"Why don't we start from her?" Eyeball said, gesturing to Karmesínrot

"Sure, why not." Herman nodded and patted the spirit. "You heard him guys, we're starting with the ladies first. Miss Karmesínrot Leuchten, you're up!" He pointed his right hand at Karmesínrot and gestured with his left towards the six mannequins which were now merging.

'Scan.' Xenon said to the system as he gazed at Eyeball.

_________________

CREATURE: SPIRIT

INFO [<]

AGE: UNKNOWN

GRADE: APEX

STATE: CORPOREAL

TYPE: UNKNOWN

_________________

Just as the scan was completed, Eyeball who was busy merging the mannequins turned around immediately to look straight at Xenon.

Xenon noticed Eyeball turning around a bit too late, he barely managed to switch off the system's interface as the spirit faced him squarely. The spirit was a giant eyeball after all, who knew what it could see, Xenon was definitely not taking any chances that might risk exposure of the system.

Eyeball looked at Xenon immediately he turned around, Xenon was avoiding his gaze and he noticed a drop of sweat slide from his temple down his face.

'Interesting....' Chuckling inwardly, Eyeball said.

He had been merging the mannequins he created into a stronger one on the request of Herman, his human contractor that liked to treat him like a cute child, when he felt a penetrating presence directed at him.

He turned around quickly to locate the intruder, but alas, it was just a student. None of the first years who have passed through him dared to look him in the face, at least not in their first class, and yet this one is trying to look into him.

Eyeball chuckled inwardly once more. 'Let me give you a taste of your medicine.' Eyeball's pupils dilated as he focused more on Xenon, gazing into him.

All of Xenon's internals were bare to Eyeball. He could see his muscles, bones, organs, a heart that was beating faster than usual, a glowing, circular red mass in the middle of his chest – his ousia – with a tiny green circle orbiting it – Kusin – and a bluish aura around his brain, almost like a second skull.

'Strange, truly interesting!" Eyeball said excitedly as he surveyed the blue aura that was around Xenon's brain.

Studying the structure of the aura alone, he could tell it was peculiar and complicated, plus, it was protecting the boys mind amongst other things he was couldn't decipher. He had seen something like that before in a number creatures – half spirits included – but very rarely in humans, even so the structure of this one was very strange, almost otherworldly.

'I'm going to have to go deeper if I want to find out what this thing really is. Does this boy even know this... of course he knows, this is what he tried to pry into me with.' Eyeball regarded Xenon curiously, but before he could dive deeper into his mind he was called by Herman.

"Eyeball! She's ready." Herman patted Eyeball who he noticed had been looking at a particular student for a little too long. 'Eyeball! I'm sure you remember the proprietor forbade you from gazing into students!' Herman warned his spirit furiously, telepathically.

Eyeball reluctantly looked away from Xenon, bared his teeth at Herman in annoyance, then finished merging the mannequins into a considerably more powerful one.

'System, what was that?' Xenon asked, breathing a shaky sigh of relief when Eyeball finally looked away. When Eyeball was gazing at him he felt like he was stripped naked and a cold finger was being traced all around his skin.

At some point, Xenon felt the finger go inside him and start to touch, poke and twist his organs. When Eyeball gazed at his ousia, Kusin said something about his sleep being disturbed, but then stopped abruptly and said '"Do not let that thing look into your mind."' in a shaky voice.

A few seconds later the system was sending numerous warning notifications and Kusin was screaming at him to move, but he couldn't, it was like several threads as equally cold as the finger violating him was holding him down.

After a while he felt a strong urge to look up into Eyeball's iris, at the same his instinct, system and Kusin were screaming at him not to, and he did try not to, but his body disobeyed him and he started to look up slowly. Fortunately, Herman called Eyeball and saved Xenon from what he felt was encroaching doom.

_________________

Pick the creatures you scan carefully.

I don't know what that was but,

It felt similar to what a computer will experience when a hacker forcefully explores its software, encounters a firewall, and then tries to break the firewall.

Or in simple terms,

Being raped by a ghost from 'Harry Potter' who is accomplished in occlumency.

_________________

'You can see my memories?' Xenon asked in shock.

_________________

Wrong question.

Rather ask, how do I prevent being violated by a spirit in the future.

_________________

'How?'

