Chapter 82: Three-Way Tester II
The speed testing area looked very similar to the strength testing area.
The only difference was that instead of punching machines, every chamber contained numerous small holes covering the walls and ceiling.
And just like in the first testing area, another student with a white ribbon tied around his right wrist stood near the entrance.
The group stepped forward, and Daniel asked the student, "We’re newly enrolled first-year students. Can you explain how the test works?"
The student nodded. "It’s simple. As you can see, once you enter the chamber, you’ll receive a ten-second preparation period. Once that time ends, slime balls will begin shooting out from those holes."
"There are no fixed patterns or timings for when or where they’ll come from. So your only objective is to dodge every slime ball fired at you."
"There are twelve levels in total, and the ranking system follows the same pattern as the strength test. Two stars for E-rank, and every rank above that increases by two stars."
"As the levels increase, both the number of projectiles and their speed will increase. Among the three tests, this one is generally considered the hardest."
"The reason is pretty simple. In the strength test, you only need to throw a single punch, and in the defense test, you simply have to endure whatever is thrown at you."
"But this test examines not only your speed but also your reaction time, instincts, moment-to-moment judgment, body coordination, adaptability, and more."
He looked around at the group. "And just like the previous test, mana, abilities, skills, and equipment are prohibited."
"Pure physical ability only. If everyone understands, we can begin."
Almost immediately, Adrian stepped forward. "I suppose I shall once again take responsibility as the group’s representative and be the first to test the waters."
"You just want to show off your speed because you’re a light elemental user," Marty thought. Other than that, nobody bothered arguing with him.
He tapped his student ID and entered the chamber. Once the door closed behind him, the monitor outside immediately displayed everything happening inside.
After the ten-second preparation period ended, the first slime ball shot toward Adrian from behind.
He casually stepped aside, allowing the projectile to strike the floor, where it instantly dissolved into a sticky liquid.
For the next thirty seconds, one slime ball was fired every second.
Adrian dodged every single one effortlessly and entered the second level. This time two projectiles from different angles with much higher speed came at him.
But he still managed without much difficulty. When Level Three started, the slime balls became even faster.
Even though Adrian began showing signs of difficulty while dealing with three projectiles at once, he still somehow managed to clear the level.
But once Level Four began, Adrian started struggling. The sticky slime coating the floor made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain his footing.
About halfway through the level, he was struck by slime balls from four different directions simultaneously, bringing his test to an end.
A few moments later, Adrian stepped out of the chamber covered in slime, and his expression looked absolutely miserable. "Slimes are disgusting."
The machine then displayed his result. Three and a half stars. "That’s respectable," Daniel commented.
"Even though I don’t require your acknowledgment, I still welcome it."
One by one, the others entered the testing chamber.
Daniel went second. As expected from a spearman, his movements were clean and efficient.
He cleared the first two levels without much trouble.
The third level slowed him down considerably, but he still managed to survive until the end before finally being overwhelmed during the fourth.
His final result was three stars.
Next came Marty. Unfortunately for him, speed had never exactly been his specialty. The first level was easy enough, but the second level already had him sweating.
As soon as the third level began, he was struck by three slime balls almost simultaneously, ending his test with a score of two stars.
Kelly went next. Her movements were agile, and while they weren’t exceptional, they were definitely above average.
She managed to push through most of the third level before finally getting caught, earning a result of two and a half stars.
As for Sabrina, she scored three stars, once again shocking everyone.
Since ice wasn’t particularly known as an element associated with speed, they had assumed the most she could achieve would be two and a half stars like Kelly.
But once again, she proved why she was called the genius of this generation.
And just like before, Shobin received only one star. But since he had already explained the nature of his class, nobody commented on his result.
Finally, it was Zac’s turn again. Almost unconsciously, everyone turned to look at him.
After everything that had happened during the strength test, their curiosity had already reached dangerous levels.
After tapping his student ID against the sensor, Zac entered the chamber.
The first slime ball shot straight toward his face. Zac tilted his head slightly, missing the projectile by barely an inch.
Then another came, followed by many more. His body moved naturally through the attacks, as if he had already seen where they would come from.
He effortlessly cleared the first three levels without even breaking a sweat. Outside the chamber, the expressions of the others slowly began to change.
The moment the fourth level started, four slime balls shot toward Zac from different directions: front, back, left, and right.
The speed had also increased significantly compared to the previous levels. But Zac still moved through them without much difficulty.
His steps were small and efficient, and there were no wasted movements or flashy dodges.
Outside the chamber, everyone watched silently. Seeing the astonished looks on their faces, Marty quickly spoke up again before anyone could say anything.
"His elemental affinity is lightning, and as we all know, lightning users naturally have an advantage when it comes to speed, right?"
The others nodded at his perfectly reasonable explanation.
Well...
Everyone except one person.
Adrian frowned. "I have light affinity. Shouldn’t light be faster than lightning?"
Shobin thought for a moment before answering. "Yes. But you used a lot of flashy movements to avoid the slime balls, which wasted stamina instead of conserving it."
