Chương 7: Bali

We moved to an area of the school where almost no one hung out. How did Cayman manage to find this place? Of all the years I've been in this school, I might've only been in this area once or twice, and if I could remember clearly, that was most likely during my first few weeks here. Cayman, on the other hand, had only been in this school for two days yet he still managed to find it. The area in question was at the very back of the school grounds.

It was a secluded area blanketed by a layer of fresh leaves; almost no sunlight could penetrate through it. We were surrounded by many old trees, the oldest of which were possibly centuries old. It was the perfect place for us to listen to what Cayman had to tell us.

I had always thought this area was blocked off, and that no one was allowed back here, because back in the day, there was a secret gate that was always open that led to the neighbourhood behind the trees, allowing people to escape freely from school like a criminal escaping from prison.

"Are we all here?" Cayman did a head count and pointed to us individually like we were prisoners. I looked around. For a second there, I had forgotten Cayman's sister Ellie existed since I had never heard a single word being uttered out of her mouth. She didn't really say much in Night Hoppers either.

"Perfect." Cayman clasped his hands together. It was clear he was planning something, but I didn't know what.

"I've gathered you all here because you are all skill users," Cayman began.

"You guys are the product of my mistake and it looks like I have to suffer the punishment by looking after you all now." Theo and Ben's faces scrunched up in anger.

"You are calling us mistakes?" Theo bellowed. With his bloody face, he looked like someone wearing a Halloween costume.

"So this is like you screwed up on something and we are now the objects that you've accidentally created?" Maybe he secretly did want another beating from Cayman. Cayman shook his head.

"It's not like that. Besides, these are personal matters. Now that you've got the ability to use skills, treat it like it's a benefit. Only I'm losing out here compared to the four of you here who are benefiting." Theo went silent. He was slightly shocked that he wasn't going to get another beating from Cayman.

"Is everybody listening?" Cayman continued.

"This is important. I want everybody to listen to what I'm saying, because I will only say it once and it will probably be the most important piece of information you'll hear in your entire lives." Everybody, including Theo, Ben and Ellie, nodded.

"Good," Cayman said. His breathing had calmed down compared to earlier when he had realised his mistake.

"Congrats on becoming skill users, I guess," Cayman muttered in a gloomy voice.

"There are a few basics that you have to learn first." He then began tapping on air. Any ordinary person would think that he was insane and that he should go to the doctors and get checked out, but any skill user would instantly realise that he was using the system.

"Open your system," Cayman instructed us. I opened my system. Nothing had changed since yesterday afternoon. Name: Robert Ryan Age: 17 Height: 5'9" Level: Basic (stage 1, 0/100 XP) Main skill: Reading Bubble Other skills: none Traits: Locked????? Locked????? Locked????? Locked????? Locked????? Locked?????

"The first thing I'll go over is the levels system skill users use. Look at where it says level. There should be a word, a stage, and how much XP you have." I focused on where it said 'Level'. Currently, I was at a Basic level, stage 1. I had no XP. But that was to be expected since I had done nothing to earn XP. In Night Hoppers, the easiest way to earn XP was to accept missions and defeat mana beasts. The higher the level of the beast, the more XP the system rewards the skill user.

If a person meets the quota to move on to the next stage, they progress to the next stage, and if they have enough XP to level up, they level up. There were four levels and twenty stages in Night Hoppers. The strongest skill users would be pushing for levels 16-20, and you would expect them to have excellent control over their mana core and their skills. But only I knew that apart from Cayman and Ellie.

"Everybody should be on stage 1 with no XP," Cayman explained.

"This is because no one has done anything that would increase their XP levels yet. I will explain shortly how this system works and how you can level up."

"So we can level up and get stronger?" Ben said to Theo.

"Nice!"

"Attention!" Cayman boomed. All conversations stopped immediately. It felt like being in a university lecture.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Bali system before?" I wanted to raise my hand, but I knew that no one else would, and that my social awkwardness would kick in, so I just stayed quiet at the back of the group. There was silence for around a minute before someone spoke.

"Ooh! Me! Me!" It was Ben.

"I know!"

"What? You know?" Cayman was taken aback. He looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"But no one here should know. Explain." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I had dodged a bullet. Thank God I didn't say I knew. I didn't know how I was going to explain the plot of Night Hoppers to Cayman.

"Does that mean we will be going to Bali? Yes, yes! I definitely need a holiday! Thank you so much, Cayman! You're my saviour!" Oh, you stupid idiot. Ben looked like he was going to bear hug Cayman at any moment. Cayman's head fell into his hands.

"No, you idiot, I'm not talking about that Bali. And besides, I don't even know what the heck that is." Ben hung his head, openly embarrassed.

"The Bali I'm talking about is our levels system. It's different from the stage system. This system uses words to classify levels and not numbers." I could tell from the way Cayman was speaking that he was losing his temper. Theo and Ben snickered. I swear those two were there just to wind Cayman up.

