On the black screen, where the numbers would usually be displayed, a large, ominous red "ERROR" message could be seen, stark against the dark background.
"The rules were clear, young man," the bald man said, his voice now devoid of any warmth, his gaze piercing the teenager.
"You are not, by any means, to use the energy from your core, but you didn't listen. You know what that means, right?" The teenager was utterly bewildered; he genuinely didn't know what had happened.
All he knew was that he was merely using a newfound energy from within him, the satisfying surge he had felt when he had absorbed the pill.
It wasn't his intention to even use the energy from his core; had he known it would lead to this, he wouldn't have used it.
If only he had know the difference between the energy he could feel inside him, maybe.. Just maybe things would have been different.. Right?.. But now .. it was too late... Too late to do anything, the done had been done and now he was paying for something he didn't know of.
He desperately tried to explain, tried to plead his case, but it just turned out that today was certainly not his lucky day.
Just like the rest before him, the young teenager was eliminated, his hopes of a new beginning dashed out the window.
And , unfortunately for Fai, he wasn't even able to measure his strength accurately using the boy's performance.
After the disqualified kids were taken away, the assessment continued as it normally would.
And like before, some kids made it through, their faces radiating relief, while others didn't, their expressions etched with disappointment.
The assessment proceeded at a normal pace, with no extraordinary performances and no further disorders, only a consistent succession of passes and failures.
And just like that, it was finally Johnson's turn.
"Johnson Padison," the bald man called out, his voice sharp and clear.
"Well, I guess it's my turn," Johnson declared, a mischievous glint in his eye as he started moving towards the machine. "Wish me luck!" he said, looking back at Fai, and with a wink, he was off.
Seeing his playful actions, Fai didn't even know how to react, so he did nothing, remaining impassive to the point that the remaining students weren't sure who the wink was even meant for.
Making his way up to the front, where the imposing machine awaited him, was Johnson.
Although he had felt a little confident when he was at the back, now at the front and close to the machine, he could feel shivers being sent down his spine.
Whether it was because everyone was watching him about to performe, or if it was from the fear, or the pressure of the task itself , he didn't know.
Johnson had now finally made his way to the front, and he was standing directly in front of the machine, his breath held.
"You are free to start when you are ready," the bald man said, his voice indicating a hint of impatience. 'I guess I should just get this over and done with,' Johnson thought, a quick resolve hardening his features.
And like that, he bounced off from his position, stretching his hands through the air and landing a solid hit right on the spot, no fancy technique, no intricate footwork, just a raw, powerful bounce and a direct hit.
As his fist made contact with the spot, a loud, resounding bang could be heard, and the numbers on the screen could be seen rising rapidly from zero to sixty.
Johnson had performed no complex technique, no fancy moves, no tricks, yet his hit was as solid and powerful as that of the girl with the red hair. Even Fai was utterly stunned when he saw his performance, a genuine expression of surprise crossing his face.
'He was this strong the entire time, yet he was still worried?' Fai thought, a new appreciation for Johnson's hidden power dawning on him.
But unlike with the girl, the bald man didn't say anything, and simply shouted the word, "PASS!"
The bald man screamed, his voice booming through the hall.
And just like the others before, a military personnel was promptly there to escort Johnson to where the people who had passed would be waiting.
But before going, Johnson turned around, his eyes scanning the crowd of students, and his gaze fell directly on a particular person.
Then he screamed the words, "I will be waiting for you on the other side! Don't keep me waiting, dude!" He said, looking directly at Fai, before giving a thumbs up and a wink; it was his own unique way of saying good luck.
And with that, he was gone, disappearing through the entrance.
Fai didn't even know why, but he kind of liked it, the fact that Johnson had called out to him specifically and made that statement.
He genuinely liked it, but the feeling only lasted a fraction of a second as all the painful memories of what other people had done to him, how they had abandoned him, came flooding back.
For the moment, Johnson could be seen as a genuinely nice guy, but there was no telling what he would become when he finally knew that Fai didn't have a backing, no family, no power.
Right now, in Fai's group, there were only about fifteen students left, Fai among them.
And any time soon, Fai was sure of it, his name was going to be called.
'Screw this, what is there to even think of? I'll just absorb it and deal with the consequences later,' Fai thought to himself, his resolve firming.
He immediately summoned the pill from his system using his skill.
[storage]
And like that, out of thin air, the pill had materialized in his hand.
[HUMAN EARTH-BASED MUTATION PILL]
[THIS PILL, WHEN ABSORBED BY HUMANS, GRANTS THEM AN EARTH-BASED MUTANT CORE, GIVING THEM THE CAPACITY TO PERFORM EARTH ABILITIES.]
[IF HOST IS TO CONSUME THE PILL, IT WILL HAVE NO SUCH EFFECT.]
[CONSUMPTION OF THE PILL WILL LEAD TO +5 IN THE STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE.]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONSUME THE PILL?]
[YES] [NO]
Looking at the screen this time, Fai wasted no time even contemplating. There was no drawback if the pill was used, no immediate consequences, at least none he wasn't aware of. Quickly, he selected the option.
[YES]
As soon as he did, he could see the pill in his hand breaking into multiple pieces, almost like shimmering dust particles.
And they were all gravitating towards him, small, like fine dust, all moving towards his skin, passing effortlessly through his pores, and attaching themselves to his very muscles.
Once the particles came into contact with his muscles, Fai could feel a huge, searing amount of pain; it was like his muscles were being violently ripped apart from the inside.
They were being broken down, torn, and then meticulously reassembled again.
The pain, though intense, was bearable, because after the agonizing breakdown process, the subsequent buildup process would occur.
Almost like after the muscles were distorted they would build back, which was somewhat satisfying,.. It was a.. strange.. Satisfying sensation to say the least .
The process continued like this for a grueling five minutes, a constant, relentless cycle of breakdown and buildup.
Sweat could be seen running down his face, a testament to the raw physical ordeal he was enduring as the process unfolded.
That was u till the system read out the message.
[CONSUMPTION OF PILL COMPLETE]