Seed of Titan-Chapter 193: Birth of the "Monster"

Disregarding the other two’s shock, Drai requested a further weight increase.

"Please triple it, sir."

Drai’s words pulled the staff back to the present, after which he hurriedly replied, "I’m afraid I cannot do that, Mr. Drai."

"Huh, why? Do you not trust my judgment? This is still lightweight for me—look."

Drai then hopped a few centimeters, causing the entire reinforced floor to tremble when he landed, startling the others there.

"See? I’m not overestimating myself," he added.

"The problem doesn’t lie with you, Mr. Drai," Ailem suddenly chimed in. "Your weight request exceeds what this machine can handle, which is approximately six hundred tons."

"Aww, really? That’s too bad—I was hoping to finally find out my carry limit."

"The official term we use for that is ’load index’, and actually, we can still measure your load index with a better machine at the advanced testing area."

"Then let’s go there now," Drai eagerly said before turning to the staff. "Please remove this thing, sir."

The staff quickly released him from the metal casing. However, when Drai returned to Ailem’s side after deactivating his skills, his excitement was immediately dampened.

"Unfortunately, we won’t be going to the advanced testing area today," she said. "You’ll be doing all the tests here and we’ll wrap up after that so we can put you into a squad by this afternoon."

Drai gave her a pleading look, to which Ailem shook her head and said, "Unlike this place, some paperwork is required to access the advanced testing area. Besides, getting tested there probably wouldn’t change your placement much since you’d still have to start as a foot soldier. Perhaps you’ll get to try out the high-end machines when you’re due for promotion."

"And when is that?"

"If you do really well in training and missions while maintaining a praiseworthy conduct, you should get there in four months."

Although Drai felt that four months was a pretty long wait, he ultimately chose not to dwell on the matter, especially since it didn’t seem that feasible to use the advanced testing area as a regular training ground.

Just then, the staff asked, "Captain Ailem, how should I record the result?"

"Hmm... Just record it as six hundred tons."

Drai felt somewhat wronged by this, though he found it too trivial to warrant his objection.

Soon, the three of them finally moved on to the next machine, which Drai also recognized since he had watched someone using the same machine earlier.

Sensing Drai’s lack of curiosity, Ailem said, "As you might have realized, this machine measures striking power. What differentiates this machine from those commonly used in other institutions is its adjustable target through which it receives input."

"Ho... So you adjust the target depending on the tester?" Drai asked.

"Yes. After all, not everybody is equally proficient in various striking techniques. A few recruits with leg-focused classes can barely even punch. In addition, our assessment take into account the striking method used by a tester, since different methods inherently produce different amounts of force. For example, when both are executed well, a person’s kick is usually stronger than their punch due to the greater mass and larger muscle groups involved. That’s why we typically compare the result to the average force expected for the method employed during the test."

Ailem’s lengthy explanation reminded Drai of Samara’s lectures during his Combat 1 classes. Recalling the late professor, he pressed his lips together, feeling a sense of loss.

Although Ailem could taste the mild grief that Drai had just released seemingly out of nowhere, she didn’t say a word about it. Based on her experience, people who suddenly tasted like this were often best left alone.

"All set, Captain," the staff said.

Ailem nodded in reply before asking Drai, "What striking method do you prefer?"

"Punching."

"Then punching it is. You hear that, Richie? Please set up the target." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Richie, the operating staff, immediately began working, and Ailem spoke to Drai again.

"Please use your full power from the start, Mr. Drai," she instructed. "We’ll waste precious time if you keep holding back between tests."

Drai quietly nodded even though he disagreed with Ailem’s words. After all, the reason he restrained himself was to slip in some training, which to him was time truly well spent.

At that moment, Richie signaled them that the machine was ready. Drai then walked toward the machine, stopping before a cushioned target protruding slightly from the machine. Drai gave it a look of approval since it was just at the right height for him to punch.

"So, do I just punch this?" he asked Richie, who simply nodded back.

Ailem watched closely as Drai activated his aura again. She wondered if he could convert his absurd load index into a devastating striking force.

