Ayan wore a black vest with various electronic components inside. The assistant ladies were checking to ensure they functioned properly.
"Please sit inside the wall," the machine operating lady said with a strange smile, pointing to a wall segment that seemed even whiter than the rest of the wall.
Puzzled, he went and reclined against the wall. To his surprise, the wall caved in, enveloping his whole body which went inside it. All around him were some kind of sponge-like substances. He felt comfortable as if he was floating on fluffy clouds in the sky.
Then, he heard a beep sound and suddenly the soft substances began to constrict—squeezing him from all sides, restricting his movements, like a snake tightening around its prey. It became more and more uncomfortable as the pressure increased, he struggled and shouted but these substances tightened even more.
When the blood flow in his body was obstructed and his breathing was haggard, the pressure finally ceased and he could move again.
Furious, he stormed out. "What kind of a test was this? I almost died!"
The lady operator hurriedly apologized, "I'm so sorry, sir. Normally, the machine would automatically stop when a person's body limit is reached. In all previous tests, the body limit was always reached before it affected their blood flow. But, somehow in your case, your body's limit only reached 5% when it started affecting your blood flow. I immediately turned it off when I saw it."
Dr. Frostwind showed no concern. Instead, he stared at the operator lady fiercely and said, "These are all safer tests that have been tested multiple times. If you couldn't even handle such small pain then it'll get harder and harder for you in the following sessions."
Ayan clenched his fists but stayed silent.
The assistant lady looked at the measurements and opened a compartment taking out a full body-sized black robe. She gave it to Ayan, who reluctantly put it on. As soon as it wrapped his body, the robe tightened around his body and grew heavier by the second, causing him to fall on the floor. His limbs were stuck, no matter how he tried, he couldn't shake off the robe.
Panicking, the assistant lady hurriedly supported him and carefully removed the robe.
"Don't tell me this was also a test?" Ayan sneered.
Dr. Frostwind chuckled and replied, "No, you're supposed to wear this robe throughout the training sessions."
Ayan's frustration boiled over. "I couldn't even stand up wearing that thing! How can you expect me to go through the training in this."
Dr. Frostwind sighed. "This robe is made up of high-tech materials that adjust itself according to the user's body strength. It's great for training, it increases its weight according to the wearer's bodily capacity. It will continuously push your body even when you sleep. We take these tests and measurements to ensure you get maximum benefits from it."
Curious, Ayan asked, "Normally, I can even carry 100kg weight and walk around slowly. So, what's the weight of this thing? I can't even stand after wearing it."
"If your body capacity is 5kg, it'll distribute pressure throughout your body as if various parts of your body are individually carrying 5kg weight. So, it's much more than wearing a cloth weighing 5kg." Dr. Frostwind explained.
"You're a great anomaly, do you know that? Since your body capacity is about 95% higher than you can handle, the effect of the robe is also 95% higher," he added in an annoyed tone.
He massaged his temples before signaling the assistant lady. "Go and bring that prototype #33 robe for him."
"But… that's a failed prototype," the assistant lady hesitated. "Are you sure you want to use that?"
Dr. Frostwind nodded. "The only problem with it is that it doesn't adjust itself according to the wearer and had to be manually set. This is exactly what we need for this abnormal case."
She went and brought a dark-blue robe handing it to the operator lady. The operator lady arranged it inside a compartment and asked, "Dr. Frostwind, what should I set the base weight to? At 5% body limits, 5kg one seems suitable but going by his full-body potential he could go up to 100kg."
"Set it to 25kg," Dr. Frostwind said without any emotion.
Ayan balked. "Wait, isn't that like five times my current capacity!"
"It's only one-fourth of your body's capacity. If you can't even handle that, then it's a waste for you to attend this program," the doctor said with a sly smile.
The operator lady gave the robe to Ayan after using the machine to adjust it. Grudgingly, Ayan wore this dark blue robe. It was still heavy, but he was at least able to walk, albeit at a snail's pace.
"Since you can move now, proceed to the next test. You've already wasted so much of our time," Dr. Frostwind said in a cold tone.
"What's the next test about?" Ayan asked, frustrated.
"It's a sprint and obstacle course type test. Go straight and you'll find it. You can cross it however you like. The only thing is—you're not allowed to remove the robe."
Before Ayan could bicker, Dr. Frostwind replied and left to receive another participant.
Ayan gritted his teeth and moved forward to the next test, his steps agonizingly slow.
After what felt like an eternity, he saw a few steps and a signboard from far away. But, it still took him 5 minutes just to reach those steps. He noticed a sign that stated, "Test starts once you climb the steps."
Before he could climb, he heard a sound and turned back to find another participant with light green hair and a hint of iridescence hue. He felt bad noticing another participant had caught up with him, his black robe barely slowing him down.
"How did you finish your test so quickly?" Ayan asked, feeling a twinge of envy.
"It was just basic kicking and punching, sitting in the wall and wearing this black robe. Noting too difficult," the boy with green hair casually replied. "I'm Camilo, by the way, what's your name?"
Internally, Ayan felt dejected being an anomaly like a fish outside of water, even among these peculiar people but he replied, forcing a smile. "I'm Ayan."
"These robes are such a drag, I can't even run at full speed. But, seeing you move so slowly makes me feel a bit better," Camilo said, almost too honestly.
Ayan sighed. "What's the weight of your robe?"
Camilo replied, "I think they said something like 5kg. What's yours?"
"25kg," Ayan said in frustration.
"No wonder you're moving like a turtle." Camilo shook his head in pity. "Anyway, I'll go ahead then."
With that, Camilo swiftly jumped the stairs and ran across the way, his pace unaffected by the robe.
Ayan gritted his teeth and began the slow climb. He was reminded of the old Chinese saying—a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And right now, every step felt like a thousand.