Chapter 183: Chapter 167.3 : CAT

Physical ability tests were first on the menu. They were split into three main focuses, namely: strength, agility and perception.

For strength, all sorts of weight-lifting contraptions were used to calculate the student’s exact strength limit. For agility, students were made to run; in a straight line, around a track and even through an obstacle course. This was done several times and their best times were recorded.

Perception testing was split into two parts: long-distance vision testing and dynamic vision testing.

The former was easy to test. Students were positioned on an elevated mound or structure and were tasked to read boards placed at measured distances from each other, starting from those closest to those furthest. With enhancing potions being as common as they were, boards went for kilometres on end. This area of testing was one where most students scored high.

Dynamic vision tests were a bit more tricky. Students had to go to a special training hall. There, several pitching machines would shoot tennis ball-sized spheres past the students’ field of vision.

On each of these balls was a string of four random letters and numbers, marked in bright colours. These balls were fired at different linear and spin speeds, at varying distances from the student, from as close as a metre to ten metres away.

Students were tasked to capture and repeat the string of characters on the balls to the best of their ability. After a hundred projectiles, the student’s best values were recorded.

This concluded the physical testing phase. Needless to say, Ralf had top scores in all three categories. His White Asura body, even not fully mature and not specialising in these categories, still managed to enter the Hunter Academy’s top echelon of values.

Next was intelligence tests, which took the form of pattern-based IQ tests and various memory tests. Ralf aced these as well…with the aid of the Mental Space. He would do well even normally but with a reward on the line, he chose to go that extra mile.

Lastly, there were the psionic ability tests.

The basic stats were recorded first, well most of them. Conceptual Memory wasn’t on the list due to the Academy’s inability to measure it accurately. There was no way to tell how many slots a psionic had. The Academy would have to rely on personal statements…which just wouldn’t do.

Psi capacity was also not included. Not because it couldn’t be measured, it definitely could. The Academy had many Tamed monsters that specialised in accurately detecting aura reserves. They just saw no value in measuring one’s Psi capacity and so skipped it.

Ralf breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Psi range, Psi speed, Mental Restriction Limit/ Psi endurance, and finally Psi sensitivity.

Ralf was currently undergoing the last one.

He was in the Sensing Chamber, a special underground…chamber. It was beneath a grassy plain far from any structure or facility. The place had a single entrance in the form of a simple booth.

Entering, one would find a large cylindrical elevator, which one had to take down all the way to the second-to-last floor. From here, one could go in five different directions, but for students and their PAs, it would be down. A large hole was carved into the floor at the centre of the room. Dropping down through it would lead one to where Ralf was currently: the Sensing Chamber’s inner chamber.

The Sensing Chamber was a giant flattish cylinder, 10 metres high and 1 kilometre in diameter. It was split into two sections: the inner chamber and the outer chamber.

The inner chamber was 50 metres in diameter. At the centre of the room, a 2-metre wide black circle was marked on the floor. From the circle’s circumference, thick lines, numbered from 1-360, one for each degree, ran across the white floor all the way to the inner chamber’s perimeter, white walls with ‘25m’ marked on them repeatedly.

The lines were also marked for distance, just like a ruler. Also, to make things easier for the students to identify, lines were made a different colour from their close neighbours.

At the cardinal points, doors could be seen. Passing through to the other side would lead you to the outer section, where the lines would continue onward all the way to the end. Electrical panels lit up the entire place. Visually, it was no different than an underground parking lot. Though, instead of cars, dozens of Clairvoyants were scattered in the outer section, waiting to play their part.

When given the green light, they would throw their Second Sight toward the inner chamber and hover over the person in the black circle. The test taker would then have to give a degree and distance, in that order. Before this though, one was given a calibration test.

Clairvoyants would use their Second Sights on the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, and 500m marks, and then do the cardinal points, starting north and then going clockwise.

After three rounds of this, the person in the circle would be put through the official test.

Ralf sat perfectly still, crosslegged with his eyes shut. His concentration was sharpened to its peak - it needed to be.

The Sensing Chamber was among the toughest Challenges at the Academy.

Couldn’t one use Psi sense to pick up where the Clairvoyant was?

This would be possible…if only one Clairvoyant was in play at a time, but this wasn’t the case. The Sensing Chamber wasn’t a one-man show. Dozens of Clairvoyants activated their Seconds Sights from every direction, but only one Clairvoyant would hover directly over the test-taker.

This close proximity and the overlapping of so many Second Sights made it hard - nearly impossible to tell which Clairvoyant was locking onto you. And then there was the matter of determining the degree and distance.

It was a herculean task…and yet, Ralf overcame the labour with ease.

[270, 205; 5, 32; 300, 85…] He rattled off one after the other in rapid succession.

The nearby Mason wore a great smile as he observed his assigned student. The PA had been smiling throughout the CAT. He had come in with high expectations and was still blown away by the young man’s capabilities. Ralf’s current performance was just the icing on the cake.

Those who could qualify to enter these grounds were very talented. Still, even among those talented bunch, most - nearly all new students couldn’t even sense a Second Sight’s presence on them.

