Published at 30th of August 2026 7:50 am

Chapter 1056: Aptitude Link [GT Ranking Bonus Chapter]

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Asher shook his head as he spoke with a small smile, "If you guys jinx it, I might actually really die for real, you know," he joked, but his joke earned no laughter.

William sighed, then spoke, "Well, if you are going to the Frontier, then I can only wish that my luck favors you."

Vaelric turned to William as he spoke, "Finch should be the one saying that, not you," he joked.

"Wishing me good luck means you expect something bad to happen, so there is no need to wish me anything," Asher mused as he spoke.

Finch, who had been silent, suddenly remembered something. He immediately moved closer to Asher and put his arm around Asher’s shoulder as he spoke.

"Asher, we’ve been best friends for almost a year now, and I’ve been nothing but a good friend, right?" His tone was a bit suspicious.

Asher narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "What do you want?" He knew Finch was definitely up to something.

Finch shook his head as he spoke with a sigh, "Sigh, you make it sound as though our friendship has been built on nothing but wants and needs," he stated in an exasperated tone.

Asher said nothing and just stared at him, refusing to play whatever game Finch was trying to play.

Finch coughed awkwardly as he spoke, "Ahem... since you are graduating, you will have no need for your points, right?" His black eyes shifted towards Asher as he continued, "And I seem to remember the Principal saying she would give a reward of two million points, so you know, as your one and only best friend, I will happily accept the burden of holding such an amount of points," he stated with a smile. "You can even think of it as a good leaving gift or something of the sort, ahem!"

At Finch’s words, everyone was speechless. None of them had thought in that direction. Only Finch, the only money-minded person here, would think about points in a situation like this.

Asher couldn’t help but laugh as he removed Finch’s hand from around his shoulder. He had no issue with Finch’s request; he would have made the same request if any of his friends were graduating early. It was simply customary to share things one didn’t need when leaving school amongst friends who were still within the school, and not only school, but practically any establishment.

William, who was sitting at the side, couldn’t help but shake his head as he spoke, "Finch, I thought I was your best friend. Who would have thought you would sell your friendship for points?" His tone was filled with mock disappointment.

Finch shrugged as he spoke, "What law of friendship says a person must only have one best friend? There are men marrying more than one wife, and women having reverse harems," he defended himself.

Asher shook his head with a calm smile as he spoke, "Since I’m graduating, the Principal might find the gift a bit redundant and might change it for something useful, but if she doesn’t, I will share it between the four of you, five hundred thousand each," he stated, not promising anything as he had his own personal plans.

At his words, smiles appeared across everyone’s faces. Points were a lifeline within the Star Academy, and five hundred thousand was an amount no student would turn down.

"HAHAHAHA! Come, let’s drink and toast to your early graduation," William spoke as his mood immediately changed at the thought of five hundred thousand Academy points.

And with that, time passed as they abandoned the game for the day and shifted their attention to Asher. If he was going to leave them, then they might as well spend as much time with him as possible.

Night swiftly arrived as the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon rose, blessing the world with its beautiful silver rays of light. Finch and the others retired to their rooms as it was already past midnight. They all needed to get some shut-eye before the announcement at 10 a.m. in the morning.

They bade each other farewell as they all returned to their rooms, with Finch being the only one who used the stairs as he was on the fifth floor. But the moment Finch reached the staircase, he immediately vaulted over the railing as he raced towards his room.

As for why? The reason was simple: the cooldown for the Yearbound ability had finally ended.

Entering his room and locking the door, Lior immediately appeared in his Emovira form, his Astra energy pulsing as he sealed off Finch’s room.

"It’s almost time, kid," a smile appeared on his face. "It’s time to know whether your luck is truly as busted as it usually is," Lior stated as he was literally too excited, his mind already running through various overpowered abilities.

After all, after witnessing the Inter-Empire Tournament and being around the Wargraves, his standards couldn’t help but shoot through the roof.

The moment the time struck 1 a.m. in the morning, the Yearbound ability instantly activated on its own as neither Finch nor Lior had to do anything.

"Here it comes," Finch murmured as he closed his eyes.

The next moment, he and Lior could feel a bit of change happening through their souls. Finch didn’t panic, as Lior had already explained that this was how he had gotten the Shapeshifting ability. It was as though a new ability was engraving itself upon their souls. It wasn’t painful; rather, it was calming, gentle, and embracing.

Although both Finch and Lior were now sharing the Yearbound ability, they weren’t going to awaken two abilities, but one.

Soon, Finch and Lior felt the sensation they were experiencing begin to dull, signaling that the process was coming to an end. Within minutes, the sensation vanished entirely, and the next moment, information on what ability they had gotten for Year 2 flooded their minds.

Finch and Lior’s mouths moved at the same time as they spoke, "Aptitude Link," their voices echoing through the room.

The Aptitude Link ability was just as its name described. It allowed Finch and Lior to connect to one soul permanently, and once the connection was established, they would gain the talent of whoever they were linked to.

Their eyes couldn’t help but widen in pure shock as their breaths hitched. It was truly a busted ability, and for someone like Lior and Finch, who weren’t exactly top-tier talents, there was literally nothing more they needed.

After all, talents and abilities were two different things. Someone could possess the ability to manipulate Time, but with poor talent, the ability became useless.

It was the reason the End-class Monster had also transferred his own personal talent to Lyra. If not, no matter how overpowered the Devour ability was or became, it would still ultimately be useless if she didn’t step into the Crownstar Life Rank.

It was sort of the same for Finch. It didn’t matter if he awakened some busted ability; what was the use of it if his Life Rank remained low and his progression was slow?

And now, with this ability, Finch’s and Lior’s progress would take off.

A grin immediately broke across their faces as they had literally struck the fucking jackpot.

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