Atticus entered, the hall went silent as everyone focused their gazes on him, their shock apparent.
Atticus raised an eyebrow, but before it could get increasingly awkward, a figure stepped out of the crowd, approaching him.
With a small smile,
"Student Atticus, welcome to the administration building. I will lead you to your destination," Isabella spoke.