The next day, Liu and Netnet came to school a bit early to talk about what happened. They stayed on the school grounds. Liu told Netnet everything that happened the night before.
"BROOOOOOO! You're an Alpha now?!", said Netnet.
"Keep it down, Net! People can hear you"
"Oh, sorry. I'm just excited to hear the news. Can't believe the situation turned a complete 180."
"Glad you're excited. But I'm not an Alpha. They actually didn't tell me what my role is."
"Hmm... they should tell you soon. Can't wait to hear it!"
They went on their way to their classroom. While they were walking, Netnet remembered something important. He said, "Liu! I just remembered... what's gonna be your superhero alias?"
Liu answered, "Huh... I never really thought of that. But I guess the obvious choice would be 'Karma' since that's what the association knows me by... thanks to you."
Netnet's expression changed, and Liu noticed it. Liu asked, "Are you okay if I use that alias?"
Then, Netnet turned to Liu with a sentimental look and said, "It would mean the world to me if you use my alias. It makes me feel that what I did turned into something really special. Thanks, Liu."
"Ha... I'm glad you feel that way. But don't cry on me now, Net."
"I'm not crying! You're crying!", said Netnet as he got teary-eyed.
Suddenly, Liu received a message. It was from NAOL asking him to visit HQ to undergo the assessment later that day.
-
Bolo picked up Liu from school and they both teleported to the NAOL training grounds, which is not in Antipolo City, but to the north of the metropolitan region.
Liu realised that it's an unfamiliar place. He asked, "Where are we?"
Bolo answered with a hint of excitement, "Welcome to the NAOL training facility. We're in the plains of Tarlac province."
"Hmm... This is the first time I've been outside of the metropolitan region. The air is different here."
"Ah, yes. That's one of the great things about this location. But they mainly chose the plains because it's too risky to train up in Antipolo City. We could trigger a landslide and destroy the mountain. Anyway, let's get inside. They're waiting for you."
When they got inside, Liu was surprised to see the number of people waiting for them. Aside from the chief, there were 5 other unknown people. He asked Bolo who those 5 people are. Bolo was surprised that Liu really had no idea about the Alphas and Betas.
Bolo said, "Man, I'm beginning to think that the reason you became a vigilante is because you didn't know Alphas and Betas existed." While they were approaching the chief and the others at the center of the enormous gym, Bolo introduced them, "That lady with the sword is Mina. Her alias is Talim. She's one of the Betas of Pasig City. She's a magician, and that sword is her magic weapon. By the way, you should get used to calling everyone by their alias... for security reasons."
"...Next to her, that bald guy is Bimbo. He's also a magician that uses healing magic. I know what you're thinking... and no, he's not a monk. He's just... bald. He's a Beta of Taguig City, and his alias is... Monghe."
"You're serious? Monghe is literally the Tagalog word for 'monk'", said Liu.
"I know, right? That's what we all said to him.... Anyway, next to him is Janica. My only Beta. She's also a magician that uses Electro magic. Her alias is Kuri."
Liu was trying his best to remember the names and aliases. His memory is not really good, so it's a challenge for him to remember them. He was also imagining how difficult it would be once all of the Alphas and Betas have been introduced to him.
"Those 2 right next to the chief are Alphas. That's Buging AKA Kid Light, the Alpha of the northern part of Quezon City. He's an enlightened. The other one is Niko AKA Meka, the Alpha of Makati City. He's a tech master, and he's also a magician. He's not wearing it right now, but he uses a mecha suit that utilizes both tech and magic."
Liu said, "They're an interesting bunch. But... is this really how you people do the assessment? It feels like an overkill."
Bolo answered, "Not really. Usually, we just test the mana quality and physicality of the candidate. But this time, the old man prepared something special just for you. Good luck."
Liu came face to face with the 5 newly introduced members. Chief Dante thanked Bolo for introducing everyone.
"Hmm... the chief heard all that? We were like 40 meters away. Interesting."
The Chief said, "These people are here to help with the assessment. But first, we need to check your mana quality. Please proceed to that room. There are staff there waiting for you."
Liu went to the room and was met by 4 people. The first one was the lead scientist who asked him if he's a magician or an enlightened, to which Liu answered, "I'm an enlightened. At least that's what my mother told me."
The lead scientist commanded one person to strap the detectors all around his body and on his head. The other two were manning the machine. The lead scientist asked Liu to take deep breaths to regulate his mana flow, which will make it easier for the team to analyse his mana quality.
