Inside the home gym.
The numbers on the display kept fluctuating.
As Eric's heavy breathing filled the room, the numbers finally settled.
"113 joules!"
Mark stared at the screen in disbelief. Yes, his home's portable blood vitality tester had some margin of error, but it was generally accurate within five joules. This meant that Eric's blood vitality was somewhere between 108 and 118 joules.
"How is this possible?"
Mark's shock didn't stem from any disdain for Eric, but from sheer surprise at the result. If someone like Joe Johnson, who was clearly well-built, had high blood vitality, that would make sense. Joe's robust frame and good nutrition made it plausible for his numbers to be higher than average. But Eric...
In Mark's mind, Eric had always been an average student. Sure, he had signed up for the Knight Academy exam, but Mark had assumed his vitality would be around 102 or 103 joules at best. To see Eric score as high as 113 joules—on par with the top students like Peter and Jack—was truly unexpected.
Among the eight students from their class who had signed up, the lowest score was 106 joules, and Eric had just surpassed that.
While Mark was still processing the information, Eric continued pedaling, drenched in sweat.
"Is that good enough?" Eric panted.
Mark snapped out of his daze, still shocked. "Uh… yeah, but maybe the connection wasn't right. Let's try again."
Eric shot him a sideways glance, unsure if Mark was messing with him, but decided it wouldn't hurt to try once more, given the favor he owed. Still, the blood vitality test was exhausting. The few minutes of intense exertion had already left him feeling drained.
After Mark readjusted the sensors, Eric gave it another go, pushing the pedals with all his might, feeling utterly worn out by the end. Even though the test was short, the effort required was immense.
Three minutes later, the numbers settled again—108 joules.
Mark quickly recalculated. This time, Eric's blood vitality was somewhere between 103 and 113 joules. Combining this with the previous result, Mark concluded that Eric's range was likely between 108 and 113 joules. Although it didn't quite reach Mark's own peak of 115 joules, even the lower end of Eric's range was impressive.
After a brief silence, Mark said, "It still seems off. Should we try one more time?"
"No way," Eric wiped the sweat from his brow, shaking his head with a laugh. "I'm too wiped out. There's no way the results would be accurate if we tested again."
He was right. When the body was tired, blood vitality would only decrease. Even with the lower number, Mark still couldn't shake his surprise. A sense of jealousy crept in, and he couldn't help but ask, "Have you been taking some kind of blood vitality supplements? Or maybe special medicine?"
There were two main ways to boost blood vitality: through food or through medicine. Food-based solutions took longer but were more sustainable and affordable. Medicine worked faster but was expensive and sometimes wasteful if overused.
Eric could tell Mark was fishing for an explanation and couldn't help but chuckle. He teased, "Yeah, my family's been feeding me expensive herbs every day. They're banking on me getting into Knight Academy to pay them back."
Mark knew that was an exaggeration, but considering the upcoming physical exam, he had to accept Eric's words with a grain of salt. After all, Eric's blood vitality wasn't as high as his own, so there was no real need to be too jealous.
Suppressing his envy, Mark smiled wryly. "Alright, maybe I underestimated you. Your blood vitality's probably around 108 to 113 joules. Home testers aren't super precise, and you're not in peak condition. If you want a more accurate reading, you could always get checked at the town's main hospital."
"We'll see," Eric replied with a grin. "Thanks again, really."
"No problem…" Mark hesitated, then continued, "If your blood vitality is really above 110 joules, you should consider asking your parents to get you some supplements before the exam. Since you just signed up, you might not know this yet, but most students preparing for the Knight Academy exam take blood vitality supplements. Even families with limited means will scrape together enough for a basic supplement, and wealthier ones buy more potent options."
"Supplements?" Eric's curiosity was piqued. "How much do those cost?"
"Basic blood vitality pills run around $5,000, and the more potent vitality boosters go for about $10,000."
"And what about those Blood Vitality Elixirs?" Eric remembered seeing advertisements for them at school.
"It depends on where you buy them," Mark said. "At licensed pharmacies, they're around $30,000 a pop. But you can sometimes find them for $20,000 at unlicensed places. They're harder to find, though, and even if you do, they might not sell to you."
