Rise of the Crusader

Chapter 13: The Academy Mall

“I have been here so many times, but regardless of the number of times, I still find it difficult to believe that something like this could exist.”

“Really? The both of you have been talking about this place since 8 am, I’m now interested in seeing what is so good about it.”

“It is really amazing, this is merely the tip of the iceberg, once you go deep inside the place, you would be blown away. I mean, you might not even be able to stay still because of what you will see in there.”

Serena stared at three teenagers who were beside her, and her mouth couldn’t help but open slightly. “Y-You...” She was about to speak when she shook her head and dismissed the thought of asking that question.

The three teenagers beside her were Raphael, Devon, Aiden, and Gus who is on Raphael’s shoulder.

They were all standing in front of a large building with smiles on their faces. While Devon hadn’t spoken a word, because of Serena was standing close to him, he was the one who came to knock on Raphael’s room door when Serena mentioned the academy mall to Raphael.

Aiden, of course, wasn’t going to miss the chance to go out with Serena, and he immediately tagged along. He and Raphael had been talking about the mall since they left the dormitory, and even they got in front of the mall, they were still talking about it.

.....

“Let go in!”

As Serena spoke, a smile appeared on their faces. It was Raphael that had the deepest smile on his face, as after listening to Aiden go all about the academy, he was very excited about it.

Serena pushed the mall door open, and the three of them rushed inside. “What do you think of it, Raphael?”

The instant the four of them entered into the academy mall, Aiden’s voice rang out. He had a grin on his face, as he stared at the inside of the five-story building.

Meanwhile, Raphael’s mouth was slightly open when he saw the inside of the mall. The outside of the building was indeed glamorous, but it wasn’t anything compared to the inside, this place was simply astounding.

It was the best beautiful thing, Raphael had ever laid eyes on, and without even realizing it, Raphael began to move toward one of the stores in the mall.

Aiden chased after Raphael who was standing in front of the clothing stores, “Do you know the most incredible aspect of it all, there is absolutely nothing that cannot be found in the mall.” Said Aiden.

“Whatever gadgets, tools, or even machines you need can be bought here so long as you have academy points. Even if the mall doesn’t have it, you can place an order for it, and it would be delivered to your doorstep.”

Raphael’s eyes twitched when he heard Aiden, “Really?” He smiled as just thinking about the things he could create with all this, made him ecstatic.

“What do you mean by academy points?” Raphael asked.

Aiden was about to speak when Serena appeared before them, she then took hold of Raphael’s hand, and triple tapped the surface of his wristwatch, “You have 1.37 million points.” She said.

“Isn’t that too little?” Raphael exclaimed as he stared at Serena. He had seen the smart clothes which were inside the clothing stores, and the cheapest among them cost five hundred thousand points.

Raphael turned towards Aiden and Devon, only to see their mouth wide open, and an expression of shock on their faces.

“On-One million, three hundred and seventy thousand points.” Aiden muttered before seating down on the ground, “I have been in the academy for three years, and the total point I accumulated is just 65,000 points.” He exclaimed.

Devon shook his head when he saw Raphael’s points, he then triples tapped his wristwatch and showed Raphael. “180,570 points,” Raphael mumbled.

“How come Aiden and Devon’s points are that low? I just came to the academy, there’s no way I should have more points than them.” This time around, Raphael faced Serena as he spoke.

The students in each division are assigned different academy points, based on how strong their division is, and the tasks or missions which the students perform.

“Out of those points which you possess, one hundred thousand points were allocated to you by the academy for being a year-1 student and also a student of the strongest division. As for the rest of the points there, you earned them.”

Whether it was Raphael, Devon, Aiden, or even Gus, when they heard Serena, they couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by what she had just said.

Serena heaved a deep breath, “You know what, come, let me show you!” She said and began to stride forward.

Raphael, Aiden, and Devon followed her very quickly.

They were a lot of students moving about the mall, a few of them had eyes staring at Serena and the three boys walking behind her, and an expression full of jealousy could be seen on their faces.

Serena wasn’t only a very attractive woman, but she was also incredibly powerful. Being able to be one of the top students in the year-3, the young woman was extraordinary.

A lot of students and even teachers in the academy wanted to be friends with her, but sadly enough, only a handful of them could relate to her.

“Isn’t that my helmet?” As Raphael and the others arrived at one of the stores in the mall, Raphael’s voice rang out. He received a nod from Serena, which answered his question that the helmet which was hanging in the store was the one he created.

Raphael began to stare at the gadgets, and his mouth couldn’t help but open slightly, “This... Is also mine!” He pointed at the multicolored belt which was near the helmet, and his eyebrows furrowed.

“A few of the gadgets which I gave to you to repair or modify are here. The proceeds are shared between you and the academy.” Serena said, “I have long created an academy account for you, so all the points you’ve earned from those gadgets all this while are transferred there.”

“There will still be a million points or above entering your account from the ice gun deal very soon.”

“Serena!” Raphael shook his head, “You seem to have known that I would be joining the academy someday.” Said Raphael.

And in response to his words, Serena flashed a light smile at him, “There are a couple of things I want to get in the mall, and I’m sure you also have things to get. So, go purchase them. If your points aren’t enough, I will transfer more to you.”

“Thanks!”

Serena and Raphael had been facing one another that they didn’t even realize the expression that Aiden and Devon had on their faces. It was simply priceless.

Aiden’s eyes widened, “Raphael, I have no clue on how to repair or create any of this, but I’m sure I can be of help to you. With my space-time manipulation, there are a lot of things I should be able to do.” Aiden mumbled.

“Hmmmmmm” Raphael placed his hand on his chin, as he stared at Aiden. And after a few seconds his voice rang out, “Alright, I don’t have any problem with that. What about you, Devon?” He asked.

Devon didn’t even think twice, and he immediately nodded his head.

There were a lot of ways to earn points in the academy, but for c-rank metahumans, there were only a few things they could do in the academy. And the points were only so-so, to get a high point from the academy, one would need to complete an A-rank mission.

Devon and Aiden had been in the academy for quite some time, and the points they had accumulated were only pitiful. Devon had it better because of his enhanced intelligence, he had missions that gave him points.

As for Aiden, while he had a lot of potential because of his power, he was still weak to complete any of those missions that provided huge points.

He lived on c-rank to f-rank missions in the academy.

“Since you both are Raphael’s friends, you can also be considered as my friends. So, I won’t treat you badly.” As Serena spoke, she began to tap the wristwatch on her hand, “I have sent 250,000 points each to the both of you.” She said.

“Lady Serena, one day I will...” Aiden was about to speak when Devon slapped him in the head. “Ouch, that hurts!!!”

“The three of you can go get what you want, but let’s return to this place in two hours. Raphael, there’s someone in the tech division, I would like you to meet.” Serena said with a stern look on her face.

Raphael nodded his head, and after a few seconds, the four of them went towards the store of their choice.