Chapter 318: New Record (1)
’Based on the results of the previous test, his absolute strength should be slightly above Grade-2.’ Vassa stared at Kai as he got on the platform, and turned around after reaching the center. ’If I had to guess, his strength stat should be between one hundred fifty and two hundred. It’s still below Grade-3 Aspirant Supernal’s absolute strength, which lies at two hundred and fifty since the machine took into account only the average divine bloodlines.
’But regardless, he wouldn’t be able to reach Grade-3 mark.’
She looked down at her clipboard and checked the Grade-2 Aspirant Supernal for Kai.
Confident in her analysis.
The gap between Grade-2 and Grade-3 Aspirant Supernal difficulty is simply too wide.
He wouldn’t be able to cover that gap.
Kai raised his hands and pressed his palms against the massive pillar hovering above his head.
Even though he was composed outside, he was cursing inside at this farce.
Great... This is great. Now I need to be crushed—by this stupid pillar? I know someone’s true strength would only be revealed under immense stress or the threat of death—but aren’t there better ways than this? Do I seriously have to be crushed?
He clicked his tongue and cursed again when he felt the impossibly sturdy pillar.
Regardless, he widened his stance, planted his feet firmly, and braced for what was coming.
Once he was ready, Vassa pressed a button on the interface, and the pillar dropped.
"Greugh!"
Almost the moment the pillar dropped, his arms buckled—and it slammed onto his back. His knees nearly gave out. Kai’s eyes bulged and strained—as the weight caught him off guard. It was one thing to expect burden, another to feel it crash down on the spine.
Just like the test earlier, this machine was set to Grade-1 Aspirant Supernal difficulty.
And it would only creep higher from here.
Kai breathed in. Out. And in again. Every muscle in his body strained to keep the pillar from crushing him into the floor. The weight pressed down on his shoulders, his back, and his legs, as if the sky had decided to rest on him.
He thought of Atlas, condemned to carry the world forever as punishment.
A punishment bestowed by the Olympian Gods as death was too merciful for Atlas.
Kai had never thought that punishment seemed harsh.
Now, with the pillar grinding into his vertebrae, he understood that it was a cruel punishment.
Soon, the weight increased. Grade-2 Aspirant Supernal.
It was like carrying an entire house made of bricks—on his back. His legs trembled. His spine creaked as his body hunched lower and lower. Even Layra felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the sound—a sharp, wet crack.
His shins were breaking; the bones connecting them to his feet gave way under the pressure.
Layra looked away for a second, feeling uncomfortable.
Just then, his knees buckled as a painful, heavy groan escaped Kai’s lips; the lower part of his shin bones, the fibula, broke with a loud, unnerving snap. But surprisingly, he didn’t fall. Dark energy oozed out from the fractures, seething and moving as if it were alive.
Dark tentacles burst from the broken bone, wrapped around the damage, mended it, and then burst out from the skin to stab into the ground. They anchored Kai even more strongly, helping him endure the burden.
The Night Mutation from the Reckless Ruin Ending Fragment had activated on its own.
It refused to let him fall easily.
His body was trembling and hunched a second ago; now, it steadied and held the weight.
Vassa’s eyes narrowed, and then they widened.
She watched the interface flicker beside her. The difficulty had shifted—it now climbed into Grade-3 Aspirant Supernal territory. ’By the Gods... How is this possible?’ She stared—sheer disbelief froze her thoughts. ’He could barely finish the Grade-2 Aspirant Supernal difficulty on the previous test. And now, his absolute strength had broken through Grade-3?’
It was hard to believe what was happening.
From her observations, Kai’s divine bloodline wasn’t focused on his physical traits.
His was most likely focused on mana.
For a Supernal of Moros—he should have more strength than he exerted on the previous test, so she was suspicious of his result. But now, once he was under pressure, his body reacted with the full might of his strength.
His strength was above average, but under stress, it surged into excellence.
Perhaps Kai was holding back earlier, or perhaps his body simply only performed really well under immense pressure. Either way—the amount of strength he was showing right now was far beyond Vassa’s expectations.
It was way above average and neared the top.
"Eurghh..."
Despite his best effort, his shin bone shattered, and the dark energy was too late to mend it.
No way to retain his posture anymore.
Kai grunted and fell backward, landing hard on his back. He stayed exactly where he was and panted heavily in exhaustion, watching the pillar still hovering above him. It stopped coming down the moment it couldn’t sense resistance anymore.
Slowly, he turned towards Vassa. "H-How did I do...?"
For a second, Vassa remained silent.
Just then, she snapped out of her daze and turned towards the interface again.
"Lower Grade-3 Aspirant Supernal absolute strength..." She replied, still in shock. "It was an impressive result. Congratulations, you did excellently." She looked at the clipboard and fixed her hasty assumption. "You’re way above average when push comes to shove."
