Chapter 87: Only Harden
Chapter 87: Only Harden
Permitted skills.
The form was not asking Jin to list everything Glitch could do. It only wanted the skills Glitch would be allowed to use during the assessment.
Without realizing it, Arthur had already given him the solution.
Acid Breath was impossible to declare. Glitch had never tested it in his real body, and an Iron Grey Rock Lizard suddenly producing a strong corrosive attack right after an unexplained breakthrough would invite the exact kind of attention Jin needed to avoid.
Lesser Regeneration created a different problem. Jin did not have to consciously activate it. If Glitch received an obvious injury and the wound began closing faster than it should, someone could notice.
There was no way to remove that risk completely. They would avoid being injured, withdraw if the danger became too high, and never use regeneration as a way to gain assessment points.
Corrosion Resistance probably would not matter unless the course involved acid or corrosive terrain. As long as nothing triggered it, the skill could stay hidden without any effort from them.
Harden was different.
Meridian already knew about it. Glitch had demonstrated it before, and there was nothing strange about a Grey Rock Lizard possessing the skill.
Safe, ordinary, and useful.
Perfect.
[Permitted Skill Declaration]
[Registered Beast: Glitch—Grey Rock Lizard]
[Declared Skill: Harden]
[Additional Declared Skills: None]
[Warning: Use of an undeclared skill may result in immediate component termination and further review.]
[Confirm Submission?]
Jin submitted the declaration.
Nowhere had he stated that Harden was Glitch’s only skill. He had only named it as the sole skill Glitch had permission to use.
Every word on the form was true.
Apparently, the safest lie was simply the truth with everything unnecessary removed.
Once Glitch was awake enough to understand properly, Jin passed the rules through their bond.
Only Harden. No acid. No breath attack. Avoid getting hurt rather than depending on healing. If your instincts say one of my commands is dangerous, warn me. When something changes, we pick the safest workable choice and adjust from there. If you are seriously injured, staying alive matters more than the score.
Glitch’s scales lifted in irritation. He had worked hard for those three skills, and now Jin wanted him to pretend they did not exist.
Passing while hiding most of your strength is more impressive than failing because we revealed everything, Jin told him. Anyone can fight with every card available. We’re going to beat Meridian while restricted.
That made the situation sound different.
Glitch’s annoyance eased, replaced by eager interest. He was not hiding because he was weak. This was a handicap willingly accepted by a superior beast.
Jin added one last rule, though it was aimed more at himself than Glitch.
When we don’t know the answer, we won’t stop moving. We choose something safe enough to adjust later and act.
The bond returned the unmistakable feeling of a lizard rolling his eyes.
You stop moving. I don’t.
Jin breathed out through his nose. "Fair."
Recognizing the problem did not make it disappear. Years of gaming, followed by weeks of retries inside the Engine, had trained Jin to wait until he understood everything. One difficult morning with Kade could not erase that habit.
Tomorrow would show whether he could move before certainty showed up.
The rest of the recovery period passed quietly. Jin measured Glitch’s food and water, made sure he slept, and allowed only careful movement.
He waited until the entire twenty-four-hour period had ended before carrying Glitch back to the medical wing.
The examination covered everything expected from a normal clearance check. Temperature, circulation, muscle stability, energy balance, reflex response, and controlled walking.
They were checking whether Glitch was fit to participate, not searching for every skill hidden beneath his scales.
[Synchronization Recovery: Complete]
[Physical Condition: Stable]
[Combat Readiness: Acceptable]
[Recommendation: Avoid Prolonged Maximum Exertion]
"He’s cleared," the technician said. "That doesn’t mean his stamina has no limit. Newly stabilized bodies can tire faster during maximum exertion. Watch his warning signs, and don’t force him past them."
"Understood."
[Medical Clearance: Approved]
[Registered Beast Participation: Authorized]
Kade arrived once the examination ended.
"What skills did you declare?"
"Harden," Jin answered. "That’s the only skill I’m allowing him to use."
Kade paused over the phrasing, then gave a small nod. "If another skill appears, the component ends immediately."
"Understood."
"That’s a conservative choice for a 3-Star. Still, reaching 3-Star doesn’t make the standard easier. Your beast earns a place by proving he can perform the work, not because he advanced quickly."
Glitch walked out of the medical wing with his head raised, carrying himself as though the examination had officially confirmed his magnificence.
The next morning, Jin stood with him at the boundary of the physical assessment area.
The modular field was packed with obstacles. Raised platforms, narrow beams, closing gates, moving barriers, shifting targets, and marked combat constructs filled several possible routes.
Beside the other students’ beasts, Glitch looked exactly like the creature described in his registration file.
One student had a plated Bronze Ridgeback. Another stood beneath a Bronze avian whose wingspan covered its handler’s shadow. A third beast was Silver, coiled tightly beside its student, and Jin immediately filed it under dangerous—do not fight for free.
Then there was Jin, with a small black lizard registered as Iron waiting beside his heel.
A handful of students noticed them.
There was surprise in their expressions, but no open hostility. The candidate with an Iron beast had made it through the first day. The scholarship student was still competing for a place in the Regular Combat Program.
Most of them seemed willing to let the assessment decide whether he belonged.
Excitement hummed through the bond. Glitch wanted to test every part of his new body at once.
Jin held him back.
They did not need to act weak. Meridian already knew Glitch had reached 3-Star. They would show his true speed, balance, command response, instincts, and Harden.
Nothing else.
Jin examined the field, already trying to identify the safest route through it.
Kade moved into position beside the starting line.
"One final warning. The course in front of you is not the same course you’ll finish. After the timer starts, barriers may move, objectives may change, targets may shift, and routes may close. You will not know which change will happen first."
Several students adjusted their stance.
"Part of your score depends on how quickly you act after your information becomes outdated. There are no retries."
The students around Jin reacted in different ways. Some became more eager. Others kept staring at paths that could no longer be trusted.
The course might not have been created specifically for Jin, but it pressed against the exact weakness Kade had found yesterday. From the way the instructor watched him, Jin knew his reaction would receive special attention.
There was no complete map to memorize. No pattern he could verify before beginning. No chance to wait until the right answer became certain.
[Permitted Skill: Harden]
[Retries Available: 0]
Yesterday, Meridian had explained that uncertainty belonged on the battlefield.
Today, the battlefield itself had been built to change beneath him.
Glitch’s claws tightened against the floor beside Jin’s foot. Confidence flooded the bond, absolute and arrogant, followed by a pointed challenge for the human who spent too much time thinking.
Are you waiting for this to make sense, or are we starting?
Jin glanced down at him.
"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time."
The countdown appeared.