After Dev stepped back, the woman glanced at her tablet.

  "Helena Swift," she said. "Come forward."

  Helena moved ahead without hesitation. Her steps were light, almost careless, but her eyes stayed fixed on the machine in front of her.

  The moment she stepped into position, the machine activated.

  Its four mechanical arms shot forward.

  But Helena was already gone.

  She didn't dodge late. She didn't react.

  She moved before the attacks could land.

  Her body blurred, not because of reflexes, but because her speed itself was abnormal. The machine's arms swung again and again, changing angles, increasing speed, but they never touched her.

  To Reyan, it looked wrong.

  Not skilled.

  Not trained.

  Just unfair.

  It feels like she's cheating, Reyan thought.

  But he knew better.

  This wasn't technique.

  This was her ability.

  "She has super speed," the woman said calmly while watching. "But her control is basic."

  Helena suddenly stopped.

  She appeared directly in front of the second machine—the one designed to fire projectiles.

  Before it could activate, she reached out and shut it down.

  Everything went still.

  "Assessment complete," the woman said.

  Helena's NIB flickered.

  Stage 1

  Level 2

  Helena stared at the display.

  "…Level two?" she said, disbelief clear in her voice.

  The woman looked at her. "You're fast," she said plainly. "But speed alone doesn't decide real combat. There are people slower than you who would defeat you easily."

  Helena clenched her jaw but said nothing. She turned and walked back, her expression clearly darkened.

  "So what?" she muttered under her breath. "I'll hit the Vargai before they even see me. They won't even know what happened."

  Reyan heard it clearly.

  His senses caught the words without effort.

  He didn't react.

  The woman looked at her tablet again. "Shui Haishen."

  The girl with black hair stepped forward.

  She didn't rush.

  She walked straight toward the machine, calm and unhurried.

  "Begin," the woman said.

  Before the machine could move, Shui raised her hand.

  Water flowed out, drawn from a container attached at her side. It twisted in the air, compressing into a thin, razor-like stream.

  With a single motion, she swung her arm.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The water sliced through all four mechanical arms in one clean strike. Metal fell to the ground before the machine could respond.

  Then she turned.

  The water reshaped itself instantly, forming a compact sphere.

  She fired it.

  The projectile machine shut down with a dull crack.

  Silence followed.

  Reyan watched closely.

  "So… water," he thought. "But not ordinary water."

  "Assessment complete," the woman said.

  Shui's NIB activated.

  Stage 1

  Level 4

  Reyan's eyes lingered on the display.

  Same level as Dev.

  Unlike Helena, Shui showed no reaction. She simply stepped back into position, her expression unchanged.

  The woman made a note on her tablet.

  After that, Reyan and the others were sent back to the same open ground.

  Students began appearing one group after another as their assessments ended. Some looked relieved. Some looked frustrated. A few stayed silent, staring at their NIBs as if trying to understand the numbers displayed on them.

  Time passed slowly.

  Eventually, the last group returned.

  The assessment for the new students was over.

  An officer stepped forward and raised his voice. "All assessed students, come here. You will be given a token. Your group number will be written on it."

  Students moved forward in lines.

  When it was Reyan's turn, a small metal token was placed into his hand. He looked down at it.

  404

  Dev received one as well.

  "Hey," Dev said, holding his token up. "Same number."

  Reyan nodded.

  Dev frowned slightly. "But groups are three people, right? Then who's the third one?"

  Before Reyan could answer, someone walked toward them.

  The boy was tall and broad-shouldered. His brown hair was long, brushing against his shoulders, tied back loosely in a ponytail. He carried himself with ease, not tense like most of the others.

  He stopped in front of them and looked at their tokens.

  "404," he said. "So you're in the same group."

  Reyan and Dev nodded.

  The boy smiled slightly. "Good. I'm in 404 too."

  He extended a hand. "Name's Jordan. Jordan Wayn."

  Reyan looked at the hand for a second, then shook it. "Reyan."

  Dev grinned and shook Jordan's hand as well. "Dev."

  Jordan nodded. "Nice to meet you both. Looks like we'll be living together."

  Dev glanced at Reyan. "Well," he said, "this should be interesting."

  Reyan didn't reply.

  He looked around the open ground once more.

  The assessment was over.

  But something told him this was only the beginning.

  After that, Reyan and the others were taken to their assigned room.

  Just as promised, their belongings were already there.

  The room wasn't large, but it was clean. Three beds were placed against the walls, each with a small locker beside it. A single window let in pale light from outside. Nothing fancy. Nothing personal.

  Reyan walked to the bed with his bag on it and sat down.

  Jordan dropped his things on the bed across from him and glanced over. "So," he said, "what's your ability?"

  Reyan leaned back slightly. "I don't have one. Not yet."

  Jordan raised an eyebrow.

  "The military gave me fire resonance liquid," Reyan continued. "So I'll go with that."

  Jordan let out a short laugh. "You know the military doesn't do favors for free."

  "I know," Reyan said calmly. "But I think I can handle it."

  Jordan crossed his arms. "So what are you waiting for? You going to drink it or keep staring at it?"

