Leona walked over to the row of troublemakers and took the last spot. She no longer had to be the first one to do all the exercises during this physical test, as the others were eager to push their limits and awaken their innate skills. Watching one of them lift himself on the pull-up bar, Leona instinctively pulled her upper lip in and made a derpy face. She inhaled the smell of that troublemaker working the bar and tasted his aura through her strange new organ.
A new information window popped up before her.
[An unknown individual (Human)]
[Status: Skilless]
[Attributes:
Strength: 16
Vitality: 6
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 11
Stamina: 12
Perception: 4
Willpower: 10
Intelligence: 0]
Oh.
Leona hadn't received this kind of information about James, only seeing him as bigger and stronger. It could be because she was too weak or lacked the knowledge to properly see through him. But as this other troublemaker was a normal human without any mana, he was pretty easy to look into. Everything she smelled about him through her vomeronasal organ appeared in her system so that she could easily understand her own strength and prowess.
The listed attributes were also self-explanatory, except for Agility and Dexterity. Leona pawed at the air and clicked on both stats, which appeared in front of her in two separate small system screens.
[Agility: each point in Agility makes your entire body faster and more fluid.]
[Dexterity: each point in Dexterity increases your reaction speed, precision, and control over your movements.]
Umu. The more agility I have, the quicker I get to the kitchen. The more dexterity I have, the faster I snatch snacks from the shelves or refrigerator.
Those two attributes became Leona's favorites now. She didn't even check how many points she had in them or compare herself to the skilless troublemaker. As a cat, I should have a lot more.
[Leona Schnee (Black Cat)]
[Attributes:
Strength: 13
Vitality: 14
Agility: 35
Dexterity: 32
Stamina: 30
Perception: 40
Willpower: 15
Intelligence: 12]
Yes! I have so much agility and dexterity!
No snack would be left unattended. That said, Leona was now a part of the hero exam. She couldn't think only about her own comfort anymore.
Taking a curt glance at the skilless man groaning on the pull-up bar, Leona imagined his stats side by side with hers. Ten times more perception meant she would read this man's moves like a book, and her higher agility and dexterity would allow her to easily respond to what she read. Just awakening her innate skill had already taken her so far above normal people.
It wasn't just normal people surrounding Leona. Except for James and his coworkers, there were also other students whose innate skills had been awakened either recently or long ago. Leona didn't have to search long for them.
The neighboring group had a particular young man who could barely lift himself on the pull-up bar. He managed three pull-ups, then hung from the bar like a piece of laundry. He seemed to be the stubborn type, as he didn't let go of the bar even when the examiner told him to.
Leona formed a derpy face.
A second later, she had the young man's stats in front of her.
Her ears also picked up the conversation between him and his examiner.
"...let it go, Aron."
"I can't... that policeman said... the physical test will play... a crucial role... in the final exam!"
"Mr. James phrased it this way for the delinquents. Most of them are usually skilless and don't bother with the physical exams. We know that you are a mana type, Aron. Just get down and take a break. Trust in us and our experience."
"No!"
Leona stared at him with narrowed eyes. He's an idiot, but he will become a good hero.
[Intelligence: 62]
This young man's stat was even higher than Leona's with her awakened Black Cat Bloodline and skill. Similarly, this stat made his aura different from others, so Leona suspected that physical and mana awakeners had different auras, which she could now distinguish by taste alone before looking at the system window.
He also reminded her of many heroes whose stupidity and stubbornness were apparently their charm, at least according to fangirl comments and so on, but Leona could never see that appeal. Instead, she'd rather enjoy smart heroines in action and look at their sexy outfits.
But it was exactly those two reasons that she believed he would become a good hero—if not that, then at least a strong one.
"Schnee," James cut in.
The glasses tyrant's voice pulled Leona away from the other group back to her lot. She looked up at James, and he gestured at the pull-up bar.
"Your turn," he added coolly.
"Ok," Leona replied.
James chuckled. "You're eager now to test your awakened skill, aren't you? Don't forget to report your awakening to the government after this exam."
Leona halted and scrunched her face. "Can I do it online?"
"No. You must show yourself."
Her expression became even uglier now. I want to be a house cat. Maybe I'll be able to make a cat gang and they'll do my bidding for me, like gathering intel for heroes. That would be nice.
