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Chapter 450 102.5 - Examination [Interlude]

"The total time elapsed in missions: forty-three minutes and thirty-four seconds."

Dakota paused, letting the weight of her words sink in before continuing. Well, it was not like she did not want to speak, but the reactions of the trainees here were just too fun to see.

Many of them were talented on their own to be sent to the missions in the future. But, of course, none of them had seen such scores on their first try.

That was just…..Not normal, even amongst the abnormal.

"The Intelligent Grading System of our AI assistant has ranked Astron as follows: First in investigation, seventeenth in stealth, and first in judgment."

The trainees exchanged murmurs of surprise and admiration. Ranking first in both investigation and judgment was a significant achievement, and even his rank in stealth, while not at the top, was highly respectable given the complexity of the tasks and the high-ranking wards he had faced.

And he also did it without using any type of stealth-related skills. The cadets that were ranked higher than him in terms of stealth all either had a [Trait] that was related to stealth or a [Skill] that would make it convenient for them.

But, he had none of those aside from using the [Mana Suppression] to erase his own presence, which was something everyone here could do if they wanted and was not something that was related to their traits.

Dakota stepped forward, her expression one of approval. "Trainee Astron has demonstrated exceptional skills across all categories. His investigative abilities are unparalleled, and his quick thinking and judgment in crucial scenarios are exemplary. His stealth, while slightly less impressive, still shows great promise and adaptability."

The trainees turned their attention to Reina, noting her satisfied expression. Though she wasn\'t overjoyed, the look of approval on her face spoke volumes about her confidence in Astron\'s abilities. Without a word, Reina slowly turned and began to leave, her presence having made its impact on everyone present.

Dakota continued, "With this examination, a specialized training program for Trainee Astron Natusalune will be created to optimize his development. This program will be ready by tonight, and training will commence tomorrow. This is the classic way we do things here, and Astron will be no exception."

The trainees, all of whom had experienced this process themselves, nodded in understanding. They knew the rigorous training that lay ahead for Astron and respected the process that had shaped their own abilities.

Dakota then turned to Astron, her expression serious but supportive. "Astron Natusalune, from this moment on, you are officially a trainee. I will now update your smartwatch status."

She took out her own device and tapped a few commands. Astron\'s smartwatch vibrated, indicating the update. "Before, your access to some of the functions was limited. Those limits have now been removed. As a trainee, you will have broader access, though there will still be some restrictions. All trainees here share these limitations."

Dakota concluded, "Welcome to the team, Trainee. Train hard, stay focused, and you will achieve great things."

With that, she turned to take her leave, but before she did so, she stopped.

"To all trainees present," Dakota\'s voice carried a tone of authority, "today\'s schedule will start in five minutes. Everyone should get ready immediately."

The trainees, upon hearing this, immediately realized the limited time they had left. There was a brief moment of hesitation; then, they quickly dispersed to prepare for their respective training sessions. Some of them threw a last glance at Astron, curiosity and respect evident in their eyes.

*******

I watched as the trainees hurriedly moved to get ready, feeling their gazes on me. Every action and decision I make from now on will be under scrutiny. \'Not that it is important.\' In the first place, I was never a man of an impression, as I did not care.

Before I could do anything more, my smartwatch vibrated, indicating a new message. I glanced at the screen and saw it was from Reina.

"Meet me in this place, 3rd floor, south wing. – Reina"

The location was clearly marked on the map displayed on my smartwatch. I pondered for a moment about what this meeting could be about.

\'She\'s most likely going to discuss my performance.\' I was pretty satisfied with how I had handled the examinations. I had shown enough of my capabilities to make an impression without revealing everything. Though it would be evident that they would have questions and possibly some understanding, I did not care.

\'Garrett already knows about that day….To some extent.\'

Regardless of how cursed that day was for me, the evidence was there, and they would know about it. Thus, they can also understand my motives to some extent.

As I was about to leave, I noticed Lyra and Kael approaching. Lyra, in her childish form, was jumping around happily. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You did so good, Astron!" Lyra exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Kael nodded a small smile on his lips. "Indeed, you\'ve shown remarkable talent. Your performance was impressive." But there was something weird that I was feeling from the two.

