SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 130: Final Test. Pt 2

The tests continued in this fashion.

One after another, recruits went in full of hope and came out looking like they’d been used as a speed bag.

A fire-elementalist lasted just ninety seconds, his flames crushed by silent force, snuffing out both fire and confidence with brutal ease.

It quickly became clear that lasting for three minutes was the benchmark for true excellence, the point where the Vice-Principals on the dais would offer a glint of interest, a subtle nod of approval.

It was a test of will as much as skill, a desperate struggle against an opponent that could not be beaten, only endured.

Then, it was Olenna’s turn. She walked to the pod with a calm, confident stride, her elegant business suit a stark contrast to the battle-worn fatigues of the others.

She gave Daniel a quick, knowing look before stepping inside.

The sounds from her pod were different. There were no loud impacts, only the faint whoosh of rapid movement and the hum of discharged energy.

Inside the stark white virtual space, Olenna faced the glowing, featureless golem. She didn’t attack. She moved.

Using her C-grade [Deception] skill, she created faint, illusory after-images of herself, making Sango strike at shadows.

She used the walls of the virtual arena to ricochet, using the Sango’s own powerful lunges to carry it past her, forcing it to constantly readjust.

It was a masterful display of evasion, of turning an opponent’s strength into a weakness.

Exactly three minutes later, she gracefully sidestepped a final, furious punch and allowed the simulation to end.

She emerged looking slightly flushed but composed. Vice-Principal Aslaug Winnick, her serene face showing a rare, genuine smile, nodded slowly.

"Impressive, Ms. Houten. You understand that survival is not always about overpowering your foe, but outthinking them.

The Command School will be proud to have you." Olenna bowed gracefully, a triumphant glint in her eyes.

Next was Lia. She entered the pod, her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash glowing with a soft, emerald light.

The crowd watched, curious. What could a pure healer do against an unbeatable opponent?

The answer was: endure.

Her pod hummed with healing energy, broken only by the sharp crackle of Sango’s attacks hitting the glowing green shields.

Lia wasn’t fighting back. She was weathering the storm. She created barriers of pure life energy with her [Aegis of Life], and whenever the Sango shattered them, her [Divine Mending] would instantly knit together her own minor injuries.

It was a beautiful, desperate dance of endurance, a testament to the unyielding power of life itself.

The timer ticked past three minutes, then five, then seven.

The crowd murmured in disbelief. When Lia was finally ejected after a staggering eight minutes and fourteen seconds, she was pale and tired, but her spirit was unbroken.

Vice-Principal Yara Fairley was on her feet, clapping softly, her emerald eyes sparkling with unrestrained delight. "Magnificent!

Absolutely magnificent!" she exclaimed, her warm voice filled with genuine excitement.

"Such resilience! Such purity of purpose! Aspirant Lia, you are a gift! You will be the future pillar of my Logistics and Support School!"

The praise was so effusive that the other Vice-Principals could only nod in agreement.

A healer who could outlast a direct combatant through sheer defensive skill was a treasure beyond measure.

Then, it was Ayra’s turn. She cracked her knuckles with a sound like grinding boulders and swaggered towards the pod.

"Alright, tin can!" she roared. "Let’s see if you can handle a real fight!" She ran inside, and the entire platform seemed to brace for impact.

The pod immediately began to shake violently.

The sounds that erupted were a symphony of pure, unrestrained violence.

"BOOM! KRA-KOW! CRUNCH! ROAR!"

The ground trembled with each thunderous impact. Ayra wasn’t dodging.

She was brawling, trading blows with the unbeatable Sango, her S-Grade Rock Pugilist defenses meeting its overwhelming force head-on.

The timer blew past ten minutes, then fifteen. The crowd was in an uproar.

"Twenty-three minutes!" someone shouted in disbelief.

Vice-Principal Travis Standen was practically dancing on the dais, his scarred face alight with a feral, ecstatic grin.

"YES! THAT’S IT! THAT’S THE FURY! SHE’S MINE!"

Suddenly, a new, more powerful shockwave erupted from the pod, a deep, resonant sound that felt different from the others.

The pod door hissed open, and Ayra stumbled out. She was panting, bruised, and bleeding, but her eyes blazed with a triumphant, indomitable light.

A new, more powerful aura, like the very bedrock of the world, pulsed from her.

"She... she broke through," Daniel murmured, impressed. "She pushed herself so hard she unlocked a new stage of her Tyrant’s Mantle in there."

Travis Standen was already before her. "Aspirant Ayra Sand," he declared. "I will take you as my personal disciple. I will forge you into a legend."

Ayra just grinned. "I’ll join your school, Vice-Principal," she said, her voice raspy but strong.

"But as for being your disciple... you’ll have to prove you’re strong enough to teach me anything first."

Travis just threw his head back and laughed.

With the three women of his team having secured their places with spectacular results, all eyes finally turned to Daniel.

He stood quietly, a small, satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Pride lingered beneath his calm exterior. He had watched Lia, Ayra, and Olenna rise to the occasion and dominate with a brilliance that was impossible to ignore.

Hundreds had come from different Stargate entries, but his teammates stood out like stars against dusk.

He felt genuinely happy for them. Proud, even.

But now, the spotlight shifted.

The crowd’s attention snapped to him. Whispers rippled through the hall, some filled with excitement, others with skepticism.

If the women in his team were this strong, then surely their captain, the one who had led them, sparred with them, trained beside them, would be something even greater. Expectations soared.

He must be a monster, some said. He’ll break the Sango, others whispered.

Yet not everyone was convinced. A few crossed their arms, waiting to see him fall short.

To them, he was merely riding the coattails of powerful teammates, and the Sango, after all, had humbled many with far more bluster.

Now, it was Daniel’s turn.

Daniel walked calmly towards the final testing pod. He wasn’t thinking about setting a new endurance record. He was thinking about the Origin Power Core.

And he was wondering, with a deep, predatory curiosity, what would happen if he tried to assimilate a memory, a ghost, a legend made of pure data and light.

He stepped into the pod. The door hissed shut. The world dissolved into a blank, white virtual space.

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