Chapter Five: Last
"There are four potential grades for the body, namely: Basic, Rare, Epic, and Super. Within each grade are minor differentiations called Low, Mid, and High. We have exactly fifty energised chambers in our Energised Building.
"The longer you last within each room, the higher your potential. Once finished, you will receive a certificate as your qualification. Any questions?"
As the fat man standing before them explained the workings of the potential testing, the gathered aspirants silently listened. Even Valen at the back showed an expression of intrigue.
A red-haired young man raised a hand and stepped forward. "What is the minimum amount of time to spend in a room before being certified as a Low-grade Basic Body?"
Upon hearing the question, the fat man smiled, and the heap of fat on his face shifted, revealing quite a terrifying sight.
"Good question. The energised chamber is charged with Trophic Blocks. Once the mist is released, it automatically surges into your body to strengthen it. The shorter it takes for the Trophic energy to fill your body, the greater your potential, and vice versa. Very well, questioning time is up. Get into a chamber."
Everyone immediately sprang into action. Valen glanced around the hall filled with rooms on either side and gradually approached the end.
In no time, he stood before a room with No. 50 on it. He was about to push open the door when he sensed someone standing beside him. He turned around to see the fat man.
He smiled and said, "Youngster, we don't allow bags in the chamber."
It was at this moment Valen remembered he was wearing his bag from Blue Star. He took out the 'Apocalypse of the Crimson Forces' from it and gave the bag to the fat man.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know the rules. However, can I take this book in?" he asked, feeling slightly anxious.
The fat man shot a curious glance at the ancient book but didn't comment on it. "No worries. Now go in and don't waste time."
Valen nodded and pushed open the door, stepping in. The fat man clicked his tongue, turned around, and walked away.
The moment Valen entered the room, he was taken aback. It was a small white room with only a table by the side. Atop the table was a small lamp that emitted a white light.
'Is this a zombie cell from those apocalypse novels?' Valen thought, a bit intrigued.
He circled around the room once, checking for any surveillance devices. After seeing no abnormalities in the chamber, he sat on the mat in the centre.
The instant he sat on it, white mist began to fill the room. At that moment, Valen felt something foreign, which he had no control over, invading his body. It felt like a gust of air, spreading throughout his entire body.
Once he exhaled, part of that air left his body, while the rest settled within, causing him slight discomfort. Another surge of air invaded his body, and when he exhaled again, part of the air was dispelled.
Like a cycle, this repeated continuously for several minutes, causing a deep scowl to surface on his face.
'If it continues like this, my body won't be filled any time soon.'
Just as the fat man had said, the gust of air within him and the mist surrounding him was Trophic. The shorter it took to fill his body, the greater the potential.
Yet, it had been several minutes, and his body wasn't even half full. This proved his potential was truly among the lowest.
Valen sighed. In spite of this, he wasn't overly downcast. So long as he had a Low-grade Basic body, he could still grow stronger—even if it was slow. So he focused all his attention, wanting to draw as much mist as possible into his body.
Sometime later, probably an hour or more, Valen felt his body to be 70% filled. A little more than that, he finally began feeling uncomfortable.
"Occupant of Chamber No. 50, please exit." At this moment, a robotic voice sounded, shocking Valen to the core.
He glanced around the room, noticing a strange light emitting from the ceiling.
'Artificial Intelligence? How is this possible?' Valen's eyes nearly bulged out, but he soon calmed down. He was in a new world; who could say civilisation wasn't advanced? He had merely seen a single city.
The discomfort within his body began to overwhelm him, so he stood up, planning to leave. Suddenly, he felt a faint vibration coming from his arms.
Glancing downwards, he realised it was the "Apocalypse of the Crimson Forces." He immediately shook the book, causing a screen to pop up before his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have grasped {Weapon Force}]
[Uses: Draw all the surrounding Sharp Energy to your weapon.]
[Mastery Level: 1]
[Level Progression: -]
[12.1%... 12.7%... 13%... 13.5%... 13.7%... 14%... 14.4%... 14.7%]
[System's awakening is stuck at 14.7% due to insufficient energy. Master is advised to head to areas with abundant natural essence.]
[Only 0.3% energy is left until the System's Pseudo-Awakening. Once partially awakened, new functions shall be added to the system.]
Valen's brows shot up in excitement. Just a bit more, and this so-called system would reveal its true might.
"Ugh~" All of a sudden, his body began to hurt all over.
Once again, that robotic voice sounded. "Occupant of Chamber No. 50, please exit."
Valen didn't dare linger and hurriedly exited the chamber.
What came into sight was a hall filled with people, and they were all staring at… him? He glanced around but soon understood. All chambers were empty, and he was the last to exit, thus giving the impression of his poor talent.
Valen smiled bitterly, shaking his head. This was inevitable. Even in his previous world, those with money, knowledge, or power called the shots. Moreover, this was a world of Combatants, so those with high potential naturally wielded great influence.
He searched the crowd with his gaze and immediately caught sight of Randel and Marcel. Just when he thought of heading over, the fat man approached the crowd with a paper in hand.
"I'll announce the names of everyone as well as their grades—starting from top to bottom."
"Marcel, potential rating: High-grade Rare body."
Gasp!
Everyone gasped in shock, staring at the seemingly ordinary Marcel. A high-grade rare body— what concept was that?
However, the fat man didn't seem to care about them and continued in an unbothered tone:
"Oliver, potential rating: Mid-grade rare body."
'Hm?' Valen's brows shot up. He immediately glanced around and saw the supposed Oliver. He was a brown-skinned boy wearing glasses; his blue T-shirt and black jeans stood out among the surcoats and woollen clothing of others.
Valen instantly recognised him. Just like Marcel and himself, Oliver was from Blue Star. Yet the shock didn't end there, as the fat man continued to announce:
"Charles, potential rating: Mid-grade rare body.
"Odard, potential rating: Low-grade rare body.
"Samuel, potential rating: Low-grade rare body."
…
Valen nearly stumbled from his shock. All these people were his classmates from Blue Star, and the shocking thing was that they all possessed rare bodies!
'Then… am I the only anomaly?' Valen thought, rubbing his chin. Without needing the results, he already knew his potential was a Low-grade Basic body or no potential at all. This made him anxious, but he soon calmed down. There was nothing he could do.
And so, Valen decided to calm down and listen. The fat man, unperturbed, continued calling out the names.
"Richard, potential rating: High-grade basic body."
"Henric, potential rating: High-grade basic body."
"Randel, potential rating: High-grade Basic body."
…
"Osward, potential rating: Mid-grade basic body."
…
"Valen, potential rating: Low-grade basic body. Those are the names and potential ratings of all 50 persons. Wait a short while to receive your certificate."
With that, the fat man left.
'Sure enough, I'm the last,' Valen sighed.
He watched as everyone surrounded the boys from Blue Star, all trying to draw connections. This made him lower his head. They were all from Blue Star, so why the massive difference?
Just as he was feeling despondent, the book in his hands vibrated, causing him to lower his head and read.
[0.3% left until the System's pseudo-awakening. Master is advised to head to places filled with Natural Essence.]
[Once that is done, Master doesn't need to worry about potential. As long as you have me, reaching the top is only a matter of time.]
Staring at this, Valen smiled for an inexplicable reason.
'Trying to comfort me, huh?' he thought to himself.
Valen didn't believe whatever the book said. Just as he was about to put the book away, a calm voice sounded from behind him.
"Quite the nice book you got there."