[Rating of Kara Spirine: 98]The number hanging above the door sent shockwaves through the partits. Even Lois, who knew more thahers, was stunned.
"We knew she was talented from her performan the war, but this? This is unbelievable," Oliver remarked.
"Yeah, she’s leagues ahead of everyone here. There's no way anyone beat that, right?" Aang added, casting a curious g Sora. "She's even surpassed your level, Ralph. Did you train separately?"
"We did, yes. We parted ways after the war and regrouped retly before ing here," Sora replied, carefully omitting the full truth.
Emily frowned as she saw Kara’s rating. 'What the hell is this score? Didn’t that witch say she was testing all three aspects? If she tested Kara’s mind, she'd know Kara's still a beginner… Could she be… biased?' Emily didn’t mind the possibility but hoped that [GODS] wouldn’t steal their promising rookie. 'If that’s what they want, we wouldn’t stand a ce.'
Pushihoughts aside, Emily smiled at Kara as she approached the group. "gratutions on making it to the event!"
Sora wi Kara, who smiled bad thanked everyone. She wasn’t used to being the ter of attention but tried to stay as humble as possible.
Soon, Lois’ turn arrived, and everyone was surprised when she earned a solid rating of 59. Oher hand, Oliver had received a rating of 45, just like Edward.
Finally, it was Sora's turn. As his official name began with an 'R', he was called up a bit ter. Those who knew him weren't worried about his performahey only wao know if he could surpass Kara's incredible rating.
He stepped forward aered through the door.
Sora observed the strange phenomenon as he ehe new space, but he couldn't decipher anything. The room was a vast, empty area with a white barrier surrounding it. As he sed his surroundings, he noticed Hannah standing near.
"Finally," she said, an exasperated sigh esg her lips. "I have high expectations for you. Stop looking around like every other idiot who walks in here. Let’s get started."
Sora focused and prepared himself.
"Show me your physical talent first," Hannah instructed. "Hit me with all your physical strength, but don't boost yourself with mana."
Sora smiled at the simple challehis erfect for him. He pushed his body to the limit, throwing a punch at Hannah’s face with as much raw physical strength as he could muster.
Hannah grinned as she absorbed the hit effortlessly. "Almost Omega 26 in terms of body strength. Impressive. Being able to kill a target at least a billion times strohan the average pyer at your level gives you the maximum talent rating. o test your energy levels either."
Sora was stunned. Su absurd requirement for a maximum rating? No woher pyers could barely reach a rating of 50.
Hannah tinued, "I won’t o test your skill mastery sihis kind of power is clearly the result of extreme body f. Am I right?"
Sora nodded, feeling as though she could see through all his secrets. He wasn’t particurly fond of the sensation.
"Now, let’s test your mental power," Hannah said, her tone shifting slightly. "The st time we met, you were powerless, like most people at NEU. Let’s see how far you've e."
A mist of pinkish mana flowed from Hannah’s body,
[Peak Meditate] (Uhe rating of his skill had improved signifitly, reag [Unique] rarity, just short of perfe. 'I couldn’t rebuild this skill using [Mana Evolution] si wasn’t us trol,' Sora mused, 'so I had to train like everyone else, slowly grinding proficy.' Of course, he vely ighe fact that he had do ihe [Time Space], training with Kara and finding a shortcut through their [Soul Link].
He trolled his mental power to create a barrier around his mind, shielding him from mental attacks. Simir to how his [Mana Shield] worked, this ability only shielded his mind. As Hannah’s mental mist reached his barrier, it attempted to devour his defenses. However, due to the retively low power of her attack, Sora’s barrier easily resisted the mental attack.
Hannah raised an eyebrow, stopping her assault. "You’ve already mastered terial attacks? What in the world did you and Kara do this past month to grow s? I’m genuinely curious."
Sora shrugged. "We're hard workers."
Hannah didn't buy it but appeared thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to grow even stronger after this event? I’d like to see someone from ion reach the top, but I feel like I’ve hit a wall tely."
Sora’s curiosity iqued. "Who wouldn’t want that?"
Hannah hesitated briefly, weighing her words. "I help you reaew heights. When the event is over, find me—and bring Kara with you, if you're ied."
