Step 1: Measure brain function.
Step 2: Test basic physical abilities in various areas.
Step 3: Test special abilities.
Step 4: Training on connecting player devices.
Nawa watched the application process intently. Although he was somewhat familiar with these steps, he didn't want any mistakes to happen, because it would mean losing the application fee of over 500,000 baht.
And with Nawa's current financial situation, he couldn't even think about finding that much money to apply for a player position again. Just repaying the mafia was almost impossible because the interest rate on his loan was unusually high.
Thinking this, Nawa's heart felt heavy, as if a whole mountain had fallen on his chest. The pressure was greater than when he had taken a knife attack earlier. This was the life of the poor; there was no room for failure, every action had a price.
Nawa took a deep breath and shook off the distracting thoughts. He knew that excessive worry would only make things worse.
Conditions for… Those who pass Stage 1 are those with a brain cell function level higher than 12.5%. Failure results in disqualification, and of course, the application fee is non-refundable. This is why most applicants have their brain cell function levels checked beforehand.
But that wasn't the case for Nawa. The brain cell function test also cost money.
Although it was much less than the application fee, it was still tens of thousands of baht. For Nawa's current financial situation, he couldn't even afford a few hundred baht, let alone tens of thousands.
"Ding dong. Queue number 108. Please proceed to the brain cell function test."
As soon as the announcement ended, Nawa walked towards the brain function test area with a pounding heart. Even though Nawa could use telekinesis, which allowed him to estimate that his brain cell function was likely above 12.5%, it was still just an assumption.
The brain cell function test machine resembled a medical MRT scanner. A person lies down, and the bed slides into a small, completely dark tunnel. As Nawa entered the tunnel, he felt his test was taking unusually long.
Previous people had received their results in just 2-3 minutes, but 10 minutes had passed and the staff still hadn't announced anything. This made Nawa very anxious.
After several more minutes, the tunnel slid back out without displaying the test results. Nawa hurriedly stood up and rushed to ask the staff.
"What happened? What is my brain function level?"
"Uh… I'm sorry, but the brain function measurement machine has malfunctioned, so we can't provide the results," the female staff member replied hesitantly.
"Why? And how long will it take to fix? I'm an engineering graduate; maybe you could describe the problem and I could help fix it," Nawa asked anxiously, his mind racing with worries.
What if the machine was broken for a week? Would he have to pay for the test again? No, if that happened, where would he get the money to pay the interest on his loan and the wasted time?
"Uh… the machine is… well…" the female staff member… Nawa looked even more troubled.
"Like, what do you mean?" he repeated, his gaze serious.
"Actually, we don't know exactly where the machine is broken, but it must be malfunctioning because it read your brain activity level at 100%, which is impossible. As far as I know, the person with the highest brain activity level in the country is only around 30%. So, there must be something wrong with the machine. Could you come back for the test another day?" the female officer said with a pleading look.
"I don't have that much time to wait. Besides, it's not my fault. Since the machine isn't malfunctioning, you have to let me pass."
Nawa said in a demanding tone.
"But the next test, assessing your basic physical abilities, is dangerous. If your brain activity level doesn't meet the criteria, you might get injured during the test. I can't be responsible for that," the female officer tried to persuade Nawa to change his mind.
She didn't want to take responsibility if anything happened.
After a lengthy argument... Finally, the officials allowed Nawa to proceed to the next stage of the test, but with the condition that they would not be held responsible for anything that happened to Nawa. Nawa agreed to this.
"For today's second stage, there are many applicants, so we will divide you into 5 groups to distribute yourselves through the testing stations for faster processing. Each group will test at different stations, and once completed, they will rotate through all 5 stations," the official announced through the loudspeaker.
The first station Nawa's group underwent was a defense power test. The use of artifacts and skills was prohibited during the test, as it aimed to assess the body's basic stats. Anyone violating this rule would be disqualified from applying to be a player for 5 years.
The test results would be given as a number. A score above 50 is considered passing. A normal human typically has a stat value of around 15; even with excellent physical training, their stats will not exceed 50.
However, for those with a brain function level higher than 12.5%, their bodies can develop much further. Therefore, the association uses 50 as the standard for selecting those who will be allowed to become players.
The first person in the group to take the test was a young man named Natee. He was handsome, with fair skin and long, feminine hair. Judging from his complexion and well-dressed demeanor, it was easy to guess he came from a wealthy family, which caused screams and squeals from the girls even before the test began.
Nawa thought this person must be a celebrity at Asashi Academy, and he wasn't wrong. Natee was the one who passed the promotion exam to the second year with the highest score.
Besides Natee, there were three other friends in the same test group who also scored higher than other students. They were considered the cream of the crop at Asashi Academy in this year.
Therefore, the four of them were known by their peers as the "Four Heavenly Kings," possessing both talent and status. For them, it was only a matter of time before they could rise to high-ranking players.
The reason Nawa was grouped with them was because it had the fewest members, as the others didn't want to be compared to these four.