It was 6 a.m., and Yaxoc was already awake, getting breakfast before preparing his things for the physical test. Determined to start early, he made his way to the training room, where Mr. Hight was waiting.
Mr. Hight glanced at Yaxoc, saluting with a slight smile. "Good morning, Yaxoc. Don't you think it's a bit too early?"
Yaxoc shot back, "Just shut up and start—"
Before he could finish, Mr. Hight raised a hand, silencing him. "Now, now, no need to be harsh," he said, unimpressed. "Let's begin the exam, shall we?"
Yaxoc nodded, letting out a breath. "Alright, what's the first test?"
Mr. Hight gestured to a set of reinforced walls across the room. "See those walls over there?" he pointed.
Yaxoc looked at the walls and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what about them?"
"This is for testing strength," Mr. Hight explained. "The wall is made from one of the strongest materials on Earth—Specialized Titanium."
Yaxoc blinked, genuinely surprised. "Seriously? I thought only the higher-ups had access to that."
Mr. Hight chuckled. "Well, my wife used to be a higher-up administrator for the government. She managed to secure some of this material for me, especially for these kinds of tests. Titanium walls aren't exactly common anymore."
Yaxoc nodded, impressed. "Lucky you. I haven't even had a girlfriend, since I got permanently expelled from high school."
Mr. Hight raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Permanently expelled? What did you do to deserve that?" he asked, clearly curious.
Yaxoc sighed, unfazed. "It was in cooking class. I was supposed to make a chocolate cake, you know, with the right ingredients. But... I accidentally added dog poop instead of chocolate, and, well, you can imagine how that went."
Mr. Hight burst into laughter. "Wow... that's hilarious!"
Yaxoc, eager to start, shifted the topic. "Alright, I'm going to hit this wall."
Mr. Hight stopped him, raising a hand. "Ah, ah, ah! Not yet."
Yaxoc looked at him, confused. "Why not?"
Mr. Hight calmly replied, "You'll need to wear these strength measurement gloves. They'll calculate your strength based on how hard you hit the wall." He handed Yaxoc the gloves, adding, "This will be automatic."
Yaxoc, still puzzled, took the gloves. "Wait, wha—" Before he could finish, the gloves began slipping onto his hands by themselves. Eyes wide, Yaxoc yelled, "WHAT IS THAT?!"
Mr. Hight chuckled at his reaction. "No need to be dramatic, Yaxoc. The gloves won't harm you."
Yaxoc grumbled under his breath, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." With the gloves in place, he approached the wall and, without a second thought, punched it. The wall snapped clean in half.
Mr. Hight stared at the shattered wall and checked the strength measurements. His eyes widened in disbelief. He whispered, "No way... I don't believe it..." He measured again, his shock only deepening. "Oh my god..."
Yaxoc glanced at him. "So? How'd it go?"
Mr. Hight, still shaken by the sight of the broken wall, muttered, "Yaxoc... Your strength is incredible..."
Yaxoc looked confused but curious. "Incredible?"
Mr. Hight nodded slowly. "Your strength... It's on another level. It's rank S+!"
Yaxoc's eyes widened, surprised by the news. "Wait... So I'm stronger than I thought? That explains why I completely broke my cereal yesterday."
Mr. Hight, regaining his composure, marveled at the readings again. "You're truly stronger than any of my students... There's no way your strength should be this powerful..." Shaking the thought from his mind, he added, "Alright, let's move on to speed."
Mr. Hight gestured to Yaxoc, "Come with me, we're heading to the next test."
As they walked down the hall, Yaxoc noticed students staring at him, their faces filled with curiosity. Feeling uneasy, he asked, "Uh, Hight? Why is everyone staring at me?"
Mr. Hight responded casually, "They're just curious how someone gained so much strength overnight."
Yaxoc shrugged. "Right…"
They soon stopped in front of a blue door. "Wait here," Mr. Hight said as he opened it, then gestured for Yaxoc to enter.
Yaxoc stepped inside and his eyes widened at the sight. "Woah... Non-Radioactive Electricity Bullets?"
Mr. Hight nodded. "Yes, they're harmless. The room is typically used by someone else, but they're probably at lunch." He pointed to a setup nearby. "That's the reaction speed test. Go ahead."
