Lily stepped forward with a confident stride, her focus absolute. The crowd leaned in, their collective breath held, as she prepared for her turn.
Her dark energy unfurled like a living shadow, curling around her like a protective shroud. She steadied her breath, her posture shifting ever so slightly, a subtle change that only a seasoned warrior could detect.
Her muscles tensed, her energy compressing into a singular, compact point at the front of her fist. This was a technique honed through years of training, perfected by her relentless pursuit of strength and also due to her dragonborne bloodline as she exhaled calmly, the weight of her dark element filled the air, it's a known fact that dark element is the most destructive of all,
And then she struck.
Her punch moved with the precision and that of a single-point trajectory as that of a spear throw, driving all her power into the dummy with a force that made the ground tremble. The barriers covering the doll broke completely under the pressure, the doll holding steady but visibly strained. Numbers on the scoreboard began to climb rapidly, their sharp ascent the only sound breaking the stillness.
The display stopped at an overwhelming 90.
A collective hush fell over the arena. No one dared to speak or even breathe too loudly, stunned by the magnitude of Lily's performance. The durability of the dummies had been well-known about, one of the best inventions of the magical engineering department, yet she had nearly reached their breaking point with a single strike. Her power was undeniable.
Lily turned her head slightly toward Ray, a smug smirk playing on her lips. Her crimson eyes gleamed with confidence, her body language exuding pride in her physical prowess. As if saying to him,
"How about that?".
She was sure her performance would be unmatched, a record set by her Grandfather broken by her, She thought at least in the physical aspect she had the upper hand, as Ray was not particularly bulky, to begin with.
But as Ray stepped forward, her smirk faltered slightly. He wasn't fazed by her taunt; in fact, he didn't seem to acknowledge it at all. His expression remained calm, almost disinterested as if the result didn't matter.
Ray approached the dummy with an unhurried pace. He didn't call upon his energy, didn't summon the mana that had left the academy speechless earlier. Instead, he stood still, his lean frame relaxed. His compact muscles, though seemingly unimpressive to the untrained eye, held a hidden strength, a result of the rigorous "secret Muscle training" imparted to him by Zen, the Priest of the Dragon Temple. Sarcastically he thought and muttered,
"Damn that muscle-freak old man".
He remembered Zen's teachings, the countless hours of training that had pushed his body beyond its limits. 'True strength doesn't require display; it only needs purpose.' He used to say this, thinking about his strict and stone faced teacher, brought a faint smile to his lips as he raised his fist.
With a smooth motion, he struck.
The force of his punch didn't come from energy or magic. It was raw, unfiltered power, the culmination of discipline, technique, and the innate strength of his dragon bloodline. The air itself seemed to explode outward as his fist cut through it, creating a shockwave that hit the dummy before his hand even connected.
The dummy shattered instantly, crumbling into fragments as if it had been struck by an invisible hammer. The barriers meant to protect it failed to contain the sheer destructive force. Dust and debris swirled in the aftermath, and a deafening silence followed.
The crowd was frozen in place, their expressions a mixture of awe and disbelief. Even Lily, so confident moments ago, stood motionless, her smirk replaced by wide-eyed astonishment. She had known Ray was strong, in Magical or any energy aspect, she had sensed it...but this? This was something else entirely.
Ray lowered his hand, his gaze calm and unbothered. He didn't wait for the reactions or the inevitable questions. Instead, he turned back toward his spot, his posture as relaxed as it had been before.
---
Lily's thoughts raced as she replayed the moment in her mind.
"He didn't use his energy... Not even a fraction of it. What kind of monster is he?"
Her heart pounded as the realization settled in, she had underestimated him, and for the first time, she felt a thrill, not of fear, but of excitement.
From a distance, Katherine watched silently. Her expression remained composed, but her mind churned with questions.
"Ray… just who are you?"
When suddenly Xavier spoke,
"Even with my trait, All Seeing Eyes, I couldn't find anything extraordinary, even his Mana felt feeble and undetected. I thought he was just weak but...This Monster, when he used his powers, even my eyes failed to detect as if it was sacred..".
At the same time Clea and Zinni who were side by side, looked at each other and just sighed, When Lewis who was a bit far away asked Zinni,
"That mana test he took, did you see what I saw Zinni?", Even though many didn't see that properly due to a flash that happened after the orb shattered, but there..
Zinni nodded and replied,
" I saw various colors fighting for the place when the silver and particularly, golden energy was released, even I haven't heard of anything related to it."
Clea just listened and decided on something that day, on her future....
The second test had revealed much, but it was clear to everyone present that Ray's true potential remained a mystery. The journey ahead would only unravel more of the enigma that was Ray,