The room buzzed with loud chatter, the guys wasting no time clowning on Boros for his brutal zero on the last test.
A few jeers - cheap shots, full of fake bravado. Then the double doors creaked open.
Scarlet stepped back in, posture crisp, eyes sharp like a drawn blade. The noise dipped as her presence cut through the air.
"Since the first exam is done," she said voice firm, "I suppose it's time I introduced myself. You can call me Scarlet."
"Ooh, so the babe's got a name," someone snickered from the back. A few others chuckled, but the moment didn't last. Scarlet coughed once - a polite warning wrapped in steel.
Silence followed.
Almost on cue, a squad of assistants rushed in, laying out thick pads across the floor in synchronized motion. The air shifted - game time again.
Scarlet folded her arms. "Now.... let me explain how these work."
Scarlet stepped forward, boots clicking softly against the stone floor as she nodded toward the mats."These aren't your average gym pads," she said. "Each one is rigged with weight sensors and Nexa-threaded cores. They don't just track your strength - they respond to it."
She tapped her heel against one of the pads. It lit up faintly, a dull red glow pulsing from the center. "When you perform a drill - push-ups, squats, whatever - the pad will register the pressure, duration and output. It scores based on consistency, not just raw power."
A few guys muttered to themselves, clearly trying to calculate how hard they'd need to go.
"You cheat the reps, the pad knows. You go beast mode? It'll know that too. Simple as that." She turned, arms crossed.
"Best part? These pads scale. They adjust resistance mid-test based on your body weight and recorded strength."
"Wait - so it gets harder the stronger you are?" one guy blurted out.
Scarlet smirked. "Exactly. This isn't about showing off for the crowd. It's about showing us what you're really made of."
She looked across the room, eyes stopping briefly on Boros. "No more hiding behind smart mouths or sob stories. On these pads? You can either perform.... Or you fold."
........
The assistants were still clearing the last of the strength pads when the door creaked open again.
The examiner strolled back into the girls' room like he owned it - cigarette wedged between his lips, hands stuffed deep into his coat pockets.
The assistants stepped aside without a word. They knew what time it was. He walked straight to the center, crushed the cigarette into the pad with his boot, and exhaled like he didn't have time to care.
"You're probably expecting me to properly introduce myself..... but I ain't telling my name to no civilians."
"You want my name? Earn it." He scanned the room, expression unreadable. "We're jumping straight into the second test."
On cue, assistants stormed in like a pit crew - moving fast, no wasted motion. Thick black bands were strapped onto ankles, wrists and waists. One by one.
Click. Click. Click.
A low hum filled the room. The floor thrummed beneath their boots like something had just been activated. Akeno's balance wobbled. "What the hell -?"
"Weighting bands," one assistant replied without even glancing at her. "Artificial gravity. Full-body resistance." He paused, then added dryly, "Try not to snap your ankles."
Akeno straightened up with a grin, her eyes flashing. "Oh? That's all?" she flexed her shoulders, the weight dragging slightly. "Finally... something fun."
......
Back in the men's chamber, tension was thick. Some of the guys were stretching. Others were shadowboxing like they had something to prove.
Scarlet stepped forward again, her arms folded behind her back like a commander ready to deploy troops. "Before we begin the second exam," she announced, her voice crisp and sharp, "we'll conduct a basic strength test."
A few murmurs broke out. "Strength?" one guy muttered, cracking his knuckles.
"Oh we eatin' now," another chuckled.
Scarlet ignored them. "You'll step forward one by one and strike the pad in front of you. It's calibrated to measure raw force output. No technique. No flair. Just power."
Assistants wheeled in thick, black pads with red glowing crystals embedded in the center. Nexa-powered calibrators. One for each participant. She narrowed her eyes at the group. "This isn't a performance. This is data. Don't over think it."
And just like that, the names started being called....
Scarlet snapped her fingers. An assistant raised a clipboard and called out the first name.
"Rael Stren."