With a new goal set, Leona walked under the towering handles. James had cleaned them already and handed Leona a piece of gym chalk.
She rubbed it between her palms and clapped, creating a white cloud that hit James's face and glasses. While he coughed and angrily took off his glasses, Leona acted innocently and turned to the handles. She was so small that it seemed she wouldn't be able to grip them on her own and would need a small stool.
Leona didn't think so. Something within her told her that it was within her reach. She bent her knees and lowered her upper body. A strange sensation, as though her entire spine coiled like a spring, spread over her back. Leona then leaped upward, catching the handles. She swung briefly before bringing her body to a stop.
She pulled herself up, her chin over the handle, before lowering down and repeating the process a few times.
[You have begun your quest—Pull-Ups(E)!]
[Count: 0]
[Count: 1]
[Count: 2...]
So far, Leona didn't feel much strain in her muscles; the pull-ups still felt almost easy. Though her strength stat was lower than the skilless guy's, she weighed no more than a feather and had much more stamina than him. At around thirty-nine pull-ups, Leona began to feel a significant ache around her arms and back.
That pain, however, wasn't foreign to her anymore. Just like with the punching machine, it stirred Leona to work harder for some reason. It was like she could feel the positive effects of bodybuilding and unconsciously knew it would serve her well in the future.
I should have asked how many pull-ups the skilless guys did. I don't want to be worse.
That was also something Leona would never have thought prior to her awakening. No longer a face in the crowd, she was now a cat with a purr pride to her name.
[Count: 94]
By this point, Leona struggled to pull herself up and shivered with each pull. She also took more breaks in between, but didn't let the handles go like a certain mage-type individual. In her case, however, she knew she still could lift herself.
[Count: 95]
Just five short of the big milestone, Leona let the handles go and dropped onto her feet. Her arms fell beside her like heavy logs, and she hunched, breathing heavily. A system window appeared in front of her, matching her line of sight.
[You have finished your quest—Pull-Ups(E)!]
[You haven't made enough pull-ups to evolve your passive skill, but still made significant progress toward evolving the Cat Constitution Skill to Rank E.]
[You have received +2 Strength, +2 Stamina, and +2 Vitality.]
Without this quest, Leona would have received only one point into Strength and Stamina. But she received generous additional rewards for doing so well on her first quest. Of course, she wasn't satisfied, as her passive skill didn't evolve. Still, it was a good effort.
That's why the quest was E Rank—because it was too difficult for me?
[You have received a new quest—Surprise Paw Day(E).]
[Once you begin an exercise for your legs, you will receive the details of your quest.]
Leona tilted her head.
She didn't have much time to think about this surprise quest, as James took the group to another exercise machine and forced them to train more.
The five troublemakers stared at him with dead eyes.
"What are you waiting for? You all were fighting to be the first one to exercise, now you all have deadfish eyes?" James sneered.
All five expressions said the same thing: Shut up, give us a break!
***
The surprise quest made itself known once again when Leona's group appeared outside the gymnasium hall. They were now on a sprinting track that stretched so far ahead that Leona instinctively looked around to make a run for it. Some habits never died, and sticking with a job was perhaps one of those—one she'd have to work really hard to get rid of.
"You can give it a try, Schnee," James said, his sideways glance pinning Leona down and giving her goosebumps.
Leona snapped her head back and fervently shook it a few times.
Another examiner approached James. "Mr. James, do you mind my group being here as well?"
"Of course not. I gave you a heavier burden since I've decided to focus only on the troublemakers. Let's share the track."
"Thank you, and please do not worry. You managed to awaken one of them! That will surely be a great achievement on your resume!"
James laughed. "True."
Leona clenched her hands. He's bullying me and that will be a sort of achievement on his resume? Maybe I really should go for it and make a run for it and make it my own achievement! What hero academy would not take me with that on my resume?
[Your quest has been updated.]
[Surprise Paw Day(E) became Surprise Paw Dominance(E)]
[Win a race against everyone on the track!]
[Upon winning it all, your Cat Constitution will evolve to Rank E!]
Eh?
While Leona was in deep contemplation about overcoming the glasses tyrant, James and the other examiner talked about the fitness test on the track. It was a simple run. Since both groups were here, the examiners decided to make it a competition.
