Before the exam

*** Trish POV ***

Well, finally, they sent out a message about the exam.

So, today in the afternoon, come to the tower from any service entrance and, upon a signal, enter the location. Attention, each entrance is for one student only.

Well, there is time. Or maybe go there now and wait there? To calm down, to tune in. Last nights are so hard, I pass exams in my sleep!

Each location is inhabited by wild animals and mechs controlled by artificial intelligence. The level of opponents is up to rank D. Use the token to remove it and apply additional points to the sensor on the left hand. Attention, there are traps and bonus items on the location.

Everything is clear here.

The main goal is to find one of ten passages to the next level at the location. The maximum allowed time for one location is forty minutes. Otherwise, there are penalty points for every five minutes.

Find teammates as needed. A team can have up to five registered members. Pair the sensors with the leader to register the team. Additional points will be distributed among all participants.

Pfff, the team is clearly pulling me down. With my vine, I will instantly defeat the rankless pack or the beast F. And there is no need to share points. I'm more afraid that I will have to spend time looking for them. What's next.

The offensive equipment consists of a light energy cannon for one hundred shots, five knives, optionally one large melee weapon of rank F to choose from, seven smoke bombs, seven flash grenades, a device for suppressing signals within a radius of twenty meters with a total operating time of one hour. Personal symbiotic organisms are allowed.

Just a hundred shots? Something too limited us.

Support includes a lightweight C-grade suit, a team member communication sensor, and a remote hacking module.

Ha, nerds in action too.

For your safety, a Rumbus Defense 45C bio module under the control of artificial intelligence will be left around your neck. It contains a variety of injections to counteract harmful substances. And at critical moments, he will launch a force barrier so that you can wait for help from the academy staff. Please note that when the module's protective abilities are activated, penalty points are awarded.

Is that the stupid collar I saw at teacher Reedy yesterday?

Close message. Mmm, I decided. I will wait for the exam in the tower.

***

In one of the cozy, top-class restaurants, Malcolm gathered his group.

— Have you guessed? I invite all of us to take the exam as a team. Do you agree?

Malcolm looked around at the happy guys, nodded in satisfaction, and continued.

— Here I found out through my channels about the previous exams. I thought about it, and ... In short, the plan is as follows. We will enter the tower from the adjacent passages. I have already booked them. Meet me at that big dry tree and register the team.

The guys nodded their heads in understanding and took up drinks.

— Further, everything is simple - we scatter, look for a passage, the finder informs the others, the team gathers at the passage. If there is time, then we are looking for an animal or mechs. Especially take attention to the mechs.

Malcolm glanced carefully around and continued in a low voice.

— Soho, do you think the hacking module was given to immobilize the mechs?

— Uh, yes. Immobilized, took the token, ran on. Is not it?

— Soho, Soho. Think wider. You can take control of them. Imagine, besides us, a few more "team members" will be looking for the passage. Among us, you are the best in technology and programs, so we will entrust it to you.

— Uh, Malcolm, actually writing a control program even with ready-made libraries takes at least a week!

— Shsh.

The guys leaned towards the center of the table.

— And here is the cherry on our cake. I have a program for recognizing the proximity of a passage by its unique signals. And also a program for replacing mech's targets in real time by the operator. Everything is legal, it's like I prepared myself for the exam, like a personal symbiote. It will take no more than five minutes to reboot, and another five minutes to hack. Soho will hack, the others distract the mech. It's simple!

— Well, ran to the tower?

*** Bee POV ***

How I want to eat. It doesn't fit anymore, but I still want to.

Fuck this doctor! Top class medicine, no side effects, just eat more the nutritious mixed number three from the dining room. Your body needs additional substances due to transformation.

I'm actually finishing my fifth bowl here!

Exam coming soon. Take it with you or not go to the exam. On the one hand, this is unnecessary for me, I am already C without half a step. The first stage of transformation will probably be completed during the exam. On the other hand, it seems like for the company. We studied together for five years, and we would have finished together.

What was sent to me on psionics. Wow, how many.

Introduction.

Psionic power is truly mysterious and not yet understood by science in our universe. All psi-races describe it as the power of the soul or consciousness. By developing it, the user can influence the subtle energies around him. The same, in turn, to others. As a result of such a chain, the user is able to manifest various phenomena, among which telekinesis is the simplest.

Yeah, the simplest one. I just understand how to push things, but it's easier to come up and do everything with your hands!

The more advanced races in terms of psi extract subtle energies from the environment and collect them into the core of internal energy. More and more compresses it. Over time, this process becomes so natural that it does not require special attention from the user.

Yehh! My next goal is to try to create a core, or even better, several cores.

The core is like a river blocked by a dam. If you open it a little, the power will burst out. But a knowledgeable user is able to control its flows with psionic power and manifest more complex phenomena such as thunderstorms, flames, glaciation, and even energize the cells of living beings, which is used to heal or accelerate growth.

Each user treats his core carefully and with all attention, growing it like a stalk into a mighty tree.

Time passes and the core becomes part of the subtle body, also known as the human energy body. Thanks to this unity, even without knowing the techniques for manifesting phenomena outside, he can incredibly enhance the usual actions of the physical body at will.

In some races there were individuals capable of interacting with the soul or consciousness of other creatures. Reading emotions, telepathy, immersion in illusions, suppression and control of consciousness.

Hmm, the latter isn't much different from messaging, telecommuting, and virtual reality. And in the army, it seems to me, they are guided by the motto "think less, just do it". But it still give me interest.

All of the above is limited by the laws of our world, like the conservation of energy and the transition of one of its types to another. However, the elders of the Silusi race claim that the whole world is consciousness, and everything visible is his dream or imagination. If the user can enter into resonance with it, he will be able to change or use the laws of the universe directly. For example, legends say that some of the elders could easily move through space. But we, being limited by the laws, must use colossal amounts of energy to operate complex devices in order to achieve the same results.

But this is really cool stuff! Well, the introduction is over, it's time for the tower. However, I will take more mixes with me in reserve.