Tempted by her offer, Sora replied, "I’ll think about it a you know after the event."
Hannah smiled, nodding. "Good. Now leave before people start whispering about me pying favorites."
Without another word, Sora turned aed the space, his expression ged as his thoughts lingered on Hannah’s offer. 'I 't accept that. I’m not getting caught in someone else’s web. No backstabs for me, not again.'
A surge of paranoia swept over him, as he sidered how easily strong pyers could manipute those beh them. Remembering how he could toy with anyone below his level, a chill ran through his spi the thought of someone doing the same to him one day.
Sora decred, 'I’ll never fully trust someorohan me. Not unless I’m certain they be trusted in a way or another.'
His mind wao tracts. 'Hell, I'm eveing suspicious of traow. That prick, Rachel probably signed tracts, but how does she keep on backstabbing people left and right? Don't tell me there's not a single group that made her sign a tract? I don't believe it.'
Supreme skills, hidden powers, experimentation on humans—it all made him uneasy knowing people also had them. 'There are probably dozens of ways to track me, kill me, or worse. I o be careful.'
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his rag thoughts. 'Panig won’t help. I should speime around people, especially in these "safe zones" full of people. They seem to be anything but safe.'
As he walked back to his group, ign the curious stares about his rating, a small poke at his elboed him from his thoughts. A telepathic message followed, "Get hold of yourself, people are going to suspeething happened inside."
Sora snapped back to reality, realizing he’d been lost in thought again. It was a habit he struggled to break, and being caught overthinking in public left him feeling a bit embarrassed.
Rubbing the back of his head, trying to shake off the awkwardness, he quickly checked his rating.
[Rating of Ralph Eden : 99]
Sora spoke to Kara through telepathy, "sidering we spent a few years training our Mental Power, it seems we're now ahead of most people thanks to your cheats."
She teased back, "You're the best battery I find, I guess it's a win-win situation. Did Hannah do something to you? It seems that her charm is more effit on male pyers."
Sora quickly expined, "I’ve built some immunity to her charms thanks to mental power, but that's not the issue. She's inviting us to join her after the war to help us grow."
Kara, already guessing his thoughts after their years together, responded, "And you don’t trust her... I’m with you 100%. I don’t like her. I 't sense any hoy or kindness from her. I know my criteria are stupid in this world, but I'll stick to them."
Sora smiled, reassured by her support. "You’re not tempted by what she offer us?"
Kara, having built incredible fidence duriime iime Space], replied, "I don’t need anyone else to grow. Hiyoko and you are more than enough to keep my sanity intact."
Sora sighed. Indeed, every time they returned from the [Time Space], they came back stronger, but the toll it took on their mental health was real.
Sora thought for a moment and asked, "Why did she only give you 98?"
Kara grimaced at the question, "It seems my body's ck of bance is too much of a handicap to get full marks in talent. What about you?"
"Maybe she didn’t want to give a hundred. She also didn’t test my skill proficy, except for my body f, or she would have seen through the weakness of my other skills," Sora replied, refleg oest.
Hannah soon stepped out of the [Special Space].
"You probably know if you passed by now, but I'm going to annouhe results anyway," Hannah said, her voice carrying over the crowd. "First pce of the qualifiers: [Ralph Eden], sed pce: [Kara Spirine]... 14th pce: [Lois Nale], 18th: [Cero Vux], 20th: [Aang L. gratutions, you'll represent ion in the event."
Asami, Oliver, and Edward, who had failed to make the cut, left the area with disappoi, anger, or helplessness.
Hannah tinued, "The Assion will start tomorrow! I'll see you 20 here at 8 a.m. sharp, uood?"
Emily, who had been watg the qualifiers unfold for over an hour, was impressed. "You two... . You're really diamonds in the rough. I didn't expect you to score so high despite... You know what. It seems that you have some secrets, so I won't pry! gratutions, kids!"
"Emily, don't you have your own qualifiers?" Sora asked, puzzled by his guild co-leader who seemed to have too much time to waste...
"My qualifier? Oh no, no, noshit!! I pletely fot!" Emily panicked, looking around frantically, as if searg for something important.
Sora couldn't help but think, 'Probably looking for her brain cells...'
mimou
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