Nanobots Clusters

Icarus had forgotten how chaotic a classroom of teenagers could be. And a hundred of them nonetheless! They were chatting loudly, sitting at tables, throwing the pens that were carefully placed on the table.

It did bring him back to his glory days before stepping into the real world. All those times he had wished to go back in time and experience high school again came to life this instant.

Well, except for the fact that it's not back in time but into the future, but at the same time… back in biological time?

'What a headache.'

Sighing as he slumped over the chair, Icarus raised his gaze at the dark-brown ball of hair over his table. Suddenly, a hand raised over its head and snapped his fingers.

"You listening?"

"About why throwing off the window someone's backpack over stolen food is reasonable? Yes, Tahir. I am listening."

Tahir turned his head as he pointed at Icarus.

"So you do give me the reason! I was right, wasn't I?! I'm not crazy!"

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that stealing money back would've been the better option, but I'm playing your game."

"Haha, that's right!"

Icarus sighed at Tahir's overly obnoxious laughing tone. It wasn't weird by any means, but good god was he loud. He had already winced once because of this.

He knew the kid was pleasant to speak to, but the moment he got fixated on very specific nonsense was the moment he wished to run away.

Looking around, he saw Ephras and Rain at the back of the room, chatting with each other. Both of them spoke with a formal attitude despite their ages.

The reason was revealed when not Tahir but his sister Lonna explained their background.

In short words, they were nobles with intergalactic trade routes. One of their early benefactors was Red Waters, hence they both were sent here.

'Even in this time, mega-corporations still exist,' his eyes dropped as he recalls those from Earth. A shiver ran up his spine.

Suddenly, Nuveth walked through the door, and every teenager froze in place at that instant.

Ignoring the mess, they looked at Ephras and Rain and quickly said.

"You two, at the front. Take whichever seat. The same goes for the six Grade Bs. The rest of you can remain where you are."

Icarus scoffed.

'How obvious.'

Standing up and walking to the front seat, Icarus looked down at the kid who had been properly sitting for the past few minutes, waiting for the teacher.

The other Grade B had already evicted others from their seats, so he had to do the same.

The boy was a Grade D Half-machine but one of the smartest of the entire group. Even more than Icarus. Sadly, Half-machines' human knowledge held little to no value in the Faction.

He hesitated for a moment, but this new life couldn't stand Earth's way of thought.

Despite his original homeland's teachings, he spoke with clear intent.

"Give up the seat."

"I…"

The kid tried to push words out of his mouth but eventually lowered his head and complied, reluctantly giving it up. Icarus nodded as he took his place.

The boy tried to get another seat closer to the teacher, but he was forced out of pretty much everything since everyone had heard his interaction with Icarus.

Hence, he was pushed to the corner of the room.

'Well…' Icarus glanced at him before staring forward with a silent sigh. 'Seems like I'm in for the same shit, different world.'

When every teenager was properly sat, Nuveth slowly swept each face before saying.

"Welcome, Red Waters Half-machines. As of yesterday, you have become the Faction's most precious assets. As such, you will undergo a year of intensive training to prepare you as much as possible before the new generation arrives.

"Despite Ayzic's words, time is of the essence now. And so we can't waste any of it."

The teenagers all nodded at the same time, to which Nuveth made a small smile. Putting his long, brown hair in a ponytail and out of his sight, he clapped twice to gain attention.

Walking to the center of the elevated floor, he said.

"Let's begin with some fresh content."

Icarus crossed his arms and listened.

"As you might have noticed, several of you have been stuck one percentage away from the next Grade, mostly Grade C to Grade B. This small jump between percentages is the reason why Grades exist in the first place.

"Higher Grades mean a faster replenishment of your body's nanobots as well as a faster climb to Rank 2 and 3. This is a universal law for all Grades.

"However, there is a more specific one."

All students listened carefully.

"A Half-machine's main source of strength and abilities comes from Implants. Implants are a condensed structure of nanobots that have been shaped by their environment, creating objects that Half-machines can resonate with and use.

