CHAPTER 23
"Ahem." The female instructor quickly cleared her throat, regaining her composure as Kai's comment snapped her out of her thoughts.
Trisha stared at her score blankly, as if she had always expected the result to be exactly that.
She didn't reply or make any commentary on Kai's remark.
Instead, she chose to ignore him completely, as though he never existed in the first place.
"That was impressive, Trisha. Off to the next test."
Ray didn't need anyone to tell him how impressive that performance was.
Just judging from his system alone, he knew her strength level was absurd… at least to him.
That was because his own Strength attribute was a measly eight.
'Tch! No wonder she walks like someone who owns the place,' he mused inwardly, a hint of bitterness creeping into his thoughts.
"... The next test," the instructor began as she pointed toward the bar structure, then gestured at the burly man standing off to the side.
The man walked over and helped the ice-cold girl climb onto it, steadying her as she calmly positioned herself on one of the bars and awaited further instructions.
"... All you have to do is run from one end to the other without falling off. Also, holographic spikes will be shot at you, and the speed will be increased at random. Don't let them touch you."
The woman paused for a brief moment before adding,
"Also, you will be timed."
Ray frowned at the strange setup.
"I understand the strength test, but what is this one for?" he muttered under his breath.
For some reason, Kai heard him clearly.
"... If I'm right, this is a two-in-one assessment."
Van lifted an eyebrow as he listened closely.
"How so?"
Pointing forward, Kai continued calmly,
"Running across the bars for a set period tests agility. How fast she is, how well she can move, and how quickly she can react to threats. While the threats are…"
"The holographic spikes," Van replied as he tilted his head toward the bar structure.
"Oh. So that means the disguised third test is perception," Van added after a moment. "How well she can detect incoming attacks."
Kai nodded with a faint smile.
"Oh wow. You sure are brainy, Lan."
Van raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Lan? That's not m—"
Before he could finish, the female instructor's voice cut through the air.
"... Don't use your ability this time. You may begin."
The moment she spoke, two spikes were immediately shot toward Trisha.
She inhaled deeply and hopped to the next bar, narrowly avoiding them with practiced ease.
The bars were spaced about a metre apart.
The instant her feet touched the second bar, two more spikes flew toward her.
With a calm leap off the steel, she evaded them again and landed smoothly on the third.
With each passing second, as she dodged the holographic displays, more spikes were fired at increasingly faster intervals.
Soon, faint trickles of sweat began sliding down her temples as the speed intensified dramatically.
She was just one bar away from completing the assessment when a spike slammed into her body.
Of course, it didn't hurt, but it signaled the end of the test.
"Agility; 48. Very good, to be honest."
Trisha scoffed softly as she hopped off the bar, a slight frown on her face as she walked to the side, clearly dissatisfied with the result.
The instructor tapped on her tablet a few times before announcing:
"Power level, Grade 5.4."
Chloe's mouth hung open at the announcement, but Trisha's expression didn't change one bit as she crossed her arms across her chest and simply zoned out.
"Next up; Van."
Hearing his name, Van's heart skipped a beat instantly as he forcefully gulped.
Dragging his feet forward, he began taking deep breaths, one after the other, trying to steady himself.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, Ray shouted,
"I believe in you, bro. Best of luck."
Hearing this, Van's lips parted into a thin smile as he nodded before straightening his posture.
Kai leaned forward slightly as he gazed at Ray.
"You do know that he will be crushed, right?"
Ray's fingers curled into fists as he gritted his teeth.
"Mind your own f*cking business."
"Fair enough."
At that moment, Van stood before the female instructor.
"Do you have an ability?"
"No."
The woman stared at him for a few moments before turning toward the burly man, who extended his hand.
A book materialized into view in his grasp, which he then handed over.
The woman accepted it gently.
Ray, from where he stood, frowned.
'An ability book? Huh? Why would the Aspirant Corps decide to hand out an ability book?'
Van, on the other hand, stared at the woman as she stretched the ability book toward the lean-looking boy standing in front of her.
"An-An ability book?" he muttered as his gaze lingered on it for a few seconds.
The woman nodded as she held it out, but Van, for some reason, didn't take it from her hands.
'... The Aspirant Corps. A place where youngsters are trained to join either the Vanguard Order or the Iron Corps. The organization is under the grip of the Blade family.
One of the Big Four Legacies, whose ability is earth. Which means any member that serves under them would most likely wield earth abilities.
So why are they handing…oh.' Van mused inwardly as he blinked at the ability book a few times.
'... So that's how it is. This is a trap. A way to force earth meta-humans to work under them.
If they accept an ability book at such a young age, and they actually manage to cultivate it into something powerful, the Blade family can successfully rope them in. What a sly family.'
With a sharp exhale and steeling his resolve, Van made his decision.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I refuse to accept this ability book. I don't want it."
"Huh?"
"What?!" Chloe blurted out from where she stood, shock evident in her voice at Van's decision.
Even Ray was confused, his brows knitting tighter as he stared at his friend in disbelief.