I Only Want To Kill-Chapter 76: The Assessment (1)

"Who’s your new friend, Blaze?"

Kana walks up and says.

"It’s June Richmond. She’s a relative to Eleanor."

"Woah! You know Miss Richmond?"

"Yeah! She’s my aunt."

The group arrives at the counter, and Nicole hands them a stack of paper.

"Please sign here, here, and here. Also put in a detailed description of your power.

An instructor will come shortly to take you to the assessment room. We need to verify your power level.

Miss Richmond. Because you lost your badge, we will also need to verify your power again."

"Thank you, Miss." Blaze says.

"I understand." June nods.

The two stand on the counter desk to fill in the detail.

Alyson is curious about the new girl, so she speaks up.

"Hi there, how do you know Blaze?"

"Oh, I don’t. He’s an acquaintance of my aunt. We were just saying hi."

"I’m Alyson Aldrin. Pleasure to meet you."

"June Richmond. My pleasure as well."

The two girls exchange a short introduction.

Blaze and June finish their papers quickly. Nicole tells them to go back to the waiting area so that they can process the information.

"What’s your power, big sis?" Alyson sits beside June.

"Oh?"

June is visibly surprised by Alyson’s interest in her. The people of this place are way more friendly than she thinks.

June is older than Alyson. At least in her mid-20s, while Alyson is still a high schooler. So it is logical that Alyson calls her that.

But ’big sis’ is a friendly word, so strangers don’t use it that often. June just thinks that it’s the way the people of this area act.

"I have Precision Aim. It’s a useless power. It only helps me shoot better with a gun."

"No power is useless. I bet you can find a good use for it."

"Yeah... How about your friend, Blaze? Why did he register so late?"

"He just awakened not too long ago, so he has to register now."

"Oh?"

This perks June’s interest immediately. Usually kids do not awaken when they reach their teenage age. Blaze is obviously a rare occurrence.

While the two girls talk, Blaze sits down beside his mom.

"You have an eye for women, kiddo. That Richmond girl looks good, too."

Alyson is fierce and independent. Her hard exterior shows it all, corresponding to her power.

June is older with a much softer appearance. Her baby face makes her look much younger than she actually is.

"What are you talking about, Mother? I have no intention like that toward June."

"June, eh? Just met her, and now you call her name?"

"Please, Mother. Don’t tease me. I met her in the Void."

Then Blaze tells Kana about what happened, how he encountered them, and Dominic’s death.

Kana looks afar, her eyes lose focus. She, too, feels sad for the cop’s death.

"What an unfair world. Renly had a good heart. This city is too much for him."

"I intend to visit his family later. You want to go?"

"Of course. We need to pay our respects at least. I know his wife as well. She must be devastated right now."

From inside the building, a hulking man walks out. He has a buzz cut with blonde hair. He wears military camouflage pants with hard green boots.

"Who are the Awakeners?"

The man says to Nicole. She points to June and Blaze.

Blaze actually recognizes this man. He saw him in Nadyr’s memory.

He showed up briefly in Nadyr’s life but left a very notable impression.

Guy Walker, a drill instructor inside the Steel Legion.

He was an instructor for Nadyr when he first joined the Steel Legion. Blaze remembers vividly what Guy said to Nadyr.

It was in the middle of the night when Guy caught Nadyr smoking outside of the facility. But instead of punishing him, Guy took the cigarette from Nadyr’s hand, and they had a chat.

"This place is not a good place to be, Private."

"Why do you say so, Sergeant?"

Guy took a deep, long puff of the cigarette. The substance softened Guy’s expression.

"Do you know what we do here, son?"

"What do we do, sir?"

"We’re trying to fight gods.

You do not have the mentality for the Legion, son. This place will eat you alive slowly.

I have seen many soldiers like you. One that is broken beyond repair.

Leave the Legion when you still have the chance."

Guy took another long puff, completely used up the rest of the cigarette. He let out a big, large ball of smoke.

Guy dropped the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it.

"And if I see you smoking again, twelve laps around the facility, understood?!"

Guy raised his voice. Nadyr straightened his back and saluted immediately.

"Understood, drill sergeant!"

Then Guy left.

Back to the present, Guy approaches June and Blaze. He squints his eyes and observes them closely.

A young woman with no combat experience.

A kid... But what is this aura?

June looks like an everyday citizen, nothing out of the ordinary. But Blaze is different.

Guy can recognize a battle-hardened warrior everywhere. The kid may not go through too many fights, but he is a certified killer.

"You are Blaze Singer?"

"Yes, sir."

"Were you in the military?"

"No, sir. Why do you ask?"

"It’s nothing." Then Guy turns toward June. "And you must be Miss Richmond. The two of you, please follow me. I will be your evaluator."

Guy doesn’t intrude further and moves on from the matter. This world has many secrets. He has no reason to pressure one that belongs to a kid.

"Can my mother and my friend go inside too?" Blaze says.

"Of course. But unrelated personnel, please stay in the observatory for safety."

"We understand, sir." Kana says.

Alyson also nods.

The group goes deeper in the building.

The Awakened League has a reinforced facility that they called the assessment room. This room is built precisely to withstand high impact and explosions, even more durable than a steel bunker.

Alyson and June have been here before, so they aren’t surprised by it. But this is the first time Blaze and Kana see it.

It is an all-white space with a high ceiling to maneuver.

Blocks of unknown materials form this room. It creates a sort of burdened force on the people inside, making them feel heavier.

Blaze gets used to it pretty quickly. Alyson isn’t affected that much. But June and Kana become much slower.

"This room has elevated gravity. Normal people will get very sick just standing inside it.

Miss Singer, you can stay inside the observatory to avoid discomfort."

"Thank you. I’ll leave now." Kana enters the observatory. A side room that is built into the wall of the assessment room.

Guy glances toward Alyson.

"It’s alright. I can take it." She speaks up.

"Remember to not intrude on the evaluation."

"I know."

Sweats cover June’s forehead.

"Are you alright, Miss Richmond? I can lower the gravity intensity."

"It’s alright. I’ve experienced it before."

"You probably haven’t gotten an enhancement yet, I assume?"

"Yeah... I’m only a D-rank."

D-rank and below power has very minimal effect on one body. This can be explained by understanding that C-rank and higher power provide a physical enhancement.

Similar to what Blaze had for several times when he increased his power to C and A rank.

"Don’t worry. You are still young. Try to get enough money for some extractions, and you should advance to C-rank, no problem."

"Thank you for your kind words, sir."

"Well. Who wants to go first?"

Blaze and June look at each other.