The Final Exam Begins

Team Harmonize. "What do I do? I'm so nervous." "You'll do great." With Victor, Rain, and Amy all absent, Shine was the only one there to comfort me. As if to assure me that everything would be fine, Shine simply held my hand tightly.

Today was the day of the final exam. The roar of the crowd filling the massive arena seemed to vibrate right through the walls of the waiting room. "Right. I've worked really hard, after all." I nodded, looking back on those grueling days of training. Rain's drills had only grown more brutal over time. But now, I could break five pine boards at once. It was an incredible leap in progress—even if it meant my hands would be incredibly sore afterward.

"That's right. You worked so hard, Jeff," Shine said, gently stroking my hair. The waiting room assigned to Shine and me was completely empty save for the two of us. I had heard that the other participants had to share a single massive waiting area, so this was a special privilege granted to us.

I sank deep into the plush armchair and let out a sigh. Despite my words, I couldn't entirely hide my anxiety. "You're the strongest, Jeff. So just trust me." "Okay." Shine squeezed onto the narrow sofa beside me, wrapping her arms around me and whispering softly. Though the tight space was a bit awkward, her embrace brought a wave of calm over me. We stayed wrapped in each other's warmth until the announcement finally came.

I had been drifting off to sleep in her cozy warmth when the broadcast shattered my drowsiness. The voice echoing from the speaker installed in the room startled Shine awake. "I'll be right back," she said. "Okay." Confirming it was her turn, Shine hopped off the sofa and headed for the door. Watching her back recede, I instinctively stood up and grabbed her hand.

"What is it?" "Um... good luck. Make sure you win." "I will." Shine gently slipped her hand from my grasp. With a soft smile, she turned around and stepped out of the waiting room.

The empty waiting room felt incredibly quiet. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I walked over to the large screen mounted on the wall. The final exam was structured as a tournament—a battle royale of sorts where everyone who had trained so far gathered to fight. Although we were given protective suits to minimize injuries, I couldn't help but worry about Shine. Biting my nails, I switched on the screen. Flicker— The dark screen flared to life, displaying the interior of the arena. By pressing the buttons on the remote control, I could cycle through the different camera feeds. I quickly flipped through the channels until I found the stage where Shine's match was about to begin.

Her opponent was a peer from our training center—someone whose name I had never managed to learn. The girl, wearing a black suit with her long hair tied up in a high ponytail, scowled at Shine. Shine was also clad in a black suit. Unlike her usual self, she simply stared back with a completely expressionless face.

The moment the referee's voice boomed, the girl opposite Shine lunged forward. Shine moved a fraction of a second later. Pitter-patter— her small feet blurred as she closed the distance. Since her opponent was also rushing toward her, they collided in the blink of an eye. The girl's ability belonged to the enhancement type—a simple yet devastatingly powerful ability that physically reinforced the body. I watched their clash with bated breath.

The girl threw a lightning-fast punch. Whoosh! The sheer air pressure generated by the strike made Shine's body sway for an instant. But as if she had read the trajectory beforehand, Shine slipped past the blow and immediately launched a counterattack. Spinning gracefully, Shine kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. Immediately after, the opponent's movements ground to a sudden halt. It was a phenomenon that defied comprehension. A strange, high-frequency static buzzed through the speakers, grating on my ears. I frowned and covered my ears. Suspended in midair, Shine reached out and tapped the forehead of the frozen girl. And just like that, it was over.

Thud. The girl collapsed to the floor, showing no signs of waking up. Shine had claimed victory with baffling ease and speed. Even in victory, her face remained entirely blank, devoid of any emotion. The referee stood dazed for a moment, utterly stunned by the instantaneous conclusion. However, as if he had seen his fair share of anomalies, he quickly regained his composure, raised his hand high, and shouted:

At the referee's declaration, the crowd erupted into wild cheers. The sheer volume of the roar made the entire building vibrate. I had no idea there were so many people inside this facility. Until now, the few people I interacted with daily had been my entire world. But now, it felt like... yes, it felt just like that winter festival I had attended in the past, surrounded by an endless sea of people. A winter festival? Had I ever gone to one with Shine? I felt like I had gone there for work. Work? Once the train of thought started, it triggered a chain reaction. Fragmented, broken shards of memories began to surface one after another.

"Hmm..." I crossed my arms and scowled. I couldn't quite grasp the memories. While I was agonizing over it, Shine returned to the waiting room. Click. The door opened with a soft sound. Stepping through the threshold, Shine wore an expression completely different from the one I had just seen on the screen. It was the usual Shine—the one who always had a warm smile just for me. The moment I saw her, all the stray thoughts cluttering my mind vanished in an instant.

"Shine!" "Jeff." I leapt up from my seat, ran over, and threw my arms around her. Shine caught me with open arms, chuckling softly as she hugged me back. "I won." "You did amazing!" "You can do it too, Jeff." "Yeah." I pulled Shine back over to the sofa and sat down. Since there was a huge gap between our numbers, it looked like it would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a long wait before my turn.

"Hey, Shine. How did you do that?" "Do what?" "Using just enough electric shock to knock them out without hurting them." "Ah..." "Teach me how!" I had always been curious about it, but I'd never had the chance to ask. Controlling her ability so cleanly that it left absolutely no aftereffects was a skill I deeply envied.

