'After consuming a Tier 4 Frenzy Fruit yesterday, my Sync Rate increased to 71.3 percent. I too am curious to see how the Nurturing process varies. After all, despite being an Area Controller for more than eight months, I feel like my advantage is too small.' Jyorta glanced at Haesha, noticing her concentration wholly be on Madam Rizenne, curiosity etched on her face.

She had already broken through to Tier 2, same for his friends Ashten Coorg and Esina Hawker. Jyorta felt the pressure. Another thing to note was that he initially thought his current Nurturing speed was equal to a Wave Controller. But, after seeing Madam Rizenne give the numerical statement, he was proven wrong.

Madam Rizenne continued after some time had passed, "The Nurturing rate for a Ground Controller with a 100 percent Sync Rate is 20 centimetres per day. It is 200 centimetres per day for a Sky Controller. Now, theoretically speaking, if you possess a 100 percent Sync Rate, you will only need about 13 years to hit the peak of Tier 3, same for Tier 4 and Tier 5. But, the reality is different."

"Your Sync Rate falls after a breakthrough. Suppose your fused organ gets injured during your missions, your Sync Rate falls again. And, to recover it, you would need Frenzy Fruits, which have a supply lower than the demand. Even a Tier 4 Frenzy Fruit only increases your Sync Rate by 0.1 percent. A Tier 5 Frenzy Fruit increases the Sync Rate by 1 percent. But, it is harder to manufacture, the costs outweigh the benefits. As for a Tier 6 Frenzy Fruit, it doesn't exist." She sighed once.

"Reaching the peak for Tier 4 and Tier 5 needs the same duration, but, hardly anyone has a high sync Rate in these Tiers." She pointed at Dalna Doppler, "Dalna Doppler currently holds the record in your Batch for the lowest loss in Sync Rate during a breakthrough. It is only 4.6 percent. Right behind her is Haesha with losing only 4.8 percent. At the bottom of this Batch is Jyorta Bone with a loss of 8 percent."

Jyorta let out awkward coughs, feeling embarrassed. He then heard Madam Rizenne continue, "But, he started with a lower Sync Rate than everyone who made a breakthrough. So, it is a commendable effort. With this lead, he is able to make better use of the academy's resources and grow stronger."

Her voice turned a notch louder, "Raising your Sync Rate outside is a slow, difficult process. After all, you would have to expend your contribution points to exchange for them. Even then, it is only handed out based on your achievements. If you don't have any noteworthy achievements to speak of, then even if you were ready to use your contribution points, it will never be your turn. Competition is severe outside the gates of our military academy. At times, an impact to your Sync Rate puts you in a vicious cycle, out of which you would never be able to escape."

Jyorta noticed Haesha subtly clench her fists, mildly gritting her teeth. There was a tinge of hatred in her eyes, her emotions resounding with Madam Rizenne's statements. She then took in a deep breath, controlling herself, soon relaxing enough to listen with renewed attentiveness.

Jyorta made a mental note of her reaction as he listened to the lecture.

Madam Rizenne then smiled a little, as if hope wasn't lost, "Remember the Trait of Severability? It can increase your Sync Rate by consuming your energy. Even though it consumes the energy equivalent to a Transformer's to raise the Sync Rate by 1 percent, it is a useful Trait to possess in times of Frenzy Fruit deficiency. It is not that expensive, costing only 90,000 Credits. If you struggle a little, I'm sure you can obtain it. Many Cadets from previous batches have obtained it."

"If you have a higher Sync Rate, your growth is faster. With faster growth, you can rake in more achievements, and become stronger at a quick pace. So, the value of these 90,000 Credits is pretty cheap when compared to the benefits." She unleashed a second psychic arm, lining it next to her first.

Numbers formed on its surface, from 50 to 100. Many lines protruded out, similar to the minor divisions in a scale. The words, 'Sync Rate in percent' appeared above it.

As for the first psychic arm, it too had many smaller divisions but only had six major divisions, from 0 to 0.5. The words, 'Centimetres' appeared above it, detailing the units of the scale. The two were placed parallel to each other, their lengths same, giving the students a mode for comparison.

Madam Rizenne spoke, "When your Sync Rate falls below 50 percent, your body treats the Wisdom Parasite as a foreign entity to be eradicated; most of the times, this leads to death of both. Also, based on our research, the Nurturing effect only begins after the Sync Rate crosses 50 percent."