  Reyan looked down at the vial in his hand. The orange liquid inside glowed faintly.

  "So I just drink it?" he asked.

  Jordan nodded. "Yeah. That's how it works."

  Reyan didn't hesitate.

  "Then let's do it."

  The moment he made the decision, a screen flickered in front of his eyes—visible only to him.

  [Fire Resonance Liquid Detected]

  Host eligible for ability acquisition

  Proceed with consumption?

  Yes / No

  "Yes," Reyan said quietly.

  The vial in his hand suddenly went empty. The liquid vanished as if it had never been there.

  The next moment—

  Heat exploded in his chest.

  Reyan gasped and fell forward, his body hitting the floor hard. The pain wasn't sharp. It was deep, spreading outward, like something burning its way through him from the inside.

  Jordan stepped back. "You already drank it? You idiot," he said. "You're supposed to prepare first."

  Reyan pressed a hand to the floor, his vision blurring. "What… is happening?"

  Dev crouched beside him. "Your body's forming the resonance," he said. "That's the fire settling in."

  The heat intensified.

  It felt like his chest was on fire.

  Like something was trying to crawl its way out.

  "Don't panic," Dev continued. "It hurts like hell at first. It'll calm down."

  Reyan clenched his teeth. His fingers dug into the floor.

  For a moment—

  Just a moment—

  Something cold burned beneath the heat.

  White.

  But it faded before anyone could notice.

  After a few seconds, the pain began to ease. The heat pulled inward, settling deep inside him. Reyan lay still, breathing slowly.

  Jordan exhaled. "You really are reckless."

  Reyan didn't answer.

  He stared at the ceiling, his chest still warm.

  Something had changed.

  And he could feel it.

  Reyan slowly pushed himself up from the floor once the pain finally faded.

  His chest still felt warm, but it wasn't burning anymore.

  A message appeared in front of his eyes.

  [Congratulations]

  Fire ability acquired

  Reyan blinked.

  "…So that's it?" he said. "I can use fire now?"

  Jordan looked at him like he'd asked something obvious. "Yeah. But don't get the wrong idea."

  Reyan frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

  Jordan leaned back against his bed. "People think Stage One means you can't use your ability from inside at all. That's not true."

  Reyan listened quietly.

  "You can use it from inside," Jordan continued. "The problem is control. At Stage One, most people can't regulate it properly. That's why the academy focuses on controlling the ability first, not creating it."

  "So they don't teach us to make fire," Reyan said slowly. "They teach us not to lose control."

  "Exactly," Jordan replied. "Once you can control it properly, the NIB recognizes it as Stage Two."

  Reyan nodded slightly.

  Jordan went on, "That rule mostly applies to elemental abilities. Fire, water, air, earth—those types."

  "What about other abilities?" Reyan asked.

  "Different case," Jordan said. "Speed, strength, teleportation, enhancement types—they can use their abilities from the start. No element involved. But they still need to train their bodies. Otherwise, they break themselves."

  Dev added from the side, "Yeah. Speed users tear muscles. Teleporters puke their guts out. Strength types snap bones."

  Reyan looked down at his hand.

  "So even if I try to make fire from inside now…" he said.

  "You'll either burn something you didn't mean to," Jordan said, "or burn yourself."

  Reyan stayed silent.

  He could still feel something sitting deep inside his chest.

  Not just heat.

  Something colder, quieter.

  But he said nothing.

  Jordan glanced at him again. "Anyway, rest. Fire class starts tomorrow. That's when things get annoying."

  Dev smirked. "And painful."

  Reyan lay back on his bed.

  He closed his eyes.

  He had an ability now.

  But for some reason, it didn't feel like a beginning.

  It felt like a warning.

  Reyan let out a slow breath.

  "Well," he said quietly, "then I'll train like a normal person."

  Jordan nodded. "That's the only way. Don't rush it."

  Reyan lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

  For a brief moment, things felt… almost normal.

  Then his vision flickered.

  A message appeared in front of his eyes.

  [Urgent Quest Update]

  Consume a soul within 6 hours

  Failure penalty will be applied

  Reyan froze.

  "…Not again," he whispered.

  His chest tightened—not with pain, but with that familiar pressure. The hunger stirred, slow and patient.

  Six hours? he thought. Here?

  He sat up slightly, his fingers gripping the edge of the bed.

  "How am I supposed to do that?" he muttered to himself. "I can't just start killing people."

  The academy wasn't some empty street.

  It was full of students. Soldiers. Officers.

  Cameras.

  NIBs.

  Jordan and Dev were right there.

  Reyan swallowed.

  If I do nothing… he thought.

  He didn't need the system to finish that sentence.

  He looked down at his hands.

  They didn't shake.

  That scared him more than panic ever would have.

  "Damn it," he whispered.

  He leaned back again, forcing his breathing to stay steady.

  Think, he told himself. There has to be another way.

  Outside the room, voices echoed faintly in the hallway.

  Life went on.

  Inside Reyan's chest, something waited.

  And the clock was already ticking.