On the sixth day.
Deepest section of the training center.
Asher stood before a brand new D Rank strength tester.
He closed his eyes and guided the life force within his body rapidly toward his right arm.
Unlike the chaotic and crude concentration method he had used several days earlier, his life force now formed a special circulation pattern under his control. It first passed through his heart, then continuously accelerated through the blood vessels in his shoulder and arm before finally compressing entirely into his tightly clenched fist.
Asher abruptly opened his eyes.
His right fist shot forward.
"Life Burst!"
BOOM!
A muffled explosion reverberated throughout the training ground.
The instant his fist struck the tester, the life force compressed inside his arm erupted completely. The machine, which was capable of enduring attacks at the peak of D Rank, slid violently backward before crashing heavily into the metal wall dozens of meters away.
Large amounts of data rapidly appeared on the nearby screen.
[Strength Rank: D]
[Maximum Instantaneous Burst: D+]
[Attack Completion: 71%.]
[Warning: Severe muscular tearing detected in target’s right arm.]
Blood trickled down Asher’s arm. But in less than ten seconds, the wounds rapidly closed under the effects of Hyper Regeneration.
System notifications appeared simultaneously.
[Host has successfully created a Bloodline Application Technique.]
[Skill Generation Complete.]
[Life Burst · D Rank]
[Effect: Actively burns a portion of life force to increase a designated physical attribute by one rank for a short period of time.]
[Cost: Injuries sustained during the burst cannot be immediately regenerated. After the effect ends, a large amount of life force will be consumed.]
[Side Quest "Six Days of Special Training" completed.]
[Reward obtained: 300 Lust Points.]
[Random D Rank Skill Fragment obtained.]
[Generating Skill Fragment...]
[D Rank Skill Fragment obtained: Danger Sense.]
[Consume 200 Lust Points to complete Skill Fusion?]
"Fuse it."
[Fusion successful.]
[Current Lust Points: 100.]
A cool sensation flowed into Asher’s mind.
Sources of danger within the training ground that had previously been invisible to the naked eye gradually became clear within his perception. In particular, the Life Threads wrapped around Irene’s fingertips gave him a faint prickling sensation.
[Danger Sense · D Rank]
[Effect: When the Host enters a dangerous area or encounters hostility directed toward himself, he will sense it in advance.]
Irene walked over to him.
"You did it?"
"I did."
Asher glanced at the severely deformed tester.
After six days of training, his base physical strength remained at E+, but by using Life Burst, he could temporarily obtain D Rank strength.
Combined with Hyper Regeneration and Danger Sense, even against a true D Rank hunter, he would no longer be forced to simply endure attacks while waiting for an opportunity.
Ron stood at the entrance to the training ground.
He looked at the completely destroyed tester, then at Asher’s arm, which had already healed completely, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"That machine is worth twelve D Rank monster cores."
Asher fell silent for a moment.
Then he turned toward Irene.
"Don’t look at me."
Irene immediately looked away.
"That isn’t included in the resources specified by our contract."
"You can put it on my tab."
Ron sneered.
"Come back alive from Aegis Academy’s official examination first."
...
The next day.
Aegis Gate Academy.
The official Awakening Examination began.
Dozens of recording airships responsible for broadcasting the event hovered above the academy, while tens of thousands of candidates from different regions of the Federation had already gathered in the academy’s central plaza.
At the front of the plaza stood ten enormous Gates, each more than fifty meters tall.
Mana ripples of various colors continuously undulated across their surfaces, while large numbers of academy instructors and Hunter Association members stood around them, maintaining their stability.
Today’s examination consisted of three stages.
Mana Affinity Test.
Talent Awakening.
And finally, the Gate Combat Trial.
Only candidates who passed all three stages could officially become students of Aegis Academy.
The moment Asher and Irene arrived at the plaza, they immediately attracted a great deal of attention.
The video from six days earlier was still spreading across the hunter network, while the Valderis family had yet to publicly respond to the news about Cassian’s illegitimate son. Rather than causing the controversy to fade, their silence had led even more people to suspect that Cassian was deliberately concealing the truth.
"That’s Asher?"
"I heard he defeated a D Rank puppet before he even officially awakened."
"Dual talents for physical enhancement and regeneration?"
"No idea. Aegis Academy seems to have sealed his detailed test results."
"The Valderis twins are taking the examination today too. I wonder if they’ll clash."
Asher ignored the surrounding discussions.
The moment he entered the plaza, he saw Mira and Nova standing near the front of the candidates.
Mira wore a set of fiery red light armor with her arms crossed over her chest, surrounded by numerous young people from hunter families, while Nova stood alone some distance away, quietly reading through the examination materials in her hands.
As though sensing Asher’s gaze, Nova raised her head.
Their eyes briefly met.
Nova did not approach him. She merely gave him a slight nod.
A system notification immediately appeared.
[Quest Targets detected.]
[Target Nova’s Current Favorability: 12.]
[Target Mira’s Current Favorability: -10.]
[Both targets are currently outside the effective range of the Divine Aphrodisiac Body.]
Asher closed the notification.
"Candidate Asher Viron."
An academy staff member approached him.
"This is your combat trial group assignment and identification badge."
Asher accepted the black badge.
[Candidate Number: 0717]
[Combat Trial Group: Group Seven]
[Combat Trial Area: Gate No. 7]