Grey soon made his way to the Virtual Machine and connected himself to the simulated world.
Light flickered in his eyes, and in the next instant, he stood in a room with nothing but endless white walls. The silence was suffocating until a cold, mechanical voice resounded around him.
"Commencing first assessment. Subject: Grey. Level One. Life Assessment."
The walls glowed faintly as countless streams of light traced along the surface like flowing circuits. A subtle pressure descended on his body, pricking at his skin and burrowing deeper as though invisible hands were peeling back every layer of him.
Back in the real world, Manager Victor, Manager Desmond, and Lia sat together in the special assessment room. They stared at the big TV screen that was now showing Grey inside the assessment world.
"It's beginning," Manager Victor commented.
Manager Desmond and Lia didn't say much and kept silent. They were looking forward to Grey's performance, especially Lia. She wanted to see exactly how good this guy was.
Out of all the assessments, she was most looking forward to the combat assessment.
Back in the simulated world, a crimson eye of pure light flickered into existence. It rotated slowly, its beams passing through him as though he were transparent, scanning every thread of his being.
This was none other than the overseer of Blue Star, said to be the ultimate artificial intelligence. It was an ancient artifact discovered by the pioneers of old. It was this very artifact that the federation master once used to maintain control over the planet.
Eterna, the Ultimate AI that oversees Blue Star and manages the evolvers.
'This thing is extremely advanced even for a world like Blue Star. Could it be alien technology?' Grey mused.
However, to his surprise, the instant he thought that, the crimson eye which had looked indifferent for a moment abruptly turned to him, catching him slightly off guard.
'Did it hear me?' Grey sweated slightly.
His concerns were soon shifted as it spoke again.
"Analyzing life force. Analyzing Cellular Vitality… assessment in progress."
Grey stood still. He felt the scanner passing through his body very clearly, but he didn't say anything and simply waited for the result.
Just then, his ability was abruptly activated!
[By observing a highly advanced artificial intelligence, you have gained insight into the hidden doors to the information layer of the world.]
Grey's vision flickered, static tearing across reality. For an instant, the world broke apart into glitches before he stood in a boundless void of shifting light.
Neon lines pulsed beneath his feet, forming an endless grid. Fragments of circuitry and runes floated weightlessly, rearranging themselves with every flicker.
Before him, luminous locks appeared. They were rotating constructs of symbols and data, glowing like arrays made of pure code. Each one hummed with a barrier, daring him to break it.
However, he was soon brought back to reality when Eterna's cold voice rang out in his ears.
It was announcing the results of his Life Assessment.
He immediately switched his focus back to the assessment. He knew others were watching outside, so he couldn't afford to suddenly act strange.
[Life force: Ex-Rank]
[Cellular Vitality: Ex-Rank]
[Expected Lifespan: 200 Years without cellular degradation.]
[Life Level: level 1, 1st rank]
[Evolutionary Path: martial path]
[Note: Evolver life force still new, calculated to be only 5 days old.]
"Huh?" Grey was stunned upon seeing the results. "Ex-Rank?"
For a moment, he didn't know what to say anymore. From what he knew about the assessment ranks, they were differentiated into nine tiers: E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, and finally Ex-Rank.
Ex-Rank. It was nigh impossible to obtain the Ex-Rank!
The amount of people who had gotten Ex-Rank could be counted on one hand. One was none other than his sister, Alissa Lockhart, along with the old Federation Master of Blue Star.
Of course, Alissa having Ex-Rank was a top-class secret. Only a handful of people, including Evolver's Association Manager Victor and Eterna, knew it. Naturally, Grey knew it too. At home, Alissa was a chatterbox who enjoyed talking to their father, and she had revealed it before. He also knew about it directly from Richard.
"EX-RANK?!" Everyone instantly jumped up from their seats with dumbfounded expressions.
"What did you say his name was, Miss Lia?" Manager Desmond asked with a joyful look on his face.
"Grey… Grey Lockhart," Lia said, her mouth wide open.
What is this?
Is he a monster?
She had thought he only possessed immense talent in combat techniques, but even on the evolutionary side, he was top-notch!
Ex-Rank!
That was the pinnacle of an evolver's body, a physique with the potential to build a perfect foundation!
"Lockhart?" Manager Victor and Manager Desmond's expressions changed drastically.
"Yes…" Lia spoke, seeing them completely stumped. "He is the older brother of Alissa Lockhart."
Hearing this, Manager Victor and Manager Desmond both shared a look of realization.
"The brother and sister, they truly are invincible," Manager Victor said with a sigh.
"Good! Good! Good!" Manager Desmond laughed out loud. "This is a blessing for our Nova City!"
Manager Victor nodded in undeniable agreement. He now viewed Grey in a completely different light. Another talent had emerged in Sector 6, one just as shocking as Alissa Lockhart and Miss Lia.
"Bless the heavens!" Manager Victor was on cloud nine. With Grey's existence, he might finally secure his long-awaited promotion, the position he had been dreaming of for years.
Back with Grey, now that the Life Assessment was done, it was time for the Endurance Assessment.
The air around the simulated world shifted, and an overbearing pressure assaulted Grey from all corners of the room, rushing into his body like a tidal wave.
Grey gritted his teeth in pain. It felt extremely overwhelming. He almost gave up and fell to the floor, but just before that happened, the pressure stopped. Eterna's voice soon rang out.
"Assessment complete…"
[Base Body Endurance Level: 2nd level, 1st rank]
"Good! Good! Good!" Manager Desmond's face became even brighter. "For a martial artist, his body is strong!"
"Indeed." Lia's lips twitched slightly. She had come here with them to uncover his weakness, yet so far, she had found absolutely none.
Her shock only deepened when the Mind Assessment Test appeared. It was an evaluation of an Esper's psychic power, or for a martial artist, their perception and reflexes.
And as if that wasn't enough, the Physical Assessment Test soon followed, measuring his raw strength.
[1st rank, level 2]
"…" She no longer knew what to say.
All at level 2!
Then why isn't this guy's life force at level 2? she cursed in her mind.
And what's wrong with Manager Desmond? Why is he acting like an old expert from some old martial arts movie? Nothing made sense!