CHAPTER 14: PUNCHING MACHINES

Loud murmurs and whispers were heard among the crowd of participants. They had no idea that a stranger from somewhere outside the City could be strong enough to beat a noble during the examinations. Cases like these have happened before, but it was done by individuals who many people held expectations for. It was unprecedented for someone of unknown origins to waltz into their city and beat someone who was favored by many Counsel Elders.

Noticing the gazes and discussions that had sprouted among the participants, Viktor roared to hush the crowd up:

"SILENCE!"

"..."

Just like that, silence permeated the entire field. Hermes couldn't help but look at him in respect. If he had been the one instructing this group of individuals, he might have exploded internally from the anxiety.

During his college years, Hermes had spent many days going from one part-time job to the next to try and support his burdened mother. He had to put up with many crappy bosses. Because his life depended on the paycheck he was receiving, he wouldn't talk back or defend himself whenever he was abused.

There were many times when he would achieve completely amazing results but receive no recognition only to be reprimanded extremely for any small mistake he would make. Because of this, he developed a sort of coping mechanism where he would try his best not to provoke others and keep his head down.

All of that somewhat changed since his transmigration. Facing death multiple times as well as losing his entire family and everything else he hoped to achieve made him care less about what others had to say to him. If someone was hostile, he no longer would hold back against them.

Still, those habits do not die easily. He still tried his best to please everyone and not get in trouble; it was done subconsciously. Seeing Viktor completely dominate everyone in the training field with just a simple shout made him admire this 'comrade' of his.

Although he couldn't call him a friend, they still fought to the death together and survived together. He felt a connection to him and thought highly of his abilities. The same thing was applied to Leonardo who had treated him very well and given him a chance to explain himself and gain their trust.

Not only that, but the two also bet their reputation to try and convince the 10 Elder Counsel to allow him to stay in the city. He felt a lot of gratitude for what they had to put up for him.

Seeing the group shut up quickly, Hermes let out a sigh as he looked down at his own body. He had not expected himself to perform this well. It was sort of unreal to him. How could someone who was an astronomy nerd perform better than some of the athletic students at his old High School? He was stupefied but had several theories about his changes.

For one, it could be that his fights with the Mutant, Kel'thus, and the long periods of jogging on the Moon and Mars contributed to his increase in stamina. But he couldn't explain his speed... The laps at around the 60th mark were extremely fast, and he didn't have that sort of agility before.

Although the changes were somewhat slight, it was still a huge boost when paired with Mars' gravity and his weight. He decided it was best to just ignore it for now and continue the examinations; this was a chance for him to do well on the physique portion that he had been worried about beforehand.

Soon, Viktor blew the whistle again for the next batch of examinees. This continued for a while as the girls were also going to be tested next. After everyone took the Pacer test, Viktor ordered everyone to once again line up.

The group followed him to a different section of the barracks; a building carved into the Martian regolith stood proudly before them.

"Since everyone has taken the Stamina test, we will be taking a break from any activities to allow everyone to recover to their optimal state. During this period, we will be doing another form of examination. We will be testing your biological information for any genetic mutations, sicknesses, disorders, etc."

"This health checkup will be done in this facility. Girls are to go in first, there will be a female doctor assigned for this portion of the checkup. Guys will follow me to the other side of the facility."

Sending the girls inside, the doctor greeted the group and instructed them to follow behind her. As Viktor led the men of the group to the other side of the building, Hermes could feel the ire of the others on his back. This was especially so for Charles who had been 'humiliated' by him.

Paying no heed to them, he continued walking in the line. Soon, the voice of someone shook his attention.

"Hey, you're the guy from outside the city, right? You did well in the first exam, I didn't think you would beat me!"

Hermes gazed towards the person who attracted his attention. It was the man directly in front of him in the line. He had black hair paired with deeply sun-kissed skin.

He was roughly 6'3 unlike many of his peers; many would consider him shorter than average. Unlike his peers, his build was lean and fairly toned, giving him a muscular and athletic look. Because Hermes was behind him, it was hard to fully see his face, but he could tell from his clothes that he was fairly poor.

Just like Hermes, he was also wearing a normal cloth desert daraas robe around himself and a turban on his head. Unlike Hermes however, who had just purchased this set of clothing, his had clear signs of tearing and sand stuck to it, giving it a grungy and rough look.

The man smiled and asked, "Hey, what's your name? Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kevin."

"Nice to meet you, Kevin. My name is Hermes."

He smiled and slowly turned his head to face Hermes so Viktor did not notice him. He had deep brown eyes that were fairly common around the City but his eyelashes were lengthy, majestically highlighting his handsome features. His face which was cleanly shaven was smoothly chiseled and completely symmetrical. If he was on Earth, he could have become a male model.

Hermes immediately recognized him. He was the person who lasted the longest in the Pacer test excluding Hermes and Charles. He had obtained the third place position during that examination.

"You did pretty well on the test, I didn't expect that. You have earned my respect!"

Hermes nodded at him and replied quickly, "Thank you for your compliment, I too was shocked by my performance; I don't think I'll be able to repeat it in the other tests."

He laughed in a low voice in order not to attract Viktor's attention. "Haha, I have a feeling you will do fine."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Hermes nodded at him and asked curiously, "Say, how come you aren't suspicious of me, unlike all the other people?"

He sighed and replied with a casual tone, "Why would I be suspicious of someone who can make it to the examinations? It's obvious the Guardians trust you enough to allow you in here. Those people who look at you differently are only jealous or threatened by your performance."

"I'd say you more trustworthy than those snobby nobles any day. Especially the Verdier family who treats anyone beneath them like insects."

