Tigers and Dragons Have Their Claws

Asra power can be increased through rigorous training of both body and mind. Some people say that great power resides in a complete vessel and a fully developed spirit. Mere talent alone won't bring Asra power up to 21 units. It requires passing the hardest trials, where sweat feels like blood. There are no shortcuts.

The eyes of the onlookers were filled with respect as they looked at the young man, especially the professional Miners who understood far better than rookies how difficult it was to reach that point. Even some experienced professionals never broke past the twenty-unit threshold.

This confirmed Higgs' suspicion—Asic wasn't just some rookie.

'If he's not an ex-cop, he must be a mercenary turned Miner. You can't fool me, Asic Quadro.' Higgs was convinced that while Asic might be new to the Miner industry, he certainly had a wealth of experience. The aura the young man exuded wasn't something an amateur could have.

"Damn it," Alan Yuri glared at Asic, resentment clear in his eyes. It didn't matter that he had more Asra power than most rookies—he wasn't the one receiving all the attention today.

There was only room for one star at the top. No one cared about second or third place; people only recognized the one who shone the brightest.

"I won't lose to anyone! Just because his Asra power is greater doesn't mean I'll let him take everything. I'll outdo him in the next test." Handsome Ubertaker's eyes burned with competitive spirit. A worthy rival was what made competition truly intense.

The scouts in the observation room scrambled to make urgent calls. A rookie with 21 units of Asra power wasn't something they saw often. News of this would spread throughout Cryptopolis in no time.

"Boss, he's got 21 units of Asra and the ability to channel lightning!"

"Prepare a contract for a two-star Miner—no, make that three stars!"

"We have to get him signed with us, no matter what."

[Due to your demonstration, public interest has surged by 427%. Projections indicate this may rise to between 1200% and 1600% by the end of the examination,] OC analyzed, based on the reactions of the examiners, the Miners in the arena, and the scouts.

"The more attention, the better." Asic felt neither joy nor disappointment; this was exactly what he expected would happen when he showcased even a fraction of his power.

The Miner Guild's office and ranking examination arena were places where Miners sought professional advancement—a stage to shine and prove one's worth. But for corporations, it was simply a marketplace, where resources could be scouted and secured.

If it were football, the companies would be like clubs, and the ranking exams would be akin to a transfer market, where clubs could recruit players to strengthen their teams. The exams were tools to assess the value of each Miner as a potential resource.

Miners had to show their hand to attract attention from corporations. Proving one's utility would lead to offers, just as Handsome and Alan Yuri were striving for—the louder, the better.

However, Asic and Morgan both exhibited a certain aloofness. They neither stirred up the atmosphere nor boasted unnecessarily, but when it came time to demonstrate their power, they held nothing back. This kind of enigmatic attitude also drew attention from scouts.

The next test was a physical capability examination, consisting of running, weightlifting, swimming, and flexibility drills.

Asic ran on the treadmill at the maximum speed setting of 20. The speed increased every two minutes, and anyone who could endure at level 20 for ten minutes earned the highest score. Asic completed the challenge with a perfect score. After that, he grabbed 25-kilogram dumbbells in each hand and worked through bodyweight exercises, swam, and demonstrated flexibility.

The examiners carefully recorded his stats. Across every test, Asic's lowest score was an 'A,' while his highest was an 'S+' for speed.

The examiners gathered, jaws practically on the floor as they reviewed Asic's results. Every test he completed was scored at least an 'A,' with 'S' being the most frequent.

"That's insane. He's a monster, no doubt about it."

"If he's not ex-special forces, I'll eat paper for dinner. I almost feel sorry for the other rookies—how are they supposed to compete with this?"

"Next!" Higgs, not wanting to waste any more time, called for the next candidate.

Alan Yuri did well in the running test, but he struggled with weightlifting and swimming. By the end, he was gasping for breath, using a towel to wipe his face.

