"Wh-what?! How did this happen?!"
Jay's eyes widened, his breath hitching as he stared at the massive explosion. Horror consumed his gaze, reflecting the raging inferno before him.
The blast had been immense. But thanks to the examiner's protective barrier, Jay stood unharmed—physically, at least. His heart, however, was a different story.
'How did this happen? How?'
The question echoed relentlessly in his mind, louder than the crowd's distant murmurs.
For as long as Jay could remember, he'd seen himself as a disappointment. In his eyes, he was nothing more than a worthless, hopeless trace—a heavy burden dragging down anyone who dared to shoulder him.
Two long years of grueling training hadn't changed that perception. Not one level gained. Not one breakthrough achieved. His attempts to his spiritual energy control ended in failure every time, and the relentless nightmares ensured his heart never found peace.
But today, something was different.
"Wow, did you see that?!"
"His spiritual energy destroyed it!"
"His spiritual energy reserves must be insane!"
"Zero?! Impossible—his energy is beyond the device's capacity to measure!"
The crowd erupted into a cacophony of awe and excitement. Cheers and whispers of admiration flooded the space, their words cutting through Jay's disbelief.
For the first time in his life, they weren't laughing at him.
They were praising him.
Jay's hands trembled as he looked down, still struggling to process the impossible. The oppressive shadow of self-doubt he'd lived under for so long cracked ever so slightly, letting in a sliver of light. Could this really be happening?
"What?! The Eye of Epris couldn't measure his spiritual energy?"
A examiner's voice trembled as he turned to his superior, who looked just as shocked. However, his superior quickly regained her composure and contacted someone higher up to report the incident.
For a long, tense moment, the examiner talked with her superior, occasionally nodding her head. But her polite expression never wavered, though her gaze occasionally flicked toward Jay, as if assessing him anew. Finally, after what felt like an hour, the conversation ended.
Clearing her throat, she approached Jay, her professional demeanor firmly in place.
"Jasmine, was it? You need to come with us for a moment."
Jay hesitated, his confusion evident.
"Umm… are you going to ask for money because of this?"
The examiner chuckled softly, a small but amused smile crossing her face.
"Of course not," she replied. "We'll explain everything in the branch manager's office."
Without another word, she gestured for him to follow. Though still unsure, Jay complied as she led him away in a hurry, leaving the murmurs of the astonished crowd behind.
The restless crowd gradually quieted as the examiners called for the next test taker.
"Registration number GTR-4493410028/492, Jin."
Jin stepped forward, his thoughts lingering on Jay.
'Does he not realize the sheer extent of his nearly endless spiritual energy?'
As he approached, he noticed a replacement artifact—Jay had destroyed the last one.
[Unique Skill: Seer of the Unseen]
Jin activated his unique skill, analyzing the artifact before him.
'So, this device sends out a small pulse of spiritual energy to measure the spiritual energy reserves of the target. Like a spiritual-energy-based sonar… clever.'
The examiner gave a brief explanation, but Jin had already figured it out. He stepped forward and placed his hand gently on the artifact, a stone with carving of a closed eye.
Spiritual energy reserves differed from spiritual energy output. Reserves referred to the amount of spiritual energy stored in one's mana vessel—a spiritual core connected to the soul.
This vessel acted as a container, but its size varied between individuals. Those with larger vessels possessed greater spiritual energy.
If the reserve limit was exceeded, spiritual energy would leak out, causing what was called a spiritual energy overload. This phenomenon, akin to an explosion, didn't happen naturally and was often triggered by external effects.
In most cases, the resulting force was fatal. If one survived, their spiritual veins would almost always be destroyed. And once damaged, these veins were nearly impossible to repair.
Well, there were ways, but the materials required to heal them simply didn't exist within the human realm.
On the other hand, spiritual energy output referred to the amount of spiritual energy one could release at a given time. This value was influenced by one's level and consistent practice.
Jin placed his hand on the stone, feeling a faint hum of energy in response. After a brief moment, the eye opened, and the device displayed his obvious result: 48.
He glanced nervously at the examiner, who was busy jotting down scores ranging from 1 to 10 in the ledger. Jin's heart raced as he watched the examiner's pen move.
'Please don't let it be a zero. Anything but a zero.'
He thought desperately, since getting a zero meaning disqualification.
