19 Surprised.

As the military man instructed, Cain and the rest of the kids were led toward another room that resembled a huge arena bowl. A divine light bathed the arena, where some tools for measuring strength were placed.

Seeing the spectacle, many candidates gulped their saliva, and a tensed look appeared on each of their faces, except for two Cain and one other boy.

The military man walked toward the nearest tool while raising his right hand to gesture to the candidates to stay where they belonged, approximately 5 meters from the tools. After looking closely, the military man got close to the tools, inspecting them meticulously before nodding his head off.

It had a strong body made from black steel. In the centre, there is a round mechanism like a pad protruding forward, supported by a cylinder steel with a spring inside. But don't be fooled by its appearance, for it has a shock-absorbing composition that could withstand even a third-ranked resonator.

He went back toward the side of the tool and then glanced at the terminal in his hands. However, after swiping it for a couple of seconds, a vein bulged from his temple and soon sighed.

"...Tch, troublesome. …Who wants to go first?". He closed the app he opened before facing the candidates with stern expressions.

Hearing the man's agitated tone earlier and seeing his face, every candidate flinched, mistaking the man's irritation as being because of them when it was nothing like that.

"I…".

Cain, who realized any of this, decided to lift his hand, but someone beat him to it.

"I will!".

All eyes were gathered on a specific individual who exuded an imposing aura, standing proud and undeterred even in the masses.

The identity of that was a boy with white hair. He was the same height as Cain: 170 cm. He is wearing a simple, plain white T-shirt and black jeans. His handsome face clearly shows his aggressive personality, from the way he frowns when all eyes are on him.

However. he didn't care as he raised his feet, approached the tool, and stood in front of it.

"What should I do from here on?". Despite his looks and mannerisms, he still conducts his attitude, which makes the military man probe him interestingly.

"State your name and try to punch that tool to see how much strength you have. Also, show me what kind of Guardian you have! I don't care about the order; just do as you see fit whether you show your power first or Guardian first; it's up to you!".

"Is it enough to use only physical force?".

"...Good question; you can use some sort of innate talent or awakened skill you have, for it was also one of your achievements as a Resonator…". The military man paused for a brief moment before continuing. "Well, of course, if you have it, that's all".

"Fine!".

The white-haired boy spread his feet, aligned with his shoulder. Once he closed his eyes, he began to regulate his breathing to concentrate all the energy around his body into a single point.

A moment later, the air around the boy shook, and intense pressure overwhelmed the place. It affected the other candidates except for Cain, who saw the event with calm and curious eyes.

A silver aura began to clad the boy's skin as his hair began to stand up, swept up by the aura circulating around his body.

In a single deep breath, the white-haired boy retracted his right fist and took a step forward to unleash his strongest strike.

A loud noise shook everyone's ears as it penetrated their consciousness, but eventually, it faded as the low grumbles left the aftertaste of a horrific experience for anyone who tasted it.

"9,9, hmm. You are one step away from breaking your shell. Then your name is?".

True to what the military man said, 9,9 strength was already at the peak of what a human can exert unless they had a breakthrough into one star. However, breaking through into one star is not easy, as it says, for there are not many chances for a newborn Resonator to test its power toward the enemy to raise its progress.

Unlike Cain, who got entangled with some thugs the day he awoke his power and fought desperately to survive, luckily he survived and was thus rewarded with a One-star.

"...Tch, still not enough…". The white-haired boy clicked his tongue while he undid the transformation that happened on his body, returning him to normal, "My name is Charon... My Guardian is, come out!".

From beside the boy, a beautiful silver circle appeared; before it manifested, a single beast with pristine white fur like snow, four strong legs, and sharp red, keen eyes scanned the place in a second before lowering its guard.

"Hooh, a Wolf, and it is not just the regular one".

The military man gawked as he stared at the wolf's figure; the other was also amazed by the appearance of a mighty wolf.

As everyone knows, Wolf is considered a top-tier beast candidate as a predator. For many of the Resonators, who luckily awoken a Wolf-type Guardian beast, their life was guaranteed to stay within the frontlines.

"Okay, stand this way! Next!".

"Me, me!? I want to go next! Come on, you two!".

After the white-haired boy, a lively and cheerful voice echoed in the place; it came from the girl Cain had met for the first time earlier.

"Wait, Mina!". The other girl, who gets dragged to the front, feels flustered because of her friend's treatment.

"Impulsive as usual," the other girl complained, smiling. The boy kept his smile in action and followed the two behind at a fixed distance.

When the three arrived in front of the measurement tools, the cheerful girl hopped in front as she began to introduce herself.

"My name is Mina, please take care of me".

"Okay, you can continue!".

Cain, who observed from the side, witnessed the girl who got dragged by Mina. She glanced over to his side once more, and their eyes met before she retracted back and gazed at Mina. 'What's wrong with her? Our eyes had made contact for the second time, and it was from her side that kept glancing at me. Did something wrong with me?' He began to rummage through his clothes and pants in case something opened.

At that moment, the girl who kept looking away glanced once more, only to chuckle to see the adorable side of Cain, who was checking all of his clothes. While the girl held the urge to smile, Mina, on the stage, began to show her power to all the spectators.

"Here I go!".

Like a chime of beel in summer, it spread a warm ambience toward the place, which was filled with tension. In a moment, a massive figure of a beast of raw power stood towering two meters tall.

It has a massive build, with thick muscles covered under brown and thick fur that looks comfortable to embrace, but the sharp and pointed terrifying claws on its paw show its predatory nature.

Under the gaze of other candidates, Mina spread her stance and positioned herself for punching.

"Haaa! Take this! Bear Paw!". With an exaggerated shout and naming of the technique, Mina thrust her palm forward, prompting a large boom followed by shockwaves that raised the dust around the place.

"9,3, Next!".

"Aw…!".

Mina whined after hearing the test result. She begrudgingly stepped back and let her male friend step forward.

"Pleased to meet you, instructor. My name is Rinda".

With a brief introduction, the boy named Rinda, with short blonde hair, stood in front of the tools and prepared his stance, tensing all the muscles on his body. Slowly, his body began to glow in golden colour, and it was faint, but a pair of white wings appeared from his back.

'Is that!?'. Cain, who observed the boy from behind, stiffened upon witnessing the pair of beautiful feather wings that sprouted from the boy's back. It gives him an ethereal and holy feeling, but he also feels repelled by the disparity between the power Rinda and Cain himself have. 'I should be careful around him!'.

When he was ready, his fist connected to the tool in one single stroke, producing the same boom with shockwaves that awed other candidates in the place.

"9,6 okay, prepare for the next!".

"Muu, I lost to Rin again. This is frustrating," Mina grumbled from behind the boy, stomping her feet.

"Ahaha, that's a given. Accept it already, Mina." The girl behind chided her irritated friend with a calm gesture, patting the girl's head, which calmed Mina down.

Knowing the commotion behind him, Rinda exhaled and loosened the tension in all his muscles before standing and facing the military man.

"Thank you very much, and here is my Guardian Beast".

As soon as the boy said that, the place shone in brilliant gold colour before it subsided, following the flow, there stood an absolute being. A high deity from above, revered as an Angel, stood with its wings open, wearing golden armour, a pair of long swords, and shields with holy ornaments.

"Guardian-type Angel!?".