Handsome excelled, especially in weightlifting. As soon as he saw Asic lifting 25-kilogram dumbbells, Handsome insisted the staff find him a pair of 40-kilogram dumbbells, upping the stakes. Meanwhile, Morgan seemed quite dissatisfied with his own performance—his scores were mediocre in all tests except flexibility.

After running, weightlifting, and swimming, the candidates found themselves in front of a large machine about the size of a small car. It had a massive drum-like component with a red marker at its center—clearly, the target they were meant to hit.

"The next test is simple: use your Asra power to strike the red target," an official explained. The objective was straightforward: measure the force behind each candidate's strike. Although it sounded simple, the pressure was intense.

"We need to measure the strength of our punches? I like the sound of that," Alan Yuri grinned. He was confident in his striking power.

"I have a question. If we have an Ego, do we need to use it?" someone shouted from the crowd. Everyone turned to see Handsome. He was the only candidate there who had openly shown his Ego ability. The difference between Ego users and those without one was like night and day. If he used his Ego, the results would be leagues beyond what others could achieve.

"No Egos allowed. Use your Asra power, plain and simple," Higgs responded before turning to look pointedly at Asic, who was listening attentively. He raised his voice for everyone to hear:

"And no elemental conversion."

The moment Higgs spoke, everyone knew he meant Asic. Asic smiled, thinking to himself, 'Looks like I've got a target on my back. Standing out really is a crime, huh?'

"Asic Quadro," Higgs called Asic to be the first to take the test. Since he had the highest scores so far, all eyes were on him. Asic approached the machine, his amethyst eyes focused, lifting his arms and forming fists.

'Special Forces,' Higgs thought to himself. He recognized the stance—a classic government Special Forces combat pose. With that realization, Higgs ruled out the possibility of Asic being a mercenary. He was either ex-special forces or a disbanded covert operative.

Asic unleashed a basic straight punch, his fist slamming into the target with a resounding impact.

"Asic Quadro, Punch Power: 121."

"Next."

Asic stepped back as the next candidate moved forward. Without Asra power, the average human punch measured between 10 and 15 units. With Asra, that figure could at least double. But Asic's punch, which exceeded the average sixfold, put immense pressure on the other candidates.

He wasn't even that large. Where did he store all that power?

Bang!

The next impactful strike came from Handsome.

"Handsome Ubertaker, Punch Power: 232!"

"Hell yeah!" Handsome raised his arms in triumph. His punch power was over 100 units more than Asic's. Ultimately, Handsome was the strongest!

"What a brute," Alan Yuri muttered in frustration. He had scored 79, which wasn't terrible, but still far from Handsome's punch. Morgan was even worse, with a score of 34. Morgan scoffed inwardly—the strength test didn't mean much. A shot to the head would kill anyone, regardless of muscle.

After that, no one else broke 100. Fortunately, there were only two monsters present.

"Heh." Handsome grinned broadly at Asic, as if to say, 'See? I'm the best, right?'

[Why did you hold back on your punch?] OC questioned its master. While Asic might be able to fool others, he couldn't deceive OC. Asic's true maximum punch power was 300, but he had dialed it back to 121—a considerable restraint.

"Gotta give others some room to shine, you know. If you stand out too much, you risk losing friends," Asic chuckled. In reality, a punch power of 100 was already beyond human norms. If he'd gone all out, people might have thought he was some sort of lab-engineered superhuman on the loose.

With the physical tests concluded, it was time for the weapons test.

"Miners must face monsters of all kinds. Understanding weaponry is crucial, whether at close or long range. Next is the firearms test—you'll be tested on target shooting and drone shooting. For melee range, our staff will guide you."

"If your name is called, step forward."

Each participant received a pistol with ten rounds. The target was 100 meters away, with a small red dot at the center. Hitting the dot would earn a perfect score of ten points, while shots further from the dot scored less.

"Tch." Handsome took the pistol, aimed, and fired rapidly. The numbers popped up on the scoreboard:

5! 4! 2! 6! 7! 3! 2! 4! 1! 0!