Without letting Hermes interrupt him, he continued:

"Although I was hesitant to approach you earlier, seeing your performance shocked me. If I want to get stronger, I'm gonna need a goal to strive for, and I think you can be that goal!"

Hermes shook his head and smiled, "I just hope you won't be disappointed in me later."

Soon, the participants arrived at the other entrance and as instructed by Viktor, approached one by one towards the clinic. Inside, a large room was presented before everyone's eyes filled with all kinds of machines Hermes had never seen before.

As ordered by the Exam Proctor, everyone lined up for the health checkup as a Doctor would instruct them towards each machine one by one. According to the Doctor, the large technological marvels would take scans of their organs, tissue, bones as well as cellular makeup.

There was even a contraption that checked their genetic code makeup to see if any mutations were popping up. Disregarding his obvious height and weight being way lower than what Sanctuary City would assume to be normal, everything about Hermes' health and fitness readings came out to be okay.

He had expected this result since Angelica who was his personal doctor for a while never informed him of any health problems during his time there.

Soon, everyone was instructed to leave for the next area as the last few individuals had begun wrapping up their health checkups. It took about two hours to get through everyone.

This was ideal however since the physical portion of the test would continue afterward and they needed enough time to rest. Viktor supplied the individuals with small bottles of water and light snacks to replenish themselves. The group of examinees approached the area that Viktor led them toward.

Unfolding before their eyes was a large open hall, beckoning the group that had recently reunited with the girls to enter slowly. Inside, colossal machines stood at intervals, their rectangular forms punctuated by a substantial central recess. They bore a striking resemblance to oversized speakers, complete with prominent circular sections designed for projecting sound.

Yet, these were no ordinary speakers; they were behemoth structures, seemingly weighing in tons. The plush material comprising the sizeable round indents on the front center hinted at a specialized construction.

Soon, Viktor's intimidating voice resounded across the entire hall:

"These machines will be used to test your strength. The large indents you see are there for you to punch and kick. You can use all your strength to hit the machine and it will not be damaged at all, so do not hold back."

"An average strength score for male non-Celestial, ages 16-25 years old is 15. For women, it's 10. Scoring less than average does not mean you are disqualified as other factors from your complete examination report will evaluate whether you are allowed in or not."

'Sigh, although my speed and stamina were surprising, there is no way I'm gonna score well on this section. Miracles don't happen twice after all...'

After ordering everyone to line up and wait their turn to use the strength machine, Viktor would order a group of 6 individuals at a time to go up to the machines and test their right and left punches, right and left kicks as well as their ability to shoulder tackle the machine with all their might. The average of all those scores is what is taken for this portion of the test.

The material at the center of the machine was made of a strong form of leather that was obtained from a Mutant, so it was resistant to their attacks.

The scores came rolling in:

"Goerge, score 16, pass."

"Sara, score 13, pass."

"Kevin, Score 19, pass."

'Kevin is that strong? I wonder what that monster Charles is going to score on this section.'

"Samantha, score 11, pass."

"Vensu, score 13, fail."

"Mathew, score 12, fail."

"John, score 16, pass."

.

.

.

Just like that, faces of frustration and pride littered across the group as the scores were read. Although some failed, they still held out hope to do better in the other examination sections.

Soon, It was Charles's turn to go up to the machine. With a smirk on his face, he punched the machine with all his might. In an instant, a booming sound was heard that reverberated in everyone's ears. These sounds continued until he had finished all the strength tests.

"Charles, score 34, pass."

This was a score that Hermes had expected. His strength still surprised him, however. The fact that he had more than double the average strength of a guy his age was shocking.

If Hermes hadn't already experienced abnormal situations like fighting a skeleton that can crack pillars with a single punch, he would be gasping for air just like the rest of the participants.

'If only he fixes his attitude... He clearly has potential as a Guardian, but his arrogance is clearly going to be detrimental to his growth in the future.'

After a few more people went to take the test, it was finally time for Hermes to partake in the test. Standing in front of the machine, feelings of anxiety and dread welled in him. It was as if he was close to drowning and a rope was being dangled out of his reach.

He didn't know whether his performance in the last exam could help overshadow his failures here.

"fuuuuuu....."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'There is no reason for me to overthink it. Whatever the outcome is, it's out of my control; so I might as well let fate take the reigns. If I perform badly, so be it. I'll just have to try harder in the next examination portions.'

Cranking his arm back and stomping with his left foot forward, Hermes propelled his closed fist towards the machine without holding back. He was going to use all the strength in him.

-Boom!

Opening his eyes, Hermes was shocked. What lay before him was a scene out of a fairy tale. It was so ridiculous, that he began rubbing his eyes to see if maybe he had been lucid dreaming the entire time. Even with his hypercognitive ability, his brain was completely fried.

What entered his eyes was the ruptured leather of the machine's punching 'bag'. The target he had put all his strength into was shredded to pieces. Sparks could be seen snaking out of the now-mangled machine.

Soon, pain entered his brain. Looking down at his closed right fist, blood was dripping from it as it twisted in an unnatural way; his bones were clearly broken. The stinging sensation continued but his mind was completely occupied with something else.

'Did I just do that? I-I don't remember being this strong... What the hell happened to my body?'

Hermes turned around to look at the people around him to confirm what he was seeing did happen. Silence prevailed in the room.

"..."

Five minutes passed and everyone including Viktor continued to stare at the carnage Hermes invoked onto the machine. No one said anything, even Charles was shocked; it was like he was looking at a ghost or a monster.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Hermes decided to voice his concerns sarcastically:

"So... Do I need to pay for breaking the machine?"

END OF CHAPTER