"And he’s also a swordsman, which gives him considerably better physical abilities than yours. So naturally, he’d have an advantage over you when it comes to speed."
Everyone nodded once again, accepting the explanation.
Then the fifth level began. Five slime balls attacked simultaneously, one from each direction, as always.
By now, the floor was completely covered in slime, making movement much harder.
But what made the level truly difficult was something else.
The slime balls no longer traveled at fixed speeds. One would shoot toward him at incredible speed, while another would travel much slower.
This made it significantly harder to predict their trajectories and timing. Just a few seconds into the fifth level, Zac was finally hit by a slime ball.
His final result was four and a half stars.
The supervising student looked at the result and shouted, "That’s actually insane for a first-year!"
Zac walked out of the chamber as if nothing unusual had happened.
Adrian narrowed his eyes at him. "I refuse to accept this. The laws of light itself disagree with this outcome."
But as always, nobody responded to him. Mostly because nobody knew how they were supposed to respond to that.
After finishing the speed test, the group headed toward the final section.
Unlike the previous testing areas, this one looked noticeably emptier. In fact, it contained only a single testing chamber.
Outside it sat a large, broad-shouldered man leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.
The seven of them approached him. The moment they got close enough, the man spoke without even opening his eyes. "First-years?"
"Yes, sir."
The man slowly opened his eyes and looked at them. "Wonderful. And here I thought I was going to enjoy my afternoon nap."
He let out a sigh. "What do you want?"
"Our instructor suggested we try the Three-Way Tester Center," Shobin began to explain, but the man raised a hand.
"Stop. I don’t need your life story. You want to test your defense, right?"
The group nodded. "It’s simple." He pointed toward the chamber behind him. "Inside is an air compression cannon."
"It fires compressed air with increasing levels of force."
"Your job is simple. Stay standing. If you think you can’t handle the next attack, withdraw."
"Because if you get injured because you were stupid enough to overestimate yourself, that’s between you, your medical bills, and your ruined future."
Only then did the group understand why the place was completely empty.
Adrian slowly raised his hand. "What if the machine seriously injures us?"
The man looked at him. "Then get treated. Aren’t you all Variants? Why fear a little pain? And it’s just compressed air, not divine punishment."
"Don’t overreact."
Marty leaned toward Shobin. "Is this guy serious?"
The man looked directly at Marty. "I am extremely serious."
Marty immediately straightened up. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."
The supervisor glanced at the group. "Each shot doubles in strength compared to the previous one. So don’t get greedy."
He pointed toward the chamber. "So, who’s first?"
After discussing it among themselves, only Daniel, Marty, and Zac decided to take the test.
Daniel stepped forward and entered the chamber. He stood in front of the air compression cannon and steadied his footing.
Ten seconds later, the first shot came.
Boom.
Daniel didn’t move an inch. Another ten seconds passed, and the second shot came.
Boom.
This time, Daniel took two steps back, but he still held his ground.
Then came the third shot. The force behind it was on an entirely different level.
The moment it hit him, Daniel staggered backward several steps, and a few drops of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.
After thinking for a moment, he raised his hand. "I’ll stop here." The door immediately opened, and the supervisor nodded. "Three stars, not bad for a newbie."
Daniel simply wiped the blood from his mouth and stepped aside. This time, Marty entered the chamber.
The first two shots barely affected him. The third shot finally pushed him back a few steps, but he still maintained his footing.
Then came the fourth shot.
Boom!
Marty slid almost all the way to the back wall, but surprisingly, he was still standing. He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and looked toward the cannon.
Outside the chamber, the supervisor frowned when he saw that Marty still wasn’t giving up.
When the fifth shot hit him, Marty was blasted backward and slammed heavily into the wall. Blood spilled from his mouth, and the chamber door immediately opened.
Zac was the first to reach him. He helped Marty back outside while the supervisor walked over. The man placed a finger on Marty’s forehead and slowly sent mana through his body.
A few moments later, he nodded. "Nothing important is broken. He should be fine after a night’s sleep."
"Here, take this." He tossed a small vial filled with violet liquid toward Marty. Then he looked at him. "You were already struggling with the fourth shot. What made you think taking the fifth was a good idea?"
Marty grinned awkwardly. "I just got a little curious. " The supervisor stared at him for several seconds. "Curiosity isn’t bad; just try not to evolve it into stupidity."
Marty nodded.
The man then turned toward the group. "Who’s next?"
Zac slowly walked into the chamber and stood in front of the cannon.
The first two shots did absolutely nothing to him. As for the third shot, other than pushing him back an inch, nothing happened.
Only during the fourth shot did Zac finally move. He took several steps backward before raising his hand. "I’ll stop here."
The chamber door opened, and the supervisor looked at him strangely. "Four stars for a non-defensive class, mhm...good."
Marty stared at him for a moment. "Dude, I know you’re strong, but for heaven’s sake, I’m the defensive one here. Why are you competing with me in my own field?"
Zac laughed and headed toward the exit without answering.
"Hey! Get back here! I want an explanation!"
Marty immediately ran after him while the others watched the scene unfold before quietly following after them, laughing amongst themselves.
And that was the end of the Chapter.
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