Black Coin

IX

[Chapter 9: Power Test]

The Principal's office was large and smelled like old paper and expensive tea. Principal Vance sat behind a floating desk that was made of dark wood, his eyes sharp behind thin glasses. Miss Bernice and Mr. Han stood behind Seven like two stone statues. Gulp. Seven sat in a hard chair, with his hands sweating.

"Mo Seven," the Principal started to speak, his voice was deep and calm. "You are quite the mystery. You have no Divine Mark on any record. Yet, today, you stood on a portal and it worked. You entered the Spirit Dimension. This should be scientifically impossible for a Mortal with a divine essence Awakened."

Seven’s mind raced instantly. "Think, think, think! If he mentioned the coin, then it was over. He had to give them a good reason that sounded like a rare medical miracle.

"I... I think I have a 'Sleeping Mark'," Seven said, while trying to make his voice shaky. "My father once told me that some people are born with a Divine mark so deep inside their soul that even the scanners can't find it. It’s like a seed that won't sprout. I think when I stepped on the platform, the machine’s energy forced the seed to wake up for just a second." Sigh. It sounded like a clever lie.

The three adults looked at each other in realization. "A Sleeping Mark?" Mr. Han muttered. "It’s rare, but there are records of it in the ancient cultivation texts."

"And your injuries?" Miss Bernice asked, with her eyes narrowing at his bandages.

"I ran into an Iron Fang Snow Wolf, in the Frozen tundra human settlement, that's why I was randomly teleported to" Seven said truthfully. "I barely got away with my life."

"Then why did you look even worse when we found you on the bus?" the Principal pushed, while leaning forward.

Seven looked down at his feet as he began to explain what happened. "When the alien ship crashed... I was running. Then A piece of debris hit me, and I fell into some glass. I was so scared I just crawled back to the bus and hid under a jacket until I passed out. I'm sorry... I'm a coward."

He hated saying it, but it had worked. The teachers were looking at him with pity. To them, he was just a lucky kid who had survived a wolf and then got knocked around by accident while running away from an alien. After a few more questions, the Principal nodded in satisfaction. "Go home, Seven. Get some rest. We will talk more tomorrow."

Ring!

The school bell echoed through the halls. Seven walked out of the office, while feeling like a weight had just been lifted off his chest. He was exhausted. Every bone in his body was aching. Ouch. He wanted to go home and sleep for a week, but he couldn't stop thinking about his newly gained strength.

He walked past the bus stop and headed toward a tall, and sleek building made of blue metal: the Physical Assessment Center. This was where cultivators went to test their physical power levels. Beep. He walked to the reception desk, where a floating AI robot greeted him.

"Welcome. Private testing rooms are 50 credits per hour," the robot said in a tinny voice.

Seven winced. That was his entire week's lunch money. Ting. He swiped his credits with his com-brace and followed a glowing line on the floor to Room 4.

The room was white and had different sections and machines. In the center was a massive, black leather drum attached to a digital meter. "Let's see what ten normal spirit points actually does," Seven whispered to himself. Haaaa. He stood in front of the drum.

He didn't try to use the armor yet. He wanted to see his base strength. He pulled his right fist back, ignoring the stinging pain in his bandaged shoulder. He twisted his hips and threw a punch as hard as he could.

BANG!!

The drum shook, and the digital meter above it began to spin. Whirrrrrr!

[Current Punching Force: 4LT]

[Rank: Normal Adult (Mortal)]

Seven stared at the numbers. He wasn't a powerhouse yet. 4LT was just the strength of a regular, And healthy grown man. For a teenager who already used to be strong and a bit muscular, it was a small improvement, but it wasn't a miracle. He was still just a "Mortal" in the eyes of the drum system.

"Not bad for a start," Seven said, his eyes were glowing with a dark light as his hand moved to the coin. "Now... let's see what happens when the No God iron fang Wolf armor wakes up."

He gripped the black metal.