Meilin led Owen through a second door into a space that was vast and completely different from the previous room. The sound of the metal door sliding shut behind them was a low thud, completely cutting them off from the outside world.

This was the Awakened performance testing center. It was as large as a futuristic gymnasium. The floor and walls were made of a durable, seamless dark grey metal alloy. The high ceiling was filled with LED panels that cast a soft white light, along with complex energy detection sensors that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light.

The room was filled with high-tech and formidable performance testing equipment, from an unusually large high-speed treadmill, to a pressure platform that radiated a faint energy, to a punching bag connected to a digital display. In the center of the room was a small circular combat arena, and in one corner, a black marble pedestal prominently displayed a clear crystal orb the size of a basketball. Inside the orb, a blue light swirled slowly, as if alive.

Meilin stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face Owen. "Before we begin the test, I will explain the Awakened ranking system to you."

She continued in a formal tone. "There are a total of 7 Awakened ranks: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, and the highest, legendary rank is Hero. Ranks F to D are low-tier Awakened, who may not be much stronger than ordinary people. Ranks C and B are mid-tier Awakened, whom ordinary people have no chance of fighting, and they are considered the main force. Ranks A and S are high-tier Awakened, comparable to superhumans. They can affect an entire city."

She paused for a moment, her eyes shining with seriousness as she mentioned the final rank. "And finally, the Hero rank, the highest level with only 3 people in the world. They have enough power to affect an entire continent."

Owen listened to the information intently. He understood the power hierarchy of this new world more clearly. Nova was an S-Rank Awakened… a woman strong enough to destroy an entire city by herself. The thought was both amazing and chilling at the same time.

"Alright, let's start with the ‘physical strength’ test," Meilin said, pointing to the punching power measurement machine. "First is to measure the power you have. Please use all of your physical strength, without reinforcing it with mana."

Owen walked to the testing machine. He got into a proper boxing stance, twisted his waist to send power through his shoulder, and unleashed all his strength into his right fist, slamming it squarely into the punching bag target!

BANG!

A heavy, dull sound echoed through the testing room. The red digital numbers on the display shot up rapidly before stopping. He was then taken to the other testing machines in sequence.

The Pressure Test: He stood on the metal platform. Instantly, an invisible pressure assaulted him from all directions, as if he were sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Owen gritted his teeth, every muscle tensing until his veins bulged. He stood his ground against the ever-increasing pressure until his knees began to tremble and buckle slightly. The machine then beeped and stopped.

The Speed Test: On the high-tech treadmill, Owen unleashed his top speed. The surrounding scenery blurred for a moment, with only the sound of the wind whistling past his ears.

The Endurance Test: He lifted a heavy metal bar above his head, holding it still for as long as he could. Minutes passed until sweat dripped into his eyes and his arms began to tremble violently.

The Reaction Test: He had to stand in the middle of a circle of light panels and use his hands and feet to touch the lights that flashed randomly as quickly as possible. His body moved like a dancer, dodging and attacking at the same time.

When the long physical test was over, Meilin looked at the summarized data on her tablet, her slender brows furrowing slightly.

"Overall physical performance… Rank C," she said. "Several times stronger than an ordinary person, which is very high for someone who claims to have only recently awakened." Her voice turned slightly colder.

She looked up to meet his eyes directly, her gaze full of suspicion and scrutiny. "May I ask for more information on what you did to get such a strong body? The Association's rule about registering within 2 weeks of awakening is very strict."

Hearing the question, which was laced with suspicion and the authority of the law, Owen didn't seem flustered at all. He gave a faint smile and answered truthfully, as it wasn't a secret. “It’s something I gained from the Dimensional Gate of Chaos that recently appeared in the city center. You've probably heard the news that two ordinary people managed to survive. I was one of them.”

The answer made Meilin’s eyes widen slightly with genuine surprise. The suspicion in her eyes began to fade, as this was something she could easily verify. “Oh~ so it was you! If that’s the case, then gaining a C-Rank body is still too small a reward in my opinion. You did very well, Mr. Marlowe. It’s no surprise that you would later become an Awakened.” After she spoke, she couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up, a gesture of sincere admiration.

She paused for a moment before returning to her professional evaluator mode. "Then let's begin the ‘combat skills test.’”

Suddenly, a metal panel on the floor of the combat arena slid open, and a humanoid training robot walked up with a rhythmic gait. It had a slender body, covered in black padding. It had no face, but a red sensor on its head scanned back and forth. Its movements were fast and agile, like a professional fighter.

Seeing it, Owen’s eyes immediately sparkled. What man doesn't like robots? He had never seen a combat robot like this before.

Owen walked down into the combat arena and firmly raised his Muay Thai guard.

Seeing that Owen was ready, Meilin immediately announced, "Begin!"

