After finishing her speed training, it was now time for Irish's strength test.
Akino led Irish and Scarlett to a large, spherical orb that was connected to a mechanical machine. Thick wires wrapped around the orb, connecting it to a computer that seemed to monitor the results.
"This is a mana detector," Akino explained, gesturing towards the glowing orb. "It measures the level of mana you possess and displays the results. Just place your hand on it."
Irish nodded, stepping forward confidently. Without hesitation, she placed her hand on the orb.
The orb instantly reacted.
WHOOSH!
A brilliant glow erupted from it, shifting into a mixture of vibrant colors — blue, red, green, and even golden. The glow was so intense that the entire room was lit up, causing Akino's eyes to widen.
Akino glanced at the computer screen, her mouth slightly open in shock.
"S-Rank?!" she thought, struggling to keep a straight face. Her heart raced as she took a deep breath, trying not to show how stunned she was.
"Alright… very impressive," Akino said, forcing a small, nervous smile. "Now, let's test your physical strength."
She led both Scarlett and Irish to another part of the room. In front of them stood a gigantic boulder with glowing runes engraved on its surface. The boulder was connected to a large machine through several thick wires. The machine had a screen that would display the force of any attack applied to the boulder.
"This boulder is designed to absorb shock. It's reinforced with strong runes, and any force you exert on it will be calculated by the machine," Akino explained. "All you need to do is punch it as hard as you can."
Irish cracked her knuckles, a smirk playing on her lips. "Alright, easy enough."
She stepped forward, adjusting her stance. Bending her legs slightly, she pulled her fist back, gathering all her strength. For a brief moment, her entire body seemed to vibrate with energy. Then—
BAM!
The impact was deafening. A powerful shockwave burst through the air, causing papers, chairs, and even Akino's hair to blow back. The boulder shook violently under the force, and within seconds, several of the glowing runes shattered into pieces. Worse, a deep dent appeared in the center of the boulder.
"930,000 battle points?!" Akino screamed in her mind after seeing the results. "T-That's only seventy thousand points away from surpassing Arthur Mathew, the academy's current strongest student!"
Her hands trembled as she processed what she had just witnessed. Although she had already expected Irish to be strong after seeing her speed, she didn't expect this much raw strength.
Even Scarlett raised an eyebrow behind her blindfold,impressed. "Damn, you've gotten stronger, Irish," she said with a chuckle.
"Hehe, honey praised me,hehehe," Irish grinned, covering her face.
Akino swallowed hard, her mind still processing the ridiculous power she had just witnessed. However, a new curiosity sparked in her. "If Irish is already this strong… then how powerful is Scarlett?" she wondered nervously.
After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned to Scarlett. "A-Alright, Ms. Nova… it's your turn now," she said, trying not to sound too shaky.
Scarlett nodded calmly, her cold yet confident aura making the air around her feel heavier. Without saying much, she walked towards a separate area — a large, square-shaped room that was painted entirely white.
This room was designed to summon artificial monsters for combat training. Akino was now both excited and terrified to see what kind of monstrous strength Scarlett would display.
"We don't have much time, so I'll start from Level 100," Akino said, pressing a button on the control panel.
The white square room dimmed, and within moments, several monsters were summoned.
However, something strange happened.
"Huh?" Akino blinked, confused. All the monsters that appeared… were already dead. Their bodies lay on the ground, covered in deep wounds, some even ripped apart as if something tore through them.
"What the…? Why are they already dead?" Akino muttered, scratching her head in confusion.
Thinking it was just a system error, she quickly pressed the button again, this time summoning Level 150 monsters.
**Dimmm…**
The monsters appeared — but again, the same thing happened. All of them instantly collapsed to the ground, dead. Blood oozed from their bodies, and their lifeless eyes stared into nothingness.
"W-What is going on?" Akino stammered, now genuinely confused. She clenched her fists and pressed the button again, raising it to Level 180, and then Level 190.
But the results were the same. The moment the monsters appeared, they instantly fell dead with severe wounds all over their bodies. It was like something invisible tore them apart before they even had a chance to stand properly.
Akino's patience ran out. She banged her fist on the white wall. "What the heck is happening?! Why are all the monsters already dead?!" she exclaimed in frustration.
But then—
A chilling voice interrupted her.
"Because I killed them."
Akino froze. Her eyes widened as she slowly turned around to look at Scarlett, who was still standing in the same spot, calm and composed.
"W-What…? When did you…?" Akino's voice trembled.
Scarlett shrugged casually. "The moment they were summoned."
Akino's heart nearly stopped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"But… how?! I didn't even see you move!" Akino's face turned pale.
