The crowd's murmur dropped to a tense hush as Void's voice echoed across the proving field.
"You. Green hair. Step forward."
The chosen boy stiffened. Swallowing hard, he marched toward the center where a sleek black machine waited — a monstrous treadmill bristling with sensors, humming faintly like a predator eager for prey.
"This will measure your agility," one of the assistants muttered, adjusting the console. "Run. As fast as you can."
The boy flexed his fingers, lowering himself into a runner's stance. Beads of sweat already trickled down his temple. Just as he was about to surge forward, Void raised a single gloved hand.
"Wait."
The word froze him in place. Everybody's gaze snapped back to the man in the black suit. His shades hid his eyes, but his smirk told enough.
"From this moment," Void declared, his tone sharp enough to cut steel, "no one will take a single test alone. If you step onto this field, you will complete all four trials — agility, strength, endurance, and magic capacity — without pause."
Gasps rippled through the line. The green-haired boy's throat bobbed. The challenge before him had just multiplied. What had once been a sprint was now a gauntlet.
Void snapped his fingers at the console operator. "Begin."
The treadmill roared to life, its track glowing faintly as if it would devour anyone who faltered.
The boy took a single breath and launched forward, his legs pumping furiously as the machine tracked every twitch, every misstep. Behind him, the line of eager teenagers stood rigid, the weight of Void's new decree pressing down like a mountain.
The numbers above the treadmill flared to life, digits flickering as the boy pushed himself harder and harder. 4.7… 5.3… 5.8… His lungs burned, his thighs trembled, but still he drove forward, teeth clenched against the strain.
Finally, with a sharp beep, the machine slowed to a halt. 6.0.
The digits blazed in crimson before freezing in place.
Void tilted his head ever so slightly. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Not bad," he said flatly. "Above average."
Relief briefly flashed in the boy's eyes — but it didn't last.
"Next," Void ordered, gesturing to another platform.
The green-haired boy staggered toward it, chest still heaving from the run. Waiting for him stood a massive steel drum, its polished surface gleaming beneath the arena lights. Beside it lay a long-handled hammer, its head thick and heavy.
One of the assistants stepped forward and pointed. "Strength evaluation. You will strike the drum with full force. The sensors inside will calculate your impact value. Stronger blow, higher score. Simple."
The boy wiped the sweat from his brow, wrapping both hands around the hammer's handle. His knuckles whitened as he lifted it, the weight dragging his arms downward.
The crowd leaned in, whispers racing through their ranks.
He raised the hammer high above his head.
With a sharp cry, the green-haired boy brought the hammer crashing down. The impact rang through the arena like a thunderclap, reverberating in the chest of every person.
The drum glowed, numbers flickering across its surface until they locked in place: 5.7.
The boy's chest rose and fell in ragged bursts as he lowered the hammer.
Void gave a single approving nod.
"Acceptable. Strength: 5.7. Above the median. Move to endurance."
The assistant motioned him onward, toward a tall chamber at the far side of the field. Unlike the treadmill or the drum, this contraption looked more like a transparent capsule lined with glowing conduits. Cables hummed as they snaked into the floor, and faint waves of pressure seemed to roll off it.
"This test measures your stamina under resistance," the assistant explained briskly. "Step inside. Once it begins, the chamber will subject you to escalating gravity and force fields. You must endure as long as possible. The system will calculate your score by how long you endure. It will stop automatically when you reach your limit"
A hush swept through the crowd. Gravity chambers were infamous. To survive inside required not just muscle, but grit — the kind that broke lesser candidates.
The boy swallowed, squaring his shoulders. His legs trembled as he stepped into the capsule. The door hissed shut behind him, sealing him inside.
Void clasped his hands behind his back. His voice was calm, but merciless.
"Begin."
The chamber's glow intensified, and the air inside seemed to thicken instantly. The boy staggered, knees bending as though invisible weights pressed down on him.
---
The chamber's glow intensified, and the air inside seemed to thicken instantly. The boy staggered, knees bending as though invisible weights pressed down on him. His body trembled violently as the numbers climbed, each second stretching into eternity.
By the time the pressure released, he collapsed onto one knee, chest heaving. The capsule door slid open, and the projected number froze in crimson light: 6.4.
The assistant quickly recorded the result.
"Endurance score: 6.4."
Void gave a single approving nod. "Better. Now — the final trial."
The green-haired boy forced himself upright, drenched in sweat, his legs quivering. He staggered toward the last station, where a hovering panel pulsed faintly with blue light. At its center glowed a circular imprint, large enough for a palm.
"This is the magic capacity evaluation," the assistant explained. "Place your hand on the panel. The system will draw from your core and measure your maximum capacity. Do not resist."
The boy hesitated only for a moment, then pressed his palm flat against the surface. Instantly, veins of light snaked up his arm, glowing brighter with every pulse. The panel hummed, energy thrumming in the air as if it was drinking from his very soul.
The numbers began to rise above the device: 4.9… 5.5… 6.0…
The boy gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his chin. The glow around his hand flared brilliantly before the panel finally released him with a sharp chime.
The digits froze at 6.3.
The assistant's voice rang out: "Magic Capacity: 6.3."
The boy staggered back, his entire body trembling, but there was a glimmer of relief in his eyes. He had made it through all four.
Void regarded him in silence for a long moment, then gave a curt nod.
"Average won't survive here. Above average can fight to stay. You've proven you're the latter. Step aside."
The boy bowed his head slightly and limped away, while every other tom dick and harry in line felt the weight of Void's decree settle heavier on their shoulders