"Damn it! I hate this!" Handsome almost threw the pistol away in frustration. His best shot was a 7, and most of the others were below 5. There was even a 0, meaning he missed entirely.

Handsome turned to Alan Yuri, wanting to compare scores.

5! 7! 5! 6! 4! 2! 5! 4! 8! 9!

"Not bad," Alan Yuri thought to himself. He had some misses, but it wasn't as bad as Handsome's. Plus, two shots landed near the red dot—pretty good.

Higgs observed the candidates. The firearms test was straightforward but challenging. Handsome wasn't skilled with guns. He fired his ten rounds almost mindlessly, without much effort in aiming. It wasn't that he lacked awareness—he simply lacked patience. If he had taken his time with each shot, his score wouldn't have been so terrible.

A commotion suddenly erupted from one corner of the firing range.

8! 9! 10! 9! 10! 9! 10! 10! 9! 10!

"Whoa!" The atmosphere in the shooting range heated up instantly as one of the highly anticipated participants, Morgan Freze, demonstrated his sharpshooting skills. He managed to hit the bullseye multiple times, scoring high across the board. Morgan had been underwhelming in the physical tests, but his precision with firearms was exceptional. Higgs, observing his stance, could immediately tell that Morgan was no stranger to guns. It was no surprise that his score was this good.

Morgan took pride in his accuracy—he had practically declared himself the king of sharpshooters. That was, until...

10! 10! 10! 10! 10! 10! 10! 10! 10! 10!

"Asic Quadro, 100 points, a perfect score!"

Every bullet hit the center of the red target. Shot after shot, they pierced through the exact same spot, leaving only a single clean hole where the red dot used to be.

"..." Morgan.

"..." Higgs.

"..." The entire range went dead silent.

Asic removed the magazine from the gun and found there were still bullets left. He fired two more shots, both of them landing in the same spot as before without deviating by even a centimeter.

Still, he just had to rub it in!

"He's not even human," Alan Yuri muttered, trembling. It wasn't just the 21 units of Asra power; it was Asic's physical prowess, his 'A' to 'S' ranks, and his master-level marksmanship. Was this guy a hitman or something?

"..." Morgan glared at Asic with newfound animosity. Precision shooting and Asra power were Morgan's pride. If Asic hadn't shown up, there was no doubt that Morgan would have been the star of the day.

'Even in shooting, he's better than me?'

'Impossible!'

'I will beat him in the drone shooting!' For the first time, Morgan started viewing Asic as his fiercest rival in this examination.

"I completely forgot about holding back," Asic muttered as he looked at his luxurious, flawless score of a hundred.

[Master, weren't you the one saying others should have a chance to shine?] OC recalled Asic's earlier comment about standing out too much and risking losing friends. The results now were quite the contradiction to his earlier words.

"OC, initially, I really did consider holding back. I was thinking of spreading my scores—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, up to 10—or giving all 9s," Asic explained.

[.....]

"But when I thought about it, marksmanship is something I'm genuinely proud of. I shouldn't have to lower my standards to let others overshadow me in what I do best. It's like asking a baby not to cry or trying to stop someone from going to the bathroom when they need to. It just goes against nature!"

[...] OC felt that living with its master had given it an understanding of an emotion called "exasperation."

[Master, please create a body for OC soon. OC wants to punch someone.]

"To help me beat enemies?"

[To punch you.] OC displayed a giant glowing middle finger emoji directly at Asic's face.

---

"Next up, drone shooting. Each candidate will be given a gun with 100 rounds."

"A hundred drones will be released at a time. If you manage to shoot them down, the numbers will appear on your score list. Minimum is zero, maximum is a hundred. Good luck." The staff began handing out guns to the participants. Like before, the test would be conducted in batches of ten.

The drone targets were controlled by an AI that simulated realistic movements. In real combat, targets wouldn't stand still, especially creatures with unique movement patterns. The drones mimicked this, making targeting more challenging.

Those who had excelled in stationary target shooting weren't guaranteed success this time.

"Damn it, I can't hit anything!"

"I'm already down half my ammo! This is bad, really bad!"

