Psychic Parasite

Chapter 257: Vexing Questions

[Question 1: You are standing on the banks of a mighty river that is forking into two. Drowning in one channel is your mother, being carried by the threatening currents. Drowning in the other channel is your daughter who had only recently learned to walk. Frenzy Beasts within the river have closed in on both, about to kill them any second. Your abilities only allow you to save one person. Who will you save and why?"]

The very first question made him frown, 'Why do they have to ask such a question?'

He always hated such questions that forced him to choose one over another. Even from a theoretical perspective, he didn't like them. Jyorta thought, beginning to write while feeling a vexing sensation, "In Marble City, anyone above the age of 16 would be a superhuman, either a Warrior or an Esper. So, my mother should be able to resist longer. I will save my daughter first."

'This question is stupid. Why would anyone take their daughter near a raging river? Also, what is her mother doing? If I think like this, this question makes no sense.' Jyorta scratched his head, feeling irritated. He then read the second question, feeling his irritation worsen further.

[Question 2: Your wife has been captured by the Floating Spiders to be made into food for their newborns. At this time, you are in the middle of a Raid and the sole peak expert supporting everyone. The battle has reached its peak; a single moment of careless will cause the annihilation of the entire Raid group. There is no hope for a backup. You receive the news of your wife's capture at this juncture. What will you do?]

Jyorta wrote with a frown, "Call for a retreat and head for my wife's rescue"

His frown deepened, thinking through the question, 'Raids are launched only when the outcome is capable of affecting Marble City. Even arriving at that point should have been through a mountain of sacrifices. Calling for a retreat at that point will make all the sacrifices worthless. So, that is not the right answer.'

After a minute of thought, he wrote, "I'll finish the Raid first. The Floating Spiders prefer to feed on living beings. Also, to feed the hatchlings, the Floating Spiders will try to negate the aura in the captured foes, which should take time. So, I should theoretically have enough time to head for her rescue, logically speaking. I can't say how I'll be influenced by my emotions and the heat of the moment."

'Only in that situation will I realise what I would actually do.' Jyorta sighed, reading the third question, mentally cursing the person who had set up the questions.

[Question 3: Three people have expressed their love for you. The first is someone from the Royal Family. The second is someone from an Aristocratic Family. The third is a commoner. Your family wishes for you to marry and settle down; you are a filial child. You have no idea about the three people. Who will you choose?"

'So, the question is not asking what I would do in this situation but rather asking me to pick one.' Jyorta thought, thinking from the perspective given by the question. He had to place himself in the shoes of the person and give his honest opinion. He felt it was somewhat difficult.

Trailing his gaze on the line stating, 'You have no idea about the three people.' Jyorta wrote, "Marrying anyone means added responsibilities. I am more inclined to pick the person from the Aristocratic Family."

Jyorta heaved a sigh filled with exhaustion. He had to think about situations that he never wished to think about, situations he hoped to never be a part of. He glanced around, noticing his peers fare better than him for the most part. They all seemed serious but, the feelings they were exhibiting were a lot less than him.

It baffled him, 'Are they answering without thinking much? Or, have they already resolved themselves for such situations and are prepared beforehand? No, it doesn't seem to be the case. Is it my pessimistic maturity to be blamed?'

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Jyorta read the next question.

[Question 4: You are a Ground Controller possessing the Unranked Skill, Regen. Currently lay unconscious before you are two people, a Sky Controller, and a Transformer. Their injuries are life-threatening, but you only possess enough energy to save one person, even after burning up most of your body mass. You are in the middle of a Raid, having used up all resources. Only the three of you remain alive among the Raid force. Who will you save, and why?"

"I'll save the Transformer. Without their psychic energy, Espers are no different from regular people. But, Warriors have their enhanced physiques. A Transformer should be strong enough to fight his foes with just his physique alone." Jyorta looked at the answer he had given, placing himself in the actual battlefield.

He shook his head, scratching the previous answer, "I'll use all my energy to escape while carrying the Sky Controller. Carrying the Transformer will be difficult due to his weight. The battle would have expended most of his aura, making his weight closely resemble his actual. As a Ground Controller, I can't carry that with my limited energy."

'If the situation is disastrous and if the two are not my family, I might even escape by myselfI think. Only when I am in such a situation can I say with assurance, after seeing how I behave the first time. In the heat of the moment, I can't predict how I'll behave. Theory and practice are different.' He shook his head, continuing with the next question.

[Question 5: Marble City faces a Wave. What is your first response?]

Jyorta sighed, seeing the first question that he could readily answer, "Guarantee the safety of my family first. Worry about the rest next."

The questions continued as such, with some being easily answerable while the rest made him mentally curse the person who had framed them. Finally, the booming voice of the examiner echoed, signalling the end of the exam, "Time's up!"

At the next moment, all the booklets vanished from their spots, forming a neat stack behind the examiner. Another second later, the entire stack vanished. As the examiner motioned for everyone to leave, Jyorta turned around, gazing at the face of his friend, Ashten Coorg, noticing the emotions his friend was currently experiencing.

"Don't even ask about it," Ashten Coorg sighed, leaning his head on the desk, supported by his hands that acted as the cushion, "The first question itself was difficult to answer. I really want to see if the person who had framed the questions has his brain correctly wired."

Without even needing his probe, Ashten Coorg complained, "I mean, why would someone take his mother and daughter to a dangerous place? If the mother was on a mission, then it is understandable. But, why would the daughter be outside Marble City in the first place? We all grew up in this superhuman society spending our childhood mostly ignorant. We never even left the 7th Ring, not to mention leaving the City. Even for a hypothetical situation, this question lacks brain cells."

"So, what did you write in the end?" Jyorta nodded in support, watching his friend express the same opinion as himself.

Ashten Coorg spoke as if it was obvious, "Of course, I saved the mother. The daughter is not even real in this situation. Even if I was brain dead and carried my daughter outside Marble City, she will always be in my hold. Only if I died would her feet even touch the ground, not to mention falling into a river as the question stated."

Ashten Coorg expressed his anger, almost shouting. He then realised his outburst, turning around in embarrassment to see some students nod his way, expressing their understanding of his sentiment. He sighed once, controlling his emotions, looking at Jyorta, "What did you end up writing?"

Jyorta sighed, "I prioritised saving the weak daughter first. Since the mother should be superhuman, she should theoretically be able to last at least a second longer. It was just my optimism at play. But, truthfully speaking, even as a Wave Controller, I would have been able to save them both at the same time. The question hasn't been framed well."

He then shook his head, "I wonder what they were expecting from such questions?"

"Maybe they expected us to exhibit the behaviour of prioritising the future in exchange for the past?" Esina Hawker joined their discussion, raining down weak punches onto both of them to vent her emotions, "All their questions are pessimistic at best. Would it kill them to have some optimism? We, humans, are the strongest, wisest, and the race that is the most cunning. Surely we can screw the Frenzy Beasts and emerge victoriously."

"There is no use in discussing this anymore," Jyorta accompanied them as they exited the Head Office Building, taking a breather on the ground. They lay flat on the ground, experiencing the softness of the grass underneath, and inhaling the scent it emanated. The gentle breeze further served to alleviate their pent up emotions, calming them down.

Jyorta glanced around, failing to find Haesha. Thinking that she might have returned to the armoury to browse through the weapons, he sat up, intending to head there.

"Jyorta, I heard you have already explored the Labyrinth," Esina spoke, using her hands to feel the strength in his arms, trying to set a benchmark to the abilities one would need inside the Labyrinth. After all, she was many times stronger than the current Jyorta physique wise.