Chapter 9
Bumi looks down at his body, inspecting it for any injuries. To his surprise, he was only left with shallow cuts from Jake's attack. The Synbeast was more random and less predictable. It lacked ego or emotion and, as a whole, was more of a challenge than Jake, who was, for lack of a better word, human. While the Synbeast held no prejudice toward Bumi, making its movements much harder to manipulate, Jake could be conditioned easily. It was human nature to follow patterns. Jake was just more flawed, more predictable, more human.
Jake was still lying on the ground, defeated. Bumi offered his hand but was immediately cursed at. Jake was meant to enter into SSSA with his younger brother, but that dream will remain just that.
After checking up with the medic, Bumi returned back to the observation deck. Unsurprisingly, he could hear whispers and comments about his fight.
"How did this guy make it through?"
"He probably cheated…"
"I saw him playing dirty; he was throwing dirt and gravel."
"Do we really want a Synarcless SSS agent?"
Bumi could only let out a sigh hearing this, but there was nothing to gain from confronting them. He had a test to focus on after all as he saw Yuko waving, swinging both arms precariously at him.
"Congrats!!! That was so coooooool!!! You weaved through his attacks, and that final stab with your knife—!" Yuko said while patting Bumi's back with a bit too much strength for Bumi's comfort.
"Thanks, but I think… I just got lucky…" Bumi said, still unable to shake off what he heard from the other candidate. While he may not have been affected emotionally, their words still held some weight, clouding his judgment. He brushed aside his train of thought as he has something more pressing coming up. "We should really get going for our theory test."
Immediately, Yuko froze upon hearing about the theory test. Her face was completely pale as she stuttered her next few words. "Y-y-y-yeah—, W-w-w-we shou–ld ge-e-et g-g-g-go-o-ing…"
Bumi could only worry for her. As they both headed for the theory exam hall.
The examination hall was filled with five hundred students, two hundred fifty of whom passed the first two tests and another two hundred fifty of the five hundred who took the third test.
Bumi looks around; the exam hall was big. Each candidate was about two meters apart to prevent peeking, and multiple cameras were positioned directly above each table, constantly monitoring each and every student's actions. Bumi takes his seat in front of an exam tablet with his name and candidate number on it. The exam itself was a soft copy.
The examiner proceeds on with his briefing.
"This is your final test; there are a total of five sections, each covering a different topic. Each section contains both multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. This test is not open book, and you have three hours to complete it; no extra time will be given for reading or writing. The exam paper on the tablet will become viewable only once I start the examination." The chief examiner's voice echoes in the hall. "Before we continue, would anyone like to drop out?"
Pin-drop silence.
"Any questions? If not, you may begin."
Simultaneously, all the tablets in the room change to show the question. The sound of the tapping of the stylus on the screen could be heard from every student.
Aurora at her seat was blazing through the questions. Basic Meridian Union Law, Synbeast Knowledge, Basic Synarc Particle Theory, and Human Ethics and Morals.
Question: "Synbeast cores are primarily used for what purpose?"
"Tools, energy, and weapons," Aurora answers without hesitation.
Question: "Which organization pioneered Synarc particle stabilization?"
"G-Inc… My parents used to work there…" She thought to herself as she continued.
Question: "At what threshold do unique Synarc manifestations occur?"
"Above five percent, such a basic question."
Everything she studied came up except for the final section. Compared to past-year papers, this section diverged from what she had studied.
Question: "Describe the mental strain of Synarc usage."
Aurora paused.
It's something she could answer, not because she had studied for it but rather because this was something she experienced daily. After all, Synarc usage was a normal thing to her; she could write an entire essay on how it feels to use Synarc as her hands started to move.
Whereas on the side of the exam hall, only one had no clue what to write, completely frozen in place.
Bumi stared at that question in complete silence. He stared in utter disbelief at what he was reading. How was he supposed to answer something he could never know? He flipped to the next page to see what other question he could try to answer, but more of the same type of question appeared.
Question: "What does it feel like to cast a spell?"
Question: "What is your thought process when using Synarc?"
Question: "Why do you choose to manifest Synarc in such a way?"
Question: "Describe what is Synarc to you."
"What are these questions?" He panics, palms sweaty. It was not just one weird question; it was the entire final section on ethics and morals. He kept flipping through the tablet out of desperation and delusion, in hopes that the questions would change or a new question worth half the section appeared. His hands started to shake out of fear; this could cost him his place. His mind raced trying to figure out where he could squeeze out marks.
Bumi, throughout this paper, has been fighting off fatigue. After fighting for a chance to reach this point, his mind kept drifting as he could feel himself wanting to doze off. He recalls how this entire test has been against him; while those that had passed the first two tests could rest, he had to fight it out. Moreover, he was pitted against the person with the highest Synarc resonance, aiming to ensure those with high resonance could make it through. It had all been an uphill battle. The entire entrance test had been biased from the start, meant to fail people like him.
Yet, for his mother, he could not just give up yet. He picked up the stylus and wrote whatever came to his mind. However, the only thought he could focus on was that "this test was made to test those with Synarc; I'm not meant to be here."
Question: "Describe the mental strain of Synarc usage."
"It feels like…" Bumi hesitates as he comes up with some random answer. "It feels like a mental block, unable to think or come up with any coherent thought."
