"Results"

Sergeant Henry strode across the vast testing ground, his boots thudding against the pavement. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd of students, who stood at attention, their faces tense and anxious.

"Congratulations to every one of you," he began, his voice booming across the field. "You've made it this far, and that in itself is a testament to your determination and grit. But now, we come to the final stage of the test. The last hurdle that stands between you and the future you desire."

The students shifted nervously, their eyes fixed on the sergeant, waiting for his next words.

"In this stage, we'll be gauging your natural talent and ability," he continued. "And I'm sure all of you are familiar with the term Psionyx."

A murmur ran through the crowd, and several heads nodded in agreement.

"This energy flows through all living creatures," Henry explained, his voice taking on a serious tone. "Some of you have a strong connection to it, while others don't. But in the military, we train our soldiers to control and utilize this energy to its fullest potential."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in.

"Those who master Psionyx possess extraordinary physical and mental enhancements," he continued, his eyes glittering with excitement. "They become valuable assets on any battlefield, and their skills are highly sought after."

The students listened, their expressions growing more determined with each passing word.

"So, in this test, we'll be gauging your affinity to Psionyx," Henry concluded. "And I don't doubt that every one of you has the potential to become a master."

"Please follow me," Sergeant Henry instructed the students. They followed him out of the arena and into a spacious hall where a few officers were stationed, observing them.

"All you need to do is place your hand on the crystal in the center of the room," Sergeant Henry explained while gesturing towards the crystal. "It will take care of the rest."

The students were asked to take turns. The fear of being ranked among the bottom 500 and getting eliminated weighed heavily on their minds.

It was finally Theo's turn to approach the crystal. He stepped forward and gazed at the round, clear object, roughly the size of a watermelon. The crystal was highly sensitive to Psionyx, and he knew it would glow when he injected his energy into it. The brighter the glow, the higher his affinity to Psionyx.

Theo took a deep breath and placed his hand on the crystal. He injected his energy, but held back a bit, as Neil had advised him to. The crystal shone faintly, and then the instructor asked him to remove his hand.

As Theo withdrew his hand, he noticed Sergeant Harry observing him with a disappointed look on his face. Theo knew he had not performed well on the test.

After the final exam, the students were instructed to wait in the same area for the results to be announced. Theo found a corner to wait in and was soon approached by Jack.

"Still keeping to yourself, aren't you?" Jack said, with a friendly smile.

"Are you following me or something?" Theo asked.

Ignoring his harsh tone, Jack asked, "So, how did you do on the test?"

Theo sighed, feeling drained from the long day, so he simply replied, "I think it went all right. What about you?"

"Ha! Look at you all calm and collected," Jack teased. "I, on the other hand, might have screwed it up big time."

"Despite that, you seem quite relaxed," Theo commented.

"Life is short, brother," Jack responded. "No point sweating the small stuff."

"However, with that easy-go-lucky attitude of yours, it's likely to be even shorter," Theo told him.

"Ah, if it happens, it happens. I'll just deal with it when it comes," Jack said confidently.

"You have a unique view of life," Theo said, amused.

Jack nodded. "I get that a lot," he replied, still smiling.

After waiting for half an hour, the moment of truth finally arrived. The overall results were announced and his ranking was displayed on the screen. He scanned the top ranks, his eyes landing on a student named Luca, who had secured the number one position. Linda, a female student, followed closely behind Luca. Theo didn't know who Linda was, as her exam had been held on a separate test field.

As Theo looked at his ranking, he was placed at 243, far from the top ranks. He searched for Jack's ranking and saw that he was at the bottom with a rank of 496, barely passing.

Many students were unhappy with their results and protested, but their complaints went unheard. The results were final and could not be changed. As a result, the bottom 500 students were instructed to leave the testing field. Out of the 2,000 students who took the exam, only 500 passed.

Sergeant Harry cleared his throat, capturing the attention of the students. "Break time is over, everyone," he said sternly. "Now that the assessment test results have been announced, you will be assigned your respective ranks based on them. I will give a brief explanation."

°Rank 7: 1-10

°Rank 6: 11-50

°Rank 5: 51-95

°Rank 4: 96-150

°Rank 3: 151-250

°Rank 2: 251:365

°Rank 1: 366-500

"Every one of you will be assigned a ring corresponding to your ranks. Each rank has a different color." Sergeant Henry continued explaining.

° Rank 7 (black)

° Rank 6 (gold)

° Rank 5 (silver)

° Rank 4 (scarlet)

° Rank 3 (green)

° Rank 2 (orange)

° Rank 1 (white)

"You may be wondering if the rings can be tampered with, but that's not the case," Sergeant Henry continued. "The rings have a chip inside that verifies a person's identity through DNA matching, making it impossible to wear someone else's ring.

"The ring also constantly monitors your location. In the event of an unforeseen circumstance, such as a student's death, we will be alerted immediately. You are not permitted to remove your ring under any circumstances. The color of your ring will change automatically as you advance in rank."

After Sergeant Henry finished explaining, the students were given their rings along with their credit cards, which also served as room keys. Each student was assigned a specific amount of money.

Theo received his green ring and credit card. His credit card had a balance of 2500 quills, which was barely enough to get by.

The money on the card would be replenished every two months, based on his progress during that period. If his progress was poor, he would face a penalty and his money would be deducted.

When Theo put on his ring, he felt a sharp pain in his index finger. He took off the ring and examined it, seeing a small amount of blood under it.

'So, that's what they meant about DNA identification', he thought.

Along with his rings and credit cards, he was also given a mobile phone that was synced with the chip in his ring. This would allow him to retrieve data in case his phone broke.

The mobile phones were connected to the military network and could only be used within the academy. There were restrictions on phone usage, as students were only allowed to use them for two hours a day, except on weekends.

Theo was shown his dormitory, which was separate from the female students. The boys' dormitory was a four-story building with a variety of amenities and features to make their stay comfortable. On the first floor of the building, there was a spacious cafeteria that served breakfast and dinner to all the residents.

Theo's room was shared by three students, which meant that he would have to get used to living with roommates after a period of solitude.

"It's important that you familiarize yourselves with the surroundings here at the academy," the instructor said. "This will be your first task."

With that, the instructor left them to their own devices, and his life at the Military Academy officially began.