Pyshical Evaluation (2)

Zion clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. This is it. My moment. Time to show them what I can do.

Felix motioned for the students to follow. They gathered quickly, stepping into the massive elevator behind their teacher. Surprisingly, it accommodated all of them. The hum of machinery filled the air as the elevator descended. Minutes passed, tension thickening with every second.

Then ding!

The doors slid open.

Gasps erupted as they stepped into an enormous high-tech facility. Towering structures, cutting-edge equipment, and specialized training zones stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a warrior's paradise.

"Alright, listen up!" Felix's voice boomed with excitement. "Welcome to the Æ Facility! You are the first students to train here!"

Zion turned to his master. "You had something like this before, right?"

His master let out a short laugh, eyes gleaming. "We had a training ground, yes... but this? This is a whole new level."

"I see..." Zion muttered, taking it all in.

Felix clapped his hands. "Now, onto your first physical test your throwing ability."

Murmurs rippled through the students.

"Throwing ability?" one of them scoffed.

Felix smirked. "Picture this: You're in a life-or-death situation. Enemies are at your back. You're carrying a civilian. It doesn't matter if they weigh as much as an average person or a literal pig you need to be able to throw them to safety or to a teammate so you can fight without holding back."

Excited chatter spread through the group.

"Hell yeah, this is easy!"

"I'm fast enough to avoid that situation altogether."

"My orc muscles are made for this!"

A hand shot up Callix. "Excuse me, teacher, but what kind of equipment are we using to test this?"

Felix grinned. "Ah, yes."

He reached into a nearby case and pulled out… a baseball.

The students blinked.

"It looks… normal," Zion thought.

Felix held it up, letting the light glint off its surface. "That's what you think."

Then, he let it drop.

BOOM!

The ground beneath them cracked, dust and debris flying as the impact sent a shudder through the floor.

The students staggered back, eyes wide in disbelief.

Felix's grin widened. "This baseball weighs over 800 kilograms."

Silence.

Then

"You've gotta be kidding."

"That's insane!"

"What kind of monster can even lift that?!"

Felix crossed his arms. "Good luck. We'll be going from Rank 15 to Rank 1. Let's see what you're made of."

"Alright, Top 15! Andrea Choi, step forward. It's your turn," Felix called out.

Andrea took a deep breath and walked up. Murmurs spread through the students like wildfire.

"How is she supposed to lift that?"

"No way she can even budge it."

Felix picked up on the doubt and smirked. "Oh, I forgot to mention you're allowed to use anything. Your power, martial arts, whatever works."

Andrea's eyes lit up. "That makes things much easier."

She stepped forward and pressed her fingers against the baseball's surface.

"Zero Gravity!"

Instantly, the ball lifted into the air, weightless.

"Weightless!"

With a grin, Andrea grabbed it, spun on her heel, and hurled it skyward.

Felix clapped once, and with a deep rumble, the massive ceiling above them split open.

The students watched in stunned silence as the ball continued to rise slowly, but endlessly.

Felix chuckled. "Well, that's definitely going to be the highest score. Since it won't stop moving unless you touch it again, technically… you win by default."

Andrea smirked and nodded, stepping back.

"Alright, thank you, Andrea. Next up Top 14, Yin Kaisenberg!"

Yin inhaled sharply and stepped forward, determination burning in his eyes.

"This is nothing, Shin. Just remember the day the monk made you carry and clean Lord Buddha's statues!"

He crouched down and gripped the baseball.

Then his expression twisted.

"Shit… this thing is way heavier than I thought."

His muscles screamed as he barely managed to lift it off the ground. His fingers trembled from the strain, but he forced himself to push through. He shifted his stance, gripping the ball with one arm, swinging it like a hammer to build momentum.

"Just one throw"

"Ugh!!"

With a final roar, he launched it forward, but the instant the ball left his hand

RIP!

A searing pain shot through his right arm. His muscles tore under the stress. His vision blurred for a moment, but he refused to let out a sound.

THUD!

The ball landed just 10 feet away.

Felix glanced at the mark and sighed. "Ah… 10 feet."

The disappointment in his tone was clear, but then he flashed a reassuring smile. "It's okay! You did your best!"

With a clap of his hands, two academy nurses rushed in. "Take him to the clinic."

Yin gritted his teeth, gripping his injured arm. His nails dug into his palm as he clenched his fist.

"Damn it… this is humiliating."

His vision stung, but he refused to cry. He turned his face away as the nurses escorted him out.

Zion exhaled, watching his retreating figure.

"That's rough…"

As more students took their turns, some passed while others fell short. Now, only the top five remained.

Felix glanced at his list and called out, "Top 5: Zion Asyphre."

Zion stepped forward with a smirk, rolling his shoulders. "Tsk. This is nothing. I've lifted heavier for two years straight."

He grabbed the ball with just his right hand, swung once to build momentum, and then launched it effortlessly. The students and Felix watched in shock as the ball soared past the facility's roof and disappeared into the sky.

"Wow…" Someone muttered in disbelief.

Felix blinked before nodding. "Alright, you pass, Zion. Next up, Top 4!"

Zion walked away, turning to Zero. "Did I do good?"

Zero snorted. "Hell yeah! That's literally fucking me back in high school."

The two immediately started emoting, drawing murmurs from the other students.

"What the hell?"

"He's seriously weird."

"Isn't he the guy who did that hair pull stunt?"

"He's celebrating like an actual warrior!"

Next, Victor Gorvash stepped forward. The towering orc cracked his neck and smirked. "No need to get bigger for this."

With one hand, he grabbed the ball, swung it like Zion, and hurled it effortlessly. The ball shot into the sky like a missile.

Victor flexed. "These muscles aren't just for show."

Felix clapped, clearly impressed. "Damn… This year's students are on another level."

Zero nudged Zion. "He'd make a solid ally."

Zion's eyes gleamed. "Should I recruit him?"

"Of course," Zero replied.

Zion grinned, but there was something unsettling in his expression.

"But orcs aren't easy to persuade," Zero warned.

Zion clenched his fist. "I know."