The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Greying Glimpse

“Next! Cadet Grey, no surname. Please step onto the platform,” said the male researcher with the immaculate lab coat on the other side of the glass.

The researcher’s half-closed eyes never left his clipboard. “Please place your dominant hand on the globe and wait for further instructions.”

I did as instructed while broadening my shoulders and puffing out my chest—as if my posture was going to somehow help me on this test.

“Now, Cadet Grey, the globe is a sensor that will measure your ki level. Please imbue your ki into the sensor until you are given the signal to stop.”

Taking a deep breath, I siphoned the ki out of my sternum and let it flow up and through my right arm into the glass sphere. My ki, which was being measured inside the sensor, looked like droplets of ink inside water. Swirling and expanding inside, I saw the researchers jot down notes with looks of disappointment.

Barely a minute had passed and I was already sweating profusely, my hand trembling on top of the globe.

“You may stop,” the same researcher notified through the intercom, his voice sounding even less impressed than it had in the beginning. “Please proceed to the training grounds for the final part of your assessment.”

I walked out of the door I had come in through, taking a peek back as the researchers discussed my score behind their glass window. The one that had given me the instructions let out a sigh and shook his head.

Walking through the brightly-lit corridor, I stopped at the back of a line that had formed from cadets waiting their turn for the final portion of the assessment.

“Hey... do you know what the last test will be?” The large, bulky young man in front of me in line asked nervously.

“We went through tests that measured our mental acuity, physical strength and just now our ki. Just by process of elimination, this last one can only be that.”

The muscular teen’s eyes lit up in realization before he grinned smugly. “Oh... that! Haha! I’m good at that.”

I let out a small laugh in amusement at the simpleton’s change in attitude. It was the same for me—I was also good at that.

The line started moving again and we filed into a large auditorium with a ceiling at least a hundred feet high. There were already a fair amount of cadets gathered in designated locations with an instructor leading each group. My eyes scanned the area in hopes of finding Nico or Cecilia, but I couldn’t find either of them.

There was also an instructor at the front of our line, guiding each of the new cadets to a different group. The instructor pointed to his right at a crowd of nervous cadets near the far corner and the bulky boy in front of me confidently swaggered to his assigned group.

“Cadet Grey, no surname,” the instructor read.

I stifled the urge to scowl every time a faculty member pointed out the fact that I had no family name. Why did that matter here?

“Proceed to Group 4C halfway to the far left corner of the auditorium. The floor is marked for your convenience,” the instructor said, pointing to the appropriate location.

I gave him a curt nod and walked to my group, which was a hodgepodge of approximately a dozen men and women of all different sizes and builds. A petite girl that looked around my age stood confidently with her arms crossed. She purposely leaked traces of her ki so everyone around her could feel it. A toned boy with neatly cropped hair stood tall with an arrogant smirk. Judging by the crest pinned to his chest pocket, he was from a military family. No doubt he was raised to be a prominent member of the military—perhaps even a contender to challenge the spot for king.

Amidst the group was our instructor—a heavyset man that looked to be in his forties with a mustache better groomed than his thinning hair.

“Cadet Grey?” the instructor asked with a raised brow as he read off his clipboard.

“Yes, sir,” I nodded respectfully. No point in being brusque with the man responsible for determining my stature inside this military academy.

“Okay! Looks like everyone’s here then,” he said, tucking his clipboard in his armpit and clasping his hands. “Hello everyone. You may all refer to me as Instructor Gredge. Before we begin, I’d like to say a few words.”

The cadets in our group shuffled around him in a circle so everyone could see.

“As many of you might’ve guessed, this last portion of the entry exam will be practical combat. I have every one of this group’s ki level results here and, while I will not disclose anyone’s ki level, I’ll tell you now that they all differ. Part of practical combat means that you will not always have the luxury of being able to fight someone with the same level of ki as you. Sometimes you will be lucky and be faced with an opponent that can barely strengthen his fist—”

A few cadets in our group snickered at that.

“Other times, you will come across situations where the opponent has a much larger ki pool than you do,” the instructor continued, holding up his clipboard once more. “Regardless, you will be judged on your ability to adapt accordingly and most importantly, prevail.”

We exchanged glances amongst our group before a scrawny teen that looked a few years older than me raised his arm and spoke. “Are the rumors that cadets can die during this test true?”

