Chapter 24: Registration and Revelations
"Next registrant for Tier 1 Warrior assessment: Garrick Ironside, Warrior profession. Please proceed."
As the staff member called the name, the muscular young man in the fitted vest stepped forward confidently. He placed his finger into the vitality measurement device.
The machine hummed for several seconds before displaying results.
"Vitality measurement: 11.321. Passed."
The staff member nodded professionally. "Next is the combat power assessment. Please strike the testing apparatus with full force. You must achieve 1,500 or higher to pass certification."
The muscular man—Garrick—positioned himself before the combat analyzer, taking several deep breaths. He adopted a martial arts stance, drawing stares from other waiting registrants who watched with interest.
"I'm guessing he'll break 2,000 easily."
"Looks more like 2,500 to me."
Murmurs of speculation rippled through the crowd.
"HAAA!"
Garrick's shout echoed through the testing area. His right arm visibly swelled with surging vitality as he threw his full power into the strike.
BOOM!
3,783
"Oh, not bad at all!"
"Quite capable!"
Scattered praise emerged from the audience. Garrick's face split into a proud grin.
The staff member announced, "Combat power assessment passed. Congratulations on achieving Tier 1 Warrior certification. Here is your official badge. You'll receive a monthly warrior subsidy of 5,000 points from the Association."
"Finally! Now I can enter Abyssal Rifts and hunt spawn!" Garrick clutched his badge triumphantly. "The era of Garrick Ironside has arrived!"
The next registrant—a young woman—passed her vitality test but failed the combat power requirement despite multiple attempts.
"How is this possible? I always exceeded 1,500 at my martial hall's testing equipment..." She protested with frustration and disbelief.
"Is there something wrong with your machine?"
Selene approached with practiced professionalism. "The Warrior Association's equipment represents the highest calibration standards available. If there's a discrepancy, the error lies with your martial hall's apparatus. Please return when you've trained further. Next registrant!"
Some succeeded, faces lighting with joy. Others failed, shaking their heads in disappointment as they departed.
"Next registrant for Tier 2 Warrior assessment: Theron Stormwind, LV9 Warrior profession. Please proceed."
A dignified middle-aged man who'd been sitting near Kaelith stood and approached the testing stations.
"Vitality measurement: 103.232. Passed."
BOOM!
"Combat power assessment: 21,432. Passed."
"Congratulations on achieving Tier 2 Warrior certification. Here is your badge. You'll receive a monthly subsidy of 10,000 points." Selene smiled warmly.
Theron accepted the badge with a satisfied nod.
Everyone who'd remained to observe—including Garrick—gazed at the middle-aged warrior with genuine awe. In their perception, Tier 2 Warriors represented genuine power. Such individuals could command captain positions in military units or earn monthly salaries exceeding 100,000 points working as guild officers or bodyguards for wealthy families.
"Next registrant for Tier 1 Warrior assessment: Kaelith Frostborn, Medic profession. Please proceed."
Kaelith opened her ice-blue eyes, rose with fluid grace, and walked forward.
Vaelor's clone felt mild surprise upon hearing the name and profession.
Frostborn? Same family name as Rowan from the Elite Class. Related somehow? And she awakened as a Medic—a healer support class. Interesting choice for someone with her apparent combat capability.
Kaelith placed her hand in the vitality measurement device without hesitation.
"Watch this. She'll definitely fail," Garrick muttered, arms crossed defensively.
"Vitality measurement: 12.838. Passed."
Selene's eyebrows rose with genuine surprise. She hadn't expected another young prodigy to appear for testing today.
Shocked exclamations rippled through the crowd.
"What?!"
"Her vitality is nearly 13! That's incredibly high!"
"Who said her vitality would never break ten?!"
Garrick's face flushed crimson with embarrassment, but he stubbornly doubled down. "That's nothing special. Obviously supplemented with expensive genetic medicines. Anyone with money can inflate their vitality artificially. A girl who awakened as a Medic definitely won't have the combat power to reach minimum threshold..."
Kaelith approached the combat analyzer.
Without ceremony or visible preparation, she struck.
Vaelor's enhanced perception caught details others missed—her force generation technique was exceptional. Perfect economy of motion. Zero wasted energy. Her strike carried the refined precision of someone with years of genuine combat experience.
