BXBX NOVEL Chapter 66: Test
Large vases with plants sat beside the sofas, contrasting with the messy atmosphere above. Reign could see that building this base had cost a lot of money.
After inspecting the area, Reign observed the crowd as they assembled for the exam.
Many people stood out: some looked like criminals, others appeared to be disciplined soldiers, and a few were unique, such as a super tall and muscular dark-skinned guy and a girl with metal gloves like a video game character.
The girl also had unique purple and green hair, a nose piercing, and wore an orange cropped jumper jacket that made her look like a troublemaker. She also had purple lips and long eyelashes.
"They're weak," Reign muttered unconsciously, which drew George and Melissa to turn their gaze toward him. They knew that his standard for strength was skewed due to his nature.
Fortunately, Reign now possessed some control over his aura, unlike in the past.
At first glance, he appeared human. However, Melissa knew his true power. She had asked him to release his aura before they arrived in the city, and it was strong.
"Hey, remember to rely only on your physical strength and speed. Don't resort to using your demonic abilities," Melissa reminded him.
"Don't worry, I won't," he replied.
If the caliber of the examinees was only this, there was no need for him to take things seriously.
At his current power, even the three hunters that Anna killed would be powerless against him. Thus, he had to suppress his exam result or risk standing out too much.
"It's hard to be too outstanding," he sighed.
"This..." Mellisa, who overheard Reign's pained voice, felt the urge to slap some sense into him.
'How shameless. ' She thought.
George, on the other hand, wasn't particularly bothered. He had developed some immunity to Reign's attitude over time. In fact, he was pleased that Mellisa was here to divert Reign's attention.
"Hey, Mellisa, I heard you messed up on that mission again," a chubby man with gold-rimmed glasses approached, accompanied by a towering figure standing seven feet tall.
This big guy had dark skin, bulging muscles, and a mean expression, like a heavyweight boxer.
"Oh, it's you, Piggy Frank. You better watch out for your cholesterol intake, or you might just collapse one of these days," Mellisa replied with a mocking tone, refusing to back down in the confrontation.
"You're just hillbilly bitch," Frank sneered with disdain, his annoyance visible in his acne riddled face.
Noticing Mellisa's defiance, he glanced over at Reign, who was seated next to her.
"Is this your prospect? I heard he's a Divergent. What a coincidence, my boy is also a Divergent," Frank spoke up with a smug look as he introduced the dark-skinned man.
"Kyson, show them some of your moves," Frank ordered.
SWOOOOOSH!
Kyson's fist hurtled towards Reign, but just before impact, it stop mere centimeters away.
Despite not landing, the force of the punch was evident as it created powerful airwaves that tousled Reign's fake white hair.
"See, your kid wasn't even able to react," Frank laughed, taunting Mellisa.
He expected her to be angry. However, instead of retaliating, she just touched Reign's shoulder as if to calm him down.
"You're courting death," Mellisa shifted her gaze to Frank.
"Keep bluffing," Frank snorted as he walked away with Kyson.
"Don't mind them, Reign," Mellisa spoke up, concerned that Reign might lose control and start attacking everyone.
"Don't worry, I'm calm," Reign replied with a nonchalant tone. There was no hint of anger in his voice.
His reaction was unusually out of character, causing even George to question if this was the same Reign he knew.
[The testing will start. All participants, please line up for the initial check]
An announcement buzzed through the speakers on the ceiling, directing all participants to line up for the required check. They were all instructed to touch a Malice Crystal.
The crowd shuffled into order, each person falling into place according to their assigned number .
Finally, it was Reign's turn. Mellisa's pulse quickened as she watched him approach the crystal ball, its surface reflecting the light overhead.
'Please don't react,' Mellisa prayed.
She had already tested him before, but the equipment used in this test was more powerful and advanced, so it might pick up a demonic aura.
Reign reached out and touched the crystal, his hand steady.
Silence descended as they waited for the result.
After a brief moment, Reign withdrew his hand, and the crystal remaining unchanged.
'Thank god,' Relief washed over her .
Following the initial test, they were directed to another room for a strength test.
Inside awaited a punching machine displaying scores.
Unlike typical arcade setups, this machine was advanced, boasting pressure sensors with an almost 0% margin of error.
The test began and score after score pop up,
[400 kg]
[430 kg]
[540 kg]
[600 kg]
As anticipated, many of the applicants demonstrated above average strength. The usual force behind a regular human punch hovers around 200kg, and yet the lowest recorded force here nearly doubling that figure.
BAAM!
Suddenly, the entire punching machine move a little when one participant delivered a punch. The numbers on the display kept increasing until it finally stopped at...
[1250 kg]
"Whoa, who's that girl? How can someone with such a small body generate that much power?" exclaimed some of the participants as they observed the woman, who had been wearing metal knuckles before taking her test.
Despite not using her metal knuckles, her punch still packed a force twice as strong than that of a heavyweight boxer.
'Oh, that girl was actually hiding her power,' Reign thought to himself.
When the girl threw the punch, he felt a sudden fluctuation in her aura.
Not only that, he also discovered that she was still holding back.
"So there's another Divergent here," Melissa commented. It was rare for so many Divergent to apply at the same time.
Next, Kyson stepped up to take the test, commanding attention with his imposing, muscular body.
He initiated his preparation by rolling his shoulder, fine-tuning his stance for the punch.
With a controlled and trained movement, he swung his fist, precisely rotating his hips to maximize the power behind his strike.
BAAM!
Kyson's punch landed with a thunderous impact, echoing through the room and leaving the punching machine trembling and tilting.
The crowd collectively held their breath, amazed by the sheer force and precision of his punch.
[4050kg]
That was the score he achieved: a punching force equivalent to the combined strength of Seven heavyweight boxers.
Everyone now accepted the fact that he would achieve the highest score for the strength test. There was no way anyone could surpass that score.
"Reign, can you beat that score?" Melissa whispered.
In her opinion, Reign wasn't a strength-type demon, so she doubted his raw punching force would reach 4000+ .
"What's the highest record in this place?" Reign asked with a cold tone.
"Eh?" Melissa was shocked by his question.
"Just answer me."
"I think it's 7000kg or more. It was from a Divergent who specialized in strength."
"Good." Reign replied and began walking towards the machine.
"Hey, your turn is over, so get the fuck out there ," Reign sneered.
Kyson was taken aback by Reign's sudden change in attitude.
Was this the same person who he thought a coward before?
"Kid don't be too arrogant," Kyson step up to meet Reign but Frank intervened just in time.
"Don't do it, Kyson. You'll get disqualified. You can take care of him after you get your license," Frank cautioned, his gaze mocking as he glanced at Reign, as though already envisioning his death.
"Pussy," Reign taunted again, his pent-up anger from Kyson's earlier action was still fresh in his mind.
After Kyson angrily stepped aside, Reign made his way toward the punching machine for his turn.