Chapter 224 – Floor 39: Part 2

  Officer Tarek brought the recruits through a series of corridors into another waiting room, this one with chairs, tables and other office décor. A television was hung on one of the walls. It was playing a newscast of current events and Mathew idly watched it while they were brought to another room one by one for the first test.

  A large segment of the news discussed the local Heroes. Their activities and accomplishments were expected, but Mathew was surprised by the ‘Gossip’ section. Apparently Heroes and Villains in the this world were treated like celebrities.

  Mathew had just watched a segment where a reporter discussed how the Hero ‘Blaze’ had been spotted with ‘Luminosity’ on a date in central park when it was his turn to ‘Test.’ Following Officer Tarek through a door, he entered a small room where it was just him, the League Executive and a young woman in a lab coat.

  “Please place your hand on the orb and it will read your current Aether and mana levels. There is no need to do anything else, your passive mana will be sufficient for this test.” The young woman said as she held a clipboard and gestured to the object in the center of the room.

  The ‘Orb’ sat atop a pedestal, a fusion of magical artifact and technology. It was about the size of a basketball, its surface smooth yet teeming with an intricate network of glowing runes. Wires ran from beneath the pedestal to a control panel on the wall that was displaying a series of indecipherable numbers and graphs.

  Mathew placed his hand on the Orb and a wave of cool energy swept up from his palm and into his body. It tried to draw out some of his mana, along with a trace of the Aether used to enhance his physical abilities and Mathew’s first instinct was to resist.

  He did it subconsciously, reflexes honed from years of fighting, decades of survival and centuries of training with the Celestial had taught him that whenever an unknown energy tried to mess around with your insides, you fought back.

  Mathew drove the energy back into the orb without pausing to consider the ramifications. It was pure reaction, like twitching your hand away from fire when you get burned. He didn’t even had time to think about it.

  For a moment, the Orb glowed brighter, bathing the entire room in a dark blue light that shifted in hues until it was pure white. Suddenly, an ominous crack echoed through the space. Mathew watched as the Orb’s surface splintered, fissures spread like a spider’s web across its exterior.

  Fragments of light burst out from the Orb, scattering in all directions and falling onto the floor. The Orb trembled violently on its pedestal as Mathew retracted his hand. Officer Tarek stood in stunned silence as the young woman gasped and her clipboard clattered onto the floor.

  “No! It shouldn’t do that!” She exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock and concern as she moved closer to the Orb and assessed the damage.

  “What happened?” Mathew asked softly, feigning confusion. He knew exactly what had happened. His instinct to fight had destroyed this tool; it was obviously unable to withstand his mana.

  “Was it defective?” Officer Tarek asked. They had been using it for over a dozen tests already today and nothing like this had happened before.

  “I’m not sure. We’ll have to use the backup from upstairs storage. It should only take a few minutes.” The young woman replied, bending down to pick up her clipboard and making a few notes. Seeing that she wasn’t going to offer more, Tarek turned to Mathew.

  “You passed the first test. We didn’t get an accurate measurement, but its enough to know that you have Aether and Mana. You can go back to the waiting room while we get this straightened away.” Tarek said.

  Returning to the waiting room, Mathew watched the testing resume after a brief delay. Of the dozens of recruits who had started with him, most came back. There were a few that clearly didn’t make the cut, but overall there was a high pass rate.

  Once they had all completed the first test, they were taken to a new area to prepare for the next exam.

  Page Break

  Mathew changed into the provided outfit, a black t-ship with the League symbol on the front, a pair of grey sweatpants and running shoes. He placed his own clothing into the locker provided and exited the change room.

  The second test took place in a sleek, high-tech arena designed to evaluate the physical capabilities of the aspiring heroes. As Mathew entered the gymnasium, he noted the layout of the area. There was a track that ringed the space, with weights and gymnastic equipment in the center.

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  A group of League Assessors were walking around the space, many holding clipboards, stopwatches or other objects to gauge the recruits abilities. As Mathew walked out of the changeroom, one of these assistants walked up to him.

  “Mathew Larson?” He asked. He wore a track suit with the league emblem on the front and he had both a clipboard with an assessment form attached to it and a stop watch on a lanyard around his neck.

  “That’s me. What do you want me to do first?” Mathew replied as he looked around. The dozens of other recruits were all beginning their assessments at the same time. Some were lifting weights; others were running down the track.

  It wasn’t hard for Mathew to spot those with superior physical attributes. One muscular young man was lifting more weight than all the others combined over his head while a young woman was lapping her competitors around the track.