WHIRRR~

The robot charged at Owen instantly. It attacked with straightforward and very fast movements, punching and kicking at Owen without pause. Owen, who had been rigorously trained by Nova, was able to handle it calmly. He used his Muay Thai skills to dodge, parry, and counter with heavy and precise punches, kicks, knees, and elbows.

THWACK! THWACK! THUD!

The sound of his fists and elbows hitting the robot’s body echoed through the room. The fight lasted less than five minutes before Owen found an opening to sweep the robot's leg, causing it to lose its balance, and followed up with a flying knee to its torso, sending it flying until it lay motionless on the floor.

Meilin raised an eyebrow slightly, impressed. "Your combat skills are excellent… evaluated as Rank B."

"Next… mana quantity."

Owen walked to the pedestal with the crystal orb. He placed his hand on its cold surface slowly and began to channel his mana into it. The orb began to glow with a soft blue light, but the light was dim and not very bright, like a firefly on a dark night.

Meilin frowned slightly. "Mana quantity… Rank F. Much lower than expected."

"The final test, ‘ability application.’”

They walked back to the combat arena. "I will have the system simulate a combat situation. You must use your ability to handle it."

As she finished speaking, panels on the walls around the room slid open, revealing several tennis ball cannons aimed at him. Soon, they began to fire a barrage of tennis balls at Owen! Owen quickly created an Asura arm to parry the attacks while nimbly dodging back and forth.

Then, multiple targets appeared around him, for him to attack. Owen changed from creating one ‘arm’ to creating six ‘fingers’ instead, which was the number he could control at the moment. He didn't wait, controlling all six fingers to attack all the targets simultaneously.

And finally, was the elimination of a boss, which was made of a clearly more durable material than the previous targets. Owen reinforced his own fist, increasing the strength of the Asura’s punch to destroy the strong target. But with his small amount of mana, his Asura arm began to tremble and become unstable near the end, and it shattered and dissipated at the same time the boss target was destroyed.

When the test was over, Meilin recorded the final results. "Good control, but lacks stability due to limited mana… Ability application, evaluated as Rank C."

…..

After the final test was over, Owen was panting heavily. Almost all the mana in his body had been drained. Meilin led him through another door to a small, private lounge, which was a complete contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the testing room.

A plush black leather sofa and a crystal glass table gave off a feeling of luxury and relaxation. After the exhaustion from the continuous tests, he collapsed onto the sofa, completely spent. Sweat was still beading on his hairline, but his heart was filled with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety for the results.

About fifteen minutes passed. The door slid open again. Meilin walked back in with a tablet in her hand. Her face was still professionally impassive, but her eyes held an unconcealed admiration.

"Your overall evaluation results are out," she said, showing him the data on the screen. It was filled with complex graphs and numbers before she summarized it for him.

"Based on the evaluation of all data, congratulations, Mr. Owen Marlowe… your Awakened Rank is 'Initial B-Rank.'"

A smile automatically appeared on Owen’s lips. It was the exact result he had been hoping for.

"Your profile is quite interesting," Meilin continued. "Your mana value is quite low for a B-Rank, but it's compensated by your physical strength, and especially your combat skills, which are far above the standard for a new Awakened. If you can increase your mana quantity in the future, you have a good chance of reaching mid- and high-tier B-Rank without much difficulty."

"Thank you for the advice," Owen replied politely.

"That concludes the evaluation," she summarized. "You may wait for your Awakened ID card at the front lobby. The system is currently processing it."

After Meilin left, Owen returned to the lobby to wait. He took out his mobile phone to play a game to kill time amidst the still-bustling atmosphere. Over an hour passed until he was starting to get bored. Finally, a soft, automated announcement sounded.

"Mr. Owen Marlowe, please come to counter number 3."

Owen walked to the counter as called. The same employee handed him a card with a smile. "This is your Awakened ID card. Congratulations."

He took it in his hand. It was a card made of a material like a matte black metal alloy, feeling cooler and heavier than a normal card. On the card, his recently taken photo appeared, along with the "Shield of the Eye" emblem and all the important information that specified his new identity.

Owen walked out of the massive Awakened Association building. The afternoon sun shone down on him. He looked at the card in his hand again. The text on it was the confirmation of his success.

[ Owen Marlowe | Awakened Rank: B | Type: Control | Ability: Avatar of Asura ]

He clenched the card so tightly his knuckles turned white before carefully putting it in his wallet… His first mission to create his "mask" was complete.

He got into his SUV and drove home in a particularly good mood. The anxiety he once had had completely vanished, leaving only an excitement for the future and the new possibilities that lay ahead. He turned on his favorite rock band and hummed along the entire way… Today was the first day of his new life as an official Awakened.

—-------

From the author: We now have 15 chapters available for early access! This will soon increase to 20. Join my Patreon to get ahead of the story, along with exclusive, uncensored illustrations.

Your support is crucial in helping this story continue. Thank you very much!

[Patreon Spirit_Alphabet: /SpiritAlphabet]

—-------