The officer then looked back at the three who stood out during the first trial…
The first one was Alexis, who had immediately thought of fighting or finding a weapon to defend himself instead of just running away. Then, there was the black-haired boy who held the pipe to fight, followed by the sharp-eyed girl who had incredible movement ability…
"You three in particular showed potential…" He said in a voice almost devoid of emotion.
"Different strengths. Different paths. Remember that."
The officer then turned around, signaling the end of the trial.
"The first test is over. The second begins soon. Rest while you can."
For the second trial, the chamber did not transform this time.
No crumbling ruins, no phantom horrors, or unusual stuff.
Still, some panels slid open across the floor, releasing some thin metallic bands.
"Wear those bands, so we can start the second trial… Endurance."
Soon, the bands were fastened to each child's wrists and ankles.
They were thin but heavy… However, Alexis also noticed that they weren't just a block of metal but smart devices.
The moment the office finished speaking, Alexis felt it. There was a faint vibration of current pulsing just beneath the skin.
Then—
Hissss~
Suddenly, steam vented from some exhausts along the walls, hot enough to burn the throat with each breath.
"W-what?!"
"Are you trying to cook us?!"
The temperature climbed sharply. It was a suffocating, mechanical heat that seemed to coat their lungs in ash.
It was not something they wanted to experience at all.
"Your bodies must endure stress. The bands will measure your limits. Do your best to stand and last long." The recruiter said once again.
"Aahhh… Cough! Cough!"
"This must be an illusion again… I can endure this."
"Do not talk! You'll get tired faster!"
The children immediately gritted their teeth as they wanted to pass this test.
However, the steam wasn't just their problem… There was some sort of electric shock that followed!
"Aahh!"
The first shock that surged through Alexis' body felt like fire racing along his nerves.
His teeth clacked together as he swallowed the cry rising in his throat. Others weren't as quiet as he was. The boy beside him creamed, collapsing to his knees before the band shocked him again, as if he was being punished for kneeling on the ground instead of just standing up.
'Urgh… Isn't this a bit too much for kids like us?' Alexis couldn't help but grit his teeth as he endured the pain.
The shock coming from the bands also seemed to get stronger if they fell or knelt on the floor. This was forcing the children to stay upright.
'Tsk… Just how long are we going to endure this? Are they waiting for someone to die?'
Alexis forced himself to focus.
He had been trained before to endure pain, but his body was just too weak. His mind was the only one that could endure at the moment.
'I can do this… Pain can be managed, measured, and endured.'
Then, he bent his knees slightly, shifting his weight, spreading the current across his muscles.
It dulled the worst of it. Barely.
Around him, children faltered. A girl clawed at the band on her wrist until her nails were torn bloody. Another sobbed openly as they could no longer endure…
But through the haze caused by the steam, Alexis noticed others still holding firm… He didn't know their names but made sure to remember their faces. Aside from the pipe boy and the quick girl, there was another young man who was able to resist the pain as well.
Minutes dragged like hours.
The steam grew denser, turning the chamber into a suffocating miasma. Heat shimmered off the steel walls until it felt like standing inside a furnace.
The children's sweat dripped onto the floor, and it almost felt like it was sizzling drops.
Soon, some strange whispers came to their ears.
At first, it was just like background noise. Then, the words became clearer. "You will fail. You are weak. You should run."
The voice wasn't his, but it felt like it belonged inside his head.
'Is this another illusion? Am I hallucinating now?' Alexis thought.
He clenched his teeth. He'd endured worse things before…
'I'm not failing this…'
He forced himself to stare at the vent across the room, using the hiss of steam to drown out the whisper he was hearing in his head…
Another kid wasn't so lucky. He staggered while trying to clutch his head as if invisible hands were pulling at his skull. He screamed until his legs gave out, and the bands snapped open, dropping him unconscious to the ground.
They were actually released the moment they fully collapsed. More and more collapsed to the ground just like that.
Alexis swayed, but he stood his ground... The world even wavered at the edges of his vision, but his knees stayed locked.
At this point, he couldn't even monitor the children around him anymore.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bands released with a loud metallic clack, and the steam disappeared in a matter of seconds.
Everyone who was able to endure, including Alexis, collapsed instantly.
However, most of them were barely conscious.
Nine of them had even been dragged out by some officers...
Alexis took a deep breath as he sat up… His hands were still trembling violently.
The Silver-Jawed officer stepped forward and scanned the rest of them. His eyes lingered on Alexis, then on the three other children that Alexis had also noticed.
"Well done… Twenty-five years ago, this alone would have been enough. You would have been lined up and injected with the Foundation Strain since your body could endure it. It is the first gene-modification protocol. Crude and brutal. It rewrote flesh into something stronger, denser, harder to kill. Most survived it if you passed this second trial. And those who did became useful soldiers of their age."
Although tired, the children listened.
"But Neo-Emerald has advanced... We no longer gamble with flesh blindly. Now we can read you, measure you, and know what you are built for. Hmm… I talked too much. The second trial is complete. Rest for now… After five hours, we'll proceed with the Compatibility Test."