Inside Evankhell's Mothership, a large room had been set up to gather all the regulars who had passed the second test. Indrah and Ho stood at the front of the crowd, checking on the other regulars who had been transported to the same room. Laure, however, was still sleeping.
As they observed their fellow regulars, Ho remarked to Indrah, "Everybody looks powerful and ferocious, don't you think, Mr. Indrah?"
Before Indrah could reply, a commotion erupted in the crowd. A dark-skinned, red-haired guy was shouting and grabbing the collar of a black-haired boy.
"Did you see what you did to my arm?!" he yelled, clearly pissed off.
It was obvious the red-haired guy had picked a fight with the black-haired boy over his missing arm.
"I don't know. Maybe you can buy a stick and attach it to your arm," the black-haired boy replied nonchalantly.
"What, you jerk!"
Just as the red-haired guy was about to explode—
"I don't mean to interrupt. Fighting is prohibited during the break."
A voice cut through their argument.
"And who the hell are you?" the red-haired guy snapped, clearly not in the mood.
"Very kind of you to ask. I'm your Test Administrator—Leoro Ro."
A tall, blond-haired guy in a black and white outfit stepped onto the raised platform and introduced himself.
"An Administrator? Then you're a R-Ranker?"
The red-haired guy asked, suddenly unsure, even stuttering a bit.
"Yes, I'm a Ranker of the Tower," Leoro Ro said, smiling.
Once he confirmed it, the red-haired guy backed off. The crowd started settling down too, some of them whispering among themselves.
All of this was happening, but Indrah wasn't paying attention to the scuffle. His eyes were on a team nearby—Baam's team. He thought about starting a conversation with him, but gave up halfway through the thought.
Why would I?
I just need to keep this guy in check long enough to pass the Test Floor, he thought, giving a quick side glance to Ho, his teammate, before turning his attention back to the stage.
"Alright, before we get into the next round, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm Leoro Ro, your Test Administrator. Nice to meet chu!" He waved, looking overly pleased with himself.
The crowd gave a few awkward nods, and then he got straight to the point.
"Now, you've had some time to rest. Let's move on to the next test. But before that, we're gonna do a little pretest. If you fail this one, you don't get to move on to the real thing."
There was a collective groan. Some of the regulars exchanged looks, probably wondering if this was some kind of joke.
"Don't worry. It's a simple pretest," Leoro Ro laughed, then held up his hand. In a second, he was forming a blue ball of Shinsu in his palm. The thing swirled and hummed in the air before he thrust it forward, sending a massive wave of Shinsu crashing across the room.
WHOOSH
It slammed into everyone. Most regulars were thrown back hard, some even knocked to the ground. Very few managed to hold their ground. Among them, a blue-haired boy with a briefcase looked like he was barely staying upright.
"Shinsu…" he mumbled through clenched teeth, struggling to keep his balance.
Leoro Ro gave him a look of appreciation. "Ooh, aren't you perceptive," he said, making the wave push harder. WHAM It forced everyone else back until they were all up against the far wall. A thick, shimmering blue barrier formed in front of them, blocking any further movement.
"Shinsu is the source of the Tower's power. It's everywhere. Without it, we wouldn't even be able to breathe, let alone fight," Leoro Ro explained casually, tapping the blue wall with his finger. "Now, to pass this test, you just need to get through that wall without collapsing from the pressure of the Shinsu. Those who make it through will pass. The rest of you… well, better luck next time."
He smiled like it was no big deal.
Before anyone could ask any more questions, Indrah spoke up.
"Your Shinsu didn't push us."
He stood calm as ever on the other side of the wall, arms still folded, just a little past the line where the Shinsu had hit. Baam stood nearby, awkwardly waving at Leoro Ro.
Leoro Ro blinked, then looked back at the crowd. Hmm. A few regulars gawked at the two of them.
So this is the difference, Indrah thought. I know Irregulars are crazy strong, but I didn't expect this…
He glanced over at Baam, then back at the Shinsu wall, still feeling that nagging question. Just how strong are they, really?
"I'm sorry! I can totally go back," Baam blurted out, quickly stepping backward, nervously running into the others.
Indrah sighed quietly and shook his head. I've heard rumors about how he changes later, but I can't picture it right now.
Leoro Ro let out a little laugh and waved his hand. "No, no. Come on over. You pass."
"What?!" a guy in a purple tracksuit shouted.
"That's ridiculous!" a man in a green cloak, carrying a sniper rifle, protested.
Leoro Ro just smirked, looking around at the protests. "Luck. That's the thing you need to survive in the Tower. Whether you were born with strong Shinsu resistance, whether you're rich, smart, or just lucky enough to avoid getting killed… it all comes down to luck."
"You got this far because of luck, so don't complain," he added, looking over at the sniper guy. "And you're telling me this is 'absurd'? Stop whining and take the test, Regulars!"
But while he said that, he kept his eyes on Indrah and Baam. Where do these monsters even come from?
Khun, sitting on the floor nearby, muttered to Rak, "This guy's probably climbed the tower with nothing but his mouth."
"That's my black turtle," Rak replied, watching Baam closely, before turning to look at Indrah.
"Must be a lucky turtle," Rak added, then grinned at Baam, "That's right. Lucky turtle."
"I'm gonna pass this stupid test," Rak declared, starting to march forward confidently.
Khun grabbed him by the cloak. Grab!
"What the hell are you doing?" Rak snapped, swatting Khun's hand away.
"We'll see what the others do," Khun said, sitting back down with a casual shrug.
Indrah didn't move, didn't speak. He wasn't ignoring the others—he just didn't care to get involved in this nonsense. He wasn't here for friends or drama. His goal was simple: climb to the top of the Tower and survive. Why else? Because he was not going to die a second time.
And as he stood there, deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice Leoro Ro slide into the space next to him and Baam, sitting down with a casual grin.
"You two look bored. How about chatting with me for a bit?" he asked, his voice way too cheerful.
There was a long silence.
"Well, how about a game?" Leoro Ro suggested, trying to lighten the mood.
Baam blinked. "A game? What kind of game?"
"Let's guess which regular's gonna get through the Shinsu wall first," Leoro Ro said, still grinning. He looked over at Indrah. "How about you, Regular? Want to join?"
There was something about Indrah that made Leoro Ro uneasy—he didn't feel like a regular. Something about him felt… off, in a way Leoro Ro wasn't used to.
"I'll pass," Indrah said, giving Leoro Ro a steady look, the same grin he'd been wearing all along.
Leoro Ro's lips twitched slightly, but he kept smiling and turned back to Baam. They picked the same lizard-looking regular, who ended up getting through the wall. They tied.
But Leoro Ro didn't let it go at that. "I'm a Ranker, so I'll answer any question you ask if you win," he said with a grin.
Baam, suddenly excited, asked, "Did a girl with blonde hair and freckles pass through here?"
Leoro Ro shook his head. "I haven't seen anyone like that," he said, then offered, "But if you've got another question, go ahead."
Baam didn't hesitate. "What about Irregulars?"
Leoro Ro's smile faded just a bit, and he leaned back as he explained. "Irregulars are something else. They're stronger than anyone else in the Tower. Some are so powerful that even Rankers fear them."
Indrah listened quietly, his eyes drifting over to the other side of the room. Laure had just passed the test without breaking a sweat, and then went straight back to sleeping. The guy looked like he'd been working nonstop for a week. Meanwhile, Ho passed through the Shinsu wall too, but he was hovering over Laure like a hawk, ready to jump in if anything went wrong.
Indrah couldn't help but think ´I should've joined a different team'