Good Morning

The dormitories were cloaked in silence, with only the occasional symphony of snores and rustling sheets. 

Knowing that the physical assessment test was scheduled for the next day, most students, like Luca, decided to get a good night's sleep.

Of course, there were still people who tried cramming in more exercises, hoping to offset their earlier procrastination.

But in general, everyone prepared for it by resting and sleeping blissfully.

Then it happened.

A deafening alarm blared through the dormitory, and a loud voice bellowed through the speakers.

"RISE AND SHINE, YOU KNUCKLEHEADS!" 

With how loud the announcement was, it wouldn't be surprising for even the dead to awaken.

"Students of the Mecha Combat Division, you've got three minutes to get to the training hall, or you're booted out."

Chaos erupted, and one unfortunate soul nearly offed himself by tripping over his own sheets.

"Host! Are you alright?!" Asked the concerned D-29.

"Alive, but maybe not for long." Luca pulled himself together, praying that his pants were zipped the right way before he ran out of his room.

He ran out as fast as he could, trying to evade the mass of people who were trying to do the same.

If there was any advantage that gave him a little headstart, it was that Luca had no clothes other than his uniform. So he slept in them like the poor person he initially was, saving him time from having to dress up. 

Luca felt the biting cold as he ran out without a coat, and he wondered if they were expected to fly with that kind of time limit.

By the time he got to the training hall, he had already seen several people panting on the floor while some managed to stay composed. Luca was obviously a member of the floor-panting committee as he sat there trying to cope with his rough morning.

Just as expected, the time requirement was insane, effectively taking out a sizeable chunk of the expected student population.

Luca marveled at the people who managed to make it, but he was more surprised by the fact that he also made it to the hall.

"Welcome to the first assessment exam. Your ticket to passing would be a ring from the finish line."

It was then that the training hall's metal gates expanded to reveal a looming obstacle course.

Luca had seen something similar back at the training centers for Espers. But even that did not look anything like this modern torture device!

"Bring the ring over to the waiting instructors to end your assessment. Questions?"

Several students looked at each other before one brave soul decided to take one for the team, "Sir, what's the time limit?"

"Time limit?" The instructor smirked at the question and that sent chills down the spines of the students. 

"That's for your body to decide." 

"Now Move!"

His booming voice caused many of the students to flinch in panic, including Luca, who realized he bit off more than he could chew.

Honestly, the young man had a totally different exam in mind. When he messaged Ollie about the exam, he was told about running laps, flexibility assessments, and some calisthenics.

So, what was this?!

When he thought of mecha pilots, he imagined being in mechanical suits for combat. Luca was not expecting to be hit by such an assessment.

"Host! Should we start packing our bags?" If systems could pace, D-29 would probably be pacing restlessly by now.

"You don't even have a bag." Replied Luca as he silently watched the students approach the obstacle course.

Then, a short beeping sound marked the start of the exam.

Many of the students rushed forward, only to be met by a wall of electric currents firing in erratic patterns.

Luca could see it clearly, and he wondered why many of the students rushed blindly only to start yelping in pain.

Holy… No wonder there was no time limit!

Palms clammy and legs trembling, Luca watched as two males and one female approached the starting line.

Contrary to the rest of them, these three had a relaxed demeanor, as if this wasn't an unusual sight. And Luca decided to watch, partly because of fear but largely because they looked oddly confident.

The woman with strawberry-blond hair hopped over the electric current, safely passing through the first obstacle, while the other person waited for the opportune time to cross. But what interested Luca was how the third guy walked through the raging current.

Gasps were heard from all over, and even Luca couldn't help but squint at his method. But that was because Luca saw how he actually did it. 

Even to him, it was barely visible, but he saw that layer of spiritual power. The young man wrapped his body with a thin layer of spiritual energy, allowing him to pass through the electric current unharmed.

Luca remembered the instructions, which only mentioned getting a ring and didn't specify how he should get it.

Honestly, Luca's initial thought was how people from his world would do it.

If it were the people he knew, they'd let someone do it first, then steal the ring so that they could submit it themselves.

And this made Luca hesitate to try early.

In fact, the whole thing made him want to pack up and fail. Maybe the Infantry division wouldn't be so bad.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a sneer coming from his side.

"Scared you'd damage your face?" Scoffed a lanky man who looked at Luca mockingly.

Luca ignored the man, not even realizing that the insults were directed towards him. All Luca had in mind was the steps taken by the three people who had now crossed three of the eight obstacles.

Each obstacle required physical strength, but physical strength alone would not be enough to pass without injury.

"Is it legal to have exams like this, Host?"

"Even I'm not sure… How was this even an exam? And a first exam at that? What would the final exam even look like?!"

Luca's mind raced but he managed to calm down when he remembered that he only needed to get through this exam and the double could take care of the rest.

So, he was finally planning on moving when the lanky man tried intercepting him by stretching his foot forward to trip him.

Unbeknownst to Luca, the guy was pissed because he had been ignored. But someone who had been bullied for nearly his entire life would have the instincts of an animal.

Luca had long been able to instinctively react to even the smallest threats to his life, and this was one of them.

Luca side-stepped the lanky guy, much to the student's chagrin, only to end up tripping a muscular student who had returned from a failed attempt.

"You son of a—!" Exclaimed the guy who had tripped in place of Luca.

The sudden brawl finally caught a little of his attention, but he eventually decided to keep his focus on the exam.

Luca had no confidence in his physical abilities. It hadn't even been long since he had a body, so that was out of the question.

But if there was one thing Luca could do, it was to control his spiritual powers. His only problem was the limited energy available for use.

Had it been his original reserves, he would just probably fly over with his spiritual tendrils, but today, of all days, he had a limit.

So Luca decided to maximize his chances.

He was a weak chicken, and last he checked, weak chickens did not like getting randomly electrocuted.