Why?

As if their impression of me had changed. Now, there was something different. Lyra in particular.

\'Her illusion abilities are really annoying.\' It was hard to picture what exactly was there, as her face illusion was much more potent than others.

Still, I decided to play along. "Thanks," I replied. "I just did what I had to do."

"You made it look easy," Lyra said, still bouncing around. "I knew you were special!"

"Well, I wouldn\'t go that far."

"I would; I would. Who would have known you were also like us?"

"Like you?"

"Ah…."

"It is nothing." Kael\'s expression turned serious while saying that. "Keep up the good work, Astron. We\'re all here to support each other."

Their words lingered in my mind as I made my way to the conference room. There was a shift in their demeanor, a subtle change in how they viewed me.

It was almost as if they saw me as one of their own now, something more than just a new recruit.

Something that I had particularly noticed about Kael. How was his body trained to be on alert all the time? I myself am always alert as well, and I never let my senses go, even for a split second. Every time an attack can come from somewhere, that is how I was grown up.

But for Kael, it is a bit different. Rather than being on alert to defend himself, he matches Lyra\'s movements.

\'They are from somewhere chaotic.\'

It seemed for them, things were not that simple either. However, right now, my main focus should not be on them.

Reaching the third floor, I followed the map\'s directions to the south wing. The place that Reina called me was a room at the end of the long corridor. I took a breath and pushed open the door.

Inside, Reina was waiting. She looked up as I entered, her expression unreadable.

"Take a seat, Astron," she said, her tone neutral.

I sat down, feeling the weight of her gaze on me. Being able to exert such pressure on me just by her gaze was remarkable indeed.

\'Probably a passive skill.\' Since no one can do such a thing just physically.

At least to me.

"You wanted to see me, Miss Reina?"

"Yes," she replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The organization is satisfied with what you have shown so far. In the time you were free, you have developed yourself to a satisfactory extent, which is just as we had hoped. Your performance in the examination was impressive, and while the analysis unit will be working on a detailed training program for you, I wanted to speak with you directly."

I nodded, listening carefully.

"We won\'t dwell too much on the examination since the analysis unit is already handling that. Instead, I have a question for you," Reina continued, leaning forward slightly. "Why do you think you were assigned to me, out of all people?"

I took a moment to think. There could be several reasons, but I needed to narrow it down.

"I can think of a few possibilities," I began. "It could be because Garrett was the one who had found me, and you are close to him. But that is too much of a shallow answer, as you could have just been a bridge for another one if that was the case. However, given your unique role in the organization and your expertise, I believe the main reason is related to my \'eyes.\'"

Reina\'s lips curved into a faint smile. "Very perceptive, Astron. Indeed, your eyes are the main factor. The organization has a vested interest in individuals with unique abilities, especially those related to perception and observation. Your eyes set you apart, and that\'s why you were assigned to me. Our goal is to develop your abilities to their fullest potential. And for that to happen, you will need a guide. While you can develop them on your own, it will take some time, and time is a resource that can never be recovered."

"Indeed," I replied, understanding the significance of her words.

Reina nodded, her eyes meeting mine with a serious gaze. "That\'s why I will be your guide. My eyes are similar to yours in many ways, and I can help you unlock their full potential much faster than you could on your own."

\'Just as I had thought. Not everyone in the organization knows about the eyes, nor do they learn about it.\'

The news was both good and bad at the same time, as the more exceptional you became, the more responsibilities you would have. And that means less time for other things.

\'Not that. I can return now, nor did I ever have the chance to do so.\' Thus, I decided to go with the most NPC response.

"I understand. I\'m ready to learn and improve."

"Good," Reina said, her expression softening slightly. "Since you have accepted the offer to become Dakota\'s disciple, you will be officially registered under her and will likely spend a significant amount of time training with her. Her training sessions will be registered in the system for the training schedule, but that won\'t be the case for my own sessions."

She paused for a moment, her eyes meeting mine. "I will use my authority to create a dedicated training space for us. I will send you the time intervals I have arranged for your training with me."

"I understand."

But as I turned to leave, Reina\'s voice stopped me. "Today, I happen to be free all day. Your training starts right now."

It seemed I was not allowed to leave.