A tall guy with wiry muscles stepped forward, cracking his neck. "Easy," he took his stance, planted both feet and swung.
Thud.
The pad blinked blue. A number floated above it: 37.
A few guys snickered."What was that?" one muttered. "Did he slap it or pet it?" Rael's jaw tightened, and he walked off, glaring.
Next name.
"Jonas Tyrek."
A heavier-built guy stomped up, rolled his shoulders, and threw a wild haymaker.
WHAM.
The pad flared red for a second. Scarlet's voice cut through."Invalid. Poor form. No control."
"What?! That was strong as hell!" Jonas barked. Scarlet didn't flinch. "Hit like a brute. Not a warrior." She said sarcastically.
Jonas stormed back to the group, fuming. More snickers followed. Next.
"Lykon Vren."
A quiet guy with a cocky grin strolled forward. He bounced lightly on his feet, then spun into a flashy hook.
Smack.
Pad flashed 41. Not bad but not great. Lykon winced as the crowd gave an underwhelming clap. "Damn. Thought that would hit harder."
"Maybe stick to spinning class," someone quipped. Laughter broke out again.
And many other names were called as they all stepped up, threw their best punches, and watched numbers flash overhead. Some broke into the 50s. Most hovered in the 30s and 40s. A few were just plain embarrassing.
Still, nobody stood out. Not really.
"It seems there no strong applicants this year," Scarlet muttered under her breath, voice just loud enough to carry. "Very disappointing indeed."
Scarlet scanned the group, then her eyes landed on him."You-white hair. Step forward."
The room stilled.Whispers broke out instantly.
"That's him.....The guy who mouthed off earlier...."
"Isn't that the dude who failed the first test?"
Boros sighed like this was a chore, not a trial. He stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets and strolled forward, unbothered. His lollipop stick was gone now - just his sharp gaze and sharper silence.
He stood in front of the pad. No stance. No warmup. Then thunder.
Scarlet tilted her head. "Anytime now."
Boros just rolled his shoulders once - just once - then launched a punch that cracked the air like thunder.
BOOM.
The impact slammed into the pad hard enough to rattle the walls.
Everyone froze.
The pad sparkled.... Flickered..... then glitched.
Instead of showing a number, it buzzed loudly. Text appeared: "Overload - Recalibrating...."
"What the -?" one of the assistants blinked. Scarlet narrowed her eyes, thoughts racing.
'His pad was altered to make it harder..... but he still broke it? That's impossible. I must be seeing things....'
She raised her voice."Come back and retake it," she said sharply.
That stopped Boros mid-stride. He tilted his head slightly, not even turning around. "Huh?"
"I said yours was broken. You'll retake the test," she snapped louder this time.
The murmurs returned, thicker than before."Wait.....was his rigged?"
"Did she admit they tampered with it?"
Boros muttered under his breath, "Tch. The hell does she think she's talking to?" He clenched his fists - rage flickering in his eyes - but then, like a blade being sheathed, he remembered what Kinuko said earlier. He exhaled sharply. "Tch..."
Then turned around and walked back. Another pad was brought in and replaced silently. The entire room held its breath.
'If I hit it like last time, and it breaks again,' Boros thought, 'she'll just ask me to redo it again... guess I'll go softer this time.'
He cocked back his fist... and struck.
BANG.
The new pad lit up cleanly this time, numbers tickling rapidly upward.
Calibrating.... 1.... 0.... 1.... 0..... 100.
Then it froze.
A bunch of guys from the crowd gasped. "No way."
Scarlet just stood there, stunned. "It was altered.... And he still broke it. I made him redo it.... It was still altered. And he got 100? That's..... that's impossible...."
"Hello?" Boros said casually running a hand through his hair. "Can I go back now?"
Scarlet blinked out of her thoughts "Uh.... Yes, You can.... Go back now."
Boros turned without another word, hands in his pockets like nothing happened.
But every single person was watching him now.
********
This week's goals
1 Extra chapter = 20 power stones
2 Extra chapters = 30 power stones
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