Eric mulled over this information as Mark continued, "Last year, the minimum blood vitality requirement for Columbus Knight University was 112 joules, but that's for students with outstanding scores in other areas. If your academic and professional exams are exceptional, your blood vitality can be a bit lower. But for the average student, you'll need at least 115 joules, maybe even more this year."
Mark paused before adding, "I'd recommend going to the hospital for a proper check. If your blood vitality is above 110, investing in a Blood Vitality Elixir could boost you a few extra points during the exam."
"Blood Vitality Elixir?" The name intrigued Eric.
Mark nodded. "Yeah, they're one of the best supplements on the market. With a bit of luck, they can boost your blood vitality by three or four joules during the exam. But they're pricey—$10,000 per pill…"
Eric immediately abandoned that idea. *Why would I spend $10,000 on a pill when I could use that money to boost my vitality through the system?* he thought. Though he wasn't sure about the exact conversion rate for future vitality boosts, it was clear that $10,000 would go a lot further with his system than on an overpriced pill.
Even if the Blood Vitality Elixir was the best supplement out there, Eric now knew his money would be better spent elsewhere.
Now that he had a clear understanding of how his system worked, his interest in conventional supplements quickly faded. With a current vitality of 1.1, equivalent to around 110 joules, he figured that boosting his vitality to 1.2 could push him to 120 joules or higher. Compared to buying expensive supplements, this felt like a huge win.
Plus, the money wouldn't actually disappear!
With the test done, Eric didn't linger much longer and headed downstairs with Mark.
Mark's mother warmly offered to have Eric stay for dinner, but he politely declined, thanking her and heading out with his bag.
As soon as he left, Mark's mother asked curiously, "Is that a new friend from school?"
Mark shook his head. "He's one of the students signed up for the Knight Academy exam. He hadn't checked his blood vitality before, so he came over to use our machine."
"Oh, I see. Looks like his family doesn't have much money, huh?" Mark's mother remarked.
Mark scratched his head, feeling a bit frustrated. "Yeah, his family might not be well-off, but his blood vitality is way higher than I expected—at least 108 joules. Do you remember my first test? I only scored 103 joules. Mom, were you starving me as a kid?"
His mother shot him an irritated look. "Starving you? We practically bankrupted ourselves so you could train for Knight Academy."
Both his parents had worked tirelessly to ensure Mark had the best chances to succeed, even if it meant living modestly aside from their home.
…
When Eric got home, the sky was already dark, and his family was gathered in the living room.
Before his parents could ask anything, Eric spoke up excitedly, "Dad, I paid the registration fee for the exam today, and Mr. Wells even gave me some study materials! Oh, and I did a blood vitality test at a friend's place after school."
"A blood vitality test?" Michael Parker, though not deeply knowledgeable about such things, had heard enough to know it was important. He asked curiously, "You can do that at home?"
"Yeah, with a portable tester, but it's not super accurate," Eric explained. Then he grinned. "Guess how high my blood vitality is?"
Michael wasn't sure how to respond, but Amy, Eric's younger sister, piped up cheerfully. "95 joules? You get winded just running a little, so your vitality can't be that great. My friend's brother tested at 104 joules, and they said that's enough to take the Knight Academy exam!"
Eric scoffed. "104 joules? He thinks that's enough? Does he think Knight Academy is easy to get into? Let me tell you, your brother's score was over 110 joules, and that might've been an underestimation!"
Amy blinked, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Dad, Eric's exaggerating again! My friends said you only need around 110 joules to take the exam."
"That was the old standard," Eric replied confidently. "Last year, Columbus Knight University's
minimum requirement was 112 joules, and most candidates had around 115. It's probably going to be higher this year. But don't worry, I'm gifted—my blood vitality will keep improving. By the time the physical exam comes around, I'll be right where I need to be. I'm a shoo-in for the Knight Academy!"
Eric's bold claims were partly to reassure his parents. After all, they had spent $10,000 on the registration fee, and he needed to give them some peace of mind.
Both Michael and Mary were stunned. Could their son really be that close to getting into the Knight Academy? It was hard to believe, but the confidence in Eric's voice made them think he wasn't lying.
To further ease their doubts, Eric grabbed Amy's chubby cheeks and made a solemn vow. "If my blood vitality is below 110 joules, I swear I'll never pinch Amy's cheeks again!"
"Mom!" Amy protested, her voice full of mock indignation. "Why does he have to make me the victim in his vows?"
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