Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Proof of the Tool (2)
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"Done. My evaluations are finished."
Kain folded his notepad in half. Elise glanced at her wristwatch and nodded.
"It's 12:45, so we're almost done. Let's share."
"Sure."
Kain swapped notepads with Elise. She skimmed hers lightly, but Kain's eyes went wide.
"Whoa..."
It was meticulously detailed—way too meticulous. Not just single-line summaries, but perfect graphs, charts, and diagrams too.
"Elise. Wanna trade back? This looks like a pro wrote it."
"Each team leader can only evaluate sixteen people anyway. It's more important to cover as many as possible without overlaps than to have perfect notes."
Most team leaders had run two cycles of eight each, totaling sixteen evaluations.
Everyone except Soliet.
Soliet had only done one—in the mana zone—and called it quits.
"...Elise. Is Sion still over there?"
That's when Rae pointed somewhere with a smirk.
"..."
Sion Askal, sprawled out starfished on the mat, dead asleep.
Elise just glanced over without responding, while Kain sneered with contempt.
"What a delusional loser. How the hell hasn't he been kicked out yet?"
"Kinda pitiful. Ah, should I have woken him up? But he was really bad..."
Rae muttered. Elise asked indifferently.
"What happened?"
"Huh? Oh, Soliet picked Sion first for her combo test, right? I watched him. He was awful."
"...Really?"
Elise smiled inwardly. So that's why Soliet picked that guy first—to humiliate him properly.
"Oh, right. Hey, guys."
That's when Esher chimed in with a grin, like he'd just remembered something.
"Wanna have our team leaders compete? Looked fun watching the others."
He pointed to one wall of the gym.
It was a 10-meter rail. At the end stood a 10-meter-high wall, with an air mat below for landing.
The No Mana Zone's signature event: High Jump Stamp.
Simple rules: Sprint full speed and slap the wall as high as possible. The scoreboard at the top shows your record.
Most dynamic of the physical evaluations, super popular—but purely height-based, so taller folks with longer arms had the edge.
But hey, natural physique counts as talent in this world.
"...Sounds fun."
Kain said it. At 192 cm barefoot with a 2-meter wingspan, he was brimming with confidence.
Kain held up his notepad.
"How about this? Loser shares their notes with the winner."
"Count me in."
Someone raised their hand.
Everyone turned.
"Soliet?"
It was Soliet. She strode to the rail's starting line.
"Going now."
With that, she bolted.
One step, two, three, four, five. Just enough to build max propulsion, then she planted at the rail's end.
Whoosh—
Graceful takeoff, like an eagle off a cliff.
As all the seniors watched in stunned silence, she slammed her palm at the peak.
Bam—!
A thunderous crack, and the scoreboard updated.
[578 cm]
[578 cm]
"Gah! Holy shit."
Esher clapped a hand over his mouth. The other teammates let out near-gasps of shock.
"Soliet's insane! That's a woman's physical record?"
"..."
Elise's lips twitched at the awed comment.
578 cm meant at least a 4-meter running broad jump. And she didn't even seem to go all-out.
True monster physicals—befitting the Arkne bloodline.
"Next?"
Soliet asked calmly as she walked off the air mat.
"..."
"..."
Esher and Kain averted their eyes. Coming in below her would be humiliating. Gerkken might've had a shot, but he was busy evaluating in the mana zone.
—Ding ♬♪♩♬.
Perfect timing: the lunch bell.
"...Oh, lunch. Later. But here's mine anyway."
Kain handed Soliet his notepad.
"Thanks."
Soliet took it and walked off alone. Elise watched her go.
"Soliet's nuts... Elise, whatcha wanna eat?"
Rae asked, eyes sparkling.
"Whatever."
Elise replied offhand, glancing elsewhere.
"Sushi it is~"
Snore...
Despite all the commotion, the lunatic was still snoring on the mat.
"..."
No one was around when I opened my eyes. I rubbed them and checked the empty No Mana Zone clock.
1:20 p.m.
Lunchtime.
Grrrowl—.