But to everyone else, her movement appeared almost casual. They barely registered motion before hearing the dull impact.
The number appeared.
6,932
"Six... six thousand nine hundred thirty-two?!" Someone's voice cracked with disbelief.
Gasps echoed throughout the testing area.
"How is that possible..."
"The machine must be malfunctioning!"
Even Selene looked stunned. "Could you... could you please test again?"
Kaelith complied without complaint, striking a second time.
6,947
The margin of error was less than fifteen points—well within normal variance. The results were accurate.
"Nearly 7,000 combat power... and you think that's from supplements?" Someone looked pointedly at Garrick, whose earlier confident proclamation now seemed absurd.
The muscular man stood completely frozen, mouth hanging open, jaw practically on the floor. He couldn't comprehend how a teenage girl who appeared barely sixteen or seventeen possessed nearly double his combat capability.
"How can a support-class Medic have such tremendous combat power?" Multiple people voiced variations of the same confused question.
"Absolutely incredible!"
The newly certified Tier 2 Warrior, Theron, shook his head with genuine admiration. "I didn't expect to witness such exceptional talent today..."
"Here is your Tier 1 Warrior badge." Selene handed over the credential with newfound respect.
"Thank you." Kaelith accepted it calmly, as if the achievement meant nothing significant—which, given her memories of a previous lifetime, it genuinely didn't.
Kaelith looked at Selene directly. "I recall the Warrior Association maintains a policy providing 100,000 points to warriors who certify before age eighteen."
"You're referring to the Genius Development Fund? That's correct. Would you like to claim it now?"
"Yes."
"Please follow me to process the disbursement."
As Kaelith departed to handle the financial paperwork, attention shifted to the final registrant.
"Will he pass too?" a young man whispered nervously.
"How is that possible? One prodigy is remarkable enough. Two appearing consecutively, one after another?" Garrick forced confidence into his voice despite his earlier humiliation. "That's astronomically improbable."
"True enough..."
Agreement murmured through the crowd.
"Registrant Vaelor Draeth, Shadow Reaper profession. Vitality measurement..."
The staff member's voice trailed off, eyes widening as she stared at the display.
A long, pregnant silence stretched.
"...24.322. Passed."
Her voice carried unmistakable shock.
The entire testing area fell absolutely silent.
Garrick nearly fell off his chair.
Kaelith, who'd been signing documents, couldn't help but turn her head sharply to stare.
"Another one?! ANOTHER ONE?!"
"24.322?!! That's absurdly high!!"
"That's already reached LV2, hasn't it?"
"Dear gods, how many genetic enhancement serums must he have consumed?"
"This is insane..."
"Young people nowadays are all monsters, aren't they?"
Everyone gazed at Vaelor with expressions mixing shock, disbelief, and something approaching existential despair.
One genius appearing was remarkable. Two consecutive geniuses shattered probability into dust.
Garrick sat completely dumbfounded, unable to process that both high school students he'd openly mocked possessed vitality measurements dramatically exceeding his own.
The staff member's voice actually trembled. "Please, please proceed to the combat power assessment station."
All eyes locked on Vaelor as he approached the analyzer.
A man swallowed audibly. "Will his combat power exceed that girl's?"
"Shouldn't be possible... after all, Shadow Reaper is more of a burst-damage assassin class, not sustained power..."
Everyone watched with laser focus.
Vaelor stood before the combat analyzer, carefully suppressing his overwhelming power to reasonable levels. His actual battle power exceeded 1.3 million—firmly in Tier 6 territory. Revealing that would create catastrophic complications.
Need to show peak Tier 2 capability. Approximately 50,000 combat power. Strong enough to justify my rapid advancement, but not so overwhelming it raises impossible questions.
Through his consciousness link, his main body—still at home analyzing techniques—approved the decision.
Vaelor channeled a controlled fraction of his strength and struck the analyzer with a seemingly casual punch.
BOOM!
The impact resonated like thunder contained within metal. The combat analyzer shuddered violently—not from excessive force, but from the sheer density of the attack despite its moderate power output.
The display flickered, processing...
49,847
CRASH!