After getting himself under control, taking deep breaths to steady his churning stomach, he met himself in a white open space with different machines and peoples milling about. His mind quickly wonder to the purpose of the machines, their strange designs unlike anything he'd seen before.
And luckily for him the man who dragged him here choose to explain without being asked, perhaps recognizing the confusion on Eldris's face.
"I am jack," the man said with a casual salute, "and I am going to be your test administrator." He gestured broadly at the room. "I know you are wondering what the machines around you are for," he continued, his voice taking on a practiced, explanatory tone. "The answer is simple. This machine around you will be use to test different aspects of you, like your strength, your reflexes, and your defense." His expression turned serious. "And know that you can't shut your way out of this machine, it will tell the truth and nothing other than it," he warned, his eyes briefly flashing with some inner light.
"So, you will be picked according to the first letter of your name," Jack continued, looking down at his pad which glowed with names. He then said in a loud, clear voice that echoed through the chamber: "if your name start with the letter A come forward and the rest move backwards..."
Five people came out from the crowd of waiting applicants, their expressions ranging from nervous to confident. And the rest of us moved back as instructed, creating space for the first group to be tested.
Each of them was then taking to the front of machine that have something like boxing bag hanging from it, though the material looked far more durable than normal fabric.
After the five are in the front of their machines, positioned at precise intervals, the administrator voice then ring out again, amplified somehow to fill the large space.
"This is a machine to test your strength," Jack announced, walking between the machines. "It may look like a normal machine but it has a metre that calculate the amount of power you throw into it." He gestured to a display on the side. "If you look at the side of the machine you would see the amount of score for each rank."
I looked at the side of the machine as instructed and I saw a board that shows the score of each rank to be an hunter, the numbers glowing softly. It shows this:
50 - 100 (F rank hunter).
101 - 200 (E rank hunter).
201 - 300 (D rank hunter).
301 - 400 (C rank hunter).
401 - 500 (B rank hunter).
501 - 600 (A rank hunter).
601 - 700 (S rank hunter).
701 - 800 (SS rank hunter).
801 - 900 (SSS rank hunter).
He then said, his voice taking on an official tone: "These numbers are the same for the strength, speed and defense level. After taking part in all the test your numbers will be calculated, the total will then be divided by three, the score will determine the rank you will be."
The first person called forward was a female whose name was Layla Sylene, her dark hair tied back in a tight braid.
When she hit the machine after winding up, the number start to go up from 0, then jumping in increments: 50, 100, 150, 200, 201...210....220. After reaching 220 it stopped, the display locking in her score.
The next was a boy whose name was Ben Thwern, his muscular frame suggesting he might do better.
When he hit the machine with a loud grunt, the number rise up like the girl own had but climbed higher before finally stop at 250, the display beeping to confirm.
The examination continue like that, one applicant after another stepping up to take their turn. The rest score was under 300 for the most part, and a man even score 150, his face flushing with embarrassment as he stepped away.
After they where done with the physical test, the group was led towards the agility (the reflex machine) area.
There was not any machine at the reflex testing locations, just an empty circular platform that gleamed under the bright overhead lights. People where confused on how the test was going to be done, their murmurs filling the air as they looked around for any equipment. But not for long, as the administrator stepped forward with a knowing smirk.
"Here, in this location, you will perform your reflex test," he announced, his voice echoing through the chamber. "To perform this test we use hologram from this test," he continued, gesturing to small emitters that rose from the floor with a quiet hum.
"For your reflex test, your score is determined by how long you last," he explained, pacing around the platform. "So you will be timed." His eyes gleamed as he added the challenging details. "And know that after 15 seconds the speed of the projectile thrown at you will increased." He stomped his foot and a glowing red line appeared around the platform's edge. "And also know you will be given a line you must not escaped to. This mean that your space is limited." A holographic display appeared above his head showing: "This is the number and time required for each rank."
15 to 30 seconds - 50 to 100 points
30 to 45 seconds - 101 to 200 points.
45 to 60 seconds - 201 to 300 points.
60 to 75 seconds - 301 to 400 points.
75 to 90 seconds - 401 to 500 points.
90 to 105 seconds - 501 to 600 points.
105 to 120 seconds - 601 to 700 points.
120 to 135 seconds - 701 to 800 points.
135 to 150 seconds - 801 to 900 points.
"The ranking is still the same as the strength part," he concluded with a clap of his hands.
As soon as he was done speaking, thick panels of glass came from the ground with a hiss of compressed air to enclose the participants in individual compartments. After it enclosed the participants, the wall then split the participants further. The participants where then split into one room each, the glass turning opaque between them. The room was neither big or small, about ten feet in diameter with high ceilings.
The administrator voice then rang out through hidden speakers, slightly distorted by the glass. "Now that you are in the room, know that you can't escape," he warned, his tone serious. "You will be inside the room until the test is done or you fail."
Looking at the administrator through the glass, I thought I saw a predatory smile on his face, but after blinking it was gone, replaced by his usual neutral expression.
Soon with a loud buzzer, the test begin.
[Participants P.O.V.]
Ben Thwern.
As the test begin I could see the first holographic projectile materializing in front of me - a glowing blue sphere about the size of a baseball. For the first 15 seconds infact it was slow in my eyes, moving at walking pace. From 30 seconds it was still manageable, though now coming from different angles. But starting from 45 seconds it became hard for me to dodge as the spheres multiplied and accelerated. Before 50 seconds I was hit by the projectile square in the chest with a stinging sensation.
At the end my score was 250 point, displayed in glowing numbers above my head.
Kelvin Blarke.
I scored 150 in the strength portion of the test, the disappointing number still fresh in my mind. So I was hoping to use this agility test to improve my rank, knowing reflexes were my strong suit.
So the first 15, 30, 45 seconds of the test was easy for me, the projectiles barely grazing my clothes as I twisted and turned. From the 60 seconds it was somehow still manageable though sweat now dripped into my eyes. But as soon as it reach the 75 seconds mark I was unable to dodge the first shot that came screaming toward my face.
At the end, my score was 400 points flashing above me, a small victory.
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