"Someone with a higher Grade will be able to contain a higher quantity of Implants before their Core begins to collapse.

"Now, can someone first tell me what a Core is, followed by an explanation of this concept?"

Rain quickly raised her hand.

Nuveth nodded at her.

"A Core is the main concentration of nanobots in a Half-machine's body, as well as the place where these nanobots are created in case of destruction. After awakening, the Core is just over the spine, appearing as a large protrusion of the vertebrae."

The teacher nodded again.

"Good explanation."

"Thanks, teacher. However, I do not know the correlation between the Grades and Implant quantity. I'm not sure about the connection."

Rain bowed while seated, making Icarus raise his eyebrows for a moment before going back to stare at Nuveth.

She acted really formal. Even the way she spoke—cadence, tone, and pronunciation—was highly practiced with no margin for error. 

'Just what sort of life has she lived?'

Staring back at the classroom, Nuveth said,

"Does anyone know this relation?"

Many students tried guessing over vague hints, but everyone was inevitably incorrect. Icarus began theorizing on his own, but didn't manage to find any solid solution.

In the end, Red Waters Nuveth said.

"The answer lies in your cell structure."

The students all began mumbling to themselves the answers, engraving them in their hearts.

"A higher Grade means a higher concentration of nanobots per cell. This means that throughout your life, these nanobots have reinforced your body unconsciously to withstand the pressure they exert on you.

"A Grade D may carry up to 5 Implants, whereas a Grade A could carry up to 15 of them! Grade C and B all hover between 6 and 11, depending on the Half-machine."

Basil raised his hand, his fluffy green hair wiggling with that movement.

With the right of word, he said: "Then, does that mean that I, as a Grade B, could only carry only 6 Implants instead of 11?"

"That is as unlikely as a Grade C carrying 11 Implants, but it's possible. Grade C and B are highly versatile in that aspect, for better or worse."

Nodding at his answer, Basil lowered his hand.

Nuveth continued.

"Now, having settled this matter, I shall teach you about the universal currency that Half-machines operate with." 

Stretching his hand, a metallic green vine crawled like a snake from his back to his palm, depositing a ping-pong-sized, rough rock.

Raising his hand while clutching the rock between his fingers, Nuveth stared at the students.

"This is a condensed nanobot cluster. They are more commonly referred to as Clusters. They are formed whenever nanobots cannot turn into Implants, and hence, they create a rock and hibernate inside to save their last energy.

"Clusters are widely used, including repairing Implants, your own body, and assisting in the creation of higher ranked Implants. Hence, they're sought widely by all Half-machines.

"For comparison, selling a single Cluster could feed a family of five humans for two weeks."

Icarus widened his eyes.

'That's… shit, I don't think I can make an accurate comparison. But that is extremely valuable indeed.'

The first thing he did was avoid getting greedy. Following its first explanation, Clusters had a vast difference between Earth's money.

They weren't just piece of papers or numbers in a screen. A set of Clusters could save an Implant, or even his life; that made it a material to be exchanged instead of a currency.

Its explanation was misleading, at least to Icarus.

"As members of the Academy, you will be given five Clusters per week starting today."

"What?! Really?!"

Upon forming a vague understanding of the Cluster's currency, most teenagers couldn't help but shiver in the excitement of having all that money.

Hell, some even began predicting where all of their Clusters were going to be used for—most of it in entertainment.

Tahir couldn't close his mouth as he stared at his equally shocked sister.

The only two that didn't have any reaction were Ephras and Rain, which only proved Icarus' point further. He had already been a wasteful spender in his past life.

He had the experience to avoid making the same mistake again.

'The thing is… no, I'll just spend it on my own progress and see where it's wasteful and where it's not. That's the best path forward.'

Upon revealing that the students would receive a weekly allowance, Nuveth added.

"Furthermore, to explain another of its uses, we shall head to the Implants Room. I will do a quick demonstration while resonating with a wild Implant."