The machine started making sounds indicating that it's generating data through the detectors. Suddenly, they heard a ping. The two who were manning the machine told the lead scientist that there was an error. The lead scientist asked them to do it again and reminded Liu to take deep breaths. However, it still came back with an error. The third time also came back with an error, so the lead scientist got worried, so he checked the machine himself. He doubted the data so he checked the monitor that visualises the mana flow in a person's body. He was surprised by what he saw. He asked Liu if he was taking deep breaths, and Liu confirmed.
The lead scientist went out of the room and spoke to chief Dante privately.
"Chief, we ran into a problem while testing his mana quality. The system is getting confused. It's saying that he's an A rank, but there's a problem with the data."
The chief was not so surprised by what he heard. He asked, "What did you find?"
"I asked him to take deep breaths so his mana should be equally spread out to his entire body, but I saw that it was swirling in his chest instead. It's like the mana is being suppressed. I don't think he's doing it on purpose. I think his mana is in an unstable state that they're just compressed in his chest as if they're fighting. A compressed mana is amplified that's why the system could easily mistake him for an A rank, but I think if the mana was equally spread out, the system would read that he's probably a C or a D. It's really strange. I've never seen anything like it."
The chief was intrigued. He wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Liu was A rank, but he's bothered by the thought of Liu's mana being suppressed and unstable because it meant he's not capable of controlling magic.
The chief said, "Hmm... I guess what's important is he has the mana to be a superhero. Take him to the next phase."
The lead scientist took him to the physical testing room, and he handed him to the team lead. He was asked to do 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats, and 10 kms on a treadmill. He was able to complete all that effortlessly, and so the lead deemed him fit to work and noted that he's physically exceptional. The lead asked him if he's a combat type, to which Liu said yes.
The lead said, "That explains it. Most of the people who were able to complete all that are the combat type. But you... you didn't even break a sweat.
Liu replied, "Oh, I think it's because of the air conditioning. It's pretty cold here."
The physical examination concluded and so he was asked to proceed to the main area where the others were waiting.
The chief thanked him for completing the 2 phases. He was impressed by the note that the team lead left about his performance. Then chief said, "Bolo told you earlier that there's another phase. I find it necessary to fully test your capabilities, especially after your mana quality result came out."
The others wondered what the mana quality result was, but the chief didn't disclose the details of the mana quality assessment to them. He just said, "By what we've seen so far, you're a Beta. Now, we need to confirm your ranking. And so... you have to fight one of the Betas here."
Everyone was surprised except for Bolo who knew the chief's plan. They were curious why the chief found that phase necessary. They thought they were only there to get acquainted with the infamous vigilante of Manila, Karma.
The chief added, "Since you appear to be a combat type, I'll have you match up against Talim. She uses a magical weapon, and so to make it fair, I'll give you the opportunity to find a weapon in the armory."
Liu replied, "Hmm... I'm not really used to weapons. Can I just fight with my bare hands?"
The chief smiled and gave a nod of approval. Then, the others moved aside and left Liu and Mina at the center to prepare for battle. The chief announced, "Talim is a B rank. She won't go easy on you, so show us what you got. Whoever takes their opponent down wins."
Mina stared down Liu with an intent to harm, while Liu just showed an unbothered look. Mina said, "I really think you should've picked a weapon, so you won't have an excuse when I beat you."
Then, Mina unsheathed her sword. It was a traditional Filipino sword called a 'kampilan'. It has runes in ancient Filipino script on each side like what other combat type magicians do.
Mina activated the runes on her boots to give her enhanced speed, and she made the first move as she charged towards Liu. With the enhanced speed, she was super fast, but not as fast as Liu. Liu could still perceive her movements, so he managed to dodge the slash. Mina threw more slashes, but Liu easily dodged them.
Mina commented, "I have to admit. I didn't expect you to be fast."
On the sideline, Buging noticed that he didn't use runes and magic to dodge. Instead, he was merely using his physical prowess. What happened next surprised him more and the others. Niko said, "His eyes... they're glowing blue."
Liu activated his enhanced vision to check Mina's aura. Her aura's not as great as the aura he saw inside the classroom on the first day of classes, but it's still remarkable. He knew he could handle her.
The thing about Liu is that he doesn't like showing off, so he had no intention of going all out. He focused on the objective which was to take down Mina. On the other hand, Mina had no intention of holding back. So, she activated the runes on her sword causing it to glow blue as well, which is generally the color of mana. That means she wasn't using a magic type on her sword, instead, she was basically infusing mana to it to make it more powerful. She could use a magic type on her sword like make it emit flames or lightning, but she doesn't have that kind of ability, which is why she's only a Beta.