  “Follow me to the weight station, and we’ll start with your strength assessment.” the assistant instructed, gesturing for Mathew to come along. Shrugging his shoulders, Mathew followed behind the assistant. He stretched his arms above his head as he did so.

  He had never been happier to have his leg fixed, and his Attributes returned. If he had attempted something like this before without relying on the Celestial Language, he would have failed miserably.

  As it stood right now, Mathew wasn’t sure if he was stronger or faster than those around him, but he certainly had more experience.

  Mathew followed the assistant to the weight station, where an array of barbell racks and weight plates waited for him. The clang of metal filled the air as the other recruits lifted and dropped weights. Mathew reviewed what he remembered from his time in the gym as he walked toward the weights.

  His memory from before the Tower was hazy at best, and his lack of experience must have shown because the assistant went out of his way to explain what to do.

  “Here’s how it works: you’ll perform a series of lifts and I’ll record the results of everything. This test is about overall strength, not endurance, so only your highest weight will be recorded, not your reps. You can work your way up to your limit if you like.” The Assistant assured him.

  “I haven’t needed to do this sort of thing for a long time. How about you set the weights you think are fair to start with and I’ll go from there?” Mathew asked, looking at the array of equipment in front of him. He had been without his attributes for awhile, and he didn’t exactly know what his physical limits were.

  He knew the Wrathful Blade was heavy, but he had never measured it.

  “Fair enough.” The Assistant replied. The assessment began easily enough, with Mathew barely feeling anything. By the time it was over, he was lifting enough weight that he was among the top of the recruits. Even the muscular young man who had been showing off his biceps looked impressed.

  “That’s good, I have all I need. Nice work.” The Assistant said, marking off the last note. Mathew let the eight hundred pounds of weight hit the ground and noticed that the barbell was bent. He hadn’t been at his limit, not quite, but it was enough for now.

  He just needed to pass the assessment; as long as he did so, then the rest didn’t really matter.

  Mathew ran around the track dozens of times while the assistant timed him with the stopwatch. While not the fastest around, Mathew kept pace with the others, and the assistant remarked that his speed and endurance were well above average for the recruits.

  Satisfied, Mathew returned to his locker to shower and change back into his regular clothes. When he was ready, he followed the assistants back to the gymnasium for the final assessment. Officer Tarek was waiting for them, along with a half dozen other Executives from the League.

  Mathew and the remaining recruits stood in a line at the edge of the track. The gym equipment had all been removed, and an open space had been made for them to demonstrate their skills and abilities.

  “Well done, recruits.” Officer Tarek began his voice firm and commanding.

  “The final test is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your abilities and skills. Each of you will have a chance to showcase your specific talents, whether it’s combat skills, elemental manipulation, or agility. When your name is called, please step forward.” Tarek finished while the other Executives waited patiently for the show to begin.

  The recruits stood in front of the Executives, and tension was palpable in the air. Each one of them had trained for this moment, had worked had to get to a point where they could impress the League and become Heroes.

  All except Mathew, who was wondering what type of Word of Power he would use to join the League. He didn’t want to destroy the facility they were in, but he also needed to make a good impression.

  “First up, Sarah!” Officer Tarek called out. A young woman stepped forward, wearing a bright red jacket and jeans. She took a deep breath and stretched out her hands. With a flick of her wrist, flames erupted into life around her, dancing in sync with her movements.

  The flames formed animals; an eagle soared above her before it shifted into a deer. After a few minutes, she let the flames fade away.

  “Impressive.” Tarek congratulated her, nodding in approval. He gestured for her to return to the line before calling out the next recruit.

  “Amber!”

  Amber moved around the gymnasium with fluid grace, demonstrating her agility as she leapt into the air. She did multiple flips, landing on her feet with cat-like grace. She finished off her performance by turning into a blur of movement, her extreme speed making it difficult for even Mathew to keep track of where she was.

  “Good, good!

  One after another, the recruits went forward and performed until it was finally Mathew’s turn. With one hand in his pocket, he walked forward and pointed at Tarek.

  “Shift.’ He commanded in the Celestial Language, swapping places with the Executive. In a blink of an eye, everyone had been switched. Before they could exclaim in shock, they were all back in their own places as if nothing had happened.

  “Is…is there anything else? Tarek asked with a tone of confusion, almost like he didn’t know if he had imagined it.

  “I can do a few more things.” Mathew said with a shrug before returning to his spot.

  When the exams were over and he was making his way to the lobby, he wasn’t surprised to find that a League Registration card was waiting for him.

  Mathew Larson: Rank ‘D’ Hero – Unnumbered.

  ‘Ding!’