After their shared breakfast, Isaac quickly slipped out of the apartnt, form in hand. The fresh morning air caressed his face, but his mind was in turmoil.
He entered the guild building with his usual confidence, boots thumping on the tiled floor. At the reception desk, true to form as always, stood the old receptionist, huddled behind an old counter with grated edges.
Isaac placed the form in front of him with almost insolent confidence.
- I’ve co to take the elevation tests. The ti has co.
The old man squinted, scanning the paper for a mont before nodding.
- Everything’s in order. Follow .
They took a corridor to the left, one Isaac had never trodden before. The walls were better maintained, the lights whiter, and the silence heavier. Finally, they ca to a double steel door. The old man knocked twice.
- Co in," said a deep voice from inside.
They entered a vast room resembling a futuristic training hall. Machines, projectors, specialized mats. And in the center, a huge man, straight as a blade, arms folded.
He wore a tight-fitting black outfit with a Paris Chasseurs Organization armband. His eyes were cold, ticulous. He gave Isaac an emotionless look.
- Hugo, rank B hunter," he introduced himself. The Organization has sent to evaluate your potential. I’m here to decide if you’re worthy of climbing the ladder. And believe , I’m not known for being lenient.
Isaac didn’t flinch.
- I’ll settle for that.
- Good. First of all, you should know that the Hunter Organization is an independent branch. We supervise all hunters in the country, regardless of which guild they belong to. We evaluate, sanction and monitor. We prevent so from becoming gods without faith or law. And we also decide who climbs... and who stays on the ground.
He took a step forward.
- Here’s how it’s going to work: three physical tests, no mana. Strength. Speed. Endurance. Then, a machine will analyze your mana level. Finally, you fight .
Isaac raised an eyebrow.
- Against a B rank? Isn’t that a bit unfair?
- If you want at least a C rank, show you’re worth more than just another hunter. We don’t reward the average here, we reward the exception.
The serious business began without delay.
A gray-coated technician approached Isaac with a tablet in hand, his face neutral and professional.
- We’ll start with the physical tests. Do you know the procedure?
- Enough to know that it’s going to sting," replied Isaac, rubbing his wrists.
The first device looked like a large tal cylinder mounted on a reinforced base, studded with sensors and pressure plates. The technician tapped on his screen.
- You’re going to strike here, with all your might. The machine will analyze the kinetic impact, propagation speed and dispersion of the shock through the material. It gives us a score for brute force, but also for biochanical stability.
Isaac positioned himself facing the block, inhaled deeply, locked his hips and contracted his whole body like a steel chain ready to release a shockwave.
BOOM!
The blow slamd so hard that the technicians gasped. The tal vibrated intensely. A sound wave echoed through the room, and almost imdiately the figure appeared on the screen.
- 1,920 kilonewtons," murmured the technician. Higher than the average for a C-rank...
Isaac shook his hand, grimacing slightly. Damn, this thing’s no joke. Even my phalanx took a hit.
He had no ti to rest. Already, he was being led to the second test: reaction and movent speed.
- FTX-9 modular treadmill," explained the technician. You’ll have to run twenty ters between two beacons. Lasers will asure your instantaneous speed, as well as your postural micro-adjustnts. No mana. If you use your legs like in real combat, you’ll be fine.
Isaac took off as soon as the signal sounded. The ground seed to stick slightly beneath his feet, picking up pressure, thrust, pelvic movents and weight distribution. He accelerated, propelling himself with fluid, supple chanics. Each impulse triggered a discreet sizzle beneath the surface.
At the end of the runway, it ca to a halt, skidding with precision.
- An average of 6.2 tres per second," murmurs the technician. And an initial acceleration of 3.1 g... that’s... not normal.
Isaac massaged the back of his neck, still slightly out of breath. These tests aren’t bullshit. If I’d cheated a bit with mana, I’d have got it all wrong... but this is , naked. And it fucking holds.
Third and final test: endurance.
He was placed on a circular vibrating platform, a bag weighing over 80 kg strapped to his shoulders. Electrodes were placed on his torso and legs.
- You will remain in a semi-flexed posture, with the back load activated, for three minutes. The vibrations simulate unstable terrain and cause faster muscle fatigue. Objective: to asure your posture maintenance, muscle oxygenation and nerve coordination degradation.
- Basically... you want to stand in hell?" dropped Isaac with a tight smile.
- Exactly," confird the technician, dryly.
