’Okay, maybe that’s not so easy after all...’

Rohan felt his confidence dampen after Harland spoke of the crazy number of Awakened trying to enrol in Primus each year. Now he understood why Elane reacted like she did earlier.

Even with his Evolution Gene, he wasn’t 100% confident in being able to catch up to the prospects that would be undertaking the assessment to enter Primus University in the short few months between now and September, when the exams start.

After all, he’d only just Awakened a week ago! While others who were applying might have Awakened over a year ago — there wasn’t a strict upper limit to age with Awakened universities like that, especially after the discovery that Awakened have much higher lifespan than ordinary people.

Even Harland had confirmed that, stating that the oldest student they’d enrolled was nearly forty years old the previous year! To think that he, barely an adult just passing the age of 18, was expected to compete against monsters who’d been Awakened for longer than he’d been alive...

’But I can do it! Cases of people that old actually making it that far are rare, since they’d have long moved on from F rank, and those who haven’t are likely stuck or stagnated at the peak. We still have a shot if we play our cards right.’

Oh, that was another one of the requirements Harland laid out for them in his explanation. Nearly all the universities in the upper echelons required all their prospective students to be at F rank to enrol. Unless there were very special cases, they rarely ever enrolled students E rank and above.

For one very simple reason — their foundations had already been laid. With every rank up comes another opportunity to assimilate a new gene — and which gene you choose changes your entire future outlook.

Like Rohan, for example. He’d assimilated an Elite tier Gene at F rank, which already put him in the top 10% of F rank Awakened potential wise — and that was without anybody knowing about his Evolution Gene.

Rohan looked over at Elane.

Right now, she was the weakest link of the two of them, but that was only because she was yet to assimilate her own Gene, and the fact that until very recently, she’d been without a Genetic Armament as well.

’Once I’m fully recovered, we can head back to the Origin Realm and start grinding in there over the next few months. Let’s see... it’s mid June right now, and the exams take place mid September, so we still have three months to increase our strength.’

Right now, his plans were simple.

Find some more Elite tier beasts to hunt down, and absorb the energy contained within their Origin Crystals so that he could feed his Evolution Gene.

[Name: Rohan Roy]

[Rank: F]

[Talent: Evolution Gene (Normal(F) - 0%, Elite(F) - 14%)]

[Genes: F rank Firestone Skin (Elite)]

[Genetic Armaments: F rank Horned Rabbit Spear (Elite)]

Opening up his status, his eyes immediately moved to the ’14%’ Elite(F) Origin Energy that continued to entice him every time he thought about his status.

Ever since he realised that there were different tiers, and even ranks to Origin Energy, he’d been dying to see what happened when his Elite(F) Origin Energy reached 100% capacity.

’If I can kill enough Elite beasts and absorb their Origin Energy... I might be able to increase my Gene to Commander tier.’

He was frightened at the thought of how much power his body would contain if he managed to achieve that.

Just imagine having the same amount of defence as a Commander tier beast! He’d be able to face off against E rank beasts and Awakened with no problem, maybe even E rank Elites if he played his cards right.

’And if I can do it for my Horned Rabbit Spear as well...’

Skipping entire ranks and tiers when fighting would be a real possibility at that point.

It was almost an exponential growth: kill more Elite beasts, upgrade his Elite Genes and Genetic Armaments to Commander tier, and start killing Commander tier beasts — rinse and repeat.

Though, he currently had no idea what lay beyond Commander tier, and doubted he’d find out for a while. The Federation kept a tight lip on everything Commander tier already, only really sharing more information about Elite tiers in the recent years, let alone whatever was above them.

***

After being released from the expensive hospital, Rohan felt in top shape. Whatever they did to him seemed to have worked wonders, and as he’d been hoping inwardly, Harland did pick up the tab for him.

After all, it wasn’t like Rohan chose to be treated at such an expensive location, so after a bit of pestering from Elane, Harland agreed to pay for his treatment.

’I’ll have to thank Elane for that at some point.’

God knew he didn’t want to go into any more debt just to pay for something his body didn’t really need.

After all, he only passed out in the final bout against the Pseudo-Commander from overexerting himself and his Origin Energy.

His only physical injuries included exhaustion and a few bruises here and there where Liam’s vines and the Pseudo-Commander had managed to give him a good whack.

Even if he didn’t go to the hospital, he could have recuperated for a few days in bed at home and still returned to his peak.

’At least I saved a few days with this.’

"So where to now?" Elane asked, walking by his side, occasionally looking over at him with a worried gaze — afraid that he’d suddenly collapse again.

Even though she knew that was highly unlikely right now, her emotions were still in a mess.

Rohan had been asleep for 24 hours in the hospital, so the events in the Spike Beast gate were still fresh in both of their minds — especially Rohan’s.

"Apartment hunting." Rohan answered, not revealing much.

His eyes were already skirting across the skyline of the illustrious Primus city horizon.

"Apartment Hunting? Why?" Elane asked.

"It’s about time I moved out from my old shit hole of an apartment. And besides, if I plan on enrolling in Primus University, wouldn’t living close by make things more convenient?"

Elane’s eyes sparkled.