The Association's private testing wing smelled of ozone and expensive floor wax. Kai stood in the center of a white-tiled room, the heavy reinforced doors sealing shut behind him with a hydraulic hiss. In the observation booth above, Director Han sat behind a pane of reinforced glass, his fingers steepled. Beside him stood a woman Kai recognized from the news—Instructor Sarah, a veteran A-Rank evaluator known for sniffing out "fakes."
"You're late, Mr. Draven," Han's voice came through the intercom, neutral and cold. "And you look like you've been through a meat grinder."
Kai looked down at his boots. They were still stained with the grey ash of the Ogre Warlord. His tactical suit was held together by singe marks and grit.
"The mountain was... steeper than I expected," Kai replied.
> [Current Level: 15]
> [Abyss Level: 4.5%]
> [Warning: Shadow Soldier 'Warlord' is emitting high-density pressure. Suppress?]
Kai tightened his mental grip. In the dark space behind his heels, he could feel the Ogre Warlord—now named Bane—restless and eager to manifest. The shadow was so dense it felt like a lead weight dragging behind him.
"Alright," Instructor Sarah said, her voice sharp. "The Director says you've had a 'growth spurt.' We've seen late bloomers before, but usually, it's a jump from E to D. He claims you're hitting C-Rank levels. Let's see it."
She pressed a button. From the floor, four combat droids rose, their limbs replaced by high-vibration blades. These weren't for killing; they were for measuring reaction speed and mana output.
"Go," Sarah commanded.
The droids blurred. In the past, Kai would have struggled to see their movement. Now, they looked like they were moving through thick syrup. His Level 15 Agility had turned his perception into a high-speed camera.
He didn't draw his dagger. He didn't even use his shadows. As the first droid lunged, Kai pivoted on his heel—a movement so precise it left a faint whistle in the air. He caught the droid's metallic wrist, used its own momentum to swing it into the second droid, and then delivered a palm strike to the third one's chassis.
CRACK. The reinforced alloy crumpled.
"Wait," Sarah whispered in the booth, leaning forward. "He didn't use any mana. That was pure physical stat power. How is an E-Rank's body holding that much density?"
"He's specialized," Han lied smoothly, though his own eyes were glued to the monitor.
Kai wasn't finished. He felt a surge of irritation. These machines were toys. He wanted to test the Void Grip again, but he knew he couldn't show that here. Instead, he decided to test his "Shadow Pulse."
He slammed his foot onto the floor. A wave of black energy, no thicker than a blade's edge, rippled across the tiles. It wasn't enough to trigger the high-level mana alarms, but it was enough to short-circuit the droids' internal processors. All four machines collapsed instantly, sparks showering the floor.
Silence filled the room.
"Evaluation complete," Kai said, looking up at the glass. "Am I C-Rank yet?"
Sarah looked at her tablet. The numbers were off the charts for a C-Rank, flirting with the lower end of B. "His physical output is 450... his mana signature is erratic, but the impact force... Director, this isn't a C-Rank. This is a 'Combat Freak.'"
Han stood up. "He's a C-Rank for the records, Sarah. We don't need the guilds breathing down our necks for a new prodigy. Update his license. I'll take him to the desert gates myself."
Ten minutes later, Kai stood in the hallway, holding a new, silver-tinted ID card. [Rank: C].
As he walked toward the exit, Han intercepted him. The Director looked stressed.
"You're playing with fire, Kai," Han whispered. "Sarah is suspicious. And your shadow... it's leaking. I can feel a coldness coming off you that wasn't there last week. What did you do on that mountain?"
Kai looked Han directly in the eyes. For a split second, he let the suppression slip. The temperature in the hallway plummeted, and the lights flickered.
"I survived," Kai said.
Han stepped back, his face pale. He was an experienced administrator who had handled S-Ranks, but for a moment, he felt like he was standing in front of an open grave.
"Get out of here," Han rasped. "Go to the Desert Canyons. Aria Vance is already there. She's a B-Rank, but she needs a 'scout' for a high-risk excavation. If you can handle her, you're ready for the A-Rank trials."
Kai nodded, his shadow elongating as he walked away, the silhouette of a massive, armored Ogre flickering briefly against the white wall.
"Aria Vance," Kai muttered. "Let's see if a B-Rank can keep up."