"Hmm..." Shine's expression darkened slightly at my request. "Oh... you don't want to tell me?" "No, it's not that. It's just... how should I put ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this?" Shine crossed her arms and sighed. "Look, Jeff. Could you explain to someone how to breathe?" "Huh?" "Inhale, then exhale. It's a simple explanation, right? But if someone literally didn't know how to breathe, do you think they could actually do it just by hearing that?" I stared at Shine, my mouth hanging open.

"Ah, I see." "Yeah." "Sorry for asking." "No, I'm sorry I can't explain it better." Feeling a bit dejected, I snuggled deeper into Shine's embrace. She smiled softly at my reaction and stroked my hair. With Amy gone, Shine was the only one who could pet my head like this. Amy's absence felt incredibly vast right now.

The announcement calling my name echoed through the room. I snapped my head up and leaped off the sofa. "Good luck out there," Shine said, waving to me as I dashed toward the door. "Thanks!" Seeing the absolute trust in her eyes filled me with a sudden surge of confidence. "Whew..." Standing before the door, I took a small breath to steady myself and turned the handle. Creak— The door swung open, revealing a hallway packed with people. In an instant, dozens of eyes locked onto me. It was overwhelming. I wanted nothing more than to slam the door shut and hide. But I couldn't. I had to pass this exam so I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could help Amy, Rain, and Victor.

Ignoring the heavy stares, I stepped out into the corridor. I hadn't noticed it when heading to the waiting room, but the hallway felt incredibly long. The low murmur of people whispering drifted into my ears. Covering my ears with my hands, I bolted toward the arena. Roar—! The moment I cleared the long corridor and entered the arena, a colossal wave of cheers washed over me. The sheer volume nearly made my knees buckle, but thankfully, I managed to keep my footing. There were so many people. With my field of vision suddenly expanding so drastically, my mind went blank, and I forgot where I was supposed to go.

Splat— Just then, a tiny droplet of water flew through the air and struck my cheek. Startled by the cold sensation, I looked up and saw Rain sitting at the judges' table, subtly gesturing to me with her eyes. Ah. Without even having time to wave, I dashed toward my designated area: Ring A-23. Around me, other matches were already underway.

"Number 72, Jeff?" "Yes!" As I approached the ring, the referee standing nearby called out to me. I nodded and pointed to the name tag pinned to my chest. "Your opponent is already waiting." I nodded again and stepped onto the ring. Standing opposite me was a massive, muscular man. What could his ability be? He wasn't someone I had trained with at our facility. He must have come from somewhere else.

"Both players, check your equipment." Following the referee's instructions, I quickly checked myself over. The suit I was wearing was perfectly fine. The small metal rods in my pocket were also safe and sound. I had also brought three coins with me. "Any issues?" "None!" "I'm ready." My opponent and I nodded simultaneously. In just a few moments, the battle would begin. This wasn't a light sparring session; this was a real fight. Although the suit would protect my body, I had to give it everything I had to bring my opponent down.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Slain," my opponent said, offering a greeting to my stiff, nervous self. Despite his rugged, intimidating appearance, he seemed surprisingly friendly. Just as I was about to reply, the referee's voice cut in abruptly.

The match had begun. My mind went completely blank. Paralyzed by nerves, my body refused to budge. Oh no. What do I do? Extreme anxiety threatened to consume me. But in that exact moment, my body began to move on its own. I have to give it my all. Every other thought vanished from my head, leaving only that single, burning resolve. My all. Full power. I had to use every ounce of my strength to defeat him.

"Aaaaah!" Letting out a cry that sounded almost like a scream, I whipped the metal rods out of my pocket and hurled them at him. Crackle—! Infused with the blue electricity surging from my hands, the rods flew toward my opponent like bolts of lightning. Startled by my sudden assault, the massive man flinched. His ability seemed to be telekinesis. The eerie, invisible pressure characteristic of telekinetics warped the air around him. The metal rods I threw collided with an invisible barrier in midair and clattered to the ground. Zap, zap! The scattered rods still crackled with residual blue current.

Give it your all. Don't give him an opening. Guided by the voice echoing in my head, my body moved with fluid instinct. I slammed my foot hard against the ground. The blue electricity discharging from my feet coursed through the floor, instantly snaking up to wrap around the scattered metal rods. Sensing something was wrong, my opponent tried to move, but it was already too late. BZZZZT! The violent crackle of electricity drowned out his scream. The blue current snaking around his entire body locked his muscles in place. It had to be incredibly painful.

Without losing a single second, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a coin. Spin— The blue electricity channeling into my hand wrapped around the coin, spinning it at a dizzying velocity. I gathered every drop of my power into that single point. A phenomenon I had never witnessed before began to unfold. The blue light intensified, turning a blinding white as the coin glowed cherry-red from the sheer energy. My opponent was completely paralyzed. A technique name flashed in my mind. Lucy Meteor. No. That wasn't it. Shine Meteor. That was the one.

Flick! My fingertip struck the coin. The spinning coin shattered with a deafening boom, its fragments hurtling forward wrapped in violent blue electricity. The remnants of the coin blanketed the sky. Above my paralyzed opponent, a torrential downpour of falling meteors rained down. BOOM! A thunderous explosion and a massive shockwave shook the entire arena to its core.