บท 3: Skydancer Exams (2)

Hugo who was trying to mind his own business found himself in an awkward situation initiated by Raoul Sutherland. Raoul, who was quite a distance away, suddenly appeared a metre above his crotch…

"Uh, what're you trying to do?"

Hugo asked, face cringing at the close contact.

Raoul's eyes moved across Hugo's body and looked like it was appreciating some precious work of art. It was more than strange, to say the least. He could get arrested for looking at a child that way! That didn't bother Raoul in the slightest, though.

'Magnificent, his face looks delicate yet chiselled at the same time. Similarly, his body looks frail and dainty, like a leaf that the slightest breeze can fell, yet my senses tell me that his body contains an extraordinary amount of power within. This… this is truly exquisite!'

His eyes spoke in volumes, yet he didn't realize it.

"Uhh… Mr Raoul, I would appreciate it if you were not so close," Hugo said, trying to back away from the steadily approaching man. He sounded timid, but that was just discomfort at its peak.

"This… this could be it. I might have finally found the rival I was looking for all these years!"

His words were odd, but it still didn't explain why he was on Hugo's crotch! Hugo almost felt like crying, but luckily an escape came along, in the form of a very, very loud man.

"ALLL RIGHTTTTTT! Welcome to the twenty-first annual Skydancer Exams! As you all know, as long as you pass this set of exams, you shall no longer be just Awakened or Evolutionaries, instead you will be full-fledged Skydancers, ready to take down any natural or criminal threats posed to our noble country, Allegro…"

The person speaking was a man with shaggy blonde hair, he was in his twenties and had a medium build and green eyes. He seemed like a typical extrovert, judging from his appearance alone. He had in his hands a golden microphone decorated with high-quality diamonds just a bit near his mouth. Amplifying his voice by way too much, the diamonds formed the word "Loudmouth".

His dressing was "a bit" old-fashioned, considering he wore leather, thug-like clothes that went out of fashion even before the emergence of abilities. Accompanying him was a posse of assistants reacting with different expressions throughout the speech.

They wore the same thug-like leather clothes that were embroidered with diamonds. Similar to the microphone, their leather clothes had diamonds that formed the words "LOUD BUNCH!", stylized exactly as above.

The speech wasn't long but long enough for people to get bored. When the sudden wave of bore passed, the speech reached its climax.

"… Now, the first examination has been picked, it will be… a Physical Examination!"

Upon hearing that, many people cheered about the easy pass… Not realizing what was in store for them.

. . .

"The first test in the Exam will be a test of force. Using a technology developed after years of trial and error, we have developed a machine capable of withstanding and measuring force. The pass mark is 5,000 Jin worth of strength."

The candidates gulped nervously. At first, they thought that a physical exam would refer to simple weight lifting, long sprints, and jumping, you know, stuff like that. But this was totally unexpected. It wasn't very difficult to achieve, but it was still challenging to some whose powers were based on energy.

Nevertheless, most Awakened and Evolutionaries trained their bodies to get rid of upper limits when using their powers. It was basically common knowledge.

The first test in the Exam didn't take too long at all since most people could not meet up the pass mark. It was only in the second half that people really began to pass the first test.

"PASS!"

"Pass,"

"Pas~"

Eventually, it seemed the Pro-Skydancer, Loudmouth got tired of shouting pass and eventually just let the bots do it. Finally, it came Hugo's turn.

"Next, Hugo Smithson!"

Most people in Allegro were aware of the Smithson Clan reputation for forging top-quality equipment, in fact, it was not only in Allegro, numerous nations from all over the world ordered their products in hope of enhancing their strength. Unfortunately, the Smithson Clan was now…

"So, he's a Smithson?"

"Doesn't look like a blacksmith to me..."

"Dumbass. They aren't only blacksmiths."

"You daft fools, can't you hear the first name? This Hugo kid is the monster young master from that incident all those years ago!"

Though they spoke in whispers, Hugo could very much hear them. One part of him was used to this when they heard his name, and another part of him wished they would just take him for Hugo, not the young master of the Smithson Clan, nor the kid from the news those years ago.

'Fine, they're so insistent on sticking to these labels, I will let them be. However, when I become the top-ranking Skydancer and when I change the world, they will acknowledge me!'

Hugo calmly walked over to the large machine and took a deep breath in order to calm himself down. He stood in front of the machine and assessed it with his eyes.

'Amazing, even after repeated strikes, it is still at this level of endurance. There is no way anyone can capitalize on a weak point.'

"Hey, kid, we don't have all day!" Loudmouth yelled out to him for the sidelines, ushering him to hurry it up.

Hugo didn't hear, or more accurately, ignored the annoying Dancer.

He placed his fingers in a snapping position and placed them against the machine, which was a little cold to the touch.

*Ping!*

With a low ping sound, Hugo released the fingers in the snapping motion.

"..."

"What the fuck was that!"

All of a sudden a loud commotion erupted, many people were enraged that Hugo wasted their time only to get a measly result of 5 Jin. Others were angry because the so-called heir of the Smithson Clan was only this much.

'Could my judgment have been wrong?' Raoul thought sceptically. Was Hugo really as strong as the others thought?

Loudmouth, the invigilator of the exam was also shocked.

"How is that possible? Even if he is weak, he shouldn't be that weak!"

"Wah!"

All of a sudden, the noise that erupted like a volcano became as calm as a lake. Loudmouth, who was busy with his contemplation realized this and suddenly looked over to the screen displaying the force generated.

"F-f-fifty thousand Jin?!!"

This was a magnificent feat, considering Hugo only did it with a flick of his fingers. Was this real power?

"Hugo Smithson, Pass!"

Hugo wasn't surprised. If he could not pass such a simple test, then all those years of training his body to accommodate his powers would have been a waste, and there was no way he was passing up on the chance to show off his abilities.

And as for those guys yelling that they would kill whoever tried to get in their way? Merely jokers. In the end, actions speak louder than words.

Hugo felt now that he was done acting like he didn't know what to do with his life. There was only one thing to do, and that was to achieve his goal!