Mina jumped high up in the air and she bombarded Liu with long range mana slashes. Liu ran around to evade each slash, but he found it difficult because of the number of slashes Mina was able to generate, and she was able to follow him with slashes. Then, she was able to make a hit followed by a big smoke of dirt and debris, or so they thought. When the smoke cleared, Liu wasn't there. Everyone was surprised except the chief. Liu appeared behind Mina in mid air and shoved her downward.
Chief thought to himself, "He didn't punch her or kick her. He just shoved her. Is he holding back?"
Buging said, "I didn't see him use runes or hear him cast a spell. He must be an enlightened."
Janica said, "Maybe he's using one of those magical trinkets, charms, or whatever you call them."
Bimbo replied, "An agimat? I don't think so. I didn't see any agimat on him."
Niko said, "Why isn't he using his fire powers? He defeated criminals with his fire magic, right?
Bimbo replied, "Maybe he's holding back because he doesn't wanna harm Talim."
Niko replied, "Then what's the point of this if he's not gonna go all out?"
Chief Dante said, "You'll see."
Mina fell to the ground, but she managed to land on her feet, so the match continued. She said, "Nobody told me you're that fast. Well, I guess the investigation team can't really figure that out from the crime scenes you've left."
Liu let out a deep sigh and thought to himself, "Again... if only you people knew. But I'd be doomed if they did."
Liu decided to end the match so he dashed towards Mina and did a foot sweep on her. However, she managed to stay up by using her sword as a stand. Using his quickness, Liu touched Mina's collar bone area and pushed her down. She was finally defeated because her back is on the ground.
Chief Dante applauded the match, while the others were still confused about the point of the match and everything that happened in the match.
Chief Dante said, "Congratulations, Karma. You won against a B-ranked Beta. I deem you... a B-ranked Beta as well."
Liu didn't show excitement or any emotion at all. He was just relieved that the assessment was done. Everyone congratulated him, including Mina, and he thanked everyone.
Buging said, "You were impressive. But I have to know, how did you make your eyes glow and what does it do?"
Liu answered, "Uhm... I don't know. I just do it. It's like focusing my eyes. It allows me to see how powerful a person is."
Janica said, "That's so cool! Can you teach me how to do that?"
Liu replied, "Uh... I don't know if I can do that, but thanks."
Chief Dante handed him an emblem. It's the Beta emblem. He told Liu that he should wear it somewhere visible whenever he's on duty for identification purposes. He said, "Now that you're a Beta, you need to be assigned somewhere. The 3 Alphas you see here are the ones in need of a Beta."
"Oh... so that's what we're here for", said Buging with an embarrassed chuckle.
Chief Dante explained how it works. Alphas get to choose which Beta they want on their team, and if multiple Alphas are interested in the same Beta, the Beta gets to choose from those Alphas. He added, "So... which of you 3 are interested in Karma?"
Buging said, "I like his speed, and speed is my forte, so I'll be happy to take him."
Bolo joined in and said, "No, I'll take him. I need a combat type Beta. Besides, he lives in my territory."
Buging replied, "Oh, yeah? Well I don't have a Beta yet, so I need him more than you do."
Chief Dante interrupted, "Don't tell me you two will fight over him. We'd love to see that, but not right now. Let's let Karma choose. Meka, aren't you interested?"
Niko replied, "Not really. He's good, but I'm envisioning something else for my team."
Chief Dante understood and let Liu decide. Liu wanted to consider something. He asked the chief, "Sir, what exactly does a Beta do?"
The chief replied, "Glad you asked. Betas are apprentices of the Alphas. The goal is to see those Betas grow into Alphas, too. In the process, they're tasked to deal with street-level crimes."
"Why haven't I heard of any Betas in Manila?", Liu asked.
The atmosphere got tense. The Alphas and Betas in the room looked at each other, but the chief calmly answered, "As you know, Alphas choose their Beta. Unfortunately, Magnus still has not chosen a Beta. He said none of the candidates so far have met his criteria. That's why if you notice, there are more police in Manila... and in northern Quezon City than anywhere else."
Buging added, "You can make it one less city without a Beta by joining my team."
Chief Dante noticed that Liu was contemplating. He could sense that Liu would rather be in Manila. Then Liu said, "I'll join Sir Bolo's team."
Everyone was surprised by his decision, especially the chief because he thought Liu would negotiate.
Bolo excitedly said, "Yes! Welcome to the team, Karma."