Seventh

I arrived a few minutes before breakfast and decided to take a quick shower.

The lukewarm water felt soothing, and even though it was only about an hour of training, a lukewarm shower always feels great.

After changing into my house clothes, I headed downstairs to join Mom and Dad for breakfast.

Today's breakfast was a classic: fried chicken with two cups of egg fried rice.

"Are you picking up Eliza at her house?" Dad asked.

"I will, before 8 am today," I replied.

"Be sure to ask her parents for permission, Rin," Dad reminded me.

"I will, Dad," I answered.

"Good. Just take care of her and yourself," Dad added.

"Your dad's such a worrywart," Mom teased.

"Tell Liz to stop by here for dinner sometime?" Mom asked.

"I'll let her know," I replied.

After finishing breakfast, I went upstairs to change into a slightly fancy casual outfit and did my best to fix my hair.

"I'll be going," I said.

"Keep safe, Rin," Mom replied.

I noticed Dad looking at the two chained compressed black cubes hanging at my hip.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," I said, seeing his concerned expression.

The compressed black cubes serve as both a catalyst and material when manifesting weapons or other items using the miniature imaginary reactor embedded in black chokers.

This means we can create weapons or ammunition, as long as we have Akasha’s permission and the appropriate weapon blueprint.

"I’m not too worried, Rin. I know how much stronger you’ve become.

Just remember, you’re still young, and you need to enjoy yourself more," Dad reminded me.

"Thanks, Dad," I replied.

After using the Looper, I arrived at Liz’s house a few minutes before 8 am.

Before I could even ring the doorbell, Liz opened the door and pulled me inside.

"Mom, Dad, this is Rinares Nonus Prospera," Liz said excitedly.

"Nice to meet you, Ma’am, Sir," I said nervously.

"Nice to meet you, Rin," her mom replied.

"So, this is the youngest member of the Prospera Familia.

You’re quite something, kid. First time I’ve seen someone bring black cubes on a date," Liz’s dad said.

"Dad!" Liz exclaimed, a bit upset.

"I mean, I like the kid, he came prepared to protect you," he added with a smile.

"I’ll leave my daughter to you," Liz’s dad continued.

"I’ll keep her safe," I replied.

"We’ll be going now, Mom, Dad," Liz said, tugging me outside.

"You’ll look very lovely today, Liz," I suddenly remarked as we walked toward the outer Looper to head to GRID's Magnetic Shuttle Station.

"Thanks, Rin," she replied softly, her face blushing slightly. "You look great today too," she added.

"Two-seater shuttle to GRID 7," I told the Shuttle Operator.

The magnetic shuttle station operates similarly to a looper, but due to the travel speed, we were placed in a shuttle that runs on a track.

There are two tracks: one moving clockwise and the other counterclockwise. A total of 112, 50-seater shuttles are active at once, 56 going clockwise and 56 going counterclockwise.

The shuttle stops at each GRID for one minute, unloading on the left side and loading on the right side.

Unlike traditional trains where passengers board through doors, the magnetic shuttle loads passengers like ammunition.

It can accommodate up to 25 arrays, each seating two passengers.

You simply wait at the corresponding array until a shuttle with an empty array arrives.

The shuttle unloads the empty arrays and the passengers wishing to disembark at that GRID, then loads the new passengers into the available arrays.

This system allows the sixteen magnetic shuttles to operate in a continuous loop, reducing travel time between GRIDs.

A few minutes later, we arrived at GRID 7, the theme park GRID.

Thanks to Great Grandpa, I was able to spend the day with Liz at the theme park.

Neomans typically use their points for leisure activities like this at the end of the month when their points are about to expire.

And probably because of that they were probably one of the few people in the Theme Park.

“Let's look at those tasty snacks,” Liz said, pointing at some vendors selling food.

Everything is free on the Theme Park as long as you have the ticket.

I can feel Liz happiness and excitement as she drags me around the whole Theme Park.

“Rin look here”, Liz called me as she pointed at a distance once we reached the highest point on the ferris wheel.

It's beautiful scenery, a whole GRID full of places just to amuse people.

“It’s Beautiful”, I said without thinking.

“Right”, she added.

“Do you want to try something”, Liz asked.

