When the order was given, the entire group of applicants sprang out like a mindless mob. Reiji watched calmly, advancing slowly. He knew this would be a piece of cake for him; he wouldn't have the slightest problem eting his quota of points.
'I'll focus on saving a few; that'll earn extra points. Besides, I'm sure they're watching . I don't believe I slipped through unnoticed,' he thought, glancing almost imperceptibly at the hidden cara among the rocks.
The sounds of combat and explosions soon filled the air.
He moved along a side street, avoiding the center where most of them were concentrated. He caught a glimpse of Kirishima fighting with enthusiasm, taking down a couple of one-point robots with great efficiency.
'Watch out!'
But what caught his attention most was a group of three younger applicants being surrounded by two three-point units that had instantly overtaken them in speed. One of the robots raised a bladed limb, ready to strike the three applicants.
Reiji ran, still without using his Quirk. He grabbed a tal bar that had fallen from a collapsed structure and threw it with precision, deflecting the blow just in ti. Then he slid along the ground, kicked one of the nearest robot's joints, and finished it off by hitting its main sensor with a rock he picked up from the ground.
The second robot barely turned before receiving an elbow strike to its pivot point.
As the robot fell, Reiji spun around and kicked the creature in the eye with trendous force.
'6 points, and who knows how many more for saving these three.'
The three applicants stared at him, surprised. Reiji barely glanced at them and continued on his way, watching as so of the applicants were subdued by the robots and he rushed to help.
This pattern repeated itself a couple more tis. Reiji barely used his Quirk, only enough to block a blow he couldn't reach in ti or launch a compressed blood spear at a robot trying to crush an unsuspecting applicant.
His strength and speed were enough to bring them down if he managed to hit them in the right place, although on more than one occasion he collided with the hard tal and his leg suffered the consequences, but nothing his regeneration couldn't instantly cover.
The robots didn't need to be completely destroyed to be considered defeated; that was a great advantage, and the real reason he could hold back from using his Quirk.
His points were increasing, even though he was only focused on saving others. It seed absurd to him to see how most of them acted as if it were a death match, ignoring cries for help to get a couple more points.
"Idiots..." he muttered, pushing the fallen torso of a Type II robot he had just deactivated with his shoulder.
It was at that mont that he felt it.
A heavy gust of wind descended. A sharp crack. Reiji spun around just in ti to see a ter-long flying drone descend from the sky, its inverted propellers whirring like blades. It moved like a bird of prey, heading straight for a group of four applicants trapped among tal wreckage.
'That... What the hell is that?' he thought, squinting. Noticing its trajectory, he generated a thin whip of blood from his palm and used it to grab a tal plate, hurling it at full speed to shield the group. The drone's impact was brutal, sending it hurtling into the post beside it.
"What was that? Was that in the explanation?!" a voice shouted from among the rescued group.
Reiji didn't reply. He turned away, seriously observing the drone's trajectory, which now seed to be realigning itself for another attack.
'A new enemy? Why?' Reiji thought, annoyed. It seed to have attacked suspiciously close to him. Before the drone could take off, Reiji raised his hand, and from his palm, a massive burst of Snarge exploded, forming a spear that he pointed at the creature.
The crimson weapon pierced the 'Creature,' ending its 'life.'
'Did they really create a new model to test , or is this just a coincidence?' Before Reiji could answer his question, a two-point robot appeared behind him, ready to strike. He dodged it without looking and took it down with ease.
He scanned the streets around him; this was the only similar model. He decided to ignore it for now and continued on his way.
He moved through the wreckage of collapsed structures, fluidly dodging fragnts, broken beams, and smaller robots that no longer posed any real challenge. Reiji was racking up points almost without realizing it. His priority remained saving others, keeping a low profile, and not letting his blood get the better of him.
Everything was going well… until sothing changed.
A heavy vibration spread through the concrete.
Then another. And another.
Reiji spun around. He knew perfectly well what it could really be, but his eyes widened slightly as he realized what was actually happening.
In the distance, through the smoke and chaos, three zero-point robots erged simultaneously from different sections of the testing ground. Each one was enormous. The applicants began screaming and fleeing; there was no advantage to being in their zone and risking being crushed when they were worth zero points.
Reiji frowned. This wasn't normal. Several weren't supposed to appear at once; even one posed a significant threat to all the applicants. Let alone three.
The robots began to advance slowly, heading toward the center of the field. Reiji, who had inevitably arrived there, soon understood that these robots were there precisely because of his own presence.