"Now, an interesting phenomenon appears here," She pointed at the first scale, "It has divisions from 0 to 0.5 centimetres, which is the maximum Nurturing rate for Line Controllers at 100 percent Sync Rate. Now, notice how the '0.5 centimetres' aligns with the '100 percent Sync Rate' of the second scale; similarly, the '0 centimetres' aligns with the '50 percent Sync Rate' of the second scale."

She pointed her index finger up, emphasising her point, "At a Sync Rate of 50 percent, the body doesn't reject the Wisdom Parasite. But, the Nurturing effect at this sync Rate is zero."

"For a Sync Rate of 51 percent, the Nurturing rate is 0.01 centimetres per day. For 52 percent, the Nurturing rate is 0.02 centimetres per day. So on and so forth, it is finally 0.5 metres per day at a 100 percent Sync Rate." Madam Rizenne smiled, glancing at everyone, "Do you understand how it varies now?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The students replied with a shout. Madam Rizenne nodded in praise, changing the first scale a little, scaling it from '0' to '1' centimetres. "For an Area Controller, this is how it plays."

The students noticed an oddity, with most of them becoming surprised. Jyorta's mood worsened, feeling a sense of helplessness. Seeing their reactions, Madam Rizenne nodded, "It is just as you suspect. Even at Tier 2, the Nurturing rate is '0' at 50 percent. It is '0.02' centimetres per day at 51 percent Sync Rate, so on, so forth. Finally, it is '1' centimetre per day at 100 percent Sync Rate."

"Now, calculate and tell me the division line between the Nurturing rate of Tier 1 and Tier 2." Madam Rizenne turned silent, watching the students break into a discussion. Jyorta pulled out his notebook and began to write a simple equation of ratios.

Jyorta immediately raised his hand, watching Madam Rizenne nod, permitting him. "Only after a Sync Rate of 75% in Tier 2 will the Nurturing effect surpass the effect at a 100 percent Sync Rate in Tier 1."

"Good," Madam Rizenne motioned for him to sit, continuing as she pointed at him, "Let me take the case of Jyorta Bone. Before his breakthrough, he had a Sync Rate of 79 percent, getting a Nurturing rate of 0.29 centimetres per day. After his breakthrough, his Sync Rate fell to 71 percent. But now, his Nurturing rate is 0.44 centimetres per day. Even though this is an increase, consider Dalna Doppler's case. She started with a Sync Rate of 86 percent; if she was an Esper, she would have a Nurturing rate of 0.36 centimetres per day. Before her breakthrough, her Sync rate was a bit above 92 percent, getting a Nurturing rate of 0.42 centimetres per day, in the case of her being an Esper. This is almost the same as Jyorta at Tier 2."

She sighed, "Do you get my point now? This is how much the Sync Rate affects your growth. With a higher Sync Rate, your nurturing speed surpasses even those at higher Tiers. Even a Ground Controller with a Sync Rate of 51 percent only has a Nurturing rate of 0.4 centimetres per day, which is less than some of the toppers here."

'When I returned from Grapple Force, I only had a Sync Rate of 57 percent. Even though I was at Tier 2, my Nurturing rate was only 0.14 centimetres per day which was lower than my Nurturing Rate of 0.21 centimetres per day when I was at Tier 1. Grapple Force awarded me 70 Tier 4 Frenzy Fruits, which took me 70 days to consume, increasing my Sync Rate to 64 percent. Finally, after consuming all the Tier 4 Frenzy Fruits awarded thanks to my second rank, I attained my current Sync Rate.' Jyorta thought, mentally calculating some formulae.

After a second of hesitation, he refrained from calculating on his notebook. The equations wouldn't have made sense if anyone were to take a peak. He planned to calculate once he returned to his dorm.

'But, even if the nurturing effect was lower at first, it increased later on as my Sync Rate increased. Moreover, I had the Trait of Efficiency to boost me further. Now, I have to see how much advantage it gives me.' Jyorta thought, raising his hand, intending to ask a question.

After a couple of seconds, once Madam Rizenne finished her sentence, she nodded at Jyorta, permitting him to ask. Jyorta stood up and spoke, "Ma'am, how much does the Trait of Efficiency affect this calculation. For some reason, I am not able to add it up in my equation. It just doesn't tally."