Upon entering the building, Ryan saw many people who had the same uniform as the brown haired man.
They checked everyone who was from the lab. He didn't know what was checked, he just saw that they used magic to do it. It was something beyond his knowledge. But he saw hope in it.
If it was a physical test, he doubts he would pass it given the scar on his chest. He couldn't give any plausible explanation about how it came to be without exposing the truth. After all, in this world, surgery was not something anyone could afford just because they were rich, not to mention he was poor.
After waiting for a while it was finally his turn.
"Name ?"
"Ryan."
"Age?"
"Don't remember."
"Origin?"
"Don't remember."
"Okay, you can start."
The three people who were responsible for conducting the examination started casting their magic. Ryan didn't know what magic it was, but he could tell that the three magic was different between one and another.
The process of casting magic was also very different from what he saw in the underground laboratory, there were no chanting or hand gestures required to cast it. But there was a blue magic circle that suddenly materialized in front of their palm before the magic was cast.
It was the second time he felt the effect of magic, the first time was when he ascended to the surface. The sensation was very different, if at that time he lost control of his own body, now he felt every inch of his body was like being scanned, with no secret seems to be able to escape. Not to mention that there were three 'scanners'.
Ryan gulped hard, while praying to any deities he knew wished that no one would discover the extra thing in his body.
Unfortunately, he wasn't informed of the examination results and just told to wait in another room.
"Done, you can walk straight along the corridor. You can rest there for the meantime while waiting for the results."
Ryan didn't respond and just walked along the corridor. What surprised him when he arrived was there were just four people other than him, while the others were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are the others?" He blurted that sentence instinctively, causing the other to look towards him.
"They took them to the orphanage." One of them explained, "Only we who are already adults were left here."
Seeing the young faces in front of him, Ryan felt like sighing. In this world, fifteen is already considered an adult and they need to be responsible for themselves. Thinking about what he was doing when he was just fifteen, he couldn't help but sigh.
In this tense atmosphere, no one is in the mood to chat. So, the room became quiet again.
After a while several more people arrived.
Finally, a guard entered after the tenth person arrived. He brought in a trolley of food.
"Each person gets one portion." The guard said sternly.
"In a few minutes you will be called by an esteemed mage one by one. So, be prepared!"
The guard was gone after dropping that sentence.
Ryan looked at the meal he got in his hand. It was bread along with a cup really hungry. He didn't know how long this body had gone without any nutrients entering it.
The bread was a bit hard, he needed to drink some water to be able to swallow it. But, at least it was not the worst kind of bread.
After finished eating, he felt his hunger somewhat relieved.
"Ryan!"
Ryan didn't know when, but a mage had already entered the room, he stood in front of the door to the adjacent room while calling his name.
Unexpectedly, he was called first.
He stood up and followed the mage to the adjacent room.
Seated inside the room was a woman who appeared to be in her forties. She wore glasses, and her short, black hair was tied up, giving her an intelligent look. She reminded Ryan of his strict professor at his time as a student.
She was reading a parchment when Ryan came in.
She didn't even turn his head but just continued to read the parchment.
If Ryan could see it, he would realize that it was the results of his examination. It contained information about him, from his bone age, body condition, body quality, etc. Among the many details, there was a line that caught the woman's attention, 'No foreign organs are detected, but there are abnormalities in the heart area.'
The other eye-catching thing was, 'excellent body quality, stronger than a normal adult.'
Only after finished reading did she turn her head, looking towards Ryan.
"Ryan, correct?" She asked
"Yes I am." Ryan answered instinctively.
"Do you have any plan about where to go after you become free?"
Ryan was caught off guard by the question. He thought the question would be about his life in the laboratory or if he knew something about it. It was neither, but a question about his future plan.
He also likes to ask that himself. His knowledge of this world was too little, without sufficient knowledge, he didn't know what he could do. His skill from his last life would likely also be useless here. He even doubted whether he could live long enough to fulfil his wish about learning magic.
"I don't know." He shook his head.
The woman nodded.
He didn't know if it was because his answer satisfied her or because it matched her prediction.
"Then, how about joining the city guard?"
If the previous question caught him off guard, this one shocked him. He was stunned by the proposal he was offered.
City guard, if it was his previous world, it would be equivalent to a police officer. One needs to be tested and screened to become a police officer, in some countries, one even needs the correct connection to become one. Now, he was offered to become one without being tested or screened.
He became vigilant instantly. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. This proverb captures this very situation clearly.
The question now is whether he should accept it or not.