CHAPTER 43: CH 43: TESTED OUT - PART 2

Kana stood at the center of the testing chamber as the overhead lights adjusted, casting everything in sharp white clarity.

The silence was almost clinical, punctuated only by the soft hum of unseen machines.

A voice crackled through the speaker embedded high in the wall.

"The tests will begin now. Start with the strength assessment. Push the boulder ahead of you as hard as you can."

Sergeant Delran announced.

Kana turned her gaze to the large, heavy stone set at the far end of the room. It was gray, rough, and clearly enchanted—heavier than it looked.

Her fingers curled and uncurled by her side. She could feel the weight of her own decisions pressing down on her.

’Should I show them everything?’

She inhaled slowly, a faint prickle of heat stirring under her skin. The answer came unbidden, not from her system, but from some instinct deeper inside her.

No. If she revealed too much, there would be no turning back. No more slipping quietly through the edges of this world. No more pretending to be someone insignificant.

Her jaw tightened.

"System, adjust my output."

She whispered inside her head.

[Acknowledged. Activating [Performance Modulation: Low-High Range Masking]]

[Output calibrated to appear slightly above average for local standards.]

The tension bled from her shoulders. She stepped forward and placed her hands on the boulder’s surface.

With a quiet grunt, she pretended to strain, letting her muscles visibly work against the resistance. It moved after a moment’s effort—slowly, unevenly, just enough to make it look like a real struggle.

She stepped back, wiping invisible sweat from her brow.

"Strength level: Notable. Next, mana aptitude."

Came Delran’s voice.

A panel opened on the side wall, revealing a faintly glowing stone embedded in a pedestal.

Kana hesitated.

"How... do I push mana into something?"

She murmured.

She had no idea what to do. She didn’t even understand how mana worked in this world. Her experiences so far had been instinctive, reactive—not technical or controlled.

"System. Help me with this too—but only just enough to pass. Don’t overdo it."

[Channeling [Reserve Energy]...]

[Initiating external interface...]

[Minimal mana injection in progress]

She placed her palm against the stone. A soft pulse of warmth traveled through her skin as a faint shimmer passed over the surface.

The light in the stone flickered—then glowed steadily for a few seconds before dimming again.

"Mana output: Moderate. Stable control. Next."

Another screen lowered in front of her, this one covered in lines of written questions.

"This is your final test. General knowledge. You have ten minutes."

Kana stared at the screen. Her heart sank almost immediately.

’What does the founding treaty of the Western Accord dictate regarding inter-regional magic use?’

’Who was the third High Marshal of the Second Era Defense Corps?’

She blinked. She didn’t know any of these things. And more importantly—she didn’t want to cheat. Not on this one.

She tapped the stylus against the edge of the screen and began answering as best she could. A few questions she could infer from context.

Most, she left blank. She glanced at the timer only once, then lowered her head and wrote slowly until the screen finally blinked off.

The lights dimmed.

"Testing concluded,"

Came the voice through the wall.

Meanwhile, in the observation room above, Sergeant Delran stood with arms crossed, her expression unreadable as she watched the final data compile on the monitor.

Beside her, a younger officer leaned back in his chair and gave a short sigh.

"That’s it? I thought we were testing someone special."

Delran didn’t reply.

"She’s nothing out of the ordinary. Decent strength, mana’s passable. Knowledge level’s poor—though maybe that’s just her being from the countryside or wherever."

The officer continued, waving a hand lazily at the reports.

"She’s not from the countryside."

Delran muttered.

"Then she’s just average. Well, maybe a little above. But nothing we haven’t seen before. Honestly, we shouldn’t even be giving her special attention like this."

The officer concluded.

Delran didn’t move. Her fingers tapped once against her arm, then stilled.

"No. Something’s off."

She said.

The officer raised an eyebrow.

"I don’t know what it is yet. But I’ve been doing this job for decades. You know what that means? It means I’ve seen enough recruits to know when someone’s pretending."

Delran continued, her tone low. The officer scoffed.

"Pretending to be stronger?"

"No. Pretending to be weaker."

Delran said.

The room fell quiet.

She kept her eyes locked on the screen, watching Kana as she stood quietly in the chamber, awaiting further instruction.

"She’s holding back. And not just a little. Something about the way she moved that boulder. Something about her stillness when she touched the mana stone. And especially the way she looked at that knowledge test. Like she didn’t care about the outcome. That wasn’t ignorance. That was restraint."

Delran said.

The officer frowned, no longer as dismissive.

"You think she’s dangerous?"

"I think that she’s hiding something. And I’m going to find out what it is."

Delran replied.

Back inside the chamber, Kana shifted her weight from foot to foot. Her mind was still calm, thanks to the system’s lingering support, but unease had started to creep back in.

The silence on the other side of the glass was making her anxious.

’Did they buy it?’

She glanced toward the wall, sensing eyes on her though she couldn’t see them.

"System, can you tell if they believe what they saw?"

She murmured.

[Emotional fluctuations detected in observer: High suspicion.]

[Caution advised.]

She exhaled slowly.

’Of course. It couldn’t be that easy.’

Still, she wasn’t ready to give up. This mission—whatever it was—needed her. And she wasn’t about to walk away just because a few people were watching too closely.

The door finally hissed open behind her.

"Come."

Said Sergeant Delran, her face neutral but her eyes sharp.

Kana stepped out, her spine straight and her expression unreadable.

She didn’t say a word. And neither did Delran.

But both of them were thinking the same thing.

’This isn’t over.’

As Kana followed Sergeant Delran through the corridor, her footsteps echoed against the sterile floor.

The walls were blank—white and metallic, like they’d been stripped of any emotion or warmth. She could feel the weight of the test lingering behind her, but she didn’t look back.

Delran didn’t speak for several seconds. Then, as they turned a corner, her voice came—casual, but not relaxed.

"You did better than expected."

Kana gave a polite nod.

"Thank you."

"Not a compliment. Just an observation."

Delran said.

They stopped outside a waiting chamber. Delran turned to her, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You don’t strike me as the type who’s spent her life training for war. Yet here you are. Volunteering for a mission that most soldiers wouldn’t take lightly."

Kana met her gaze.

"I was asked to help. So I will."

Delran’s lips pressed into a thin line.

"You’re either incredibly brave, or you’re hiding something."

She said.

Kana didn’t respond.

Delran let the silence stretch, then finally gestured toward the room.

"Wait in there. Someone will come for you when it’s time."

____

I wonder what Lysera has to say about this. I am quite excited about this in next Chapter.