“The roller coaster sounds fun”, I said.

“For sure”, she said while smiling.

After enjoying several rides, lunch time came and we started looking for a restaurant to eat.

“Can I get some Crepe”, Liz said as she saw a vendor selling some crepes.

“What flavor do you like?” Liz asked.

“Chocolate," I replied.

“Wait here, I’ll get some”, Liz added.

“Okay, I’ll wait here,” I replied.

I scanned around looking for a restaurant nearby to eat.

Looking back at the Crepe vendor, Liz wasn’t there.

“Looking for her”, a man's voice echoed.

I felt a bit of chill on my spine.

As I looked around I saw Liz being held by an unknown masked man, a knife pointed on her throat.

Several masked people are popping up.

We were surrounded.

"Could you please let go of my lovely girlfriend?" I said, trying to buy time as I assessed the situation.

I could see Liz was clearly terrified and panicking.

No matter what happens, she won’t die, since the only things capable of piercing Akasha's conceptual barrier are creatures like the death doll or a conceptual weapon like my photon edge.

Looking around, I realized they were trying to hide their true identities, or rather, they were trying to make me think they weren’t neoman.

A steel knife, conventional rifles, and guns, seemed like a test.

"Aren’t you going to try and save her?" the unknown man asked.

"What do you mean by that?" I responded, taking Liz out of the man's grasp.

"Too fast," he muttered, realizing I was already behind him.

"You know, I’m not too fond of charades, Akasha," I said.

"What do you mean, Rin?" Liz asked, still in shock.

"It’s probably a test for me," I explained.

"Am I right, Great Grandpa, Artor Sextus Prospera?" I asked.

"When did you figure it out?" Great Grandpa asked, his voice amused.

"The steel knife, the conventional guns, the masks, and the heavy clothing," I replied.

"Wasn’t that the very beginning?" he added with a grin.

"Initiating Physical Perception Augmentation, 3...2...1," Akasha’s voice echoed in our heads.

"Congratulations, Rinares Nonus Prospera, for being the seventh person to pass this exam," Akasha said as her avatar materialized before us.

"This exam is a test of one's self-control, not resorting to violence, even with the ability to do so," she continued.

"Additional perks will be granted, including access to the forbidden library, and the title 'Seventh' will be awarded," Akasha added.

"I’m just curious, how is my Little Rin so fast?" Great Grandpa said, clearly impressed.

"Self Accel, in simple terms, involves absorbing and covering the body with elementary particles that temporarily enhance the physical limitations of the body, allowing it to move at extreme speeds," Akasha explained.

"I've never heard of or read about that," Great Grandpa replied.

"That's because it's an original concept, and at the moment, only the Seventh can use it," Akasha responded.

"What do you mean by that, Akasha?" Great Grandpa asked.

"Third and Fifth tried to use it, but it didn't work for them," Akasha answered.

"So Self Accel was one of the reasons I was tested?" I asked.

"It's one of the few reasons," Akasha confirmed.

"I understand. I know there's a lot we need to talk about, but can we do it later?" I asked.

"As an apology for the sudden test, I’ve arranged a luxury lunch for the two of you, along with two additional tickets for the theme park that you can use at a later time," Akasha offered.

"Artor, you and your team may leave now. Thank you for your cooperation. Compensation will be given to everyone," Akasha added.

"Operation concluded. Everyone, pull out," Great Grandpa commanded.

"Sorry, Little Miss. I hope you enjoy the day with my great grandson," Great Grandpa said.

"Don’t worry about it, old man. I always knew Rin would save me," Liz replied.

"I’ll be going now, Rin. Take care of the Little Miss," Great Grandpa said, giving me a soft pat on the shoulder.

"I will, Great Gramps. Make sure to visit sometime with Great Grandma," I replied.

"Someday, Little Rin," he said, walking away slowly and fading into the distance.

"Canceling Physical Perception Augmentation in 3...2...1," Akasha’s voice echoed in our heads.

"I've forwarded the restaurant location. Have a nice day, you two," Akasha said.

"I wonder what kind of food Akasha ordered for us," Liz suddenly commented.

"Let’s start walking. I’m kind of hungry," I replied with a smile, looking forward to the luxury meal we were promised.