We all were broken into different groups based on how we placed in the Attack Potency segment. Tiers 10 and 9 were placed together and since Tier 7-C was the highest, Tiers 8 and 7 were placed together. Gideon was obviously going to become more competitive as the exams went on. Freya and Esta had become friends with one another and Freya gave Esta tips on how to become better at her skills.
"Alright! Tip for the second segment of the Entrance Exams: Speed! Now speed is broken up into different categories: Attack Speed, Combat Speed, Reaction Speed, Travel Speed, and Flight Speed. Since those five categories will take too long to record for everyone, we will only record Attack Speed and Reaction Speed." The director said.
A girl raised her hand and the Director noticed her. She was given the opportunity to speak. "Can we use our abilities to assist us in this?"
"Great question and the answer is...Yes! You all may use your abilities to directly assist yourself in these tests! So with that said, let's get this started!" The director said.
You all, as readers, are probably wondering, "how do abilities work?". Or, "Are abilities granted through the power of Crests?" The way abilities work is via the power of Ability Bestowal. The only ones with this ability are the Deities of our universe.
Depending on the Deity you pray to or the trial you complete, you are awarded a power or ability from that specific Deity. You are not limited to one type of power, but most are only able to acquire one power since the trials are nearly impossible to complete without extensive training and leveling up.
Only the Grand Deities can bestow godlike powers to the target. If you manage to complete a Deity's Xtreme Trial or Rank X Trial, you will be rewarded their Crest allowing you access to all of their abilities and power, and you will also be linked to them.
Many people went in and out with average scores for humans. The way the Attack Speed was calculated was how many strikes in ten seconds one person could do. Most averaged about the average, 15-20 strikes in ten seconds.
Esta went into the room and there was a target in front of her. A timer appeared in front of her then a buzzer sounded off and Esta hit the target as fast as she could. The bell rang and Esta looked at the screen. "Yes! 21 strikes in ten seconds!"
Freya clapped happily and smiled. "Good job Esta!"
"Hmph. What mediocre numbers." Gideon said then rolled his shoulder.
"Arrogance is your biggest enemy, Gideon." I said then crossed my arms.
"Ha! Don't talk down upon me just because you got a fluke of a number! We all know you used your aura to garner a higher number than me." Gideon said.
"Or maybe I just have a more of a destructive power than you." I said.
Esta began her reaction speed test. A ball was shot out of a machine at peak human speeds and smacked her right in her face. "Gah!" Esta groaned and held her face.
A big X appeared on the screen.
"And there's her score. So far...she's the lowest ranking human on the board. Tell me, your friend isn't that bad is she?" Gideon asked.
"She isn't." I said then had a flashback to when she saved me from getting attacked from behind while my guard was down. "She reacted faster than this, but she's really excitable and tends to be very clumsy when she's excited. She becomes distracted."
"Hmph. She seems like she's gonna hold you back. Uselessness isn't allowed in the world of adventurers. If I were you, I'd drop her and take someone who's more...reliable." Gideon said.
I glared at Gideon and sighed then placed my hands in my pockets. Esta didn't really have anything striking about her at the moment. She was fast attacking yes, better than the average human, but because of her adorable flaw, she's ranked very low.
Freya walked into the room and prepared herself. A target appeared in front of her and a timer appeared as well. The timer started and Freya began to strike the target with a barrage of quick strikes. The bell rang and she looked at the screen. 60 strikes in 10 seconds. Freya's power was an interesting one called Speed Strike. It comes from one of the Combat Deities named Asura. He was one with six arms who was able to strike opponents faster than the eye could see multiple times within seconds.
The Reaction Speed segment started and a robot appeared in front of her with a gun and fired a bullet that travelled at high speeds. Freya dodged it but suffered a scratch on her cheek. She looked surprised and looked at the screen. Tier 9-C reaction speed, able to move faster than a bullet, in numbers was 903.
"See there's someone with reliability. My cousin was top 10 in our academy in combat standards and I was number 1. Esta couldn't hope to compare." Gideon chuckled and walked ahead to go into the room.
I watched him and crossed my arms. The attack speed segment started for him then a target and a timer appeared. A buzzer sounded and he began striking the target then the bell rang. 200 strikes in ten seconds. Gideon had an ability called Flash Strike. It was much more faster than Speed Strike by 50%. He was able to garner 20 hits per second.
"He's so fast.." A girl said.
"Who is this guy..?" A male said.
The Reaction Speed segment started and a robot with a minigun and began firing then Gideon dodged it with relative ease. He acquired a Tier 7-B Speed or 7,002 Speed.
Gideon walked back to me and smirked. "Good luck. You won't be able to beat those numbers."
I walked ahead. "Alright...you want competition. I'll give you some competition."
I walked into the room and looked at the target and the timer. It was time to give Gideon a reality check early. I was thinking about taking it easy, but I decided to just show him what I'm made of. The buzzer sounded and the Crest of Deviation shined on my hand.
