Assessment [Edited]

Elysium Tower, the flagship headquarters of the Caraxes Corporation, towers above the city skyline with an impressive one hundred and forty-two floors, making it the tallest building in the world. The pinnacle of the tower is my personal suite and workspace.

My duties are solely focused on strategy formulation, problem-solving, and overseeing major operations. I operate anonymously, with my identity unknown to the public. The media refrains from questioning my anonymity as I own that sector.

Those who insist on meeting me in person are either buried in some desolate land or are coerced into handing over their assets.

My shadows handle all the necessary work, and only a select few personnel are aware of my true identity as the founder of the Caraxes group.

There are reasons why I cannot reveal my true identity as the founder of Caraxes Group. One of the main reasons is that many people would feel uneasy knowing that the world's most powerful corporation is run by an eighteen-year-old boy.

It could lead to an inferiority complex, distrust, insecurity, and even threats to the company's success.

As I wait for the instructors to arrive and complete the formalities before taking me to Cypress Academy, I ponder on the fact that I was assessed and evaluated by the instructors at my doorstep.

This was a privilege granted to those of my status, rather than attending the entrance tests that were held a month ago.

Cypress Academy was situated on an isolated island, making it an ideal place for intensive training and focus.

The individuals who gave the entrance test a month ago were invited to the academy at that point in time and stayed at the hostel facility provided by the academy.

These individuals consisted of people coming from low and middle-class backgrounds, including our protagonist.

The protagonist was a Korean handsome young man with red hair who had a typical story of being bullied in the past and obtaining an overpowered system.

As the plot progresses, he would face-slap the villains, make the worst jokes ever with his twisted sense of humour, train hard with cheats in his pocket, and eventually become the strongest auror in the world, defeating the devil lord.

Wait, adultery with the heroines too! It is kind of depressing seeing women frowning over the main character just because he is strong and handsome. The level of mentality displayed in these situations worsens the overall quality of the story.

Well, it's not really their fault when their mother would choose to cheat on their husbands with an old man.

As for the other side characters and characters that are not even mentioned in the story, eventually, I'm one of them, they merely go along with the plot, either admiring the main character or being envious of him.

But there is a pit stop in this situation. In the novel that I read, the story did not conclude with the protagonist defeating the devil lord, leaving it uncertain if he would emerge victorious or perish along with the world.

'My liege, the instructors from the academy have arrived.' The telepathic message from my shadow interrupted my thoughts.

I straightened up, trying to maintain composure as the doors to the drawing room opened.

A man in a black tuxedo, grey shirt, and golden academy badge entered, holding a black and golden cane in one hand. He looked more like a member of the mafia than an academy instructor.

Two assistant teachers dressed in black shirts and pants, with a silver academy badge on their left pockets followed him.

Approaching the man, I noticed he lowered his hat and removed his glasses, revealing a good-looking face with black hair and black eyes.

"It's a pleasure to make an acquaintance, Mr Hashirae," he said.

"Likewise, the pleasure's all mine, Sir. You don't need to address me so formally, just my name Kael is enough," I responded.

"You're much more humble than I expected," he said.

"Please, have a seat," I gestured for him to take a seat on the couch against me as I sat in front of him.

"If you say so," he muttered, keeping his hat on the centre table and his cane propped against the couch.

"I am not one for formalities, so let's get straight to the matter at hand. How will I be assessed? If you require, I can arrange a training hall," I said,

"Straight to the point I see. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Henry Miller, an S-ranked auror and also the examination head of the academy," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Miller," I said.

"Likewise, Kael," he replied.

"Now, let's get down to business. The assessment will be straightforward. As you know, any auror, even if newly found, can bring out Aura, even if that amount is minimal and incapable of impact with considerable damage. That manifestation of Aura states that you have what it takes to be an Auror."

"Understood," I replied, nodding.

"We just need you to attack at your best in any of your designated locations. You can even try here, but that attack should have an aura. Usually, there are several ways to determine if you are capable of being one without the initial manifestation aura, but in cases such as yours, I am assuming we don't need those testing types of equipment," he explained.

"I see. And what about the rankings on the entrance examination? On what basis are scores assigned?" I asked.

"As you might know, I am an S-ranked Auror myself, and I can determine the density and strength of your aura in one single glance, and I'll be assigning a score myself," he answered.

"All right, then. I just need to show you the best of my attack. Let's change the location," I said, standing up from the couch.

As we walked towards the back of my suite, I led Henry and his assistants to a training hall. It was designed with top-of-the-line insulators and shock absorbers that were the best available in this era.

Henry looked around, impressed.

"This is quite the setup you have here," he remarked.

I nodded in response, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

'The best attack, huh?... I can't do that, not at least for five more years,' I thought to myself. My soul had been transmigrated three times - the first two because I died, and the third time was a choice.

All those transmigrations had taken a toll on my soul, inflicting considerable damage.

'I don't have the power I used to have,' I admitted to myself.

Henry checked the shock-absorbing equipment in the middle of the training centre and nodded as he stepped aside in the corner of the hall.

"Proceed," he said.

I walked in front of the black rubber-like cylinder, which was thrice my size and also the best shock absorber anyone could afford.

'These things have never once been used since I bought them,' I thought and sighed.

I took off my coat and just threw it aside as I rolled the sleeves of my shirt and adjusted the ponytail of my waist-long hair. I brought my right hand closer to the cylinder and manifested an aura in my hand.

My hand ignited with dark purple flames as lights started to flicker in the hall. Taking a punching stance with my left leg forward and right behind in a parallel position, I punched the cylinder with all my force.

The surroundings suddenly went dark, and all the light that was visible was of the beautiful ignited purple flames.

In that moment which felt like an eternity, the flicker of the flame collided with the cylinder, creating a loud burst with a deafening sound and rumbling ground. The force destroyed everything in its way and pierced the wall and the ground, causing half of the training ground in front of me to vanish.

The lingering silence was only broken by the low-frequency sound of fire alarms and the view of the city from the hundred and fortieth floors.

'Seems like I still have something left in me,' I thought as I stood straight and turned to face the instructors.

Their eyes were wide with stunned faces, and their mouths hung open. Henry dropped the notepad and the pen in his hand as he looked at the damage in front of me.

"Do I pass?" I asked.