And shortly after, her question was answered in spectacular fashion.

Fully augmented and buffed, Drai took a single step forward and deftly twisted his body as he delivered an inconspicuous cross that was propelled by Aspiring Grabber as usual.

What followed was an ear-piercing blast that managed to startle the people outside the building. At the same time, the poor machine was instantly obliterated by the strike, showering the room with mechanical bits that clanged against the floor, walls, and other machines.

Some of the other people there were also hit by these flying parts, and although they weren’t quite injured by the salvo, it was pretty painful, especially to those who reacted too slowly and got hit on their heads.

Following this, Drai, Ailem, and Richie spent the next hour or so cleaning up the area with the help of the other staff, all the while apologizing to the people hit by the debris and to everyone else, since they’d all had to halt their activities.

When they had finally finished cleaning up the whole mess, Ailem and Richie had nearly lost all will to continue testing Drai, whom they now considered an unassuming walking disaster.

Seeing his supervisors’ unenthusiasm, Drai simply asked, "So are we done here?"

After gathering whatever spirit she had left, Ailem replied, "No. We’re done testing your strength and constitution-related parameters though. We’ll just assume they all reach their respective machines’ limits."

Hearing this, Drai was quite disappointed. He had been looking forward to trying out all the machines here so he could figure out which ones suited his training regimen. Still, he didn’t complain at all since he knew he had already caused these two enough trouble.

From there, they moved on to agility and dexterity-related tests, which included the movement and leaping tests that Drai had seen earlier. Other than these two, there was also a static defense test where Drai could only defend against repeated barrages with his hands and body movement, along with another test that required him to move three-dimensionally and pop any appearing balloon-like targets. Drai only used Nova Flux for these tests since Nexus Augmentation wouldn’t help much.

Objectively speaking, his results weren’t that impressive, much to Ailem and Richie’s relief. They knew that even without a notable speed, Drai had already been labeled as "monster" by some of the soldiers and staff who witnessed his destructive act earlier.

Ailem wasn’t sure whether Drai was aware of his pre-enlistment nickname since she didn’t sense any notable feelings from him. She figured even if Drai eventually came to know of it, he’d quickly get used to it. Even Ailem had come to like her nickname, "Cyclops", even though she used to despise it so much years ago after she first found out about it.

"Alright, we’re done here," Ailem finally said. "I’ll deal with your administration and placement right away, and I’ll notify you when your squad is ready to receive you. Don’t expect some kind of welcoming ceremony—that’s reserved for high-ranked officers and decorated individuals. In the meantime, you’re free to roam the base as long as you stay in the unrestricted areas."

Drai saluted her and said, "Thanks for the help, Captain Ailem."

Ailem chuckled. "Drop the salute, Mr. Drai, we don’t really do that here. Like the General once said, ’My guys are all doing their best and would give away their lives for our nation in a heartbeat, so please, curb your salutation fetish and shut up.’"

"That’s one of General Alancho’s famous sayings here. He blurted this one to a visiting official who kept mentioning the lack of salutes from our personnel," Richie amusedly explained to the baffled Drai.

"And he got away with that?" Drai couldn’t help but ask.

"Not quite, since he ended up getting a warning letter from the president back then," Ailem smilingly replied. "Anyway, I have to go now. See you, Mr. Drai."

After Ailem left, Drai asked Richie, "While I wait, can I train here, sir? If you’re too busy to accompany me, just teach me how to operate these machines."

"T-that’s not permitted, I’m sorry!" Richie frantically replied. "Only our staff are allowed to operate the machines. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to process your results."

Before Drai could reply, Richie had already scurried off through the exit.

"Sigh... I guess I’ll have to make an arrangement with the staff if I want to train here daily," Drai muttered.

As he glanced at a machine that was the same type as the first one he used earlier, Drai suddenly had an idea.

"That thing should still be pretty heavy even when it’s off, right?" he excitedly mused before making his way to the machine, ready for a quick weight lifting session.

***