Only after years of using Sensing Chamber and other sensitivity trainers could most students manage to reliably tell that a Second Sight was hovering over them,...yes, just tell.

Getting a general direction and vague distance was considered an elite feat, so Ralf’s ability to accurately pinpoint the exact degree and distance between himself and the spying Clairvoyant put him at a super-elite level - no, given that he could do so within a blink of an eye raised him a notch higher, to a realm of but a few individuals in history.

Mason had noted his assigned student’s prowess with an astonished look, then proposed for Ralf to take the lightning-round test, something reserved for the elite of the elites. The conditions were simple; with a minute on the clock, one had to call out as many Clairvoyants' positions as possible. Ralf agreed and was currently on his tenth attempt.

[...123, 240; 270, 40; 2-]

[Time’s up!] Mason cut Ralf off before he could get the last coordinate in.

“Well done, Ralf. 137…that’s a new record. Honestly, you were just slowed down by the low Clairvoyant numbers. I’m sure if we add a hundred more Clairvoyants, we can triple that number. What do you say, what to go again?”

Ralf shook his head. “Maybe another time. 137 is more than double the previous record, so I’ll settle with that for now.” His eyelids slowly opened as he got to his feet. “What’s next?”

The answer: basic Psi techniques.

Psi steps, Psi disruption, Psi Scan and then Psi construction.

After completing that, Ralf reached the final portion of the CAT, the Three Beastly Challenges.

***

Snake Belly was the third and final Beastly Challenge.

Just like the Sensing Chamber, Snake Belly was underground and far from all else. In the sea of grass, a building shaped like a snakehead stood. After entering this structure and taking the long and wide flight of stairs down, one would reach a 30-metre wide cubic chamber. Large and neat grey tiles decorated the place, save for the tunnel that lead north.

Ralf entered this massive space with an easy-going stride. A few classmates and their PAs were present, huddled in a crowd, waiting for their turns to go. Noting the group, the Transmigrator flashed them a ‘friendly’ smile, which they didn’t appreciate, before moving to the wall a distance away from them. He’d wait until everyone else went before attempting the Challenge.

Leaning against the wall, he directed his gaze to the ‘belly’ he would soon be entering. It was a tube-like tunnel, 10 metres in diameter and two kilometres in length.

The snake part of ‘Snake Belly’ was in its snaking trajectory. Students had to make their way from one end, where Ralf was currently, to the other end, an identical chamber.

Snake Belly was a speed test…and obstacle course.

The obstacles?

According to Mason, there were several.

“It goes from static to dynamic. Snake Belly is divided into five sections. The first section, as you can see from here, involves those static red lasers. They’re harmless but don’t touch them. When those red lasers are interrupted, they’ll register a click, and every click will add 5 seconds to your time. The second section involves static Psi structures. They’ll take the form of various shapes. Just like the red lasers, they’re harmless so you crash right through them without issue. Also, touching them will incur a 5-second penalty.”

Listening, Ralf’s mind mapped out the path he would take to clear the section of the tunnel he could sense.

“...The third section involves moving lasers. The gears holding the lasers will now rotate, some clockwise some counterclockwise. They’ll rotate faster the further you go in. The fourth section is more of the same, but with Psi shapes, and the fifth section is a mix of both lasers and Psi structures. The last section is the longest and most chaotic, with both lasers and Psi structures moving at seemingly random speeds.”

“I see, I’ll try to avoid them then”, Ralf said listlessly.

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Mason smiled wryly. “I have no doubt about that. I expect a flawless run, Ralf, nothing less at this point. With your low Psi Rank, you can’t break the overall record or student record, but the first-year record might be possible.”

“What is i- oh?” As Ralf was about to question the exact numbers, a newcomer stole his attention. ‘Hmm, she looks as miserable as yesterday…and those circles are even darker…no good.’

“Ralf?”

“Give me a sec, Mason.” Saying this, he left the wall and approached the ice Mimic.

“Yo, Yuki, what’s up? ...Yuki? Yo Yuki? Heya Yuki…”

To his call-outs, Yuki remained unresponsive. It wasn’t that she didn’t hear him; there was no barrier between them, well not a Psi one at least. At each call out, her face twitched with irritation.

Ralf wasn’t disheartened by her cold shoulder as so many had been, and instead cupped his chin and used a different call out.

“Hey snowball, can yo-”

*Tssssssss*

The temperature lowed a dozen degrees as the ice Mimc snapped Ralf’s way. “Call me that again and you’ll go from Bloodline of Fire to Frost, Ralf Fawkes,” she said, directing a frigid glare at the Transmigrator.

Ralf raised his arms up at the threat, though, instead of fear, a clear delight could be found in his expression. “Sorry sorry, my mistake. It won’t happen again. Yuki, that was your name, right?” he asked as he continued to approach her.

Yuki squinted in displeasure; the subtle smile on his face stroked her ire like little could. “What do you want from me?”

“To talk, to get to you know you, that’s all…no, more than that, I want to turn that frown upside down,” Ralf answered honestly as he lowered his hands.