Kai wasn’t surprised.
His body grew stronger the more damage it endured.
It was simply the effect of the Reckless Ruin Ending Fragment, allowing him to push way past his limit. More importantly, he felt it directly that he was far stronger—during a heated battle than when he was idle.
Once he was done, Layra went next.
Exactly as what happened to him, the pillar lowered, and she was forced to carry the weight.
Normally, the champion would exert more strength during the second test than the first, and Layra wasn’t an exception. She could barely reach the Grade-2 Aspirant Supernal difficulty in the first step, but now, she stopped at the middle of the same difficulty.
She dropped down to one knee the moment her bone cracked a little.
"Are you okay?" Kai asked, bringing the water from the fountain for her to recover.
"I hate strength tests..." She mumbled without answering, too annoyed to answer. Then, she turned to face him, confusion—and a flicker of shock in her eyes. "By the Gods, Kai, how did you even find the courage to hold out until your bones broke? Isn’t that agonizing? I couldn’t even get close to that point."
"Ah... I think I got used to it.’
"Don’t say that—you’re making me sad."
"Alright, let’s wrap it up." Vassa clapped her hands, stopping their banter, and walked over to the last test across from the open entrance. And the two followed right behind. "Now, the two of you are above-average champions already. Let’s see whether you have the strength to reach the upper echelon of champions."
She clicked on another interface near the gate to the last test machine.
Almost instantly, there was the sound of suction—as the light emanating from the orb was all sucked back into it. Now, the orb hovered like a shimmering snowball at the center, ready to be used.
"I’m sure you already know what to do." Vassa entered and then pivoted her body sideways. "Touch the orb and infuse as much mana as you can. It would calculate the output and then give us your last test result via a holographic screen above it. Kai? Going first again?’
"Alright." Kai approached the white orb.
For a second, he stood there as the thoughts in his mind churned.
My mana stat is highest, so I’m sure my result is going to be excellent. But should I go all out?
Kai was undecided.
He was undecided whether he should expose his full power or not.
But then he remembered—the Dragon Ring Tournament, and how many people had already seen his full power. Then remembered what Senior Asher in the Second Sky said. And then remembered the Demigod and the Fallen Faction.
Yes... It’s time to take risks. I’ve been passive. Now—with the Second Sky looming, I need to show my worth. No need to hide anymore.
Kai took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air completely—slowly and steadily.
And then, he raised his hand and reached forward. His fingers brushed against the smooth— and cold surface of the white orb. It was flawless, seamless, and hummed with power—ready to be used.
Slowly, he activated both Primordial Locks inside him.
Mana flooded through him as he gathered every ounce and every drop that he could summon.
It surged from the depths of his core and erupted outward, coating his body in a sheet of living darkness. The black energy clung to him like a second skin—and tongues of shadow wobbled and spat from his shoulder, his arms, and the crown of his head—like plasma dancing on the surface of the sun.
His eyes, already dark, turned blacker still.
All the whites vanished, swallowed by the abyss.
Once he was ready, he shoved everything into the orb in a steady stream.
The white orb vanished beneath the darkness. Vassa and Layra watched as it was consumed completely, swallowed whole by the tide of Kai’s mana. And overhead, the holographic panel finally flickered to life.
’Grade-0 Aspirant Supernal.’
Kai didn’t stop. He poured more. The darkness thickened, pulsed, and the panel shifted.
’Grade-1.’
Ten seconds later, it shifted again.
’Grade-2.’
Vassa watched in silence, but she was staring intently. Her mind worked quickly—if his divine bloodline focused on mana, then he should easily reach Grade-3. That was the expected result. That was the ceiling based on her analysis of him.
And as expected, the panel shifted again.
’Grade-3 Aspirant Supernal.’
Her hand moved to her clipboard, ready to mark his result.
But then, the air exploded.
Swoosh—!
A blast of mana swept across the Test Hall. A shockwave of raw power—that rattled the walls and made Layra stumble back. Vassa’s eyes snapped towards Kai in shock, watching him let out an even more intense aura.
And then, her gaze shifted up—the color of the result changing from white to red.
It was the sign that it was climbing higher.
’Grade-4 Aspirant Supernal.’
Vassa’s breath caught in her throat.
Just reaching this level alone was shocking. Just this alone was impossible. But it didn’t stop.
The color flickered red again, then blazed into something new. The panel displayed the next threshold.
’Grade-0 Scion Supernal.’
Vassa’s eyes bulged. Her clipboard slipped from her fingers—and clattered to the floor. She didn’t notice. She couldn’t look away. The result was beyond anything she had ever seen from a Grade-0 Aspirant Supernal.
Beyond any champion she had ever tested.
’T-That’s a new record!!’