Jin watched the examiner's pen intently, his heart pounding in his chest. He prayed silently, desperate not to see the dreaded mark for zero.
In the human language, the number for zero was written as two parallel lines connected by a curved arc at the top.
'Please, not a zero. Anything but that.'
Jin thought, his palms sweating.
The examiner's pen hovered over the parchment, then began to move. Jin's anxiety spiked as he strained to follow the pen's strokes.
To his immense relief, the pen didn't trace the symmetrical curves of a zero. Instead, it began with a single line, then angled slightly left at the end. The stroke reversed on itself, curving back to the original line before extending slightly beyond it.
It was a one.
Jin exhaled sharply, relief washing over him. 'I'm safe.'
"What?! Even the lowest score is usually at least a seven!"
A fellow test taker muttered in disbelief.
Jin bit back a retort, his thoughts dripping with irritation.
'Better than you spiritual energy less sleepers.'
Without waiting for further reactions, Jin moved to the next station: the physical strength test.
The physical strength test wasn't much of a challenge for Jin. Thanks to his Greater Tempered Body, his strength was boosted to inhuman levels, making a perfect score of ten easily achievable. However, he deliberately held back, striking just hard enough to earn a score of six.
Next was the mystical arts test, which required him to perform a mystical art on a designated target.
Jin stood before the target and raised his hand, his mind focused.
'To perform an art, the most critical factor is spiritual energy output.'
The creation of a mystical art depended on the code generation, which required a corresponding amount of spiritual energy.
A Tier 0 art demanded less than 50 units of spiritual energy output, whereas peak Tier 1 arts required over 100. While his spiritual energy output allowed him to perform some Tier 1 arts, most of them would be weak and ineffective in his many situations.
Enhancing the power of his arts with his limitless reserves—granted by his trait Undying Soul—was tempting. However, this method had limitations. The enhancement could only go so far before the spiritual energy became unstable, risking a catastrophic inner explosion.
After careful consideration, Jin decided to stick with a simple Tier 0 art: Magic Shard.
A shard of spiritual energy materialized in the palm of his hand, glowing faintly. Though Tier 0 arts lacked significant power, Jin compensated by forcing the shard to rotate rapidly, infusing it with additional energy to amplify its impact. Once the shard gained sufficient momentum, he unleashed it toward the target.
[Mystical Art: Magic Shard]
The glowing projectile shot forward, hitting the target with a sharp burst of energy.
The examiner, observing closely, nodded and jotted down a score: seven.
Jin allowed himself a small smile. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to pass.
The next challenge was the agility and reaction speed test, where Jin had to dodge a series of projectiles aimed at him. Thanks to his unique skill, he managed to clear it successfully.
Following that was the wisdom test, which required him to solve various puzzles. Next came the stamina test, where he had to run repeatedly across the entire training ground, pushing his endurance to its limits.
The spiritual awareness and spiritual energy control tests were straightforward, as their names suggested. In these, Jin was evaluated on his ability to sense and manipulate spiritual energy. Then came the spiritual pressure resistance test, where he had to withstand the spiritual energy unleashed by an examiner. This energy was distinct from Aura but shared certain similarities. For Jin, this test was easy to pass thanks to his Null All.
Finally, there was the special test, where Jin showcased his skill: pain resistance. It earned him a decent score overall.
"Alright, Jin, your total score is 52."
The examiner announced, marking the end of the test.
Afterward, Jin waited outside for Jay, who hadn't returned yet. In his hand, he held a sheet of paper revealing his potential rank: E.
The potential rank represented the future growth potential of an Awakened individual. It ranged from Rank E to Rank A, with each rank further divided into subcategories, like -E, E, and +E. Higher ranks like Rank S were exceptionally there, but typically reserved for individuals with noble or powerful bloodlines.
The ranking also determined whether the ORDER would allocate valuable resources and materials to help the Awakened grow. Naturally, the higher the rank, the more privileges one received.
As for the third test, Jin discovered it was an optional combat test, designed for those who wanted to improve their ranks through practical combat.
Before long, Jay emerged from the branch manager's office, holding a similar sheet of paper. Reaching Jin, he appeared visibly nervous.
"I… I don't know what's going on," he stammered, handing the paper to Jin. "But… they gave me this."
Jin's eyes widened as he read the rank: SSS+.