Perfect Scores

"Josh, 70 points," the staff member concluded.

'His performance isn't bad, but it seems that he isn't satisfied with it,' Kayden thought, remembering that Josh had told him something about wanting to prove his worth to someone.

"Nick and Will, 75 points."

Listening to her words, Nick responded with a curt nod, neither displaying sad nor happiness.

Will's gaze, on the other hand, drifted toward Charles, who gave him an approving glance, making a slight smile spread across Will's face.

'It looks like each speed increase equals 25 points, and they both failed as soon as the treadmill's speed reached 30 kilometers per hour.'

This explained why the average score remained below 50 points, as most recruits could not endure until the pace sped up to 25 kilometers per hour.

"Charles, 80 points."

The old man kept the same kind smile as always, showing no signs of disappointment.

'Even though he is looking younger as days pass, his body has not yet fully recovered,' Kayden thought.

Although he lacked concrete proof, Kayden had a hunch that Charles' appearance would undergo a significant transformation after he advanced to the next stage.

Thinking about this, Kayden remembered how much Charles was obsessed with the increase in lifespan, probably because he was already in the twilight of his life.

The way he had asked Sergeant Lee about the chances of living more was an obvious contrast with his typical gentle demeanor.

'He could be nicer now, but my instinct urges me not to trust him.'

"Now, for the top three scores," the staff member began, her words sparking curiosity among the recruits. "Lucas, 86 points."

He stayed expressionless, as Kayden's mind filled with doubts.

'86 points… How is it possible?' Kayden silently questioned, his intrigue piqued by the enigmatic foreign man. Based on the test at the help center, Lucas had not unlocked more than two nodes, which meant that he should not have even unlocked the thirtieth one at this moment.

"Audrey, 90 points."

Audrey remained stoic, but Kayden could detect a glint of determination in her eyes, leaving him curious about her past and goals.

Claire, in contrast, openly showed her admiration, her eyes sparkling with emotion as she gazed at Audrey.

"Finally, Kayden, with a perfect score of 100 points," the staff member announced as she smiled at Kayden.

Everyone's eyes turned to him, showing a mixture of emotions.

The captain appeared at that moment, giving Kayden an approving look.

"Now that you know your results, let's go to the next area, where you will have the strength test."

A while later, they arrived at the next location, where a peculiar machine with a cushioned surface awaited them.

"The instructions for this test are even easier than the previous one," the captain began. "You just have to punch that surface as hard as you can."

'I wonder what's the strength required to obtain the maximum score this time. In the endurance test, it was easy to know since you just had to last until the end.'

Kayden thought that maybe this time getting a high score was easier since there was not something like failure.

"You will strike one at a time, starting with the one who scored the lowest in the endurance test," the captain explained before leaving.

Another staff member, a middle-aged man this time, was next to the machine, probably to take note of the results.

One by one, Kayden's turn finally came.

Jumping and moving his arms to warm up his body, Kayden approached the machine.

He threw a few punches into the air before taking a slow breath to concentrate.

He remembered the things he had learned when he practiced boxing, wanting to perform the technique perfectly.

Although he now had strength beyond human limits, the technique was still useful since it was the way of achieving the maximum possible force by using the whole body to throw the punch.

Everyone's eyes were on him, wondering how hard he would hit. It was natural, as he had taken the first place in all the tests they had done.

He positioned himself properly, preparing to strike.

In a swift movement, his weight shifted from one leg to the other, rotating his body to generate more momentum.

Bang!

The sound echoed through the surroundings when Kayden's fist impacted the machine.

The staff member stayed stunned for a few seconds as he saw the result displayed on the machine's screen.

A few seconds later, he said, "All right, now that the strength test has finished, I will now announce your results."

'I reserved some strength, but it should be enough to get the maximum. After all, I've practically fifty nodes unlocked, and each one allows me to absorb more mana than the previous one,' he thought as the staff member continued telling the results.

Besides his nodes, Kayden had been training at the gym too, making his muscles stronger than every human's. Even if he did not use mana, he would be able to perform better than the worst recruits.

He enjoyed the training, as the existence of mana in his body allowed him to improve at a breakneck pace.

"Kayden, 100 points," the staff member uttered.

With this, he now had two perfect scores, further solidifying his position as the top performer among the recruits.

The captain returned before taking them to the next area.

"Now you will be having the speed test, where you have to run 400 meters in the shortest time you can." Saying this, he left them with another staff member.

As the strength test, they were going to be examined one at a time.

"The order will be from the last one to the first in the previous test," the staff member instructed.

Time passed, Kayden waiting for his turn.

Finally, it arrived, and Kayden warmed up his body before going to the starting position.

"The clock will start ticking from the moment I say go, right?" The staff member said, warning him.

"Yes," Kayden replied.

"Ok, let's not waste any more time then," he began. "Ready… Steady… Go!"

At the moment he said the last word, Kayden's legs propelled him forward with a explosive power.

With each stride, he covered the distance with dizzying speed, covering the meters in a blur. The seconds melted away as he raced toward the finish line, leaving the staff member and the recruits awe-struck by his swiftness.

He had taken less than half a minute to complete the run, shattering the professional record of just over 40 seconds.

"I will now tell you the results," the staff member announced.

As Kayden waited until he finished with the results, he wondered what the agility test would be about. He was also impatient to see how the recruits of other groups had performed, especially Connor, Hannah, and Elena.

"Kayden, 100 points."

'I guess this makes three,' Kayden thought with amusement.