The words and the apparent sincerity behind them caused Yuki’s brows to furrow up. She folded her arms before her chest and did a half-turn before parting her lips again. “That’s none of your concern. Bother someone else,” she said dismissively, then took the extra step of conjuring a thick ice wall between them.

On the other side of the wall, Ralf’s face broke into a giddy smile. His reflection was always nice to see, but even more than this…

‘A sturdy wall to break through…I’ve found it!’

Despite thinking this, he didn’t move to destroy the wall - no, such methods were too crude. Ralf knew of better methods and moved to employ them.

He approached the 2-metre tall ice wall and levitated himself up. He grabbed onto the wall with both hands and peeked over.

Catching him in her periphery, Yuki’s curiosity got the better of her and she looked to the wall. She would regret her decision though as not two seconds later, she would pull away with a harrumph. While the bottom half of Ralf’s face was hidden, his crescent-shaped eyes swirling with mischievous lights betrayed his expression well and true.

‘They say all Fawkes are crazy…and they might be right,’ she thought in the passing moments.

Ralf didn’t take issue with her reaction; it was expected. His gaze shifted from Yuki to another, her PA.

“Miss PA,” Ralf started with a friendly tone.

“Yes? Young man, what can I do for you?” Sybil asked with a merry smile, amused by the interaction.

“What do Yuki’s scores look like? Specifically, her psionic ability scores?”

“Excellent, in fact, it’s some of the best the Academy has ever seen,” the female PA boasted, her voice tinged with delight. Every PA sought a talented student, and the female PA had struck gold with Yuki; she couldn’t be happier.

“Oh, excellent,” Ralf said, genuinely delighted as well. Yuki looked to be a sturdy wall in more ways than one. “I see, then with that being the case, I imagine you expect her to do well in this test as well, right?”

“Of course. I wouldn't be surprised if she comes first out of everyone,” Sybil replied with a puffed-out chest.

“I see, thanks for your input, miss PA.” Done with the prep work, Ralf returned his attention to Yuki. “Hey Yuki.”

“What?” The ice Mimic answered after several seconds, a frown still painted thickly on her face. The exchange between Ralf and her PA had only worsened her already bad mood.

“Let’s bet over the result?”

“Huh, a bet?” Yuki was taken aback by the words.

“Yeah, let’s do a bet, me and you. It’ll be over who gets the fastest time in Snake Belly. If the words of your PA here are to be believed, you should have no trouble beating a lowly Rank 3 Telekinetic like me, right~.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t,” she huffed.

Ralf’s lips curled up. If his hands weren’t occupied, he would surely be rubbing them together at this moment. “Excellent excellent, then let’s do it then. What do you say, Yuki… are you daring enough to accept the challenge?” he asked, causing the ice Mimic’s eye to twitch.

“I am,” she responded fiercely, the air chilling at her declaration.

Ralf smiled, her intensity scratched a certain itch in him. Also, he found her agitated face quite…cute.

“Umm, what about the winning and losing conditions,” the female PA spoke up, half for Yuki’s sake and the other half for her own.

“Yes, the conditions,” Ralf nodded at the mention. He floated himself up and then made himself comfortable on the wall.

The act caused Yuki’s black eyes to narrow.‘This guy…he’s really looking down on me, the nerve.’

Ralf read her thoughts with an amused look before delving into the details.

“Let’s keep it simple. If I win,” he paused then flashed a cheeky smile before continuing, “I get to call you ‘Snowball’ from now on, whenever I want, without consequence.”

Yuki’s face twisted into a scowl at the words but she didn’t pursue it. She was confident in her victory after all. “And…what do I get out of this farce?”

“What do you want?”

“What can you even give me?”

“A lot actually, I’m a Pather after all. Ten million Qwon, advanced technology, the secrets of the universe, a hug…anything really?”

Yuki’s face flickered at Ralf’s list, unsure of how seriously to take his words. After putting it behind her, her thoughts honed in on Ralf’s Pather identity and a desire sprung forth.

“Ralf, you said knew the people who make anime, right? How about that? Young Blood, I want more episodes- ten more episodes to be released before the week is up. Can that be done?”

Ralf smiled. “It can be done. In fact, should you win, I’ll deliver those ten episodes by the end of the day.”

“You can?” Yuki’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, easily.”

“Then let’s do it. I agree to the bet,” the ice Mimic said, her previous clamminess gone and replaced with vigour and resolve. Young Blood was her and her sister’s favourite anime. She had been craving them badly so acquiring more episodes through this ‘easy’ method delighted the young Mimic.

“Okay, then it’s settled. Miss PA, you’ll act as our witness.”

“Yes, will do - oh,” Sybil paused as she received a telepathic message, then smiled and turned to the tunnel. “Okay, the other side is clear, who wants to go first?”

Yuki answered with her stride.

Her blood was boiling, eager to claim her prize. Her Winter Armour materialised around her as she moved to the tunnel’s entrance. She dropped low like a sprinter, ready to launch forth. She heard her PA give the go-ahead and not a second later, she blasted off, entering the belly of the beast.

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