The red dots on his body were a clear indication of it…
Before he could even think about how to deal with the situation, an annoying buzzing sound echoed in the air.
From a high hatch to the east of the field, a swarm of drones descended like a chanical rain. Ten, twelve… maybe more. Each one spun its inverted propellers aggressively, like blades.
At high speed, they headed straight for Reiji, who frowned.
'This isn't part of the exam anymore…'
Blood trickled subtly from his right forearm, forming a curved disc that spun in his palm. He threw it like a high-speed frisbee, only this one was extrely sharp. It struck the first drone in the swarm, which exploded in a shower of tallic fragnts.
The remaining robots in the swarm dispersed to avoid the frisbee's impact.
Reiji didn't stay still and jumped back, landing on a half-collapsed column. From there, he extended his fingers. He used his blood to grab two rocks from the ground and used them to strike two more robots from above that were trying to trap him.
Both robots tried to dodge, but as soon as one of the rocks touched their propellers, they were instantly knocked down.
'Are these things going to kill ? Is this legal?'
A Class 1 robot appeared in his blind spot. Reiji barely noticed it, hearing only the creaking of its joints as it prepared to strike. The boy spun around instantly, flexed his leg, and dodged the attack by positioning himself over his head, then finished it off when he used his Quirk to shatter its visor.
The applicants around him were shouting and running.
"Why is everyone going after him?!"
"Run, you idiot!"
Reiji ignored them.
He flexed his legs. Blood pooled in his thigh, forming a powerful spring against the ground.
Then he leaped to face the swarm approaching him.
From midair, he extended both arms and generated a crimson net of his blood, incredibly resilient. He launched it at the swarm, trapping five drones mid-flight. The impact destabilized them and dragged them to the ground.
forcing the rest of the swarm to scatter again.
'They're not ant to attack, they just look threatening...' When Reiji finally landed back on the ground, he understood the structure of the swarm robots. They were rely a nuisance, and their primary weapon was their high-speed, spinning propellers.
As he prepared to finish off the remaining drones, they suddenly stopped.
On the horizon of the field, the zero-point robots began to move.
Three.
No. Four. One more had appeared as the applicants cleared the area.
"Tsk, they're not supposed to test a student like this..." he muttered irritably.
Reiji ran to get a better position.
'They're testing . This is a test of control, pressure, decisiveness, or whatever... Nezu. Or maybe Aizawa. Or maybe...'
The swarm of drones reappeared, now surrounding him in a circular formation.
'If they want to test my limits, this isn't enough... But I'll let them have their fun. After all, I have nothing to hide from them.'
When the swarm was only a few ters away, Reiji used his blood to pull the furthest one toward his body, while simultaneously entering a building.
An explosion rocked the building, threatening to bring it down as concrete slowly crumbled and cracks appeared.
Reiji didn't leave his fate to chance and climbed out of a window, passing right by the fire above the exploded robots and then the collapsing building.
The zero-point robots were getting closer and closer. Reiji was beginning to feel his hunger rising, but he managed to keep it steady. After what happened with Katsuki, his control had improved considerably, and the blood he used now wasn't even half of what it had been that ti...
He could continue without any problems. In any case, he still had the device i had given him.
The zero-point robots approached like chanical titans, making the ground tremble with every step. One of them, the closest, raised its hydraulic arm with the characteristic squeal of its joints.
Reiji stared at it, unfazed.
He flexed one leg and propelled himself to the side, just as the robot's arm fell. The impact hit the street, kicking up a shower of concrete and smoke. Reiji erged from the side, beginning to climb the arm that was slightly stuck in the street, using so of his blood to hold on perfectly.
Reiji quickly approached the Zero Point's "face" and placed his hand on the cold tal. A thin line of blood ran across the structure from side to side between the circuits, before spikes erupted from inside the Zero Point's head.
The explosion was inevitable. Reiji had anticipated it and shielded himself with a thin layer of blood. Using the montum, he headed toward another Zero Point. But before he could land, a new drone appeared. Sowhat damaged, but still functional.
Reiji twisted in mid-air, correcting his trajectory with a strand of blood that he whipped toward a bent lamppost. He caught it precisely and changed direction in a descending parabola, narrowly avoiding the sharp whirring of the flying drone.
The machine tried to follow him, but a swirling mass of blood struck its rear propeller, sending it spinning uncontrollably. The device crashed behind him with a dry explosion.
Reiji landed on the shoulder of another zero-point robot. He crouched to gain montum and slid a thin stake through an opening in the chanical neck casing. This ti it didn't explode. Instead, blood spread like internal roots, severing any wires in its path.
