"Move on to the strength test," the officer ordered.
Raze gave a slight nod and walked toward the strength pillar. 'I need to complete my quest…but I'm probably going to fail,' he thought. His steps were steady, but his chest felt tight. Standing in front of the pillar, he drew in a deep breath and clenched his fist tight. His muscle flexed as he decided to put everything into the strike. 'They won't find out about my half-ling status, right? It isn't that obvious…'
He threw his fist forward.
CRACK!
His knuckles slammed against the pillar, and a small crack spread across its surface. Raze looked up at the glowing panel.
[Strength: 15]
A hush fell over the group and whispers spread quickly.
"Fifteen? For someone with no awakening?"
"Did you see that crack?!"
"No way that's normal…"
The officer's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't adding up.
Before the test had started, he had checked the tablet in his hands. It displayed the files of every teenager. Their name, their awakening, their bloodline. Everyone had something recorded. Everyone but Raze.
At first, he brushed it off as an error. But now? His doubts deepened. This boy had taken down one of the combat robots with nothing but his fists, something impossible for an unawakened human. And now this.
'Is that boy hiding an awakening?' the officer thought. His gaze flicked to the crack in the pillar, then back to Raze's calm expression. 'That punch… for a normal human, that's unthinkable. That boy… just what is he?'
Felix didn't whisper like the others. Instead, his grin faded into a faint frown as his green eyes stayed locked on Raze. To the others, the result was strange. To him, it was… fascinating. He could feel it, Raze wasn't ordinary. And that thought made him excited. He could just tell that Raze would be interesting.
After the strength test, Raze walked to the track and took his stance. His eyes stared ahead, and a faint smile tugged at his lips as he thought about running at full speed. 'I wonder how fast I can go. It won't raise suspicion, right?' he told himself. If anyone asked, he could always claim he used to be on the track team. A perfect excuse.
He took a deep breath, then exploded forward, sprinting with every ounce of strength his half-ling body could muster.
The sudden burst of speed drew gasps from the line of students.
"No way he's that fast! He doesn't even have an awakening!"
"Wasn't he the one who barely passed the combat test?"
"What the hell is with this guy…"
Felix didn't join the chatter. He just smiled to himself, his green eyes fixed on Raze as though confirming something only he could see.
The officer's eyes narrowed again, suspicion sharpening. Raze's pace wasn't near the level of the bloodlines, but for an unawakened? It was far beyond normal.
The glowing markers along the track lit one after another in steady succession. Raze's heart pounded, his breath sharp as the wind whipped against his face, hair whipping across his forehead. 'I've never run this fast in my life!' he thought, his legs burning with energy as he forced himself harder.
BEEP!
The timer locked in just as Raze crossed the end marker.
"Forty-seven seconds," the officer declared, his voice clipped.
The students murmured again, some impressed, others skeptical. Felix, however, leaned back on his heels, still smiling faintly.
'Raze… you're hiding something,' he thought, both amused and intrigued.
Raze bent over, catching his breath, his chest heaving. A flicker of pride stirred in him at what he achieved, but it was quickly swallowed by unease. 'Did I go too far?' he asked himself.
Felix, standing off to the side, kept his eyes on Raze as he stood straight walked over to the sidelines, joining Beatrix and the timid boy.
'This Raze guy… for someone who isn't from any bloodline, he's pretty special. Definitely worth sticking around.'
As Raze stood beside the timid boy and Beatrix, a familiar ding echoed in his head.
[Quest completed]
[You have received 100 Exp]
[100/100 Exp]
[Congratulations! You are now level 2.]
[You have been rewarded a new skill]
Raze smiled faintly upon seeing the notification. 'A new skill huh? And a level up. Perfect.' He thought. 'I'll check the skill out once I get the chance to. Right now isn't the time.'
"Next!" the officer barked.
This time, it was Felix's turn. He walked up to the testing grounds, a confident smirk tugging at his face.
'You're not the only one who's special, Raze,' he thought, his eyes flicking briefly toward him.