A couple of minutes later the bracelet pointed them to another machine and Mrs. Ironheart would cure everyone of their fatigue. It looked like a squat rack except you didn’t have to put the weights on manually. They all went in order with Stephanie lifting 450 lbs and getting a 44, the part dragonfolk guy named Kwanele lifting 560 lbs and getting a 59, and Carn lifting 630 lbs getting a 65. Stephanie gave Carn a glare as they went between the different machines.
They did deadlift, bench press, pull-ups, standing jump, planks, and situps. Generally, the pecking order within the group of ten was Carn, Kwanele, Stephanie, then the other 7. Kwanele got first in the standing jump with a standing jump of 7 feet high getting an 82. Broadly speaking, Carn got anywhere from 60-75, Kwanele got anywhere from 55-65, Stephanie was always around 45-60, while the rest of the group hovered around 30.
After the sit-ups, Kwanele approached Carn with a grin revealing his sharp teeth, “For a human, you are very strong. You have increased my passion for strengthening my body. Thank you, friend.”
Kwanele’s pitch-black wings and tail moved like a dog's tail when they were excited as they walked to the next test.
This time they were on the track and their bracelets informed them that they were doing a 100-meter sprint. Carn was excited as he believed his best trait was his speed. Apparently, the school record was 6.03 seconds giving that person a score of 93 and Carn wanted to beat it. However much he wanted to go first he let others go instead.
Stephanie walked past Carn to the starting line and declared, “I’m gonna beat you in this one.”
She stepped up to the line and the machine gave a countdown, “3… 2… 1… BEEP!”
With the sound of the beep, Stephanie sprang off of the starting position and after 6.36 seconds she crossed the finish line giving her a score of 84. She stood at the endpoint catching her breath with a cheeky grin on her face.
Eventually, Kwanele went and he got a time of 13.84 seconds giving him a score of 41. Clearly, speed wasn’t his strong suit.
Finally, it was Carn’s turn. At some point, Mrs. Ironheart was watching their group intensely and even now she stood at the side of the track and watched him. Deciding to ignore her he walked to the starting line and gave Stephanie a wink.
Carn crouched down at the starting line, his fingers firmly planted on the track, as he prepared for the 100-meter sprint. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his nerves and focus on the task ahead.
At the sound of the beep, Carn launched himself forward with explosive speed. His feet dug into the track, propelling him forward as his arms pumped furiously at his sides. He leaned forward, using his body weight to gain momentum and push himself further.
His legs moved in a blur, pounding against the track with each stride. He could feel the wind rushing past him as he ran, his heart pounding in his chest. He was completely focused on the race, blocking out everything else around him.
In an instant, he crossed the finish line, and his entire body felt invigorated he couldn’t describe it. Whenever he ran he felt as if he was truly alive his very cells seemed to desire for him to run even more. For a moment he even forgot to look at his time. Coming back to his senses he looked at the screen displaying his time.
- Carn Roswal - Time: 4.79 seconds -
112 points
New school record!
New world record!
The atmosphere crackled with disbelief as Carn crossed the finish line of the 100m sprint. Everyone's eyes were glued to the clock, then back to Carn, as if they were watching a mythical creature in action. A grin spread across Carn's face as he basked in the attention. He knew he was fast, but breaking the world record? That was beyond his wildest dreams.
Mrs. Ironheart, their teacher, approached the group with a fierce determination burning in her eyes. She was practically speechless. "Young man I, no, the entire staff is at a loss for words," she began. "The world record for the restricted 100m sprint was 5.09 seconds. All the world records are set to be 100 points. I mean, what I am trying to say is, please join my class. I will hone your talents, I promise."
“I’ll think about it,” Carn said with a chuckle.
Stephanie was equally amazed. “Mrs. Ironheart, is he really a pure-blooded human? I must know,” Stephanie pleaded with determination in her eyes.