Yaxoc walked over to the test and raised an eyebrow. "So, when does this thing sta—" He was cut off as he narrowly dodged an arrow that shot at him at lightning speed.
Mr. Hight's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, Yaxoc! I didn't expect you to dodge that so easily. Most students fail on their first try. That's like SSS-rank speed, reacting to an arrow moving at the speed of light."
Yaxoc, still catching his breath, yelled, "SPEED OF LIGHT?! How did your students not die from this?"
Mr. Hight sighed. "They're just simulations, Yaxoc. Designed to feel real but completely safe. Most students don't pass the test, but you're now the 6th student to react that quickly."
Yaxoc raised an eyebrow. "Wait… 6th student? So I'm not the only one?"
Mr. Hight nodded. "That's right. But we'll save the details for another time. Let's move on to the next test."
Mr. Hight led Yaxoc to a treadmill. "Now, don't let appearances fool you. This treadmill may look basic, but it's the UHGT-&721, the latest model. It calculates your speed as you run."
Yaxoc sighed but stepped onto the treadmill. "Alright, fine." He started running.
Mr. Hight watched closely as the speed meter climbed. Minutes passed, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "This can't be right… 778.659 MPH… That's supersonic speed. His max is… 2550 MPH?!" He whispered, still in shock. "That's SSS+ rank speed."
Yaxoc hopped off the treadmill and walked over to Mr. Hight. "Let me guess, another overpowered reading?"
Mr. Hight, still stunned, nodded. "Yeah... Another overpowered measure." He sighed and asked, "Yaxoc, how did you get so strong?"
Yaxoc's expression turned serious. "It was a long time ago. I found a fragment—people called them Rebooted Chromatic Shards. When I touched it, I felt a surge of power, but it came with a cost." He glanced at Mr. Hight. "My skin turned white, paler than paper, and my hair changed too. That's why I wear this tin pot. It hides my white hair."
Mr. Hight listened carefully and asked, "Why hide it?"
Yaxoc replied, "I didn't want people laughing at me, so I kept it covered."
Mr. Hight thought for a moment. "Rebooted Chromatic Shards... Powerful relics from the Ancient Yeoric Era. Some say they were created by an entity or emperor with immense power. People have searched for them for centuries, and you just happened to find one? You're lucky." He chuckled, though jealousy tinged his voice.
Yaxoc smirked. "Yeah, pretty cool."
Mr. Hight regained his composure and gestured for Yaxoc to follow him again. "Come on, this will be the last physical test. After that, we'll move on to magic."
Yaxoc nodded and followed Mr. Hight once more.
Mr. Hight suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to Yaxoc. "Wait… I just remembered something. You don't have magic, do you?"
Yaxoc raised an eyebrow, confused. "How'd you know that?"
Mr. Hight gave a small smile. "The principal's been talking about you all day. Guess that's how I know."
Yaxoc shrugged, unimpressed. "Figures. So what now? Are we skipping the magic test?"
Mr. Hight crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Well, usually, yes. But given your strength and speed, I think we can try something else. You may not have magic, but you're still unique."
Yaxoc smirked. "Unique, huh? Let's see what you've got in mind."
As Mr. Hight was about to explain the next part of the test, a sudden explosion echoed in the distance, causing the room to tremble slightly. His expression immediately shifted, tense but composed. "Looks like something's going down in the city..." he muttered before turning to Yaxoc, his tone serious. "How about we postpone the rest of this exam until next month?"
Yaxoc, his attention now fully drawn to the noise, narrowed his eyes. "Great... that's probably the enemies, right?"
Mr. Hight nodded, his face grim. "Yeah, and it seems like they're bringing something bigger this time." Without another word, he started sprinting toward the exit. "Stay here and do something useful—just don't get involved in the fight!"
Yaxoc scoffed, shaking his head as if the very thought of sitting idle was ridiculous. "Yeah, that's not happening." Without hesitation, he bolted after Mr. Hight, his voice firm. "I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not!"
Mr. Hight glanced back briefly, frustration flashing across his face. "Yaxoc, I said stay out of this! You're not ready for this kind of fight!"
But Yaxoc didn't slow down, determination in his eyes. "You think I'm just gonna sit back while you handle everything? Think again!"
Despite Mr. Hight's warnings, Yaxoc refused to stand down, rushing headlong into whatever chaos awaited them