It didn't take that long for us to arrive at the testing room.
But it looked like I'd be the last one in, since there was a line.
Even so, during the walk over here, I did some digging.
I figured out that this place was at least 5,000 meters underground.
More importantly, it was directly under Aldraazan.
Just how were they able to build something like this here?
Was the king involved too?
I knew it was a sketchy project, but damn... It was even sketchier than I thought.
Regardless of that, the line moved fairly quickly.
But for some reason, not everyone came out.
The first two that went in didn't leave.
The next three did, however.
Eventually, it was my turn to enter the testing room.
I stepped inside calmly and spotted two people in hazmat suits.
They were standing around a bloodied table, and they signaled me to lie on it.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Emma assured.
Rolling my eyes, I lay down on the bloodied table and stared at the two people in hazmat suits.
They exchanged glances, and then they pulled out two crystals.
One was purple, while the other was blue.
They placed one crystal beside my left ear and the other beside my right ear.
I heard a strange buzzing noise.
"Subject Amon Everness. Let us know whenever the discomfort is too much for you to bear."
"Mhm."
Not sure what discomfort they were referring to though.
Still, I continued lying there, and I even closed my eyes.
Honestly, this was making me sleepy.
Maybe that was the discomfort they were talking about?
A minute, two minutes, five minutes... an hour passed.
By now, the buzzing noise was slightly louder, but I wouldn't call it unbearable.
It was like a distant mosquito buzz.
Eventually though, the two in hazmat suits picked their crystals back up and stashed them away.
I couldn't see their expressions, but they were way too silent.
That was until one of them spoke.
"Uhh... your mental aptitude is the highest grade. You pass."
"Sure."
Were all these tests just going to be a breeze like this?
I don't want to jinx it, but damn.
Standing up and wiping the blood off my clothes, I walked back to Emma, and just like that, the two of us left the testing room.
She led me back to my personal room, and right before leaving, she said a few words.
"Make sure to get a lot of sleep. Tomorrow is the first actual day where you'll start taking small doses of demon blood and building a resistance for the final dose."
I raised a brow.
"Are you allowed to tell me this?"
Emma put a finger over her lips, then chuckled.
"Since you're special, I'm allowed to give you some special treatment. Goodnight now, Amon Everness. See you in the morning."
With that, she closed the door and left me alone again.
I stared at the door for a moment before finally taking a seat on my own bed.
My first impressions of this place were a bit mixed.
It was clear I caught their attention, and they were treating me a little differently than the others.
William was the only dangerous one here, since I couldn't tell just what the extent of his strength was.
Though Emma did bullshit me earlier.
The headmaster wasn't here.
If I wanted to, I could crash the whole weight of the earth down on this place and escape.
But I didn't want to do that just yet.
I was curious about this demonic power up.
And I was also sure I could endure it, since I had already endured worse.
Nodding to myself a few times, I decided that instead of sleeping, I'll scout out the entire lab with my Telekinesis.
After all, if what Emma said was right, tomorrow would be the day everything actually started.
***
It was now the following day.
I found some interesting things during the night.
These people had some closed off rooms, and inside those rooms, I felt an ominous energy.
I was nearly certain they were keeping demons down here.
Really... after I'm done here, I'll make sure to destroy everything here.
Just then, Emma opened the door and gestured for me to follow her.
We walked in a different direction this time, and after arriving in a whole other room that looked like an office, I spotted William.
He smiled at me.
"Hi there. After hearing so many great things about you, I decided to personally oversee your first demonic blood infusion."
"..."
"No need to look so wary. I told you our goal isn't to kill you. Sit down."
Emma bowed at him and took her leave.
It was only the two of us here now.
This guy had a really punchable face, but even so, I sat down on his sofa and relaxed.
"Excellent."
He skipped over to his desk and pulled out a black syringe.
After flicking it a few times, he approached me and sat down beside me.
"There's usually a whole danger process that I should explain here, but it doesn't really matter."
"All you need to know is that the dose is made with your current abilities taken into account. It's a much smaller dose than what you'll eventually be given."
I met his gaze.
"Just shut up already and get it over with."
"Oho? Aren't you a feisty one. Alright, here it goes."
He stabbed the syringe into my bicep and then injected it.
I immediately felt an uncomfortable sensation envelop my whole arm.
It was similar to having gelatin poured on you.
Except the weight of that gelatin continued to increase by the second.
I closed my eyes and focused on the black liquid that was injected.
To my surprise, there were some green particles too.
That was definitely poison.
So with a single thought, I used Telekinesis to separate the poison from the rest of the dose, and with lightning, I zapped the poison out of existence.
The uncomfortable sensation vanished immediately.
It was replaced by a warmth that spread throughout my body, and after nearly an hour, the sensation faded, almost like it assimilated with my body.
Of course, I didn't just let it do its thing.
I observed everything.
The black liquid enhanced my bones, and it also sped up the flow of my blood.
That meant I could now activate my Gift much faster.
Though this liquid was very invasive too.
It consistently tried to reach my brain and probably turn me into some kind of demon or worse, a slave to the people.
But it only took me a single thought to create a blockade and reap the benefits without any side effects.
So when the whole process was finally done, I opened my eyes and immediately checked my status screen.
•—Amon Everness—•
Level 128 → 154 [High-Grade 12 → Mid-Grade 15]
▷Stats
[Strength 113 → 136]
[Stamina 131 → 174]
[Speed 132 → 155]
[Perception 122 → 142]
[Vitality 140 → 165]
▷Inherent Gift
★Telekinesis [Advanced] (Lv.19 → Lv.22)
★Lightning Manipulation [Intermediate] (Lv.3 → Lv.25)
▷Special Abilities
★Blood-Sight (Lv.24 → Lv.25)
★Demonic Energy Resistance (Lv.2 → Lv.9)
★Lightning Resistance (Lv.1 → Lv.2)
▷General Abilities
☆Sprint (Lv.32)
☆Pain Tolerance (Lv.55 → Lv.60)
☆First Aid (Lv.12)
☆Mental Resistance (Lv. MAX)
▷Core Traits
◆Dragon Heart [Beginner] (Lv.25 → Lv.35)
•——•
The strength increase was extreme.
A small dose increased my Grade by 3.
My Dragon Heart also benefitted a lot.
And so did my Demonic Energy Resistance.
Although I was wary at first... I was the perfect person for them to test these doses on.
I could negate the effects and increase my strength drastically.
So in the end, it turned out my gamble paid off.
The project was actually a treasure trove.
Haha...
"How are you feeling, Amon?" William asked expectantly. "Any discomfort? Perhaps a slight headache?"
"My ears are buzzing a little..."
No they weren't.
"And maybe I feel just a little lightheaded? That's about it."
No I wasn't.
"I see. That's good." William relaxed. "For a moment, I thought you were completely immune. It's good that the serum is working."
He abruptly stood up.
"Now then, Amon. Someone else will administer your dose tomorrow. Until then, you should spend some time in your room. You'll be able to roam around more freely after the fourth day."
I simply nodded at him, and after standing up, I didn't hesitate to leave his office.
Emma glanced at me worriedly.
But when she saw the calm expression on my face, she exhaled an exhausted breath.
"I'll sneak a cookie or a cake into your room tonight."
What a goofball.
"Okay, Emma."
I didn't dare to try feeling any sympathy for her.
I didn't feel anything for any of the subjects either.
The moment I got whatever I wanted, this whole place is going to be destroyed.
A faint smile appeared on my face, and just like that, I returned to my room and spent the night eating a cake while observing the whole facility again.