Mrs. Ironheart's expression turned stern as she replied, "Ms. Cho, you know I am not allowed to give personal information on students to others. That is all I will say on the matter." The tension in the air was palpable as everyone wondered about Carn's true nature and how he could possibly achieve such an incredible feat.
Stephanie's pout quickly turned into a frown as their bracelets buzzed with the start of the last test. Mrs. Ironheart's eyes gleamed with greed as she restored everyone's stamina, ready to watch Carn in action.
Carn's eyes flickered to the screen as he scanned the school record for the mile run. He could practically taste the victory, the thrill of breaking another record. The school record was beneath him, 2 minutes and 38.91 seconds with a score of 83. Carn had his sights set even higher.
Before Mrs. Ironheart went back to the sidelines to watch Carn grabbed her shoulder tightly, Mrs. Ironheart looked up at Carn and his green eyes staring at the school record with a type of hunger, “Yes young man?”
“What is the world record,” Carn said with his gaze still fixated on the screen.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she told him, “2 minutes and 15 point something seconds.”
Carn's hunger for success burned brightly in his green eyes as he thanked Mrs. Ironheart and released her shoulder, striding confidently onto the track. The staff who was watching the scene through Mrs. Ironheart’s eyes held their breath as they watched Carn take his position. Professor Sundaram who spoke in front of everyone earlier had his eyes glued to the screen.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Carn positioned himself at the starting line along with all the other students, his muscles tense and ready to burst into action. The starting signal was given, and he took off like a bullet. He kept his body low, driving his legs powerfully into the ground, pushing himself forward with every stride.
Carn's arms pumped back and forth in sync with his legs, his breathing controlled and steady. The sound of his feet striking the track echoed in his ears as he maintained a consistent pace, his eyes fixed on the finish line ahead.
With every lap, Carn pushed himself harder, his lungs burning and his legs feeling heavy. But he refused to slow down, digging deep within himself for every last ounce of strength.
As he approached the final lap, the spectators watching through Mrs. Ironheart’s eyes roared in excitement, cheering him on. Carn gritted his teeth and poured every last bit of energy he had left into his body. He surged ahead, his strides long and powerful, his body moving with precision and speed lapping the other 9 students who ran alongside him.
Finally, he crossed the finish line, collapsing to the ground with a thud. He lay there for a few moments, gasping for air, his body trembling with exhaustion and a giant smile on his face. This is what made him feel alive. He didn’t have to think about God’s Paradise or Fen Tuolong or anything else; it was just him and the space around him. The wind in his hair, the ground under his feet, and the sun on his face. It was his paradise
A large screen displayed all the times and finishers in order. Stephanie had broken the school record with a time of 2 minutes and 35 seconds but that wasn’t even close.
- Carn Roswal - Time: 1 minute 57.03 seconds -
122 points
New school record!
New world record!
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“What a monster. It was like the distance he had to run was less somehow but we all know it wasn’t. A once-in-a-lifetime talent,” Professor Sundaram said while gripping the edge of his chair.
“It seems my daughter did quite well as well. I hope she isn’t too discouraged by that kid,” Mr. Cho sat beside the professor, “However much I want to stay, I have a company to run. Thank you for putting those two in the same group. Please let me know their results in detail. I would really appreciate it.”
The two men shook hands before Mr. Cho left with his bodyguards.
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After the physical strength and speed assessment, the group of 100 students moved to a different location. When they arrived they saw an extreme obstacle course over some water. There were ropes, giant walls, unstable platforms with swinging balls, and anything else one could think of in a psychos rendition of Wipeout. The assessment was meant to test a student's dexterity alongside their general agility.
Carn did quite well and placed as the top scorer. To be truthful he had to thank his time at the Ranger Headquarters as it had a very similar obstacle course albeit slightly less challenging. Stephanie placed 2nd and she seemed to get even more annoyed because of that. She correctly believed that there was no way he was a pure-blooded human but she wasn’t able to confirm her suspicions no matter how many times she asked.
