The military created the bands to read human energy signatures. The bands also pick up energy signatures outside the human race, but they emit a different color. Erie looked over. Gene was smiling as he bowed.
"Yes, ma'am, I am a Draco. I am a hybrid dragon, but I was also born human. I was turned into a Draco when my life was threatened."
"Very well then," Officer Janet responded. "We have a counseling team to help you through your trauma and troubles; no need to speak about them now." Officer Janet then reached for Gene's watch. "May I please see your watch and band?" Gene handed over his watch and band to Officer Janet, and she adjusted some settings by placing it on top of a computer. Erie watched the process because it was all new to him. He had never seen this advanced technology, so it intrigued him a little.
"Done." Officer Janet placed Gene's watch and band back on his wrist. "Your watch should pick up your energy signature correctly now."
Gene's watch radiated clear, but it shined brightly. Erie squinted his eyes, looking at the watch. "Can you turn that down, Officer Janet?" Erie said.
Officer Janet explained to Erie and Gene that the color would automatically dim over time. Right now, it's just capturing Gene's energy signature. She also explained that Gene has a lot of energy, significantly higher than the average candidate, and she will enjoy watching him progress.
"Now, Erie, what's your race?"
Erie stood straight and looked Officer Janet in the eyes. "I don't know my race, ma'am."
"Nonsense," Officer Janet explained. "You are a part of the Sun Warrior race. We just don't know which branch you are a part of."
[System Update]
[Master: Erie Sunheart]
[Race: Sun Warrior]
[Hidden Quest Complete: Find out your race]
[New Quest Received: Find out which family you are from. Quest Reward: Family Skill]
"Sun Warrior?" Erie said.
"Correct, Erie. Orange hair, orange eyes, tan skin? These are all indications you are part of the Sun Warriors," Officer Janet explained. "Now hand me your watch, Erie."
Just like before, Officer Janet repeated the same process. She took the watch and placed it on a computer. The computer glowed and updated Erie's information on his watch and band. When Erie placed the watch and band back on his wrist, the band glowed a velvet color, and the colors swirled in white and velvet on his wrist.
"So you do have a skill. Do you know your skill, Erie?" Officer Janet asked.
"Ugh, no ma'am, I do not," Erie said, bowing. "This is all new to me."
Officer Janet then took a step back. "Well then, this is why you're here—to learn this new skill of yours and master your abilities. You two, we will keep this between us, but you're special. Learn your abilities well. I will give you a week, Erie Sunheart, to figure out what ability you would like to learn."
It was rare for the military to receive students who weren't part of the human race. They often rejected outside help, but now they were accepting more than ever. With a new war approaching, the military couldn't be as strict as they used to be. They needed as many bodies and as much power as they could possibly have to fight off the Simians.
"Now please excuse me for a moment," Officer Janet said. She walked to a distant area and opened a holographic image, and an older man with all-white hair, white eyes, and a white robe appeared on her hologram. She was talking to the man, but Erie and Gene couldn't hear their conversation.
Officer Janet bowed respectfully, closed the screen, and walked back to Erie and Gene. "Now you two, I will teleport you back to the others, and we will all begin our test."
Erie was confused. Wasn't that Lilly girl a Sun Warrior too? Why wasn't she teleported as well? And why keep other allies from joining the military to help in the war?
Gene looked over and asked, "Hey? Isn't Erie a girl's name?"
Erie glared at Gene. "Yeah, it is. Got a problem with that?"
Gene smirked, shaking his head. "Nah, just curious. It suits you."
When Erie and Gene arrived, they were all prompted to walk over to the training field. The five students all looked at the training grounds. Machines, boxing bags, tunnels, and an obstacle course all stood out to them. They were all amazed and felt a small sense of pride in their new facility.
When they reached their area, Officer Janet began to explain, "Please run through the field. When a target pops up, hit the dummy and destroy the target. This will test your agility, reaction, power, and speed. You want to hit the wall and run back as fast as you can."
[Combat training detected]
[System set to critical mode]
[Now enhancing gravity by 30%]
Erie's eyes widened as his body felt like it was being pushed to the ground. It was hard for Erie to move and think. He struggled to keep himself standing.
"Dude?" Alex called out as he walked to Erie's side. "What are you doing to yourself? That's a lot of distortion around you. Is this some kind of gravity skill?"
Erie looked at Alex. "You can see that?"
"Dude, yeah, I'm pretty sure anyone can," Alex said.
Erie replied, "No, I'm pretty sure it's just you, and this is just something I can do."
[You have been in sunlight for more than 1 hour, 5% stat boost granted.]
[Passive skill blocked, training mode detected.]
The system recognizes the test as training. This means Erie's high speed and agility will slow down tremendously.
"Okay! Erie, Gene, Lilly, Jake, and Alex, please step to the line. Erie, you will be starting first."
Erie began to run, and small puffs of energy balls started to shoot out from the machine. Erie dragged his body through, running as fast as he could. Alex couldn't help but notice that Erie was running like he had a pile of weight set on him.
Erie bobbed and weaved through the energy balls, getting hit by a few of them. When the targets popped up, Erie was panting heavily, sweat pouring off his body. He hit the target and then ran back to the starting line.
"13 agility, 13 speed, and 3 strength," Officer Janet noted.
Erie began to think of his system. "Man, if only this gravity wasn't affecting me, I'd be able to score a lot higher."
When the next test started, it was a track. Erie had to run around the track one time. The track was a full mile, and depending on the time he ran, it would determine his stamina.
Erie ran around the track as fast as he could, feeling the dread of his system playing tricks on him. He then heard about another unfair advantage.
[The system commends your dedication. +1 stat boost to all attributes.]
[Training update: 40% gravity enhancement.]
Just then, Alex noticed the distortion around Erie growing thicker. "That dude is crazy," he muttered. He then yelled out again, "Come on, dude! Run faster!"
Erie crossed the finish line and Officer Janet took note of Erie's score.
"Mile run, 9 minutes and 34 seconds. Stamina 5," she wrote down Erie's score.
"Well, this is disappointing, Erie. You're a level 1 user, but a high one at that, so I guess this is okay."
Erie bent down on his knees. The system released the gravity, making him feel relaxed. But he felt stronger as the sun was giving him a stat boost. He then thought about what Officer Janet said. He knew that the days of bullying would soon happen once again. The only advantage he had now was his system.