Scarlett let out a soft chuckle. "That's because my speed is too fast for you to see. The moment the monsters are summoned, I kill them before they can even touch the ground."
Akino's mouth fell open in disbelief. She gulped hard, her hands slightly shaking. It wasn't just strength — Scarlett's speed was monstrous. It was no wonder all the monsters appeared dead as if they were summoned lifeless.
Even Level 200 monsters were no exception. Without breaking a sweat, Scarlett cleared them all — without anyone noticing how she did it.
"How in the world am I supposed to measure this kind of power…?" Akino thought nervously.
Realizing there was no point in continuing, Akino swallowed her fear and said, "L-Let's move on to your mana test!" She quickly led Scarlett toward the mana detection orb, hoping this part would be less terrifying.
Scarlett stepped forward, calm as ever, and placed her hand on the orb.
**Crack!**
The moment her palm touched the orb, cracks spread rapidly across its surface. Before Akino could react—
**Clank!**
The entire orb shattered into tiny pieces like fragile glass.
Akino's jaw dropped. "H-Huh…?!"
Her eyes welled up with tears of helplessness. "I-I knew it… something like this was bound to happen…" she whimpered. At this point, she just wanted to go home and never return.
Scarlett tilted her head. "Oops… my bad," she said nonchalantly, not realizing how much she had just terrified Akino.
Akino held her head, feeling like she was about to faint. "Why did I have to be assigned to this? I just wanna go home dammit" she cried internally.
But she had no choice. As being representive, She had to take full responsibility,This was the reason no one came to discuss anything with Scarlett or be arrogant with her.
Everyone was cautious before making any decisions, All responsibility for determining this was on Akino.
Gathering whatever little courage she had left, Akino took a deep breath and said, "O-Okay… now it's time for your strength test…" she muttered, trying not to sound like she was about to cry.
----------
They arrived at another boulder, this one even larger and tougher than the previous one, covered in glowing ancient runes meant to absorb powerful impacts.
Akino let out a deep sigh, already expecting something out of this world. "You already know what you have to do…" she muttered, bracing herself.
Scarlett simply nodded. But instead of taking a fighting stance or clenching her fist for a punch, she did something that made Akino frown in confusion.
Scarlett casually extended her hand, curled her index finger with her thumb, and with a playful expression, she flicked the boulder — like she was just playing around.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM…!!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, shaking the entire basement. A massive shockwave of blue energy burst from Scarlett's finger like a violent storm.
The boulder didn't just crack — it disintegrated. The powerful force didn't stop there. It tore through the reinforced walls of the basement like paper. The entire building shook as if an earthquake had hit it. Dust, debris, and pieces of stone flew everywhere.
But that wasn't all.
The shockwave didn't stop at the wall. It obliterated an entire side of the building, exposing the basement to the open world outside. The ground trembled violently, and part of the structure crumbled like a house of cards.
The impact was so powerful that it didn't just shake the basement — it shook the entire building and even the ground above.
Outside, chaos erupted.
Citizens, reporters, hunters — everyone who was near the building panicked as they felt the sudden tremor.
"W-What was that?! Did something explode inside?!"
"Are we under attack?! Are the summoned people turning against us?!"
"Did we… accidentally summon enemies instead of saviors?!"
Fear and confusion spread like wildfire. People screamed and rushed toward the area, some preparing for battle, fearing that a massive enemy had emerged.
But then—
Two figures emerged from the massive hole in the building, flying gracefully in the air.
The first was Irish, her short blue hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. Despite the chaos, she remained calm, observing everything from above.
The second was Scarlett, still wearing her blindfold, her piercing presence sending chills through everyone who looked at her. In her hand, she effortlessly held Akino by the arm, preventing her from falling. They slowly descended to the ground.
As soon as they landed, a large crowd of people rushed toward them, some gripping their weapons tightly, prepared for battle. Fear and suspicion clouded their faces.
But before things could get out of hand, Akino suddenly screamed, her voice filled with urgency.
"DO NOT WORRY! EVERYTHING IS FINE!!"
Her words froze everyone in their tracks. Silence followed. Everyone looked at Akino, waiting for an explanation.
Panting slightly, Akino quickly composed herself. "We were conducting a combat strength test for both of the summoned ones. I know it looked terrifying, but…" she turned her gaze toward Scarlett and took a deep breath.
"And it is my honor to announce… that our efforts were not in vain." Akino's voice softened as she smiled nervously.
"Please… welcome our Messiah, Scarlett Nova."
"Just like her beauty… her strength is immeasurable.