"Mom's gonna kill me!" The desperate cries of candidates on the brink of failure filled the range. Only a handful were performing well. The participants rotated through the test until eventually, all eyes fell on Asic.

After Asic's name was called, he received a gun and a full set of 100 rounds—no more, no less.

The first thing Asic did was examine the gun.

"Can I disassemble this?"

"What?" The staff member handing him the gun looked puzzled.

"No, it's property of the office," Higgs answered sharply. Despite his refusal, Higgs was curious to see what Asic might do with it. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

Asic didn't argue. He just wanted to know how the gun was customized. No cop or soldier used a weapon they didn't know inside and out—a gun failure could mean death on duty. Asic scrutinized the firearm, relying on his experience to inspect it visually.

He removed the magazine.

"Ten rounds," he murmured, inspecting the bullets before reinserting them. Unlike the others, Asic wasn't in a rush to shoot. He took his time, knowing everyone had the same number of rounds regardless of speed.

'He's familiarizing himself,' Higgs observed. Asic's small actions created an unintentional pressure on those around him. Even the professional staff were extra cautious.

Those with experience recognized that Asic was acclimating to the weight of the gun, the aiming angles, and synchronizing his breathing. These details might not directly improve accuracy, but his behavior made it seem as if the gun was an extension of his body—a tool he had staked his life upon.

After two minutes of familiarizing himself, Asic began shooting at the drones. Unsurprisingly, his accuracy didn't need much explanation. With eyes that could see bullet trajectories, targeting slow-moving drones was almost trivial.

At times, Asic thought this was unfair—like having a global special forces soldier compete against new recruits. It was just bullying the other candidates.

Asic shot slowly but never missed. His score started from zero and climbed steadily: 1, 2, 3, and kept rising. No one was surprised at his flawless shooting, but they were still amazed.

Asic aimed at one of the flying drones, firing a round to strike the target. However, even though the drone exploded, something felt off.

'That wasn't my bullet.'

The drone Asic targeted was destroyed by someone else's shot before his bullet could reach it. He traced the trajectory and found Morgan, rapidly firing and taking down targets.

'Coincidence?' Asic wondered. They might've aimed at the same target, and he was just unlucky. He picked a new drone, aimed, and fired. Again, the drone exploded, but this time the score didn't increase. Instead, Morgan's score rose.

'Looks like someone's trying to pick a fight.' Whenever Asic fired, Morgan would always destroy the drone first.

Higgs, watching closely, noticed everything. Morgan was the real troublemaker here—he had impeccable aim, second only to Asic, and was opportunistic.

Morgan had a skill that allowed him to predict which drone Asic would target and shoot it just a fraction of a second before Asic. Although Asic fired his bullet, it wouldn't hit because Morgan destroyed the target first.

It was a provocation!

But the person doing this had to have extraordinary observation skills. Higgs scribbled down notes on the participants: "Morgan Freze, sharpshooting and observation genius." Morgan might have the ability to foresee actions seconds ahead, which allowed him to pull off this strategy.

Asic Quadro was facing a dilemma. If he couldn't deal with Morgan, he wouldn't be able to increase his score. As long as Morgan remained in the same range, Asic would struggle to shoot down any more drones.

[You are being provoked.]

"..." Asic.

[Are you good at enduring this?]

"No," Asic replied without hesitation. Though he was kind, he wasn't someone to be bullied. A tiger had claws, a dragon had teeth, and those who dared provoke would pay a price.

"I had been in the mood to hold back, but it looks like that's unnecessary now." Asic's demeanor shifted, his relaxed attitude vanishing, replaced by an intensity that sent chills through the range.

The entire arena went quiet. Asic's field of vision seemed void of anything but calm until he raised his gun and unleashed a barrage of fire at every drone within sight.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the blink of an eye, his magazine was empty.

"!!" Morgan, relying on his observation skills, watched Asic. He could tell which drone Asic aimed for and fired, but before his bullet could strike, Asic's bullet would hit the drone, making Morgan's