Starving to death. And I eat six meals a day.
"Ugh, so hungry."
I jumped up.
Heading out, a huge number on the scoreboard caught my eye.
[571 cm]
High Jump Stamp.
"That's high."
570 cm in No Mana Zone means at least double in Mana Zone.
"Should I try?"
High Jump Stamp. Always wanted to.
Never even got a chance before.
"Ahem."
I walked to the starting line.
Grrrowl—.
Ignored my stomach.
"Hoo..."
One deep breath.
Nothing fancy.
Just relax the body, tense muscles for the run.
Stance set—
"Hup!"
Big first step.
One.
Two.
Three.
Hit the end. Three steps covered 10 meters.
"Whoa."
Faster than expected. I instinctively planted.
Vwoom—
Body launched.
Sensation was off.
Ground felt too soft, air resistance too light.
Felt like endless ascent.
I glanced down.
Dizzying height.
Air mat tiny as a handkerchief, scoreboard right there.
Leaped this far on raw legs.
"...Ah."
Forgot the goal mid-air. Supposed to slap the wall.
Descending from peak, I slammed my palm down.
Thwack—!
Handprint on the wall. Body sank slowly.
About three seconds, felt like.
Poof—
Back hit the cushy mat first. I looked up at the scoreboard.
[687 cm]
My palm print at the top.
Record: 687 cm.
More puzzled than shocked.
Honestly, confused.
"...Why?"
687 cm rivals draft records. That's why it's weird. My athletics weren't this good originally.
"What is it."
Even if dantian blockage gave natural physical enhancement, that's future stuff. Not now, mid-puberty onset...
"No way."
Eyes widened. A needle-like thought pierced my mind.
"Body Integration?"
Hand on belly.
—.
Faint but steady pulse. My dantian throbs like a heart, scattering mana everywhere.
But this pulse alone can't explain superhuman feats.
No Mana Zone tests raw physicals, not mana body.
"...Ah."
Then, a Notebook principle surfaced.
'Embodiment.'
Repeating what Notebook remembers until my body masters it. Once embodied, skills are forever, no capacity limit.
What if it's not just skills?
Speculation, but if.
Truly if.
If the Perion in Notebook is naturally fusing with my body?
Seeping through dantian pulses into veins, muscles, bones, organs—slowly elevating 'amplification' into my very constitution?
"...Not impossible."
Plausible.
Notebook's dantian-born, so Perion's stored there too.
"..."
I silently opened my palm.
Closed it.
Opened.
Closed.
Suddenly, Master's words echoed.
...I know. You know it, I know it. Body Integration's useless. Still. Better than nothing, right?
"Useless..."
A small smile tugged my lips.
"Might not be useless after all."
1:40 p.m.
Soliet Arkne returned to No Mana Zone before lunch ended.
Forgot something.
"...Ah."
Still there. Good.
Her duffel in the hall corner. Soliet slung it over her shoulder.
"..."
Turned to leave, then froze.
She doesn't trust herself. Scanned the spot visually, and sure enough.
Her phone, right where the duffel was. Must've set it down grabbing the bag.
"Knew it."
What an idiot.
Soliet shook her head, pocketed the phone.
Then—
The scoreboard caught her eye.
Something off.
Or seemed off.
She froze, slowly turned her head to look.
"...?"
Soliet was rarely surprised. Her eyes widened like a cat's.
The record had changed.
The number.
"687 cm?"
[687 cm]
Top guys hit 5-5.3 meters here. Insane even for normals.
But nearly 7 meters now.
Not fake.
Handprint way up proves it—you crane your neck to see.
7 meters: clearing a 2-3 story building on physicals alone.
"Gerkken?"
First name in her head. Only one in current Endex.
"..."
Soliet methodically checked the track and mat. A year chasing nightmares made deduction hobby-level.
"Hm?!"
Spotting something shiny on the mat. She crawled over, pinched it with two fingers.
Not there when she jumped.
Tiny round button.
Endex uniform cuff size.
Probably the jumper's. Soliet pocketed it.