The titan froze, power drained.
With one final leap, Reiji moved away, and the tallic behemoth collapsed like an old building.
The last two zero-point robots stopped with a tallic groan just before raising their arms. Then, as if an invisible command had severed the control wire, their lights flickered and went out, remaining completely still.
Piiiiiiiiiiiiii—
The system's high-pitched beep echoed across the battlefield, an unmistakable signal: the exam was over.
Reiji remained motionless for a few more seconds. Adrenaline still coursed through his veins, but his breathing, though controlled, showed signs of fatigue.
He hadn't reached his limit… but he wasn't unscathed either.
His joints felt stiff, the muscles in his forearms throbbing from the repeated use of his Quirk. He'd expended more blood than he would have liked. Not enough to give out, but enough to leave a void beneath his skin.
Even so, he'd controlled his impulses.
He walked among the wreckage of downed drones and robots, ignoring the stares from a distance. Most of the students hadn't dared approach him during the test. So watched him now with a mixture of respect and fear.
"Wait, wait!" An enthusiastic voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Kirishima ca running up, still panting from his own battle. His uniform was dusty, and he had a small cut on his eyebrow, but his smile was as genuine as his voice.
"What you did, brother, was brutal! You looked like a freaking pro hero up there! I swear, I thought those drones were going to cut everyone down!"
Reiji stopped to stare at him, trying to calm his breathing.
"It wasn't a big deal."
"What?! You faced four giant robots, attack drones, and the smallest robots! I saw it all!" Kirishima insisted, his expression reflecting his excitent and respect for Reiji.
"Thanks for the complint, but honestly, it was nothing..." Reiji stamred, feeling awkward at being unable to extricate himself from the situation. Kirishima stood there silently for a few seconds, scratching the back of his neck, wondering why anyone would be so serious after such a performance.
Before he could walk away, a low, familiar shadow intercepted him.
"I didn't expect to see you so unscathed," Recovery Girl said, leaning on her staff as she scanned him with her gaze.
Reiji stopped. For the first ti during the entire exam, he relaxed his shoulders slightly.
"I could use... a little help," he admitted, not raising his voice too much. He knew perfectly well the Quirk of the person in front of him, and why she was there.
Let's just say a few incidents with i gave him a better tour of the academy.
Recovery Girl nodded with a knowing smile and, with a light kiss on his cheek, activated her Quirk. A comforting tingle coursed through his body instantly, releasing the tension that had built up in his arms and back.
"You've used quite a bit of blood, young man. You'll need to eat a lot when you get ho."
Reiji nodded, still not fully looking at her. He could feel his regeneration speeding up twice as fast with Recovery Girl's Quirk... even three tis as fast. The blood loss he'd suffered had been replaced almost instantly.
"Thank you. But I have a question."
Recovery Girl looked up, curious.
"Why so many?" Reiji murmured. His tone was dry, but not aggressive. He knew Recovery Girl wasn't responsible for anything, but perhaps she could give him so imdiate answers. "I'm not talking about the drones... I'm talking about the total number. Zero-point robots, automated swarms, secondary targets... This wasn't a normal exam."
His orange eyes locked onto hers.
"They could have endangered the other applicants. Many weren't prepared for that."
There was a mont of silence. Recovery Girl took her ti, as if considering several answers before settling on the simplest.
"Because you're a young man full of youth," she said finally, with a gentle smile. "And youth... when it has that fire of yours, it can't be asured by the sa standards as everyone else."
Reiji frowned. He didn't seem satisfied.
"Does that justify using as a guinea pig?"
"No. But they didn't do it to hurt you either," she replied kindly, but without softening her words completely.
"I understand..." he murmured, looking away. They were indeed just testing him.
Recovery Girl sighed, with an old-fashioned gentleness that only those who have seen many generations co and go possess.
"Sotis, adults forget that you are more than just potential to be squeezed. You're still children."
He didn't reply. He simply nodded, relaxing his body.
"Rest well," she added, turning her head to Kirishima, who had heard everything. "And you, young man, you're quite damaged as well. Let help you..."
***
I think this chapter was one of the hardest for to write, and at the sa ti, the one I liked the least. I felt the scene had so much more potential, and yet I largely wasted it.
Anyway, those things don't matter, and I'm still learning. I think the story has been improving, and that's what's important.
don't want to wait, you can support by buying breakfast so I'll publish more chapters.
Support the project for just $2 USD. → [patreon/MisterCreator]
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