Three mysterious figures wearing white mystic cloaks and faceless masks walked into a dark room. Behind them were numerous others who looked young but radiated with energy that surpassed awakened or even ascended aura.
This group wore black robes marked with the sigil of the Axion Guild. The number one military academy was not, in fact, owned alone by the military. At the very beginning before the war Axion Guild had built and owned it. They used it to train more soldiers, which in turn made them stronger.
The weakest teacher in the academy was said to be a Suppressor. That alone was half the reason Axion rose to number one. Only after the war, when the top nine guilds joined forces to create a unified army under the military, did Axion donate the Helios War Academy.
Although the academy was technically under military rule, people knew too well that Axion Guild still ran many crucial things.
Right now, the three Supremes sat in a luxurious parlour, watching a huge screen at the front. On it, they could see numerous applicants testing their aspects.
"How disappointing. Only six hours in and already 60% of those who tested were unqualified," one male Supreme spoke.
"Relax, dude. The show isn't over yet we still have some promising applicants," another Supreme with a younger voice replied.
"Hmph. This is a total waste of time. We should let the military handle this. Only when the three great trials begin should we watch," a thick, bold voice rumbled.
"Relax. We hid our aura too well. Who could possibly notice us?" the male Supreme said again.
"Hmph. If word gets out, how would it look? Three Supremes who could shake an entire planet reduced to watching a bunch of young twats," the bold one scoffed.
"You carry your pride too much. You can leave. Once I see my S-rank aspect user, I'm taking him or her in," the younger one said.
"Nonsense. We haven't even spotted an A-rank yet," the bold one grumbled
---
Ethan walked into the aspect testing room with ease, scanning the area. He saw mostly ascended warriors in military uniform.
"Hmph. The big ones don't want to show themselves. Well, too bad I already sensed them," Ethan chuckled to himself.
Vroom.
Releasing a small amount of mana, Ethan tested how well he could minimize his output. The more refined and clean one's mana was, the higher their aspect rank would register.
Looking at the fine, compressed mana, Ethan knew he was an S-rank aspect user. He looked calm, though a hint of nervousness flickered in his eyes.
"If they catch me, what'll they do? Experiment on me?" Ethan thought. No way. There were too many mysterious aspects around. Nobody would bat an eye if they knew he controlled space lbut if the mana crystal picked up two aspects…
"Next, please," a woman in her twenties called out.
All eyes turned to Ethan. He was clearly up. Staring at the shining mana crystal, he showed no panic. Hands in his pockets, he walked forward, meeting the eyes of the young lady and the numerous ascended officers.
"If things go south, I can only handle one ascended at best. Even if I run, they'll still catch me," he thought.
Placing his hand on the crystal, he released a tiny thread of mana.
Boom.
A dull thud echoed, and the crystal lit up green.
"Congratulations, you're a B-class aspect user," the woman said, glancing at Ethan.
But in the split second before the crystal could light again, Ethan quickly removed his hand.
"Ish, that was close," he muttered, walking off to collect his badge.
"Did any of you see that?" the young-voiced Supreme asked from the dark room.
"What is he, a secret S-rank?" the bold one asked.
"Eh, you're boring. Forget it," the young one replied. He had clearly seen what happened, but he kept silent.
---
Ethan's badge gleamed bronze, meaning he passed but didn't rank high.
"Hmph. All of this will be meaningless once I reach the Supreme realm," he said, pocketing it.
"Friend, we meet again. Mind telling me your rank?" Ethan bumped into Lynx, the beast tamer. He carried a silver badge an A-rank.
"Eh, not bad. You're an A-rank," Ethan said, smiling.
"Your eyes aren't failing you," Lynx replied.
"Well, unlucky for me. I'm a B-rank. You might as well avoid me now," Ethan shrugged.
"You must be mistaken. Wanting an ally doesn't mean I judge you by your strength," Lynx said, walking alongside Ethan toward the attributes testing room.
"Eh, nice of you," Ethan chuckled.
"All in all, we passed which means we'll get stronger together," Lynx grinned.
"Yh, I agree," Ethan said.
Submitting his badge to the guard a man who was clearly an Apex warrior Ethan watched as the door opened.
"To have an Apex warrior stand guard… I underestimated the military's power," Ethan grimaced.
Inside, a room as large as a football field awaited. Along the walls were multiple heavy armoured doors. Beside each door stood a tube, each holding a suit embedded with numerous white circles beast cores.
"Good luck, friend. I'll see you in the main exam," Lynx said, putting on his suit and giving Ethan a thumbs up.
Ethan kindly returned the gesture—with a middle finger.
Sliding into his suit, he finished strapping it up just as the massive door creaked open.
"So much security. I just hope I don't run into something too bad," Ethan muttered, stepping into the vast room.