[ Health – 51, Stamina – 22, Strength – 26, Ability – E, Growth – B]
Out of the massive wall of text, Rey could only understand these key measures detailed at the very end. Even so, he didn’t exactly know what they meant, either. He deduced that the maximum in Health, Stamina and Strength could be 100, but that was it. Both Ability and Growth were such vague terms, he couldn’t wrap his head around them.
“Wow”, Thomas said, while the other candidates were still silently absorbed in their papers. “So, what’s this mean, really? Especially that ‘Level 1’ thing?”
Rey looked at the heading of the paper. <Participant 4, Rey Erizon, Level 1>.
Mr. Lain replied: “To give an accurate description of your growth while going through this project, the chairwoman decided to give you character profiles similar to the progression system in video games. That way, you will find it more comprehensive. The profiles will also show a more detailed analysis regarding how these stats are formed.”
“’Bout the test, Mr…”
“Mr. Gordon, I am afraid that will have to wait until you get your turn. Are there any other questions?”
Mr. Lain looked around the room, but no one raised their hands or voice. Rey also thought that he needed some time to think things over first.
“Well then, may the first participant, Thomas Baker, meet me here at 8. p.m. That is all.”
As everyone walked to the exit, Mr. Gordon murmured:
“Always the same…”
Back at his room, Rey fell into the white sheets of his ordinary bed, tightly gripping the soft cushion. This was already more than enough, he thought, but he had to keep up with everyone’s expectations in order to maintain this lifestyle. In a way, it was just like his old life. In order to gain something, you lose something else. And maintaining something that doesn’t belong to you means becoming a slave to someone. Still, this one moment alone, of being able to lie in that bed, made Rey feel grateful enough to try and keep on going.
He turned around, and looked at his profile again. The wall of text, also called the detailed analysis, had some things that stuck out to him. It seemed to work on a deduction system to figure out a person’s stats. All the details shown were negatives. Particularly, some of the details regarding the health part didn’t look great.
<Arthritis (hands, developing), skin abscess (right foot), high blood pressure (143/91 mm Hg)>
However, both Stamina and Strength didn’t look better, either.
<Malnutrition, signs of respiratory illness, below average muscle mass>
A faint image of high school popped up in Rey’s head. He was never in any clubs, but he seemed fitter then. Having skimmed through his profile again, he looked at the clock. 6:54. There was still plenty of time, and a door in his room he hadn’t opened yet. A part of him didn’t even want to open it, though he was sure of what was inside. It was something he clearly needed now more than ever. A shower, which he had only sparsely taken in his one year of inhabiting the streets.
Slowly turning the handle, still awkwardly aware of something that clearly wouldn’t be there, he made his step into the bathroom. Although it was small, it still had a clean toilet and shower. A child-like excitement overcame him, as he hastily threw off his clothes and embraced the sprinkling water pouring down his body. He turned the handle to warm water, then to cold, then to warm again, experimenting with all the options he hadn’t been able to enjoy for a full year. Next to his feet, he spotted a yellow-colored shower gel, saying:
“This is heaven.”
Half an hour later, with a misty cloud accompanying him, Rey left the bathroom, and fell into the sheets once more. There was an alarm clock in the room, which he set to 8:30 p.m. He decided to take a nap before the test would come around, and fell asleep on the spot. When the time for his test rolled around, he was confronted with the entrance to the training hall once again. He took a deep breath, repeating the phrase:
“It’s cool, it’s cool, it’s cool…”
Mr. Lain was alone in the middle of the hall, standing next to the husk of a yellow orb.
“Do you remember this, Mr. Erizon?”
“Yes.”
“You may come closer.”
The hall was darker than usual, making the edges blurry. The remaining light shone on Mr. Lain like a spotlight. As Rey approached him, the orb slightly lit up, making Rey twitch for a second.
“You are eligible to take the test. I will now explain your task.”
Mr. Lain stretched out his hand, guiding Rey’s right to him. He placed Rey’s hand on the orb, which responded by sending out vibrations. While uncomfortable, Rey also felt something else happening to his body. Even so, for a moment, it seemed as if nothing happened.
“Mr. Erizon, I will now remove my hand. Do not remove yours, and hold that position until I instruct you to do otherwise.”
He slowly removed his hand from Rey’s, increasing the vibrations around the orb. Rey felt them through his whole body. Mr. Lain then said:
“Let it guide you.”
An uneasy warmth built up inside Rey’s body. He began sweating. After a while, his arm stated to go numb, too. A whole minute goes by with no results. Rey, from his head to his toes, grew weary. Taking deep breaths and closing his eyes just to maintain his position, finally, after a long wait, the orb spoke with an echoed voice:
“What can you do?”
Yet another question that could not be easily answered. Rey hadn’t been given any hints to this riddle, and he was once again tasked with letting something other than his thoughts dictate the answer. He thought about what he wanted to do instead, which was to let go of that shiny talking ball. When he looked at the crack in the upper parts of its body, an image came to mind. It looked like a socket. And what fit in there was…
Rey was never interested in fairy tales, but this story always stuck out to him. When he watched those movies as a kid, he could think back to better, simpler times. An age where he was allowed to wonder. He moved his hand to the crack, and gripped it. Then, he tried to pull something out of it.
What emerged from the crack was a handle. He clutched it, and pulled further. What revealed itself next was a sharp, bright blade. When he got far enough, with one energetic tug, he pulled out the rest of it. Its shape lacked any distinct features, and it was covered in a yellow mist, but one thing Rey knew. He pulled out a large sword.
“Pragmatic, romantic, childish, imaginative or perhaps unimaginative…it could be any of those things. However, still, interesting.”
Rey, still with sword in hand, looked over to Mr. Lain.
“Pardon me. My personal opinions have unfortunately leaked out. The test, Mr. Erizon, is not yet completed.”
What Rey summoned clearly defied physics. Its shape and size seemed to waver, and despite how heavy it seemed when he pulled it out of its socket, the sword had next to no weight in his hands. When pointing it to the ground, it even extended its blade. Rey looked at Mr. Lain once again, who was clearly holding himself back from giving out any advice. In other words, Rey was still overlooking something essential.
A sword that didn’t follow any laws and that virtually sprung out of Rey’s mind.
“Wait, that’s it!”
He readied for a swing, aiming for the ground.
“Mr. Lain, am I allowed to damage this floor?”
“I am afraid I cannot stop you.”
Rey smiled.
“Perfect.”