"A Crest..?" A girl said.
"Whoa.." Esta said in shock.
I struck the target once and let the timer count down. Gideon looked at the screen and noticed a one on the screen then smirked. The number flashed and went straight up to 500 hits in ten seconds on the last second. Everyone was awestruck. That was the best my body could do currently, if I wasn't weaker in my younger body, I would've been able to do a lot more. 20 wasn't the age for me as I was still a beginner but the perks I received from The Goddess of Reality allowed me to accomplish things I wouldn't have before.
"How..?! How did the number spike up?! Director! Did he cheat?!" Gideon asked.
"...No." The Director said then showed an instant replay on the screen. "As you can see, he did in fact strike the target once and left the number like that until he used an ability called Self-Exertion. One of the powers he used from Self-Exertion is Motion Paradox. He moved without moving after the first strike and hit the target 499 more times in the last second. He can hit the target 499 times per second because of his ability, ranking him at Tier 6-C Speeds...11,003 Speed."
Everyone looked at me and watched me walk out of the room. I looked at Gideon then smirked. Gideon grunted and glared at me.
"How do you have the Crest of Deviation..?! There's no way you completed an Xtreme Trial! You of all people!" Gideon said.
"I prayed to the Goddess of Reality, Alethea. She granted me the power of Rule Bending because my faith to her overpowers all others. Also look at my Reaction Time." I said then walked past him.
Gideon looked at the screen and his eyes widened. "Tier 6-C Speeds. He dodged a beam of light while being unaware to it. Who is Shiryo..?" Gideon asked surprised.
"This concludes our Speed Segment of the Entrance Exams. Come back tomorrow for the continuation of the Entrance Exams!" The director said then everyone began to leave the academy.
I grunted softly and my body felt very tight. The Crest of Deviation shined on my hand. "Yo, Alethea...what's with the massive draw backs of Self-Exertion..? This hasn't happened before."
"Heh, you've never noticed it before because you always worked very hard to beat Gideon. Now you start with this power your body is now seeing drawbacks. Your battle experience is still with you, not your physical state. Your body as of now isn't able to handle such powers. Self-Exertion is to push your body into an action beyond Newton's Laws meaning what you achieved was impossible and took a massive toll on your body. Yes you can break the Laws of Physics and all that, but with breaking laws comes the consequences." Alethea said.
I held my arm and went to find a hotel to rest at. "I guess I overdid it a little huh.." I chuckled.
"Yeah, but it was entertaining to watch. I can't wait to see what you do from here on out." Alethea said then my Crest stoped shining.
I walked into the Gesian Hotel then paid for a room and got my room key. I turned around and noticed Esta and Freya. I walked to them and they noticed me holding my arm.
"What happened?" Esta asked.
"After using my Self-Exertion ability, it took a toll on my body. Made it very tight and feel like I tore multiple muscles. I'm just gonna rest until tomorrow when I'm fully recovered." I said and smiled.
"Take it easy next time. I know Gideon is taunting you, but you shouldn't feel obligated to compete with him. The minimum requirement to getting the license is to be at least a Tier 10-A." Freya said.
"Yeah I know, but someone has to put him in his place. His arrogance is really going to get him nowhere." I said.
"He does have a large ego since he was number 1 at our old academy, but I'm sure he'll grow out of it." Freya smiled.
"I'm sure of it also." I nodded. "I'm gonna head to my room now. I'll see you two tomorrow."
"See you!" Esta waved.
I walked off to the elevator and got in then headed up to the second floor then headed straight to my room. I unlocked the door and walked inside then went straight to my bed and flopped on the bed. I took out my phone and video call my brother.
Fujo answered and smiled at me. "Yo! I heard you're in the city! Having fun here?"
"Yeah, I'm having fun here despite it being the first day. I'm actually taking the Adventurer's Exam so I can get my Adventurer's License." I said.
"Really? Well I just took my exams and I got in the Royal Army! All that training with dad and grandpa really paid off." Fujo chuckled.
"Wow and I missed the exams." I sighed.
"It's fine, at least I'll be able to make it to your exams and I'll be cheering for you all the way! Just leave some glory for me." He said jokingly.
"Yeah whatever." I smiled.
"Hey, while you're here, we should hand out. I've been here for about two days now and made some cool friends. We could hit the arcade with some of my buddies and just chill you feel?" Fujo said.
"Sounds great!" I said.
"Awesome. Listen, I'm gonna head out so I'll see you tomorrow alright?" He said.
"Alright." I responded.
"Love you, lil bro." Fujo smiled.
"Love you too, bro." I said then he hung up.
I looked at the ceiling and had a memory of Fujo's final moments in my arms. I closed my eyes and balled my fists. "This time I'm not letting you die, Fujo..."