Re:Awakening with Ultimate Power as a Cosmic God-Chapter 42: Ch : Test- Part 4

Nova crouched on the branch, wiping blood off his blade as the last echo of the chimera’s roar faded.

Around him, the forest was quiet for the first time in hours—no more screaming, no more crashing, no more sudden bursts of aether from frantic candidates fighting for their lives.

Just silence.

A soft chime echoed from the distant edges of the containment zone, and a robotic voice rang out from hidden speakers:

[Trial complete. All candidates, proceed to the exit point.]

Nova exhaled and stood. Below, only a fraction of the initial group remained. Maybe twenty?

Out of the fifty or so that had entered, less than half had survived. Some were limping. Others were covered in blood that wasn’t theirs.

A few stared into space, expressions empty—broken.

Nova leapt from the branch and landed lightly, his boots silent against the grass. Immediately, he was bombarded by the sharp spike of dozens of weak aether signatures around him.

They were frantic, unstable—raw fear barely restrained. He winced.

The lingering chaos in the air was suffocating, but he stayed quiet and moved with the others as they were herded toward the edge of the testing zone.

At the perimeter, waiting for them with arms behind his back, stood the commander.

His expression was unreadable as his sharp gaze scanned the bloodied group.

"Line up."

The commander barked.

The order snapped the candidates to attention. Even the half-limping ones shuffled into formation, too drained to resist.

Nova stood at the far end of the line. Calm, alert, with his arms crossed behind him.

A few people glanced sideways, eyes widening as they finally registered that the quiet man among them—the one who hadn’t spoken much, who they’d assumed wouldn’t last—was a humanoid.

They didn’t say anything. No one had the strength.

The commander looked down the line and gave a short nod.

"Congratulations. You’re all alive. That alone means something."

He said flatly.

No one replied. Not even a breath moved out of line.

He continued.

"You’ve passed. You’ll be assigned to your preliminary divisions tomorrow. Report to your sector captains at dawn. Until then—rest. Eat. Breathe. You’ll need it."

He stepped aside, hands still behind his back.

"Dismissed."

There was a collective exhale, and the group broke apart.

Nova turned to leave, already planning to meet up with Anna when—

"You. Humanoid."

Nova paused, but didn’t turn.

"Follow me. I want to discuss something."

He didn’t respond, but he adjusted his path and fell into step behind the commander without hesitation.

Around him, whispers started to rise. It wasn’t loud—not really. Just a ripple of awareness as the rest of the group realized what had happened.

That he, a humanoid, had made it through the same nightmare as them. Some stared at him. Others looked away, ashamed of their earlier assumptions.

No one dared speak aloud. Not now. Not with the blood still drying on their skin.

Nova didn’t care.

He was already thinking about what the commander wanted.

And if it was a threat... he was ready.

______

The commander’s office was cleaner than Nova expected—sparse, neat, lined with a few medals on the walls and a holographic map of Planet Ursa’s military districts.

The air was sterilized, quiet. Too quiet. Nova stood in the center of the room, hands behind his back, unreadable.

The commander walked past him, unbothered by the silence. "Sit."

Nova didn’t move.

Commander Zero let out a dry huff and dropped himself into his chair with a thud.

He leaned back, eyes studying Nova with the same calculating sharpness that had followed him during the trial.

"You’re not going to sit? Fine. Whatever makes you feel bigger."

He waved one hand lazily.

"Let’s get to the point. The reason I called you here is simple—I want you in my division. As an upper officer."

Nova raised a brow slightly, but said nothing.

Zero chuckled.

"Surprised? I’ll save you the trouble of wondering why. It’s not charity. You’re not here to sweep floors or clean monster remains. Skip two ranks, jump the queue, and no grunt work. Straight to command-level assignments."

Still, Nova said nothing. He watched the commander like one might a snake ready to strike.

Commander Zero leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk.

"I can see that look. You’re suspicious. That’s good. It means you’re not stupid. But let me be blunt, humanoid—your little performance out there caught my attention. You didn’t just survive. You tore through a chimera."

His lips curled into a grin.

"Most of our soldiers don’t even live through seeing one."

Nova narrowed his eyes slightly.

"And you think that makes me useful."

"I know it does. I don’t need idealists. I need survivors. Killers. People who don’t flinch when the rules get ugly. You’re what I’ve been looking for."

Zero replied, tone sharpening.

Nova mulled the words over. The offer smelled too clean. Too convenient.

But... it also aligned perfectly with what he needed.

Joining as an upper officer meant faster access to key systems, classified locations, and most importantly—the Vault Sector Zeta.

That was where the heart of the ship of life’s systems was buried. That was where he had to go.

So he made his choice.

"I accept."

Zero smirked, clearly pleased.

"Smart decision." freeωebnovēl.c૦m

He opened a drawer and pulled out a slim black card, setting it on the desk along with a folded holo-map.

"This is your access card. Don’t lose it. With this, you can enter the Third Division headquarters, as well as the upper logistics zones. You’ll find your quarters marked on the map. Report for duty tomorrow at 0700."

Nova picked up the card without a word.

As he turned to leave, Zero called out.

"One more thing."

Nova paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

"I don’t care what you are. Humanoid, experiment, freak—it doesn’t matter to me. As long as you pull your weight and don’t betray me, we won’t have any problems."

Nova gave a single nod and walked out.

The door hissed shut behind him.

Nova stepped into the corridor, the access card still warm in his palm. The hall was dim, quiet, humming faintly with regulated aether currents.

As he walked, footsteps echoing alone, he thought about Commander Zero’s words.

No matter how the man tried to spin it, Nova knew what this was. A test. A trap. Or perhaps just another move in a game larger than either of them.

But it didn’t matter. He had what he needed—clearance, position, and a path to Vault Sector Zeta. That was all that counted.

Around him, the base had a subtle pulse, like the beating heart of a sleeping creature. The scent of metal and processed aether lingered in the air.

Far ahead, a few soldiers walked by, eyes briefly flicking toward him before looking away. Whispers followed him, but no one dared approach.

When he reached his assigned quarters, Nova slid the card through the scanner. The door opened with a hiss, revealing a compact but well-kept room.

Bed. Console. Private access terminal.

He stepped inside, closed the door, and stood for a moment.

One step closer.

Then, without ceremony, he dropped the access card on the desk and started reviewing the base schematics.

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