From the very first minute, his calves began to heat up. The vibrations resonated in his bones. He clenched his jaw and inhaled slowly. His heartbeat was strong but steady. The muscles in his thighs and back contracted in a controlled rhythm. Stay anchored. Breathe in. Control every movent, every contraction...
The second minute made him sweat profusely. His vision blurred slightly. The platform seed intent on throwing him off balance by the second. He concentrated on his core, locking his abdominal and back muscles.
At the end of the third minute, he dropped to his knees, panting but still lucid.
The technician checked the data, eyes slightly wide.
- Very good postural stability. Rapid recovery. Coordination still intact despite neuromuscular fatigue...
- ...Would you like my autograph?" Isaac breathed, wiping his forehead with the bottom of his T-shirt.
A slight smile passed over the technician’s face - the first ti since the beginning.
- I’ll let you get on with the mana test.
And that’s when Isaac surprised everyone.
When he placed his hands on the mana sensors, the machine imdiately sizzled. Light circuits etched into the floor activated. A gentle warmth rose in the room.
The technician stepped back instinctively as the numbers climbed at an alarming rate.
- 290 raw mana points..." he murmured. That’s... three tis more than the average D-rank fighter. And even above the average C-rank.
Isaac said nothing. He stepped back slowly, a smile on his face. Hugo, hitherto impassive, raised an eyebrow, his gaze now much more attentive.
- Hm. You’ve got sothing, that’s for sure. We’ll see if you know how to use it.
He uncrossed his arms.
- Now, co on. The combat test begins.
The training room had been completely emptied for the occasion. Armored walls were put up, observers set up in a glass room above, taking notes and adjusting paraters.
Hugo stood in the center of the ring, arms crossed. His gaze, cold and analytical, followed Isaac’s every move as he slowly ward up on the edge of the tatami.
A man approached him with a rack of weapons.
- What type of weapon would you like for the test, Mr. Isaac?
He didn’t hesitate for a second.
- A katana. Single blade, well balanced. Nothing more.
The man complied, handing him a weapon of standard quality but perfectly sharpened. Isaac closed his fingers around the handle, testing the grip, the weight, the center of gravity. He flicked his wrist a few tis, making sure the blade responded to his movents.
Opposite him, Hugo simply removed his coat and clenched his fists, revealing reinforced training gloves.
- No weapon?" asked Isaac, intrigued.
- I don’t need a weapon for this level. My fists will suffice.
A smile stretched Isaac’s lips slightly.
- We’ll see about that.
The overhead examiner raised his arm.
- Test begins. No mortal blow. Everything else is permitted.
And the virtual bell rang.
Isaac didn’t waste a second. He leapt forward, a slight smile on his face. He imdiately activated his [Draconic Flight] skill. Two translucent mana wings, barely visible to the naked eye, unfurled behind his back, and a wave of propulsion shot from his feet.
In a flash, he launched his first salvo.
- Shidensen. he murmured.
He let himself fall forward, gathering gravity, then propelled himself, his katana describing a dazzling upward curve.
But that wasn’t all. Every ti he hit the ground, he activated [Earthquake], generating shock microwaves that cracked the ground and caused milliter-accurate imbalances.
A well-thought-out technique. Calculated.
But Hugo didn’t move. He dodged.
With chilling fluidity, he deflected his torso slightly, his body moving just right, as if reading the lines of movent. The katana skimd the air.
- Your style is nervous... precise... mastered even. You’ve got talent," Hugo murmured, taking two steps back. But you don’t yet have the speed to hit .
And he struck.
A single punch.
Straight. Fast. Controlled. He aid at Isaac’s side with a power that would have shattered a wall.
Isaac had no ti to react. He saw the fist approaching... and activated [Intangibility - level 1].
Hugo’s fist literally pierced his side as if it were striking air. But the shockwave didn’t stop there.
BOOM.
The ground behind Isaac exploded, throwing dust and concrete fragnts backwards. Such was the power of the blow that not even the vacuum could stop the violence.
Hugo took a step back, his eyes suddenly squinting.
- What the...?
It was the first ti since the beginning that genuine surprise had appeared in his eyes. He slowly lowered his arm, studying Isaac as if he’d just seen a specter.
- I’ve never seen this skill," he said. Intangibility... It’s not a registered skill with French hunters.
Isaac regained distance at full speed, landing softly several ters away, catching his breath.
- It isn’t, indeed," he replied calmly. You’re the first one to see her here.
Hugo squinted.
- She saved you. Well done, Hugo. But once won’t be enough.
Isaac raised his katana, his eye shining.
- Then you’d better not miss your next attack.
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