Whether it was an Awakened, a worker, or a student, when a person faced a test, they naturally wanted to pass it as well as possible.
However, things didn’t always turn out the way one wanted, and Garet was experiencing that right now.
He sank to one knee, frowning deeply as he stared at the Evaluation Crystal, which turned a deep red.
"This..." Garet turned to lisa. "This is the worst result for this test, isn’t it?"
Hearing his question, Xir smirked but said nothing. This was lisa’s field.
"Yes, I won’t hide it, you failed this test, but that’s to be expected. I must say that your energy is being depleted unusually quickly. You should take this into account. If you lose all your energy during battle, you are unlikely to defeat a dangerous enemy with physical strength alone."
Garet nodded as he jumped up and down several tis, trying to recover. It seed to him that the Evaluation Crystal drained all his power. This feeling was much stronger than when he used his Zenith for the first ti.
"Alright, let’s move on. What’s the next test?"
lisa’s lips curved upward.
’Oh, what fighting spirit. That’s good. If you give up early, you won’t live long, not when you’re an Awakened.’
Then, she pointed to the second pillar.
"Now we’ll test how well you can control your energy."
"Control my energy?" Garet raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I already used Zenith and passed the first test. Doesn’t that an I can control my energy?"
lisa shook her head.
"Just because you can lift a sword doesn’t an you’re a swordsman. Energy control is important because it shows how stable your abilities are during combat, and it can also affect your energy consumption, accuracy, firepower, and so on.
"This is an aspect that every Awakened can improve to so degree. If an Awakened has poor energy control, it can lead to disastrous consequences in a mont of weakness."
Garet nodded several tis.
"Got it. So, what should I do? Touch the crystal again?"
"No, this ti I’ll do everything." lisa said and used the granite compass.
She pressed on the slab, causing the second pillar to tremble. Electrical impulses ran through the chains, causing the Evaluation Crystal to release torrents of energy.
"Try to gather this energy and condense it into an orb. Do this before the energy dissipates. The denser the orb, the better the result. For this test, blue is best."
Thanks to his brief training with Xir, Garet understood how to work with energy. After all, it was necessary to activate the Genesis Core.
It was similar to controlling the winds, as the energy flows moved just as smoothly.
Gradually, Garet managed to gather the energy between his palms, approaching the shape of the orb. To get the best result, he had to condense the energy to the size of a seed, but so far, the hollow orb was larger than his head.
’Alright, it’s not as difficult as with the Crimson Blight, my black sun is much more threatening than this...’ Garet muttered to himself as he gradually condensed the orb.
The energy didn’t like the pressure, it actively trembled and tried to escape to the point where the apple-sized orb burst into pieces.
"SHIT!" Garet exclaid in disappointnt. He was sure he could achieve a better result.
As he waited, he looked at the Evaluation Crystal, which soon turned pale green.
lisa’s eyes sparkled. "Good, you passed this ti. There are two more tests left. The score is 1:1, that’s already very good."
"Tsk, I just rushed it. Alright, what’s next?"
"Firepower." Xir’s voice ca from the side.
lisa gasped. According to the rules, they were supposed to check Garet’s energy level next. But she didn’t argue with him.
"I’m ready!" Garet exclaid.
"Sure, I’ll do it now."
When the compass was activated again, a sh barrier appeared in front of the Evaluation Crystal. The cells flickered in front of Garet as if provoking him to fight.
"It’s simple. Hit as hard as you can. Without abilities, but with the energy in your fist."
Garet didn’t need any more instructions.
Xir taught him how to strike, though Garet understood intuitively how it should be done.
’If this were a real fight, I could surely hit harder, but this should be enough!’ He exclaid internally as he struck.
Tremble!
His fist slamd into the barrier with all his might, sending pulses across the trembling surface. The shudder passed in several waves before returning to the crystal.
In a heartbeat, an orange light fell on Garet’s face.
"WHAT? Did I really hit that weakly?"
"No. Khm." lisa coughed. "In this test, the best result is red. The sa is true for the next one."
"So, now the score is 2:1?"
"Yes. Are you ready for the final test?" She asked, thinking about what awaited Garet after that.
Garet clenched his fist. "Of course! What should I do?"
"This ti, practically nothing. In the first test, you gave your energy to the crystal. Now, it will be the other way around. It’s important to know your limits, especially when it cos to energy. The greater the capacity, the longer you can fight, and vice versa. I think that’s clear."
Without further ado, Garet took his position while lisa made all the adjustnts.
The last chain trembled as a ray of energy burst out of the Evaluation Crystal, heading straight for Garet.
A slight burning sensation reverberated across his chest, but it was tolerable, and he almost imdiately forgot about it due to the wave of power that swept over him.
Gradually, the Evaluation Crystal began to glow. First, a light blue, then green, yellow, and orange, and that was not the end.
lisa and Xir exchanged glances. They were pleased with the result, but there was a deep sense of unease, and for a good reason.
Garet did not stop absorbing energy even after the Evaluation Crystal turned dark red, a color not expected in the standard test.
The burning sensation in Garet’s chest turned into a sharp pain as the edges of the crystal began to darken, as if facing a black hole with no limits.
Suddenly, Xir appeared to Garet’s right as his palm cut through the ray, freeing Garet. His legs trembled, unable to hold him up any longer, but Xir caught him in ti.
lisa ran up to them, worried.
"Are you alright?!"
Garet nodded weakly as his body adjusted to such a large amount of energy.
"Did I pass? Did I beat the test...?"
She smiled broadly and nodded.
"Of course!"
Then, she and Xir cautiously shifted their eyes to see the nearly black Evaluation Crystal.
This result was in a different category from complete failure or success.
Silence.
For a while, no one said anything.
"Monster, can I fight it?" Garet’s voice broke the silence.
lisa looked toward the door.
"Sure, if you’re ready, we can do it right now!"
"Hah. I’m ready." Garet smiled bitterly as he stood up.
He wasn’t exhausted, instead, he had too much strength, but his body was quickly adjusting to the excess power.
Without wasting any ti, lisa led him forward.
"Follow !"
At the sa ti, Xir took one last glance at the Evaluation Crystal and joined them.
...
Their next destination was on the sa floor, at the end of a long corridor.
Behind the door, or rather the gate, hid a spacious hall, more reminiscent of an arena, where even the light from a dozen lamps was not enough to illuminate every corner.
Still, the brightest light ca from the center.
"What is that?" Garet gulped as shivers ran down his spine.
A massive skull with protruding horns lay in the center. A heavy helt covered with cracks and sprouting roots encased the skull while a blue fla road serenely inside.
lisa stepped forward confidently.
"This is a Remnant. Not a monster, but a phenonon. In this world, there are many things you don’t know, Garet. Never forget that."
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