The push-ups finally stopped. Not because Boros looked tired from it. He simply rose to his feet like it was over when he decided, not when the system told him to stop.
The silence was thick. No one moved. No on breathed. Then–
"Bro…" a guy muttered near the back. "What the hell are we doing here?" Someone else mumbled,
"That wasn't a test….. that was a demonstration."Another voice chimed in, trying to sound casual but clearly shaken. "I mean…. Y'all saw that right? He didn't even flinch. What is he made of?"
...….
From the shadows, the hooded man slowly leaned back in his seat. The grin on his face widened as he murmured, more to himself than anyone else:
"Oh, it's always the quiet ones….." He glanced sideways at his aide.
"I hope the fire bastard is watching this too."
...….
Then Boros got up, cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Good warm up," he muttered coldly.
Then – boom.
He dropped back down and resumed the push-ups from scratch.
This time, there was something more brutal in his way his body moved – less like he was following instructions, more like he was disciplining the floor itself.
Muscles coiled and snapped with surgical precision. His back stayed perfectly flat, his arms dipping low enough to graze the calibrated pads beneath him before punching back up with mechanical power.
The room wasn't quiet anymore. It was tense.
"He's doing them again?" someone whispered.
"Bro…. he's gonna break another pad."
"Man's treating this like punishment, not a test."
One of the instructors from the far side muttered, "That form…. Not even Guild veterans can keep it that perfect under pressure."
Even some of the skeptical competitors found themselves inching forward, drawn to the rhythm of his reps like moths to flame.
Scarlet found herself watching – actually watching – not as an examiner but as someone trying to understand what exactly she was witnessing.
No tremble in the elbows… no arch in the spine… No drop in pace after thirty… forty… fifty…
She swallowed lightly.
This isn't talent. This is control. Discipline. Rage turned into rhythm.
Boros hit the final rep like it was the first. Clean. No gasping. No sweat. He rose slowly.
Scarlet's screen chimed in. But she didn't look down immediately. Her eyes stayed on him. Only after a breath did she turn around and check the data.
The screen glitched for a second – then stabilized.
She froze.
[100/100]
[Form: Perfect]
[Consistency: Perfect]
[Stamina Curve: Peak Athlete Tier][….Load Bearing: System Strain… Warning…]
And then the Nexa pad beneath him sparked.
A small flicker of electricity danced across the seams, and an audible 'crk' came from inside it.
Everyone leaned back. "Yo, is that thing short-circuiting?"
"No way…"
"He overclocked a Nexa pad twice?!"
Scarlet stood up slowly, her voice flat but tight with disbelief.
'If he's not a soldier, he damn well moves like one.'
"…Score: One Hundred. Perfect push-up execution," she announced.
Silence.
Then a collective wave of shocked murmurs rolled through the crowd like thunder under water.
"Wait… did the pad grade him 100 instead of 20 out of 20?"
"Yes it did," another replied, eyes wide. "Yeah. I saw it flash."
"Bro – how is that even possible? Wasn't this whole thing maxed at 20?"
"Why didn't Scarlet say anything?" Someone whispered suspicious.
"She probably don't even know what to say, man."
"He's built different… like scary different."
"But he didn't even struggle – he just got up and did it again. No pause, no flex, no ego."
"…That's not just strength, that's programming."
...
From the shadows above, with a sly grin, the hooded man leaned back in his seat.
"Did you see that?" he said to aide.
"Yes, sir," the aide replied cautiously, "but… you sound excited. All he did was normal push-ups."
"Hmm… I wouldn't call them normal," the man mused. "Those pads are calibrated to increase resistance with every repetition. They're meant to stimulate gravitational fatigue."
"So… it wasn't just about form?"
"No. if we wanted normal push-ups we could've just told them to hit the floor." He clasped his hands together, eyes narrowing with interest.
"He maxed out the counter twice, while making it look like nothing."
"I see, sir," the aide murmured, gaze shifting to Boros. "That explains the sparks…"
....
What the hell is happening with this guy…
Scarlet stood still, back straight, but inside her mind raced.
"I don't even know what to say at this point… his pads were modified the first time… and the second time… and now?"
She kept a calm expression, but her fingers twitched at her side, itching to grab her own hair.
"I was supposed to make his exams harder. Every adjustment I made should've slowed him down. Instead… all of my efforts have proven futile."
"Tch. He's gonna be pissed when he finds out"
She inhaled deeply, smoothing her tone before stepping forward to address the crowd.
"Alright. Everyone settle down," she called. Her voice had that commander's edge again.
"Perfect scores don't change the rules. He completed the test. Just like the rest of you will."
The murmurs dimmed. All eyes returned to her. "For the next part to the physical evaluation,"
She continued, "you'll be paired into groups for the weighted strap run. The goal is simple: run the full track without letting the strap sensors trigger. If it does, your score drops."
She gave a hard glance at the candidates."This test is about endurance, coordination and awareness. Not brute strength. Don't think you can sprint through it like idiots and pass."
Her gaze flicked toward Boros – just for a second.
'Even you.'
...…..
The examiner cleared his throat and held up his clipboard.
"Now that the second test is complete, let's run through the top scores for the Weighted Strap Run."
He squinted at the list and began reading. Then he glanced at Kinuko and said,
"… 18.5"
Kinuko blinked, surprised. "Oh?" Then she gave a small nod, brushing her bangs aside. "Well, at least it's going up…"
Another score followed, as he glanced at Akeno.
"19.0"
Akeno stretched her arms behind her head, grinning. "Nice. Higher than last time," she mumbled. "But still not twenty," she muttered under her breath, frustrated.
She glanced toward the exit with a small frown."Wonder how Shiro's doing…"
Kinuko pinched her cheek as she was lost in thought, pouting in mock frustration. "Didn't I say we should hold back?"
"Hehe…" Akeno laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "You got a high score too."
Still squinting at her friend, Kinuko replied flatly, "Let's keep it at 18."
"19," Akeno bargained with a teasing grin.
"18.5," Kinuko shot back immediately.
"18.9," Akeno pressed, folding her arms. Kinuko narrowed her eyes, leaned in, and said coolly,
"18.8"Akeno sighed in defeat. "Fine." They shook hands.
Meanwhile, in the background, soft whispers circulated among the few spectators in the chamber.
"Those girls again…"
"Wasn't she the one with the weird gear during the pull test?"
"They're consistent, if you ask me."
"Weren't they with the hot blonde guy?"
"You mean the one with white hair?"
"Whatever, close enough."
"He was kinda hot though."
"And he also helped one of them earlier."
The examiner ignored the chatter as he marked the next names, unaware of how much buzz the other testing zone was generating.
********
I kinda changed the directive a little
Cuz in chapter 20 I said they would be a sparring test before the running test, but I made them run before sparring because of a change I made in the story.
That's the only thing I changed though...hehe.....just wanted to clarify in case there was any confusion.
Bye.....Keep reading World of Gods