Limit Testing (2)

Shivan underwent several rounds of testing, including basic physicals evaluating his strength, speed, and endurance.

After having completed running through an obstacle course, he sat on the ground, drinking lots of water.

Sweat accumulated on his body, and he wished he had worn something more breathable and flexible. The thin jacket he had wearing already on the ground after the strength test.

He felt his mana reserves straining as he used a lot of mana for the first time in years.

Despite knowing he had to undergo tests, he didn't expect them to be this difficult.

However, Shivan himself was the main cause of his exhaustion. For some reason, he pushed himself to the limit during the exercises, even though he could have passed with just 70% effort. He didn't have to try.

He didn't question it; he was probably just in one of those moods.

"This is the last test. If at any point you feel unsafe or you are in any danger, please shout and we'll stop the test. This test might be dangerous. Please give the signal if you're ready."

A solemn voice came from the loudspeaker as the examiner announced the final test. 

Shivan got up and signalled to the examiner that he was ready, getting into a fighting stance.

The wall in front of him opened, and several small and one big creature emerged. They were mostly pitch black, with streaks of purple, blue, or red.

The smaller ones resembled weasels and possessed giant claws, while the larger one resembled a fox with sharp claws and razor-sharp teeth.

They glared at him with murderous intent, baring their fangs, barely holding their excitement to tear him apart.

"Aberrants?" Shivan exclaimed, shocked at the close proximity to these creatures.

He had seen some pictures on the internet, but seeing them online couldn't convey the ominous feel.

They emitted an aura that seemed to darken the atmosphere and felt extremely uncomfortable on contact.

Shivan couldn't explain the feeling, comparing it to the sticky residue left after getting jam all over. Yet the actual feeling was vastly different. The sticky feeling was the closest description he had.

It was dark mana. Dark mana was what the fog was comprised of. It was emitted by aberrants, similar to how regular living creatures produce mana.

At high concentrations, it could corrupt or kill the target. Even at lower concentrations, it caused extreme discomfort. It was a bit similar to radiation.

Shivan deduced the aberrants he faced were probably Grade 6, with the larger one in the back being Grade 5.

Grade 6 was classified as the weakest, manageable for any regular adult human using mana one-on-one, albeit with potentially fatal injuries. While for Grade 5 aberrants, regular humans required a gun.

The strength of an aberrant was usually determined by the amount and concentration of the black it produces.

To stave off the uncomfortable feeling, Shivan coated himself in a layer of mana, recalling the basic application he learned in middle school.

All children were taught the basic application of mana back in middle school but could only use it with strict supervision.

Within Shivan's defences, he could tell his mana layer had holes, and the uncomfortable feeling persisted.

"God, my control over mana is shitty." Shivan muttered in annoyance.

While most kids in middle school, after being taught how to use mana, excitedly went to training facilities to test their capabilities, Shivan never bothered to do so. He only did as the curriculum told him to.

He had no interest in getting stronger. That decision was biting him in the ass currently.

Compared to everyone else here, his mana control was probably the worst.

He didn't have enough time to patch the holes in his mana defences, as the aberrants rushed at him with the intent to kill.

'They probably won't let me die right?' The thought crossed Shivan's mind as he prepared to confront them.

But even so, he was still confident in beating these creatures. After all, he still had his gift.

As the aberrants rushed at him, he created a massive shockwave, blowing them away.

Then he immediately targeted the Grade 5 aberrant who was less affected by his initial blow.

He ran up to it and struck it with his fist, simultaneously launching his technique, 'Core Rupture Wave,' a technique specifically targeting internal organs.

But a single attack was able to put it down for good. The Grade 5 retaliated by biting his left arm.

"Ughhh!" Shivan cried in pain.

Before he could regain composure, two of the Grade 6s jumped and scratched him from behind.

"SHIT!" Shivan felt miserable during this situation.

Not only did the scratches by themselves hurt, but it also felt like someone had poured acid onto the wound. The scratches also felt pretty deep as well.

During the gap between the attacks, Shivan also noticed the other two Grade 6s who were going to jump him from both sides. 

In a moment of desperation, Shivan grabbed the aberrant that was biting his left arm and used it as a weapon to hit them.

Meanwhile, he used the same 'Core Rupture Wave' against the Grade 5 three more times before it finally died.

He had dealt with the strongest one, but his left arm was severely injured as a result along with a couple of other injuries on his back.

But Shivan stood up ready to kill the four Grade 6s. He tried drawing upon more mana. Thankfully, his mana responded to me with greater ease than before.

He was starting to get familiar with using mana. With his greater output, he was able to properly coat myself in a layer of mana, and further enhance his physical capabilities.

Shivan rushed up to one of the aberrants and stomped on it with all his might. With his greater speed, it wasn't able to react in time before he squashed it into a bloody pulp.

The other three abberanted jumped up to attack him, but he clobbered one of them while midair, using his 'Core Rupture Wave' to instantly kill it while dodging the other two.

Then as they were falling, he kicked one across the room and he stepped on the other one, killing it.

Then, walking up to it, Shivan finished off the last aberrant.

He let out a sigh of relief. Now that the surge of adrenaline had subsided, the pain came back to him.

Shivna put pressure on his left arm as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"You may exit through the door in front of you. There is a medical facility where you can recover and where you can find your luggage."

'No stretcher or anything?'

He wanted to complain, but he was too tired and in too much pain to do so. Shivan reluctantly picked himself up and walked outside the torture facility.