As expected, the cup instantly shattered into pieces when the crimson bolt of aura rummaged into it. The shattered pieces slid across the floor, creating a mess.
I noticed that the attack consumed a very small fraction of my Monster force. 'I should be able to do quite a few such attacks.'
I played around with the Force control skill a bit more. I tried to call upon a different portion of my Monster force, one full of vitality and density. However, I failed to do so.
Perhaps my force control wasn't at such a high level to use Prana yet.
'Well Aura is good enough already. Only the top of the top Awakeners can even use Aura. I shouldn't be too greedy.'
In the future, I should be able to use prana also. That would pump up my chances of survival by many folds.
After I was done messing around with Force Control, I moved my attention to the last skill available to me.
[Transformation]
Just from the name, I could guess what it meant. It was going to transform me, but into what? I had a rough guess.
Steeling my nerves, I took a deep breath. Then I muttered [Transformation].
.
.
In a barren wasteland, streams of blood circulated through the ground forming rivers. Endless corpses of humans and vampires lay scattered all across the wasteland.
A lone figure stood amidst the desolate field, his hands—no claws, fresh with the blood of his enemies. His eyes lacked any semblance of humanity; they were crimson red with a black abyssal sclera. His teeth were fangs, like a beast's, ready to tear apart his prey.
Then suddenly, Raizel woke up.
*HAH* *HAH* *HAH* *HAH*
He panted heavily; his entire body covered in sweat. "That dream again?"
He wiped away the sweat accumulated on his forehead. For the past few days, ever since he had awakened, these strange nightmares had been a recurring sight. They plagued his every dream, keeping him away from sleep.
"Is it a side effect of becoming a monster? Is sleep one of the prices I have to pay?"
Raizel got up from his bed, even though it was midnight, he didn't want to sleep any longer.
'I guess I better train my new skills and get used to this body. The Entrance examination is tomorrow.'
.
.
The next day.
Raizel was dressed in a black turtleneck, and black pants. His hair was swept backwards while some strands curved around to form bangs on his face. He looked dashing, like a noble prince.
Today the entrance examination for the Union Academy was to be held. He had already received a mail from the government stating his participation was necessary.
He looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes looked a little tired, but there were no bags under them. Any normal human would have already developed dark circles had they not slept well for 4 days like Raizel.
This was another grim reminder for Raizel. He was no longer human, and he had to be cautious on how much of himself to put on display.
After having a light breakfast, he headed straight to the bus station. The union examination was to be held at 3 pm in the evening but the place where it was going to be held was quite far away. Thus, he decided to leave early.
After hours of waiting and travelling in the bus, Raizel alighted and finally arrived before the examination center.
He looked ahead and found countless students marching ahead into the jurisdiction of the union.
The place of exam from where he stood, appeared to be a huge ground. The ground was so vast that it was almost impossible to see the end.
Raizel slowly walked forward, cautiously making his way through the crowds of students.
After reaching deep into the crowd, he stopped, now silently waiting for announcements.
'I wonder how they are going to conduct the exams…' He thought to himself.
While waiting, he saw quite a few interesting students. They were adorned in silver armors, carrying big melee weapons, some carried swords, some maces and so on. Raizel quietly observed his competition, not daring to appear overly observant.
After waiting for almost thirty minutes, Raizel suddenly heard a voice.
[Good evening students.]
The voice suddenly announced. The voice felt omnidirectional, as if appearing from all directions at once. It reverberated throughout the entire field which seemed to stretch endlessly.
The students which chattered nonstop immediately came to a halt. Their attention drawn in by the voice.
The mechanical voice which felt robotic and human at the same time then continued after a brief pause:
[I am the vice principal of the Union academy and with much enthusiasm I welcome you all to the union exams.]
Raizel raised his brow at the word 'enthusiasm' being used despite the voice lacking any such quality.
[As much as the union would appreciate accepting you all, in this world competence is everything.]
[Therefore, we have prepared this exam for every budding soul. This exam will not only test you but also draw out any hidden potential which may be locked away. It is our way of not letting promising prospects rot away.]
[Also, another shared goal of this exam will be to sort you lot according to your capabilities. Yes, as per your performance, all students will be sent to different branches of the Union academy. This is done to give appropriate training and resources to all best suiting your talents.]
Raizel silently took in the information and frowned. Although there was a bit of sugar coating done by the Vice principal, he accurately understood what they were trying to do.
Separate the cream from the filth. The top students will be sent to a special academy branch, and the union will then channel maximum efforts and resources into them. The rest were going to be expended as cannon fodder in the future wars.
Raizel's narrowed crimson eyes gleamed in a strange eerie light. 'If that is the case, I need to give it my all. I need an environment that can provide me with resources needed for optimum growth…'