Question: "What does it feel like to cast a spell?"
Bumi answers: "IIt feels like pushing a boulder, like a force actively working against you, but you need it to move…"
Question: "What is your thought process when using Synarc?"
Bumi answers, "I would focus on the spell's type and size, the reasoning for casting, and what I hope to achieve..."
Question: "Why do you choose to manifest Synarc in such a way?"
Bumi answers: "To prevent the spell from affecting me and hurting others unnecessarily…"
Question: "Describe what is Synarc to you."
"It's something I can only watch, a norm I will never experience." Bumi pauses; he reflects on his life, always watching from afar. "Synarc is like art, and in a world where everyone is an artist, I can only admire and never compare myself to them."
Bumi wrote as much as he could in hopes that at least something he wrote might be right. As he continues with the rest.
t
A week after the examination…
Bumi was back on his part-time grind as he ran from one job to another. A week had passed since the Synarc Subjugation and Suppression Academy entrance examination, yet the last theory portion of the paper still haunts him. "Describe what is Synarc to you."
For someone without Synarc, he could only write what it felt like as a spectator. Unfortunately, Bumi knew that was not what the question was asking for. Those sets of questions instilled a very real concern within Bumi. Since the test had five hundred examinees and only one hundred could enter the academy, he had to score enough such that the bell curve placed him within the top twenty percent. With the entire last section gone, Bumi could only pray.
Bumi was praying for a miracle when he walked past a billboard reporting today's news.
"Public backlash against the SSS has risen following the reports of a sharp rise in Synarc-related incidents as well as increased Synbeast aggression…" The reporter continues. Europe, North and South America, Oceania, and Asia have all seen major spikes in overclocking incidents, while Synbeast aggression in the Africa region has also seen an increase. The chief of the Synarc Subjugation and Suppression force has made a statement regarding this, stating that their manpower is running thin."
Upon hearing this, Bumi thought that a divine being had listened to his pleas. "Maybe they'll take in more candidates this time around—"
"No, we will not be accepting more candidates." However, as though the news was listening to his thoughts, his dreams got immediately crushed. "We do not want to place the lives of any young men and women in danger. Passing more candidates does not mean the cases would decrease; it just means the quality of training would, and as a result, their lives would be at stake."
Out of instinct whenever he felt hurt, he pulled out his phone to doom scroll. He opens stories of acquaintances he met, not really knowing anything about them. They added Bumi more as a courteous gesture than out of genuine friendship. Bumi was not that social, after all. Back when he was still friends with Aurora, she would do all the talking for him, and after they drifted, whenever Bumi tried to befriend someone, they would avoid him, trying to avoid becoming his bullies' next target as well.
Bumi kept scrolling until he reached Yuko's story. They had traded socials after the theory test, but he was so out of it due to the last section that he forgot about it till now. In the post he saw Yuko flaunting her letter of acceptance to SSSA with the caption "Agent Yuko here!"
Bumi's eyes widened as he realized that Yuko's full government name, identity number, and address were not blurred out as he quickly called Yuko to delete her post. "Yuko! What have you done?!"
"Huh? What did I do wrong?" She replied innocently, her voice sounding confused.
"The reason you got a letter is because confidential information is on there! It's not meant to be shared. If it was something you could share, they would have just emailed you!" Bumi could be heard screaming.
Letters are made to be tamperproof with seals. A person could easily tell if someone had opened it or if it was from non-legitimate sources based on the envelope and its stickers. While there is strong cybersecurity due to the Meridian Union Cybersecurity Act, email could still be hacked or intercepted. Hence, any official document containing important information is sent via mail.
"HUH! Wait— Oh shi—" Her phone cuts off as she realized her mistake.
Bumi could only cry internally, asking himself how she managed to avoid trouble for this long. His thoughts were cut short as he rushed home, realizing that this would mean his letter would have probably arrived as well.
When Bumi reaches home, he sees his mother waiting for him, the letter placed on the table. This was a rare occurrence of his mother ending her shift before him. She tells Bumi to sit as Bumi grabs and tears open the envelope. They both stare intently at its content.
All of Bumi's blood, sweat, and tears had come down to the content of this paper. They both hold their breath as Bumi slowly unfolds the letter. He knew that once he read it, there was no going back. Taking one last breath, he fully unfolded the letter.
"To Bumi Tiang, we are pleased to welcome you into Synarc Subjugation and Suppression Academy."
Silence followed.
Both Bumi and his mother jumped up with joy before looking at each other and breaking into a hug, celebrating. Bumi's mother was so happy for him that during their hug she started crying, seeing her son fighting and reaching for his dreams.
Eventually, Bumi had to read the rest of the letter. Continuing, for the next two years, Bumi would not be able to return home and will be living on campus. Lessons would start in a week's time, and Bumi is to report to the same SSS facility where he took his test. However, the second most important content of the letter, or at least to Bumi, is the application bonus, containing six months of his salary as an SSS agent. Bumi could only be in awe at the amount he would be getting paid; his mother's burden would be lifted.
While in the Ling family's estate, Aurora, in her unlit room, places the opened letter in front of her family photo before heading to bed. Despite the fact that she made it into SSSA, there was no joy or excitement. Rather, this was an expected outcome; she was a Ling, after all. Now she just has to perform well as an SSS cadet.