The tablets ca to life simultaneously. The first question appeared on my screen:
"A civilian with an active Flux-type Aspect loses control during a panic attack in a crowded mall. Their transformation causes structural damage and minor injuries to bystanders. As first Hero on scene, your priority is:"
Four options appeared below.
I smiled. This was literally a video ga dialogue choice. I’d been training for this my entire first life.
I worked through the questions thodically, drawing on what I’d learned from the Fitzgerald household and my own research. The Hero Law section covered licensure requirents, liability scenarios, and jurisdictional conflicts. Crisis Ethics presented moral dilemmas about resource allocation during disasters. Tactical Reasoning tested battlefield assessnt and threat prioritization.
When I reached the Aspect Theory section, I encountered questions about classification systems, Core vulnerabilities, and power scaling chanics.
"An Aspect user with temperature manipulation capabilities registers consistent power increases when exposed to emotional stimuli. This phenonon is best classified as:"
I selected "Resonant Empowernt," recalling an article I’d read about how emotional states could serve as Aspect catalysts.
By the three-hour mark, I’d completed all sections and was reviewing my answers. My upgraded Intelligence made the process feel almost trivial—information connected faster, patterns erged clearly, and recall happened without effort.
〘 ORACLE FEED: ESTIMATED SCORE BASED ON CURRENT ANSWERS: 94.7%. THIS PLACES YOU WITHIN TOP 3% OF PROJECTED OUTCOS. 〙
Well, that was encouraging. I made a few adjustnts to answers I was uncertain about, then submitted my exam with forty minutes to spare.
The tablet displayed a confirmation ssage: "Examination complete. You may leave the auditorium quietly. Proceed to the central plaza for refreshnts before the practical assessnt."
As I stood to leave, I noticed the green-haired girl, Jana, looking stressed as she worked through what appeared to be the Tactical Reasoning section. Most other applicants were still working too.
I made my way out of the auditorium feeling cautiously optimistic. The written portion seed to be in the bag. The hard part would be the practical assessnt—actually demonstrating my abilities in whatever test they’d designed.
In the hallway, I checked my phone and found a text from Sloane:
"Finished yet? et by the fountain in the central plaza. I need to complain about whoever wrote this test."
I smiled and headed toward the exit, following signs to the central plaza. The morning sun was a welco warmth on my skin after hours in the auditorium’s sterile, refrigerated air. The plaza buzzed with a low murmur of anxious chatter, punctuated by the rhythmic splash of the central fountain.
The air slled of cut grass and ozone, with a faint, greasy hint of whatever the food stands were frying up for the anxious applicants.
Sloane wasn’t there yet, so I bought a bottle of water and found a spot near the fountain to wait. Other early finishers gathered in small groups, comparing answers and debating questions.
〘 QUEST UPDATE: "ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE" OBJECTIVE COMPLETE. PROBABILITY OF ACHIEVING TOP 15% SCORE: 99.8%. PROBABILITY OF ACHIEVING TOP 5% SCORE: 97.3%. REWARDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED AFTER OFFICIAL RESULTS ARE CONFIRD. 〙
That was a relief. One hurdle down, one more to go.
I spotted Sloane entering the plaza, her pink hair unmistakable even from a distance. Her expression was a mixture of frustration and confidence—classic Sloane after any challenge. She scanned the area, spotted , and marched directly over.
"That," she declared, dropping onto the bench beside , "was the most unnecessarily complicated ethics scenario I’ve ever seen. ’If a villain holds a school bus hostage but claims they’re acting to prevent a greater tragedy, how do you respond?’ What kind of question is that?"
"The kind that tests whether you can think beyond imdiate threat response?"
She glared at . "You aced it, didn’t you?"
I shrugged. "I think I did okay."
"I hate you right now." She snatched my water bottle and took a long drink. "The guy next to spent twenty minutes on one question. I could hear him breathing through his mouth the entire ti."
"So much for separate testing rooms preventing distractions."
"How was your verification?"
I hesitated. "Weird. The doctor seed to think I might have stolen my Aspect or had it implanted."