For the third assessment, the group of 100 students walked inside one of the stone brick buildings. However, it seemed that they had been transported somewhere else as the area they were now in was the size of a warehouse with every wall being colored white.
Mrs. Ironheart introduced this assessment as a mana aptitude test which allowed the school to best determine what mana each student was attuned to as well as a mana control test which allowed the school to determine their ability at becoming strong via magic.
The moment Carn entered the room he felt like he was walking through syrup, there was so much mana in the room he felt like he could grab it if he tried.
“Alright, your bracelet will divide you into 2 groups one will start with mana control and the other with the aptitude test. For the aptitude test, you will place your hands onto this ball and these mages will determine the elements that you favor,” Mrs. Ironheart placed her hands on a giant white crystal ball that was twice her height and pointed to two people wearing suits. After a couple of seconds, the ball glowed orange, and a flame could be seen within it.
She took off her hand and walked over to the other side of the room and stood in one of many circles on the floor and closed her eyes. Suddenly a blue bolt of mana launched itself at her, seemingly materializing from the air. Before it hit her however a small blue circle appeared in its flight path nullifying it.
She walked out of the circle on the floor and explained, “The mana in this room is dense enough for all of you to will a magic shield into existence. When standing in the circle a bolt of mana will form in the air and shoot at you. Your goal is to form a magic shield with the smallest size that perfectly blocks the bolt before it hits you. You will fail if you make a shield around your entire body or are hit by a bolt. The bolts get faster and stronger over time so be prepared. That is all I have to say, follow the directions on your bracelet and get going.”
Carn’s bracelet displayed 50 and it pointed to the magic ball. He had to sit patiently and wait for his turn to come. In front of him at the 49th spot was the pouting Stephanie.
“Are you good at magic too?” she eventually asked, growing tired of watching students get hit by magic bolts in the control test.
“I’m not bad I think,” Carn said honestly unsure. He could use a lot of Magic Arrows in God’s Paradise but he didn’t think that necessarily meant he was particularly good at magic either.
Up ahead of them, they saw the sphere turn brown and a rock formation seemed to grow inside of it as Kwanele touched its surface.
Stephanie nervously approached the mysterious sphere, her heart racing with anticipation. She knew that the test would reveal her elemental affinity, but she couldn't help but feel anxious about the outcome. With a deep breath, she placed her hand on the cool surface of the sphere and held her breath as the colors inside began to shift and swirl.
As she watched, the sphere began to darken, swirling with deep shadows that seemed to grow darker with each passing second. Stephanie's heart leaped with joy as she realized that her aptitude for dark magic had been revealed. But just as she was about to celebrate, a small black tornado formed within the sphere, taking her completely by surprise.
The mages standing nearby quickly took note of the phenomenon and spoke to Stephanie, their voices tinged with excitement and wonder. "You have the aptitude for both the dark and the wind attributes," they exclaimed. Stephanie's eyes widened with shock and joy as she realized the incredible possibilities that lay before her. Stephanie was quite happy with the news, the dark magic she practiced was there and a new element she had never even tried was there as well opening up new possibilities for her.
As Stephanie waited for Carn to approach the sphere, she felt a twinge of animosity toward him. She wanted nothing more than to see the lying muscle dude fail. However, when Carn finally laid his hands on the orb, nothing happened. Confused, he looked back at the mages for answers.
“The orb needs at least a minute to calculate your aptitude,” one of the mages explained.
Stephanie chuckled at the sight of Carn's confusion, eagerly waiting to see what he was capable of. But as Carn's hands remained on the surface, he suddenly winced in pain.
“Is it supposed to hurt like this?” he asked, struggling to keep his hands on the orb.
“No, it shouldn't be painful. Remove your hands immediately and let us examine you,” one of the mages said urgently.
But Carn couldn't. He was stuck, unable to take his hands off the sphere. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth in agony as his hands remained attached to the orb.