Instructor Gredge scratched his beard. “Highly unlikely. The weapons here are blunted and softened. Also, I’ll be carefully monitoring the fights and intervene when necessary.”

There were a few cadets in the group that were still anxious despite the instructor’s reassurance. I couldn’t blame them. The difference in ki levels made a huge difference in strength and agility—enough that even a softened weapon could be deadly.

The instructor cleared his throat to get our attention. “As all of you know, the entry exam is important in determining and securing a cadet’s future in this academy. Those who do well here will be well supported by the academy and be given resources to further their skills while those who fail will be neglected and eventually expelled. It’s unfair but that’s also the way of life. I’d ask if any of you have any questions but we’re short on time so let’s begin.”

Our plump instructor waved his hand, motioning for some of the stray cadets in our group to get out of the way. He then dug out a key from his pocket and inserted it into the wall. That was when I noticed the faint seams in the ground.

The wall slid open to reveal a weapon rack, while at the same time, panes of glass-like material erected from the thin seams in the ground. Within seconds, an area of roughly thirty square feet was enclosed by the clear walls that rose dozens of feet high.

“First up will be Cadet Janice Creskit against Cadet Twain Burr. Pick out a weapon of your choice and enter the arena.” Instructor Gredge motioned at the door and the panes slid open.

The small-framed girl that was flaunting her ki picked out a blunted spear while the scrawny teen that had just asked the instructor whether it was possible to die carefully handled a shield and sword. The two of them followed the instructor inside the enclosed area, the panes closing behind him.

“Glancing blows will be ignored and I will judge whether or not the match will stop or not. Until then, fight to your heart’s content.” Our instructor placed himself in between Janice and the anxious Twain. “Begin!”

Twain jumped back and immediately fell into a defensive stance, holding his fiberglass shield up while keeping his blunted sword close to his body.

Janice, on the other hand, lunged at her opponent. A muted thud resounded as her spear clashed with Twain’s shield, but she didn’t relent. With no regard for her safety, she let loose a wild set of thrusts, pushing back Twain with each one.

The petite girl lashed out like a cat, quick and agile but too emotional. Twain, although his knitted brows showed uncertainty, seemed to have caught on to this when he timed his next block to parry away Janice’s spear.

She staggered just a step, but that was all Twain needed. He quickly swung his sword and hit her square in the shoulder. I expected her to writhe in pain or at least recoil, but despite the direct hit, a translucent layer of ki protected Janice’s shoulder.

With a smug grin plastered on Cadet Janice’s face, she smacked away Twain’s sword with her hand and tackled him with the same shoulder that had just received the hit. Twain buckled. Janice followed up by swiping her weapon at Twain’s legs, sweeping him off his feet—literally.

The scrawny teen fell to the floor and just before Janice brought down the head of her spear into Twain’s face, Instructor Gredge intercepted.

“Match over. Both cadets return to the rest of the group,” he said unceremoniously, letting go of the spear.

There was a moment of silence as our instructor jotted a few things onto his clipboard while Twain and Janice walked out of the arena.

“As this is an exam and not a class, we will not be debriefing the happenings of this match. You may choose to speculate amongst yourselves. In the meantime, Cadet Grey and Cadet Vlair of House Ambrose, please pick out a weapon from the rack and come.”

Murmurs resounded from our group upon hearing the name ‘Ambrose.’

The toned, good-looking boy that looked just around my age walked over to Janice.

“May I use the spear?” he asked, holding his hand out.

The girl that had just fought like a feral cat suddenly turned tame as she handed him the blunted spear. “S-Sure.”

I picked out a sword about half the width of the one that Twain had used before walking into the enclosed area.

“That’s it, Cadet Grey?” Vlair asked with a raised brow. “The sword you chose is usually paired with a brace or another sword.”

I shook my head. “I’m fine like this.”

“Suit yourself,” Vlair said with a shrug.

“Begin.” Instructor Gredge signaled with a wave of his clipboard.

Unlike Janice, Vlair took on a much more neutral stance with his spear. I wasn’t all too familiar with forms for the particular weapon but just on instinct alone, I knew he was much better trained with the weapon than Janice was.

Instructor Gredge shook his head. “The lucky blow was made after you failed to land a single hit for exactly a minute and eight seconds. Now before you are docked even more points, please make your way out of the arena so the other cadets can have a chance.”