"Who names their levels system after an extremely popular holiday destination?" Theo asked Ben. I wanted to intervene and say that Cayman and Ellie are from a different planet but then I thought otherwise. If the bullies knew that those two weren't from Earth, who knows what drama that would create in the school, and maybe even in the world?

"It's an acronym," Cayman grumbled.

"The word 'Bali' has no meaning in our native language. It stands for something. It's like a spectrum." Maya, who was standing to my left, was deep in thought. When she looked up, she said, "Wait, so does the B in Bali stand for 'Basic'?" Cayman's mood lifted slightly.

"At least someone here has some common sense," he muttered, obviously an insult to the bullies.

"You probably won't know what the other letters stand for, so I'll tell you. The B stands for basic. It's the lowest level a skill can be and it's for weaklings like you guys. Basic skill users have the smallest capacity in their mana cores and are only able to wield basic skills with proficiency. Once they start using higher-level skills, they get worn out and their core might get damaged. Anyone in stages 1-4 are on the basic level." Theo and Ben's faces scrunched up in anger again.

"You're basically calling us weak," Ben declared.

"Nobody calls us weak, not even you, Cayman Grace." Cayman's face contorted as if he was ready to square up to the bullies.

"Try me. I'll punch you guys again like I did before, and I'll make it hurt ten times more." The bullies stopped arguing. They were already in a very sorry state.

"Just listen to what I have to say, will you?" Cayman said, clearly directed to all of us even though Maya and I had been as quiet as mice.

"Like I said before, this is important and you all have to listen to it." That was enough to make Theo and Ben shut up.

"You guys are all at the basic level," Cayman continued.

"You are the weakest among the weakest skill users. You have no XP and are at the bottom of stage 1." Everyone nodded.

"The next level after basic is the advanced level, which is the A in Bali. This is the level above the basic level. Skill users at this level are more capable compared to those at the basic level, and they are stronger for two reasons: one, because they can hold much more mana in their core, and two, because they can use advanced level skills with ease and not get tired easily. Anyone in stages 5-8 is at the advanced level." Ellie nodded, suggesting to us that this information was indeed true.

"After advanced is the legendary level. Skill users at this level are exponentially stronger compared to those at the advanced level. They have a well-developed core which they can use to wield legendary skills with ease, as well as advanced and basic skills. Anyone in stages 9-12 is considered to be at the legendary level. Anyone at the legendary level can gain lots of power and status in the skill user world, since fewer people have been able to reach this stage."

Theo, Ben and Maya's mouths were watering as if they were hungry for power and status. I could tell they wanted that legendary status so badly.

"Then, at the very pinnacle of the skill user world is the infinite level. The strongest level of them all. Very few skill users have ever reached this level, because it requires extremely arduous fights and lots of time. Those at the infinite level are like kings, respected by all. There are probably only five skill users that have reached this stage, and that's after considering that anyone in stages 13-20 are considered to be at the infinite level." Theo, Ben and Maya's jaws dropped.

I, on the other hand, displayed no visible reaction since I already knew all of this from reading Night Hoppers.

"I want to get to the Infinite level!" Ben shouted.

"I want to have all the power and status to rule the world one day!" Theo and Maya smiled. At least they were somehow able to make up for what happened literally ten minutes ago. The Bali system, a universal system used by all skill users to objectively define a skill user's level and stage in their development. Although we were all at the bottom of that prestigious system, at least we were all somewhere on that system.

"Now that I've gone through all of that, I've got a few gifts for you all to let you get started." Cayman reached for his pocket, where, after a few seconds of digging, he pulled out many little spherical balls of different colours; some were green, some were blood-red, and some were black.

"These are known as skill orbs," Cayman continued.

"These are the physical forms of the skills that you use. Once you get these, you have to ingest it, where it will travel straight to your mana core. The system should then give you a message saying you've gained a new skill. Give it a try." He handed us all a bunch of skill orbs: of those orbs, one was green, one was ruby red, one was black, and one was white.

"Eat them quickly," Cayman added.

"Lunch will end soon." I put the orbs in my mouth one at a time. Looking over at the others, Maya had the same strategy whereas Theo and Ben shoved them all in their mouths at the same time. After a few seconds- [You have gained the skill: Teleportation (basic).] [You have gained the skill: Strength (basic).] [You have gained the skill: Recovery (basic).] [You have gained the skill: Healing (basic).] I, as well as my new friends, had gained four new skills.

"Oh yeah!" Ben was ecstatic.

"I have to try it out now!" One moment, Ben was there, and then the next, he had disappeared. He had used the teleportation skill. Cayman sighed.

"These kids never learn," he mumbled.

"Now I have to find him and get him back here, right, Ellie?" Ellie nodded. I thought about the gate that led to the neighbourhood outside the school. The worst-case scenario was that Ben had teleported to a place outside the school, making him even harder to track. That would seriously be hilarious. However, before Cayman could track down Ben, we heard the whistle signalling for us to go back to class. I just had the most eventful lunchtime of my entire school life.

But I was pleased; I was living life like I was one of the characters in my favourite novel. My journey as a skill user had officially begun.