The man in the lab coat stared at the shattered sphere on the table, his brow furrowing in contemplation as he glanced down at the tablet in his hands. "I don't quite know what to make of this," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Turning his gaze to Kaen, he offered an awkward smile, his eyes darting back to the screen. "I guess you passed."
Kaen chuckled, a hint of relief washing over him. "Yeah, I guess I did! Haha." With a nervous laugh, he stepped through the door leading to the next room, the weight of the moment beginning to settle in.
In the adjacent chamber, a group of observers watched the event unfold on a large screen, their expressions a mixture of awe and amusement. Darius, unable to contain himself, threw his head back in laughter. "Hahaha! I knew the kid was special! Can you believe his Manu is so powerful he broke that sphere?" His exuberance filled the room, drawing attention from his companions.
Next to him, a female with tousled hair rubbed her temples in exasperation. "Darius, what exactly have you brought to this institution?" she asked, her voice weary but tinged with curiosity.
"I brought talent! Hahaha!" Darius replied, his enthusiasm unabated, even he was also surprised, he knew the kid had a good amount of Manu but not this much
The female sighed, unable to suppress her frustration. "Sometimes, Darius…"
"Leave him be, sis, you know that he's always like this," the male beside her said, shaking his head with a mix of pity and amusement, his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded Darius with bemusement.
Meanwhile, Kaen stepped into the new room, and an immediate shift in atmosphere enveloped him, as if he had crossed into another realm entirely. The air felt charged, alive with anticipation. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud, feeling both excited and apprehensive.
Suddenly, a calm, artificial voice resonated in the air around him, cutting through his thoughts. [Welcome to the world of trials.]
Kaen's eyes widened. "That's cool," he muttered, his curiosity piqued.
[In thirty minutes, hordes of lesser-grade shadow beasts will flock to this area. Your objective is to defeat them within a three-hour time frame.]
Shock rippled through Kaen at the AI's announcement. "Wait, what? I can't even use Manu properly yet! How am I supposed to fight?" Panic began to swell in his chest, I mean he new how to fight, he had learned from beating up thugs here and, but this was different he could die for all he knew.