Grey soon made his way to the Virtual Machine and connected himself to the simulated world.
Light flickered in his eyes, and in the next instant, he stood in a room with nothing but endless white walls. The silence was suffocating until a cold, mechanical voice resounded around him.
"Commencing first assessment. Subject: Grey. Level One—Life Assessment."
The walls glowed faintly as countless streams of light traced along the surface like flowing circuits. A subtle pressure descended on his body, pricking at his skin, burrowing deeper as though invisible hands were peeling back every layer of him.
Back in the real world, Manager Victor, Manager Desmond, and Lia sat together in the special assessment room. They stared at the big TV screen that was now showing Grey inside the assessment world.
"It's beginning," Manager Victor commented.
Manager Desmond and Lia didn't say much and kept silent. They were looking forward to Grey's performance—especially Lia. She wanted to see how good this guy was.
Out of all assessments, she was looking forward to the combat assessment.
Back in the simulated world, a crimson eye of pure light flickered into existence. It rotated slowly, beams passing through him as though he were transparent, scanning every thread of his being.
This was none other than the true overseer of Blue Star, said to be the ultimate artificial intelligence. It was the special artifact the pioneers of the ancient era found. It controlled Blue Star effectively—it had eyes everywhere and there was nothing it didn't know.
Eterna, the Ultimate AI that governs Blue Star and manages the evolvers.
'This thing is extremely advanced even for a world like Blue Star. Could it be alien technology?' Grey thought in his musings.
However, to his surprise, the instant he said that, the crimson eye which looked indifferent for a moment abruptly turned to him, slightly catching him off guard.
'Did it hear me?' Grey sweated slightly.
However, soon his concerns were shifted as it spoke again.
"Analyzing life force, Analyzing Cellular Vitality… assessment in progress."
Grey stood still. He felt the scanner passing through his body very clearly, but he didn't say anything and waited for the result.
However, just then, his ability was abruptly activated!
[By observing a highly advanced artificial intelligence you've gained insight into the hidden doors to the information layer of the world.]
Grey's vision flickered, static tearing across reality. For an instant, the world broke apart into glitches—then he stood in a boundless void of shifting light.
Neon lines pulsed beneath his feet, forming an endless grid. Fragments of circuitry and runes floated weightlessly, rearranging themselves with every flicker.
Before him, luminous locks appeared—rotating constructs of symbols and data, glowing like arrays made of pure code. Each one hummed with a barrier, daring him to break it.
However, he was soon brought back to reality when the cold voice of Eterna rang out in his ears.
It was announcing his results of Life Assessment.
Seeing it, he immediately switched his focus back to it. He knew others were watching outside; he couldn't suddenly act strange.
[Life force: Ex-Rank]
[Cellular Vitality: Ex-Rank]
[Expected Lifespan: 200 Years without cellular degradation.]
[Life Level: level 1, 1st rank]
[Evolutionary Path: martial path]
[Note: Evolver life force still new, calculated to be only 5 days old.]
"Huh?" Grey, seeing the results, was stunned. "Ex-Rank?"
For a moment, he didn't know what to say anymore. From what he knew about the ranks in assessment, they were differentiated into 9 ranks: E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, and finally Ex-Rank.
Ex-Rank—it was nigh impossible to get the rank of Ex-Rank!
The amount of people who had gotten Ex-Rank could be counted on one hand. One was none other than his sister, Alissa Lockhart, and the old Federation Master of Blue Star.
Of course, Alissa having Ex-Rank was a top-class secret, and only a handful of people including the Evolver's Association Manager Victor along with Eterna knew it. Of course, he knew it too, because at home, Alissa was a chatterbox who enjoyed talking to their father, and she had revealed it to him before. He also knew about it from Richard.
"EX-RANK?!" Everyone instantly jumped up from their seats with a dumbfounded expression.
"What did you say his name was, Miss Lia?" Manager Desmond asked with a joyful look on his face.
"Grey… Grey Lockhart." Lia said with her mouth wide open.
What is this?
Is he a monster?
She thought that he only had immense talent in combat techniques, but even on the evolutionary side, he was top-notch!
Ex-Rank!
That was the pinnacle of an evolver's body, a body with potential to build a perfect foundation!
"Lockhart?" Manager Victor and Manager Desmond's expressions changed drastically.
"Yes…" Lia, seeing them stumped, spoke. "He is the younger brother of Alissa Lockhart."
Hearing this, Manager Victor and Manager Desmond both had a look of realization.
"The brother and sister, they truly are invincible," Manager Victor said with a sigh.
"Good! Good! Good!" Manager Desmond laughed out loud. "This is a blessing for our Nova City!"
Manager Victor undeniably nodded. He now viewed Grey in a different light. Another talent had emerged in Sector 6—as shocking as Alissa Lockhart and Miss Lia.
"Bless the heavens!" Manager Victor was on cloud nine. With Grey's existence, he might finally secure the long-awaited promotion, the position he had been dreaming of for years.
Back to Grey, with the Life Assessment done, it was time for the Endurance Assessment.
The air around the simulated world shifted and an overbearing pressure assaulted Grey from all corners of the world, rushing into his body like a tidal wave.
Grey gritted his teeth in pain. It felt extremely overwhelming—he almost gave up and fell to the floor, but before that happened, the pressure stopped, and soon Eterna System's voice rang out.
"Assessment complete…"
[Base Body Endurance Level: 2nd level, 1st rank]
"Good! Good! Good!" Manager Desmond's face became even brighter. "For a martial artist, his body is strong!"
"Indeed." Lia's lips twitched slightly. She had come here with them to uncover his weakness, yet so far, she had found none.
Her shock only deepened when the Mind Assessment Test appeared—an evaluation of an Esper's psychic power or, for a martial artist, their perception and reflexes.
And as if that wasn't enough, the Physical Assessment Test soon followed, measuring his raw strength.
[Level 2, 1st Rank]
"…" She no longer knew what to say anymore.
All at level 2!
Then why isn't this bastard's life force at level 2? she cursed in her mind.