_________________

Don't scan things ridiculously more intelligent and/or stronger than you.

I.e stick to cups, swords... and Jason

_________________

'Not funny.'

"Hey, Xenon, are you okay?" Aoi asked Xenon as noticed he was slightly trembling, even after Eyeball stopped looking at him.

"I'm fine." Xenon smiled weakly, and before he could continue his conversation with the system, his attention was grabbed by Juan.

"Professor Herman! I have something to ask." Juan raised his right arm and said before Herman could give the order for Karmesínrot to start.

"Speak. And please don't call me "Professor", 'Sir' or 'Mr.' is okay." Herman answered.

"Why is it that the top ten has to fight one by one and against a stronger mannequin, unlike the rest of us who were grouped up and went against weaker ones?" Juan asked.

"Yeah! You think they're better than us or what?" Orion shouted, earning murmurs and nods of agreement from the rest of the students.

"To put it bluntly, yes, they are better than the rest of you. They have proven themselves capable to hold the position. But that's not why they're being tested differently, for me and Eyeball to have enough understanding of each of you to be able to make individual training plans, we need to force out of you as much as we can." Herman started.

"If any of you paid attention, you would have noticed that the mannequins changes their movement and fighting style per individual, they adapt to you, your abilities, and physique, all so that Eyeball and I can get a correct reading of you." He continued.

"Orion, when you were up against your mannequin it sprouted bladed appendages, Juan, yours continued to change its form in response to your morphing. This is all to get a solid understanding of your capabilities and potential, and to get the same results with the members of the top ten students, stronger mannequins must be used.

"Arnetta freezes time, Jacquez became giant and flicked his opponent off the arena, Karmesínrot came back from a near death state, Jeage created a marvellous explosion that sent his opponent flying across the arena after completing destroying his stone armour, Jason and Xenon brought each other to a near death state after a battle that lasted less than seven minutes.

"Aoi could have demolished his opponent in two moves but decided to have a fist fight with him instead, Rogue popped her opponents eyeballs – Eyeball cringed – and strangled him with the blood from his bleeding eyes, Belladonna tore her opponents arms from his body, and Wonsebolatán decided it would be below him to fight the poor soul matched with him and just whisked him off the stage.

"Now tell me, will a half assed mannequin be able to last long enough to provide me and Eyeball with useful information?" The wind whistled.

"Karmesínrot, you can start." Herman looked away from the group of students and focused on the battle about to begin. "Oh, and, don't hold back."

"Are you sure?" Karmesínrot asked and turned her head to him. Herman simply smiled and Eyeball gave a very creaky giggle.

'Show me Eyeball's info again, system.' Xenon said internally as he avoided looking directly at Eyeball.

_________________

CREATURE: SPIRIT

INFO [<]

AGE: UNKNOWN

GRADE: APEX

STATE: PUPPETEER

TYPE: UNKNOWN

_________________

'Why did it's state change to puppeteer? And what is its grade higher or lower to Kusin's?" Xenon asked the system in puzzlement.

_________________

For the first question, look at the mannequin.

Eyeball is of a higher grade to Kusin, spirit grades are as follows from the highest to lowest;

- Primodial

- Demigod

– Legendary

- Apex

- High

- Major

- Lesser

_________________

"Damn, Kusin is this weak?" Xenon face fell when he read the list, no wonder Kusin was frightened.

'Weak or not, I'm still way stronger than you are, and you need me, it's not the other way round.' Kusin scoffed.

Before Xenon could reply, Karmesínrot dashed toward the brown, faceless mannequin with a human build, that Eyeball built. He left Kusin and the system and stood up from the log of wood he sat on to get a good view of Karmesínrot's demonstration, he could not afford to miss it.

Karmesínrot ran towards the mannequin very fast, holding a plasma sword that was not full solid but still partially red flames. She got to the mannequin before it could move, made a number of slashes very fast and appeared behind the mannequin as red lines appeared around it's body and burst it into flames.

No one was short of impressed, even Herman and Eyeball were visibly surprised.

"You were the one who told me to go all out, Sir." Karmesínrot said softly and instead the reply that she should start again that she was expecting, all she heard were gasps and a loud creaky giggle from Eyeball.

Karmesínrot turned around immediately, her eyes widened and she created a plasma shield as fast as she could.

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