Leona's system picked up that conversation and updated her quest, now forcing her to do the unspeakable.
But there are other awakeners here!
"You will all race against one another. No rules. The ones in the top five will have favorable spots in the final exam, and believe me, you want it," James said to every student.
All five troublemakers stared daggers at James, while others, mainly those that had physical skills, saw an angel behind those black glasses. Not having any say in that, Leona and the others took their spots on the vast track.
James took out a sports pistol from a hidden sleeve in his suit and raised his hand over his head.
"Ready? Go!"
He shot.
BOOM!
Leona ran forward. A second later, the sharp wind slammed into her from both sides as students with physical skills ran past her like bulls. They all pulled farther and farther ahead. Naturally, Leona was also fast given her stats. She gave her all, but she still couldn't catch up to those gunning for the top five spots.
It's annoying. I don't even want to be a hero but a cat gang leader whose cats help heroes, and all I get to do is nap and eat in my room. So why? Why do I want to beat them?
Her aspirations changed over the course of this exam, from one plot twist to the next. Leona couldn't answer herself, but time pressed on her. The current top five distanced themselves from the others and made brief eye contact, all seemingly content with their current standings.
Just then, Leona went with her instincts and leaped forward onto her four legs. Her new Cat Constitution made everything feel more natural when she was in this posture. She could twist her neck as though she didn't even have a neck bone and look ahead comfortably. Then, her spine turned into a spring, coiling up and readying her for her first leap.
She took that leap naturally and covered a few extra inches easily, then repeated the motion and ran past the students ahead of her. Top Fifteen? Top Fourteen? Top Thirteen? Those students weren't worth mentioning as Leona breezed past them on all fours!
Top Five was her current goal. Once she had overtaken the top sixth student and closed the distance with the top five, the young man felt Leona's gaze on his back. He turned around and saw her on her fours, getting closer and closer.
"What the hell are you?!" he shouted.
Leona was so close that it would be only moments before she took over his spot. It was then that the student stopped and spun, snapping a kick toward Leona's face. That was exactly what James meant by no rules.
Jumping over the student's attack, Leona twisted her body and whipped a kick in response, shoving her heel into the top fifth's face. She toppled him backward and broke his nose. She then landed on her fours like a cat would and resumed her sprint.
Top Four was the next target.
The boy saw it all.
"TOP FIVE IS ALL I NEED!" he screamed.
Leona breezed past him while he clenched his teeth and pushed his legs harder. As long as he didn't finish out of the top five, he'd do well in this hero exam!
Top Three was a girl with long legs, smiling as Leona broke the norm and went for her spot. Intending to win it fair and square as a fellow girl, she put it all into her legs—that didn't help her against Leona. Leona shot past her like a thunderbolt, seemingly telling her that life was not as fair.
Top Two was now the target. He was a man who screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran. His screams sounded like a car's engine, so he must have had some sort of innate skill related to it. He also kept it fair.
Leona softly mewled as she went past him. "Meowed."
Top One couldn't believe what was going on. He had been first ever since the beginning, so how could a dark horse suddenly appear like that? Once he felt Leona's breath on his back, he turned around and shouted.
"Damn it all!"
But before he could take a stance to punch or kick Leona, she was the first one to leap up and drill her feet into the Top One's face, taking him down while taking his spot.
Kicking that top five dude in the face was more satisfying than punching a punching machine, so I'll take this chance to kick you as well if you expose yourself like that.
She landed on her fours and finished the race first.
[You have finished your quest Surprise Paw Dominance(E)!]
[Your Cat Constitution(E) Passive Skill will now undergo an evolution to Rank E!]
Leona's body heated up, her hands and feet burning. Along with this satisfying pain, she grew sleepy...
I feel... really sleepy again.
Leona curled up and closed her eyes.
James stood over her and didn't let her fall asleep yet.
"Go sleep in the locker room, Schnee. All fitness tests are now done, and I have gathered enough information about you. In an hour, you will begin the final test to see whether you have what it takes to be a hero. Prepare."
The Final Test?
Leona wondered what it would be as her eyelids became heavier.
"Schnee! Stand up!" James shouted.
But even his cold voice couldn't cool Leona's heated body in the middle of evolution.