Sloane choked on the water. "What? That’s insane!"
"Apparently it happens. People desperate to get in resort to black market Aspect transfers."
"But you’ve been living with us. When would you even have ti to get an illegal Aspect transplant?"
"That’s basically what I told him."
She handed my water back. "What did he say?"
"He cleared for the exam, so I guess I convinced him."
Sloane leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her face. "Great. So now we just have to survive the practical assessnt. The physical part I’m not worried about. It’s the psychological screening that’s tricky."
"Psychological screening?"
"Mom says they record everything—not just what you do, but how you react under pressure. They’re looking for people who make the right calls for the right reasons."
I nodded, thinking about what that ant for my strategy. I’d been planning to use Spectral Reach for most challenges, keeping Blitz as a backup. But if they were asuring psychological responses, I’d need to be careful about when and how I used my abilities.
"Any tips?" I asked.
"Don’t overthink it. React naturally." Sloane opened her eyes and looked at . "You’ve got good instincts, Lukas. Trust them."
Coming from her, that was high praise.
More applicants stread into the plaza as the four-hour window closed. The energy shifted from nervous anticipation to a mixture of relief and dread. The written part was over, but the practical test—the one that truly mattered—was about to begin.
A staff mber with a gaphone appeared at the edge of the plaza.
"Attention, applicants! The practical assessnt will begin in one hour. Please check your badges for your assigned testing field. Refreshnts are available until then."
I glanced at my badge. Field 3.
"Which field did you get?" I asked Sloane.
She checked her badge. "Field 5. We’re separated again."
"Deliberately, I’m guessing. They want to see how we perform without familiar faces around."
Sloane nodded, then suddenly gripped my arm. "Hey. You’re going to do great. Rember everything we practiced."
"I will."
"And don’t do anything stupid like try to show off."
"I would never."
"Liar." She smiled. "If we both pass, we’re getting dinner at that fancy place downtown to celebrate."
"And if we don’t?"
Her expression hardened. "Not an option."
I couldn’t help but smile at her absolute confidence. "Deal."
〘⚡ SIDE QUEST UNLOCKED 〙
Quest: First Impressions
Description: You are about to walk into a field full of the most promising young Aspect-users in the country. They have trained their entire lives for this mont. They have pedigrees, ntors, agency endorsents, and Aspects that could level city blocks. They have everything you are supposed to not have.
Make them rember your na anyway.
Primary Objective: Demonstrate your abilities effectively during the practical assessnt without revealing your true power level.
Secondary Objective [SCUMBAG CONDITION]: Publicly outperform at least two (2) applicants who outrank you on paper. Make it look easy.
Bonus Objective: Impress at least one (1) examiner enough to mark your file for advanced tracking.
Trash Talk Condition [OPTIONAL]: Deliver at least one (1) unsolicited piece of comntary to a rival applicant before, during, or after the assessnt. It must be accurate enough to sting and casual enough to be plausibly deniable as an insult.
Ti Limit: Practical Assessnt Duration
Rewards:
300 Scumbag Points
Increased Faculty Interest
Secondary Objective Rewards:
200 Scumbag Points
Permanent notation added to rival applicant files: Outperford by Unmarked candidate at entrance examination
Bonus Objective Reward:
One (1) Random Skill Book
Examiner flagged as Potential Ally: Advanced Track
Trash Talk Condition Reward:
150 Scumbag Points
Temporary buff: Rattled applied to target applicant for remainder of assessnt duration
Failure Penalty:
-50 Reputation with Halloran Faculty
System notation: Host failed to capitalize on optimal humiliation window. Disappointing.
I dismissed the notification as another announcent ca over the gaphone.
"Applicants for Fields 1 through 3, please begin making your way to the assessnt auditorium now. Follow the yellow line from the north exit of the plaza."
Sloane stood up. "That’s your cue."
"Looks like it." I got to my feet, suddenly feeling the weight of what ca next.
She pulled into a quick, fierce hug. "Kick ass. I’ll see you after."
"Count on it."
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